Zrinski Plan to Save Northampton Boro Senior Center Falls Short

Back in July, NorCo Exec Tara Zrinski told County Council she was working on a "sustainable operating plan" to save the Northampton Senior Center. Earlier in the year, cuts in federal and state funding had already resulted in the closure of a dozen senior centers across Pennsylvania have already closed, with 40 more on the chopping blck..

She suggested that an autonomous community group could provide volunteers for a newly organized nonprofit like Neighbors in Need. to provide a safe setting fand social interaction or seniors. 

Her efforts fell short. 

"We tried," she lamented at last week's county council meeting. "We tried to make an agreement to provide a grant to the senior center in Northampton Borough. We even got matching funds and additional state support from Senator Nick Miller to operate one independently while hiring an individual to oversee the senior programming. But the Grace UCC Church voted the proposal down because "the complexity of getting grants and running a senior center would be too much responsibility," even if Northampton Borough agreed to operate it. 

"Good intentions often don't land where we want them to," she said. 

I believe Zrinski could find the funding for Northampton by merging two senior centers on south side Bethlehem that are within a stone's throw from each other. One is located at the Rooney building, and the other at the Hispanic center. At a time when we should be more inclusive and have even established a Human Relations Commission, why would we want to have separate senior centers for those who speak Spanish and those who don't? With the money saved by this merger, it might be possible to continue the senior center in Northampton.

Zrinski Warns NorCo Council a Tax Hike Next Year is Likely

At last week's NorCo Council meeting, Executive Tara Zrinski warned County Council that a tax hike is "increasingly likely" next year.

She acknowledged that neither taxpayers nor elected officials want a tax increase but said the county must balance the desire to keep taxes low with the responsibility to maintain services, support employees, and address long-deferred infrastructure needs.

She noted that the county’s millage rate has remained essentially flat at approximately 10.8 mills for many years, going all the way back to former Executive John Stoffa's first budget, in which he proposed a half-mill tax hike for a "pay as you go" open space program. After Stoffa, a one-mill tax hike was adopted when John Brown was Executive but was knocked back down to 10.8 mills when Brown was succeeded by Lamont McClure.

One of Zrinski's priorities will be to provide a meaningful cost-of-living raise to employees dealing with higher costs for groceries, utilities, healthcare and housing. She argued that competitive compensation is necessary to attract and retain employees. She highlighted particularly low wages among some county employees, including clerical positions paying approximately $32,000 annually and aide positions paying approximately $27,000. She also noted that employee benefits can cost approximately $21,000–$23,000 per employee, meaning the cost of benefits can approach the employee’s actual wages. "Wages have remained relatively stagnant, and for that, with the juxtaposition of the rising cost, we need to do something," she asserted.   

She also acknowledged that there's a real problem correctional staffing and the "culture" at the jail, which I believe can be translated to poor morale. She added that the Civil War era lock-up is deteriorating and the county needs to decide whether to continue throwing money at it or just build a new one.

She also slammed the 2026 budget she inherited, which she insists "left important needs unfunded," including the retirement funds, Gracedale, the jail and even the Sheriff's office. 

While pledging to keep the tax hike as low as possible, "We can't keep deferring investments in the people, buildings, equipment and systems our residents rely on. A responsible budget means making tough choices now." 

A tax hike is also being considered in Lehigh County.

Labor Day and the Molly Maguires

Today is Labor Day. Most view it as once last Summer picnic . Few recognize it as a day to honor American labor. Even here in the Lehigh Valley.

Before the Bethlehem Steel was allowed to organize in 1941, the answer to workers who sought a fair wage was a state trooper on horseback. During a 1910 strike, one of them got carried away and shot a Hungarian immigrant who was getting some wine for his ailing wife. No matter. Charles Schwab could never let a trivial thing like murder interfere with his plans to sell H-beams to the Imperial Japanese Navy and Czarist Russia. These two great nations would ultimately embark on military campaigns in which far greater numbers would die.

Slightly north of Bethlehem, along 309 North, is the site of the 1897 Lattimer Massacre. That's where 19 striking miners were shot and killed by a sheriff's posse. Evidence showed that most of those killed had been shot in the back. But the Sheriff and his posse were acquitted.

A few miles away is the site of the 1934 Kelayres massacre. That's where five Democrats were shot and killed when they dared march past the home of "Big Joe," the local GOP boss.

Before unions, there were the Molly Maguires, based upon an agrarian group in Ireland. Some say there really was a Molly Maguire. According to the story, she was a widow who refused to leave her cottage when authorities came to remove her as part of an attempt by England to populate Ireland with Scots.

A more likely explanation is that the leader would be a man dressed in disguise as "Molly." He would visit shopkeepers as a poor mother to demand fair prices for her children. If refused, "Molly" would instruct her followers to enter the store and help themselves. The merchant would be warned of dire consequences if they were reported.

