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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Thursday, February 16, 2017

Brown to Seek Re-Election in NorCo

Calling himself a "proven reformer," and claiming to have eliminated all deficit spending, Executive John Brown has released a statement indicating he plans to seek re-election in Northampton County. "Working together we have overcome deep financial challenges and I am excited about the positive results accomplished over the past three years,” Brown said. “While we have made great strides, I know our county can do even better. I will work to continue what we started by seeking to strengthen, bolster and reform our county’s services to ensure they are both more effective and cost efficient.” He also claims to have tripled the County's reserves.

He takes credit for making Gracedale, the county nursing home, profitable once again. It has gone from a $6.7 million taxpayer operating loss to profitability. A month ago, he reported that the facility made a $800,000 profit in 2016. Two weeks ago, he trimmed that down to $200,000.

He also takes credit for improving the quality of care there, noting there have been no deficiencies at the facility found by the PA Department of Health over the past two years. He claims the facility is now rated by Medicare as a four-star nursing home.

In addition, he claims he is doing something about the county's infrastructure. He is spending $37 million over the next five years on a PennDOT endorsed bridge bundling project that will repair and replace thirty-three (33) of the county’s bridges over the next four years. He said this will save taxpayers 20%-30%.

As for his claim to have eliminated all deficit spending, that's simply untrue. His most recent budget dipped into reserves to the tune of about $8.2 million to balance the budget. That's called deficit spending, and it ultimately leads to tax hikes.

As far as returning Gracedale to profitability, he went from a $800,000 profit to a $200,000 profit in the span of two weeks. And he himself acknowledged that the main reason for this reversal was the injection of $2.4 million of federal funds into the facility under a revived program that allows public nursing homes to pool their money and seek matching grants. Without it, Gracedale would be operating at a loss.

Also his claim that Gracedale is now a four-star facility is also untrue. According To Medicare, Gracedale is a three-star facility. And when it comes to "quality measures," which measures how well the nursing home is doing in caring for resident needs, the nursing home gets just one star, which is "much below average." In fact, this is one reason why Peter Melan decided to run for NorCo Council.

Brown's claim about the absence of deficiencies at Gracedale is also untrue. In September, the nursing was cited for failing to act properly when a resident threatened suicide, which resulted in a suicide attempt.

In essence, it appears that his re-election announcement, which he failed to deliver in person to a group that might have questions, is replete with misinformation.

You'll notice no claim to transparency. This is a guy who posted armed guards outside his office during a news conference,and who crated a new county website that advertised Lehigh County businesses.

Brown graduated from Bangor High School and has an undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame. He and his wife, Tina, live in Northampton County and have a son, Zachary. He fails to describe where he worked in the private sector.

Brown is opposed in this race by Bethlehem Attorney Lamont McClure, who served on NorCo Council for ten years. He issued a statement of his own. "The Brown Admin. is itself a prime example of waste, fraud and abuse. Instead of fighting it, John Brown practiced corruption, cronyism and callousness. Brown's illegal budgets, misuse of taxpayer money for political purpose and unlawful taking of meals and mileage reimbursement to which he and Ms. Allen were not entitled, is the sad legacy of the Brown Admin."

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

John Callahan should run against him. This time he would win!

This Democrat voted for John Brown...Never Again!

Anonymous said...

This guy is like Trump... I did bigly good vote for me again. Maybe the press release was alternative facts.

Anonymous said...

Not McClure. He's even worse

Anonymous said...

JC won't run. He's making good money with a lot less hassles

Anonymous said...

I'm voting for Brown. He has all the right enemies.

Anonymous said...

This entire press release is lies. Do you think the newspapers that run this will have a correction column next to it so we can see the lies one by one

Bernie O'Hare said...

In case you haven't noticed, The Express Times just publishes news releases with no independent inquiry. The paper has not even been to a council meeting in over six months.

Anonymous said...

Its easy for him to say he saved the county money when you balance the budget on the backs of the county's workforce. He increased their healthcare cost and has given no step raises except to a few special people. A 2% raise this year amounts to a slap in their faces not to mention it doesn't even cover the cost of living increase. He's totally about himself and has no care about the county's well being. It's obvious he's all about himself and his buddies ( Katy Allen ). I'd rather have someone that cares about the county's well being instead of himself. Vote No !

Anonymous said...

Its no secret to anyone that your inflated and fragile ego (with unknown orgin) took a huge blow when Brown became exec 3 yrs ago. Your Stoffa era courthouse perks were immediately removed, and you were remanded to the seat of common Joe whose access to all info Norco had to follow the same chain of command of all others.

For 3 years you have been on a sabotage campaign against Brown, and have employed the very well known "the enemy of my enemy is now my friend" tactic that shows how shallow and hypocritical and pathetic you are. A union hater turned union lover, , a Controller hater turned Controller lover, on and on....

Of course your hatred is always based on sheer emotion that lacks any reality, and depends on how you are shunned and by whom. Hair razor thin-skinned reactions to any perceived slight from anyone draws an outrage from you that turns into a never ending obsessive/ compulsive slander brigade ....we get it..

Go home to mommy

Anonymous said...

Bernie,
Was his part in the mayhem committed after other henious criminal circus carnival acts committed and ommitted by itZ party fovors in collaboration with NC and LC? How quickly we all forget the grooming of the innocent indigent ones!

Anonymous said...

