Had this man been elected County Executive, there would have been a Budget that actually makes sense, and it would have included the tax hike that should have been imposed two years ago. Instead of hiring consultants to tell him what to do, he would have relied on the people who actually work for the County to come up with ideas.
I saw him speaking, one on one, with some of the twenty or so people who came to complain about this project. And though they still complained, it was not as loud. Though they still had concerns, they were willing to listen.
That's what a leader can do.
During a break, I couldn't help but speak to him. I was ready to talk politics, but he talked about his son, who played outside linebacker and wide receiver this year for Freedom High School. The Patriots were 11-0 until being bitten by Easton's Red Rovers.
You mean he is no longer an arrogant and conceited ass. Nothing like losing a sure thing to teach the boy some humility?
ReplyDeleteI think an Executive who walks away from a question, as Brown did, demonstrates arrogance and conceit. So does an Eexutive who abuses taxpayer funds to give himself a pat on the back over a food drive and who incorrectly bashes prior administrations. That is also unprofessional.
ReplyDeleteThe voters of Norco are learning a harsh lesson. JB was elected because it was a rainly day. Now we will have 4 years of rainy days with no rainy day fund.
ReplyDeleteHad he been elected executive, ther would likely be indictments by now. Brown is no peach, but let's not rewrite history. The guy was an ethical mess. He makes Reibman look like a choir boy.
ReplyDeleteHe's doing a HORRIBLE job over at northampton county.
ReplyDeleteall i hear are horror stories about the exec...
Brown is one big horror story. He is bad news for anyone living in NC. He's a rotten mistake.
DeleteOne thing about John Callahan, he has learned from both his electoral defeats, and they have made him a better person. (and in both cases, he is better off for having lost those elections.)
ReplyDeleteI saw him a few weeks ago, and he was happy and relaxed. He said he does not miss being mayor, and loves his new job. I asked him about the county and city, but all he wanted to talk about was his kids. One is at Cornell cheerleading, one is doing great in football, the other is getting ready for wrestling.
That's the difference between someone from Bethlehem and some yahoo from Bangor.
ReplyDelete"Had he been elected executive, ther would likely be indictments by now."
ReplyDeleteSo says an anonymous coward. The fact is Callahan knows what he is doing and surrounds himself with people who also know what they are doing.Brown does not know what he's doing, has surrounded himself eith people who know nothing, and I would not rule out a grand jury in his future. there has been evidence of using public money for political purposes. So far, it is de minimis, but there is actually real evidence against Brown v. rumors against Callahan.
"One is at Cornell cheerleading, one is doing great in football, the other is getting ready for wrestling."
ReplyDeleteThose are likely his greatest accomplishments. He has done many things in Bethlehem, but a man who can successfully raise three children is a true success.
6:07 what do you think he would be indicted for? Can you name a few things? Not rumors but facts.
ReplyDeleteJust curious what your facts are. Love or hate him......he got A LOT done.
There are no facts. Just rumors. I don't want them repeated here.
ReplyDeleteI dont know where all this talk of indictment comes from. He served for 16 yrs in Bethlehem {6 on council and 10 as Mayor} during a period of enormous expansion and growth. No indictment or hint of indictment. Billions of dollars of new investment including a casino and no scandal. In most communities where gaming is introduced someone goes to prison, in Bethlehem is could not have gone smoother.
ReplyDeleteDon't confuse confidence with arrogance. Sometimes they look the same, but he is actually a good listener and pretty humble BUT he has plenty to be confident about and I had confidence in him. He lead the city through a some tough times and a great deal of change. Nobody is perfect but he undeniably did a good job as mayor.
Bernie,
ReplyDeleteAnd you said, ""Remember John Callahan?"
13 Comments - Show Original Post
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1 – 13 of 13
Anonymous said...
You mean he is no longer an arrogant and conceited ass. Nothing like losing a sure thing to teach the boy some humility?
12:59 AM
Bernie O'Hare said...
I think an Executive who walks away from a question, as Brown did, demonstrates arrogance and conceit. So does an Eexutive who abuses taxpayer funds to give himself a pat on the back over a food drive and who incorrectly bashes prior administrations. That is also unprofessional.
1:12 AM
Anonymous said...
The voters of Norco are learning a harsh lesson. JB was elected because it was a rainly day. Now we will have 4 years of rainy days with no rainy day fund.
5:09 AM
Anonymous said...
Had he been elected executive, ther would likely be indictments by now. Brown is no peach, but let's not rewrite history. The guy was an ethical mess. He makes Reibman look like a choir boy.
6:07 AM
Anonymous said...
no he is still an arrogant and conceited ass. bo is the only person (and I use that word lightly) that would try to make him a hero . got to suck up for a future comeback
7:39 AM
Anonymous said...
He's doing a HORRIBLE job over at northampton county.
all i hear are horror stories about the exec...
