Brown and Donaher are the architects of a private meeting scheduled today at 10:30 am in Conference Room #3 of the Human Services Building. From what I can put together, and I obviously don't have all the details, it appears to be an attempt to bring in another consultant.
I plan to be there though someone has already been told it is a "private" meeting..
The ostensible purpose of this mega meeting is to determine how the County's various authorities and boards can streamline their functions and operate more efficiently. Of course, this involves hiring yet another consultant, National Development Council.
Because there will be quorums of different authorities and deliberations concerning the official action of hiring a consultant, this may very well be a violation of Pennsylvania's Sunshine Act.
Also present at this meeting will be representatives of Norris McLaughlin and Marcus from the land of NIZ. That firm is already featured quite prominently in Allentown's pay-to-play investigation. I'm sure one way to streamline things in Northampton County is to make sure someone from that firm represents every County authority.
As Judge Damon Keith has so eloquently stated, "Democracy dies behind closed doors."
Updated 10:10 AM: Secret Meeting Canceled! - I've just been informed that the super secret meeting of all those authorities, along with the NIZ law firm, has been canceled. Here's the message I received. "Meeting at Human Services cancelled after question sent to Econ Dev office regarding advertised properly and how many council members would attend....clearly cancelled due to violation of sunshine act and council concerns on subject matter...FYI."
(Story originally published at midnight.)
20 comments:
Follow the money. Whatever voice-over artist Donaher and Brownie are cooking up will involve sole-source consultants with crony ties to this administration. There will be quid pro quos if not actual kickbacks to Brown and his horde of high priced administrators. Keep on this shady deal, Bernie.
I will be there, to be sure. Don't know if I will be escorted out or not. But I feel the public has a right to be there. In fact, I think they should advertise this meeting and open it up.
If the4 meeting is not on the first floor you won't be allowed to attend. You can only go above the first floor with a special pass. No one else is allowed by order of the past and present Administrations.
I perused their website. It appears to me st first glance one of their main functions is to set up private public partnerships for what passed fir urban renewal nowadays. After what happened in Allentown,, I don't trust the whole deal. Hes,saying the meeting is to promote government efficiency but I don't buy it. After the disaster thst is the JB Reilly Improvement Zone, I am leery of any group thst does this kind of thing.
Thanks for all you fo, Bernie.
3:49 "mainstream media" - are you nuts? This is a frickin' blog! The Stoffa consultant was Ken Mohr who assisted with several complex construction projects including the Wayne Grube Park, restoration of the old courthouse and the Human Services building. His fees were very reasonable and he was accountable for every hour. The consultants Brown has hired have basically been PR to promote his image and to do work his upper level staff should be doing. There is NO accountability and the consultants seem to be selected based on some secret relationship they have with Brown or his minions. Stop your Stoffa hating and go back to bed. You are comparing apples (Stoffa) to onions (Brown).
3:39 needs to grow up. Spend less time pasting labels and more time investigating verifiable facts. Tell the whole story. And lose that chip on your shoulder - we're tired of hearin about your whines of yesterday.
Keep sniffing Bernie. Trouble also brewing at 911 Center. Rumor here is Mateff's replacement quit before he started. That's what happenes when you go to Utah or Colorado to hire someone.
I deleted 3:39.
There was at least one excellent internal candidate for Mateff's replacement at 911. Did he turn a promotion down? Is that why Brown conducted a national search? If 9:33 is correct, this is another Brown appointee that has blown up in his face. The HR director from SC was a disaster. This would be laughable if not also a sad indictment of Brown's lame leadership and dysfunctional administration.
I heard it was a presentation...... for those of you without a clue what the National Development Council is here you go. THEY ARE A NON PROFIT THAT HELPS COMMUNITIES. Wow, sorry. Political Witch hunt over. Move along to your next crazy topic.
The National Development Council is the oldest national non-profit community and economic development organizations in the U.S. It was founded in 1969 with one purpose: increasing the flow of capital for investment, jobs and community development to under served urban and rural areas across the country. Since that time, NDC has worked with thousands of communities in every one of the 50 states and Puerto Rico, providing technical assistance, professional training, investment in affordable housing, small business financing and direct developer services. Our work has taken many forms, but we have kept pace with the needs of our constituents, adding new programs and services or updating old ones.
NDC has:
Raised over $450 million in equity from private investors that has been invested in affordable housing and historic preservation projects, leveraging an additional $500 million of private sector investments.
