At last night's meeting of Northampton County Council, there was only one item on the agenda - the introduction of a budget amendment ordinance. Nobody talked about that. But before the night was over, three attempts were made to embarrass County Executive Stoffa, whose primary opponent just happens to be Council Prez Ann (64% tax increase) McHale.Election Jab No. 1: Stoffa Picks on Deputy Sheriffs
The first blow of the night came from a group of about six or seven deputies, wearing snazzy blue T-shirts with little badges on the front and baseball numbers on the back. Deputies are still outraged that Stoffa stopped the costly practice of allowing them to drive their cruisers home every night. Never mind that this saves money. They were even more steamed when Stoffa stopped buying them gas-guzzling cruisers. Taxpayers be damned. They were really hot about a February memo from Stoffa complaining about lax courthouse security. After I published that memo, they were mad at me, too. When I go to the courthouse today, I'll be getting the third degree again. Oh well.
Last night, this little baseball team cried to council, hoping one of the newspapers might pick it up. According to the union spokesperson Crivellaro, deputy sheriffs have had to file "numerous grievances." Horrors! There have been an astronomical 12 arbitrations. These are a "waste of money and time." "Clearly, there is some kind of anti-union animus. It's the taxpayers' money being wasted."
"What would you like us to do?" asked Angle.
"We just thought you should know," answered Crivellaro. What he should have said is that he thought the newspapers should know and maybe write a piece about how Big Bad John Stoffa is picking on the poor deputies.
If Crivellaro is so concerned about wasting taxpayers' money, I have a suggestion. Drop the grievances. Drop the arbitrations. Problem solved.
Election Jab No. 2: Stoffa's Haphazard Response to Chemical Spill
After deputies had finished their complaining, Wind Gap resident John Maher was the next person to whine. He just happens to be treasurer of the Joe Long Dems, and is primarily known for his disastrous county council race against the Northampton County Bulldog, Ron Angle. Maher's anonymous robo-calls and sleaze mailings infuriated most of the slate belt, and he went down in flames, 5,583 to 4,495.
Last night, he complained about the "haphazard" way the county responded last month to an overturned truck containing hazardous chemicals. Five thousand Wind Gap area residents were forced to evacuate their homes for about 12 hours.
Stoffa quickly rejected Maher's criticism. "Not one single person was hurt." Noting that the county had combined its 911 and emergency services a few years before, Stoffa called that decision a "stroke of genius" which made an emergency response more efficient. "In fifteen minutes, we can call 2,000 people and get them out of their house. A lot of counties don't have that. This happened on a Saturday morning. A lot of people were sleeping. I think we did a fantastic job."
The way Stoffa and Director of Administration John Conklin have organized for disasters is one of Stoffa's many untold success stories. Just the week before this near tragedy, Stoffa had told reporters about the importance of emergency response and reverse 911, and the efforts his team has made to deal with what later happened. It wasn't glitzy enough for the papers or even this blog, but it probably saved lives.
Election Jab No. 3: You Never Asked Us About the Treatment Center
The last jab came from lame duck council member Diane Neiper, who noted that Council had never been asked formally to approve the concept of a treatment center in Bethlehem Township. She proposed that Council express its sentiments. What she really wanted to do was give some members a chance to use the county's prison problem as a political football. McHale and Dertinger, both of whom are running for office, were able to pander some votes by voting No. Lamont McClure, whose district includes Bethlehem Township, had a nice fat NIMBY vote.
McHale explains her No vote with what I can only call a lie. I'm sorry, but that's what it is. She told fellow council members, and later the Express Times, that Stoffa is now proposing the facility for both treatment and work release but had earlier sold it as just a treatment center. "This was meant to treat addiction, and now all of a sudden it's for everything."
This is completely untrue. In a memo to council members on May 14, 2008, Stoffa makes it very clear that the treatment center was also intended as a work release facility. He specifically called it "TREATMENT CENTER - WORK RELEASE." Stoffa then discussed it in a June Council meeting. Also, when Stoffa made his initial presentation to Bethlehem Township months in February, it was described as a "new work release/rehabilitation treatment center." It has ALWAYS been a work release center.
