In June, Northampton County Council voted 6-3 to table a $319,970 handout to wealth management specialist and real estate flipper Michael Glovas in exchange for a "conservation easement" on the 72 acres surrounding his palatial estate at 590 Browns Drive in Williams Township. Except for the area around the mansion, an appraisal makes clear that the tract can never be developed. It is too full of boulders and steep slopes to permit basements or septic system without cost prohibitive measures.
At their meeting on July 8, Williams Township's Board of Supervisors voted unanimously in support of Vince Foglia's motion to direct their Solicitor to prepare a resolution withdrawing any financial commitment to the project. While that does not mean it's going to happen, it will be discussed. Supervisors seem concerned that the process being used, which does not include the Township's Planning Commission is wrong.
"We don't have to spend taxpayer money on scrap land, when we can spend it on farmland, which is most amenable to development in the immediate future," argued Foglia.
Land Preservation Board Chair Robert Schmidt, was visibly irate during the meeting. He derided Foglia for relying on an "Internet blog." He also told Foglia to "read the Supreme Court's report on Bernie O'Hare's disbarment proceedings."
I think that's already required reading in every grade school.
"Does that make his article in the newspaper false?" asked Foglia.
Schmidt had no reply. He instead demanded an apology from Foglia for calling his Board corrupt on this blog, a charge that Foglia vigorously and effectively refuted.
A review of the blogs concerning the Glovas handout demonstrates that Foglia at no time called any of them corrupt. But I have criticized their self-dealing in preserving their own properties, and stand by what I wrote.
Bernie - you are the one, in my opinion, who has as much as implied that the preservation board is corrupt. I don't know about any of the contributors. I assume you have reliable sources or firsthand knowledge, since you stand by the story.
ReplyDeleteThe Planning Commission really shouldn't need to be involved, if there is a dedicated land preservation board. On the other hand, if the LPB can't be trusted, passing a non-farmland preservation project past the Planning Commission may be a good thing.
I've read your disbarment proceedings, and I have no idea what the hell that has to do with anything. Schmidt may be hanging out with Mezzacappa or have read her blog, when she had one.
They have pretty much had their own properties preserved and have acted in a self-interested way. i stand by my words.
ReplyDeleteSteep slopes and boulders...septic systems that can't be built because they're cost prohibitive. Yet, Heindel and Schmidt and that crew want to spend tax dollars to preserve this land. What the???
ReplyDeleteCan someone PLEASE explain this? How on earth are these people able to continue this scam????
Thank you again Bernie (and Vince Foglia) for the continued efforts on this topic. The Open Space program has proven itself to be nothing but a continued source of slush funds for targeted individuals - all on the back of honest tax-paying residents.
ReplyDeleteGlad again that the residents of Williams were smart enough to stop the continued collection of this tax to begin to end this nonsense.
@3:27PM Open space preservation is a very successful program in Northampton County, and Lehigh County.
ReplyDeletePreserving farmland and preserving steep slopes and sensitive areas are two different topics - but both funded locally by an EIT and at the county level through a partnership. If Williams Twp has no farmland left to preserve, then maybe it doesn't need an EIT or the partnership.
Farms are chosen for preservation by the COUNTY, not the TOWN. So Williams tossed the baby out with the bathwater, if the motivation for voting out the EIT was corruption connected with preserving sensitive areas.
To 5:07: The residents of Williams Township voted to discontinue the collection of the EIT. However, things can still be preserved because there's $2M still left in the coffers. There could be some viable properties left to preserve, but those landowners have not come forward yet. So, I don't think they tossed the baby out with the bathwater.
ReplyDeleteClearly, the Glovas property is a silly thing to preserve. I've watched the township podcast where a few land preservation board members argue why it makes sense, but all I heard was words - nothing that made sense at all.
The 'significance' of EIT is the insignificance. It is a vehicle that should be used for early warning of non-compliance of other issues ,like code and who is occupying a WORTHWHILE venue of preservation from scumbags.. The amount does not have to a lot . Look at Easton --All the criminal element that commit felonies here have one thing for sure in common -they don't register here or render any of their income ,ANYMORE than them having a gun permit for the heat they carry..They have cars and big screens and smokes and drugs to buy .... then they want a public defender. Horse crap!--EIT is a way to flush them out if used properly for the nice taxpayers that pay the bills.
ReplyDeleteI will now declare my candidacy for Easton City Council -next cycle toward my retirement date that I will set shortly- from my employment of our the fire dept. My platform will be --How Lafayette College settles property taxes before they purchase,meaning no transfer tax and how they don't 'PAY THE FREIGHT' for fire and police protection that is of coarse shifted to the tax payers .They do not pay school taxes that are worth much and do not educate nearly anyone from this local venue, no minorities or scholars percentage wise.--- Horse crap! Also another big issue is- out of state tags in the Housing Authority, and how can one afford a luxury automobile $35,000 living on the tax payer ?I will be coming after the management on 4th street because they have proved to me-that the DIRECTOR HIMSELF did not see me when I had a discernible issue as Constable -SO SOME WAS SHOT from that THAT ISSUE and Easton Neston takes a hit on public relations along with my Mayor on this. Director is deemed complacent by me and others, and needs to be replaced. Otherwise they are all very comfortable in their salary level for what they do . Oh ya!! I'm going to run .Peter J.Cochran.
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