Business News in Lehigh Valley, 11/2/12

Good morning and happy Friday, Lehigh Valley. There are only 4 days left until the 2012 election.

U.S. employers added 171,000 jobs during the month of October, and the jobless rate inched up to 7.9% from 7.8% last month. Since July, the economy has created an average of 173,000 jobs a month, up from 67,000 a month from April through June.

Several retail stores and malls reopened in Lehigh Valley yesterday, welcoming swarms of shoppers stricken with cabin fever and ready to spend their money. After a few days without power, it's no surprise that the malls saw a larger than average crowd of people. Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem posted a record earning quarter, bringing in $24.3 million in revenue this past quarter, shattering the previous record of $18.2 million.

First Friday festivities in Bethlehem will be postponed until the second Friday, 11/9, when more of the downtown shops will be back up and running.



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Daily Briefing, 11/1/12

Good morning and happy Thursday. Today is the first day of November, and we hope everyone had a nice Halloween yesterday. The 2012 election is just 5 days away.

Lehigh Valley and the rest of the region began the long process yesterday of getting back to normal following the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Many thousands of residents of the area are still without power, and a spokesman for PPL stated that power may not be fully restored until Saturday afternoon, although they expect most power to be restored by Friday night. PPL has more than 4,300 people involved in the restoration effort.

The New York Stock Exchange reopened on generator power after the first weather related two-day closure since a blizzard back in 1888. President Obama visited devastated towns of New Jersey yesterday with Gov. Christie, putting aside party differences to assess damages and begin to rebuild.
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D.C. Update with U.S. Senator Pat Toomey

The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation and Lehigh Valley Consortium of Professional Organizations present a D.C. Update with our special guest U.S. Senator Pat Toomey on Monday, November 19, 2012 at the University Center at DeSales University in Center Valley, PA.

Don't miss this important conversation concerning the November 6th elections and the makeup of the Congress as it relates to your business and our community.    

Register here

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The Annual Healthcare Summit is Thursday, October 18

Don't Miss the Chamber's Annual Healthcare Summit

KEYNOTE: Healthcare 2012: Is the ACA Good for Business?

SPEAKER:  Joel Ario, former US Dept. of Health Administrator for President Obama

REGISTER HERE - Only $40 for Chamber Members!

The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber’s Small Business Council and Healthcare Legislative Committee present the 2012 Health Care Summit on Thursday, October 18, 2012 at Saucon Valley Country Club (please note the date and location change!). Registration begins at 7:00 a.m. Breakfast will be served at 7:30 a.m. and the program will run from 8:00 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. 

Now that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is the “Law of the Land,” how will it impact your business? 

What does it mean today and will it change after the November election?  

Will you be required to provide a certain health plan for your employees?  

What new taxes are in the Act and will you face more taxes if you don’t comply?  

If you hire more employees, how will your costs change? 

What do you really need to know to make employment related decisions in the future?  

Don’t miss this important opportunity to engage in an interactive dialogue with Mr. Ario and your fellow Chamber members in getting the answers to your questions in a factual, non-partisan forum!

Joel Ario, our keynote speaker, previously served as President Obama’s Director of the Office of Insurance Exchanges at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In addition, he was Governor Rendell’s Insurance Commissioner overseeing the state’s $85 billion insurance industry after serving as Oregon’s Insurance Administrator. Currently, Ario works independently in Washington, D.C. as both the Managing Director of Manatt Health Solutions and as a member of the “FuturePanel” of Leavitt Partners, headed by Mike Leavitt. Leavitt serves as Republican Presidential Nominee Mitt Romney’s transition team chief focusing on a healthcare system with less federal regulation, more emphasis on free market principles, more choice for consumers and more latitude for states. 
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Customized sponsorship opportunities are always available. If interested in sponsoring this event, please contact Frank Facchiano atFrankF@lehighvalleychamber.org.

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Daily Briefing, 10/3/12

Good morning and happy hump day! You're almost halfway through the work week.

