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Friday, August 25, 2017

NorCo Exec Brown Fired Twice, Laid Off, in Business Career

John Brown
When John Brown ran for office four years ago, all we knew about his past employment was that he came from the private sector and called himself a "consultant." When asked, he either dodged the question or gave cryptic replies. I now know why. In his business career, John Brown has been fired twice. He was also laid off in 2008. Right after that is when he became a "consultant." He was able to campaign door-to-door in Bethlehem because, for all practical purposes, he was jobless.

How do I know all this?  From John Brown himself. No, he didn't call me up and say, "Bernie, your readers are going to love this!" I know this from reading his deposition, under oath, on October 24, 2014. That was taken after he was sued for violating the due process rights of Jill Mancini, an Assistant Solicitor

He lost the case, both in front of a jury and then on appeal to the Third Circuit.

Brown graduated in 1979 from Bangor High School, and then from Notre Dame University in 1983 with a B.S.degree in microbiology. Not business.Not economics. Later, he did take courses at Moravian, Lehigh and Lafayette with an eye to obtaining an M.BA.. But he never competed his coursework.

His first job after graduation, amazingly, was not in the sciences. He went to work for municipal bond broker J.J. Kenny in NYC. After five years, he was canned. His explanation?" "Basically I wasn't able to -- the time required for the job I couldn't do while I was commuting."

From bond trader, he sunk to the customer service department at Majestic Athletic, then located in the Slate Belt, where he stayed a year.

My grandson's mother worked in customer service at Majestic Athletic for two years.

Maybe she should be Northampton County Executive.

Brown left Majestic Athletic voluntarily in 1989, and went to work for  Columbia Chemical Co., which basically provides the surface finishing for your dining room table. He lasted at this job for eight years, the longest period at any job he'd had. This time, he was in sales and even became a regional sales manager. But in 1997, he was fired again. His explanation? "Essentially I disagreed -- looking for movement within the company that couldn't be done, so they felt it was best if I moved on."

After being fired a second time, Brown found work at Chr. Hansen Co, a Danish bioscience company that develops natural solutions for the food, nutritional, pharmaceutical and agricultural industries. He became a sales manager and a VP in pharmaceuticals. He worked out of worked in Mahwah, NJ. He lasted five years and quit in 2003. Explanation? "They were changing -- I left them."

From Chr. Hansen, Brown went to work for International Specialty Products, which manufactures specialty chemicals and is now owned by Ashland. He worked out of Wayne, NJ. He was let go in 2008, perhaps a victim of the Great Recession. They "downsized the department and I was laid off."

So of necessity, Brown became a consultant known as "John Brown and Associates," working out of his house. He never incorporated. He was unable to explain or identify any of the so-called associates in John Brown and Associates.

Brown claims he made a living, but I doubt it, especially during the Great Recession. So my guess is that a man who had been apolitical his entire life and who rarely voted,  suddenly turned to government for a livelihood.

After two years as Executive, Brown set his sites on higher office - state auditor general.

On his campaign website, he claimed to have "spent most of his career working in the private sector turning around unprofitable businesses by making them more effective, efficient and successful."  He told the GOP faithful that his background was in the private sector, flipping businesses that were failing financially.

As you now know, these statements are untrue. Brown's portrayal of himself as a savior of troubled businesses is simply false. He was a salesman, a bond trader and worked for a rag mill in customer service, a job that any high school grad can do. .

After misrepresenting himself to the entire state of Pennsylvania, Brown thinks you're stupid enough to re-elect him. And he may be right. After all, Northampton County voters went for Trump, and he's a serial liar.

But I'm hoping he's wrong, and gets fired for the third time. This time by the voters.

66 comments:

Anonymous said...

No surprise that Brown bragged about entry level jobs that went nowhere. His administrator is a HS grad with no advanced training who is a blatant tax cheat. If the voters of Norco don't fire Brown the Clown and his Blundering Herd of no-talent cronies in November, the county will deserve four more years of disgraceful government.

Anonymous said...

