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Italians in America – Our Immigrant Stories: Former county commissioner touts conservative values of faith and family (and food)

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Written by Tanya Tecce

Joe Gale is a great example of the fire, heart and independence borne from our Italian blood. His mom Roseanne Tramo Gale’s grandparents, the Testas and Bonannos, emigrated to the United States from Sicily, and settled in South Philadelphia. The Tramos’ son, Carmen “Charles” Tramo, moved to Overbrook with his wife Marie where they kept their traditions and the Italian language alive.

Joe’s grandparents Charles and Marie Tramo with their grandchildren, Christmas 1996.

When Joe’s grandfather Charles was just 17 years old, he enlisted as a World War II B24 Liberator Mechanic in the Army Air Corps. Charles then worked for Lester Piano before becoming a mailman in his hometown of Overbrook for 26 years. Charles loved connecting with his neighbors, sharing their lives and family stories. Until the day he passed at age 96, he remembered every person behind every door in his neighborhood.

Charles was the neighborhood icon, known for having a hard time sitting still, never forgetting a name and being so independent that they’d find him walking wherever he wanted to go, if that’s the only way he could get there. He placed no limits on himself, never thought of himself as too old or too weak to do something.

Montgomery Co Commissioner Joe Gale honors the life & legacy of Phila Mayor Frank Rizzo on the anniversary of his passing, July 2018.

Charles met Joe’s grandmother, Marie Testa, when they were in elementary school. They started dating after he returned home from the war, then married and had four children, one of whom is Joe’s mom, Roseanne.

Roseanne Tramo met and married Joseph Gale and they had three children: Joe and his two younger siblings – twins Sean, an attorney, and Katiemarie, a pediatrician. Joe and his siblings grew up watching their parents and grandparents keep many Italian-American traditions alive, which they still continue with today. As one example, the Gales’ Christmas Eve feast of the seven fishes was held for decades at his great-aunt’s home. Now her daughter, Rita, Joe’s second cousin, continues the tradition.

Growing up, Joe followed politics even though his parents weren’t politically active. Philadelphia Mayor Frank Rizzo’s story especially enamored Joe. “I read books and viewed footage about him and found him to be tough on law and order, dressed in suits and ties as he walked through South Philly, like a rock star; but he was the salt of the earth. He connected with the common person. I always find it interesting when candidates are bigger than the party.”

Joe and Roseanne Gale with their children; twins Sean and Katiemarie, and eldest son, Joe, Easter 1994.

Joe graduated from Temple University with a double major in finance and real estate. While there he took leadership roles, starting Temple Ambler’s College Republican’s Club. He followed politics on both the national and local level and became increasingly “disgruntled with the series of flawed candidates that the establishment chose to run.” He thought the people in his community deserved a more authentic choice in a primary, and at age 25, he started his own campaign for the highest held elected office of Montgomery County, that of commissioner. And he won.

In his grandfather’s, and perhaps Mayor Rizzo’s footsteps, he developed a powerful connection with the people. So potent in fact, that word spread like wildfire as he sat and talked with constituents at his “Cup of Joe” meet and greets. Over the next eight years, Joe built personal relationships with the people at more than 1,000 of these informal meetings in their homes. They shared with him how refreshing they found his courage to be, as they talked about the collusion and corruption behind the scenes of the machine.

“People sometimes can’t believe that I remember their stories, but I do. I care about listening to them and their concerns,” Joe says. “And although I am very conservative, the Democrats were open to voting for me because I took time to talk to people, and I wasn’t controlled.”

Most who attempt to buck the party system fail, but Joe won – not once – but twice, in 2015 and 2019. “I tapped into the same vein of people fed up with politics-as-usual just as President Trump did.”

Of course his campaign was a family affair, with all hands on deck. His brother Sean, led the charge as campaign manager; and as fortune would have it, mom Roseanne, just retired from teaching that year, so was able to help full time, stuffing envelopes and whatever else was needed, to clear all the literature from the dining room table.

“I feel strongly that the family unit is the most important component to a successful society. You see that with the Italian Americans, in row homes in South Philadelphia or Overbrook with nine or 10 people living together and taking care of each other. We fall back on family during difficult times, not the government. You can’t beat that. I’m a product of a strong family unit. Every success I or my brother or sister have had is a direct result of our upbringing.

“My grandfather never missed a Sunday Mass, and was very active in his parish. In Italian households family and faith is what everything revolves around … and food,” he added with a laugh.

“During an era of cancel culture and lawlessness, as commissioner I always did my best to be a champion of traditional family values and uphold law and order. Because I ran and won without the endorsement of the party, the establishment viewed me as the middle finger” he says. 

Your Sicilian roots are showing, Joe. And I for one, am here for it.

Joe Gale held Montgomery County’s highest elected office as commissioner for eight years, his second term ending last year. He was the youngest commissioner ever elected. In 2022 he ran for governor. He is not currently running for office.

Our Immigrant Stories are Proudly Sponsored by Joe Stampone

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Tanya Tecce

Tanya is an Anxiety Anthropologist and Family Alchemist that helps fellow empaths name what they want without guilt, break inherited trauma, and reinvent family dynamics so you don’t pass more pain onto your loved ones. She holds degrees in Psychology, Sociology and Mathematics and is Master certified in Transformational Psychology NLP. She curates decades of study and experience in neuroscience, psychology, family constellations, epigenetics, yoga, and ayurveda to heal your mindset and fortify your nervous system so it feels safe for you to upgrade your ancestral patterns. She’s worked with Today Media since 2003, and the Italian American Herald since 2019. She visits Italy annually. As the granddaughter of an orphaned Italian immigrant, hearing and sharing our Italian American community’s stories is one of her passions. Honoring our common heritage is one of the highlights of her contribution to the Herald. To start learning more about her powerful “suffering obligations of love” work and download her Free Guide - The Top 2 Sources of Anxiety + What to Do About Them - please visit https://tanyatecce.kit.com/protect-my-peace

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