I know no person more knowledgeable about Northampton County government than Jerry Seyfried. He's paid his dues: eleven years on County Council, including the Presidency; four years as County Executive; and eight years as a cabinet member during the Glenn Reibman administration. Last year, a dysfunctional Council appointed him to a vacancy, and meetings began to run more smoothly almost immediately.Even though Jerry has stepped down from Council, he still serves on the Retirement Board and is currently working on a county history. He still carries a dog-eared copy of the Home Rule Charter to every meeting.
I saw Jerry Saturday night at the sold-out Whitetail Deer Classic, held this year at Northampton's Community Center. I'll be writing another post about that amazing shindig, but I want to talk right now about last week's snowstorm. Exec John Stoffa kept the courthouse open, although he let people leave as early as noon and manned the phones himself. Did Stoffa do the right thing?
"Absolutely," was Jerry's quick answer. "We learned our lesson," he added. When Jerry served as County Exec, the Lehigh Valley was hit by the mother of all ice storms. He decided to close the courthouse, but was hit with claims for OT from corrections officers, as well as Gracedale union and nonunion workers.
"It cost us several hundred thousand dollars," he noted. He added that's the last time the courthouse ever closed because of inclement weather.
But won't this put people's lives at risk, I asked, parroting concerns expressed by some courthouse workers here. No, answered Jerry. Courthouse workers could stay home and take a vacation day or lose a day's pay, but nobody is putting a gun to their head. It's up to them.
"If I were Stoffa, I would have hopped into a 4x4, driven to the courthouse, and answered phones just like he did," concluded Seyfried.
Jerry told me that Majestic Sportswear, unlike Northampton County, closed down because of the inclement weather. They asked employees to come in on Saturday to make up, for the day off, but the union demanded time and a half. Workers lost a day's pay and a the company lost a day of production.
Well, there you go. Keep the Courthouse and everyone would have been bitching about how much it cost and why can't Stoffa drive there like everyone else in the private industry. Damned if you do and screwed if you don't.
ReplyDeleteYep. I just had to delete 4 comments attacking Jerry (and me) for his remarks. He is attacked, among other things, for wanting to do a history of the county's last 50 years. He has the first 200 done, and now wants the final 50. Council set aside a small sum so it can be printed, and the troll actually is acting as though Jerry pocketed the $. I will be deleting anything the 3 AM troll posts here. Disagreement is fine. hatred is not.
ReplyDeleteyou nose will still get broken
ReplyDeleteAnon 9:10
ReplyDeleteYou are such a coward!
A whiner and a coward!
Grow up!
This is not a courthouse worker. it's te 3 AM troll, who will attack anything and everyone who stands by Stoffa. Although Jerry is independent and actually worked for Reibman and supported him, his integrity is attacked for standing by Stoffa.
ReplyDeleteI'm no fan of either, but Jerry's right and so was Stoffa. The frustration for employees is in having to spend a vacation day on a snow day. Tough. It happens in the private sector all the time. Manufacturing companies routinely dictate required paid vacation days for all employees when the lines are not running. Snow closings and the day after Thanksgiving are most common. As a taxpayer, I'm your boss. I'm glad my manager (Stoffa) showed up and saved my money. Snow does not denote a newly found paid holiday for county employees.
ReplyDeleteStoffa did the right thing and Bernie you are doing a great job of controlling and blasting the viscous little buggers,chase them under the 8th street bridge in Allentown where they belong!
ReplyDeleteHaving to use a vacation day if you don't show up has nothing to do with the overtime at Gracedale and the Prison. Lets not get things mixed up.
ReplyDeleteIf someone does not report to work at the courthouse or another building they do not have to be replaced. If someone is unable to make it to work at the prison and gracedale they have to be replaced.
I can't see what keeping the courthouse open or closed has anything to do with the other buildings that are 24 hour operations. Totally different circumstances that can not be compared.
U can add Angle to those who deserve to be under the 8th street bridge as weel. He is up to his old tricks of shoplifting again. While at the opening for Cigars International, he stole three cigaRS THAT WERE CLEARLY MARKED FOR DISPLAY ONLY. HE WAS OBSERVED BY MANAGEMENT TAKING THE THREE CIGARS, WHO DECIDED NOT TO MAKE A SCENE, BECAUSE HE IS A PUBLIC FIGURE. Go figure, Angle gets away with shoplifting (STEALING AGAIN)AND HIDES BEHIND HIS OFFICE AS PRESIDENT OF COUNTY COUNCIL.
ReplyDeleteCan you validate that story...if so let me know so we can go public
ReplyDeleteActually the so-called "3am troll" is now considered as a bullshit creation by Ohare since we know others deleted with this excuse.
