Recently, both NorCo Exec Tara Zrinski and LehCo Exec Josh Siegel have requested local developers to decline selling any space to the federal government for immigration detention centers. I share the sentiment. But there's a difference in the way these two Execs went about this. Zrinski shared an open letter and asked people to sign on to it. Siegel, on the other hand, stupidly recruited the very elected officials who might need to weigh in on zoning matters and hopelessly compromised them. And now, another difference. Zrinski has actually opened the County's Facebook page even though it means she will be trolled by partisan Republicans. She recognizes that she represents everyone, even thos who oppose her. Siegel, on the other hand, has missed that lesson. Just as Donald Trump bashes Democrats as evil in his attempt to ruin democracy, Siegel is doing the same to Republicans.
On his County Exec Facebook page, Siegel posted this: "The Republican Party is an anti-democratic, authoritarian party that relies on racism, zero sum politics and divide and conquer strategies to win power. It thoroughly rejects free and fair elections, corrupts the judicial system and uses the levers of government to enrich the Epstein class at our expense. They’re cutting healthcare, public education, food stamps, funding for seniors and veterans. They’re manically evil and cruel."
I completely disagree with the Trump's brand of Republicanism, and suspect many Republicans are just as tired as I am of him. But to call Republicans "manically evil and cruel" is itself manically evil and cruel. What Siegel fails to see is that he is an anti-democratic authoritarian himself.
I have Republican neighbors, Republican friends and even a Republican brother. Most of them are actually better persons than I am. Even my brother. He admitted to me last night that he really is "maniacally evil and cruel," and he is, but he's still nicer than me.
In addition to disparaging Republican, Siegel at Wednesday night's meeting of Lehigh County's Board of Commissioners promoted some goofy resolution that can be boiled down to three words '"We hate Trump." It had nothing to do with county business but eventually passed in a 5-4 vote.
My evil Republican brother, who has somehow duped Chair Geoff Brace into thinking he is a reincarnation of Bobby Kennedy, offered this argument against the resolution:
Our county commissioners are all well aware of the core functions of county government - operating the jail, delivering public health initiatives, maintaining county roads and bridges and utilities, record keeping, elections, administration, land use and planning, the 911 center, tax collections, unfortunately, for all of us.Many or most of these functions are administered by the executive branch, headed right now by Mr. Siegel.The recently passed capital plan identifies problems and projects, such as $15 million in needed Cedarbook renovations; $10 million needed for roads and bridges; $9 million for critical maintenance and security upgrades at the county jail ; $12 million needed for parks and trails and much, much more in that plan.We heard tonight that the county is facing critical staffing shortages in its 911 center and the jail.I read that the county has an F in air quality and increased pollution going into the Lehigh River, mostly due to, they think, warehousing.There are over 50 farms on the waiting list for farmland preservation.Recently, last week, I read the county was sued for a wrongful death at the Leigh County Prison.Supposedly, as a result of inferior health care delivery.Somehow, there was an unpaid bill for office space (DHS) that went unnoticed for three years. Amounting to over $100,000. Until the controller very zealously, piously, but mostly politically, brought it to our attention.I also know that there's a crisis at the seed farm, but I'm not really, I really don't know what that means, but I've heard and read about it.All this to do, and our executive seems to have time to interfere with other jurisdictions, telling them who and who they should not support and be selling to, seems to have time to gather signatures from other elected officials about ideology.Recently, two days ago, the Lehigh County Executive Facebook page from February 8th, refers to members of the Republican Party as maniacally evil and cruel, among other things. He calls Republicans, racists, anti-democratic, and other things that seem totally detached from reality.Yet the one Lehigh platform of candidate Siegel, calls for an "everybody together, no one left out" strategy.What is it?Can a leopard change its spots?It's time for an executive to decide whether he wants to be a candidate for the next office, an activist standing on the streets of downtown, yelling, F the police, or do the job he was elected to do for all the citizens of Lehigh County.I appreciate all of you.I'm praying for all of us, and I hope the best for everybody in Leigh County.
Commissioner Ron Beitler, who used to be a maniacally evil Republican but now is an Independent, said the next day that "[e]ach Commissioner can and should use individual platforms to speak on issues outside county government as we see fit. ... But our collective platform? We should focus on the things residents elect us to do. We have 15 elected officials in county government. Some of the more sober roles on the administrative front line. We're service providers. Often for our most vulnerable. We're not playactors staging ideological theater in a distant chamber like so many career politicians. "
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