Dear Editor:

It's no secret that Dave Argall and his crony Micah Gursky have been the puppet masters in control of Tamaqua's Council for as long as anyone can remember. But the Argall and Gursky machine's latest move is appalling even by their standards.Earlier this year, one of their puppets on Council, Stephen Tertel, moved to Florida, which forced him to resign from Council. But Tertel didn't do the appropriate thing by removing his name from the ballot! It's simple. Unless someone mounts a write-in campaign, Tertel's hame will most likely get the most votes. And because he lives in Florida, Gursky (and Argall) will get to handpick a replacement for him.Had Tertel taken his name off the ballet once he became a resident of Florida, the locally elected committee members for both the Republican and Democrat parties in Tamaqua could have come up with nominees for Council on the ballot for the November Election. The voters could have chosen from among at least two candidates who actually live here, one Democrat and one Republican. But now, the voters will have only one option on the ballot for Council, and that is Tertel, who lives in Florida!Democracy and fairness aren't important to politicians like Argall and Gursky. To them, it's all about power and control. Maybe Argall and Gursky should pay attention to cutting taxes and creating jobs instead of playing puppet masters. Maybe, just maybe, the standard of living in this town might actually go up for a change.Robert N. EhrigTamaqua