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Friday, February 14, 2014

Brown Wants a $715,200 "Business Consultant"

John Brown, who was as a business consultant before he became Northampton County Executive, would like to have one of his own. He has proposed a four-year contract with Deana M. Zosky, an Emmaus-based CPA, for "comprehensive business consulting services." In addition to paying her $715,200 over four years, the County would also be on the hook for customized IT programming, printing, and travel costs outside of the Lehigh Valley.

Because the contract exceeds $100,000, it must be approved by County Council. It is also a "sole source" contract, meaning that no proposals from other consultants were actively sought.

Under the proposed contract, Zosky will be paid $216,000 for the first year (Feb. 20 to Dec. 31)for three days of work per week. In years two, three and four, she shall be paid $166,400 annually for what amounts to two days per week.

That translates to $200 per hour.

In her February 11 proposal to Brown, Zosky cites what she calls "significant government experience," adding that she specializes in "government sector work." She indicates that she and "[h]er team focuses on working with government at all levels within the state ... ."

But her company, Four-Score, LLC, was just formed on January 23, according to documents on file with the state corporation bureau. The corporation business address is actually her residence in Lower Macungie Township. The company has no web page.

Zosky's resume reveals that most of her professional career has been devoted to private sector clients, including Intel, Mack Truck and Associated Merchandising Corporation.

The only evidence of direct involvement in local government is her work as "chief turnaround officer" at what she refers to as a "local school district."

That local school district is Allentown. It does not appear to have turned around. Allentown School District's most recent proposed budget includes a $10.6 million shortfall.

Zosky resigned after about a year on the job. According to a Morning Call account, she "clashed with [the] central office over access to grant funds and personnel decisions."

In Allentown, Zosky also served in 2009 on a private sector "blue ribbon committee" charged with the responsibility of recommending financial improvements. Mayor Edwin Pawlowski was forced to reject many recommendations as unfeasible in the public sector

Zosky did serve as a Lower Macungie Commissioner for two years, but was appointed to the position. She was also an unsuccessful applicant to a vacancy on the Lehigh County Board of Commissioners in 2010.

Currently, Zosky is Chairman of the RenewLV, which was established by the Lehigh Valley Partnership to focus on regional cooperation and urban revitalization. Executive John Brown was a fellow board member at RenewLV before his election.

She is also a "strategy and execution executive" at Compass Point, a business management consulting firm headed by Tom Garrity. Garrity also chairs the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation, which is funded in large part by hotel taxes levied by both Lehigh and Northampton County. Compass Point handles the administrative and compliance aspects of the Allentown's controversial NIZ. Zosky claims she leads that effort, which consists of collecting and accounting for the taxes.

According to the terms of the proposed contract, Zosky will assist in the implementation of a county-wide reporting dashboard that will be used to track capital projects and other county programs in real time. This dashboard has already been mentioned both by Executive John Brown and Council member Hayden Phillips in previous Council meetings.

Government agencies are increasingly adopting dashboards for a wide variety of applications, from cost control to emergency preparedness.

No explanation was provided for why no other business consultants, who may have experience in implementing government dashboards, were considered.

This proposal will be reviewed by Council's Finance Committee on February 19.

Recommended reading:

Zosky Contract

Zosky Resume

Updated 4:55 pm: Provided with a copy of this story, Zosky states there are some inaccuracies, which she will clarify when she appears before Council's Finance Committee on Wednesday.

109 comments:

Anonymous said...

Not sure about the other stuff, but when Pawlowski rejects something as "not feasible in the public sector", that needs to be translated to "it would hurt the unions and others who have contributed heavily to my campaign."

Bernie O'Hare said...

I linked to the article. You are correct to an extent but the reality is that government is not business and does not run like business. Nor should it. The recommendations made by the private sector just don't work in the public sector, which begs the question why they were asked for in the first place.

Anonymous said...

