On January 7, when Executive John Brown terminated Northampton County Sheriff Randy Miller, he declined to respond to questions from The Bethlehem Press, Express Times and Morning Call. He also declined to respond to a Bethlehem Press email, sent January 7 and again on January 9.
Here's what he was asked about his decision to terminate Sheriff Miller:
1) Did you discuss this decision with the Court before notifying Miller? Article X of the Administrative Code requires that decisions concerning appointment be reviewed with the Court. It is silent on the subject of termination, but since Sheriffs work closely with the courts, I'd like to know whether you discussed this with [President Judge] Baratta before you took action.
2) Do you have a successor in mind? According to an anonymous comment on my blog, you already have someone lined up. These comments are usually wrong, but I am curious.
3) Why did you wait so long to make this decision?
4) Don't you feel it makes other employees in the same position as Miller feel as though they are walking on ice?
On another point, have you considered withdrawing [Robert] Sletvold's nomination as [Public Defender]? This is already creating an administrative nightmare for the courts, and I am concerned that your appointment has handcuffed Sletvold the judge. If she is unable to do her job, people can get hurt. If a PFA contempt is delayed because she has a conflict as motions judge, this could mean some young mother is going to suffer.
36 comments:
Funny O'Hare you had none of these questions for Stoffa when he fired people. Interesting.
I guess he should answer as such,
1. screw you.
2. Blow it out your ass.
3. suck a fig.
You are doing things right Mr. Miller if O'Hare is already shitting on you. good jo9b Sir. I am even more glad that I voted for you. At first you were just the lesser of two evils but now I see you have balls and I am glad!
$. Yawn!!
The twin pillars of good government are transparency and accountability. By ignoring these questions, Brown demonstrates he lacks both of these qualities.
This does not hurt me. As I have told you before, I do not depend on access for my stories. In fact, I broke this story without access.
If brown thinks he can manage the news, he is sadly mistaken.
His refusal to respond here makes him look a bit petty and deprives the public of hs own perspective, something he should want to provide.
As for your own rants, you just demonstrate that you are an unstable person who will tolerate bad government so long as the party you like is in power.
I dislike bad government no matter which party is responsible. Usually, it is both.
Cut him a little slack-he's only been there 2 days. Although if it was Callahan,you're right,he would have been talking to the press-making his announcement of his run for Governor **snicker snicker**
He is new to office and you have a point. But as Bangor Mayor, he developed a reputation of not speaking to the press. This is not Bangor.
in way over his head
this is only the beginning. stand-by. the best is yet to come.
Did he fire the public works director or the Court Services clown? those two idiots should be replaced.
Ithink he should be given a chance it takes time, isn't it a given everyone isn't going to agree with his replacement decsions...maybe he is careful in his approach to speaking to the press ,the press has been known for being in the tank for stoffa and only wrote fluff pieces regarding him ... could be one reason... i do think though we should elect our shieriff ... rumor had it it if you weren't an obama supporter as miller is ,,, watch out ,he brought politics into the work place ... he shouldn't have and could be one reason brown let him go ...
clown is right, make that part time, too. not necessary he's never there
Did Gerald Seyfried discuss firing Diomedo with the President Judge?
No,and there was a firestorm as a result. Remember?
Yeah, but Gerry did the right thing. Sometimes the right thing is very unpopular. Brown knows this. Miller actively contributed to the hope of Brown's defeat. I wouldn't trust a political animal like him for five minutes, despite his credentials. Politics is like that. The charter should be change. Until then, expect moves like this regardless of the party of the executive.
Question 5. Are you the John Brown that was awarded the Thursday Fab Photo on a Monday, one day before the election?
if not, was a redaction sent out?
Mr. Brown has already done a better job than Stoffa in less than a week.
Bernie who is the Stoffa hater on here?
"Stoffa hater"
'Hater'?? There are so many, which one are you interested in?
Aw you spend so much of your life hating...real shame. May the good Reverend bless you and keep you.
You tell'em Harpo
Bernie,They will figure it out!Personally I believe the voters should vote for this office as It is historically the position of Chief Law Enforcement in each county , but I can't change our locale rules . Only the Coroner can over rule in a death case. Now I'm not an attorney ,but could play one on TV or a district court . I think appointments degrade this position.
Keven, All respect to you .Your question about ... Diomedo different. See Mr. Kunkle came from a wealthy family as the result of sales of property and Berger kings. Money had been sent to politicians and this kid was hired in Sheriffs Dept. as result. He knew nothing about even french fries ,yet wore FULL BIRD insignia ,unauthorized as he could not make a wart on an 0-6 rank's ass. Anyway HE was doing body physical inspections on these boys he chose for the job, they would bend over. He was also caught having a HOMO relationship in a park ,by a police officer. Sheriff looked the other way , he was in deed in the court house about this issue denied it and FORGOT that his ID clocked him in. So this department went thou the days where you needed rubber gloves to join? What an embarrassment, to the real folks that were employed at that time. Then they paid "the boys" off at $10,000 each to "go away".What would you have done ?
No firestorm Bernie? What were doing, maybe fighting a domestic or not here paying attention about civil affairs at county level. Anyway this blog is seen by a lot of folks I met tonight at Judge Sletvold's reception. You will keep them on their toes at the court house!
Hi Peter, this is nothing compared to the Diomedo firestorm. Freedberg, the President Judge at the time, condemned the firing. And I agreed with him. Then the public hearings began, with Phil Lauer representing Diomedo. Great theatre, but as they dragged on, it became apparent Jerry had to fire the guy. He had lied and actually disobeyed orders about medical files. Jerry was right, and I apologized to him for misjudging him.
