Barron Charges Secret Plan to Sell Gracedale

Northampton County's full-time Controller, Steve Barron, is supposed to audit County departments, followed by recommendations to improve their efficiency and strengthen internal controls. Barron, who has no background in accounting, has never performed a single audit. But he does lots of other things, Mostly, he causes trouble. Yesterday, he was at the top of his game.

Barron is the union organizer who, along with then Allentown City Council Prez Michael D'Amore, decided to march on T-Mobile. When its national VP refused to see him without an appointment, Barron engaged in what can only be called a veiled threat.

"Please remind him [T-Mobile VP Brueckman] that if he needs anything from Northampton or Lehigh County, we're going to remember this day and we'll make sure that it will be part of the negotiations."

Instead of asking Northampton or Lehigh County for anything, T-Mobile decided to close shop here in the Lehigh Valley.

That little stunt earned Barron both an Express Times turkey and a County Council condemnation.

In addition to his union activities, Barron is an asbestos whistle blower. He reported the County to the state DEP for violations that occurred about twenty years ago. Never mind that the Stoffa administration has spent over $1 million in remediation and removal. The result was an investigation and certain fines until the EPA investigator himself passed away.

That got Barron another Express Times turkey.

Barron is also a junior detective. Instead of auditing the DA's office, Barron acts as an expert witness for white collar crime. Except he's no expert. In a recent prosecution of Easton's NAACP Prez, the defense objected to Barron's qualifications. He was reduced to acting as a summary witness. Aside from numerous lunch breaks, he still spent a week in the courtroom instead of doing the job he is paid $65,000 a year to perform.

Barron was awarded no Express Times turkey. Instead, the Defendant was awarded a NOT GUILTY verdict.

Now, on top of his many other skills, Barron apparently is also a nursing home administrator.

Yesterday's finance committee reviewed the County's independent audit. But Barron had no time for that minor exercise. He chose instead to focus on a "mistake of catastrophic proportion," the disbanding of Gracedale's wound team.

Although Gracedale's administrator already explained what was happening at a Council meeting a few weeks ago, he forgot to clear it with Barron. Barron told Council the County was opening itself up to lawsuit. "The vultures are already circling," he warned.

Reading from a consultant's letter, Barron told Council he was "appalled" that the consultant was not brought into the "decision-making process."

Some Council members were appalled that Barron would question Gracedale's administrator without giving him an opportunity to respond.

Then Barron told Council what is really going on. "It's an attack, and it's an end-around to try to sell the place again," he charged.

Council President John Cusick was a bit incredulous. He pointed to the massive GESA project for capital improvements. He reminded Barron that Council established an advisory board, too, and even adopted an Ordinance that prevents the administration from moving money out of the nursing home. Later tht evening, the County discussed $1.5 million in computer upgrades at the nursing home.

Strange way to try to make something fail, don't you think?

Council member Bruce Gilbert rejected Barron's theory.

"We have to be careful with what we say. There's no one sitting around at the poker table deciding on how to sell Gracedale. 'Hey, I know how we can get rid of this thing. Let's self destruct.' ... you're going to self-perpetuaute failure just to help thse who want to sell Gracedale, sell Gracedale. Why would you say that?'

"It's my opinion," responded union organizer, asbestos whistle blower, junior detective Barron.

"You should make that clear," said Gilbert, who is only a member of Council.

Barron went on to complain that Premier, the administrator, has taken its time hiring a nurse to market Gracedale at local hospitals.

Gilbert told Barron he could ask them. "I'm sure those folks would have answers for you. and those answers wouldn't include the conjecture of  'there's people plotting to sell Gracedale.' There's no need to do that."

Council member Scott Parsons questioned Barron's thinking, too. "If this organization thinks they can keep that quality of care, I think we have to give them that chance. That's what we hired them to do."

Parsons stated he wants no jobs sacrificed, nor does he want a decrease in quality of care. But "somewhere along the line, you gotta' give somebody a chance."

Council member Bob Werner, who stated he might ultimately decide that a wound treatment team is necessary, agreed that we "need to give the people in control a chance to speak. That's only fair."

Barron is also investigating Stoffa for the supposed misappropriation of county monies to pay a law firm to help me in my Gracedale ballot challenge.

He claimed to be in discussions with their "chief counsel."

"But I don't know how it's gonna' go, so I don't want to comment any further on that."

Top secret.

Maybe Barron should do a little less talking and a little more of the job he was elected to perform.