About Me

My photo
Nazareth, Pa., United States

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Brown Holding "Urgent" News Conference Concerning Health Care Benefits

It is at 4 pm, and in his office.

57 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice notice

Anonymous said...

Who cares. He is going to get his anyway. Hope he enjoys his 4 and only years as county executive.

Anonymous said...

He's probably going to announce that the coinsurance will be raised up to 50 %

Anonymous said...

Hopefully he does not cave. If he does he will never be taken seriously.

Anonymous said...

Wait.... Someone is taking him seriously now?

Anonymous said...

Brown did not have council's support for the $13 thousand deductible in a previous meeting, perhaps there is some relenting before the budget meeting.

Anonymous said...

What a prima donna. Wonder if those boobs from C3 will be there.

Anonymous said...

Nanny Kim called the press conference and she will be there to change Brownie's diaper if needed.

Barron von Footinmouth said...

Dreadfully short notice. But I'm wearing my best skirt and on my way! Cheers!

Bernie O'Hare said...

I'll have a report later. He did not address health care and read off a statement blasting McClure, after which he stormed out of his own office without taking questions.

C said...

The voting public is becoming furious.

Anonymous said...

They all played politics. McClure is just a ringleader. He should have called all of them out.

Anonymous said...

Of course he didn't accuse the two republicans who voted against the St. Luke's bond of political gamesmanship. Such a political hack!

c said...

I'm trying like heck to give Brown a chance. He's not making it easy.

Anonymous said...

Maybe I'm wrong but where did he propose a $13,000 deductible. I'm thinking some people are getting confused with the out of pocket maximum the ACA is requiring plans to put in. Most plans never had an out of pocket maximum so that by itself doesn't hurt workers benefits.

Anonymous said...

Out of pocket $13 thousand is correct as I understand it. This was unacceptable to council on a 5-3-1 non binding vote at the October meeting. No one really knows what his demands are since there have been no negotiations.

Anonymous said...

Off topic but it's a $1000 deductible with a 10% coinsurance with a cap of $13,600. Thank god for the ACA or he would have proposed a much larger cap. The $13,600 is the max allowed by federal law for a plan such as the one he is proposing.

Anonymous said...

6:56 Thanks

Anonymous said...

Last minute press conference where he invites almost no one. Then all he does is "blast" McClure and then he storms out of his own office. What the heck? Was he sucking his thumb when he left?

Anonymous said...

Great PR he hired. Not!
This is how he pisses away our money? Paying people who can't stop him from conducting a public hissy fit?
Christ, I want my vote back.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

LOL you and most of the others who voted. Hovever those who did not vote, see what happens.

Anonymous said...

And we paid for his spokesperson consultant to deliver this vitally important message...

Bernie O'Hare said...

7:33, please watch the vulgarity

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know what peg was talking about at the end of the budget hearing about armed sherrifs guarding someone

Bernie O'Hare said...

I will write about it.

Anonymous said...

Thank you Bernie

Anonymous said...

You know Mr Barron is not so bad. He is the only Director who has the guts to speak up to this fool. You gotta give him that. The rest probably know he is a fool, but smile and say "Your right boss"

Anonymous said...

does this guy do anything that makes sense ?

Anonymous said...

He can speak up because he is elected, the other directors are appointed to their jobs by Brown

Anonymous said...

Ferraro made a strong message against Brown's people stationing armed deputies between council chambers and the executive's office. Her point was why should armed guards be needed to protect Brown from elected officials, I believe. Wonder if putting the deputies there resulted from Werner being kept from attending a news conference a few weeks ago. Brown's flexing his muscle.

Anonymous said...

Sorry about the vulgar language Bernie. My bad.

Anonymous said...

Thanks I thought he had them to protect him from employees. I thought it was another political stunt to make the employees look bad.

Anonymous said...

It's likely that Brown and his family have been threatened. Bernie's accused him of murdering a county employee. Irrationality is the flavor of the day. Why anyone would want to serve in public office is beyond comprehension.

Anonymous said...

Looking back at last years election, I wish we would have listened to the Browns' critics. The voters in Bangor rejected him and were vocal in condemning him. Again, the firing of the police chief appears to be illegal and he has received a large $$$,$$$.00 settlement. This clown is in way over his head! We need a good candidate in 2017 on the primary ballot to oust him as Riebman was tossed. Did I hear you say "ron angle"?

Anonymous said...

'Hopefully he does not cave. If he does he will never be taken seriously."

Agreed. Last time I checked he won and Lamont came in last in his primary. Council would need to produce 6 votes to keep the current benefit level and the same 6 votes to raise taxes to pay for it. Brown needs to hold the 4 Republicans who don't have family members working for the county.

Anonymous said...

Oh please we are not thugs. We are hard working taxpayers just like you. They run for the power and the paycheck. Political office should be unpaid and we would see a better class of elected officals who might actually represent the people.

Anonymous said...

What is going to happen when he has to raise taxes anyway? Who are you going to blame? I hope a solution can be found that does not hurt the employees as much as what the current plan does and one that is fair to the taxpayers as well. However when you don't get your staff to work with you, you can bet they will work against you.

Anonymous said...

"Lamont came in last in his primary"

. Did you stick your tongue out when you typed this?

Bernie O'Hare said...

8:40 is lying, something she does poorly. As everyone knows, I never accused Brown of murdering a county worker. What I did say is that his health care cuts will kill a county worker next year. And they will.

Anonymous said...