ReplyDeleteAt least one of the post deleted was in fact by a County employee.
Of course Mr. Ohare allows the attacking posts of his friends to stand. Oh and the ones that tell him how great and correct he and his political buddies are.
Facts are facts, the understanding is the "little" amount of money was $20,000 taxpayer money with no questions or strings attached. A nice deal struck between Angle and Stoffa after they worked to get him on council.
Also who cares what Mr. Seyfried thinks, he lost his bid for re-election so the people didn't care either.
The Courthouse was closed after Mr. Seyfried was Executive and there were none of the problems he moans about. I guess some people know what they are doing. Oh and Bernie it is not 3AM so which excuse now. County employees are dying to know.
A word to your friend Ms. Weiss whom you allow to attack and post sarcastic remarks about people. Maybe her sordid history could be posted on another more unbiased blog were it won't get deleted!
Please don't use more BS to cover for the BS decision Stoffa made. A dangerous PR stunt.
Anon 12:57 call Cigars International ask for the manager.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to report the existence of the Easter Bunny. My report carries all the veracity you should expect from an anonymous poster on a blog. Honest.
ReplyDeleteThe problem here isn't Stoffa. It's the union for 24/7 shifts like the guards and Gracedale workers wanting time and a half. They are compensated for their overtime after they have worked 8 hours. They accepted a job that they knew was 24/7 and that's that.
ReplyDeleteIt's no different in Easton where the Mayor and a limited staff kept City Hall open the entire day because the 24 hour shift firefighters get time and a half if City Hall is closed. Let's see, they arrive at the station at 7:00 AM and don't leave until 7AM the next day. My neighbor had to be at City Hall at 8:30 (an hor and a half later in the storm) and left at 4:30 in the height of the storm while the firefighters were still in their nice firehouse. They left the next morning when all the streets were cleared. Public officials like Panto and Stoffa should be commended for looking out for the taxpayers money instead of the greedy unions and their demands.
I'll be posting tomorrow about these vicious people who lie anonymously.
ReplyDeleteOh Who posted viciously? The folks who you attack and delete?
ReplyDeleteIt seems if anyone has a difference of opinion with you they are vicious, a troll and must be outed. That is the shame with your blog. It started as a great idea and people on all sides of an issue appreciated your allowing a forum for viewpoints. That has all changed now. You make a statement and pose hypothetical moral questions and attacks. Others respond and you call them vicious.
On that note in a non-vicious way, how did you get a ticket to a sold-out event(sold out months ago). It is run by Jerry, any coincidence? You didn't buy the ticket. So in the interest of honest information how did you get the ticket? Was it a gift like the computer? See Bernie it may be an innocent thing but now that you bring every act of people you don't like into question it turns out you and your friends are open to the same questions. Remember the tale about glass houses?
See the problem is once you went dark you don't realize that no one believes you anymore. So attack away since you won't respond to any questions.
This was a post about closing the courthouse. In reesponse, Seyfried's integrity was attacked. Then, out of the blue, Angle was attacked by scum like you.
ReplyDelete...chase them under the 8th Street bridge in Allentown where they belong."
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of a statement is that?
Allentown does not need ANYONE under the 8th Street bridge.
Don't dump problems in Allentown, either.
Dumping is an offense punishable by fines in Allentown.
As employees we have a right to differ with Mr. Seyfried's support of Stoffa's action. You dragged Mr. Seyfried into the mix. You had to keep trying to prove how wonderful Stoffa's selfish decision was.
ReplyDeleteSo some folks made some excellent points about your story. It appears only words of slavish praise and insults to you enemies is now the rule on the Ohare blog.It would appear from reading the postings it is your integrity that is questioned. Oh and how did you get an expensive ticket to a sold out affair?
"As employees we have a right to differ with Mr. Seyfried's support of Stoffa's action"
ReplyDeleteYou don't work for the county. You illegally collected unemployment until Stoffa found out andblew the whistle.
I have read and re-read the posts and I don't see anyone attacking Mr. Seyfrieds credibility. I see some folks who may not agree he is the ultimate authority on all things county but nothing else seems to be going after him. The amount of taxpayer money given to any private citizen is a matter of public record and is certainly a legitimate question. Your response makes it seem like it was meant to be on the down low.
ReplyDeleteYou are another matter. the posts do go after you and it would appear with some legitimacy.
poor bernie, his not so little feelings got hurt again. I'm sure if you suck up enough to stoffa, angle seyfried, dent and the like they'll rub your fat belly and calm you down. You are such a wimp - but you are bought and paid for
ReplyDelete"I have read and re-read the posts and I don't see anyone attacking Mr. Seyfrieds credibility"
ReplyDelete1) "Facts are facts, the understanding is the "little" amount of money was $20,000 taxpayer money with no questions or strings attached. A nice deal struck between Angle and Stoffa after they worked to get him on council."