In local news, A state judge has blocked Pennsylvania's tough voter-identification law from taking full effect during the November election yesterday. Voters will be asked for proper ID, but will still be allowed to cast ballots if they don't have it. Allentown now has the money it needs to build the hockey arena at 7th & Hamilton after selling out the bonds yesterday in just 4 hours for nearly a quarter billion dollars. Beginning next month, the city of Bethlehem will consider the possibility of naming a single contractor to haul the city's trash, which could save residents money and eliminate the complications of having 19 different haulers collecting throughout the city.

In national news, the private sector added roughly 162,000 jobs during the month of September and mortgage applications rose to a three-year high.

Have a great day!D


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Presidential Election Resources

You, like me, may be an election junkie.  If that's the case - you're going to have a fun next few months as the Presidential election continues to heat up.

Assuming you are a political junkie, or even just a novice that's looking to stay informed, here are a few great sites that can keep you up to date on today's political news.

• Electoral-Vote.com:  This will be the third election in a row that I've used this website.  In those eight years, its barely changed, but it doesn't have to.  It's simple and easy to read design takes the latest polling information, puts it on a map and calculates the electoral votes that each candidate is likely to get at that moment.  
• Politicalwire.com:  This site is more of an aggregator than anything else - its updated multiple times a day with the latest political news from across the country.  It is also more than just the Presidential elections; it covers policy and elections at almost every level.
• Politics1.com:  On its surface, this site looks like its just an aggregator (and not a very good one at that). That being said, dig deeper and you'll find no shortage of election resources.  It links to every political and state party website you can think of and has a detailed breakdown of every federal and most state-wide races in the country.  
• 270towin.com:  Okay, okay, so this is barely a news site, but its fun.  You can design your own election scenarios on a map and see how they would play out in the Electoral Collage.  Want to enter an alternative universe where California is Red and Idaho is Blue?  Here's your website.  Go nuts.

THIS DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE!!!

Those are a few of my thoughts - what are yours?  Let us know in the comments!

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Super Tuesday rundown

The Super Tuesday elections are tomorrow, and it could go a long way in determining who ultimately becomes the Republican nominee for President.  At present, polling seems to show Mitt Romney with the momentum, though as we have seen time and time again this cycle, final results are extremely volatile!

In total, 410 delegates (about 18% of the total) will be awarded tomorrow.  Here's a look of what states vote and how the delegates are allocated:

• Georgia:  76 delegates.  42 awarded by the winner of a Congressional district, 31 proportionately by the winner of the state and the final 3 by the overall winner of the state.  Polling here shoes Newt Gingrich as the likely winner.
• Ohio:  66 delegates.  48 awarded by the winner of a Congressional district, 15 by proportionately by the winner of the state and another 3 super delegates that can do whatever they want.  This race is neck and neck between Romney and Santorum.
• Tennessee:  58 delegates.  27 by the winner of a Congressional district, 28 proportionately by the winner of the state and another 3 super delegates who can do whatever they want.  Santorum has the lead here, but Romney has been closing.
• Virginia:  46 delegates.  33 by the winner of a Congressional district, 13 winner-take-all by whoever wins the state.  Only Romney and Paul are on the ballot here as a result of very strict ballot requirements that kept other candidates off; as a result, Romney is virtually assured to win.
• Oklahoma:  43 delegates. 15 by the winner of a Congressional district, 25 proportionately by the winner of the state and another 3 super delegates who can do whatever they want.  Santorum is expected to win here.
• Massachusetts:  41 delegates.  38 proportionately by the winner of the state and another 3 super delegates who can do whatever they want.  Romney will cruise to a victory here.
• Idaho:  32 delegates.  Winner take all, by county.  BUT, if the winner of the county delegate count gets over 50% of the delegates, he wins all 32 delegates; otherwise, the delegates are allocated proportionately.  Nice and confusing.  No polling has been done in Idaho.
• North Dakota:  32 delegates.  Delegate allocation is tied proportionately to the vote.  No polling done.
• Alaska:  27 delegates will be decided over a two week caucus.  24 awarded proportionately based on the state-wide vote, with another 3 super delegates that can vote for anyone.  No polling.
• Vermont:  17 delegates.   14 awarded proportionately based on the state-wide vote, with another 3 super delegates that can vote for anyone.  No recent polling.

