Who Controls the Controller?

Barron at Bethlehem ZHB earlier this week

When Steve Barron was elected Controller, it was to protect the best financial interests of the County. Not to march on T-Mobile and threaten them for not having a union. Not to appoint himself chief asbestos investigator. Not to inject himself as a "fraud examiner" for the DA. Not to advise public sector unions during contract negotiations with the County. Certainly not to use his office to make sure that a "close personal friend" is paid for services to the County. Yet that's what we've got. Instead of acting as a fiscal watchdog, he's on a jihad against the Executive.

He's had great results. T-Mobile has left the Lehigh Valley, taking 600 jobs with them. State officials are satisfied with Stoffa administration asbestos remediation efforts, despite all the problems that Barron attempted to create. The DA has stopped using Barron after a judge refused to accept him as an expert. His latest is to complain that the County is a slow pay on human services contracts. He makes this claim because a "close personal friend" from some drug store had to wait a few months to get paid. It turns out the County was waiting for payments from the state.

In his complaint to Council's Finance Committee yesterday, Barron ranted that four human services providers wait too long to get paid. He declines to identify them out of concern the County will stop using them.

Director of Human Services Ross Marcus agreed that there are a few instances in which providers wait too long to get paid, pointing out that this is what happens when positions are cut. He added that sometimes, payment is delayed because the provider fails to provide proof of liability insurance. But he denied that there is any retaliation against providers who complain. "That's just not true," Marcus said. "If anything, it's the opposite. To accuse us of that is really unnecessary."

The County enters into nearly 300 human services contracts every year. Executive John Stoffa pointed out that, over the past seven years, "There hasn't been one provider who's come in here and bitched and moaned about a contract." Marcus added that he "doesn't appreciate the exaggeration" from Barron.

For his part, Barron told everyone he'll be making no more of his riveting reports for the time being. He said he needs physical therapy for a concussion he received last week in a car accident.

I think he's gonna' need a lot of therapy.