In addition to this, I deleted several comments suggesting Seyfried is a crook. And Ron Angle, who has nothing to do w/ this post, is also attacked.
Bernie, I guess the question is did Jerry get $20,000 form County Council. If he did why not do a post about it and shed light on it so it wasn't be misconstrued.
ReplyDeleteYou know you would have done that on anyone else.
The Angle thing is out there already Bernie. Apparently he is up to his old shoplifting tricks again and pocketed some cigars.
ReplyDeleteOnce it is in the blood there isn't much people can do.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteI have deleted an anonymous personal attack directed at one of my readers. be civil or you will be deleted.
ReplyDeleteNo, actually you are deleting anything that does not conform to the propaganda you try to feed people.
ReplyDeleteThe members of the press are aware of your lack of honesty and credibility!
Bernie is the new symbol of disinformation. He finally has accomplished something in life. good for him!
ReplyDeleteNotice this whole debate is money versus safety and lives. Its nice to see the priorities are on money! Gives me the warm and tinglies!
ReplyDeleteHey Dedicated Employee,
ReplyDeleteLast time I checked, nobody is twisting your arm to come in when weather is bad. You can stay home and take a day of vacation or lose a day's pay. So you're concerned about money, too, not safety. You'd like an paid snow day at taxpayer expense.
Don't be a pig. People don't like pigs.
Wow. This is really hate-filled. Just a question though...if keeping the County open was a business decision, then why did so many successful businesses close? The Lehigh Valley Mall was closed, as was the Promenade, and Palmer Park Mall. If it was purely a fiscal decision, one would think that the managers of all the stores in the malls would have remained open. As someone who worked in retail for many years, I can tell you that we never closed for bad weather. The only time we actually closed when we weren't supposed to was on 9/11. That being said, this leads me to believe that even retail giants like Boscov's, JCPenney's, and Bon Ton were willing to forgo the little business they would have during such horrific driving conditions for the safety of their employees.
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing that couldn't have waited at the County until Thursday. Stoffa remained open as a power play, whether it be against Council, the unions, the prison, whoever. The County remained open. What's done is done. But don't make him out to be a saint for the taxpayer. His motives to remain open aren't as lily white as the snow that was falling that day.
Anon 7:34,
ReplyDeleteYou really can't compare the government center with the retail businesses that make up The Promenade or Palmer Park Mall. Those businesses depend on lots of business bc of their high overhead. When weather is inclement, it makes sense for them to close down. Here's my question. When they closed, did they still pay their workers? I doubt it.
Unlike a mall, the courthouse is not dependent on repeat business, although we sure get a lot of it. Absent adeclared state of emergencty, its doors must remain open for those seekling access to the courts, regardless whether a judge is physically present. A ststute of limitations may be getting ready to run, or an abused woman might need help.
Had Stoffa closed, he'd be denying access to those people. He would also be opening the county to a claim from unions for approximately $200k in OT. Because his ultimate obligation is to the taxpayer, he chose to remain open and set an example for employees by being there in person and manning the phone.
That may not make him a saint, but it does show him setting an example.
Bernie did not buy his ticket it was a gift. Sort of like his computer.
ReplyDeleteOne hand washes the other , right Ohare.
Bernie-
ReplyDeleteAnon 7:34 here. I think you raise some valid points. Don't get me wrong - I understand Stoffa's responsibility to the taxpayer. While I feel it is admirable that he is looking out for the taxpayer's best interest, what could he have done if most of the departments were already gone for the day? I understand he's an elected official, and as such, has to have at least rudimentary knowledge of all the offices under his control. However, if someone were to have shown up looking to file for custody or a PFA, would he have been able to honestly help them or would his answer have been please come back tomorrow when someone is available to help you in a capacity which I cannot?
Further, when you stated if the malls/stores close do they pay their workers, yes they do. If a worker was already scheduled to work, and the worker's store closed for reasons such as 9/11 or in this case, severe weather, the company would most certainly have paid the workers. When my employees had to leave work on 9/11, all received a full days pay. Like Stoffa had to answer to the taxpayers, we also had fiduciary responsibilities to the stockholders, who hold a lot more sway than a taxpayer.
I guess in this situation we'll have to agree to disagree. Good debate though!
Anon 5:00, how dare you not kiss the ass of the mighty Stoffa!
ReplyDelete