Developed and financed over $2.0 billion in tax-exempt bond financed projects that have included affordable housing, public office buildings, historic structures, education, recreation transportation and non-profit facilities.
Trained more than 60,000 practitioners in the art and science of economic and housing development finance through local training programs and a biennial NDC Training Academy.
Loaned more than $161 million to over 468 small businesses (of which 49 percent are minority or women-owned businesses), creating and retaining nearly 13,000 permanent jobs and increasing investment in many underserved neighborhoods.
Financed 87 projects using New Markets Tax Credits (NMTCs), leveraging an additional $1.7 billion in financing for public facilities, mixed-use real estate projects and growing businesses
And through Technical Assistance, our client communities have generated hundreds of millions of dollars of additional private and public investment for their community and economic development projects and programs.
NDC’s staff of former bankers, developers, entrepreneurs, community and economic development officials and government agency lenders understands the needs and concerns of both the private and public sectors, so we help our client communities bridge the differences.
Like private investment bankers, we match the best sources of capital with project needs. But we do it for Main Street, not Wall Street
Like private developers, we organize all that’s needed to build high quality projects, efficiently and at the lowest possible cost, and then we build them. But we do it for public and community benefit.
Like private lenders, we provide SBA-backed credit for small businesses. But we lend for community development purposes
In my original story, I link to NDC and what it does. You seem to think that because it is a nonprofit with an altruistic mission, that's a basis for forgiving government behind closed doors. I don't. Since they were going to operate behind closed doors, and had already told some people they were not welsome, I question what was really going to happen in this presentation. Streamline all authorities by hiringf NDC as a consultant? Would NDC then have a monopoly on funding sources and rates? Would only certain people in this streamlined systerm be able to benefit. Is there any reason why the FBI-listed law firm of Norris McLaughlin just happens to be the only law firm that was going to be there? The same firm that just happens to represent LVEDC? And almost all the NIZ entities? That firm is a walking, talking conflict of interest and the County, if it had any integrity, would kick it off every board and authority. Yet it was the only firm, that would be present at this secret meeting. Hmmm. Did that firm advise there would be no Sunshine Act violation?
That firm is seeking a monopoly on lenders, government agencies and clients. That's part of the streamlining.
This meeting weas actually originally scheduled for election day by Donaher. Had it gone off, no one would be any the wiser bc I did not know then.
But there is no doubt in my mind that this was a blatant Sunshine Act violation, and the meeting needed to be canceled bc Donaher and her pals were caught.
Again.
O'Hare hates Norris McLaughlin b/c it refuses to pay disbarred loonies off the books. NEXT
It doesn't take government behind closed doors to approve bids that are 30% higher in order to gain votes for re-election. Closed doors; open doors; it's all a kabuki dance and taxpayers are left holding the bag.
Yet the more open and transparent, the less likely it is that you will see this kind of chicanery. The face that open gvernment still makes mistakes is not justification for breaking laws designed to instill public confidence in government,
12:01 is obviously Tricia Mezzacappa, who once again appears to be off her meds. Pay the judgment, Tricia. I am earning 6% interest on a $67,400 award and every day you delay just means more money for me. In addition, your mother is going to be assessed now, too. I undertand she has a half million trust set up, naming you as one of the remaindermen. Every second you delay means more money for us.
OOPSY! Time for another Brown "do-over"! They tried to secretly change the hotel tax grant approval process and were exposed. Now this blow-up. They truly earn the "Clown Administration" nickname.
Worst executive Ever!!
Dear apologist and revisionist historian. Then why have multiple contract set at a rate that does not need county council approval? This is in fact the work of a MSM type operation. Screaming about transparency and openness, while hiding and censoring any real information of the past administration and ho wit influences todays problems.
Remember the tax increase, the over budget Human Services' and many of the issues Mr. Brown ahs to fix were inherited by him due to an incompetent administration that was more interested in high salaries and helping friends than governing.
The National Development Council was also one of the companies trying to bid on Allentown's water and sewer system a few years ago. They couldn't get their operator in the deal, Veolia, to cooperate with them. NDC is a nonprofit which means they have access to the nontaxable finance market to purchase things like nursing homes or build prisons. Just because they are a nonprofit, doesn't mean they are out to "help people." Veolia realized these guys were clowns and walked away. Northampton County should do the same.
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