About Me

My photo
Nazareth, Pa., United States

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Exec Applicant Croslis Explains DUI, Foreclosure Action

Lehigh County Executive applicant Matt Croslis responded yesterday to my June 2 email about the delay in a DUI prosecution. He also acknowledged that a foreclosure action has been filed against him concerning a rental property. I'll let him tell you about these things himself.

He explains his delay in responding:
I did not feel the need to answer anybody's questions about this position until I actually applied for the position. My initial statement regarding the vacancy was that I was considering applying if my family and those that I work with are on board.

The reason I filed on the last day is because I took the entire time to make sure everybody who works with me and my family all fully understood and supported my reasons for applying. I spent too much time establishing and growing these businesses to take such a decision lightly and I have a lot of people working with me that were concerned about how this would affect them.

In addition to the above my family was also confronted with some medical issues and I needed to ensure that it was resolved prior to applying as well.

I actually filed my application on Thursday July 19 and at that time the DUI and all your other questions became relevant.
Q. If appointed, what happens with the litigation against Glenn Eckhart, whom you represent?
If I get the position I can no longer represent Glenn in the litigation with the District Attorney. Glenn and I discussed this and we have a plan in place for that scenario.
Q. I am aware of pending DUI charges. Filed in December, there still has been no preliminary hearing, nearly 7 months later. That strikes me as a bit unusual. It appears as though a hearing has been continued three times. I do not think that this pending matter, by itself, has much relevance. But the delay makes me wonder whether the system is being gamed. I believe this is going to come out if you formally apply for appointment, so I would like to give you an opportunity to get your side of the story out there. I will probably note the charges, with no editorial comment. Is there anything you can tell me? Can you explain the delay?
I am not gaming the system with regard to the Preliminary Hearing for my DUI. The first hearing was continued because I was literally in bed with the flu for that entire week. (My doctor and attorney could verify). On the day before the second hearing the Judge continued it because of a conflict that arose in his schedule. The third hearing was scheduled and we attended. I will now be entering the ARD program just like any other first-time offender. As with most Judges you are at the mercy of their docket and calendar and we do not get to select the dates or timing of the hearings.

I am accepting responsibility for my actions and I hope that others will judge me based on the positive changes I have made as a result of my actions.
Q. Your office is known as a clearing house for Democrats seeking office in Lehigh County. It does most of the opposition research. It also appears to be heavily pro-union. It has done work for the state party. You are a tad on the left, even among Ds. How can you work with a Board of Commissioners dominated by members who are a tad on the right? Isn't this a recipe for gridlock?  
"I am not sure who thinks our office is a "clearing house" for Democrats, nor am I sure what that means. I represent people of all walks of life and you do not need to be a Democrat or have a union card for me or any body I work with to represent you. My businesses have grown almost entirely on referrals and word of mouth. My father retired from a union ("Insulators Local 23" aka "Asbestos Workers"), my cousin is a driver for UPS and I was the Democratic nominee for County Executive in 2001.

Based on my family background and my first foray into politics it was natural for my clients to be Democrats and union members because they were probably referred by a Democrat or union member.

I care less about party politics and more about representing clients that I can help. If a client has an issue that I can help them with I do not ask them what political party they are nor do I ask them if they are a union member.

I am not worried at all about working with the Commissioners. It is good to have all points of view on the table so that ideas can be vetted and the best choices can be made for the residents of the County."
Q. By phone, I asked Matt whether there was anything else I should know, like a civil judgment or foreclosure. He acknowledged there is a foreclosure against an investment property, and explains it as follows:
I own an investment property and fell behind on the mortgage when I had issues with the tenant. The loan is with Bank of America. Unfortunately, due to the state of the economy and the real estate market I am very familiar with loan modifications and short sales as a result of representing numerous clients facing these issues. Bank of America is one of the most difficult and time consuming bank to deal with due to the sheer size of the institution.

Dealing with the bank is a long tedious process that requires documents to be submitted numerous times and sometimes to different departments. Fortunately or unfortunately the process gets easier when a foreclosure is filed because you are dealing with an attorney for the bank that has direct contact with someone who can make a decision. With regard to my situation I was not able to reinstate the loan in one lump sum. If you do not have the lump sum to reinstate you are forced to go through the modification process. During the modification process the bank will not accept any payments until your modification is approved. As I have seen with just about every client I have, while I was working with the bank to modify the loan the foreclosure action was filed.

I am still working through the modification/reinstatement process and they tell me this should be resolved in the next month or so. By resolution I mean the loan will be reinstated and they will allow me to begin making monthly payments again.

These matters are public record, I knew they would be issues and I am not hiding from them. I believe my achievements and abilities outweigh any mistakes or errors I have made in the past. As I said before it is my hope that I will be judged on how I have acknowledged, accepted responsibility for and grown from any mistakes that I have made.

Sorry for the length but I wanted to make sure I addressed all of your concerns.
He has.

29 comments:

Anonymous said...

Frankly, he should have told you to stick up your ass. Who the Hell are you to have to answer to.

You represent no one.

Anonymous said...

Mr.Croslis, Thu-out the years prominent Democratic layers seem to get lot's of local government work.Dan Mcarthy and Tom Anewalt come to mind.

Anonymous said...

After reading the responses to Bernie's questions, I don't think he is a suitable candidate and should step aside.

Anonymous said...

i think the picture with Timmy would be a great meme.

Anonymous said...

Drunk-driving, obfuscating party hack = NO JOB. Thanks for playing. You're entitled to some lovely parting gifts. Back to ambulance chasing. I'll drink to that!

Bernie O'Hare said...

12:58, Time for your drug cocktail.

michael molovinsky said...