No question this guy is a load of BS. he reminds me of a mini-Trump. When he ran he was a self proclaimed business consultant, which is code for unemployed. The people wanted a new, inexperienced crew at the county. They got it and the place is a mess. Higher taxes, less service and no workable planning. Brown runs for a sate job, Phillips runs for controller and Geissinger runs for Congress. Why did they bother to run for the county council?

Time to get some competence in county government and dump the inexperienced ego team.

Anonymous said...

Hopefully real people will come out and vote this year and not just the tea party fanatics.

Anonymous said...

Its only in the public sector that people stay one place for 40 years, the reality of today's private sector jobs is there is a lot of moving around. In fact, some corporations have the opinion if you have not made many moves in your career, you are considered, not motivated enough. The days of spending your entire career in one place are over.

Anonymous said...

Show me a politician for local office that hasn't inflated his/her resume'

Anonymous said...

From what you wrote Bernie, you haven't worked in the private sector very much. It isn't 1960 any longer when you can expect to work 25 years or more for the same employer. Today, employees are viewed as commodities, to be hired and let go as business conditions warrant.

In fact, many companies simply outsource their workforce to temp companies in order to keep the cost of employees down. This is, in large part, thanks to Obamacare and the mountain of regulations and mandated benefits of the Affordable Care Act.

This is, of course, not related to Brown lying about his past.

Anonymous said...

You know that Brown has done a good job, why the personal attacks?, why not debate the issues you disagree with?

Anonymous said...

This is not a personal attack. This is Brown lying to his own base about his jobs and qualification. Also Lamont McClure asked John Brown to debate and Brown has avoided him and won't debate him. So bring on a debate. I'm sure that's the last thing Brown wants!

Anonymous said...

I'd vote for Satan vs McClure. That's Ds' problem. Brown's done OK. But it doesn't matter. He's not McClure and that makes him Abe Lincoln - who suffered stinging personal defeats before rising to greatness. You never know. But Brown is not McClure. That's all he needs to be.

Anonymous said...

7:36: Satan is not McClure is like saying Trump's not Hillary. This is what you thought when you voted for Captain Chaos, right? Unbelievable.

Anonymous said...

Will he and Allen be able to collect unemployment benefits after his defeat?

Anonymous said...

Well NC hired Rose Faryna who only has a certificate in Real Estate. How does that qualify her to be 3rd in command. Then we got Mike Twining who worked in Quality and is now 2nd in command for HR. Two guys from the prison who are Employee Relations, etc. Let's not forget Cathy Allen, 2nd in command for the NC who has no degree and was a secretary. NC has people with more qualifications then all of them put together but they don't get the salary they deserve for the work they actually do! Need to get rid of Brown.

Anonymous said...

At least he did what he had to do to support his family. That is more than I can say for a disbarred alcoholic that spent all of his time unemployed, rolling on the floor and foaming at the mouth next to empty vodka bottles.

Where is your family? No, not the fake grandson...your real family?

I was on the fence about who to vote for. You just made it easy. Brown gets it.

Anonymous said...

5:16 am hit the nail on the head. Today its not the job count, its how many different careers.

People have to reinvent themselves since entire industries have been wiped out by technology, sent oversees, or a combination of both. If not, then its the companies who merge together and lay off. Small businesses and Mom and Pop shops cannot stay above water paying people perks and benefits. Many of them would rather lay off then pay out.

Take a look at the slim pickings in this entire area. If you are not a government employee, you get to choose from a bank teller, a waiter/waitress, working at a convenience store or a day care center. If you really hit gold, Amazon is hiring, where you will walk 10 miles in a shift, have non english speaking counterparts and get canned after 2 weeks. Try it sometime Bernie, you could use the excercise!

Anonymous said...

John Brown fully exposed! Excellent job Bernie! This liar has been a total catastrophe since his administration started. This non-transparent executive has been very evasive since the beginning and now we know. Much to my displeasure, I will admit, I voted for this clown 4-years ago because I didn't want to vote for Mr. Callahan. Perhaps if I knew what I do now, Things would have been different. In essence, I and other people in NC were hoodwinked by this charlatan and we simply got what we deserve: A poorly underqualified man who supports cronyism, non-transparency, mismanagement, poor forward thinking and poor Human relations.

E Mest said...

