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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Norco Council Should Abolish its Slush Fund


Yesterday, I told you about the latest abuse of Northampton County Council's so-called contingency fund, which over the years has morphed from a fund for real emergencies into a slush fund in which Council members take care of their pals and the politically connected. Bruce Gilbert, the most promising Council member I've ever seen, is just the latest of many to raid that fund for a friend or someone with political connections. He still thinks he's doing a great thing.

Northampton County Bulldog Ron Angle called a news conference yesterday afternoon to discuss the real Anne Houston, the supposed Founder of the Butterfly House, a transitional home for recently released female inmates on Easton's South Side.

She could probably move in there herself right now. After five months as an unwanted house guest in Forks Township, the owner got wise and changed the locks last Tuesday, especially after being stiffed with $500 in unpaid cell phone bills for Houston's kiddies.

But Houston would still have a problem. You see, she has no lease for the property. Despite her claims of being connected to the UAM Episcopal Church in Easton, the church confirmed with me yesterday that there's no lease and no connection.

She's got another problem, too. She misled Council on Thursday night, claiming to have a certificate of occupancy, but failing to mention that there's no zoning approval for transitional housing. She claimed she could accommodate up to 12 people, but Easton zoning says only six. She told the Prison Advisory Board that she'd be providing job counseling, addiction recovery and budget training. But she told zoning that all that will be done somewhere else.

Houston could use some budget training herself. She has $100,000 in unpaid judgments and no lease or connection with the UAM. She has no non-profit status yet, and no board of directors.

But she is politically connected. In addition to her friendship with the Gilbert family, she likes to remind everyone that she is Charlie Spaziani's daughter. And she learned about Angle's news conference yesterday almost as soon as he called it. In fact, she called a friend of mine to complain before I knew about it myself.

So yesterday, when Angle strolled into the County star chamber to deliver his homily, there was a young man sitting among the reporters. Angle asked him who he was, and he claimed to be with the Asbury Park Press, which is about a zillion miles from here.

He bolted the second Angle got nosy. Was he a Houston plant? D'ya think?

What all this reveals is that it is time for Council to abolish its slush fund, as Angle says above.

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hope Bruce Gilbert sees that even he a loyal Angleista is not immune to the Angle Anger. The jilted Jowel miester is on his scorched earth campaign after being tossed as Council President. Even Gilbert one of the most promising of the Angle apostles has been hit with collateral damage.

Angle and Stoffa will be sure to hammer this home with the help of LVR.

Ron Angle's own prediction for 2011was,"no more Mr. nice guy".

Only problem is no one ever remembers meeting that guy.

Anonymous said...

How dare he hound that man and chase him out. Who is Angle to decide who can stay or who must leave. If anyone else did that you would call them a Bossman or something like that.

Anonymous said...

Time to start doing homework before ANY money for ANY project - be it public or private, county or city- be handed out especailly when there is no money to spare.

Anonymous said...

So what does Angle suggest we do with the money, or better yet, who should we entrust the monies in the slush fund to? I'm a little confused here...

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
So what does Angle suggest we do with the money, or better yet, who should we entrust the monies in the slush fund to? I'm a little confused here...

7:19 AM

How about giving it back to the general fund, and cutting tax payers a break?

Anonymous said...

Gee,I mean GEO, this is almost but not quite as bad as Angle trying to bum rush the immigrant facility through County Council.

Who was the wastrel leading that assault against the taxpayers?

Gee, maybe Cusick should have held a press conference.

Anonymous said...

Let's see if Ron flips, as many expect, on Gracedale.

His continuing support form that debacle will make $25K look like a diner tip

Anonymous said...

for

Bernie O'Hare said...

"I hope Bruce Gilbert sees that even he a loyal Angleista is not immune to the Angle Anger. "

Yeah, the hell with due diligence. It's who you know. That's your world.

Anonymous said...

Well I guess its business as usual for the great council,ask no questions just hand it out,good job republicans!!

Bernie O'Hare said...

"Gee,I mean GEO, this is almost but not quite as bad as Angle trying to bum rush the immigrant facility through County Council."

Actually, it's much worse. This involves $50k of your money.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"Let's see if Ron flips, as many expect, on Gracedale."

When's he gonna; flip, today? You'll find out precisely how Angle feels about Gracedale today.

Bill Coker said...

While, I'm not sure I'd call the contingency fund a "slush" fund (there are some legitimate emergency situations), I would certainly like to see a better set of controls. Hopefully all permits, licenses, leases, etc. would have to be presented before any money changes hands. Frankly I don't see how MS. Houston got as far as she did.

