All I'll say is that I caught him a few days ago with an emotional support teddy bear. He was having a nice conversation with it, too.
Ron Beitler is a Lehigh County Comm'r. He's a Republican, by the way. He recently posted about how Lehigh County handles immigration enforcement. I'm going to share what he has said:
𝗔𝗱𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:
First background.
Lehigh County Commissioners do not set immigration policy, including anything involving ICE. That is the Federal government. For Lehigh County residents, that means Congressman Ryan Mackenzie, Senator John Fetterman, and Senator Dave McCormick contribute to those decisions.
Federal immigration policy intersects with Lehigh County in two areas:
• Lehigh County Jail
• Lehigh County Courthouses — Main and Historic
-The Courthouse is a public facility that contains both private and public areas.
This post deals with the Courthouses. Courthouse policies, protocols and operations are set exclusively by the President Judge in consultation with the District Attorney and County Sheriff. This is due to provisions of the State Constitution establishing an independent judiciary.
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀:
• ICE agents CAN legally make arrests in the Courthouse under applicable federal law — but only do so for people in the facility for criminal, not civil, matters.
• ICE agents do NOT wear masks in the Courthouse.
• ICE agents DO show identification.
• The County does NOT provide ICE with holding facilities in the Courthouses.
Court policy is designed to keep the Courthouse safe for hundreds of employees and visitors who use the facility daily. The President Judge and Sheriff are responsible for that safety. Specific security decisions and practices remain confidential for obvious reasons. Safety is the primary concern.
Per federal law, as a law enforcement agency, ICE is permitted to take individuals into custody in a manner laid out by federal law. (That law is NOT our jurisdiction)
**𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲: 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲** The President Judge, DA and Sheriff do not treat law enforcement agencies in the Courthouse differently based on jurisdiction. This means county and out-of-county municipal police, other county law enforcement (such as county detectives), out-of-county sheriffs, State Police, or federal agencies (such as the FBI, U.S. Marshals, Homeland Security, and ICE) are all treated the same.
𝗜𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗝𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴:
a. What is legal, based on applicable statutes and caselaw?
b. What is safe, with an emphasis on prevention being the best approach to ensure safety?
c. What manages risk most effectively?
I agree with this criteria.
Sheriff Hanna takes his responsibility to protect nearly 1000 employees and visitors each day very seriously. It’s a duty he will not compromise on. I completely agree.
Commissioner Antonio Pineda and I independently met with the President Judge, District Attorney, Sheriff and Court Administration to fact-find — to clearly understand what, if any, role we have, to be abel to dispel any bad information out there and lastly to establish a factual starting point for any conversations other Commissioners may attempt to move forward.
Yesterday, Northampton County Council's independent auditor presented a long-awaited report on the county's fiscal health. According to Jennifer CruverKibi, a CPA at MaherDuessel, the county received an "unqualified" opinion of its finances during 2024. She explained that is "the best opinion that a county can receive." But the financial examination also revealed a material noncompliance with government accounting standards when the county made an unbudgeted transfer of $9.9 million from the general fund to Gracedale to cover an operating deficit at the home. This was a material noncompliance because the transfer was made without a Council-approved budget amendment, as required under the Home Rule Charter.
Council member John Brown suggested that, as a result of the "illegal" transfer of $9.9 million into Gracedale, "there's a negative unassigned balance [uncommitted funds] because they spent money and moved money they did not technically have." But CruverKibi corrected him. She acknowledged that the general fund was used to make up Gracedale's deficit. But despite this transfer, the unassigned general fund balance was still in compliance with the ordinance establishing a financial stabilization fund.
Council member Kelly Keegan, who marched into the meeting late, chided Brown for using words like "illegal." He retorted that the Home Rule Charter was not followed. "Yes, I used the word 'illegal' because it violates the Home Rule Charter.
Fiscal Affairs Director Steve Barron also took exception. "It's not illegal. I'm still here, I'm not in jail," he remarked. But what really bothered Barron were remarks that Brown made when he spoke by phone to the auditor, when he apparently accused Barron oif fraud. "The f word. The f word in my world is fraud. There was no fraud. We cooperated throughout the entire audit. We talked about these situations. ... Nothing is illegal. Nothing is not transparent. We need to get the f word out of our mouths because I've had enough. Personally, and for the good of the county, we need to get it out of our mouth. ... No money was stolen. Nothing was taken. Knock it off."
Without using the f word, Brown continued his criticism, saying that Barron intentionally bypassed Council when he moved $10 million into Gracedale to cover an operating deficit. "I personally think it's wrong, and there should be repercussions for it going forward."
There will be.
It's called an election.
Keegan then went on to say that three Council members have accused the county of fraud and malfeasance and that there was missing money, presumably in reference to the Republicans.
"There was no missing money, correct?"
CruverKibi's response. "We're not aware of any material missing money. The definition of fraud is the intentional misappropriation of assets or fraudulent reporting. .... Everybody was very transparent about the financial numbers the whole time. We never felt there was cooking of the books." She said that Gracedale is a bit more difficult because of "the timing of the close out." She explained that anticipated revenues can differ markedly from what is expected. She even suggested that a deficit could really only be determined by looking at the following year's collections.
Council member John Goffredo asserted that, contrary to denials of illegality from Barron and Keegan, the county did violate the Home Rule Charter when it transferred money into Gracedale without Council's assent.
Back in April, Executive Lamont McClure assured Council that Gracedale is self-supporting. He did acknowledge that federal pandemic funds were used to help keep the home afloat.
