Last week, Lehigh County Exec Don Cunningham announced the elimination of another 50 jobs, bringing his administration’s total to 150 jobs removed from the county payroll. The size of Lehigh County’s workforce has gotten smaller during Cunningham’s tenure. Lehigh County now employs fewer people than it did in 1990.
Apparently, it's not enough. Monday, at 1 PM, Cunningham will announce further program cuts and reductions in advance of the 2011 budget at a news conference. I'll try to be there. If you have specific questions you'd like me to ask, post them here.
Today's one-liner: "The shortest way to the distinguishing excellence of any writer is through his hostile critics." Richard LeGallienne
Local Government TV
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Sunday, August 22, 2010
31 comments:
You own views are appreciated, especially if they differ from mine. But remember, commenting is a privilege, not a right. I will delete personal attacks or off-topic remarks at my discretion. Comments that play into the tribalism that has consumed this nation will be declined. So will comments alleging voter fraud unless backed up by concrete evidence. If you attack someone personally, I expect you to identify yourself. I will delete criticisms of my comment policy, vulgarities, cut-and-paste jobs from other sources and any suggestion of violence towards anyone. I will also delete sweeping generalizations about mainstream parties or ideologies, i.e. identity politics. My decisions on these matters are made on a case by case basis, and may be affected by my mood that day, my access to the blog at the time the comment was made or other information that isn’t readily apparent.
And he'll still kill taxpayers witha crushing increase while they're trying to keep their homes. This guy inherited a huge surplus and squandered it. His record is alarming. He should be investigated by the AG.
ReplyDeletedoes mr. cunningham have any regrets about buying the office building at 7th and hamilton for the 911 center? although it was nice for fineberg and partners to get out from under it, with personnel numbers going down, what is the justification?
ReplyDeleteFineberg owned that building? Are you kidding me?
ReplyDeleteMM, are you referring to Gregg Feinberg? Are you sayg that he (or some entity in which he had a financial interst) owned that site?
ReplyDeleteThe same Feinbergs involved with Lehigh County Government and the City of Bethlehem Steel Stax debacle?? You have to be kidding me!!
ReplyDeleteIs that the same Feinberg whose wife is the director of community and economic development for the County? You've got to be kidding!
ReplyDeletethat's my understanding. i recall that the building was owned by a LLC, but was led to believe that fineberg had an interest.
ReplyDeleteThe property was bout by Lehigh County from East Penn Partners in 2007 for $3 million. I looked at corporate records and East Penn's managung partner is East Penn Real Estate Inc. I do not know whether Gregg Feinberg, who did get involved in real estate development, had a financial or any other interest in Hamilton Financial Center.
ReplyDeleteWow, we will look back after the sale of Gracedale and see that the comparisons are very interesting.
ReplyDeleteWe will find what Angle made in the sale.
Atleast NorCo isn't the only county with corruption.
My question is this
ReplyDeleteLehigh County owns about 220 acres north of Leaser Lake Park in Lynn Township, but most of which is not a part of the active park. In fact, Lehigh's own website incorrectly refers to said land as being in the village of Jackson. The village name is Jacksonville.
There are several inactive and a few possibly active dumpsites on Lehigh County's land there, yet it has not attempted to enroll the County in the State program to clean those dump sites. I've asked many times about the County enrolling in PA Clean Our Lands and Streams. I posted the same question here before. I've also asked directly.
So my new question is this: What does LC plan to do with the vacant lands that it may own here and elsewhere in light of its budget shortfall?
I speak mainly of the 220 acres or so it owns along Springhouse Road in Lynn Township but also inquire about elsewhere. Selling assets in generally one's first attempt at balancing budgets after any employee layoff.
Are those lands in danger of being sold? If not, will any attempt be made to inventory or clean up any old or active dumpsite there?
A diagram is here. http://www.lehighcounty.org/Portals/0/generalImages/parks/leaser/leaser.gif
You can query the County assessment records address springhouse rd for more info.
Will he take a reduction in his own salary?
ReplyDeleteBernie
ReplyDeleteDid you see this?
"Between her blog and infrequent contributions to ehow.com, over the last few years she says she’s made about $50. To [Marilyn] Bess, her website is a hobby. To the city of Philadelphia, it’s a potential moneymaker, and the city wants its cut.
In May, the city sent Bess a letter demanding that she pay $300, the price of a business privilege license.
“The real kick in the pants is that I don’t even have a full-time job, so for the city to tell me to pony up $300 for a business privilege license, pay wage tax, business privilege tax, net profits tax on a handful of money is outrageous,” Bess says.
It would be one thing if Bess’ website were, well, an actual business, or if the amount of money the city wanted didn’t outpace her earnings six-fold. Sure, the city has its rules; and yes, cash-strapped cities can’t very well ignore potential sources of income. But at the same time, there must be some room for discretion and common sense.