In America, the Mollies were an active and violent labor force confronted by child labor, company towns, unsafe working conditions and lousy pay. In addition, they existed at a time when anti-Irish and anti-Catholic discrimination was rampant. As the Chicago Post then wrote, "The Irish fill our prisons, our poor houses. . . . Scratch a convict or a pauper, and the chances are that you tickle the skin of an Irish Catholic. Putting them on a boat and sending them home would end crime in this country."

Sound familiar?

Bethlehem Daily Times, 6/20/1877

During these dark days in coal country, 16 people would be murdered over a period of about 15 years. Most were mine bosses and foremen.

The Mollies were blamed and charged.

Based on the use of informants, 20 Mollies saw their lives end as they dangled from the gallows in Pottsville and Jim Thorpe. They went through a trial in which no Irish Catholics were permitted to serve as jurors. The prosecuting attorneys worked for the railroads and mines.

As the hangman tightened the noose, the Coal and Iron Police were at the jail in force.

These Mollies died, but 13 years later, the United Mine Workers was born.

This was too late for my grandfather on my mother's side. As a little boy, he lost a thumb and a finger working in the mines. Deprived of an education, he never learned how to read. But he was very proud of his signature, and often practiced writing his name.

He would die of emphysema. The mines eventually killed him.

I have many more relatives who died in mine collapses.

To those who say unions have outgrown their usefulness, I am sure the mine owners are smiling from hell.

(First published 2018).

Pa Commonwealth Court Tosses Tupone From Ballot in Pa. 07 Congressional Race

In what certainly is good news for Democrat Bob Brooks and bad news for Republican Ryan Mackenzie, the Pa. Commonwealth Court has tossed "Green" party candidate Andrew Topne off the ballot in the race for the Pa. 07 Congressional District. I will post the Opinion later tonight or tomorrow. 

Commonwealth Court jurist Stella M Tsai, in a 33-page Opinion, concludes that, to be a nominee of the Green party, he should have sought a nomination from that party.  

UPDATED: Comments Feature Fixed

Unfortunately, the comments feature of this blog is currently unable to work. I appreciate interactivity and am trying to resolve the issue. (It is on blogger's end, so we are at their mercy.) Thanks.

UPDATED 9/5/26: 8:20 AM. The comments feature is working again. I do have a third-party system ready if this lasted longer because I believe that interactivity is the best feature in a blog. 

UPDATED: BUY FRESH BUY LOCAL Describes Local Food Economy

Megan McBride of the Lehigh Valley's "Buy Fresh Buy Local" program gave NorCo Council an interesting overview of our local farm economy yesterday. Below are some salient details.

The average age of a LV farmer is 58, with over a third over 65. 

The number of farms a decreased from 1,002 in 2007 to just 823 today. 

Land development pressure has made it difficult for new farmers to buy land. 

Lehigh and NorCo have preserved 683 farms totaling 48,448 acres. 

Corn and soybeans make up 56% of all farmland production. 

Vegetables and fruit orchards produced $18.1 million in 2022 and are now down to just 3,000 acres. Vegetable and fruit orchards have declined 50% since 1997. 

Most farms are small, making less than $10,000 a year. 

Total agricultural sales in the Lehigh Valley in 2022 was $156 million. 

What prevents most farm products from reaching our tables is a lack of distributors, processors and wholesale buyers. 

If farmers switched from corn to organic wheat, they would get $18 a bushel instead of $3 a bushel.

Municipalities could change zoning laws to require developers to set aside a portion of every new development for agricultural use. These are called agrihoods. 

County-owned lands could be subdivided for new farmers at an affordable price. 

 Later in the evening, NorCo Council voted to award "Buy Fresh, Buy Local" a grant of $20,000. This organization is funded in part by NorCo hotel tax grants. 

UPDATED 10:30 AM: Due to an html error, I had to delete and reload this entry. 

Emrick Launches Negative Mailer Against Warren

Joe Emrick is the incumbent State Rep for the 137th legislative district. That includes Bethlehem Tp, Palmer Tp the Nazareth area and a slice of Hanover Tp. He's been challenged by Democrat Jeff Waren, a former Easton City Council member, Hanover Tp Supervisor and a current member of NorCo County Council. 

I recently received a negative mailer from Emrick about Warren, and I want to discuss ir because it is false.

I'm no fan of either candidate. Emrick refuses to speak with or even respond to media inquiries and is known for refusing to meet with constituents who are Democrats. Warren will talk to anyone, but that's his problem. He is a blowhard. 