I wish it was spring and all but is this some kind of early April Fools joke?

Bernie O'Hare said...

No joke. If this were a cabinet position, I'd defer to him. But it is a single source contract. Where is the RFQ that would show no one else is out there who could do this better and cheaper. Plus, it appears to me that Zorsky has embellished her experience in the government sector. Finally, it seems clear that what limited experience she does have in the government sector, has been disappointing.

Anonymous said...

Why do you attack Mr. Brown O'Hare? John Stoffa had numerous no bid contracts with Ken Mohr for his eight years. Add all those babies up and what do you get. they were all plugged in under the county council radar. And there were a lot of them.
At least Mr. Brown is upfront and honest about his consultants.

Bernie O'Hare said...

I am not attacking Brown. I am reporting facts. Mohr's contracts with the County were voted on by Council, even when below the $100,000 threshold, and my recollection is that an RFQ was used. I am not certain about the latter part. Mohr had considerable experience as a consultant for county government with major capital projects. His success stories include Coca Cola Park, the Borough Business Revitalization Program and a gigantic Allentown KOZ. He has a track record in the public sector. And he was never paid what is being proposed for Zosky.

Anonymous said...

This is BAD business for the county!!!

Anonymous said...

Why do we need a consultant when we have Steve Barron?

Anonymous said...

Seems like a lotta dough for someone who can't return much bread to the county.

Anonymous said...

Her resume is UNIMPRESSIVE. The resume shows someone who bounces from hardly impressive job to another. This resume is not worthy of a $1million dollar contract!This smacks of a juiced in urban growth regime NIZ crony!! Hopefully the NORCO Council will see through this. I will predict right here, right now that if she is hired, nothing will substantively change. To tear down and rebuild the financial department of the County will take more than one juiced in Republican crony!! Just look at her accomplishments with the Allentown School District as a staffer and Lower Macungie as a Commissioner... what did she accomplish? Nothing significant I would argue.

Anonymous said...

The club continues.

Anonymous said...

This lady is not qualified. Not in the least. She has accomplished NOTHING! I think what is going on here is that no one qualified wants to join his cabinet so he needs to overpay to get anyone on board to help.

Anonymous said...

This is disheartening news. JB may still be in political pay back mode. He has the smarts to do this better and for less. Council should reject this and make him do it the old fashioned way. This is clearly being shoved down his throat by the valley blue bloods he has been hanging with the past few years. Reject it and he will then bring forward his own remedies for county finances.

Anonymous said...

John Brown did the same thing in little Bangor. Got himself paid good taxpayer money for bad advise. Brown is starting his run for Congress. LOL

Anonymous said...

She's not qualified to distribute rakes of merit. WTF JB?

Anonymous said...

I have never heard of anything so ridiculous in all my years of voting for representatives in government. this borders on the absurd. There are not many ways to provide services to the people of Northampton County. What is she going to recommend? Cut salaries, take away employees benefits, sell Gracedale? What does she know about running a County Prison? What does she know about Juvenile services. The Courts budget is approximately 65 percent of the County Budget. Is she going to improve the Court system? I think not. If you need a consultant to help you run the County, then you shouldn't have been elected in the first place. This County Executive is going to be a disaster like Brackbill. Nice guys, but no experience. The taxpayer will suffer.

Anonymous said...

Mohr's contracts have been under $25 K per year and his resume is far more impressive. He has done an excellent job helping to manage various projects for the county, so he has a strong track record, particularly in the public sector. Don't compare his professional services to this grand scheme.

Anonymous said...

Wow!! What is she getting paid in her othervprivate sector positions?

Bernie O'Hare said...

Because they are private sector, I would not know.

Anonymous said...

This makes no sense. The county has had a Director of Fiscal Affairs position unfilled for years. Why not just hire a new Director with the credentials and skill sets to accomplish the same goals? That person could be paid 100K a year and work 40 plus hours a week to earn his/her money, not a part-time 3 day a week, $200/hr. consultant. This is insane!

