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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Monday, October 27, 2014

Secrecy May Help Business, But It's Bad In Government

Northampton County Executive John Brown tells everyone that he's a product of the corporate world, and that he's bringing what he learned there to County government. It's the old "Let's run government like a business" mantra. That has a lot of popular appeal because, as we all know, government is very inefficient. But instead of bringing government efficiency to Northampton County, he's brought the very worst corporate practices to government. In a word, it's secrecy.

A Brown media event consists of reading a statement
and then walking out, with armed guards to protect him. 
Thanks to whatever Brown brought in from the business world, Northampton County is in the worst shape it has been since the inception of the Home Rule Charter. Morale is a real crisis. He refuses to listen to employees who are upset at reduced medical benefits. He instead pours salt into a gaping wound, adding that there will be no raises and that other benefits are being rolled back. Department heads have been instructed not to speak to the press, and may have been told to stay away from other elected officials as well. Some employees have been instructed to stay away from Council meetings. Consultant contracts have been piece-mealed to avoid Council scrutiny. Elected officials were barred from attending a routine news conference a few weeks ago. Then Brown posted armed guards at a subsequent media event last week, not to protect him from a credible threat, but from the people's own representatives on County Council. His latest move, according to The Express Times, is to block email blasts that Controller Steve Barron sent to County employees last week. He has even removed a link that enables employees to report suspected fraud. .

Control freaks may do quite well in corporate America. But in government, they are called totalitarians.

I have obtained copies of Barron's emails, and they are published below, in two separate posts.

The Online Fraud Link

The first email makes workers aware of a new online fraud reporting tool, Employees can remain anonymous. This protects them from repercussions against whistle blowers. These tools are common in local government, and exist in numerous Pennsylvania counties. This email and the online fraud link were entirely appropriate and well within Barron's role as Controller.

Aside from Barron's own time, no taxpayer resources were used.

Barron received this email from the County's IT person, Al Jordan, who actually works for Xerox and not the County.
Mr. Barron,

At the request of the administration the link has been removed from the web page. If you wish to discuss this matter please contact Cathy Allen or John Brown.

Thank you,

Al
To date, neither Brown nor Allen has responded to a telephone call from Barron, asking them to explain what authority they have to interfere with the business of an independently elected official.

Barron's Friday Mass Email

Barron's second email to the workforce appears to be the result of the link removal. He assures workers that the online reporting tool still works, though it was removed from his web page. Then he goes on to discuss a personnel matter. In fact, it's the same one I discussed here on Friday. That's fine on a blog, but likely has no place in a Controller's email.

Barron also repeats his argument that OT is less frequent when positions are fully staffed. This matter was the subject of an audit, and relates directly to his function as Controller.

Brown blocked this email. In fact, Barron apparently can no longer use the county email to contact anyone other than employees within his own office.
Mr. Barron,

At the request of the administration you access to send email to distribution groups outside of your office is being removed.

Sincerely,

Albert B. Jordan Jr.
Account Manager
Americas Local Government
Xerox State & Local Solutions, Inc.
Brown's actions were improper. There is no question that, in removing the fraud link, Brown interfered with the actions of an independently elected official. He actively interfered in the Controller's job duties. As for the second email , Barron did get involved in matters unrelated to his function, Nevertheless, Brown has no right to interfere with an independently elected office.

If this is countenanced, it is only a matter of time before he begins to interfere with the District Attorney and the Courts.

I won't speak for the business world, but government operates best when it's transparent. You don't have that when you block communications by independently elected officials, or post armed guards outside of what you call media events. Over the years, I have at times been highly critical of Barron. But he is the Controller, not me or Brown. He has the right to run his office as he sees fit.

Brown has abused his power. .

As our own legislature has stated, "[S]ecrecy in public affairs undermines the faith of the public in government and the public's effectiveness in fulfilling its role in a democratic society."

I have posted the link to the online fraud reporting tool on my left sidebar.

58 comments:

Anonymous said...

Bernie, Thanks! People accuse you of being a lot of things. But these 3 posts on the Brown/Barron saga demonstrate your fairness. Keep up the good work. As much as I don't like either of the two gentlemen's politics, you were able to put that aside and present great pieces of reporting.

Anonymous said...

Yet where was that fairness when Stoffa was giving his pal sub $25,000 contracts to slip it by county council.

