Easton Patch editor Tom Coombe has interviewed Northampton County Council's new President, John Cusick. Unidentified members of the public and Cusick's own party "were not comfortable with Mr. Angle as council president."
So the bluebloods don't like the Bulldog. There's a shocker.
From what I'm hearing, at a recent Norco GOP Exec Committee meeting, six of the seven Council Republicans attended. Each said Ron could count on their vote.
That's when Cusick is supposed to have stated he did not have the time to be VP.
38 comments:
I'll bet Cusick resigns mid-year after he finds out what the job is all about.
Angle was literally everywhere, and I was always fascinated at how a person who's got a regular day job (like Cusick, for example) could ever be President of council.
It's a full time job in itself.
This political maneuver has backfire written all over it. If the intent was to marginalize Angle, he was best marginalized as President. Now, he's free to roam and create havoc at will.
Cusick is pretty dedicated himself. During his off-season from school, he works very hard on County business.
But with John, unlike Ron, you never know what he is really thinking. For example, he supports selling Gracedale, but is so equivocal when he talks about it, that he gives false hope to those who would like to keep it in County hands. That may be very politic, but it is poor leadership.
Then there's the matter of trust. Many people just don't trust him. He actively recruited someone to run against Peg Ferraro. He was just slamming her leadership skills two weeks ago. And he votes for her as VP?
When news about the treatment center in Bethlehem Tp leaked out before Council itself was made aware, Cusick was one of the few who knew and is largely believed to be the person responsible.
If he did, in fact give Angle his word, he should be ashamed of himself.
Frankly, Cusick would be smart to find a reason to step down with grace and call for a new election.
After awhile people just get tired of being embarrassed by their leaders.
Funny, you don't seem to be all that embarrassed about Callahan.
This is the theater of the absurd.
You mention the virtues of trust, shame, and honoring one's word. These are alien concepts in Angle world. Why on earth would you expect others to be civil to the prince of incivility.
They took his maypo. Now they all will have to pay.
That's because Donald got a "big bear hug" from his favorite man crush after he conceded. I know Donald, Mafalda can never take care of Johny like you do in your fantasies.
In the world of smart people we vote with our brains.
other people are qualified to be council president... i think it was a smart move voting him out , he has so much negative publicity lately and it reflects poorly on the county and unfortunately the voters can no longer trust or have confidence in mr. angle . it is time for a breath of fresh air a younger person with fresh ideas willing to listen to both sides of an issue . i wish mr. cusick well in his endeavors.
Angle dishes it out and can't take it. He stabbed people in the back numberous times. It was only a matter of time. While he might have been a good president at meetings and while the cameras were rolling behind the scenes he was a bully looking out for himself while settling personal vendettas with his office. That is not good govenment. It what this blog exposes rightfully when others do it. However, you do your blog a disservice and the county a disservice when you turn a blind eye to Angle's abuse of office. He got what was coming to him!
I'm pretty you don't have to be a "blueblood" to dislike Ron Angle. There's plenty not to like about his political views just on paper. Are these kinds of appeals to class resentment going to be part of your election year shill routine for Ron?
Angle has proven himself a rather shady character. You've lauded his antics and predicted a retaliatory temper tantrum. His response is all the evidence required to understand why he was demoted. That, and a potentially embarrassing criminal investigation.
It was time to break up the Angle Stoffa love affair. The damage each of these numbskull's has done to the county separately is huge.
Together they were selling off the County seniors to create a Health Department. They then did that silly budget dance, where Stoffa offered a no tax increase budget that saved Gracedale but Ron did a "realistic??" no tax budget that did not save Gracedale. But Stoffa's wasn't a ';real" budget. Of course we pay him to waste evrybodies time with such silliness.
Then when Mr. Dietrich offered a tax cut Angle and the other baggers voted no.
So the hypocrisy is thick in Northampton County and will remain that way until professionals a knowledgeable people are elected to our government.
Angle can go back to have even the Federal government saying enough with him as their landlord.
Hands Hanson
Angle, the ultimate player and bully, got played while looking like a tool of his own ego. Next you are going to tell us that he was duped into dressing like he did by mcclure and dertinger. Also, if that many republican council members where at a meeting and said they were supporting ron and that cusick told them he didnt have time to be vp, please tell us you are certain of this and where and when this happened bc a majority of council was at an unadvertised meeting discussing how they might vote. I smell back room dealing and want to file a complaint w the state so we can know which republicans are scheming behind closed doors.
