NorCo Exec John Brown appears to be bringing another Bangor employee on board. Borough Secretary Nancy L. Jones has notified the Council and Mayor that she is resigning, effective November 6. "I will be working for the County of Northampton and look forward to the new direction of my career," she states.
There are 17 vacancies at the jail that Brown has so far refuses to fill. In the Civil Division, it is now four of the Prothonotary's Deputies who've announced they are retiring. That office will soon be down eight.
Oh,yeah, there's also four vacancies in CYF, which only deals with abused and neglected children. Those vacancies are supposedly being filled. I'll have to see it to believe it.
Brown has stated he opposes just "throwing bodies" at the jail's manpower shortage.
Director of Administration Luis Campos, who is off somewhere in Never Never Land, seems to think that new software in the Civil Division can make up for eight people. What that new software will do is crash. It will take at least six months to work out the bugs, and end up costing the County about twice what they pay and they will end up filling all those vacancies anyway. If Campos actually spoke to the people who use these systems, and who have gone through software changes before, he'd know that. But he has a Master's Degree and comes from money, so he knows everything.
It's nice to know that while Brown is allowing staffing shortages to hamper the county's delivery of services, he is making room for another one of his cronies.
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, October 24, 2014
49 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.
We are waiting for your apology to Mr. Campos for calling him a "brown lackey." Mr. Brown is aware of your comments and is troubled by your overt bigotry.
ReplyDeleteBrown is certainly "troubled" all right, especially if he is getting advice from a liar like you.
ReplyDeletesuch a bitter little man
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteAll I can say is this is just the start of the longtime employees who will be leaving. Many Administrators, Clerical, Fiscal, Case Work Supervisors, and social workers will be gone by 1/1/15. The internal staff would be foolish to lose their union protection to move to management positions. None union eligible slots currently have worse wage increases and benefits than union staff. I had hopes for the current administration when they first came in. Now my only hope is I can make it a few more years till I can join those who have left.
ReplyDeleteWhat position?
ReplyDeleteDarth Vader Brownshirt is building his empire of minions to destroy the county.
ReplyDeleteWhat position?
ReplyDeleteDirector of Court Services? Executive Secretary?
Brown is an inept, immature, and incompetent county executive that needs to be overthrown!
ReplyDeleteA referendum is needed to change the HRC as well as vote this dictator out!
Liberte!!
Voters didn't have any good choices.
ReplyDeleteBrown is out of his league. Bringing in people from a distressed Boro to run the County is actually laughable. Bangor is a dump and what has Brown or his minions ever done to improve that Borough.? Now we have to listen to their wisdom and accept their leadership?
ReplyDeleteMy guess is that she will be the new director of Corrections. Mr. Brown previously fill the Public safetly admin postion at the Jail with Ms. Bartlett with whom has no correctional experience so why stop there. Mr. Brown is lost...
ReplyDeletethe employees need to do something to stop this craziness ,he is destroying the county, I am making some calls today to see what can be done to stop this madness !
ReplyDeleteWho wants to fill those jobs if they know their compensation is under full frontal assault?
ReplyDeletePresident Barack Obama (D-IL), Nobel Peace Prize Recipient
ReplyDeleteYou don't refer to the President as (D-IL). He's the President, show some respect. Asshat.
bernie the more i read of your blogs the more i realize i do not want to look through your eyes to see the world. your screen of existence shows makes me feel like maybe you should take a look at your position and the power you have with your audience. you are a creator don't forget that. every letter you type you have an opporunity to create something for good, or something negative causing problems and rippling out chaotic fear based energy. who do you really want to be? a fear monger and spreader making personal attacks on human beings? or do you want to artfully create pieces to make us all think outside of our egoic strangledhold and lead us into real solutions and betterment for all, more in unison that in speration. the power in in you, in all of us. we sometimes forget, it is easy to. truth is renewed in every moment. don't forget we are all in the together. we are all a reflection of each other and there are many facets. what we see on the outside in based on what is inside of us. i am sure you can attest if you review history of your blogs that you saw things a certain way because of personal experinces and looking back you have a completely different take because you have grown and evolved in understanding. there is only conflict when there isn't enough understanding. so just remember that now, that there could be a lot that is not being looked at. it is healthier to believe you know less than 1% than to think you know 99% of a situation...which is rarely true. basically try and stay away from negativity and personal attacks on human beings. it doesn't look good on you or anyone.
