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Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Brown Took $1,000 From Prison Architect

I reported to you yesterday on the pre-election campaign finance reports filed by NorCo Executive candidates John Brown and Lamont McClure on Friday. I listed all contributions that were $1,000 or more. This included a $1,000 contribution made by Csaba Balazs to Brown. I told you he was an architect from Ebensberg, but that's all I knew. I have since learned a bit more.

Balasz is actually an architect who specializes in designing correctional facilities. He designed Lehigh County's jail.He designed a new jail for Franklin County. His firm, L.R. Kimball, boasts that it has "been setting the standard in corrections programming and design for more than 35 years."

In August, Balasz pitched a new jail to Berks County Commissioners. He said he could build a brand, spankin' new 1200-bed facility for a mere $159 million. He could also renovate the existing jail with 1,200 beds for just $142 million.

"I really don't think we can ask taxpayers to absorb a $142 to $159 million infrastructure cost," said Berks County Comm'r Kevin S. Barnhardt.

Balasz was sent packing, but later that month, he appeared at a John Brown fundraiser with a check for $1,000. Oh yeah, contractor Lee Butz was there with another $1,000.

Can you smell a deal in the works?

I sure can.

John Brown thinks you can absorb a $185 million infrastructure cost,and without a tax hike. He says he will build a 912-bed prison for $185 million at Easton, not Gracedale. That's right. Three hundred less beds at a cost of between $26-43 million more than Balasz estimated for Berks County.

He's a businessman.
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11 comments:

  1. AnonymousOctober 31, 2017 at 12:14 AM

    Sounds like another Pay to Play scheme by Brown and his crooked regime. How much did it cost the county for Butterbean Keen to run around the country looking at other jails? That should be an RTK request. Along the way he was likely schmoozed by this architect and his pack of hyenas looking for one of Brown's famous no-bid contracts. A fish smells from the head down and Brown is a rotten mackerel.

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  2. AnonymousOctober 31, 2017 at 1:52 AM

    You cannot build yourself out of an overcrowded prison. You need alternatives to incarceration to go along with bricks and mortar. You hire an architectural firm to do your prison population study and you will get a recommendation for new construction. Kimball is an old firm that tried doing business with Northampton County many years ago. They were turned away then and they should be turned away again.

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  3. AnonymousOctober 31, 2017 at 2:43 AM

    The John Brown Experiment in Northampton County should end in another week! The guy may not be corrupt in fact but is incompetently corrupt. He can't be trusted., he cannot give a straight answer unless he is given a script. The guy and his council cronies have overtaxed the county and now wan to spend us to death. He has nearly destroyed basic county services and has taken destroyed any sense of morale.
    Please people enough is enough. At what point does political party purity take a backseat to common sense?

    Time to boot Brown and his rubber stamp county council before they tax and build you and your family into the poor house. The guy and his pals are incompetent.

    Do people really trust that this guy won't build a prison near Gracedale? Really, look at his track record on keeping his word. He has the county council in his pocket so, what will he do???

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  4. AnonymousOctober 31, 2017 at 6:10 AM

    Thank you for revealing this donation.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousOctober 31, 2017 at 7:18 AM

    Finally somebody called Lee Butz out on this one. He was an avid supporter of "Fed Ed" during the arena project. This year, besides the $1,000 for Brown, he contributed to both Pawlowski and Hyman in the Allentown mayoral race. By the way, he was the GC on the Lehigh County Prison project. This man knows how to peddle influence and has no qualms in doing so. He knows that LV politicians are susceptible to huge donations and most likely will reward these donors with some type of official action. Pawlowskism in true form.

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  6. AnonymousOctober 31, 2017 at 7:57 AM

    your hate is pitiful - what no women to pick on today?

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousOctober 31, 2017 at 10:13 AM

    Money is not partisan.

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousOctober 31, 2017 at 1:19 PM

    #noJailatgracedale did you see this donation?

    ReplyDelete
  9. AnonymousOctober 31, 2017 at 4:10 PM

    He wants to build a new prison and even succeeded in his false narrative that the old prison is unusable. The current prison works. The problem isn't the building it is Brown not filling correctional officer potions.

    ReplyDelete
  10. AnonymousOctober 31, 2017 at 9:28 PM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Bernie O'HareOctober 31, 2017 at 10:31 PM

    If you want to smear someone, you should ID yourself.

    ReplyDelete

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