Anonymous said...

when i first saw this post i really thought it was a joke.What did we get Brown for? this is he and his teams job, not some outside consultant. If you want to drive change it can not be imposed from the outside but rather has to come from the team itself. He should have included this in his criteria for new cabinet members. I would be for this if Brown donated his salary to pay for it and we took difference from the rest of the cabinet salaries. This is their job to do. A sad situation in the county. Brown is over his head and out of his depth. I thought we hired him because he was a "consultant" who could fix things.

Anonymous said...

Hiring her would gurantee Brown is a one termer.

Much like Donaher, she can't hold down a job. She's been everywhere. Short stints.

Much like Joyce Marin, she somehow keeps getting jobs without a career or experience to support the hire.

Nobody will be surprised when she takes all that money and provides little in return.

County council better say no to this one and it better be a unanimous no.

Bernie O'Hare said...

I'd agree that, before seeking a consultant, Brown should fill his Finance and Administrator cabinet positions. With good picks, this consultant should be unnecessary.

Perhaps Brown will tell Council he is selecting this consultant instead of these positions and is saving taxpayer money. My problem with that is that nobody can administer this county or direct finance by telecommuting (reason for fancy software). An administrator needs to be hands on and there are too many day-to-day decisions in Finance to trust the job to a person who is paid handsomely, but only to be there three days per week.

They must feel pretty confident about this bc the proposal she submitted is borderline insulting.

Whether is is Lee Butz at the Steel Museum or Deana Zorskt at RenewLV, I just don't like to see nonprofit board members parlay their board positions for their personal gain.

Anonymous said...

The services described should be what is expected of senior staff at a far lower cost. Plus, the "dashboard" component requires some effort in coding (or at least the purchase/implementation) of software; thus an added cost.

This is the sweetest deal I have every seen.

Is it not amazing how the few connected in this Valley get all the work?

Disgusting is a better word.

Anonymous said...

Can speak to term at LMT. During that two year term in Lower Mac Zosky and others were steering the township in the right direction - dealing with growth issues, transparency and gov't accountability concerns in a township reeling from corruption issues.

Remember that her appointed board was the first after conversion from second to first class township. The move purged a gov't that led to millions of dollars in embezzlement from sewer funds over the years.

Zosky and other court appointed commissioners deserve credit for setting up initiatives still in place today. Remember, it was a complete cleaning of house in Lower Mac and the appointed board led the effort. Yes, it was only a 2 year appointed term but Zosky and the rest of that board deserve some credit for that.

Sadly, some of that good inertia in terms of land use reform and transparency efforts were reversed when voters decided to send not one but 3 realtors (Ryan Conrad, Ron Eichenberg and Roger Reis) to the BOC. Within days of taking office the new 2010 board immediately went to the back rooms with Jaindl and "negotiated" the rezoning of 700 acres of farmland. . Yes, Jaindl put a gun to there heads with the quarry threat... but the realtor board totally and completely rolled over and slowly started enacting policy goals of the RPAC. The last thing a township with growth issues needed.

Anonymous said...

How many jobs will this eliminate?

Anonymous said...

Is this a joke? A 4 year old resume that she did not even bother updating for a $715 K contract? For that kind of money, an RFP should have been issued.

Anonymous said...

@10:49.. you have to be kidding? As someone in the know at Lower Mac,nothing changed has changed other than a little clean up of the Marge matter and the hiring of a Manager that likes to ticket and tow people for no reason during stupid snowstorms. To the people of Lower Mac, their services are still the same as they were for years. The impact Zosky had on the Township is minute and not even measurable in the grand scheme of things.

Anonymous said...

When did they legalize Marijuana?

Anonymous said...