Ann, if you want to lie, do a better job. Don't say something that takes me under five minutes to prove completely false. McHale is hoping to attract a few NIMBY voters in Bethlehem Township, but will they support someone who is dishonest?
Shocked by McHale's cavalier dismissal of something he considers important, Stoffa told her "the jail is full right now." Imperious McHale responded, "The jail is always full in the summer."
Sixty-five cents of every county tax dollar is spent on the back end of crime, the warehousing of prisoners. That housing industry may be slow, but the prison biz is booming, baby! Lock 'em all up! In Northampton County alone, our new prison was over capacity less than a year after being built. In 2006, the US was housing a whopping 2.2 million people in jails. The land of the free has the highest incarceration rate in the world.
Treatment/work release centers like the one proposed by Stoffa are designed to reduce what he calls a 69% recidivism rate. The more we reduce that figure, the less we have to spend. So in the long run, Stoffa's proposal makes fiscal sense and has the approval of the court. McHale and Dertinger are more interested in grabbing a few Bethlehem Township voters than in actually reducing the number of people returning to Chez Northampton County.
37 comments:
I think Ann McHale is correct. We don't need a 500 bed prison in Bethlehem Township !
From the Express:
"Dertinger said he favors partnering with Lehigh County on a joint prison......
Stoffa said he would not oppose a joint prison with Lehigh County, but he had not received enough support from the Northampton County judiciary in the past to support such a plan.
McClure said it has cost $3 million over the past 10 years to ship inmates to other prisons. He said it would cost $3 million a year to run the proposed prison center.
It makes more fiscal sense to keep transferring prisoners than to build a new center, he said."
Who pays the approves the budget/pays the bills? Council. Who is the CEO of the County? Executive. Without getting into this specific project in BT, I have to ask myself how the Courts can dictate to those with the purse strings?? For sake of some discussion here, why couldn't NorCo Executive and Council say, sorry Judges this is the direction we are going, and work with Lehigh for a regional center?
The emergency services in Northampton County are great, however the 911 system I find a bit flawed. Their main headquarters is at the 911 Operations Center right above Gracedale. Their backup dispatching system is in the basement of an old Gracedale building, and their mobile communications/command post sits right outside of the 911 Operations Center. I once asked a supervisor there what would happen if a tornado tore through that area, since all of their backups are clustered very close to the main system, and he didn't know how to answer. He said the calls would probably then be fielded by the City of Bethlehem, who almost assuredly don't have enough resources to dispatch for the entire county.
I would wish if you’re going to paraphrase my comments at last nights County Council Meeting you would at least do me some justice and get them correct!
I and my wife slept in our bed less that ½ mile from this overturned truck containing some seriously hazard liquids lay on its side while a gaggle of “keystone kops” decide whose jurisdiction it was to respond to the event. Plus wait while the Hazmat team to arrive from Lehigh Valley to respond!
It took them 3 ½ hours to decide they were dealing with some thing dangerous and to evacuate all people within one mile of the truck and find a way to get out all the “housebound” seniors who live in the borough!
Stoffa’s comment about “no one was hurt/killed” was not the point! They were lucky they had a benign event to test the system and should be grateful that no one was hurt.
John F. Maher
Lighthouse,
I actually agree w/ you in theory. When this project was first mentioned, I thought we should partner w/ Lehigh County in Salisbury Tp. That seems the most efficient and least controversial solution. But the judges did veto that idea.
Could Stoffa thumb his nose at them? Absolutely. They can also pack the jail and do a myriad of other things to make life miserable.
Aside from raw power exchanges, which is not good for anyone, a majority of judges have expressed a concern they would lose control over these prisoners once they are sent to Lehigh County. I may criticize judges collectively, but individually, they are caring people. if they feel they need control and would like the prisoners kept w/in the county, that's a very serious concern that should be given great weight out of respect for what they do.
