People f 15
by Margo Ragan
His last name has given many people pause, how does one say or spell it, but Bucks County native Michael Smerconish has made his name familiar to folks coast to coast. He wears many hats—attorney, cable network talk show host, Sirius radio host, newspaper columnist, author, classic rock music enthusiast, and yes, actor, even though his scenes ended up on the cutting room floor. Michael's career path has taken many twists and turns, but all its elements begin with his roots in Doylestown, Bucks County.
“I look back at my childhood as a Rockwellian kind of experience,” Michael said. “It was a time when my parents knew our neighbors, my friends lived down the street or around the corner, and everyone had a sense of pride in the community. One of the best things was that I was raised in a town, which has such a strong place in local and national history. That totally nurtured my innate love of history and helped to lead me to where I am today.”
Michael's parents, Walter and Florence (Flo) Smerconish came to Doylestown not knowing anyone in the area from what Michael calls “coal cracker country,” but they quickly established themselves in the community. Walter was an educator and guidance counselor, Flo found her niche in real estate, and the Smerconish name today is on billboards throughout the county.
“We lived on 24 Mercer Avenue, and my pal Michael Stachel Jr was at 42,” Michael recalled. “With my brother Wally and his friends, we played on the grounds of Fonthill Castle on Swamp Road, Henry Chapman Mercer's home, or we went downtown to Kenny's News Stand for newspapers, Gardy's for stationery, Al Bonc's for hardware supplies, Ed's Diner for coffee, and Weisbard's for prescriptions.”
What is memorable for Michael is that these establishments represented families who were neighbors and/or friends, instead of an impersonal corporate link that dominates the landscape today. “We knew these people who owned the stores, or they knew us. The environment was a nurturing one in every way,” he said.
Although Michael compares his childhood as one Norman Rockwell could paint, there is an element of Tom Sawyer in his narrative too. When he was an 8th grader at Holicong Middle School, he pulled a prank worthy of Tom Sawyer.
At the time Holicong was a new school with a motto that defines its standards, “Opening Doors to Excellence Each Day.” The usual early morning announcements were made on a closed circuit television system, cutting edge technology that eliminated the traditional radio broadcasts. The system gave youngsters like Michael an opportunity to do feature interviews and gain camera presence. Michael actually credits this early experience as the incentive for following a career in television.
On this particular day the camera crew began filming while Michael's gym class was in session. As the camera swung around the gymnasium, Michael and a few of his friends, all clad in regulation white shirts and shorts, “flipped everyone a moon” on live television broadcast to the entire school. Naturally, what the teenage boys thought was hilarious was an entirely different matter to the school administration.
“My father was upset with me, but actually a little relieved that I had only flipped a moon. He thought I had exposed myself!” said Michael. “Nonetheless I was punished.”
Fonthill Castle and its imposing structure was a natural attraction for Michael and his friends. A caretaker named Mrs. Swain lived alone on the property and for a 25-cent fee from each boy, she would conduct a tour of the building. “We would follow this 95 year old woman from room to room, as she would tell us stories. She would stop at a large pirate's chest, and with the proper dramatic tone in her voice, tell us that there was a sleeping pirate inside. We believed her and were terrified.”
Years later, Michael spotted a painting in a New Hope art gallery that featured the same pirate's chest, so he immediately purchased it. Today the painting hangs prominently on his office wall, a reminder of very happy times.
Michael Stachel Jr. was a friend and often, a fellow conspirator. His father Michael Sr. owns Mountain Lake Pool and Patio, and according to Smerconish, has employed every kid in the neighborhood, which included himself, of course. The two younger Michaels were dispatched one day to deliver product to Larry Kane, who was Philadelphia's top news reporter, and friend to the Beatles, two credentials, which were totally appealing to Smerconish.
As the story is told, Smerconish convinced the maid that Larry Kane had to personally sign a delivery order of chlorine, giving him the perfect opportunity to introduce himself to this Philadelphia icon. It's yet another example of Michael's drive and willingness to engage.
When Michael was a senior at Central Bucks West, his father decided to run in an open primary for a Bucks County Commissioner's seat, and Michael jumped in to do what he could to help his father's campaign. This was his first, but definitely not his last, experience in politics.
“My father was a Republican, but political party membership did not mean we weren't friends with people who were active in the opposition. Working long hours at the polls could have been boring or wearisome, but we all got along, joking with one another. I especially remember the cookies Judi Fonash would bake. She was married to Carl Fonash, who was the Democrat Commissioner on the Bucks County Board of Commissioners, and an active Democrat worker, but she shared cookies with all of us.”