Great job digging into Browns past. I was always led to believe his consultant business was going into a company and downsizing them. That's what he's done at the county! He has no problem with doing this cause he's only temporary. Wish we had another choice though.

Anonymous said...

Hey Bernie,

Can you list out your mancrush Ron Angle's employment history?

Its been a long time since that bag of hot air had a W-2 and he is a candidate also. Other than being a slum landlord with a consent decree from the PA Department of banking to cease and desist his (yours) writing of illegal mortgages, what other quals does he have to run the county?

Storing stolen cars does not count, either.

Anonymous said...

It was his wife that was always the bread-winner of the family. Everyone in Bangor knows that. He has done an awful job everywhere he went. And when he is voted out of office he will leech onto some other unfortunate entity. John Brownpants is a disaster!

Anonymous said...

8:46: Who would know about storing a legally seized car....

Anonymous said...

Brown took care of his family. This is a backfiring hit piece. It's how shitty lawyers like Lamont and Bernie roll. It's why people hate lawyers worse than anal fissures. Brown is strengthened by this stuff. He's going to win again. He's not perfect. But he's a hell of a better guy than the two sleaze bag lawyers who probably coordinated this mud. Vote Brown because you hate this low grade shit. And don't stop Bernie. You're John's best advocate.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"You know that Brown has done a good job, why the personal attacks?, why not debate the issues you disagree with?"

This is far from a personal attack. Brown's past work history is highly relevant. So is the fact that he lost three jobs in his career in the business world. So is the fact that he was dishonest with the people and lied about what he had done when running for state auditor general. In fact , he used a fabricated past to claim that he should get the job as auditor general.

Bernie O'Hare said...

8:46 am is Tricia "Constable cRaZy" Mezzacappa. Ron's work history is no secret to anyone. He's no slumlord, but characterization of him as one is defamation. You are making that accusation with reckless indifference to the truth. You should have learned your lesson.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"Brown took care of his family. This is a backfiring hit piece"

Actually, he didn't. he was fired twice and laid off once. I don't call that taking care of one's family. He also lied about his past to the people he thinks are going to re-elect him. This defect in his character does not trouble fanatical Trump supporters, but it is worrisome to the rest of us.

Anonymous said...

Ron Angle , by his own admission, rents to derelicts, in his own words, and then sues them. . That is a slum lord, and a very well deserved call out. But since he has been paying your bills for 3 decades, I guess all is cool. Should I post all of Ron's dirty laundry, or do I stop at this one?..........http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/slate-belt/index.ssf/2016/01/post_42.html

Bernie O'Hare said...

This post is about Brown, not Angle. When I write about him, you can smear him. But right now you are off topic and I will be deleting you if you continue your attempt to deflect attention away from the topic,which is Brown.

The fact that some of the people Ron rents to end up being derelicts who do not pay their rent does not make him a slum lord. It makes them (and only very few) derelicts. Your argument is both illogical and defamatory. You should know better.

Anonymous said...

How many times did Brown lose his license to practice law?

:-)

Bernie O'Hare said...

Another attempt to deflect attention away from the issue - Brown. I am not running for office.

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Bernie O'Hare said...

I cannot allow that kind of personal attack unless you sign your name and take full responsibility.

Anonymous said...

Bernie, You have drawn a wonderful contrast in human character between the Matthew Horace post and the John Brown post. Excellent bumpering technic illustrating the differences so clearly, like black and white.

Anonymous said...

WOW Bernie, you really kicked the hornets nest on this one. The teabaggers are out in force. It is Brown or nothing. They are so invested in fanatical Party purity that every fact you laid out must be excused with some whacky generalization. I have worked private my entire life and I don't know what world half of these folks are talking about. I guess you hit a nerve, like you Trump pieces.

Anonymous said...

Speaking of derelicts who don't pay their rent, how about derelict homeowners who don't pay their property taxes? Like Cathy Allen?? And THAT is the bum who Brown trusts and promotes to the second most important position in his administration??? Unbelievable! More than enough reason to question Brown's judgement and honesty.

Anonymous said...

Smear all the hard working people at the rag mill. Try working there some time. sorry we call could not be lawyers.