Stoffa chose not to cross swords with the judiciary over this issue. I disagreed at first, thinking we should be more confrontational. But in hindsight, I think he made the right call. There are some areas, like sentencing, where we really should give great deference to the judges.
Will this cost Stoffa votes? No doubt, and Team Dertinger has now managed to make it an election issue. But I know how strongly Stoffa feels about prisoner rehabilitation and the need to do something to ease the overcrowding. "We treat animals better than we treat prisoners" is something I've heard him say several times.
I realize the popular thing is to say things like "Can't' do the time? Don't do the crime." Those remarks have a visceral appeal. But actually, a lot of folks can do the time. The recidivism rate in Northampton County hovers around 69%. We need lots of programs to reduce that rate. And we need to treat people like human beings if we expect to rehabilitate them.
In Pike County, where programs like those started by Stoffa have been in operation, the recidivism, rate has dropped to 19%. That takes a tremendous load off the tax dollar. So what Stoffa proposes also makes fiscal sense.
Mr. Maher,
My account of what you said is entirely accurate. You labeled the county response to the overturned chemical truck as "haphazard." You were told exactly why 3 1/2 hours elapsed before the decision to evacuate was made and acknowledged you understood and moved onto the lack of command and control at the school. Now you revert back to a criticism that was answered to your satisfaction last night.
Your complaint is nothing more than a election year jab, but it is made in an area where the county has excelled. If you bothered doing any research, you'd know that. The county trains for precisely this kind of emergency, and emergency services is DDirector of Administration John Conklin's specialty. As usual, you're full of shit. Perhaps you and McHale can engineer a group of anonymous robo calls from Severson to complain the reaction was a disaster, but that doesn't change the truth. What a disappointing political whore you've become!
It's bad enough that you lied about using sleazeball Severson during your run about Angle. Now you politiciize a near tragedy. Shame on you!
Glenn, Your point is valid and needs to be explored.
God man, you are truly pathetic.
That was N O T a training exercise!
Lives were at risk!
John F. Maher
All the more reason why your attempterd politicization of this issue is so repulsive. You had no real criticism but were playing on emotions in a disgusting attempt to scare up some votes. Neither newspaper fell for your baloney.
In other news: Bernie, I've responded to your comment on my blog post about the Bethlehem Township inmate treatment facility. It's over here: http://is.gd/qyc8
Mike, Thanks for the link.
Bernie,
first let me preface that I can see a need for such facilities, and I understand that as a society if we expect consequences for offenders, we must provide facilities somewhere.
However, not to address the specific pros and cons of the proposed BT site, I do want to follow up on my annoyance that the judges can usurp some authority in pushing this.
First, I'll accept your argument that this type of facility would save money from reduced recidivism. However, if cooperation with Lehigh would save even additional money, while providing the same service (and eliminating taxpayer angst over the location), then I feel Stoffa and Council are not excersing there fullest responsibility to the tax payer.
Secondly, I find the judicial argument of "control" weak. I can not believe that Lehigh--since I thought they initially had extended the offer--would not have been open to establish protocols. Besides, I was under the belief that regardless of where a judge sends an "inmate" (even if outside the County whether due to overcrowding, or say a juvenile to a boot camp) that the sentencing judge is in control of their "case load."
I agree the concept has merit, but it seems like the judges and Honest Abe are the only ones who think it should be this specific project at this specific site. Yet we the tax payers foot the bill.
Lighthouse,
You state your case very well. I, too, do not know how judges "lose control" of someone on work release in another county. Lehigh's proposal was both cost efficient and uncontroversial. But the judges have made clear they do not want this. I do not think we have an obligation to consider their concerns if they are talking about courthouse plans, but this is an area where I think we need to listen carefully. I do not understand the judges' opposition and would have no problem asking them to speak about it publicly. Perhaps they can explain in language we both would understand. I also understand Stoffa' reluctance to wage war over this issue.
I have to agree with everything you say. I think the judges could be more forthcoming why they find this concept w/ LV is so wrong.