I'll bet they've threatened him. Bernie with murder accusations and last place Lamont have given the unhinged permission to go crazy. I wouldn't be surprised to se something terrible happen to him or his family. The rhetoric is crazy and the hate spewing is shocking.

Anonymous said...

Not everyone who dares disagree with you is Mezzakooky. Kill. Murder. You stated his deed is essentially premeditated. You are what's wrong with political discourse. You're going to gin up a crazy who will do Brown or his family ill.

Anonymous said...

Bernie can you ask John brown why he needed two people from his PR firm Sahl at the brown bag meeting he had with human services to take notes? How much did that cost the taxpayers?

Anonymous said...

Unpaid public officials? The graft would be far higher if that were the case

Anonymous said...

That's the problem with you @922 and Teabaggers alike. You shoot your mouths off with no facts or figures, then when someone confronts you, you want protection. Let me clarify to you that Bernie stated Brown's choices to gut the health plan will have dire consequences. Not a threat and not a cry for someone to do harm.

Have to laugh as you are probably the same guy that spoke from Lehigh Twp a few weeks ago, and after you spoke you stood by the deputies. You are a coward. I will give you credit for speaking though. But walk the walk not just the talk.

Anonymous said...

I have said it before and will say it again, the HRC needs to be changed.

It is un-American not to have any recall rights to and elected official such as the County Executive. There needs to be a special ballot referendum to proceed with voting Brown out.

County council needs to stay strong and have democracy prevail over NorCo not a green horned dictator. Council needs to vote down the budget on pricipal line items and send Brown to negotiate.

In all my years of working in NorCo, I have never seen a more uneducated, inarticulate, and inept executive. There are no reports to council and there is even less communication with the employees.

Being a tax payer in NorCo makes me sick to see how much his admin staff are being paid over their predocessors as well as tax dollars wasted with consultants. Shame on council for allowing this and shame on the controller and DA for doing nothing about the consultants and political work bring paid for by county tax dollars.

The workforce need to continue to fight and unite against the wrong doings of this executive now! And hopefully county council will follow suit as this incompetent executive is doing damage to not only the county reputation but also the workforce and consumers of NorCo.

Anonymous said...

Wow. Brown is really using it. His skin must be paper thin that he feels compelled to call a bogus "press conference" to rant on McClure, then storm out of his office in a hissy-fit. He is not a leader. He is a maniac.

Anonymous said...

Brown using armed deputies to guard his office against council members possibly attending his freak-show news conference? Is he completely NUTZ???? Delusional paranoia anyone? What an unnecessary abuse of power.

Bernie O'Hare said...

It was off the hook.

Anonymous said...

teabaggers are liberals with scrotal obsessions and daddy problems.

Anonymous said...

Council capitulated. Nobody was subjected to Barron's hot air. McClure was laughed down and outlawyered by Lauer. Brown and taxpayers win again. Elections have consequences. I'm celebrating with tea.

Anonymous said...

$30 million bond to St Lukes. Sweet!! County employees can all go to St Lukes for care. Pay them $20 a month (since that's all we'll be able to afford).

Anonymous said...

"McClure was laughed down and outlawyered by Lauer"

Please. McClure's objection could be seen to be frivolous by anyone with a rudimentary understanding of municipal law. It didn't take a lawyer (or a crazy woman who fantasizes she is a lawyer) to know that since the meeting was properly advertised, considering the resolution was proper.

Anonymous said...

" I'm celebrating with tea.

11:15 PM"

No time to celebrate. I don't think the guy is a tea drinker in the least.

This guy is not much more than a bunko steerer in my mind. He's going to set the LV small government movement back a hundred years with his bull-in-a-china-shop act and do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do arrogance. A great message will be sacrificed at the hands of a feckless messenger.

I despise government on the whole, and every possible cut and concession should be considered, coupled with requiring government employees to work non-traditional hours and give them true at-will employment status. Require them to accommodate their employers'/customers' needs (Saturday hours, evening hours, staggered schedules, use time off benefits when the threat of snow scares them into closing), hold them accountable to those who pay them and insist they acquire, at least, the customer relations skills and humility of a Kohls associate.

That said, the main thrust of my argument, given where we are today, has always been that government employees are not entitled to GREATER compensation and/or benefits than those who pay the tab.

The focus should be on support and effort toward radical pension reform and privatizing all that possibly can be privatized. Then look at the salaries and benefits, do a wage and benefit survey of NORCO employers and taxpayers, and then offer something akin to the mean.

What to do when costs are up, raises are needed, and you are managing as efficiently as possible? If we had balls, we could tell the public education nazis: "Hey, there, kickball playing, left-wing indoctrinating, skirt chasing, child-abusing, golden parachute pension-padding extortionists, we have some county obligations we have to fund. And, despite giving you comfy,overbuilt palaces to work in and exponential raises in salary, benefits and pensions for several generations, we've seen no improvement in your sorry ass performance, so... FUCK OFF!

Problem solved. Except... we don't have balls.

-Clem

Anonymous said...

"Did I hear you say "ron angle"?"

Hell NO!

Anonymous said...

i can't believe these people actually think the tax payers who are non county employees need to foot their bills. we all suffer increases on healthcare costs, and now the county employees want the majority to pay for theirs ontop of ours? PUH-LEESE! insane entitled greedy people

Anonymous said...

We all pay for government services and those who provide them. Again these are not volunteer position. If you don't want to pay then change the laws and put out your own fire, take care of your aging family, protect yourself and don't use any public service. Employees are not being greedy, we want to work with administration. This has not happened nor do we think it will.