Local Government TV

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

DA Morganelli's Proposed Budget is Safe

In his preparation for 2011's budget, Northampton County Executive John Stoffa asked everyone to cut their departments by 5%. But District Attorney John Morganelli has asked for 10.26% more next year than he's received this year. In fact, over the past seven years, spending in his office has gone up 168%. Despite this significant increase, and the hard feelings created when he sued Council Prez Ron Angle over an unpaid school board position, the DA is going to get every nickel he requested. He deserves this increase, too.

Morganelli last year suspended extraditions in all cases but "serious" felonies. His office is currently working on twelve homicides involving twenty victims. He has to set aside $10,000 in expert witness fees. He is prosecuting a quadruple homicide in the Northampton area, perhaps the most brutal mass murder since ten people were murdered during a 1763 Indian uprising in that very area. And that was followed by a double murder a few months later in nearby Lehigh Township.

In addition to these recent cases, Morganelli's cold case unit has recently solved a 25 year-old Northampton murder, in which a 16 year-old prostitute (who later did time for another homicide) shot a john in his Northampton apartment. She's awaiting extradition from Florida, where she was arrested.

Morganelli is justifiably proud of his cold case unit.

"It's really been going well," he told Council in response to a question from John Cusick during a budget hearing last week. "If you'll recall, we brought in a part-time non-benefit employee in the County Detective's Office - Detective Egan - who has been working in the cold case unit with the Grand Jury. Now we just recently announced an indictment on a cold case about two weeks ago of a 25 year-old homicide case. The Grand Jury's been very busy all summer. We expect more indictments coming down on old cases in the next few weeks. He has updated all of our homicide investigations. I expect that at least through 2/11, we want to continue it."

In his budget pitch, Morganelli stated he has asked for no new employees and no capitol expenditures. He stated his budget is up only 2.1%, so there is some discrepancy between his figures and mine.

If Council felt that he should cut his budget, the DA stated he would stop prosecuting bad check cases. "The business community relies on us to prosecute bad check cases, and we have a good program. But I can cut that out."

Morganelli also noted that the state, which is supposed to reimburse 65% of his salary, is just getting around to paying for 2008.

Will Angle slice into Morganelli's budget as payback for the mandamus suit earlier this year?

In a word, No. Angle told me after the hearing that Morganelli always presents a frugal budget and he has no intention of paring it down, even with a proposal that he intends to present himself this week.

Below are the expenditures by the DA's office since 2005.

$4,054,000 in 2011 budget.

$3,950,600 in 2010 budget.

$3,655,700 in 2009 budget.

$3,619,500 in 2008 budget.

$3,311,900 in 2007 budget.

$2,479,600 in 2006 budget.

$2,407,700 in 2005 budget.
Updated 1:15 PM: DA Morganelli advises me that the reason for the spike in hs budget between 2006 and 2007 is that the DUI Center was placed under his supervision. That added an extra $500,000 to his budget, which is still $1 million less than his counterpart in Lehigh County.

12 comments:

  1. Will Angle be so generous when Morganelli arreasts him for forging his fathers will? On December 1st 2010. I have ESP.

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  2. He almost doubled his budget in five years? The Northampton County bulldog calls that "frugal"?

    It sounds like the DA has "fixed" the bulldog.

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  3. I was thinking the same thing.

    The bark is now just a whimper, as slipper and newpaper fetching replace guard dog duty.

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  4. Rediculous!!! I find it simply amazing that this Department of County Government can not find and make cuts to its budget in this economy. There are gobs of lawyers that would love to have and Assistant DA job right now. I would be willing to bet that these lawyers are probably better than the ones right now on staff in the DA's office. County Council needs to hold the line. For a few short months (all of 2011) you mean the DA's office can hold the line? Give me a break. This run away government spending is what is killing this economy and all government departments need to be cutting. Period. And no, I am not Ron Angle.

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  5. I see. You're willing to bet there are gobs of lawyers out there who are better and cheaper than the ones being used? That's your suggestion?

    What if the gobs of lawyers out there are worse? Are you willing to let rapists and murders walk the streets because that's the price we all pay for your error.

    Maybe the defense in the Ballard case will be willing to wait until the recession is over before he is tried.

    Are you out of your frickin' mind? Morganelli's office actually is frugal. It is one of the more frugal departments in the County. Yes, spending has gone up, but he claims it is only 1.something percent, not the figure I have, which may represent some grant money.

    Sometimes, there really is no room to cut.

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  6. crime is going up so must the budget. it's that simple. so simple that even angle and bo can understand it

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  7. and here in lies the tea party's primary short-coming: even when other conservatives agree that spending is necessary, they want to cut more, more... MORE to vital services. Cut spending on roads. Cut spending on police. Sometimes cutting spending for the sake of cutting spending is worse for taxpayers than raising taxes.

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  8. Bernie O'Hare said...

    "Are you willing to let rapists and murders walk the streets because that's the price we all pay for your error."


    If you remember the trial of the Nazareth football coach, you know that there isn't much risk. That lady ADA was an idiot. She got schooled. I've seen hogs headed for slaughter that were better prepared than the County was for that one.

    Or, maybe it was supposed to go the way it did, and she just played her part and threw that kid and his family under the bus.

    Either way, I say go for the gobs of lawyers and see what happens. No use overpaying when you can get that level of service for less.

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  9. Bernie
    Rumor only but some say Morganelli was a bartender for a Bethlehem Area Public Library fundraiser at a downtown Bethlehem restaurant.Was this appropriate conduct for the county's top lawyer to be pouring alcoholic drinks?

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  10. "Rumor only but some say Morganelli was a bartender for a Bethlehem Area Public Library fundraiser at a downtown Bethlehem restaurant.Was this appropriate conduct for the county's top lawyer to be pouring alcoholic drinks?"

    The bastard performed a legal act in the furterance of charity....bastard.

    Cheers to O'Hare for a piece praising a guy he has expressed issues with.

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  11. The Morganelli Tending bar thing is a sticky wicket. I venture to say almost 100% of the population is not aware that the DUI laws make a provision for a up to $300 fine for having (1) that is
    one (1) drink and getting behind the wheel. This penalty is the lowest level you can be charged with. Morganelli was kind enough during one of his election years to send me a lovely "suitable for framing" chart of the entire DUI penalty scenarios. This of which I keep to this day. I think that we don't hear of this due to the Tavern Association being up in arms if it was publicized. So, Morganelli by pouring (1) one drink for someone to consume that did not have a DD would be in violation of his very own chart. Another thing to point out, if you get stopped at a DUI checkpoint and have had (1) one drink the police will NOT allow you to drive, you will probably not be arrested (see above) you could be if not however you will be required to make arrangements for a ride home. Another scenario is if you are in an accident and you had (1) one drink and the other driver had (0) zero drinks, in the eyes of the attending police officer whose fault do you think its going to be? Funny stuff isn't it. Sort of reminds me of the Bethlehem Wallapolooza the heavy drinking/golf/picnic outing that was held at Illicks Mill for years. When all the politicos and po-leeze and city employees were done getting hammered, the cops not in attendence actually shut down Illicks Mill Road in both directions so as to afford a wide lane for the over imbibed to weave their way home. hmmmmm.
    I think although Morganelli was doing it for charity, for him it was in poor judgement.

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  12. Anon 7:44, great post!

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