Let the record be clear. This county would be in great fiscal shape if Gracedale had been sold as advocated by Stoffa/Angle/ Cusick. In fact it was signed sealed and delivered for $30,000,000. It would still exist and operate under a tight agreement that would perpetuate care for the poor and needy. Plus Stoffa put an additional $ 20 million into it and it still ain`t enough. It takes roughly $ 7 ,0000,000 a year from county taxpayers that other counties who sold their nursing homes don`t have the burden of. So there is $57,000,000 that would be sitting in the County coffers. Besides no tax increase for 8 years under stoffa it could have been 5 more. Voters chose otherwise. Brown sat there for a year in committee and Council meetings and never said a word. Where are his ideas ?

Anonymous said...

This is nuts. Hopefully there are some sane Republicans (Vaughn and Phillips again?)on Council willing to vote no. The Administrator and Finance director positions should have been filled by now. There are obvious ways to save money. 8:36 mentioned the big ones. 3 years post referendum, and Gracedale ran a $5 million deficit last year, more cuts and concessions need to be made there if you don't want to sell. County employees do have "Cadillac" benefits that will need to be pared back. We could also stop buying undevelopable swamp land in UMBT, etc...

Bernie O'Hare said...

The resume is four years old bc I have used the one she supplied when she applied to be a LC Comm'r. I am sure there is an updated version, but it has not been publicly disclosed.

Anonymous said...

TSK TSK TSK. Shame on Mr. Brown for his dastardly deeds. Hire a finance director that has some credentials and then hire a director of administration that has a proven track record. You don't need this consultant.

Anonymous said...

The more I look at her proposal the more pissed off I become.
3 days/wk in year 1
2 days/wk in following years.

And most work done from her "Lehigh Valley Offices."

F***ing insanity to even consider her or anyone else proposing such an idea.

If political payback is behind this, Brown better grow a set and scrape off the scabs.

Matt M. said...

Thanks for doing the dirty digging The Call didn't do, Bernie. Sooner or later the man behind the curtain will be revealed.

Matt M. said...

http://www.linkedin.com/vsearch/f?type=all&keywords=Deana+Zosky&orig=GLHD&rsid=534816091392491477225&pageKey=voltron_federated_search_internal_jsp

Looks like some separate linkedin profiles to cover up her tracks as well. This smells like a rat.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous Matt M. said...
Thanks for doing the dirty digging The Call didn't do, Bernie. Sooner or later the man behind the curtain will be revealed.

2:10 PM

ditto

Bernie O'Hare said...

It must be Callahan, wearing a J.B. Reilly disguise.

Anonymous said...

Plain and simple whoever on council votes "yes" for this should be removed and/or voted out of office.

Plain and simple county govt cannot be run like a business. With human services over 70% of county budget that means services for people is the main objective of the county.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Actually, even if you are a fiscal conservative who thinks government needs to run like a business, you should oppose this contract bc it is sole source. Brown did not fish around to get the best bang for the tax dollar. If you want this, I am sure there are many consultants who have far more experience who can deliver far more cheaply. How is going the sole source route being businesslike?

Anonymous said...

Just a thought. Spend some time at www.compasspt.com.
She is not even listed. Links and information not up to date.

Lots of partnerships with no names attached. Stock pictures.


Buzzwords. Without much depth.

Pretty nice gig --- over $700,000

Bernie O'Hare said...

In researching this, I found a link to Zosky at Compass Point. It included her pic and a brief bio. I will locate the link tonight.

Anonymous said...

I once fixed and made a "dashboard" for a 65 mustang. Damn nice job. I did it for under $200. So I will build his "dashboard" at a much better rate.

What is it with these republicans and their corporate buzzwords". I have worked out there for years and every so often another consultant comes along with another buzzword and nothing really changes, except now you stack papers on the right instead of the left. the boss is the boss and the employee is the employee. Stoop with the bullshit.

This is why I ma pissed. I voted for Brown because I though he was the lesser of two evils. However, I did vote for Heckman and Seyfried for insurance as they have more county know how then everyone there put together.