When Barron wanted to report on that you attacked him.

Anonymous said...

Brown is the WORST executive in history. And the WORST mayor in Bangor history.

At least he's consistent!

Anonymous said...

business world does not act like this either...

Anonymous said...

This is so upsetting.




Anonymous said...
Bernie, Thanks! People accuse you of being a lot of things. But these 3 posts on the Brown/Barron saga demonstrate your fairness. Keep up the good work.
3:30 AM
ditto

Anonymous said...

4;17 am you don`t know what you are talking about. You were told by Stoffa that Gracedale would never make money again and he was right and you never could admit he was right. Stop peddling your nonsense.

Anonymous said...

"Confidentiality" is the new buzz word sweeping local government. When we elect these so called real world business people, this is what the taxpayer gets. What you report on is not only happening in NORCO it is starting to gain root in many localities. Too bad the local press doesn't ask questions and demand information like you do.

Anonymous said...

Oh the humanity! Worst ever! Morale at an all time low! A disaster of biblical proportions! Human sacrifice! The dead rising from the grave! Dog and cats living together...mass hysteria

Get real. This a a petty pissing match between two egos. Both are in the wrong.

Anonymous said...

can we say delusional , sneaky and paranoid ...jb should get busy doing county business...instead of eye spy!

Anonymous said...

Everything and I mean everything is a state secret with Brown. I have repeatedly told the readers of this blog about this big issue with him for some time now. It is now self evident that the petulance and paranoia are his main reactions when challenged to come clean. He really has no idea how to govern and lead people under his elected position as executive. His handlers are calling the shots now and the push back is fueling his retreat from the public to his secured throne room. The guy is whack.

Bernie O'Hare said...

7:22, Morale is at its lowest level ever in Northampton County. As someone who has watched Execs come and go, that is what i see. You just don't like the truth being told. As for both being wrong, tell me what is wrong about an online tool for reporting fraud. That is very common in Controller offices. What is wring about informing the employee? Now the second email, to the extent that it discusses a new hire, is without question over the top. But the rest of the email is informative and is an effort by the Controller to make employees aware that the online fraud tool is still working, even though it has been removed from the web. It is entirely inappropriate for the Exec to interfere with an independent elected office.

Anonymous said...

This is not an abberation. This is who he is. What you see is what you get. What a BS job he did on those who voted for him..me included. Talks a great game but a lousy coach and team leader. He learned nothing while a football player at Bangor under Paul Farnan..who knew how to lead and get the very best from his team. Pathetic..

Anonymous said...

Jordan's e-mail to Barron is proof of who REALLY runs (and ruins) this administration. Not just Brown but his henchwoman Allen. Campos is the Director of Administration and under county policy has the authority of making decisions regarding IT privileges. As suspected, Campos is a figurehead only. The real authority is with his deputy, the head toadie of the Brown administration.

Anonymous said...

Could you imagine Brown pulling universal e-mail privileges from a council member, judge or DA? He does not have the nerve to do that. Pick on the chubby boy. Barron should have his solicitor file a lawsuit. Brown is abusing his power.

Anonymous said...

Actually..Bob Janus was the worst Mayor Bangor ever had..drug dealer!

Bernie O'Hare said...

Point taken.

Anonymous said...

hope bo finds another woman to beat up soon

Anonymous said...

I knew Mrs. Allen would reappear at some point.

Anonymous said...

@ 8:15 AM
Bob Janus was an awful mayor. He brought nation-wide shame to the area. But John Brown cost the town more money. The firing of police chief Kerrigan was illegal and Bangor had to pay him off!! John Brown cost the borough hundreds of thousands of $$$$!!! The lawsuits which will follow him will cost the county MILLIONS of $$$$$$$$$$!!!!

He must be investigated and forced to pay this money back himself.


Bob Janus was a petty crook. John Brown is a white collar criminal. His actions will haunt Bangor and Northampton county for a long time.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"But these 3 posts on the Brown/Barron saga demonstrate your fairness."

I certainly have been no fan of either Barron or McClure. I consider Barron a political Controller and I believe McClure has over-reached many times.

But Brown is making both of them look good.