Michael's teen years marked a time when he began to explore the political arena. He was 13-years-old when he began corresponding with Frank Rizzo, who was then Police Commissioner of Philadelphia. The eager, energetic teenager and the political savvy Rizzo began a long-standing friendship, which ultimately led to a position as Political Director in Rizzo's mayoral campaign in 1987. The larger point is that early on, Michael began reaching out to those individuals who had life's lessons to share, especially in the political arena, and they in turn recognized his talents.
A person who had a great influence was Herb Barness, a prominent Republican and real estate developer. “He had an office in a shopping center on route 611 and Bristol Road, above a hardware store,” Michael said. “His meetings would begin at 8:00 in the morning, and you had better be prepared for whatever discussion you were going to have.”
Michael credits Barness for giving him political insights and counsel. “Here was one of the most important persons in the political atmosphere of Bucks County, a leading developer and outstanding business leader, but he generously found the time to talk with me,” said Michael. “I have much respect for him.”
Herb Barness wasn't the only person to appreciate the basic intelligence and tenacity of the young Smerconish. Harry Fawkes, powerful chairman of the Bucks County Republican Party for 40 years, took Michael under his wing also. When Michael began attending political meetings, he was consistently the youngest person there, but he did not let that fact intimidate him. Michael asked probing questions, reflective of his research and curiosity.
Fawkes encouraged Michael's journalistic talents, and Michael began writing and publishing The Elephant's Ear as an official newsletter for the party. “I was a staff of one, but the journalism bug bit me, and writing has become a part of my professional career.”
At the same time that he was immersing himself in politics, Michael was graduated from Lehigh University in 1984 receiving a dual degree with Phi Beta Kappa honors, in government and journalism. Three years later, he had a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
Michael's professional career journey has taken him from the radio talk show booths, to the television cameras of the major cable news networks, to the White House itself. He has consistently received accolades from colleagues and awards for his incisive and objective interviews with his radio show guests. A busy man, Michael can be heard daily from 9 a.m. to noon on Sirius radio, POTUS channel 124, and can be seen and heard on CNN on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. EST, and 6 to 7 p.m. EST.
What is not so well known is Michael's generosity, not only in terms of money but in his wholehearted commitment to people and causes in which he believes. Michael is the author of six books, including one work of fiction about a talk show host called Talk. After the events of September 11, Michael wrote Flying Blind: How Political Correctness Continues to Compromise Airline Safety Post 9/11. He has donated all proceeds from sales of this book to the Garden of Reflection, located in Lower Makefield. Michael is the major donor to the Garden of Reflection, which honors those from Bucks County who perished on that day.
Michael's interest in the events of 9/11 led him to write another book on the topic, this time about a man whose name is probably unknown to most of us, Jose Melendez-Perez. The title tells the story, Instinct: The Man Who Stopped the 20th Hijacker, and again, Michael has donated the profits to Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville PA.
He co-authored a book with Maureen Faulkner, widow of slain Philadelphia Office Daniel Faulkner, entitled Murdered by Mumia: A Life Sentence of Loss, Pain, and Injustice. The book made the New York Times Best Seller's List, and all proceeds have been donated to the Daniel Faulkner Educational Grant Fund.
In addition, Michael served as a source in a documentary entitled The Barrel of a Gun in 2010, which examined the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal, convicted killer of Daniel Faulkner. His support for justice for Daniel Faulkner has not stopped, even when the klieg lights are turned off.
The year 2008 proved to be a sort of tsunami in terms of Michael's career. He came from a staunchly Republican background, and had been active in the party for many years. Michael made an announcement on his show that he was supporting Barack Obama for President. Thousands of emails were sent to his radio station calling him a Communist, Socialist, or worse. Members of the Bucks County Republican Party were shocked.
Two years later, he explained his thoughts in an essay for the Huffington Post, entitled For Me, the Party is Over, and officially designated his political affiliation as Independent. To understand what happened, he offers what he calls the Suburban Manifesto, which he believes to be a reflection of how people think in a county such as Bucks. The Manifesto explores both the liberal and conservative side to his own thinking.
On the liberal side, he supports increased land preservation, legalization of marijuana and prostitution, and gay rights. Conversely, he is the owner of firearms, supports profiling in cases of suspected terrors, also supports torture as a last measure for getting information from terrorists.
The teenager who mooned his classmates has grown up to be a man who has interviewed all of the living Presidents of the United States, three Vice Presidents, nearly every important political figure in Washington, and attended as many classic rock concerts as his crowded schedule allows. In other words, Michael Smerconish does not fit into a box, which he attributes directly to his Bucks County roots.
“I have benefitted in every way from having lived in Bucks County as a child. My Central Bucks public school education gave me the tools to succeed in higher education as well as in life itself. Friends from my childhood are still my friends, they offered me different experiences which broadened my understanding,” he concluded. “My wife Lavinia and I have a second home in Bucks County because I wanted my four children to experience the bounty of Bucks as I did.”