Anonymous said...

Have 10 people vote for you, be a constable, work 2 days a year at the voting polls.

Anonymous said...

As long as we're not talking about issues, no votes will be swayed. I don't think most voters like this kind of low politics. Negative stuff hurts the sender as much or more than the target. We'll see I guess. Sad it's going to be this kind of race. Both sides have embraced the coarseness of Trumpism.

Anonymous said...

Love the Obama hate bubble folks. The guy is gone and they still live in the Fox bubble. Companies were outsourcing and dumping full-timers for part-timers long before Obama and Obama care. Its Ok, in your world everything is easy to understand. Even John Brown is competent in the bubble.

Bernie O'Hare said...

4:23, this is a far cry from "low politics." Brown's background in the business world is one he has played on the past four years. He uses corporate babble in meeting after meeting. In the auditor general race, he touted himself as a person who fixes failing corporations. But it was all a lie. He was instead fired twice and laid off once. People are entitled to the truth. That's what journalism provides. That's why Trump and Brown have both treated the press with disdain. This will certainly not hurt Brown among the fanatics. To undecided voters, this will hurt. I suspect they will learn about this and more.

Anonymous said...

In Conservative republican speak being unemployed is just another word for 'business consultant'. Brown is a fraud. If his name were Clinton ,most of these posters would be hammering him. Party Purity politics will destroy this country, as George Washington cautioned..

Anonymous said...

Dump Brown and his entire phony administration. Let him be yet again an unemployed consultant with zero credibility. Just like the rest of them he brought in.

Anonymous said...

Hey Bernie the democrats may have some problems. Word is out that there is a mole in their ranks that is helping Brown and the republican council people with inside info and some dirt. Should be an interesting campaign.

Apparently some bad blood and the knives are out.

Bernie O'Hare said...

There are always moles, and on both sides. They never help and are usually spotted. The topic here is the truth about John Brown's so-called business expertise. The topic here is his misrepresentation of that background.

Anonymous said...

"4:23, this is a far cry from "low politics.""

Sure Bernie. Sure. Nice mud. It failed last time and it will fail again. Have fun though. The gutter is sloppy, but can be fun. Enjoy.

sezary said...
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sezary said...

It is not "Brown or nothing". It is Brown or McClure. Just as it was Trump or Clinton. Neither race has/had the two best candidates. No, I am not a "teabagger". It is not a secret Bernie chooses to support Mr. McClure and obviously is not endeared by the current executive or administration. He has been consistent on that point. Bernie is mostly objective and "fair" in his reporting on local events. At times, he is blind to his own bias. Especially when it comes to the current administration of our nation and our county. It is his blog. Bernie is Bernie. What do you all expect when you read this blog? The information is quite interesting and it will be quite interesting to see if it is confirmed, how it's spun and handled. Timing is everything. Bernie is smiling right now. As another poster said, "Party Purity politics will destroy this country, as George Washington cautioned." This means everyone from all "sides".

Bernie O'Hare said...

Jeff, since the information comes straight from John Brown's mouth at a deposition, it is certainly true. It will make no difference to the fanatics, but may help with undecided voters. As for bias, of course I am. I make no pretense to be neutral or objtive. Those who do are being dishonest. What I do owe my readers is the truth. Also, Jeff is an independent. He is conservative but find him to be reasonable.

Anonymous said...

We will have four more years and JB and Trump AND THERE IS NOT ANYTHING ANYONE WILL DO ABOUT IT- ENJOY ENJOY THE GREAT COUNTRY WE LIVE IN! THANK FOR THE CUPCAKES AND BABIES THAT DID NOT GET THEIR WAY BUT CRY CRY CRY- BO WOO

Anonymous said...

You can lead a person to the truth but you can't make them believe. For twenty years there has been an effort to train people to believe there are alternate or fake facts. We now have the culmination of that in the White House.

I have re-read '1984' and it is more chilling today then when I read it decades ago. Mainly due to the subtle no overt ways people are trained much like dogs.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Funny. I just re-read it myself!

"It was a bright cold day in April,and the clocks were striking thirteen."

WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

Anonymous said...