And it does not matter what i think of either of them. Barron IS the Controller. He is an independently elected official. Brown is actually interfering with that office. I am uncertain whether this rises to the level of something that requires or even permits judicial relief. But the matter needs to be researched. Brown's decision is a shot across the bow of other independently elected offices, including the Courts, Council and the DA.

I am also disturbed to see the Sheriff's office perverted to act as his doormen in the absence of a credible threat.

Anonymous said...

John brown is reportedly holding a brown bag lunch at gracedale on 10/31 at 11am. I wonder if he will bring the sheriff department?

Bernie O'Hare said...

Since he's unwilling to negotiate his health plan changes, what is the point of the brown bag lunch? I would not break bread with a person who is actively out to hurt me.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Tell him to brown bag with Justus James.

Anonymous said...

One of Brownie's phony "have lunch with me while I stab you in the back" events on Halloween? Perfect! He should dress up as Ebeneezer Scrooge in full Victorian attire. His toadie Allen could dress as Marie Antoinette. And his cabinet as the minions from "Despicable Me." All under the watchful eyes of armed deputies posted at the doors.

Anonymous said...

What is Brown's business experience your refer to?

Anonymous said...

Justus should love brownies brown eye with the tenderness he displays towards his union comrades

Anonymous said...

The county outsourced their IT functions? That place is a mess.

Anonymous said...

Stop with the Kerrigan stuff. Council fired him by an 8-0 vote. He was paid what was owed him and nothing more. No hush money was paid. Face it Glenn..you blew it! Brown did something right in Bangor and so did the council.

Anonymous said...

someone help us!

Anonymous said...

8 clueless people, including the disgraced Cathy Allen and probably you. If it wasn't hush money, please tell us how much it was? If you are proud of this, tell us what it cost the town. And the same group who allowed dumping contaminated dirt on borough property. how much did brown pocket from that?

Anonymous said...

This points out one of the fundamental flaws in the age old conservative mantra that government should be run more like a business. Representative democracy is almost by definition inefficient, especially by normal business standards. Because they are such different enterprises you cannot simply lift principals and practices from one sector and impose them on the other. This is especially true when access to capital (ie taxes) is off limits. Government is starving itself, then gets criticized for inefficiency, then voters who buy into the myths elect businessmen who are clueless about government to fix it. We are then left with this type of mess to clean up.

Anonymous said...

Barron should crash the brown bag lunch.

Bernie O'Hare said...

An anonoymous comment at 10:38 was deleted bc the poster left a large empty gap after his or her comment. I am reposting it.:

"john brown is out of control and should be stopped in his tracks ..who are the proper entity's to report this abuse of power ? it's just not right what is he trying prove anyway ? he scares the daylights out of me and he makes sure to get the word out to certain employees not to attend any council meetings so there are some us in fear of our jobs"

Bernie O'Hare said...

"Barron should crash the brown bag lunch"

I am quite serious when I say that employees need to boycott these phony lunches. You don't break bread with a man who is sticking a knife in your back. No one should attend that lunch, union or non-union.

Anonymous said...

Can we say "impeach" the nut job! Whoever heard of armed guards at an open council meeting? Did the guards have orders to "shoot first and ask questions later?" He has NO right to do what he is doing, playing with employees lives. Bring morale back to Northampton County, GET HIM OUT! HE IS A NUT JOB !!!!!

Anonymous said...

If no one shows up then he will cry that he tried to Talk to us but we wouldn't listen and he is the poor heavily guarded victim.

Anonymous said...

"business world does not act like this either..."

Yes it does.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

"What is Brown's business experience your refer to?"



Brown claims to be a business consultant.

Translation; he is an unemployed Republican.

Anonymous said...

Should have voted for Callahan. It surely would have been better!!

Anonymous said...

Stoffa never demonized employees at Gracedale. That is a lie. He simply pointed out the fact that the wages, pensions and benefit costs far exceed those of private and non-profit nursing homes. As a result Gracedale continues to run massive deficits as he accurately predicted it would. Nursing homes are not required core functions of county government so please don't compare it to the courts or correction officers which have no private sector competition. Had Gracedale been sold or leased, the county would not be in its current financial position. One reasons Brown's healthcare proposal is necessary is to reign in benefit costs at Gracedale in order to make it financially viable again.

Anonymous said...

LOL thank you

Anonymous said...

