Brown's Trapp Problem

Amy Trapp is Northampton County's current Director of Human Resources. I'll be the first to admit that when she came here, I was quite impressed. She told me that she would be in all the departments and everyone would know her by name. She said she viewed her role as being an employee advocate. She agreed on the need for a pay study, and said one would be implemented gradually. She also said it was ridiculous to test people on skills having nothing to do with jobs being sought. I was completely conned by her, so it's hard for me to slam Executive John Brown for failing to see through the veneer. But by now, he must know that she is toxic. She has made so many enemies in her short tenure here that it's bound to hurt him in November.

$800 popcorn machines. Trips to Vegas and New Orleans. Lunches at the courthouse on the taxpayer dime. The creation of her own fiefdom with people she imported from corruption-plagued Allentown. Attempts to force everyone to use biometric punch clocks without consensus. The "entitled spoiled brat government employees remark," posted on this blog on an account owned by her husband. And lets not forget those $10 and $15 gift cards she purchased with employee money. She's unable to explain what happened to some of them. 

Brown has both kept her and has in fact praised her. Now she's violating the Northampton County's Home Rule Charter's creation of a career service for its nonunion employees. This is designed to attract and retain the best qualified individuals through a fair and open competitive selection process. Vacant positions must be advertised and filled from within, if possible, through impartial standards.

Perhaps the biggest complaint I hear from employees is that cronyism is becoming rampant. People are selected for jobs based on who they know instead of on merit. This has gone on for years, and under previous Executives. If you've ever wondered why 75% of the County workforce is unionized, this is why.

But currently, the biggest offender is Human Resources  - the one department that should be ensuring that all others operate fairly. If you've ever wondered why 75% of the County workforce is unionized, this is why.

HR Director Amy Trapp has routinely passed over county workers who have applied for positions in her department to bring in people from the outside or who caught her eye, and then has spent county tax dollars to train these people because they were unqualified when selected. When she selects people from the inside, she tips them off about the vacancy and tells them to apply.

The most recent example involves a female corrections officer who Trapp wants in her department. This officer has told several of her co-workers that Trapp has approached her and told her to apply for the vacancy. Giving this person a leg up is completely contrary to the open and competitive process envisioned by the Home Rule Charter.

It gets better. Earlier this year, this officer applied for a lieutenant's position. She thought the fix was in then, and told some black officers that they she'd be writing them up if they wore cornrow hair styles or weaves. I'm unaware whether the grooming policy prohibits these styles, but if it does, this appears to be discriminatory.

Someone must have complained, so this corrections officer was passed over for Lieutenant.

But Trapp now wants this person in Human Resources. Instead of merit selection, the system has devolved into blatant cronyism.

And I was scheduled for corn rows on Thursday.

Brown apparently thinks he'll win the election without the support of the workforce.