Corrections Officer Calls Out Kraft For Characterizing Their Complaints as "Sob Stories"

Michael Russ, a NorCo corrections officer, spoke at last night's meeting of Northampton County Council, to address three topics. 

First, he contends the county is violating the Home Rule Charter by refusing to allow corrections officers to bid on other county jobs. I agree. My own reading of the Home Rule Charter and Administrative Code is to encourage hiring from within and establishing a meritocracy instead of a culture in which who you know matters more than what you know. That matter is currently being grieved. 

Second, he discussed the scheduling changes urged by the county. "There's nothing wrong with our schedule at the jail," he insists. "If it doesn't look like it's working now, it's for other reasons." He complained about being compelled to discuss this in the middle of a contract. There I think he's wrong. The most recent arbitration panel ordered the county and corrections officers to negotiate a new schedule. If they are unable to do this, an arbitration panel is going to do it for them.

Third, he took issue with Council member Ken Kraft's assertion at a meeting two weeks ago that they were being fed "sob stories."  He pointed out that the CO whose wife passed away from cancer and who has a differently abled child is his friend. I'd agree that Kraft should have shown a lot more sensitivity than he did, but compassion is one of Kraft's many shortcomings. It's why I like him. 

In any event, I hope that I will be able to present the perspective of corrections officers soon. For the most part, these are very dedicated workers who came to work every day during the pandemic. They also have saved the lives of several suicidal inmates. 

MIBs Are On Their Way to Voters Who Requested Them in NorCo

At last night's meeting of NorCo Council, Executive Lamont McClure reported that the Department of State has approved the county's ballot format. After that, the ballots were printed and received on Wednesday. He expects there to be over 45,000 MIB applications by Friday morning. 

McClure indicated that MIBs are now being mailed to voters who requested them.  

Congress Member Susan Wild Gets Booted For Unpaid Fines, Parks in Handicapped Spot

Let me start by saying that as an election cycle nears its end, it's common to see the mud fly. My brother, an evil Republican, told me that in a meet and greet with Congressional candidate Ryan Mackenzie at someone's home, a Susan Wild spy illegally recorded the private event. But Republicans have spies, too. It appears they've been better in the Pa-07 Cingressional. 

According to The Washington Free Beacon, a conservative news source, Congress member Susan Wild recently had her Toyota hybrid SUV booted after she failed to pay $775 in fines for speeding between 11-15 mph over the speed limit in May as well as her failure to secure DC tags. The news account also reports a more recent fine for speeding 11-15 mph over the speed limit in July and yet another citation for failing to get DC tags. 

This comes on the heels of another account about her participation in a zoom call in 2022 while driving. Amazingly, you can actually see her driving, with cars passing by and a small dog moving around inside the car. 

Her bad driving is not just limited to the District of Columbia. In August 2022, she was cited by PSP for running a light. She pled guilty. 

I'm taking a defensive driving course to get a 5% discount on my car insurance, and it's pretty clear to me that she engaged in distracted driving.

Now I'm no saint. Over the years, I've managed to rack up numerous parking tickets. And soon after I got my first smart phone, I was so caught up with it that I was weaving on Rte 248. Fortunately, a Palmer Tp police officer stopped and cited me. I thanked him. I could have killed someone. I can understand why Wild, who must have a busy schedule, might lose sight of how important it is for her to watch her speed and avoid distractions on the road. I would hope she changes how she drives before she hurts herself or someone else. 

Having said that, what really bothers me is something for which she was never cited.  To me, this is far more despicable than speeding. Not long ago, she parked her Toyota SUV, the same one featured in the Washington Beacon story, in a handicapped spot. According to the spy who took the picture, the car displays no handicapped placard. It instead displays "Vote Wild" and "I Voted by Mail" bumper stickers

I can overlook speeding, failure to register DC tags or getting your car booted. But people who park in handicapped parking spaces are the lowest of the low. This selfish and completely inconsiderate behavior betrays her elitism, something she has already demonstrated in condescending comments about Carbon County voters.

The Washington Free Beacon's story states that Wild never responded to requests for comment. So on Wednesday, I sent two emails to Wild's campaign, requesting an explanation. She might answer a Democratic blogger. She might even have a reasonable explanation for her behavior.

Crickets. 

