"Who can you believe here anyway?"That's the question an incredulous Ron Angle asked after council was informed it may have to pay $192,000 over the next four years on leases for offices rented by Judges Moran and Freedberg. Those offices are empty now because the jurists moved into their new digs back in April. Court officials had promised council that the leases would be structured around the new courthouse's schedule.
But that's not what happened.
Back in October, when the landlord dared to ask for payment, he was told he was not being very "civic minded." I just tried that one on my landlord and the bastard threw me out the window.
These judges may not be very good architects or county executives, but all are good lawyers. They should have reviewed their leases for term and cancellation provisions. Their failure to plan their move in a cost-efficient manner is another slap across the face of county taxpayers - more judicial arrogance.
Would you expect anything else from this county Bernie?
ReplyDeleteWhat happene to Stoffa's promise that he would see to it that these properties would be used by the county until theeir leases were up if the lease agreements could not be broken?
Please don't tell me that Onembo owns the building the judges are leasing.
ReplyDeleteOnembo does not own that building. It' owned by Easton businessman Peter Koehler, and I don't know if he's been paid any rent.
ReplyDeleteLST, If you read between the lines, Stoffa looks like he's trying to negotiate his way out of the lease. I imagine if he can't do that, he'll have to use the property.
ReplyDeleteDoes he own any property that the courthouse keepers ever rented
ReplyDeleteChris, Onembo does own properties near the courthouse, but has never rented office space to any judge or magistrate.
ReplyDeleteDemFly, Several reliable sources inform me you could probably do your own calendar. And I'd buy it, too, but only to keep track of important appointments and things like that.
ReplyDeleteMike,
ReplyDeleteEven I would never vote for me. You're my brother, so you know better than most that I really am a miserable bastard. And I like the office of citizen. I think I am most effective in that role.
I resolved many years ago, when I first sued the county over the bond, that I would never seek office. If I did, people could argue with some justification that I was only making those claims about good government to get myself elected. So I think I'm best and most effective as an interested observer.
And to be honest, I don't like the political aspect of things as much as the government aspect.
ha, ha, Bernie you don't like the policital aspects of things...my a$$
ReplyDeleteLST,
ReplyDeleteYeah, I guess I'm a political junkie, too. I feel so dirty. I'll probably try to deny it again, but
I think I'm kidding myself. But every campaign in which I became very active has lost. So I stink.
My heart and soul are tied up in good government issues, like open government, accountable government, the pernicious influence of money, etc.
LVDem, GreenDog, BernieK are the true political scientists in these parts.
Northampton County and its seat have gone to the dogs ever since Peter Koehler introduced Easton Mayor Tom Goldsmith and current Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board membe to Philadelphia Mayor Ed "Fast Eddie" Rendell and Philadelphia speculator John Rosenthal. (Rosenthal's Pennrose Realty built Easton's Harlan House at the corner of Washinton and S. 4th streets.
ReplyDeleteKoehler partner, New York City art collector Theodore Kheel, had the Chansonnett Theater evicted from his building at 518 Northampton Street to make room for his private are collection currently stored in NYC - but not before he used the theater's non-profit status to obtain a facade grant from the City of Easton to gentryfy the building's street scape.
so great is Kheel's poltical influence that he gained the support of the United Nations headquarter in Manhattan in creating his tax-exempt non-profit called Earth Pledge, a name his later changed to Carriage House Center for Global Issues.
Kheel has joined Easton's "artsy-fartsy" set spearheaded by Lafayette College, which will curate his art collection on Northampton Street.
Kheel's influence in the art world extends to the internationally acclaimed artist Christo, whom Kheel persuaded to do the "Gates" extravagamza in NYC's Central Park.
Kheel committed the last of the six U.S. Department of Labor regulations governing union elections. That offense was a money-laundering campaign contribution to International Brother of Teamsters (IBT)president Ron Carey in his second campaign against James Hoffa Jr. for the union's control.
The DOL overturned the first election on the basis of the six violations, of which Kheel's was the sixth.
So Kheel and partner Koehler wouldn't likely shy away from bending the rules such as planning and zoning ordinances and Zoning Hearing Board deliberations.
Finally, Koehler was called as a witness together with Easton police detective David Ryan and a Kaplan Awnings employee in my trial for cutting the chains from the gates illegally closing the 100 blocks of Pine and S. Green streets to the public.