After meeting for that long, you know nothing got done.
Bethlehem City Council interviewed 11 City Council candidates last night. They started with 14, but two died of old age as the night wore on. Another jumped in front of a bus after listening to a 10-minute long question from Karen Dolan.
The survivors are impeccably qualified. In fact, any one of them would be an excellent addition to Council. The appointee will take over for Bob Donchez, who had to leave City Council when he became Mayor.
I tried to photograph Solicitor Chris Spadoni nodding off, but the bastard was on to me. Every time I pointed the camera his way, he was glaring at me.
The reason this meeting lasted so long is because Karen Dolan had a cup of coffee.
Never let her have caffeine again.
Council will make their choice on Monday.
I will fill you in on the candidates tomorrow. Some of them have to work in a few hours. Dave "Lump" Sanders told me he opens his Deli at 6:30 am. I'll be rolling over at that time.
Apparently, his Deli contains a mysterious Table of Knowledge.
"That Table of Knowledge is not going to open itself, Bernie," candidate Ron Heckman told me.
He apparently has sat at the Table of Knowledge.
Just about everyone in Town Hall spoke reverently of this Table of Knowledge. I never heard of it before last night. This explains what I've been doing wrong.
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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Friday, January 31, 2014
24 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.
The temperature seemed warmer last night as I went to bed and sure enough it was with all that political mumbo jumbo going on in city hall.
ReplyDeleteWill we be getting a bill for that?
A private sector meeting lasting as long and accomplishing as little would result in firings. I thought Karen Dolan reserved her foul gas for anti-Catholic tirades? She's either bored or just likes to hear the sound of voice.
ReplyDeleteShe likes to hear the sound of her own voice. A lot.
ReplyDeleteBernie did all these candidates sit through what sounds more like an interrogation than an interview? These council people do know that they are nit picking an emperor just another city council person, right?
ReplyDeleteWas Dolan really that bad and did she again ask her convoluted questions that needed an interpreter?
It was, in my opinion, a gauntlet. Most of the Council members were fair, except with Melnick. Dolan was unfair and disrespectful. She obviously supports Vazquez, and was doing her level best to insult other candidates or damn them with faint praise. She actually told Heckman that he should understand why Council needs more diversity. Another she essentially called stupid. She did act like they were picking a saint.
ReplyDeleteBernie is being a jerk. Karen did not over talk. Other council members asked the same questions of each candidate, Karen asked questions specific to each candidate, and she followed up if the answer was vague, just like Waldron did. I thought it was a good night. Long, but I sat through it. Council was respectful to all the candidates. Bernie has an issue listening to female voices and he knows it.
ReplyDelete4:26, I believe Karen was disrespectful. I sometimes question whether I have a bias against Karen bc she is female, and have told her that myself. But no, last night, she was way out of line, several times, and with nearly every applicant. I was there to hear from them, not listen to her call Abe Atiyeh names and engage in passive aggressive behavior. It was poor behavior and she owes applicants an apology.
DeleteOh oh Bernie, now you have done it. You are apparently against diversity.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't It seem like those who scream about diversity the most are often the least tolerant people in life?
Bernie, you were grumpy last night. Bad mood and it was noticeable. This is not how things went down.
ReplyDeleteTurn that pile of bricks into the Museum of Embezzlement!
ReplyDeleteThe council grilled Vazquez. Dolan wouldn't let her off the hook with vague, canned responses. Everyone asked hard questions. That's bad? Reading this blog, I thought the bad thing was council had chosen their pick in advance, behind closed door. Now you're picking on them because there actually was an open questioning process? Hypocritical.
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ReplyDeleteReynolds decided to put off the actual selection process because Eric Evans was sick. That's why "nothing was accomplished." That's an important little fact Bernie neglected to mention.
Nothing was accomplished bc it was 1 am when they were done. Had they finished earlier, they would have voted that night. Also, I'm not criticizing Council. I'm criticizing Dolan. Her questions to Vazquez were a confusing mess, but the ones to other candidates were passive aggressive and in some instances hostile. She was not interviewing them like the others, but was using them as pawns to make her case for "diversity". Since she has made up her mind, she should have just passed up the opportunity to ask questions. That would have knocked 3 hours off a meeting that went too long and insulted good people.
ReplyDeleteI think picking a new council member is important. I'm glad the council asked hard questios. The last thing we need is another do-nothng.
ReplyDeleteBernie, if all the candidates were "impeccably qualified," as you say, how does council pick one? If one of these equally impeccably qualified candidates also adds diversity and also worked the hardest to make her case, as Sonia Vazquez did, isn't that a factor council should consider? Or, is diversity now such a dirty word that council should reject the impeccably qualified Latino so as not to appear in favor of minorities?
ReplyDeleteI am not against diversity and happen to think Sonia was the best applicant. But I also believe Dolan was way out of line in her questioning, talked way too much, and easily consumed 3 hours with "questions" on a matter on which she has already decided how to vote.
ReplyDeleteI do not have my notes in front of me now. When I look at them, I may conclude she was right, as is often the case with her. I've told her this myself.
As for being grumpy, I am a miserable bastard, and even the faux civility of City Council does not change that.
Bern
ReplyDeleteI have visited mr sanders establishment. There is indeed a table of something and he doesn't hide it in the back.i have seen ranking police (guys with stripes) on their arm,come in and try to solve the worlds problems.while never taking a seat at the table I can attest to its existence
Observer, I will seek out this Table of Knowledge.
ReplyDeleteMr. O'Hare look at city council is white men. Do we need more white men. If Ms. Dolan needed to point out this bias to some of the candidates I applaud her. Some of them may not know how biased they are.
ReplyDeletePlease think before you comment. Diversity is the most important thing we need in government.
All that extra money and additional support staff at Donegan Elementary School and the kids are still failing miserably.
ReplyDeleteIt's the captain of the ship that is failing and Dolan wants her to manage a city?
Her record of achievement is remarkable. I do not favor appointing her bc she is Hispanic or a woman. I would support her bc she is the best of a highly qualified group.
ReplyDeleteWith one or two exceptions, council can't make bad choice. Sonia is not best. She really has no understanding of city government. Heckman, rothman, Reuscher, miller and smackey outperformed her. Thought her responses were weak, but her resume is impressive. Did not buy her "I am administrator not teacher" bs.
ReplyDeleteMy guess is Heckman or sanders get it. Dark horse is rothman. Long shot is Reuscher.
I talked to one of the applicants and they said all the applicants were enthusiastic and knowledgeable. I doubt the applicants have nothing but respect for each other. I think any aspersions being throw around are by supporters that are not doing anyone any good.
ReplyDeleteYou are an old ass!
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