UPDATE: Zrinski Frustrated by Public Criticism of 2027 Budget

In a rather disappointing Facebook Live, NorCo Executive Tara Zrionski unveiled her 2027 spending plan on October 2. She proposed a roughly 43.5% increase in property taxes, increasing the millage rate from 10.5 to about 15.6 mills. Instead of recognizing the heavy burden she hopes to impose on property owners. she displayed a jocular attitude with stray tangents and inappropriate laughter. She even arrived late although she said, "Nothing happens without me." If she expected the public to laugh along with her, she was wrong. Social media exploded with indignation. That anger continued at last night's first meeting of County Council since she released her budget. 

Her own Administrator and Joe Welsh, Zrinski's head cheerleader, spoke in support of the spending plan. Everyone else was angry. Some speakers who know little about county government or any government, for that matter, made County Council their whipping boys. But most members of the public pointed directly at Zrinski. When it was her turn to speak, she did the same thing she did during the Gracedale Oversight Committee hearing. She got emotional and confrontational. Perhaps a bit too emotional. At times, she appeared to be beating back tears. 

Though she thanked people for coming, she was clearly frustrated and surprisingly unprepared for criticism suggesting that she did not understand or appreciate the burden her proposal would impose on taxpayers.

"You can tell me that I don't. And that's fine because you have already decided what you believe about me and this budget," she stated.

She then rather condescendingly urged residents to go home, obtain the proposed budget from the county website and examine it themselves. She also challenged residents to identify specific spending reductions they would support.

"You tell me which employees should not get raises. You tell me which services we should cut. You tell me what part of Gracedale should I sell? Should I burn down the prison?"

Instead of addressing County Council, which is the point of an Executive Report, Zrinski instead faced the public and began to argue. She was asked several times to speak into the microphone.  "Don't tell me to stop, she said at one point, though she later started using the mike.  

"It is very difficult to hear all of these comments at once," she declared. They are the same comments that have been appearing day after day on the county's Facebook page.  She also told those present that she appreciated their contributions and wanted them to understand that she was listening.

She characterized the 2027 budget as an effort to fulfill the county's responsibilities to employees, retirees and residents while addressing long-neglected infrastructure needs.

She identified four principal priorities:

- Providing adequate compensation and support for county employees.

- Maintaining services upon which county residents depend.

- Repairing county facilities whose maintenance has been deferred.

- Honoring commitments made to employees, retirees and the public.

Zrinski acknowledged that her proposed budget would be difficult for taxpayers to accept.

I will also be difficult for County Council to accept. They are no doubt sharpening their budget knives. 

UPDATE: There may be a lag between you submitting comments and me being able to publish. I am headed to Philly foir the annual Philly Bike Ride, which I love to do every year. On Sunday, my grandson and I are goingh to see the Eagles, thanks to his girlfriend, who got him tickets for his birthday. I won't be back 'till late Sunday.

Let me add here that Zrinski's public response to the Grand Jury report, her poor presentation of the budget during a Facebook Live, have all been far more emotional than I usually see. But I do believe, and many of you agree, that she wants to do the right thing by everyone and has a big heart. She has had a lot of cheerleaders so it's good for her to hear some criticism, even if some of it is unfair.

I agree completely that a tax hike is needed. Any of you who fail to see this are wrong. Talk to former and current Council members. Talk to her. We have to be able to pay people more money. In the end, that is what this about. It is time to stop balancing the budget on the backs of the hard workers, and yes, they do work hard.

NorCo DA Steve Baratta "Inclined" to Seek Second Term

Yesterday, I sat down for a wide-ranging interview with Northampton County DA Steve Baratta. I had a lot of questions, and he had plenty of answers. What has he accomplished in his first term as the county's chief prosecutor?  What kind of criminal activity is trending? What are his thoughts about three recent suicides at the jail? What can he do to help inmates who might be better off elsewhere? What's his assessment of Executive Tara Zrinski? (He is much kinder to her than you might think). What does his office need? Most importantly, is he going to seek a second term? I'll be providing a detailed account of what he said in postings next week. For now, I'll tell you that he's likely to seek a second term. 

"My wife doesn't want me to run," he confessed. But he later said, "I think I am inclined right now. One more term, I think. I'm not old. I have a lot of energy. I still want to work."

He said it's too early for him to leave. "I want to be more involved in community outreach. If I'm going to leave, I'm going to leave a legacy or a footprint for the next DA to understand what is needed right now, and to have an infrastructure to continue."

Baratta has devoted his entire career to the county in various roles - assistant county solicitor, First Assistant DA, President Judge and now, as District Attorney. 

I will support him if he runs. After you read what he says about the various serious issues he's confronting, you will, too.  

Embattled NorCo Court Administrator Now Faces Felony Charge

In September, Lehigh Valley Live reported that Northampton County's Court Administrator Jermaine Greene was the subject of a temporary Protection from Abuse Order (PFA) based on allegations by his wife that he soaked his wife's clothing in gasoline, broke her rib and threatened to kill her. 

A temporary PFA is based on allegations alone. But Greene was charged by Pennsylvania State Police with criminal mischief as a summary offense based on his wife's allegation that he soaked her clothing in gasoline on August 22, I posted a story.  Now it's time for another. 