During his stint on County Council, Warren was first a rubber stamp for Lamont McClure and now is performing that role for Tara Zrinski. He actually had a problem with an oversight committee for Gracedale and said he wanted that word removed, apparently completely unmindful that one his many roles on Northampton County Council is to provide oversight. He actually called Gracedale's provisional license a "slight mishap."

Despite this record, Warren has never been a proponent of higher taxes or more warehouses. Last year, he was among Council members who refused to go along with the suggestion that a tax hike was needed, even though it probably is. He also has opposed tax breaks for possible warehouses, though he supports them for luxury apartments. 

Emrick knows his negative mailer is false. He fails to cite a single instance of Warren supporting higher taxes or more warehouses. 

There are lots of reasons to attack Warren, but these are not among them. 

Pa 07 Congressional Candidate Bob Brooks Accused of Racism During Tenure as Hecktown Social Club Stewart

Blogger's Note: Last night, I received the news release you see below, from Lehigh Latino Republicans, accusing Pa.07 Congressional candidate Bob Brooks of racism during his tenure as steward at Hecktown Social Club. I have received several comments making this allegation as well, but they are all anonymous. 

I've never visited social clubs, not even during my drinking days. But I have spoken to people who have been members of numerous clubs for many years. One tells me that, in the early 70s, a black person was denied membership pretty much because of the color of his skin. Members tell me that they never hear racial remarks at these clubs but acknowledge there are few minority members at most of them. 

Brooks would have been Hecktown's steward in the early '00s, when there were lots of gambling machines and raffles that once included a Harley that just happened to be won by Brooks' best friend. I heard this from a member at that time.  I personally have been unable to find any examples of overt racism. 

Now Brooks the Everyman is portraying himself as "Bombero Bob" in the Latin community. For some reason, a national news organization, Politico, has strangely published a puff piece about his "Bombero Bob" coalition. 

Lehigh Latino Republicans claim to have spoken to several people who were members of the club and were aware of the racism, including a former member named "Louie" who supplied beer for the club. 

These allegations are troubling enough for me to post them, but without people willing to take responsibility for their accusations, they are entitled to little weight. 

What is entitled to weight is Brooks' tone-deaf remark about Latinos being good at baseball. He's promoting a stereotype. 

Allentown, PA — The Lehigh Latino Republican Alliance (LLRA) — is calling on Democrat congressional candidate Bob Brooks (PA-07) to answer for his track record of disrespect and insults directed towards the Latino community in the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos.

On Wednesday, September 2nd, just two months before the election, Brooks announced his campaign’s Latinos coalition. This comes after Bob Brooks “shrugged off” a terrorist attack targeting Latinos, skipped the biggest Latino event of the year, and ignored the community throughout the campaign. During the rollout, Brooks doubled down on this track record, unveiling his big pitch for Latinos: baseball.

From Politico: “To reach Latinos, the ‘bombero’ is eager to tout yet another hat he wears — as a baseball coach of 30 years — making it an entry point in conversation with Allentown’s community of Puerto Ricans and Dominicans. ‘I watch the Red Sox. I watch the Phillies. They’re loaded with Latino baseball players, and they’re good,’ Brooks said...”

“Bob Brooks is embarrassing himself with this latest attempt to paper over his past,” said LLRA spokesman George Rivera. “Instead of apologizing for his repeated insults against the Latino community, Bob is doubling down with racist pandering. It’s time for Bob Brooks to own up to his record of ignoring, insulting, and avoiding the Latino community in the Lehigh Valley.”

Most concerning of all are new allegations that during Brooks’ time as a steward at the Hecktown Social Club in the early 2000s, the club operated with an unofficial “whites only” policy. This accusation is supported by a former member and beer distributor at the Club. The individual, whose first name is Louie, alleges that Black and Latino people were known to be unwelcome at the club and that prospective minority members were deterred from obtaining membership. The individual further alleges that Brooks was actively involved in this scheme.

From Louie: “In the early 2000's, I was a beer distributor for Hecktown social club, and I was a club member while Robert Brooks worked there. Robert Brooks was the club steward in charge of the bar at the club.

“While Brooks was the steward of the club, they deterred minorities from joining. This was known from conversations with Brooks and other Club members. They claimed the charter was closed to new members but in fact allowed new applicants through referrals through existing 

members.

“Many knew the “rule" that minority membership was not a welcoming place to Black and Latino people while Bob Brooks was the steward at the club.

“This was so known that if we had a minority friend with us, we had to go somewhere else for beers and wings because we knew our friend would not be welcome at the Hecktown.”

“This accusation is extremely serious, especially in the context of Bob Brooks’ demonstrated pattern of behavior," continued Rivera. “Brooks must directly address these allegations and provide evidence that he served minorities at the Hecktown Social Club.”

