“A man who won’t stand for something will fall for anything.” — widely attributed to Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804) and Malcolm X (1925-1965)

If Lackawanna County Commissioner Bill Gaughan is reelected to a second term next year, he will owe his bumbling political enemies and his meek colleagues a massive debt of thanks.

After Gaughan and departed Commissioner Matt McGloin passed a 33% property tax increase less than a year into their administration, local politicos considered it gospel that neither had a chance to win reelection in 2027. McGloin then benched himself, leaving Gaughan holding the tax bag and undeserved acrimony for the similarly unpopular and overdue reassessment, which was court-ordered before Gaughan’s election to office.

The chief mechanics of the county Democratic Party Machine decided Gaughan had to be marginalized and limited to one term. Everything the Machine did (and didn’t do) after that freed Gaughan to use the bully pulpit to pour sand into the Machine’s creaky gears and make hay out of its self-owning attempts to sideline him.

Wednesday’s commissioners’ meeting was a striking showcase for Gaughan’s political resurgence and the willful failure of Democratic Commissioner Chairman Thom Welby and MAGA Republican Commissioner co-Chairman Chris Chermak to read the room.

The meeting was packed with concerned constituents, most of them focused on Gaughan’s proposed “Protect Our Neighbors Act” — an ordinance that would bar the use of county resources in federal immigration enforcement — and Gaughan’s proactive opposition to invasive data center development.

Welby and Chermak clearly wanted to talk about anything other than looming ICE and data center invasions. Both repeatedly attempted to steer public attention back to the tax hike, reassessment and Gaughan’s “rogue” use of the First Amendment and the authority of his office to draw attention to bigger concerns.

Sarah Balmer, a North Pocono mother who described herself and her husband as “lifelong Republicans” who “became increasingly uncomfortable with ICE’s tactics,” told the commissioners about a harrowing recent encounter she and her young daughter had with ICE thugs in North Scranton. Balmer’s daughter, Lily Mei Balmer, is a U.S. citizen adopted from China in 2009 and a senior at Scranton Prep.

While walking to their car on Nov. 29, Balmer said she and her daughter witnessed “armed men in tactical vests” surround a home.

“I had my daughter lock herself in the car, then took out my phone and started recording,” she said, noting the agents eventually left without incident. “As they walked away, they noticed me with my phone. They condescendingly waved, took my picture and videoed me.

“I can only assume I’ve now been entered into an enemy-of-the-state-slash-woke-leftist database. I do not think I’ve ever been more afraid in my life. My daughter was unable to speak for two hours, and later told me she thought they were going to shoot her mom.”

Balmer thanked Gaughan for proposing the ordinance, which Welby said is still “under review” by the county’s lawyers. Several speakers urged urgent adoption of the ordinance and expressed disappointment that it wasn’t on the agenda for a vote on Wednesday. Gaughan laid the blame for the delay on his colleagues, which clearly annoyed Welby. Gaughan gleefully needled his colleagues throughout the meeting.

I have known Gaughan since he was a young, impulsive loudmouth just breaking into politics. He was almost as arrogant and insufferable as I was as an angry young man. He’s grown up a bit since, and grown into his responsibilities as a husband, father and elected official.

Critics contend that Gaughan is a shameless opportunist cynically using the issues of the moment for political gain down the campaign trail. Politically and practically, his motives hardly matter.

Gaughan is running rings around Welby, Chermak and the Democratic Machine simply by taking a stand while they sit on their hands and hope the storm will pass without sinking their credibility with voters.

It won’t. Gaughan knows it. I’ve spoken at length with the de facto minority commissioner about invasive data center development and the ICE invasion of American cities. I’m satisfied that his opposition to both is sincere and sturdy. Gaughan is leading the local charge against outside exploiters and federal oppressors. Welby and Chermak have chosen to chirp from the sidelines while sniping at Gaughan for “grandstanding.”

Gaughan is grandstanding. It’s the standing part voters appreciate and will remember at the polls next year.

Welby and Chermak have expressed opposition to invasive data center development, but Gaughan didn’t stop at rhetoric. He publicly petitioned Gov. Josh Shapiro, a fellow Democrat, in support of a three-year moratorium proposed by Chester County Democratic state Sen. Katie Muth. Once gung-ho for data centers, the governor now faces pressure from within his own party as he runs for reelection.

Gaughan also stood up at municipal meetings and hearings to voice his opposition to invasive data center development on the record. He walks his talk.

Meanwhile, Welby and Chermak have slow-walked the ICE ordinance and tap-danced around the data center development threat. The de facto majority’s excuse is that county government lacks official authority to legislate on either issue.

This is legally true, but morally false. Leadership is not limited to legislative authority. Legally, the Protect Our Neighbors Act merely affirms the county’s 10th Amendment right to bar the federal government from commandeering county resources and personnel for purely federal purposes.

Morally, the ordinance declares the county’s official opposition to masked thugs kidnapping people on our streets and the kind of lethal terror ICE inflicted on the people of Minneapolis. County officials can’t legally impede immigration enforcement, but they are under no legal or moral obligation to cooperate or participate.

Such a declaration should not be controversial. Welby’s comments on the ordinance ironically proved its adoption is essential. The commissioner chairman of Lackawanna County called the actions of some ICE agents “reprehensible,” but warned that “waving a flag that we are a sanctuary area,” particularly with Scranton being former President Joe Biden’s hometown, could provoke retribution from the Trump regime.

“When I was a lot younger sometimes I was reminded that sometimes it’s best to keep your mouth shut and your head down,” Welby said.

A woman seated next to me gasped. Another behind me asked, “Did he really just say that?”

He did, and whatever Welby intended, the message received in the cheap seats was, “Don’t fuss. Just lay still until they’re finished.”

This same defeatist, “comply in advance” attitude also applies to invasive data center development. While the county lacks legal authority to control or curb their development, constituents want their commissioners to act on their moral obligation to advocate in the interests of the people they swore oaths to serve.

Scranton taxpayer Joan Hodowanitz — who didn’t invent watchdog citizenship but has damn near perfected it — spoke for the obvious majority of voters in the room during her five minutes at the public podium.

“Commissioner Gaughan … continue using that platform to speak your mind,” she said. “I don’t always agree with you, but I respect the fact that you’re willing to take a stand on controversial issues. That’s why I pay taxes, and that’s why I pay your salary …

“Commissioner Chermak, I’ve heard you say before with regard to the data centers, you’re not for them and you’re not against them. Well, you’re sitting precisely on the fence. Sooner or later, you’re going to have to jump off and take a stand.”

CHRIS KELLY, the Times-Tribune columnist, is betting on “later.” Contact the writer: ckelly@scrantontimes.com; @cjkink on X; Chris Kelly, The Times-Tribune on Facebook; and @chriskellyink on Blue Sky Social.