So I am concluding there is no reasonable explanation for why she selfishly parked in a handicapped parking spot. I am also concluding that her refusal to explain demonstrates a lack of transparency and accountability. 

In a few days, I will receive my Mail-In Ballot (MIB). I understand how important it is that Harris supporters would want a Democratic Congress so she can actually get things done. But I am unable to vote for an elitist who is neither transparent nor accountable. I will cast no vote for Mackenzie, her opponent, because I differ with him on most policy issues. I will instead leave that part of my ballot blank or write in Charlie Dent. 

Wild just lost a vote she would otherwise have received. 

Character matters, and she clearly has none. 

NorCo: McClure's Proposes $502 Million Budget For 2025

Yesterday, NorCo Exec Lamont McClure proposed a $502 million spending plan (you can see it here) for 2025. It maintains the same tax rate as this year. If you're a county taxpayer, this means that the current 10.8 mill tax rate will remain the same. A home assessed at $75,000 will receive a tax bill for $810. 

Under our Home Rule Charter, McClure must submit a balanced budget. Total proposed spending may not exceed anticipated revenue. Also, if County Council decides to reject the budget, McClure's spending plan automatically goes into effect. Council does have the power to amend, but it must leave intact any payments scheduled for debt service and it has no authority to modify the Executive's revenue estimates. If it wants to fund something, it has to find the money by making cuts elsewhere. It must take action by December 16. 

McClure's $502 million spending plan is $51 million less (9.3%) than it was last year. Interestingly, only $104.4 million of the county's budget (20.9%) comes from real estate taxes. The rest comes from intergovernmental grants, fees and fines, investment income and fund balance. 

Open Space: In his Budget Message, which he read in the above video, McClure notes that he has set aside $3 million for open space, something he has done every year. He believes this is one way that the county can slow down warehouse proliferation

Employee health center: Noting a rise in healthcare costs, he made a pitch again for a voluntary employee health center, which he believes would save money for both taxpayers and county workers. So far, County Council has been opposed to this idea. "We need to do a better job of talking about that," said McClure. He stressed it would save the county between $5-10 million over 5 years. "I don't know why you wouldn't want to do that."  

Emergency stabilization fund: This is also known as the rainy-day fund, and County Council requires a minimum balance of 5% of the total expenditures expected over the course of the year. The county has set aside $8.1 million, or 5.6% of anticipated expenditures.  

Gracedale: He noted that no county funds will be needed to keep Gracedale operational. He said the nursing home's CMS rating, based on a star system, has increased and that census is going up. 

New Parking Garage and county building needed: People who park at the courthouse's garage know that it is beginning to collapse. Oxides leaking from the garage have stained people's cars and chunks of concrete have caused damage. On top of that, the county needs its own elections office and more space for several departments. County Council has thus far refused to take up a $63 million bond ordinance that will enable the county to complete these projects, even though the county's borrowing capacity is a half billion dollars. 

McClure said the parking garage "needs to be replaced now. There are chunks of it falling down. I'm not quite sure why we're not acting on that. I think we've had the bond in front of Council six times ... and still Council has taken no action.  We know from security professionals that [the elections office] needs to all be in one place. We're doing it in four different rooms in this complex right now, and in a new building we could have elections all in one place, all transparent and accessible to everyone who needs to interface with them without having to come through the labyrinth they have to come through now to get to the elections division." He added that people are working out of closets at Human Services and that the Controller's building, which is on its last legs, lacks handicapped accessibility. He added it's too expensive to rent, as some Council members have suggested. 

Employee costs: Northampton County has budgeted for1,913 full and part-time employees, although McClure said yesterday that the total number right now is closer to 1,700.  Career service (nonunion) workers are getting a step in their PayScale, which translates to a 4.5% raise. Union salaries have also increased in accordance with collective bargaining agreements with the county's 11 unions. Yet the total cost of salaries and benefits has decreased 1.4%. In 2024, $166.2 million was set aside for salaries and benefits. But McClure has set aside $163.9 million, over $2 million less in 2025. All but one union (county detectives) are under contract. 

This might be because the county is asking employees to pay more for healthcare. The county contribution to healthcare and dental is projected to be $705,600 less this year than it was in 2024. 

Passenger Rail: McClure stated he is probably the biggest advocate of passenger rail in the Lehigh Valley but has set aside no money for it. 

