* Northampton County Exec John Stoffa told Council last Thursday that there are currently five proposals to purchase Gracedale. He expects to make a recommendation by the end of the month. Stoffa did not reveal the possible sales price, but acknowledged an earlier appraisal placed the value at $30 million.
* Gracedale advocates now claim that 10% of the County's registered voters, or 19,630 people, have signed a petition demanding that Gracedale's sale be put to the voters. Under the Home Rule Charter, once the Petition is submitted, the Elections Commission will have 20 days to determine whether it's valid.
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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Monday, January 10, 2011
29 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.
If the petitions are like the ones I've seen, they will be thrown out in a heartbeat. They all had a sticker over the subject area that could be removed at any time changing the petition.
ReplyDeletethe ones i've seen are perfectly fine ...... thats simply a false statement !
ReplyDeleteI smell an ACORN.
ReplyDeleteThe petitions I saw were outside the 2nd ward polling place in Nazareth (presented by nurses from Gracedale) and unattended on the bar at the Brown Lynch American Legion in Palmer. Both had the stickers.
ReplyDeleteI have rec'd a similar complaint from a friend back channel. I'll be in touch with him, and you can contact me at BOHare5948@aol.com.
ReplyDeleteEven if every petition is thrown out the people who signed them will not forget which council members voted to sell Gracedale when they go to the polls in May. Remember that Angle!
ReplyDeletefirst...the spin was they WONT get the signatures
ReplyDeletenow
you are in protect mode
funny stuff
can you answer a question
The Morning Call ran the Angle story and mentioned Thiery ran her campaign on her opinion to sell Gracedale
I can't find anything to back that statement up
I also have no recollect of that being said
do you have a link?
There was never a doubt they'd collect enough ACORNs. Time to end the scam, now.
ReplyDelete"first...the spin was they WONT get the signatures now you are in protect mode funny stuff"
ReplyDeleteOh, they don't have enough signatures. What has happened is what I feared. Somebody has writer's cramp.
I will address the inadquacies in anther forum, but there's not enough.
ACORNs, ACORNs everywhere !
ReplyDeleteI'll bet their are several versions of Ron Angle's John Hancock on the phony things.
Does Angle have enough money to buy it himself?
ReplyDeleteThey have the signatures.
ReplyDeleteEveryone is aware that Stoffa and Angle have an army of baggers and you, to disapprove the petition's. At this point it doesn't matter because the political movement spawned by the disingenuous way the Gracedale matter has been handled will dwarf the baggers locally.
An army of bipartisan support has arisen over the proposed dumping of Gracedale.
People from all walks of life have come together in agreeing that the slick falsehoods and terrible policy decisions of this Council and Stoffa regarding Gracedale will be brought to light. There is still justice and humanity in Northampton County. It just isn't in government right now.
Democracy in Action!!
Democracy in action includes the courts,and they care about the law.
ReplyDeleteThe silent and lawful majority wants Gracedale sold and the bloated union contracts off our backs.
ReplyDeleteAs a taxpayer and life long resident of Northampton County I have yet to meet one person that believes Gracedale should be sold to offset the burdon of paying down the swaption. I personally don't mind my tax dollars going to Gracedale. If nor for the Swaption, nobody would even be concerned about Gracedale. It's being sold for the wrong reasons. After you pay down the Swaption debt and squander what little money is left, you still have all the monies to make up that was spent down from the cash reserves. Stupid, stupid people. You just don't get it. A quick fix is not the answer.
ReplyDeleteThe squawking very vocal minority has been screaming about selling Gracedale for years. Now that the public pension, disability check and social security receiving baggers have a few County Council members and a County Executive, they think they are more than just an annoying group of loudmouths.
ReplyDeleteThe silent majority has been signing the petition in droves. Most residents of the County know the sale is short-sighted and a major mistake.
But then again thinking isn't the strong suit of this Administration and County Council.
Isn't there legal penalties for forging petitions?
ReplyDeleteYou know like forging other official documents and presenting them as real.
Those writer cramped people should be worried if they are doing that.
Anybody that does that sort of thing should be sent up.
Bernie, Is Gracedale a property Mr.Atiyeh could buy ?
ReplyDeleteNo. He has submitted no proposal to buy Gracedale.
ReplyDeleteSo after you sell Gracedale and piss all that money away as usual what does the great council plan to do next year and the year after,I do believe ther will a substantial tax increase,oh thats right John Stoffa wont be in office anymore so lets pass it on so the next guy can be the ogre.
ReplyDeleteAll the pattions have the stickers on them . would like to see some one get the sticker off with out tearing the paper. They go back to the election board with the stickers on them. the forms are multi purpose forms that is why the stickers are on them.
ReplyDeleteThe stickers are on to cover up the true meaning of Christmas.
ReplyDeleteThe union goons with their fat pay and cushy pentions put the stickers on.
Underneath it says we will raise your taxes 20% if you sign this.
It is true
the man that lives in my eyebrow said so!
so Bernie....how do you know that Atiyeh hasn't submitted any bids. Evidently you have inside information that you shouldn't. I smell something rotten!!!!
ReplyDeleteThere are ways to find that out w/o anyone compromising their ethics. You asked about a specific bidder, and I found out very easily.
ReplyDeleteWhat are we to care about in our society if not our Children and our Elderly/Disabled? You speak of Gracedale like it is a building and not a home with human beings inside. Shame on those who do not have their priorities right. You speak of the hard working, dedicated and loyal employees like they are greedy bastards....shame on you! Compare the salaries and benefits of Gracedale workers with other county workers and tell us why it is ok for other county employees to reap the same benefits and higher salaries (than the majority of those at Gracedale) and yet you judge us so harshly. Maybe it is because the majority of us are just average citizens who provide activities of daily living for those who aren't capable. We may not have a college degree however you don't need one of those to have a conscience and a sense of what our humane responsibility is. Our facility is a 24 hour service, not a 9-5 job. We value our Residents and Our way of life. Our Residents are lucky to have us and we are better for knowing them....after all most of them grew up in the best of times when humans were valued and we were taught to respect our Eldery and those less fortunate. They had a sense of family, faith, community and country and in this day and age OUR COUNTRY and OUR Way of LIFE is Jeaporadized daily because of those who don't care about their neighbors and families. We seem to lack moral resonsibility to our spouses, children, citizens, neighbors and selves. Wake up Northampton County!! You are basically selling off your own people and bashing those who care enough to call you out. A great example does what is right not what is easiest. PROUD GRACEDALE WORKER AND CITIZEN OF NORTHAMPTON COUNTY.
ReplyDeleteA 20% tax increase = 16 Million dollars. 6 million for gracedale 10 million for?
ReplyDeleteCapital improvements.
ReplyDelete10 Million for capital improvements for the south side prison
ReplyDeleteThe $6million dollar has been debunked so many times it is just like the "Big Lie", Stoffa and his crew have repeated it and the press have dutifully printed it so often it is taken as gospel.
ReplyDeleteFolks who are knowledgeable about such things have found a few holes in the math. Still Bernie will do his masters bidding and shred anyone who shines a light on the truth.
$60 million over ten years is Stoffa math. Then again given the way he and his minions have screwed things up out there, it would be $60 million if Stoffa runs it.
Veritas Jones