I am sorry they aren't there. I may disagree with them on an issue here or there but they do know how a county runs and can sniff out bullshit. Even though the new councilmen call them over the hill. We could use some over the hill about now.

This has got to be a joke. Maybe one of those guys would come back and help.

This is going to be a long four years.


Bernie O'Hare said...

Regardless of who would be Exec, I believe Seyfried and Heckman would really balance Council and give it some wisdom. Neither of these guys is a partisan. And at this stage ion their life, they just want to help the County. I believe their election was more important than the Exec.

Anonymous said...

Come on Bernie, they are over the hell. It is time for a business approach to government at the county. We need new ideas. Can they supply that?

Why doesn't the Executive ask controller Barron to do this task?

Anonymous said...

The County deserves who they voted for last November.

Anonymous said...

Found the compass point zosky link, but one has to google search. If I try to find "our team" and her bio, directly on the site, there appears to be no clear link.

That is interesting. If you see it, let us know. I am not spending much time, but sites should be easy to navigate?

Anonymous said...

I am always proud of successful graduates from the Allentown School District, like Deana. However, as a taxpayer of Northampton County, this proposal (as explained here) troubles me greatly. In the economy we find ourselves in now, there is NO room for frills of any kind.

One question I have is this, why the need for a four year contract? That type of thing usually comes with all sorts of early termination benefits. Why not a simple one year or month to month purchase of service?

Even if this type of position is funded with some sort of grant money, I see that, too, as a piece of MY money. This needs to be looked at very carefully, to say the least.

Fred Windish

Bernie O'Hare said...

Fred, The Exec can end the contract early if he chooses, but I think your point is valid.

Anonymous said...

Excellent research, Bernie. This is a sad joke to play on taxpayers, and it shouldn't be legal to do it without competitive quotes.

Anonymous said...

If actually voted yes, this would be an EPIC FAIL!

Anonymous said...

anon $:35 is a joke right??

Is Barron even in the courthouse. It sounds like this consultant will be working more hours than Barron ever does.

"Over the Hell"?? What the Hell does that even mean?

Bernie, is this real?

Peter J Cochran said...

Bernie, You recently stated they we were miles apart politically. This is not true only about 900 yards. Is this even functional? Why would a politician tell us early that they can lead by their indications and they turn over the JUDGEMENT that needs to be made to a over paid consultant.-- Even if they had a track record! What are we paying for in leadership? Who places the fault lines on whom?

Anonymous said...

@ 6:12 PM

"Over the Hell"?? What the Hell does that even mean?

Probably the same thing as your own typo, "anon $:35 is a joke right??"

Peter J.Cochran said...

Hell! a great place for the unscrupulous! Here is my CONSULTATION-- The county should hire me and Bernie for ----say $67.43 an hour and when we are presented with a problem to handle as consultants ,then If we agree , its a done deal, if not we need to hash out the differences. I honestly believe that PONDERING of a subject must be done in a logical manner.

Anonymous said...

http://www.compasspt.com/cp_headtrash.php

headtash (hed.trash)– a term coined by business management consulting firm, Compass Point, that came about from working with hundreds of business owners and their management teams. Headtrash is a term that describes all the junk rattling between your ears that causes doubt, procrastination, woulda-coulda-shoulda thinking, negativity, emotional wreckage, etc…, that stops you from accomplishing your goals."

So THAT'S what's going on in Brown's head. Headtrash. Boy are we in for it!

Anonymous said...

Can't find Long Island University at Southampton College. It seems to be a fake. Check her resume again. Don't remember her from Mack Trucks either. Is she a fake?

Anonymous said...

@7:45pm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Island_University

Anonymous said...

Well Peter, you are a good bullshitter and that is the first rule of consulting. I believe you are overcharging by about $60 an hour.

Bernie O'Hare said...

LIU is a great school. Zosky is also an Allen grad.

Anonymous said...