Larry Kisslinger said...

Why any contingency fund? Any worthwhile project or emergency situation can be funded by a mere transfer of funds from another account less important at any given time during budget cycle, is my opinion.

Anonymous said...

Frankly I don't see how MS. Houston got as far as she did.

so says the blind man

Anonymous said...

When's he gonna; flip, today? You'll find out precisely how Angle feels about Gracedale today.



Sounds as though try as he might Bernie could not find 4000+ signatures to invalidate. Hence he wrote the doomsday speach for Ron. The sky is falling , a 20% tax increase, I'm warning you.
That about sums it up
Right Bernie
I can wait for the news
Next up challenge in court
by people who will put on a dog and pony show to the extent they cost their friends their
re-election. Keep talking Sarah, I mean Ron

Anonymous said...

Don't forget the horrible "four to a room" speech Angle and Stoffa have now been pitching. if you wait they have a new complaint every week. Of course neither residents or famliy member shave a problem with the therapeutic approach.

That must of been part of the contract for the $18.000 study. Lord knows the information wasn't worth $18,000. It was riddled with inaccuracies.

Anonymous said...

Properly framing any Gracedale referendum as a choice between selling the place or getting a 20% tax increase to fund a union jobs program will be very effective.

Anonymous said...

20% is a ficticious number from the mind of a failed Dictator

Anonymous said...

Absolutely correct 5:10. That 20% number has been debunked more than Obamacare. It was a bad number based on a flawed report.

that point has been shown. So the question is, should the County sell Gracedale. It becomes clouded when you start adding numbers which change eon a daily basis.

Facts Time

Anonymous said...

The tax increase will exceed 20%. It will be much worse with prospects for never ending annual increases to fund a non-competitive industry that the county can ill afford to be in.

Stop the bleeding and stop choosing unions over old people's care. I hope there's a vote. I want the place and it's gang of leeches off my backs. Barron will have to pay for his own granny.

The Battle Cry of Freedom said...

Mr. Coker
When you have do gooders like Cusick, Dietrik and Ferraro on council your money will be given away in a flash. The contingency fund is our tax money and should be returned to us. It is a place where the children can go to play tossining our dollars to the wind and laugh at us while they are doing it. People like Ms. Houston, father-in-law was that old scoundrel Bill Houston, need to learn from their failures in order to succeed.

The Battle Cry of Freedom said...

Larry Kisslinger
Picking up on the Bethlehem way, just transfer the funds from any account and hand it out to the ner'do wells. You running for mayor again? Plenty of bums that would vote for you now if you can keep them sober, drug free, away from children and get them to stop beating their wives and/or girlfriends

Bill Coker said...

After reading the Easton Patch article with the data on Houston, how could anyone with one iota of intelligence even consider giving her a dime. She has no credentials, $100,000 in judgments against her, no lease, and no cerificate of occupancy. I see no problem, give her the bank.

Larry Kisslinger said...

9:28PM The Battle Cry of Freedom said:
Larry Kisslinger
Picking up on the Bethlehem way, just transfer the funds from any account and hand it out to the ner'do wells. You running for mayor again? Plenty of bums that would vote for you now if you can keep them sober, drug free, away from children and get them to stop beating their wives and/or girlfriends.

Battle Cry needs to identity self for me to be able to respond. As is, I must "guess" never ran for or ever held public office. Seems to know so little about governing. I never said "any account"!
Great at throwing handgrenades as an anon just like some others here.
Suggest you come out from under your rock and try to debate me anytime on any issue, anywhere. Are you kidding us calling yourself Freedom? What a jokester!
BTW, I was listening to our President while you were wasting our time here. You need to get a grip.

Anonymous said...

Hey Larry, he has an eagle and flag picture. That means he cares more about the country than you or I do. I bet his American Flag pin is huge.

Yeah, as long as you package crap in a flag, eagle or picture of a gun that automatically makes it truer and right.

Good Grief. No wonder this is already being called the century of the Chinese.

Anonymous said...

Battle Cry needs to identity self for me to be able to respond.

Who is to say you are really Larry...Larry?

Anyone can go on here and make a profile with any name they want. Just because you supposedly put your "name" to a post doesn't make it any more valid or worthy than any other post on here. As I have said without Anon posts this blog wouldn't exist. This was proven by an article Bernie did which you could only respond to by using a system in which you had to be signed in to respond. There were 3 total responses. Enough said.

So the way I see it "Larry" your opinion is no better than mine!!