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The West Easton council meeting on Monday night briefly entered the political arena when a write-in candidate was endorsed by a councilman acting in an official capacity during a public meeting, demonstrating that partisan politics does exist when it comes to council appointees.

Councilman Tom Nodoline took the entire council into partisan waters that are intentionally avoided by all elected officials during public meetings when he conveyed to those in attendance to vote for his candidate of choice during the “New Business” portion of the council meeting. His write-in candidate is the same one he handpicked and was appointed to council last year, but failed to file for the primaries this year.

At the very worst, such an endorsement during a public meeting could be seen as using public resources for campaign purposes. It was conducted in Borough Hall. It will (should) appear in approved minutes of the meeting and most disturbing is that he used a public meeting, with an audience there to hear about town business, to campaign for his candidate in his official capacity of councilman.

Knowing he couldn’t use the Borough Hall phone to reach out for votes, he simply waited for residents to come to him at a council meeting.

I see little difference in the use of public resources, between a phone in borough hall and the actual borough hall, in the act of campaigning for someone.

At the very least, it was inappropriate.

Even more inappropriate, considering that Mayor Gross previously told a resident at this same meeting, “This is not a political forum. This is a council meeting.” Tom Nodoline didn’t think so.

It’s noteworthy that at a previous council meeting, Mayor Gross assured me that the Council is non-partisan, when I stated during the public comment portion of the meeting that I would be non-partisan if elected and made it clear I felt the council was partisan in their appointment decisions.

Councilman Nodoline succeeded in proving my point and left egg on the Mayor’s face.

While some may claim that I am perturbed because I happen to be a candidate on the ballot, I assure you most of my shock and concern at Mr. Nodoline’s actions was that he tried to corrupt the fair election process by endorsing his candidate from behind the dais in his official capacity as councilman during a public meeting. My surprise can be verbally heard at about the 1:51:10 mark of the council meeting video.

If Nodoline had made the same statement on his own time, paid for his own meeting hall, or even given his permission for his candidate to use his endorsement on campaign literature, I wouldn’t have a problem with it.

Councilman Nodoline owes an apology to every candidate running for office. Not only those of his own Democrat party candidates  appearing on the ballot, but to any Republican candidates, as well.

If Nodoline wants to campaign for somebody, he needs to do it outside of Borough Hall. But doing that may not get him the pocket vote he is hoping to have on the council.