It would be nothing less than a lie to state that the Northampton County Judiciary has taken any position on any particular concept. The Judges support the concept generally, but I would wager that they are not any more excited about the Bethlehem Twp. site than they are about partnering with Lehigh County. The Judges have no role in this. This is the province of the County Executive and County Council. If they want to put a treatment facility in Bethlehem Twp., the Judges have no say, and will not say a word !
Anon. 6:23
While I am sure that you speak your honest opinion, I have heard otherwise. Besides from earlier posts here on LVR, I have also heard over the months the same thing from a county connected lawyer, and from one of the six councilmen who voted in favor of it. I am sure the Court has been careful to couch it in legalese that this is what they want, without saying so in a public forum.
Additionally, from press accounts, the stated reason they asked for the case to be heard elsewhere is that they were involved in developing the concept.
If they don't care if its with Lehigh County, there are certainly ways (public or in the shadows) of conveying that. Hasn't been the case as far as I know.
I think it is ironic that Stoffa wants a prison named after him. Of course, he does strike a Dickensian pose, so it is appropriate that he wants to build a Work House. I wonder if he even comes close to appreciating the irony.
John Stoffa's ultimate goal is to build a three hundred million dollar prison at Gracedale.
Ahh! Beenie is back to his hipocracy. He opposed a bond by the previous administration for lacking project estimates but shills for the present administration who has been moving forward on a plan without any project costs and until last night no approval from council.
Since Stoffa is your buddy maybe he can tell you how much this is going to cost us since he seems unwilling to tell team Dertinger.
As for Stoffa's claim that the Judges don't want it why are we only hearing this from Stoffa. And this "control" argument is rediculous how much control do they have when prisoners are sent to jails outside the county.
Face it Beenie, if anyone else told these whoppers you would be foaming at the mouth.
Thi stakes making a firm decision. In his usual ham-handed way Stoffa nad his team of nincompoops screwed this up.
He put together a deal with Atoyah, the Treatment guys and then mentioned it to Bethlehem Twp. surrounded by his love the crimminal gang.
Good for County Council sending a message to Bethlehem Twp., letting them know some people are concerned about this half-baked plan to make money for Atiyh.
What the people want is a rather mute point since municipal governments, by state law, are required to make all levels of zoning available. By state law, no area of a municipality can be legally left unzoned.. Further, municipal governments cannot deny any appellant unless they have another area with the same zoning available. So either it goes where proposed or some other area... BUT it MUST be available in Beth. Township. So pick your poison, but it most likely will proceed. This is why I think the present court challenge by the builder will succeed. Sorry, but dats' de' law folks. Don't shoot the messenger!!
I'm not sure how current this is, but from Feb. 2005:
The Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code
I agree that ultimately, stoffa can push this down the Twp. throat. It is sad since the concept is good but the entire process was scewed up from the beginning. The scale and truth of the operation and the players has been covered with a lot of liberal mantra.
Sadly the stoffa Administration created an us versus them situation.
There's no way 8:39 and 8:55 weren't hammered when they posted. Clearly blogging under the influence. I recommend a designated blogger.
John Stoffa has big plans. He wants to build a 100 mil Child Advocacy Center. A 100 mil dollar prison and Work House in Bethlehem Twp. about 300 mil. Going to make Reibman's bond look puny. And you know what, there are some really big spenders on Council that just might let him do it. McHale and Ferroro coming to mind.
The spin machine is hard at work. They can't really nail Stoffa for being fiscally irresponsible, so they pull stuff out of thin air. Typical lies from typical Joe Long Dems, an embarrassment to real Dems.
What I don't get Boonie is why you don't think Crivarello and friends should be heard? Is it because they are speaking in opposition to your pal, Stoffa? Free speech only for Bernie and friends, screw the rest of us!
Please do not let Boonie get to you Mr. Crivellaro. He is a suspended lawyer. He lost his license because he got caught forging his client's name to a settlement document that the client was even aware Boonie agreed to. His wife through him to the curb, and to make up for the lousy son and father he was he tries to draw attention to himself through their interesting and good stories. You see Boonie's story is one where he lives over an Army Navy Store and his best friend is one of the all time great scumbags of the world Ron Angle. So please ignore him.