Thank God!

My Take on Surprisingly Civil Walz-Vance Debate

I caught all but the first few minutes of last night's surprisingly civil VEEP debate between Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance. After months of hearing people paint each other in ugly and divisive terms, the respectful tone between these two provides a glimmer of hope that we can eventually pull ourselves out of the gutter. 

I think most of us would agree that J.D. Vance was the better debater for most of the night until the focus switched to abortion and democracy. When you have to tell people you need to regain their trust on women's choice, you're in trouble. And Vance repeatedly refused to say whether Trump lost in 2020. 

Walz, however, had to admit that he never was in China, as he often has previously claimed, during the Tiananmen Square protests. If you have to admit that you've been repeatedly untruthful on numerous occasions, that's pretty hard to explain away as "I misspoke." 

Vance toned down the harsh rhetoric he usually employs on the campaign trail, instead trying to appear as a reasonable and compassionate person. Walz said there was room for agreement on some policies like a child tax credit and seemed more sincere despite having to admit to having been untruthful.  

Drop Boxes For MIBs Available on Thursday in NorCo

From NorCo Elections Office: The Northampton County Elections Office announces that seven secure ballot drop-off boxes for mail-in ballots will be installed, and County residents can start dropping off their own ballots beginning on Thursday, October 3, 2024. Accessing drop-off boxes does not require going through security at any location.

Northampton County Courthouse (Rotunda):

669 Washington St., Easton, PA 18042

-Monday-Friday from 8:30am-8:00pm

-Saturdays: Oct. 5, Oct. 12, Oct. 19, Oct. 26 (from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm)

-When dropping off a ballot, voters can park for free in the loading-and-unloading zone on Washington Street in front of the Courthouse or use the parking lot at the Wolf Avenue and Washington Street intersection.

 

Northampton County Human Services Building (Main Entrance Vestibule):

2801 Emrick Blvd., Bethlehem, PA 18020

-Monday-Friday from 8:30am-7:00pm

-Saturdays from 8:00am-2:00pm

Northampton County 911 Center (Main Entrance Vestibule):

100 Gracedale Ave., Nazareth, PA 18064

-Open 24/7

 

Bethlehem City Hall (Main Lobby):

10 E. Church St., Bethlehem, PA 18018

-Monday-Friday from 8:00am-4:00pm

-Election Day (Tuesday, November 5, 2024) accessible from 7:00am-8:00pm

 

Washington Township Municipal Building (Main Entrance Vestibule):

1021 Washington Blvd., Bangor, PA 18013

-Monday-Thursday from 7:00am-4:00pm

-Fridays from 7:00am-3:00pm

 

East Allen Township Municipal Building (Main Lobby):

5344 Nor Bath Blvd., Northampton, PA 18067

-Monday-Friday from 8:30am-3:30pm

 

NCC Fowler Family Southside Center (Main Lobby):

511 E. 3rd St., Bethlehem, PA 18015

-Monday-Thursday from 7:00am-9:00pm

-Fridays from 7:00am-8:30pm

-Saturdays from 7:00am-2:00pm

 

The last day to apply for a mail-in or civilian absentee ballot is Tuesday, October 29. Applications for mail-in or civilian absentee ballots are available in the Election’s Office or at this link: www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/OnlineAbsenteeApplication/#/OnlineAbsenteeBegin

 

Ballot drop-off boxes provide a safe and convenient way for voters to return their mail-in ballots. Each drop-off box is a secure, locked structure that is permanently anchored in place. Northampton County drop-off boxes have been evaluated to specifically ensure they are indoors, ADA compliant, either chained or anchored in place, under 24-hour camera/surveillance, and allow County Sheriff’s Deputies to collect the contents of the box on a daily basis. All Northampton County drop-off boxes are operated only by election officials and County Sheriff’s Deputies.

 

To ensure that your mail-in ballot is accepted, your ballot must be enclosed in the YELLOW secrecy envelope and sealed; there are NO identifying marks or symbols on the secrecy envelope, a return envelope is signed and dated on the back in the appropriate YELLOW boxes, and the ballot is returned to the Election’s Office NO LATER THAN 8:00pm on Election night, Tuesday, November 5th. USPS postmarks do NOT count if received after this deadline.