Sure, it was at a meeting of the exec committee of the local GOP, a few weeks before Monday. Go ahead and file that complaint.
I have no problem w/ how he was dressed. Lots of you seem unusually concerned about that.
"I'm pretty you don't have to be a 'blueblood' to dislike Ron Angle. There's plenty not to like about his political views just on paper. Are these kinds of appeals to class resentment going to be part of your election year shill routine for Ron?"
Jonathan, disagreeing with Ron's political views is one thing. But all the venom and vitriol cast in his direction is something else.
Bluebloods are elitists who think they are better than everyone else.They detest Ron, mostly bc he's willing to say the Emperor is wearing no clothes. There's plenty wrong with Ron, and he would readily admit it. He's an ornery bastard, but he scares the pompous Garden Club types from both parties who are used to pushing everyone else around.
"That's because Donald got a 'big bear hug' from his favorite man crush after he conceded. I know Donald, Mafalda can never take care of Johny like you do in your fantasies."
Be nice. Donald is welcome here. I admire him.
Is it true you and Stoffa let Angle be the pitcher in your man love sessions after the meeting. I think that was awful nice of you guys by the way.
You seem to have an unusual fascination with homoerotic terminology. You must be a Dem commiteeman.
"From what I'm hearing, at a recent Norco GOP Exec Committee meeting, six of the seven Council Republicans attended. Each said Ron could count on their vote."
If this is true, and a quorum of council members are discussing council business in a non-advertised, non-public meeting, isn't this a Sunshine Act violation?
It could very well be a violation. It was apparently a meeting of the Exec Committee and 6 of the 7 Rs on Council were there. They were not there to discuss County business but politics. But I think the Presidency is County business and that discussion should not have occurred and would be a violation. But the subsequent vote in a public meeting would be a ratification and would make it impossible to file a claim under the toothless Act.
But apparently, instead of doing what they agreed to do, something else happened, involving 2 Dems and 3 Rs. They cobbled together a majority to take Angle out. It was clearly a done deal at the reorganization. But once again, whatever happened was ratified or changed by the subsequent public vote.
So I think there may have actually been two Sunshine Act violations, but you could not sue under either.
Angle is okay in my book. As a Democrat, I have voted for Angle when he ran for school board and county council. He has a common sense approach in resolving issues before him. He is a fiscal watchdog for the county. I don't see any other county council members who have the guts to lay off workers, freeze hirings and trim waste. Angle is also crude and rude, thats why some people don't like him. County government has come a long way since the Reibman administration especially under Angle as its president. As for Gracedale, please do a survey of other states and let me know how many counties own a nursing home. County government should not be in the business of wiping bottoms. And for those council members who thought angle should be removed as president because of the bad press angle has been getting over his dad's will, please remember this country voted for John F. Kennedy as our 35th President, many county council members have probably forgotten that President Kennedy's father was a bootlegger. Cheers.....
Layoff workers, freeze hiring and trim waste. That is exactly what the Reibman Administration did Mrs. angle. O'Hare screamed bloody murder when he did it.
I guess it depends on who holds the gun.
Angle was ousted because he is a self-centered egomaniac who is better suited to destruction than construction.
In a circus sideshow he would be a hit. Serious decisions demand serious self-less people.
Ron Angle's worst enemy is Ron Angle.
But hey like Mussolini, if the trains run on time, we will give you a pass on the rest. Give us a break already.
Can you list the names of the council members that you know where at the republican smoke filled room meeting to discuss how they would vote behind closed doors. In montco, two commissioners went out to breakfast and now i think the DA is investigating. Sadly, the tea party led republicans are encouraging this behavior but you only seem upset that some of the republican council members changed their minds. Your self professed love of open government is compromised. If this was mcclure or dertinger, you would be leading the lynch mob.
I love that the tea party has become the obsession of the left. A year ago, they wouldn't admit it existed.
"I love that the tea party has become the obsession of the left. A year ago, they wouldn't admit it existed."
Personally, I love that the Tea Party waited less than a year in office to start back room dealing. I wonder how many other backroom deals they've cut.
Bernie, we want names: which 6 council members were at this meeting? didn't this happen last year too?