Where is the spin here Stoffa has proposed a 37 million dollar parking tower a 10 million dollar human service building he has suggested 3 different prison solutions which did not have price tags. He bought the property across the street for 1.4 million against Angle's advice. And that only the stuff I have read about in the papers can't imagine the stuff I don't know about.
And I would bet BOH wouldn't expose his pal.
"What I don't get Boonie is why you don't think Crivarello and friends should be heard? Is it because they are speaking in opposition to your pal, Stoffa? Free speech only for Bernie and friends, screw the rest of us!"
Crivellaro has every right to speak.
So do I.
That's what bothers you.
What John Stoffa has done is run this county efficiently and effectively for the past three years. There have been no tax increases except for the open space tax increase that Stoffa promised when he ran for office.
No scandals, no ghost employees, no hallwalkers, nol swweetheart leases, no one sent to Club Fed. A county exec who is willing to think things thru before spending the people's money, unlike people like Dertinger & McHale, who tried to force a contract on the county that was $2 MM larger than the one eventually negotiated.
People see thru your crap.
TAKE OFF THOSE ROSE COLORED GLASSES.THEN MAYBE YOU COULD SEE STOFFA FOR WHO HE REALLY IS.IF YOU WEE HONEST YOU'D ADMIT HE ACCOMPLISHED BASICALLY NOTHING,WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THOSE THINGS YOU WERE ABLE TO HELP HIM WITH. WHAT IS HIS PLATFORM AGAIN a NEW WORK REALEASE 'TREATMENT CENTER? MAKES US FEEL A WHOLE LOT BETTER.
He hasn't squanfered taxpayer money for ridiculous buildings the county does not need, if that's what you mean. He did not float a $111 million bond, $29 million of which wass corporate welfare. He did not raise taxes 64% to pay for it. he did not lay opff county workers.
Instead of the usual bullshit, Stoffa is looking at our needs over the next fifty- one hindred years and has steadily worked to improve county services. Silly things like reverse 911, which sure came in handy when that chemical truck flipped over.
Yes, he has pushed a child advocacy center. Is there something wrong with having a single location where an abused child can tell her story instead of forcing her to do it over and over? LC has it, and DA Jim Martin and Exec Don Cunningham are big fans. But the Joe Long Dems have no interest in doing the right thing - their sole concern is votes.
Is Ken Mohr a Stoffa contributor ? Does he have a contract with the County ? Is it kept one dollar under the Administrative Code limit to avoid the necessity of County Council approval ?
No hallwalkers. Like his retired buddy that is the asst. Dir. of Administration? People still have no idea what he does for the County. Then there is the mysterious guy in Economic Development Office, that one kept Grucela out of the race.
Skeletons, oh yea, he has them but you won't see them here or in the papers.
Hopefully, McHale makes sure the voters are aware of some of the nonsense this crew has pulled off. How about the make believe reduced State funding to Human Services. Actually they are getting more money but their spending is out of control and that is why they have a deficit.
Just more facts that you won't hear for BOH.
I'snt emergency management John Conklin's area? i thought that was his previuos job wasn't it? i was under the impression those were his ideas. as for that chemical spill, most people i talked to said it took way to long to notify folks, friends with elderly family there.still it worked out which is good, still in need of improvement.
Talk to Lehigh County Emergency folks about Conklin. He was there when the Concept science problem happened.
Many of those guys feel he spent more time giving interviews than really co-ordinating anything.
The kiss ass Excess Times naturally rallied to the support of their boy Stoffa on the prison work release center in Bethlehem Township.
So what,they are just an inkind campaign contribution for Stoffa, much like this blog.
McHale, McClure and Dertinger did the right thing.
Besides, why did Naiper bring it up if she plasnned to vote against it. Sounds like a setup and most of the voters in Bethelehm Township know it. We have been treated terribly by the County, lies and deceit. Thanks to the officials who supported the truth and decency.
Yep, the newspaper is in bed w./ that evil Stoffa.
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