The audit also showed that the county's expenses exceeded revenue in 2024 by $14.1 million. It took in $394.3 million but spent $408.4 million. It balanced the budget via fund balance. This likely reflects the spending of federal pandemic grants.
My takeaways?
1) An unqualified audit means that the financial statements reviewed comply with generally accepted accounting principles. It is the best kind of audit, but it is also the most common and should be expected. I am unaware that NorCo has ever had anything but an unqualified opinion.
2) Gracedale did have an operating deficit of $9.9 million in 2024. The auditor stated at one point that the nursing home's financials should be examined over two years to determine if there is a true deficit, but this is the second year in a row that Gracedale has had a deficit. McClure likes to call his commitment to Gracedale a "moral obligation," but it is also his biggest headache. I believe the home would perform better with an outside administrator. Cedarbrook relies on a private administrator and has no drama.
3) The county did act illegally when it transferred $9.9 million to Gracedale because it failed to get Council's approval as required by the Home Rule Charter. Obviously, no crime was committed because Barron thought he was acting properly with a prior period adjustment for anticipated revenue. Violations of the Home Rule Charter are quite common. Brown should know. He said there should be repercussions, but what repercussions should he have faced when he submitted travel expenses to which he was not entitled or when he gave favored employees multiple step raises without Council approval or when he broke labor law by taking away a union's contracted medical benefits? As a former Exec, Brown should know there are going to be mistakes because he made them, too.
4) There is no evidence of any fraud, but Brown never made that allegation publicly. He apparently did so in a private conversation with the auditor. Barron probably would have been smart to deal with that allegation privately as well because I can see the anonymous slurs already. But Steve is right to be offended by such a scurrilous remark that has no support in anything we know. And I'd agree that Brown's personal vendetta against Barron is contrary to the best interests of the county. You want to say he acted illegally? Fine. But when you accuse a county administrator of fraud simply because he failed to follow the Home Rule Charter, that's a bit over the top.
5) Now that the audit has been presented, it is my hope that it will be posted online so we all can look at it more closely.
Yesterday, NorCo Exec Lamont McClure held a press conference at the Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center to announce the results of an environmental study. I passed. I thought he'd be discussing the sex life of bog turtles (I know a few and they brag too much) or how great dandelions taste in a salad (they don't). But as usual, I was wrong. McClure actually wanted to report a return on investment. How has the money spent on open space benefited you, the taxpayer.
NorCo established a formal open space program with its 2006 budget. When running for Exec, the late great John Stoffa actually pledged that he would raise taxes a half mill to fund this program. As he liked to quip, "I promised to raise taxes, but they voted for me anyway." Stoffa's plan was actually opposed at the time by then Council members Charles Dertinger, Lamont McClure and Wayne Grube. They wanted instead to play games with the Executive's estimated revenue, which is contrary to the Home Rule Charter. Dertinger demanded that someone tell him why the Charter barred Council members from playing games with estimated revenue. "You're supposed to know that," Stoffa quietly answered. The end result is that an open space plan that was initially opposed by a Democratic majority on Council was reluctantly enacted.
And it has worked. McClure, now a convert, touted the economic and other benefits of the open space investment yesterday.
According to a statement after the presser, since 2006, Northampton County has invested more than $20 million to safeguard open spaces. Since 2018 alone, the County has awarded $9.2 million in grants, preserved over 600 acres, and added another 339 acres to its park system.
Key findings of the report include:
“The return on our environment is not just ecological, it is financial,” McClure emphasized. “It’s clear: people want to live near green spaces, and that demand translates into measurable economic benefits.”
I routinely see the economic benefit while cycling along local trails and roads, especially now that e-bikes are in heavy use. Bakeries, convenience stores, restaurants and hotels near trails are big winners. i believe a food truck at Sand Island would make a killing.
On Friday, President Donald Trump both figuratively and literally rolled out the red carpet when he met with President Vladimir Putin in Alaska in an effort to end the war in Ukraine. He even applauded the former KGB agent, who kept his right arm straight as he made his way to the waiting Beast. Yesterday, Trump hosted Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, accompanied by a host of European leaders. Nothing concrete has been resolved. People still die. In an era where we expect things to happen in 30-second sound bites, news accounts of both meetings sound typically pessimistic. But I come away with one reaction - hope. And as much as I criticize Trump, I do believe he is trying his best to end this conflict.
Trump was just as gracious with Zelenskyy as he was with Putin. The Ukrainian said his meeting with Trump was the best yet. He also called on European leaders to offer their own views He noted that this was the first time that so many heads of state convened together at the White House to discuss ending a war. At one point, he said he was "very honored" by their presence, which is the last thing I expected from a president who has often sounded isolationist tones.
When the group met outside the eyes of the press, Trump even conducted a 40-minute call with Putin to relay the concerns of Russia's neighbors and lay the groundwork for a bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy.
Russia wants Ukraine to cede territory, which Zelenskyy lacks the power to do on his own. Ukraine wants security guarantees, and Trump hinted the US might get involved.
JD Vance kept his mouth shut this time.
Before delivering his happy tidings, McClure reflected on affordable housing. He said there aren't enough rental units, "so what is happening is people who can afford more apartments are renting apartments that other folks cannot afford now because the rents are rising and it's driving other people out of the market. It's exacerbating our homelessness problem."
So what does he do? He pushed for a $29 million handout to an out-of-state developer with no experience for luxury apartments that only will make housing more expensive for working people who want an apartment.
Brilliant.