It did happen last year, too. I'm not sure, but I think Dietrich had a class that night. Otherwise there would have been 7 council members.
"Your self professed love of open government is compromised. If this was mcclure or dertinger, you would be leading the lynch mob."
I don't like what happened and you would not know about it but for this blog. But there is no doubt in my mind that McClure was very much involved in the back-room dealings that resulted in Ron's ouster. It as too well coordinated.
"Layoff workers, freeze hiring and trim waste. That is exactly what the Reibman Administration did Mrs. angle. O'Hare screamed bloody murder when he did it."
Stoffa did not lay off people. He eliminated a few high level jobs. Reibman screwed the little guy and did institute layoffs. There was no hiring freeze. There was a 3-year salary freeze. Stoffa did not do that, either. Big differences.
Even if McClure did orchestrate this (which I doubt... they guy has little previous success in organizing anything), it doesn't look like he was involved in a face to face meeting to discuss county council business. Assuming he exchanged a couple of emails and phone calls does not constitute a meeting. What the county GOP facilitated... and what Ron Angle was using to count on his re-election... was a clear violation of the sunshine law.
A grand jury is investigating this kind of behavior in montgomery county. (http://www.montgomerynews.com/articles/2010/12/19/montgomery_life/news/doc4d06521caf630126965924.txt). Maybe the DA's office can start doing that here. My guess is that you and the GOP would say it would be politically motivated and dismiss it out of hand.
I say good job in disclosing the violation, but bad job in recognizing that it was a violation until somebody else pointed it out. Your beef with Cusick was that he seems to have flip-flopped after the sunshine violation. Your beef should have been that everybody including your buddy Ron Angle was involved in this violation.
I recognized it as a violation immediately. I do not accept the explanation that it was a primarily a meeting of the exec committee at which 6 R council members just happened to drop in. But I pointed out that under our toothless Sunshine Act, nothing could be done. Believe me, I know better than most.
I'll add that I'm not really sure whether what happened after that meeting constitutes a Sunshne Act violations. Unless there was some sort of round robin, conference call, or email exchanges among all of them, I'd really be hard put to prove anything. And even then, the law is admittedly unclear.
But in BOTH cases, our Sunshine Act washes the sins away by the subsequent vote during a public meeting. So it's pointless to get worked up over it unless you can find some kind of pattern.
"So it's pointless to get worked up over it unless you can find some kind of pattern."
Disagree. You tell us over and over again how much Ron values open and transparent gov't. This completely debunks that myth. It shows that he cares about the type of gov't that gives him power over council. When it didn't work out the way he wanted, he got all huffy about it, calling other people liars. B/c he is your buddy, he gets a pass. The next time you call him Bull Dog, perhaps including something about sunshine law violations would be in order. He appears to be the owner of at least two.
Bernie,
One can go about being a fiscal watchdog in a manner that is respectable - like Dean Browning in Lehigh County - and one can do it in a manner that shows little regard for others, as Mr. Angle is prone to do. If you treat others with little regard they will eventually treat you in the same manner if they have the opportunity. And if politicians are involved, it is likely to get downright ugly.
County Council was given the opportunity to stick it to Mr. Angle and they did. Not only should it come as no surprise that this could happen, with the players involved, in retrospect, it is a very plausible conclusion.
Moral of the story: Don't act like a douche.
Don't act like a douche?
I see Ann McHale doesn't want to run for re-election. Why?
I would have loved to see her come upings.
Why not. she is tired of it. She loved the attention but now it's getting old hat. If she ran she would win. Hell, I'm no fan of McHale but I am a realist and she would clean any R in the race and most D's, even though she doesn't do anything.
Your best bet is if the Dem's put up some Long Dem kiddie corps, then get Donchez to become a Republican.
Yeah, right! She did wonderful against Stoffa. Oh yeah, that's right. She knew that she was going to lose, so she made up some b.s. story that she wanted to spend more time with her family. Reality is slowly setting in.
Pay to play is old hat and she got caught many of times. Chickens are coming home to roost.
Isn't Angle a multi millionaire? Who is the blueblood?
Angle is multi-millionaire but the bluebloods in the LVP don't like hom bc they can't control him.
Please run a bagger for McHale's seat, please. We will figure out a way to give 100-1 odds on a Republican bagger beating any Dem in District 1, much less McHale. You folks really are a deluded bunch. But it is fun to watch.
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