In its weekly roundup of turkeys and trophies, The Express Times has awarded a turkey to the windbag representing the Gracedale initiative - Larry Otter. Attorney Lawrence Otter was in Northampton County Court this week, trying to sell the idea that county officials and local blogger Bernie O’Hare had perpetrated a “bonusgate”-type scandal in connection with petitions to keep the county from selling the Gracedale nursing home. Thankfully, Judge Stephen Baratta wasn’t buying. He rejected a request that O’Hare and Councilman Ron Angle pay Otter’s legal fees. Nor did Baratta buy Otter’s contention that county officials, including executive John Stoffa, illegally used taxpayer money — paid to a law firm the county retained to help with the proposed sale of Gracedale — to challenge the petitions. Otter, who represents the Coalition for Alzheimer’s Families, vowed to return to court with proof that Angle and O’Hare must reimburse the county for $10,800 paid to the law firm. Good grief, imagine the claims Otter would be filing if his side had lost the referendum.
ArtsQuest founder Jeff Parks, who wants us to pay for his failure to maintain a rainy day fund, got one, too.
Both very deserving turkeys. The Otter should swim back up river to his home on Kline Island. And Parks should be the honorary pinatta at next year's MucousFest.
ReplyDeleteThe Owens and Till tag team protecting their boy Stoffa. No new news here. This worthless newspaper has become even more worthless during the Stoffa years. Just a propaganda sheet. Not even good for wrapping garbabge.
ReplyDeleteOtters don't eat turkey, of course. Good fun just the same!
ReplyDeleteThere are many good recipes for otter, however. Otters native to this area taste like weasel.
A turkey is much too nice a word to describe the Otter. The 'castrated donkey" would be more appropriate.
ReplyDeleteRegardless of the political issue at hand, some of these people think they are comedians but just have terrible sense of humors. Just post you opinion minus you witty garbage and move on. But then again you probably love Jeff Dunham and Larry the cable guy.Terrible
ReplyDelete5:04, Right on point. It would be like getting my news from the enquirer.
ReplyDelete9:56 oh boo hoo can't take some low-brow humor except when it's attacking Stoffa or Angle? Well here's another - Larry the Otter was seen in his aquatic lair on Kline Island tonight basking in the sweet aroma emanating from the treatment of Allentown's finest toilets. Smelled like his performance in court yesterday.
ReplyDeleteThe Express Times has been in the bag for Stoffa from day one. When asked early in Stoffa's first run, why thyey didn't report on Stoffa's abysmal record in Lehigh County they said it was not important. Kids dying in a Department you run to save them is unimportant?
ReplyDeleteYes, the paper has put a protective wall up on the Stoffqa Adminstration since day one. He is the only County Execuitve to have been given that treatment. I defy even trish/brenda to show examples.
We will all have to wait for a competent and honest Administration to find out the truth of this administration.
Sad,very sad.
Especially for crooks like you who lost your unemplyment when Stoffa ut a stop to it. You can't wait for the next pay-to-play Exec.
ReplyDelete".....Kids dying in a Department you run to save them is unimportant?..."
ReplyDeleteI did not know that the role of a county Department head is to save childrens' lives. I thought that role was set up for physicians, medical practitioners and family.
Not sure I would want a County department head saving lives.
Were you talking about funding? Maybe we can have a triple digit tax increase to save all lives, so no one will ever die. Then we can be as over-populated as China, with the "one child" law, and people living in compartments the size of a suitcase.
trish/brenda you are an ass. An uninformed and really stupid ass!
ReplyDeleteThe personal attack - the last refuge of a person who has no argument.
ReplyDeleteYeah Stoffa the clown Only executive of them all to repair the windows at Gracedale leaking since 1970 when the building was built.Even a 110 million dollar Reibman bond didn`t care about Gracedale and any money in the bond was quickly transferred to the courts ...and oh by the way , did you notice the cupola has been repaired after many years of neglect and is now being painted to Historical accuracy ? And wont a new park soon be finished ? And hasn`t the farmland preservation almost doubled since he took office ? Yeah what a waste he is and the guy will probably wanna raise taxes again since it`s been over 7 years now except for the open space half mil. What a spender. We ought to remove him. We need a party hack back !
ReplyDeleteVote for Baron ..he has all the qualities of a hack .
ReplyDeleteThe windows at Gracedale were repaired in the mid nineties. The non-union contractors screwed up the job. Still it was attempted. The next Stoffa cronie lie is the 2001 bond issue. It had money in it for Gracedale. In fact before Stoffa Gracedale had its elevator capacity doubled, two new elevators built, new fire sprinler system, new air excahnge system, new air conditioning for kitchen. These are just a few of the things done before Stoffa.
ReplyDeleteOf course Stoffa did try to dump Gracedale and the elderly poor. No ohter Executive of either party would do that.
He raised taxes and still has not saved as much land as the money he collected and promised would go to land.
Many examples of his hypocrisy exist. He and his side kick Angle, are a disgarce to county government and the people will be glad when he is gone and the real work he has neglected for six years can begin.
He is the worse County Executive in county history.
Sell your story to Till and Owerns, they are the omly ones buying it. Some of us know the facts.
And you stay up to 3 am to come up with this garbage. Get a life and a job.
ReplyDeleteDanthemann
The 3 AM poster is obviously a bitter person whose hatred of Stoffa has made him irrational.
ReplyDeleteI'm no fan of Mr. Stoffa and think career guys like him are ultimately bad for taxpayers. He should be judged on his record, which is inconsistent.
ReplyDeleteI also believe he's a gentleman and did not kill children in Lehigh County.
Additionally, Mr. Otter should be ordered to pay Mr. Stoffa's personal legal fees.
"The windows at Gracedale were repaired in the mid nineties. The non-union contractors screwed up the job. Still it was attempted."
ReplyDeleteThen they weren't repaired. The truth is that those windows leaked from the moment they were installed, and the only person who took the time to finally solve the problem was John Stoffa.
"The next Stoffa cronie lie is the 2001 bond issue. It had money in it for Gracedale."
The 2001 bond proposed $3MM for Gracedale, and Reibman later took most of it away. He also delayed doing anything about the elevators until it became critical.
"Of course Stoffa did try to dump Gracedale and the elderly poor."
Stoffa dd propose selling Gracedale bc he though a private entity would provide better care. He never had any intention of dumping the elderly poor, and that is a bald-faced lie.
"He raised taxes and still has not saved as much land as the money he collected and promised would go to land."
He raised taxes once in 7 years, a half mill for open space. He told voters he would do that before they elected him. He preserved more land for open space than any exec who preceded him.
"He is the worse County Executive in county history."
So you say .... anonymously ... at 3 AM.
Overall I approve of Stoffa, he should not be judged on one issue alone. I think he is a gentleman.
ReplyDeleteAll the O'Hare/Angle spin in the world don't changs facts. Stoffa will be remembered as the most incompetent man in the office.
ReplyDeleteHe is a genleman alright, just ask the Gracedale coaliton how he smiled and shook their hands and had a knife in the ohter hand. He is a sneaky dude.
ohare can not help but lie - his whole life has been based on a lie
ReplyDeleteBernie: "The personal attack - the last refuge of a person who has no argument."
ReplyDeleteI can only assume you are referring to Brenda's comment about Otter being a "castrated donkey?"