ReplyDelete9:12..what are you jabbering about? Reporters tell the truth as best they can and then it's up to you to decide where to go with it. Leave the psychology stuff outside the door. This is politics nation. It's a rough game and not for the feint of heart.
ReplyDeleteDirector of Corrections and Court Services would need some qualifications and Council approval. How about HR? After the Allen fiasco let's hope she's qualified for the job Brown has in mind.
ReplyDelete@9:12 what a mouthful and you said nothing!
ReplyDelete@9:12 Where do i begin? Such crap!
ReplyDeleteWhat is "egoic strangledhold"? So many misspelled words, so little time. What is your first language?
9:12, My primary fidelity is to the truth, not the writing of puff pieces. The County is going to hell in a handbag, and you would prefer that I pretend everything is rosy. That is ultimately far more harmful than correctly calling someone a lackey.
ReplyDeleteYou apparently don't like what I've been writing about Campos, a condescending and uninformed hack who is here bc he is Deibert's buddy. What I know is that he has stated several things to council that are just untrue. He misrepresented open space and the condition in the Prothy office.
I know he is offensive to the employees who have to deal with him, being dismissive in his treatment of them. I will refrain from writing some other things I've been told until I can prove them myself. But I make no apology for my professional (not personal) attack on Campos. I believe I am on the right track.
You are correct on Mr Campos. Sorry to say and most of the others as well.
DeletePerhaps she will be the new executive secretary for Brownie. Is the current incumbent leaving?
ReplyDeleteI do not know and will not ask her. Remember, everything must go thru campos.
ReplyDeleteThere is another retirement scheduled in disbursements. Thats only a 2 person office. Maybe they can close that office and NO bills will get paid!
ReplyDeleteShe is getting the Executive Secretary to the Director of Fiscal Affairs per an email. I guess that has become an appointed position. Always thougth you had to apply for those positions. Guess not!!!!!
ReplyDeleteEach Cabinet level position gets one additional exempt position usually fulfilled by an Executive Secretary. Those positions are exempt and appointed. They are at-will.
ReplyDeleteCAMPOS IS A BROWN LACKEY! GET OVER IT AND PULL UP YOUR BIG GIRL PANTIES!
ReplyDeleteHe is a reporter by any definition you chose to use. He happens to not work for either of the regional daily rags. They do not cover political strife and if so only at the surface level. No investigative journalism appears on a daily basis except on this blog and believe me..lots of people come here to gauge the pulse of the electorate and public opinion. Love him or hate him matters not. Just give us some truth and a dose of passion along with that truth. You don't like what you read here..switch channels.
ReplyDeleteThere are more than 4 vacancies in C&Y, those are just the ones Executive Brown has agreed to fill. With all of the new child abuse laws taking effect as of 12/31/14, there will be at least a 50% increase in the number of abuse investigations done in C&Y each year. No way that can be done without filling vacant positions slated to not be filled.
ReplyDeleteAs a side, Executive Brown says he is evaluating the need for all positions before filling them. That certainly can't be the case - every Human Services administrative position got filled right away. He has filled a Director, Deputy Director and Supervisor position in the Mental Health Division. Plus there was an existing Program Specialist. That is 4 administrative positions and there are only 13 caseworkers. In Drug and Alcohol, there are 2 administrators and 3 caseworkers.
Seems Executive Brown just likes filling the management positions throughout the County.
That's what he's been doing from day one! But let's pit the County Tax Payer against the County Employee so he can come up smelling like Roses......well all I smell is BULLSHIT & it's coming out of his mouth!!
ReplyDeleteBoth the M C and the Express have prioritized sports coverage over every thing else. You may not like it but this is the only source that prioritizes political coverage.
ReplyDeleteIt's a sad day when other divisions are going after each other when everyone is being screwed over by the same person. But just to be clear.. didn't 2 cyf workers apply for the MH supervisor job? Guess they weren't to concerned about unfilled positions in cyf and too many MH supervisors when they went for a MH supervisor job. And when a majority of cyf management leaves, I hope you'll come back and blast brown again for filling positions in your unit. I'm sure you need positions in cyf but don't add to the chaos of this situation by blasting others. I have never heard a MH work union or not blast cyf. It's a sad day for human services that this is what it's becoming.
