Panella outspends Aaroe 2-1 in Norco judge primary
Candidates will face each other again in November election
In the May 16 primary for Northampton County judge, Brian Panella outspent his opponent, Nancy Aaroe, by a 2-1 margin, $117,800 to $55,680, according to the candidates’ campaign finance reports.
But at the ballot box, where judicial candidates in a primary cross-file and appear on the Republican and Democratic ballots, it was a split decision.
Panella, a Democrat, won his party’s nomination with 57% of the vote (13,145 to 10,005), while Aaroe, a Republican, won the GOP nod with 70% of the vote (10,950 to 4,730), according to official county results.
The candidates will continue their campaigns into the fall as the Nov. 7 election will determine who becomes the county’s ninth judge, filling a vacancy created when Democrat Stephen Baratta resigned to run for county district attorney.
Panella, 32, of Forks Township, has worked in the law firm Goudsouzian & Associates in Palmer Township for seven years. He is also solicitor to Bethlehem City Council and the boroughs of Northampton and North Catasauqua.
Aaroe, 58, of Bethlehem Township, is in private practice with her husband, Paul. She previously worked as a public defender in Monroe County and as a part-time assistant district attorney in Northampton County.
Nancy Aaroe, Brian Panella vie for seat on Northampton County Court (substack.com)
The candidates’ second finance reports for the 2023 campaign were filed last week and reflect activity from May 2 to June 5, before and after the primary.
Aaroe campaign finance details
The Nancy Aaroe for Judge committee began the reporting period with $23,704 and raised $5,604. The campaign spent $27,757, leaving a balance of $1,551.
Campaign contributors included Bethlehem lawyer Erv McLain ($1,000), Aaroe Law Offices administrator Donnamarie Capuano ($1,500), and Citizens for Ryan Mackenzie ($500), the campaign committee for state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, a Republican from Lehigh County.
Most of the campaign’s expenses — $24,347 — went to the Easton area firm Communications Concepts LLC. for media services.
Aaroe loaned her campaign $29,807 in in two installmdents April, and the loan remains unpaid, according to her recent campaign finance report.
Panella campaign finance details
The Bipartisan Committee to Elect Brian Panella started the reporting period with $4,676 and raised $22,550. That total included $10,500 from lawyers and others from the Philadelphia area, continuing a trend from the first reporting period when the campaign collected nearly $22,000 from Philadelphia area donors. The campaign also received $1,000 from his aunt, Anna Marie Panella, a Palmer Township supervisor.
The campaign’s contributions for the reporting period also included a $6,500 loan from the candidate, bringing Panella’s total loans to his campaign to $39,872 for the year. The loans remain unpaid.
The largest campaign expense – $20,429 – covered the cost of mailers produced by Blue Dot of Alburtis.