This is a pattern that we have heard from several people that were members of the club in the early 2000s. According to the research provided to the committee, Brooks has been asked about these allegations multiple times and has not responded.

BROOKS ASKED 3 TIMES and won't respond

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SeVJomfFsLKE1Rt2lJ7vXHxSHSYlv-qL/view?usp=sharing

After 36 Speakers, NorCo Elections Comm'n Plans Up to Six Pop-Up Elections and Will Try Adding 2-3 More Drop Boxes

At yesterday's meeting of the Northampton County Elections Commission, conducted in County Council Chambers (and available on YouTube), the Board heard from 36 people. These included Democrats, Republicans, elections workers and the current as well as the former Chair of the county Democratic party. That alone took about 90 minutes. After the public was heard, the Board voted along party lines (Democrats yes, Republicans, no) to explore and implement the addition of up to 3 drop boxes in addition to 7 existing drop boxes. They also plan to continue up to 6 "pop-up" elections at various locations throughout the count. Their next meeting is scheduled for October 20 at 5 pm. 

The Elections Commission is a five-member body established under the Home Rule Charter. It consists of no more than three members of the political party that received the most votes in the most recent general election, with the remaining two seats for the political party that received the second largest number of votes. It ostensibly exists to administer elections, but since it has no power over the purse and no separate budget, it has basically been little more than a whipping boy for voters with grievances. 

The current members consist of Democrats Sharon Gavin-Levy, Becky Bartlett and Richard Groff as well as Republicans Scott Hough (who participated by phone yesterday) and Shawn Welch. They heard a lot of complaints as well as a number of requests. 

Complaints came mostly from Republicans and are best summed up by remarks made by Jay Martin. He noted that there have been numerous election mishaps extending back several years. He argued that before expanding pop-up elections or adding drop boxes, the elections office needs to "get the basics right. You do not fix repeated errors by adding complexity. Stop expanding. Stop experimenting."

Realtor Robert Dandi called drop boxes "glorified garbage cans." He complained that the county elections process fits the definition of insanity because officials keep doing the same thing, expecting different results.

One voter who works for the RNC complained that "if they find out you are a Republican, they won't listen to you." She called for the removal of the entire elections office.

On the other side of the ideological spectrum, former Elections Comm'r Margie DeRenzis responded to some among the 36 speakers who contend they are ignored. She said that during her five years as an elections commissioner, each and every complaint was taken seriously and addressed by the Registrar. "But as we all know, where there are humans, there will be human error. I don't know any way of fixing that in any field of life, not just our elections."

DeRenzis was among a cascade of voters who are seeking additional drop boxes, primarily in the Saucon Valley area. The main reason why Saucon Valley voters would like more drop boxes is because two voting precincts have been closed, and the closest replacement that elections official could find was at the Stabler arena, which actually is located in Bethlehem. 

They also expressed concerns over President Donald Trump's Executive Order and subsequent guidelines by the USPS that could interfere with Mail-in Voting. DeRenzis noted that Trump's threat to send ICE officers to polling places would have a chilling effect on legitimate Hispanic voters. Mail-in voting would alleviate that concern. 

After listening to the public, Comm'rs heard from Solicitor Michael Vargo. He said ballots will be printed once the courts rule on whether Andrew Tupone stays or must be removed from the ballot.

Voting Registrar Chris Commini apologized to the Board and the public for a meeting that had to be canceled because he failed to post the agenda, and said that miscue was entirely his own fault.

He then addressed some of the concerns raised by the public.

He noted that, except for a Deputy Registrar, his office is fully staffed. 

As far as drop boxes are concerned, he told everyone that drop boxes must be under video surveillance, indoors, chained and ADA complaint. 

He asked for help finding polling places, saying he would appreciate public input.

He explained the purging process, something he and his predecessors have done several times. A person basically has to stop voting for five years before becoming inactive.

He addressed the complaint of dead people on the polling books. He said his office looks at obituaries, receives reports from family members and gets periodic reports from the state Department of Health as well as the Coroner's office. 

He agreed to look into making the elections webpage more user friendly and to look for larger signs to direct voters to polling places. 

The four pop-up sites being considered for the general election are Upper Mount Bethel Tp Municipal Bldg (10/6), Pen Argyl (10/14), Lower Saucon, and Lafayette College (10/15).

My personal opinion is that while Lafayette College is fine in a primary, it is a bad choice for a general election because it will unfairly tilt the vote towards a heavily Democratic college crowd, just as a pop-up election at some field and game club would tilt Republican.  I think it probably violates the Pa Constitution's requirement of a "free and equal" election. 

I also agree that there have been too many errors in recent years to throw in pop-up elections. 

One of the 36 people who spoke last night was a gentleman named Phillip Godbane (sp?). He said his wish this election cycle is that NorCo stays out of the national news spotlight.