@6:54, i do not have an opinion on who should be appointed to finish cunningham's term, however, mr. croslis runs both a large successful legal practice and a real estate brokerage; he's far from being an ambulance chaser. his background and qualifications greatly exceed cunninghams. i do have an opinion about many anonymous commenters.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Yeah, I'm sick of the assholes who come on this blog to smear people anonymously. When someone is seeking public office or holds one, I allow pretty much. But it really is cowardly to attack someone without taking responsibility for what you write. I don't post on these topics so people can spew venom. I post on these topics to pass on what I learn about what is going on locally.

Anonymous said...

Bernie, I know that you are sick of the assholes who come on this blog to smear people anonymously, but, off topic, smearing Geeting is such great sport, I am hoping you allow us to continue

Anonymous said...

I think this is a fair question for ALL candidates. "How will you balance you private business or other professional obligations with that of the responsibilities of County Executive".

County Executive is a full time position IMO. While I don’t think we need punch clocks, I do think it should have full time focus and serving the public should that priority.

In general term, $75K a year might be enticing as a part-time gig for some, but may not be an enticing salary for a well-qualified candidate who wants to devote to it full time.

This person has tremendous responsibility setting the tone for the County and it is imperative that Commissioner take a close look at the salary. As I understand it, department heads make 103K.

Time to “reform” the Executive pay to be commensurate with the responsibility and job performance we expect as taxpayers. Commissioners should also designate it as a full-time position.

Anonymous said...

I'm sick of politically connected drunks and their defenders. Croslis will do it again and we'll have to pay for his rehab. He should take responsibility for the danger he posed to society and clean up his life before deigning to make decisions about others' lives. The fraternity of drunks is very, very loyal. And their enabling by other guilt-ridden drunks is goddam dangerous to society.

Anonymous said...

Give the guy a break. Compared to others in govt, he is a beacon of sanity.

Anonymous said...

Under the charter, section 204, all elected officials except the commissioners and the DA are supposed to be full time employees of the county.

ironpigpen said...

OBAMA to CROSLIS :

"You didn't build that"

:-)

Anonymous said...

I frequently disagree with you Bernie, but I respect the work you do and the forum you provide...OF COURSE you have a right to ask any candidate for any public office ANY question you desire...we all do.

Anonymous said...

And the cnadidate has the right to say, "stick it up your ass, along with your reputation"

Bernie O'Hare said...

Sure he does, and that would be pretty dumb. It would give people every reason to think the worst. But I would not expect you to comprehend that, what with all the drug cocktails you consume.

Anonymous said...

OBAMA to CROSLIS, cont

"Look, if you have been successful --- you didn't get there on your own.

I'm always struck by people who think, well, it must be because I was just so smart. It must be because I worked harder than everybody else.

Let me tell you something : there are a whole lot of hardworking people out there.

If you were successful ... blah blah blah ... somebody else made that happen."

Monkey momma said...

I think the explanation is sound, and I wish Croslis luck with everything.

By the way, I have no problem with your asking the questions, Bernie. You know I'm a loyal fan. But when there is speculation about "gaming the system," I get a little prickly. That's NOT just asking questions - that is making (in this case, seemingly incorrect) assumptions, and that is a disservice to the reader.

In any event, Croslis is a smart guy, and he knows full well what he's getting into with this application. It took serious guts for him to apply, considering the circumstances. I wish him well. You've greased the wheels on getting the "dirt" out on him faster than anyone else, but he'd have to eventually face these questions. I doubt any other venue would have provided Croslis the opportunity to respond so fully.

Finally, I take issue with the "drunk" label slapped on Croslis by some commenters here. DUI's are incredibly easy to get, and it's not just "drunks" who get DUIs. I don't know any specifics about this particular case, but in general, we have a very low BAC limit before you're considered impaired. It is very easy for the casual, social drinker to get nailed, even if they are not feeling the slightest bit impaired. DUI does not necessarily mean you're drunk, it only means your BAC passed a very low threshold.

Anonymous said...

It would make clear that you are not the moral and ethical representative of the people. Just an angry alcoholic with a hard on for an ego trip.

Bernie O'Hare said...

The use of phrases like "hard on" establish exacvtly what kind of person you are, in addition to being an anonymous coward. Better up the dosage on thatdrug cocktail.

Anonymous said...

I have heard that Mr. Crossliss has multiple DUI's. I do not know it to be true, but it would be appreciated if you'd check on it Bernie.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Untrue, so far as I know. I was unable to find any others and Croslis denied it speciofically.

Anonymous said...

Why does his resume not mention his several years of employment with the PLCB in the Rendell administration, which kept his cashflow going while he built his businesses?

Anonymous said...

They were a client. He wasn't employed by them. He also doesn't mention Plaxico on his resume.

What's wrong with having a contract to represent the LCB? Nothing. Those jobs are political appointments. He got one. Now Corbett is giving them out.

Who cares?

Anonymous said...

The best choice was Ken Mohr. He is a stand out professional ; he is even a Democrat.

Anonymous said...

Wasn't Croslis a hearing examiner for the PLCB? That's not representing them and there would be no attorney client relationship.

He seems to have a history of short-term employment when he works for others. What does that tell you?

Ken Mohr would be a disaster- he alienated everyone he worked with.

Hansell and McCarthy are the only two credible candidates if the Board wants to appoint a qualified person.

Anonymous said...

Apparently, Ken Mohr had a sweet just under the limit, contract with his old buddy John Stoffa in Northampton county for quite some time. I don't know if he still does but it was done so it was a few bucks under what they had to report and get approval from County
Council for.

The old Stoffa Schuffle game. So I think he should be disqualified.

Anonymous said...

Why pick on others when you only have to look in the mirror? Some people have to criticize others in order to disguise their own failings.