Greene has been charged again by Pennsylvania State Police, but now it's a felony. He's been charged both with burglary, a second-degree felony, and harassment as a summary offence based on a new incident occurring on September 4. 

Under Pennsylvania law, "A person commits the offense of burglary if, with the intent to commit a crime therein, the person: ... enters a building or occupied structure, or separately secured or occupied portion thereof that is adapted for overnight accommodations in which at the time of the offense any person is present."

In addition, the temporary PFA is now permanent, meaning he's barred from contacting his wife for three years. 

A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for November 18, 10 am, before Magisterial District Judge Jamie Levy in Monroe County. 

A second-degree felony charge is a serious accusation in Pa. It carries a maximum sentence of up to 10 years and a fine of up to $25,000.   

The courts have previously declined comment but it's abundantly clear that Greene's career is over. Judges are reportedly looking for a new court administrator.  

Gracedale By the Numbers

I've written three times about last week's Gracedale's Oversight Committee meeting. Continuum of Care Director Tom Carson has told NorCo Council established that an operational assessment they obtained in 2023 has been largely ignored by a former county executive who opposed it. We learned that the county's CNA training program was actually stopped by the state Department of Health. We also discovered that Gracedale, currently operating with a provisional II license, had two G-level deficiencies (actual harm) in September and failed to inform County Council. Most astonishingly, the very matter that led to an investigating grand jury had still been unresolved. There still is no formal protocol between Upper Nazareth police and Gracedale on 911 calls despite several attempts by the police to establish one. I'll finish my reporting about this meeting with some of the facts presented by Administrator Michelle Morton.

Employment Hires & Separations. - From January through August, Gracedale had 78 new hires, but lost 59. 

Open AFSCME positions (incorrectly spelled as AFCME) in Morton's report - In Dining, there are 43 positions, of which 23 are staffed. In Housekeeping, there are 54 staffed positions, of which 16 are open. In nursing there are openings for 319 CNAs, with only 69 positions staffed. There are 51 LPN positions staffed, with another 134 unfilled.  

Why did Executive Tara Zrinski raise the salaries of front-line workers before the nursing supervisors. She said the union actually asked her to raise the wages of nursing supervisors first. She added that the large number of open positions "will get better if you throw money at it." 

There are many dedicated employees, including 11 people with 30-35 years at the home. 

What about RNs? Morton failed to provide that information. 

Admissions. - Gracedale has had only 48 admissions this year through July. Over that same period, 56 residents have left. Average daily census dropped from 493 in January to 463 in August. 

Finances  - Gracedale is projected to lose about $2.3 million in 2026 according to one slide, but in another the loss is about $1 million. 

NorCo Council Needs to Adopt Rules Concerning Social Media Use

Northampton County employs a full-time communications director who periodically provides informational posts about what is happening in the county, like the need for a few more elections workers or drop box locations. But increasingly, the person paid by taxpayers is using a governmental social media platform to instead promote both the county executive as well as her agenda. This needs to change and the best way for that to happen is by having County Council adopt a social policy ordinance to prevent elected officials from self-promotion or advocacy on issues that have yet to be endorsed by the governing body. It should never be used to promote a private business. Both of these happened on Sunday. 

In a Facebook post, the "County of Northampton" on Sunday posted a message that promotes Executive Tara Zrinski's proposed tax hike with the argument that seniors and the disabled can apply to the state for a rebate. This leaves the realm of information and goes into advocacy to promote a tax hike that has yet to be adopted by the governing body. If the County Exec wishes to engage in advocacy or self-promotion, she should do so from her own Facebook page and use her own resources, not a communications director employed by the county. 

Even more disturbing than the position advocacy or self-promotion, the county's official Facebook page was also used to promote a real estate agent who could "help" you determine what your home is worth. This real estate agent then misrepresents that there is only one county hearing on Zrinski's proposed tax hike. "Just reach out to me, I'm your neighbor. .... If you're a homeowner in Northampton County, I'm here to help," says the real estate agent. 

There will actually be five budget hearings before adoption, rejection or amendment of the Proposed 2027 budget. They will happen on October 21, 2026, October 28, 2026, November 4, 2026, and November 18, 2026 and December 3, 2026. All the October and November meetings will be at 4:30 p.m. The December 3 meeting will start at 6:30 pm.

County Council's social media policy ordinance should bar the use of a government page from promoting elected officials or advocating issues that have yet to be decided by the governmental body. It should be used instead to share useful information about the county and its departments. 

Are We Going to Cheapen Humanity by Livestreaming Executions?

Though I'm an old fart who's seen many things, I've never actually witnessed the violent death of another human being. I've seen its immediate aftermath a few times. It stays with you forever. I remember going with my father for some reason to the south side Bethlehem home of a man who killed his son in a rage. Blood was everywhere, along with cockroaches crawling up and down walls and along the floor as women wailed. It stays with you. It changes you. It is why I believe most combat veterans are so unwilling to discuss their experience. It changes the murderer, too. I've seen it in their eyes, if I look long enough. The warm light of humanity flickers and then is gone. What's left is death.

As I'm sure most of you know, the US military plans to livestream the firing squad execution of a mass murderer who himself was an Army psychiatrist. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin defended this, saying it is a way to restore American values. I believe it erodes them and debases us, not just as Americans, but as human beings. 

Hopefully, President Donald Trump will stop this madness. I'm not holding my breath.