 

The Northampton County Elections Office reminds registered voters that the County’s seven Secure Ballot Drop-off Boxes are for Northampton County voters only, and you may only drop off your own ballot. PA State Law prohibits the third-party return of ballots unless the person returning the ballot is assisting a disabled voter or emergency absentee voter and has a signed “Certification of Designated Agent” form on file at the Elections Office. A copy of this form can be downloaded here:

https://www.pa.gov/content/dam/copapwp-pagov/en/vote/resources/documents-and-forms/Authorize-Designated-Agent-for-Mail-in-or-Absentee-Ballot.pdf

 

Counterfeiting, forging, tampering with, or destroying ballots is a second-degree misdemeanor pursuant to sections 1816 and 1817 of the PA Election Code. (25 P.S. §§ 3516 and 3517)

 

Voters can track the status of their mail-in or absentee ballots here: www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/pages/ballottracking.aspx

"On Demand" Voting Starts Today in NorCo

From NorCo Elections Office: The Northampton County Elections Office announces that Ballot-on-Demand voting for the November 5th General Election will be available starting Wednesday, October 2, 2024, at the Government Center (669 Washington Street, Easton, PA 18042).

 Registered voters in Northampton County can vote in person on the following dates:

• Wednesday, October 2nd – Friday, October 4th (8:30 am – 8:00 pm)
• Saturday, October 5th (9:00 am – 2:00 pm)
• Monday, October 7th – Friday, October 11th (8:30 am - 8:00 pm)
• Saturday, October 12th (9:00 am – 2:00 pm)
• Monday, October 14th – Friday, October 18th (8:30 am - 8:00 pm)
• Saturday, October 19th (9:00 am – 2:00 pm)
• Monday, October 21st – Friday, October 25st (8:30 am - 8:00 pm)
• Saturday, October 26th (9:00 am – 2:00 pm)
• Monday, October 28th (8:30 am - 8:00 pm)
• The LAST day for Ballot-on-Demand will be Tuesday, October 29th (8:30 am - 5:00 pm). The deadline to apply for a mail-in or civilian absentee ballot is October 29th by 5:00 pm.

During this time, Northampton County residents who are eligible to vote can come to the Elections Office, register if they still need to (deadline to register to vote in person is 5:00 pm on Monday, October 21, 2024, 11:59 pm online), fill out a ballot application which will be processed immediately and will be handed a ballot over the counter. Voters may fill out the ballot in the office and return it the same day OR they may take it home and mail it back via USPS or utilize one of the secure drop-off boxes throughout County.

You must bring a valid ID with you to the Elections Office to receive a ballot. The County’s seven secure ballot drop-off boxes will be installed on Thursday, October 3, 2024.

Registered voters who have already applied for a mail-in ballot are not eligible for Ballot-on-Demand and must wait to receive their ballot in the mail.

McClure to Introduce 2025 Spending Plan at 2 PM

Wednesday, at 2 pm, Northampton County Exec Lamont McClure will unveil his proposed 2025 budget from the County Council meeting room on the third floor of the county courthouse. Will there be a tax hike? Tax cut? You can find out yourself by going in person or watching it online. 

Northampton County's spending plan last year was a half billion dollars. In his nearly seven years as Executive, he has never proposed a tax hike. He actually reduced taxes once. 

I will tell you more about the budget after listening to McClure's address. 

Under our Home Rule Charter, McClure must submit a balanced budget. Total proposed spending may not exceed anticipated revenue. Also, if County Council decides to reject the budget, McClure's spending plan automatically does into effect. Council does have the power to amend, but it must leave intact any payments scheduled for debt service and it has no authority to modify the Executive's revenue estimates. If it wants to fund something, it has to find the money by making cuts elsewhere. It must take action by December 16. 

The spending plan approved for 2024 is for $633,743,600.

The current 10.8 mill tax rate means that a home assessed at $75,000 will receive a tax bill for $810. 

I do know that McClure's budget will include a step increase for career service workers 

Since next year is an election year, I doubt it will include a tax hike. 

NYTimes: Harris Is the Only Patriotic Choice

I have told you many times why I could never under any circumstances vote for Donald Trump for office. I completely disagree with his views on both foreign and domestic policy, but it's his poor morale character that repels me. He is a professional wrestling "heel" who revels in outlandish statements with little regard to veracity. This appears to be the view of the NY Times editorial board as well, which has just declared that Kamala Harris is the only patriotic choice in the Presidential race.