We had a live in consultant for eight years and now we get another one that costs even more. The more things change the more they stay the same.

Guy Williams said...

Run like a business indeed. Whats the fail rate for any unproven buisnesses in the first 4 years? Please enlighten us with the statistics. Again rolling the dice with the taxpayers future.

donmiles said...

The opinions expressed about Ms. Zosky from those who have never met or worked with have little weight. I have no idea whether the proposed consultancy position with the county is a good or bad idea but I have known and worked with Deana for many years. She is one of the most knowledgeable, dedicated and professional leaders in the Lehigh Valley and entirely qualified for any municipal administrative position. Mr. Brown --who I also know well -- as elected county executive is entitled, in my view, to fill out his administration as he sees fit. And I'm a Democrat.

Bernie O'Hare said...

He's not filling out his administration, Don. This is a single source contract for a business consultant, not a cabinet pick. The very first question is why there was no attempt to seek others with more experience who could do the job for less. I have yet to get an answer. Also, as a matter of full disclosure, you should note exactly how it is that you know Zosky and Brown. You have a seat on the RenewLV Board. If the Steel Museum offers any lesson at all, it is to be leery of the board members on nonprofits who seem to benefit financially from that arrangement. I'm sick of it. And I know it goes on.

Anonymous said...

Haysoos F'ing Kristos! Why do the establishment Rs continue to step on their dicks and give the handout seekers the club to beat us with every time?

John Brown, your douchnozzlery knows no bounds! Marionette would be a kindly insult...

-Clem

Anonymous said...

douchenozzlery.

Lord knows the deflectors will deem the typo more significant than the whoring...

-Clem

Bernie O'Hare said...

I have deleted a few comments that attack Stoffa over Mohr as that matter has been addressed in this thread, is OT, and is an attempt to divert attention from this matter. Let me add that the argument is also illogical. if what Stoffa did with Mohr is wrong, then why would someone use that as a basis to justify what Brown is doing?

Anonymous said...

I've met her and she's nothing special, just an average accountant. This must be the payback for the NIZ boys contributions to Brown's campaign.

Bernie O'Hare said...

I don't really know her, but in speaking to real people, I've heard nothing but very good things about her. I believe she is more than an accountant. But several things really bother me about this contract. 1) it is sole source. Brown should have sought proposals. That would have been the businesslike thing to do. 2) I don't think he should decide on a business manager until he has a Director of Finance. That director could make a business consultant redundant. 3) I am tired of seeing people parlay positions on nonprofit boards into jobs.

Matt M. said...

I'm a nice person, too damn it. I've been hit hard by the recession, and I know what to do when my income dries up by half. Perhaps I'll send an open letter to the board with my experiences month after month in hopes of making the bills. I'd be happy to do it for 55k per year as an independent contractor with no further benefits, full-time.

Anonymous said...

anon 4:12 Then you get what you deserve. If you were conducting interviews for the job of Exec, Brown as a part time Mayor of a small bourough wouldnt make the first cut. Callahan as a full time strong mayor ran the largest city in the county and finished with $100 M less debt, 3 straight surpluses and left the next guy with a $1.9M cash balance. Not to mention his record on economic development and job creation. if we hire the consultant what do we ned Brown for?

Anonymous said...

For better or worse..JB is the county executive til the next election cycle. Stop the whining and get over it. This is a democracy and the people spoke. Deal with it!

Peter J.Cochran said...

Anon;8;02 You take yourself too seriously ;See your Doctor. Please site one instance after you post your NAME,if your at all happy with your ' own skeleton'. Tell us what causes your derogatory summation.I was joking around , I.m not a consultant. but I have all day!See, Bernie and me together may only be worth the split of $67.43 HAHHHA Now- Could it be that Long Island U.was absorbed by SUNY ?

Bernie O'Hare said...