Wow.  Why are rules so complicated?

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2012 Candidate List

Filing has closed for the 2012 Primary, and this one should be good.  There are numerous Federal and State elections that will be decided in the primary (currently scheduled for April 24).  Here's a list of every candidate that you might be able to vote for in the 2012 primary.

President

• Barack Obama (D-Inc)
• Rick Santorum (R)
• Mitt Romney (R)
• Newt Gingrich (R)
• Ron Paul (R)

US Senate

• Bob Casey (D-Inc)
• Joseph Vodvarka (D)
• Sam Rohrer (R)
• Steven Welsh (R)
• Marc Scaringi (R)
• Tom Smith (R)
• David Christian (R)

6th Congressional District

• Manan Trivedi (D)
• Jim Gerlach (R-Inc)

15th Congressional District

• Jackson Eaton (D)
• Rick Daugherty (D)
• Charlie Dent (R-Inc)

17th Congressional District

• Tim Holden (D-Inc)
• Matthew Cartwright (D)
• Laureen Cummings (R)

Auditor General

• Frank Pinto (R)
• John Maher (R)
• Eugene DePasquale (D)

State Treasurer

• Diana Irey Vaughn (R)
• Robert McCord (D-Inc)

Attorney General

• David Freed (R)
• Patrick Murphy (D)
• Kathleen Kane (D)

131st Legislative District

• Justin Simmons (R-Inc)
• Kevin Deeley (D)

132nd Legislative District (currently held by Representative Jennifer Mann, who is not seeking reelection)

• Aryeh Spero (R)
• Michael Schlossberg (D)

133rd Legislative District

• David Molony (R)
• Joseph Brennan (D-Inc)

134th Legislative District (currently vacant after Doug Reichley's election to Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas)

• Dennis Nemes (R)
• Arlene Dabrow (R)
• Ryan Mackenzie (R)
• Wanda Mercado-Arroyo (R)
• Rob Hamill (R)
• Patrick Slattery (D)

135th Legislative District

• Kenneth Barreto (R)
• Steve Samuelson (D-Inc)

136th Legislative District

• Robert Freeman (D-Inc)

137th Legislative District

• Joe Emrick (R-Inc)
• Joseph Capozzolo (D)

138th Legislative District

• Marcia Hahn (R-Inc)
• Leslie Altieri (D)

183rd Legislative District

• Julie Harhart (R-Inc)

187th Legislative District

• Gary Day (R-Inc)
• Joseph Haas (D)

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What comes next in the Republican race for President

The Florida Primary is being held as I type this; if polls are any indication, Mitt Romney is expected to cruise to an easy win.  However, the race won't end after tonight, no matter what happens.  So, what comes next in the race for the Republican nomination?

• On February 4, Nevada is holding their Presidential caucuses.  Given its proximity to Utah and high Mormon population, Mitt Romney is expected to win, though Ron Paul's campaign has shown a high degree of organizational prowess in caucus states.  
• Next up is the Maine caucuses, to be held on February 4 - February 11.
• On February 7, three caucuses are held:  Colorado, Missouri and Minnesota.
• February 28 sees the next two primaries held - Arizona and Michigan.  As the son of the former Governor, Romney is the likely favorite in Michigan.
• On March 3, Washington State holds their Caucuses.
• March 6 is the big day: Super Tuesday.  Primaries will be held in Georgia, Massachusetts, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia & Vermont, with caucuses held in Alaska, Idaho and North Dakota.

How about the never-ending series of Republican debates?

• Believe it or not, there are no debates for three weeks.  The next debate is February 22, in Arizona, sponsored by CNN and the Republican Party of Arizona.
• The next debate is before Super Tuesday on March 1, in Georgia, sponsored by CNN and the Georgia Republican party.  

But, here is the real question - will the primaries go this long?  What do you think?

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