The editorial starts with this: "It is hard to imagine a candidate more unworthy to serve as president of the United States than Donald Trump. He has proved himself morally unfit for an office that asks its occupant to put the good of the nation above self-interest. He has proved himself temperamentally unfit for a role that requires the very qualities — wisdom, honesty, empathy, courage, restraint, humility, discipline — that he most lacks."

You can buy his $499 watch, but it's time to stop buying his bullshit. 

Anna Thomas Poised to Upset Joe Emrick in Pa 137, Take Aim at Warehouse Proliferation

Pa. House District 137 includes Bethlehem Township, Hanover, Lower Nazareth, Upper Nazareth, Nazareth, and Tatamy. Republican Joe Emrick currently represents the district, and has done so for the past 14 years. But if the mailbox and internet ads mean anything, it's quite clear that incredible resources are being poured into the race to ensure that Democrat Anna Thomas pulls off an upset I live in this district and can tell you her mail pieces are flooding my inbox. Her ads are all over YouTube. She's even opened a campaign office at 35 Belvidere Street in Nazareth. On Friday, she met Governor Josh Shapiro there. On Saturday morning, a small army of canvassers met with her before going out to canvass the district. 

This is Anna's second campaign for Emrick's seat. In 2022, she came within 750 votes of unseating him, with virtually no money and no support. That's because Emrick is particularly unlikable. His far-right agenda is one thing, but it's his personality that irks most people. He refuses to return calls, respond to emails and has been entirely closed off unless you're a fellow Republican. He can even get prickly with them. 

In contrast, Thomas makes clear on her campaign webpage that who you are matters more than your party. "Good ideas come from both Republicans and Democrats, and Anna will serve the people of Pennsylvania, not the agenda of any political party or special interest group."

Thomas is a graduate of Freedom High School and Wellesley College, where she majored in chemistry. She also has a Master's in Public Administration from the University of Pa. More importantly, she has ideas. 

Today, I'd like to share her plan to stop warehouse proliferation. 

She notes that there are actually two kinds of warehouses, agricultural and e-commerce (often called "fulfillment centers"). 

She notes that agricultural warehouses are permitted by right on all farmland in Pennsylvania. "This makes sense because farmers need to be able to have places to put their crops and equipment," she observes. But e-commerce warehouses are different. They bring thousands of truck traffic trips a day, ruin local roads as well as what is left of the natural beauty of the Lehigh Valley. But as Thomas notes, they often get de facto approval because our zoning laws fail to distinguish between the two different kinds of warehouses.

What would she do? She'd work to update a zoning code first written in 1965 to distinguish agricultural from other warehouses. She'd also allow municipalities in a radius around a warehouse to be able to benefit from impact fees for road damages and other costs. As an example, she cites the warehouses built by Chrin in Palmer Tp near a Route 33 interchange. Those "fulfillment centers" primarily impact Tatamy, who has experienced a major surge in truck traffic and road damage. But that borough gets no impact fee money. 

What about Emrick? In February, he introduced legislation to give local voters the final say in whether a warehouse is approved. But that bill has only eight sponsors and is dying a slow death in some committee. And that's probably what he wants because he's been a warehouse supporter for years. 

In 2007, Emrick voted to change Upper Nazareth zoning to allow massive warehouse development. After that, he took in $19,300 from warehouse developer Charles Chrin between 2010 and 2017. Basically, he's been a warehouse enabler. 

NorCo Elections Office to Conduct L&A Testing of Mail-in Ballot Scanners on Tuesday

L&A testing, more precisely known as logic and accuracy testing, is a series of tests that the elections office must run prior to each election to ensure that all systems are in good working order. 

In NorCo, L&A testing of the scanners that tabulate mail-in ballots will take place on Tuesday, 10 am, at the third-floor training room of the Northampton County courthouse. This is open to the public and media. 

After this testing is complete, the elections office will start sending out mail-in ballots. 

L&A testing on the voting machines will take a bit longer. That will start on Monday, Oct 7, 9 am and go on until October 10. This will take place at the elections warehouse, which is located on the Gracedale campus. This will also be open to the public and media, although photography is prohibited.