It is ludicrous to claim that Stoffa demonized county employees. His entire career was in public service. He always respected his employees, from janitors to department directors. Gracedale had become a huge financial burden and it was predicted that it would continue to require massive county subsidy. Half of the state's counties had sold their nursing homes, or were considering it. It was the smart move for the county then, and it would be today. The money saved would have prevented a tax hike for years to come, and help support core county services. The county executive and council are being dishonest with voters. They approved the referendum to keep the white elephant Gracedale, and they should have to pay for it. So raise taxes by a mil to cover the costs of running the place.

Anonymous said...

I dont think the other county employees received nice money so they did not care about Gracedale. The voters voted to keep Gracedale and thus fund it. I know that was my vote. I think the care residents receive there is better than most private homes. So please dont play Brown's game of pitting us against each other.

Anonymous said...

Don't worry about attending the lunch. He does not eat with you. He comes in and tells you that he has worked with other employees(no one believed it) to ID where the county is leaking money. Then he will let you know that you are the leaky seal and he has to fix that. He even has 2 unknown note takers. For what who knows cause he did not answer any questions and we know our ideas were dismissed.

Bernie O'Hare said...

The comment at 3:09, a mixture of personal attacks and outright lies, has been deleted.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"If no one shows up then he will cry that he tried to Talk to us but we wouldn't listen and he is the poor heavily guarded victim."

It's pretty clear he has no intention of listening to you.

Anonymous said...

Brown has a legal obligation to bargain with the unions that represent the union employees. The brown bag lunches are an attempt to undermine this process. Employees who are nonunion may feel pressure to attend, but represented employees should not attend.

Anonymous said...

Barron did attend the HS brown bag and did speak up about the ACA laws. Also his 2 note takers at that brown bag were Sahl communications employees. Who needs PR people at a supposed informal brown bag lunch with your employees????

Anonymous said...

The concept of "brown bag" lunch is offensive. The suits like to use it to show that they are one with the unwashed masses. It's all a scheme to make it seem that they care while they use it to figure out who is gullible and who isn't

Anonymous said...

If I was the Controller, I would ask the District Attorney to file criminal charges against John Brown and/or Cathy Allen for either/both of the following:

§ 4703. Retaliation for past official action. A person commits a misdemeanor of the second degree if he harms another by any unlawful act in retaliation for anything lawfully done by the latter in the capacity of public servant.

or

§ 5101. Obstructing administration of law or other governmental function. A person commits a misdemeanor of the second degree if he intentionally obstructs, impairs or perverts the administration of law or other governmental function by force, violence, physical interference or obstacle, breach of official duty, or any other unlawful act, except that this section does not apply to flight by a person charged with crime, refusal to submit to arrest, failure to perform a legal duty other than an official duty, or any other means of avoiding compliance with law without affirmative interference with governmental functions.


Bernie O'Hare said...

There are new developments. I'll be posting at midnight.

Anonymous said...

4:19..Very close to the mark. Very astute observations. Can't really argue with what you say. There appears to be no give in this administration towards the work force. That could be a fatal error for Brown. His rigid stances are not conducive to good government. He never had to play the game as a powerless mayor in a small town. Whoever is advising him is way out there on the right somewhere. He envisions himself as a monarch right now. Ruling by fiat is easy but not in a democracy. This is still America and there are consequences.

Anonymous said...

Good Question. What has this man done in the past? What businesses has he worked for? And what did he do in those positions?

Anonymous said...

He already told us that his decisions have been made regarding rapping us of out medical benefits, any hope for any raises and also plans are in place to reduce all paid time off. He blamed the county employees of the countys money problems and said all decisions have been made. I think all gracedale staff should go and just give him Hell for an hour. He has no interest in changing anything but just scream at him for a while. Itmight improve morale or at least get some anger out! Brown hates all employees. We are of no value to him what so ever.

Anonymous said...

This should not be done on the backs of the employees. Find another way! This is killing us all! We are pinned as the reason of the countys fiscal problems and we are being punished unjustly!

Anonymous said...

AGREED! if gracedale is "the leak" and the majority of Northampton County voters voted to keep it then taxes which have not been increased in over 10 years should be raised. The money has to come from somewhere...why should the county staff be h3ld accountable for the county's electorate and vast fiscal issues? Stop hurting us!!

Pennsylvania Dutchie said...

Only for the past 30+ years.