ReplyDeleteI was duped along with a ton of other voters who did not vote for this. We was robbed and lied to and shame on us for not recognizing the wolf in sheeps clothing that John Brown has turned out to be. The learning curve period is over now. This is a travesty and there is very little recourse for the public right now. What to do? Maybe a work stoppage is coming. It might actually get his attention and impress upon him the need for public service workers to county government. We need to stick together now more than ever. Only way to defeat a bully is to stand up to him and call his bluff. Enough public pressure and he will melt.
ReplyDelete@419 it is workers like you that say things that are attacking on blogs as well as the brown bag lunches that hinder other workers with valid points to make to Brown and the public.
ReplyDeleteI do not condone putting divisions against each other or union vs non union workers in this county. This is exactly what Brown wants to happen. The workforce needs to unite and stay unified. He is trying to punish and bust up the entire workforce of the county.
Please think and gain some foresight before you say something!
We are all in the same boat.
"I do not condone putting divisions against each other or union vs non union workers in this county"
ReplyDeleteThis is exactly what the Republican money boys want AND it is working. Look at how many people would rather tear down their neighbor than help each other have a better life.
Middle-class Americans are the victims of their own stupidity The Koch Brothers et al, thank you for your service.
I was all for giving JB a chance to lead and offer some viable solutions for the county. Obviously he is incapable of doing so and has now turned petulant and paranoid and he did it to himself. Nothing much has changed since he arrived on the political scene in Bangor a little over 4 years ago. His MO is the same as then. Seen it all before but in minature form. divide and conquer and total secrecy then as well. Now just more of the same and on a larger scale. The press conference is a strong indicator that he is losing it mentally and he is feeling pressure that he has never felt before. Keep it up!
ReplyDeleteHe will soon see more pressure than an all out blitz!
ReplyDeleteWhy is it that most of your bloggers chose to post anonymously?? Are they afraid that may get into trouble with whomever?? I think of someone feels strongly enough about an issue, they should sign their name. Just saying.
ReplyDeleteWe don't sign our names for a lot of different reasons. When you are dealing with political issues of import..you got to be careful. The stakes are high for some and thus remaining nmaeless is crucial. The whole Valley is watching and tuning in here. This is ground zero for full on political news and opinion. That's why it is a blog and not a news paper opinion page..where you got to ID yourself or you don't get published. Discretion is called for here but you can tell us who you are if you so wish.
ReplyDeleteWhen you have an Executive acting like a control freak, as Brown is doing, I would recommend anonymity by employees unless they are union stewards. I allow anonymity so that people can speak freely, but caution against personal attacks. I allow some leeway for elected officials and public figures. Most of the criticism directed at Brown has not been personal in nature, and for that i commend Northampton County workers, who really are the county's most valuable asset.
ReplyDeleteI worked for the county for 30 years starting during Gene Hartzell's tenure. None of the executives treated us when particular generosity but I felt all of them treated us with respect. I was grateful for this and will always remain so. Brown seems to relish showing contempt for workers. Remaining anonymous is prudent in this situation.
ReplyDeletePerfect storm gathering in opposition to the current administration and the executive. This could get pretty ugly. Is JB trying to make a name for himself politically at the expense of the entire county workforce? It would seem so...
ReplyDeleteRumor has it that Brown has his people vet anyone who publishes a dissenting opinion. Who has the time or energy to explain every decision he/she has made for the past however many+ years of his/her tenure to these new administrators who've "earned" their positions through political favors and monetary donations? We're working class people over here.
ReplyDeleteHope this new hire helps with the retirement quotes - I have been waiting since early August and still have not received one. Bernie, does an employee have any recourse if he/she does not get one before the end of the year. Ms. morley has been nothing but unhelpful.
ReplyDeleteFor the amount of money she is paid, there is no excuse for that kind of delay. I would fire off an email to John Brown and tell him exactly what you have just told me. I would also cc every member of Council.
ReplyDeleteSadly the HR department has been less than helpful to retirees for years. It is a disgrace. They could care less and for the size of the county operation, it is unbelievable, the laxidazical attitude the county has towards its retirees.
ReplyDeleteSome of us don't sign our names because we are afraid of the repercussions within our department and most surely from our dept. heads. Why isn't this new exec secretary starting at the bottom of the pays ale like the rest of us had to?
ReplyDeleteIt's a short term job. She will not survive the coming regime change in three years and might not survive life in the fish bowl that she is taking on. Patronage is a short term deal. When the admin. changes..your out the door with them. Who else from Bangor will join this administration? Marino Saveri maybe?
ReplyDelete