7:52 AM
Anonymous said...
One thing about John Callahan, he has learned from both his electoral defeats, and they have made him a better person. (and in both cases, he is better off for having lost those elections.)
I saw him a few weeks ago, and he was happy and relaxed. He said he does not miss being mayor, and loves his new job. I asked him about the county and city, but all he wanted to talk about was his kids. One is at Cornell cheerleading, one is doing great in football, the other is getting ready for wrestling.
8:39 AM
Anonymous said...
That's the difference between someone from Bethlehem and some yahoo from Bangor.
8:45 AM
Bernie O'Hare said...
"Had he been elected executive, ther would likely be indictments by now."
So says an anonymous coward. The fact is Callahan knows what he is doing and surrounds himself with people who also know what they are doing.Brown does not know what he's doing, has surrounded himself eith people who know nothing, and I would not rule out a grand jury in his future. there has been evidence of using public money for political purposes. So far, it is de minimis, but there is actually real evidence against Brown v. rumors against Callahan.
10:58 AM
Bernie O'Hare said...
"One is at Cornell cheerleading, one is doing great in football, the other is getting ready for wrestling."
Those are likely his greatest accomplishments. He has done many things in Bethlehem, but a man who can successfully raise three children is a true success."
I totally agree with you!!! Callahan was a great Mayor, and I truly believe things would have been so much different had Callahan been elected. Brown ... well, I have no words for him. But I do agree with you that it says a lot about Mr. Callahans character if he succesfully raised three good children, especially in todays world.
He and his wife should be proud of his children and raising them well, but his budgets in Bethlehem were a mess.
ReplyDelete2:06 Callahan REDUCED the city debt by $90 million from when he started, but still found ways to invest in great things like Greenway, Hoover Mason tressel, skatepark, visitor center, Steelstacks LVIP 7 etc, brought in the casino for BIG tax dollars and jobs and by the way when it comes to budgets left the city with over a $1million surplus and 3 straight balanced budgets. Not exactly a mess.
ReplyDeleteI liked when he had to borrow to meet city payroll and when he covered up a wrecked police car because of a family member's involvement. I read about it on this blog.
ReplyDeleteThis blog is like those who expound on the healthiness of coffee and butter and wine- it's bad; no, it's good; no, it's bad; no, it's good .....
Brown isn't as bad as Callahan on Callahan's sleaziest day. Read it and laugh out loud:
http://lehighvalleyramblings.blogspot.com/2010/07/callahan-cover-up.html
http://lehighvalleyramblings.blogspot.com/2012/01/callahan-dips-into-escrow-without.html
I changed my position on Callahan because, after exhaustive scrutiny, there was no evidence of a cover up and bc he is reacted to the criticism of his fiscal stewardship.
ReplyDeleteRead the commet at 4:10. He made mistakes, but learned from them and will go down as one of Bethlehem's great Mayors.
ReplyDeleteBO I agree. He did a great job for the City and Shit got done!
ReplyDeleteanon 4:10 actually that stuff was done by arsquest, Sands and the RDA not Callahan. The guy was an ethical oil slick.
ReplyDeleteAsk Artsquest and RDA. Bethlehem is fortunate to have had three very gifted people who worked well together - Callahan, Jeff Parks and Tony Hanna.
ReplyDeleteFHS was not 11 -0.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, but you got me. FHS had ten wins and two losses, both to Easton.
ReplyDeleteIts funny that despite the fact that John no longer holds public office, his opponents still want to keep their marketing message on John going, just in case. Give it a rest and please don't let the facts gets in the way of a good rumor or the republican campaign bullet points. The facts are the guy is confident, not arrogant. He's been married for over 20 years and he and Mafalda have done a great job isolating their kids from the madness and raised them to be just genuine and wonderful people.
ReplyDeleteYes their daughter cheers for Cornell and she's a straight A student. Their son is going to play football next year for Amherst College, the 2nd best liberal arts school in the Country. Freedom had 3 loses - 2 to Freedom and 1 to Parkland. However, the real story here is that a group of great boys and coaches turned around an entire program in one summer through leadership, hard work, and sheer determination. Their son was a Captain of that team and a leader in and out of the class room. Finally, their youngest child does wrestle, I believe he was the District champ in 8th grade. He's also a gifted baseball player and an exceptional student with an incredibly bright future.
So you can go on and on and hang onto those rumors or you can look at the facts. He was a great mayor, father and husband. If you bother to spend ant time with the guy, you'll find him to be smart, genuine, and confident - great traits for a leader. As one of their best friends, I can say that its been a wild ride - this crew has had a tremendous impact on my family. I'm sad he's out of politics because he did a wonderful job but happy for him and his family - so leave the guy alone. The people that know them, know better :)
On the basis of the job John did with his children, he is an unqualified success. Everything else is bullshit. When you look at the attacks and see that they are anonymous, that tells me something.
ReplyDelete