How is this a hit piece. Brown was purposefully vague when he first ran. h
He said he was a "business consultant" and gave a glowing account of himself. Bernie has used Brown's own words describing his work history.

This is the same thing that happens with Trump. When the News quotes Trump's own words people scream that the MSM is slamming him. He slams himself every time he opens his mouth.

Brown is unfit to be county executive. Only the extremist party people would condone such dishonesty.

Anonymous said...

It's not negative campaigning if it"s true.

Anonymous said...

3:37

Actually it's closer to 40 years.

Most didn't even know it was happening for the first two decades.

Anonymous said...

Nixon and Reagan birthed the movement and Limbaugh, Hannity, O'Riley and the fox News corporate heads nurtured the alternative facts and politics of hate, paranoia and fear.

Anonymous said...

"It was a bright cold day in April,and the clocks were striking thirteen."

1984 was fiction.

"Vault 7" is not.

Brown and all else have become only theater. Enjoy.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the truthful exposition of Brown's career. After talking to him I walked away questioning his level of experience and knowledge of County government. Since that encounter I have guestioned his honesty in all things. I have watched his woefully unqualified chief administrator blunder through day to day operations of County government. It is apparent that he has given over managerial control to her. A secretary from a 2 person insurance office. From what I have seen and read County Council has empowered both of these unqualified/inexperienced individuals to run a large multimillion dollar organization that effects many lives. Sounds like some bad story about a third world country. I do not see any "Deus ex Machina" ending this bad tale. MClure is a mediocre attorney with absolutely no management experience ( I am a Republican who will vote for him, Brown is a Charlatan who is undeserving). The big question is what will change ? MClure will hire some "hacks" who are "D" faithful , and a democratic county council will back his moves. The unions will be treated well and taxes will increase. That is the Northampton County "story"....... It will end in unfunded pension liabilities , lost healthcare coverage for County retirees , a heavy unstainable debt service and elderly citizens held hostage at a nursing home with bad ratings. This County needs to be fixed. Neither of these two candidates is equipped to do that. Perhaps it is time to go back to the "old" form of County government and place our trust in 3 elected officials ( and put term limits on their service). The Home Rule Charter has a dismal experience rating in this County ( maybe two majority and one minority commissioners could balance functions out ).My criticism is for R as well as D. The County Executive position allows too much control and that has led to patronage and cronyism.

Anonymous said...

You can try Bernie. You can go after Mr. Brown but what you and mnany others don't get is.. WE are for John Brown, President Trump and Sheriff Joe. America., Great again!

Anonymous said...

Anon 5;26, I don't agree in the past strong county councils of both parties have stood up to county executives, even in their own party. Problem is these folks are too worried about their political futures.

Anonymous said...

I remember when democrats use to win elections in a blue county. Now, Rs win regularly.

Anonymous said...

Just saying and I'm no fan of this Bangor Bastard , but I get a kick out of the Dems on here bitching about Brownstain, yet he won the last election. So I ask, how bad is your party ? People are losing faith in the to far left wing that the Domo Party has become at the national level and fear it will be coming to the local level like that of the big cities. Need to get your own house in order first. Dems need to get back into helping or working for the working class, not the cry baby special interest groups and the far left socialistic points of view. You seem to forget back a few years ago that these were what we were fighting against. Now some embrace these view points. That is why I changed to a Independent voter.

Anonymous said...

Hey Amy trapp. This sounds like willfull misrepresentation. Maybe you could fire him, deny his unemployment benefits. See if he can live on 100 dollars a week

Anonymous said...

9:51 8/28

You got it my friend. The Dem party has lost its direction . To far socialistic for my family and myself to support any longer. Remember 911 and the communistic view points when we were growing up ( Cold War) ? Now some want to embrace this. UNAMERICAN !!!

Al said...

What a disgrace this whole administration.

Anonymous said...

How about all those Socialists down in Texas now wanting the federal govt to come bail them out. I thought they could pull themselves up without handouts? The hypocrisy of Ted Cruz and his band of "conservatives" !

Al said...

There's people in this administration doing what Allentown and reading are doing also.

Anonymous said...

Socialist are alive and well on this web page. Simply Unamerican !