But that was a three ring circus. What Brown did here was more or less expected, but he will pay a price if he failed to talk to the courts.
In county government, the courts are always the 800 lbs. gorilla in the room. They wield immense power, and it never pays to piss them off. In many ways, county government exists to keep the courts going. The courts rely on the shire-reeve, as he was called in Medieval England. If the Exec intends to reply someone who works that closely with the judges, and doesn't bother to tell them, he is going to have a problem.
How does Mr Brown feel about the county paying for a full staff for Senior Judge Zito? Only señor judge with a staff in the state.
This is not a question for Brown, but an is instead an attempt to attack Judge Zito anonymously. What you fail to point out is that Judge Zito is more than a Senior Judge. He is also in charge of the criminal list, a daunting task. He needs to be able to reach out and grab a lawyer to make sure he is where he needs to be. Maybe you think he can do all that by himself, but he gets no super powers with the black robe.
I have deleted two comments from someone using a false name for at OT attack at Peter and Jerry Seyfried. He also calls me a coward.
Why is a senior judge in charge of criminal list?
I honestly don't know, but there has apparently been some arrangement made to ensure that some administrative duties are assigned to Judge Zito. He is an excellent judge, one of the workhorses of the County, so his age should not be a bar to his service.
I believe the court has reorganized to take advantage of Judge Zito's administrative abilities. I think it's an excellent idea.
It's 2014. Why are you still using this shitty commenting system where one can't even properly follow a discussion? There are better solutions out there.
It's 2014. people like you still choose to comment anonymously,pretty much to be trolls. There are better people out there.
I wasn't trying to be a troll. There will always be anonymity because this is the internet. Even if I created an account and called myself John Randall Brown Miller, there will be no way to actually verify who I was.
With that said,the reason people comment anonymously is because you give them the option too with this archaic commenting system. If you had a modern system for discussing your stories where one could reply to others, it would really make things better for everyone.
It's such a pain in the butt to follow comments on this site. Yes, you write interesting stuff and keep many people informed, but the discussion is the fun part, and right now, it is seriously broken.
To reply to someome now, you have to reference the person and the time they posted so that other readers know who you're talking about. Now as a reader reading that reply, you have to scroll back and try to find the original comment to get the context of the reply.
It doesn't make sense.
There are solutions out there that require you to create an account or post using other already established accounts from services such as Facebook or Google. The most important thing about a modern commenting system is that there is a REPLY button!
It's 2014, Bernie. We want a reply button! Give us a reply button! We shouldn't have to do things like in the early days of the internet.
Thanks. Have a nice one.
In reply to myself, Anonymous at 1:41PM, with a reply button, I would most likely be emailed once someone replied to one of my comments.. Instead of having to randomly come back here..scroll the comments AMD seen if someone mentioned the time at which I posted.
Anyway. You get my point. I hope.
Thanks.
1) you have the option of creating an account and commenting that way. You even have an option if creating an open ID. But you choose to comment anonymously. That is a problem that you create.
2) I will not remove the option bc, though I experience negative trolls like you who are commenting off topic, it sometimes turns out to be right on the money when I check.
3) there is a reply button for anyone using a smart phone. You mentioned this is 2014. Maybe you should use your smart phone if you wish to reply.
4) over the years; I have experimented with numerous different comment formats. In terms of ease of use, this one is far superior. This system encourages much more dialogue than in other formats I have tried.
In the end, it's your site. Your blog. Your rules.
I still think it's broken, but to each his own.
Have a nice one.
"In county government, the courts are always the 800 lbs. gorilla in the room. They wield immense power, and it never pays to piss them off. In many ways, county government exists to keep the courts going. The courts rely on the shire-reeve, as he was called in Medieval England. If the Exec intends to reply someone who works that closely with the judges, and doesn't bother to tell them, he is going to have a problem."
Why? If that is their reaction, they are nothing more than petulant, megalomaniacal children who are not worthy of the faith placed in them by their employer. It ain't all about them and their perceived slights.
You said they "get no superpowers with the black robe." Has anyone told them?
-Clem
If being concerned about the person who is responsible for their security as well as the security of the people in their courtrooms, makes them petulant, then I guess they're petulant. They are doing their jobs by wanting to be involved in decisions concerning the Sheriff.
Clem, I realize this might not sit well with Dick McAteer and the LV Partnership boys who want a new Sheriff that will advocate for his crime center, But some people were in office to actually do a job as opposed to take care of different business figures.
Looks like those days are coming to an end under Brown. But as long as he pays lip service to your ideals, you'll love it.
That I'll "love" that type of government coming from any troughfeeder, R or D, is a stretch and I think you know that. If your prediction comes to pass, those of us who view government as not much more than a bureaucratic playpen will be the first to call him on it.
I was addressing your point that the exec better not cross them: "They wield immense power, and it never pays to piss them off."
Concern is one thing. Vendetta is quite another. You imply that pissing them off will result in their exercising (I would say abusing) that "immense power" to retaliate. I believe you.
Can't wait to mail this year's price of admission...
-Clem
Get ready, Clem. Because he's on your team, I think it is only natural that you will defend him. When I point out his Lehigh Valley Partnership connection tomorrow, some of you will deny it. Many more of you will attack me. But by the end of this year, you'll see it, too.
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