Read more at the Washington Examiner:
And he'll still kill taxpayers witha crushing increase while they're trying to keep their homes. This guy inherited a huge surplus and squandered it. His record is alarming. He should be investigated by the AG.
ReplyDelete3:47 PM
Blogger michael molovinsky said...
does mr. cunningham have any regrets about buying the office building at 7th and hamilton for the 911 center? although it was nice for fineberg and partners to get out from under it, with personnel numbers going down, what is the justification?
4:34 PM
Mr. Molovinsky,
Are you saying this Feinberg guy sold a business property to Lehigh County for a comfortable sum of taxpayers money and now possibly, the slimy truth is coming out?
Maybe a real estate expert will come on here and tell us what is happening with Feinberg and this 7th St. property. The taxpayers deserve to know the truth.
ReplyDeleteDid Gregg Feinberg own a share in the property the county purchased from someone, some mysterious entity,
ReplyDeletein 2007?
Anon 10:31, They'll never take me alive.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDeleteThe same Feinbergs involved with Lehigh County Government and the City of Bethlehem Steel Stax debacle?? You have to be kidding me!!
4:53 PM
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Is that the same Feinberg whose wife is the director of community and economic development for the County? You've got to be kidding!
6:01 PM
and perhaps the same Feinberg who in recent days hosted a tony cocktail party for Congress candidate Callahan and a handsome Mr. C.
Anon 10:40,
ReplyDeleteWe don't really know that. As I indicated earlier, I do not know whether Feinberg has any connection at all to Hamilton Financial Center, and would prefer to wait until I do before saying something that may prove inaccurate.
I support Dent and have published blogcs highly crticial of Callahan. I also oppose the pay-to-play culture permeating LV politics. MM states he was "led to believe" Feinberg had an interest, but let's develop the facts before we point fingers.
ReplyDeletei wish to concur with bernie that at this point i do NOT know that fineberg had an interest in the building, i was told that he did. so now i have two questions for bernie to ask cunningham. 1. with declining employee's, was it necessary or advisable to purchase an additional building and take it off the tax roles?
ReplyDelete2. did mr. fineberg have an interest in that building?
Holy Christ, MM, you clearly inferred it with your statement. what the Hell is the matter with you?
ReplyDeleteDon't throw shit like a caged monkey until you have a few facts.
Follow the money trail. See who is behind the curtain.
ReplyDeleteanon 12:15, my question asked if it was necessary to buy the building; although there was an inference, you anonymous monkeys are the ones who threw it around
ReplyDeleteI'd have to agree with MM on this point. Although he certainly created an inference, he's been a little more clear since his original statement. I'll add that I called Mr. Feinberg;'s office this morning. I have no reason to believe he has acted unethically, and will make no such claim unless there is something that is clearly lacking here - evidence.
ReplyDeleteTrue, I'm a bottom-feeding blogger, but I have my standards, damn it!
Gregg Feinberg has just told me that he has never had any financial or any other kind of interest in the Hamilton Financial Center, so let's put that one to bed. Feinberg has been tried and convicted based on an accusation that turns out to be false.
ReplyDeletei would like to apologize to mr. feinberg for my inference in comment #3. considering that I clarified my information by comment #7 (after being questioned by bernie), i think the" false accusation" blame must rest with anonymous commentators there after. again, my apology to mr. feinberg.
ReplyDeleteWhen does he reveal the 2011 budget? Thank you for keeping us informed. You do a very good job.
ReplyDeleteBernie O'Hare said...
ReplyDeleteGregg Feinberg has just told me that he has never had any financial or any other kind of interest in the Hamilton Financial Center, so let's put that one to bed. Feinberg has been tried and convicted based on an accusation that turns out to be false.
9:57 AM
This is good to know but the question remains: who did have an interest in the financial center? Did those owners make a profit selling the property to the county or did they lose money. Maybe someone can tell us.
Bernie O'Hare said...
ReplyDeleteAnon 10:40,
We don't really know that. As I indicated earlier, I do not know whether Feinberg has any connection at all to Hamilton Financial Center, and would prefer to wait until I do before saying something that may prove inaccurate.
10:46 PM
Bernie, you posted this last night. We politely disagree with you. We don't think anyone yesterday found this guy guilty of anything but all agreed to wait until today when government offices opened and public information was available.
MM alludes misdoing then blames others for talking about it. Hey MM, you take lessons from Beck or Limbaugh. Nice rumor mongering.
ReplyDeleteanon 8:59, i didn't allude misdoing at all. cunningham purchased the building; i was in error about who i thought had owned it. the primary issue is my question whether lehigh county really needed the building. anonymous readers like yourself then tripped out, even wondering if the owner made a profit.
ReplyDelete