Let me guess now...you will be all chummy with LaMont, now that he runs against brown....will you be deleting all of your hate filled, enraged slander that you wrote about LaMont during the Gracedale crisis?

You and your sidekick Ronny had it in for LaMont before, during and after the Gracedale vote, so I'll be interested how you perform your 180 turn to being a bootlicker for the opposition.

You may want to think twice about how much slobber and drool you emit during this cycle, b/c as always your endorsements are political suicides...even for good candidates.

Anonymous said...

"You and your sidekick Ronny had it in for LaMont before"

Would that be Ron "the madman" Angle? Please don't tell me he is back in the political picture. Oh God first Trump and now Angle. God would not be that cruel.

Anonymous said...

Brown is a good man and he will win by 5-10%. You can take it to the bank. The Dem's are all talk and no bite. Go put on a hat and protest.

Anonymous said...

He is wasting money when his high paid HR Director and other high paid employees are riding her hover board during work hours in the building. Doesn't that break a safety policy? How can she enforce policies when she breaks them? Brown is really doing a great job of watching over taxpayer's money. Not getting my vote!!!

Peter J.Cochran said...

I think Bernie, that another candidate will surface shortly . Remember I other predictions .

Anonymous said...

We Will Welcome Home the Emperor Ron Angle.... Hail to the Emperor!

Anonymous said...

John Callahan where are you? Please run again. We need someone with backbone.

Anonymous said...

Joe Kelly. It's your time. You should have run for Mayor of Bethlehem. You would have won. You could win the County if you run.

Anonymous said...

Joe Kelly the architect of the Hurko settlement. I'll pass!

Anonymous said...

The Brownstain administration has been a do nothing joke that exists only to pad the salaries of his inept, unqualified cronies. What have these tools done in three years? What have they really accomplished to justify the bloated salaries of Brown's administrators. Stoffa's administration accomplished more in one year than these jokers have done in three. Compare the cost of Brown's overpaid cabinet to Stoffa's. They are getting paid far more for doing far less. And this council is an accomplice in enabling this do nothing adminstration. The priority should be a new prison. Where are the plans for that??? Stoffa fixed Gracedsle's windows, restored the old courthouse, opened a new archives building, sold off two delapidated county buildings to build a new Human Services building, removed asbestos from most county buildings, restored the parking garage, hired the management firm that turned Gracedale around, and much more. Brown's overpaid minions are happily collecting their county paychecks, while Norco taxpayers are not getting their money's worth.DCED - no jobs created. Public Works - innovative bridge bundling project on the rocks. Administration - run by an unqualified, clueless Brown crony. Brown is the worst county executive ever and should be ashamed to run for a second term.

Anonymous said...

Sadly Brown will win because Morganelli keeps good Democratic candidates out of the race.

Anonymous said...

Stoffa did some pretty good things despite the opposition. Brown has accomplished nothing. The grand experiment is now over. Brown did not deliver as promised. A strong Dem. candidate with a clear message should be able to push him out the door along with his inept hangers on.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Brown spent nearly all of last year trying to get another job. He ran for auditor general and lost. Now he tells the people of NorCo there's more work to do. If that is so, he should not have spent the last year on the campaign trail. Even if you like Brown, how can you support a guy who wanted to ditch this job?

Anonymous said...

This jackass totally defunded open space in NorCo each of the three years in office, and has said not one word what he is doing with the $3.9m the county is collecting from property owners - a levy that was enacted to fund... open space. No accountability at all. He is disrespecting the wishes of the voters, who consistently support open space by a factor of 2 to 1.

Anonymous said...

Simply..Brown has not delivered as promised. Had his chance to impress and fell on his face. Not as advertised and his message was ultimately..a lie. Time to go away JB. You used this job as a stepping stone to another that you could not win for obvious reasons. Peter principle in effect now. End of the line and now you will have to survive on the open market. Good luck with that resume of yours.

Anonymous said...

Do nothing council + incompetent do nothing Brown administration = worst government in the Lehigh Valley.

Anonymous said...

Brown had the nerve to refer to his senior staff as a "high performance team." What a joke. More like highly paid, public trough feeding incompetents!

Anonymous said...

Ron would help us make Northampton County great again!

Anonymous said...

Really, she works a ridiculous amount of hours and has done more then the last 10 HR directors combined in barely a year there! if a hover board lets her get her work done faster, good for her. You just seem to be jealous! Many employeees have been helped by her , you must be one of the bad apples she can see thru and who wants to just complain. You won't vote for John Brown because she rode a Hoverboard? I'm sure Mr Brown will worry about that lost vote...

Anonymous said...

anon 9:44,

Meoooowww...

Anonymous said...

would have been funny iof the board would have caused a fire! BURNT POPCRON ANYONE ! LOL

Bernie O'Hare said...

I don't the snark. But I will say this. I allow anonymous insults to elected officials and candidates. I really don't much care for it when applied for other public officials, who are not in politics and have families. I generally require these people to ID themselves.

Anonymous said...

@ 9:44 AM Yes, really! Hover board doesn't help her get her work done faster. She is NOT getting her work done faster. She has a CABINET of her own that is getting the work done! She is playing and allowing other high paying employees to play on the taxpayers' money. She is also breaking policy and allowing other to break the same policy. No, not voting for John Brown has nothing to do with her HAVING a hover board! He won't have one lost vote. He will have many!!!!!