10:33, The people elected him Executive, not King. The people also elected a Council who must decide whether to approve an exorbitant contract to hire a business consultant proposed by an Exec who has yet to select a Director of Finance. That Council, elected by the people, will decide whether to approve a contract in which no proposals were sought from anyone else.

Anonymous said...

Totally agree..

Anonymous said...

Checks and balances..

Anonymous said...

I'm pretty sure JB knows this will not get past council. I still assert that this person/consultant proposal was pushed on him by the high rollers who helped pay for his campaign financial bills. He will then bring forward his own plan and hopefully council will help him fix the mess the county finds itself in financially.

Anonymous said...

Must admit that I am perplexed by the foot dragging on major appointments to many county admin. positions. Not sure what is going on there. Tug of war perhaps as to who gets the nod or a lack of candidates coming forward.

Anonymous said...

71 posts. Now add six zeroes like this 750,000.00 and you have the ridiculous price this brand new firm is asking for and John Brown actually wants to give. I'm really glad we elected a part time mayor with NO experience in any type of real government or public policy. Good job NORCO

Anonymous said...

She will find economies of scale in government. By working with the courts, human services, the prison and the DA, she will advise them on how to operate more efficiently. this is what the voters voted for.

It is time for Northampton county services to come into the 21st century.

Bernie O'Hare said...

You have not addressed a single concern. Why is it a sole source contract? Was any effort made at all to see if anyone else could do this who has more experience and who would be cheaper? Why is a business consultant being hired before a Fiscal Affairs Director is appointed? Why isn't the contract tied to success? Why are there no metrics that provide for compensation based on actual savings? Why would you pay $712,000 to someone who has never really done business consulting for a county government? Why would you hire a school turnaround officer who failed to turn things around?

All you have done is throw out platitudes and claim this is what the voters want. Brown claimed that he had the business expertise. Where the hell is it?

Anonymous said...

anon 2:36, that statement alone shows she has no idea how county government functions and will be swallowed up like whale taking in Jonah.

Good luck telling the county how to operate. Brown is in trouble and treading water. His cabinet picks are woefully unprepared for their responsibilities. So he hires an inexperienced consultant to help them.

God only can guess who he picks for Administration and Finance in the future. It would appear he is throwing the Hail Mary and he will either be a hero or a goat.

But to be clear reading the documents., there is nothing there to suggest this person is worth that amount of money. The experience and knowledge base is just not there. These ReNew types are great with titles and slogans but real life experience is what drives price and she just does not have it. When you need a decoder ring to figure out exactly what she will be doing you know the BS is too deep to pay for.

On the bright side Ronnie Angle will take the BS off your hands free of charge.

Peter J.Cochran said...

Bernie, you question my donation after YOU FOUND that I donated to Mr Phillips. You see see everything the public should see, first. I will stand my ground here ! - I say.Mr Phillips will not approve this issue, I say HE will be able as a council member to make judgments as the voters placed him. He is a U.S.Marine comrade in effect, and he is as you would relate to as, a fraternity brother as result. Lets see! Had this blog been active during other administrations ,some of the mistakes we know know now and exposed may not have ever occurred.OLD PETER

Peter J.Cochran said...

I do not Mr. Brown at all. I can say to him that he needs to have a 'common person' advisory group to run issues by first, BEFORE decisions are presented. There is a value in placing people that are even political adversaries in that network as a stopgap . Take heed,or fall down.

Peter J.Cochran said...

Sorry, I mean, I do not know Mr Brown at all. I need a new 'bottonbox' this one is missing keys.This county will need help IF this administration does not think in terms of competent placement of administrators.

Anonymous said...

We shall see how Hayden votes. We shall see

Peter J.Cochran said...

WE need commerce, and bridges fixed not spend on social services as much for example. We need to find away to run the New York drug dealers out ,not have staff do paperwork on their domestic relations,this cost a lot of money and it can be fixed at the head end if they think about how to do it.I have, then we will get back to a normal costs . Prisons are expensive and full of them, They have not ever contributed to the tax base yet we pay for them! Non-sence

PETER j.COCHRAN said...

To put thing in perspective; The U.S.Government went from 167,000 U.S Army troops to 8,000,000 in less time that it took to fix the Tatamy bridge, during World War 2.

Anonymous said...

Everything Zosky actually digs into turns to sh*#. She can sit on all the committees and boards she wants to boost her resume. But when it comes to actual deliverables, she falls short every time. Allentown SD "turnaround" officer FAIL, Lower Mac Leister farm FAIL, Jaindl quarry FAIL, appointment as LC Commissioner FAIL, the list goes on. If she's so good why did she go down in flames when she ran for Commissioner in Lower Mac after her two year appointment was up? Reelection FAIL.

This contract is a crony sham. If council is dumb enough to approve it then taxpayers get what they deserve.

Anonymous said...

Maybe they can find a retired steel executive to do the job for 181K a year, the result will probably be the same.This is a sham, follow the money, there's a payoff somewhere!

Anonymous said...

People voted for guys like Brown and Phillips and this is what they will get. The "dashboard" is expensive.

Anonymous said...

Old Peter is a Phillips guy. Now he is stuck with the bill.

The Central Scrutinizer said...

So another private sector genius thinks they can fix government using business principles that do not apply evenly in the public sector. Good luck with that.

Any savings she finds, which I find hard to believe she will, will be offset by her ludicrous fees.

Here's Recommendation 1 from me, your free business consultant: Don't flush $750K down the toilet when it is sorely needed in the community.

Anonymous said...

If this is all about software, doesn't the county have a business person and an IT person who, you know, would actually work together to choose and implement new software?

What a joke.

Thanks Republicans!

Anonymous said...

Even Peg is leery and for good reason. This shall not pass and is just a stall by JB to satisfy his political obligations and a nod to his benefactors. He will formulate his own plan in due time as he always has. He is not a rash person and there is a plan forthcoming. Patience..please.

Anonymous said...

Why the fuck would proposing hiring a consultant "satisfy his political obligations"?

Methink you are talking out of your ass.

Anonymous said...

He owes some very influential people favors. It took lots of money to win the exec. race. This is how it works..where you been?

Anonymous said...

So he fulfills his obligations by ATTEMPTING monetary payback but not delivering?

Anonymous said...

Hey..don't kill the messinger buddy. If you can't handle the truth of politics.stay away!

Anonymous said...

Agree with 2:44. I don't care for the money boys but they are not that stupid. They are very sharp operators and would know they were being played. He may have promised to throw it out there as a favor for all the players because they promised this woman knowing it was dead on arrival.

That is the thing about most of these consultant types, their egos usually far exceed their worth.

Anonymous said...

He probably should have been a bit more subtle with this instead of hitting all of us over the head with this inanity. Nothing ventured..nothing gained. The blue bloods can't accuse him of not trying to advance one of their own chosen ones.

Anonymous said...

This story has earned its place in the "Century Posting Club." A lot of people are aggravated with this sole source mega-contract. Zorsky will be the A-Rod of county contracts. Overpriced dead beat. Council should have the guts to shoot this down. Who are the sponsors of it?

Anonymous said...

101 comments on this piece. The overwhelming majority are negative. This is a hot issue and people ought to be aware of what could be happening in NORCO.

Bernie O'Hare said...

5:51, No sponsor yet.

Anonymous said...

And there will be no council sponsorship..period. Nobody would dare approve such a deal especially the tea party boys. DOA..

Anonymous said...

Don't be too sure of benol or geisenger, let's watch the committee meeting tomorrow to get an idea.

Bernie O'Hare said...

The Committee meets Wednesday, not Tuesday.

The Central Scrutinizer said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Bernie O'Hare said...

If a partisan like you wants to make a point, do it without the vulgarity. MMmmmkay?