NorCo's Lame Duck Council Gives $10M to DaVinci, Attempts to Sabotage McClure

The big story you'll see today is that Northampton County voted last night to award $10 million in hotel taxes for the Easton-based DaVinci Science Center. Wednesday, this project looked like it was dead in the water after Pearly Baker owner Jonathan Davis called it a "killer” to local business.  But over the next 24 hours, the aquarium dropped its plans for a dining facility and turned restaurateur Davis from skeptic to cheerleader. What followed was a stream of officials who view the giant fish tank as the answer to all of Easton's troubles. But before you get too excited, remember this decision was made by a lame duck Council on its way out the door. Next year there will be a new Council that  is much more critical, and they could decide to stop the funding before a dime is spent.

The grant passed by a 5-4 vote. Voting for it were Peg Ferraro, Glenn Geissinger, Mat Benol, Seth Vaughn and Bob Werner. Voting No were Ken Kraft, John Cusick, Matt Dietz and Hayden Phillips.

One of my readers predicted this, and it went down exactly as he or she said.

"None of the facts matter.

"What you will witness tonight is a carefully-choreographed performance where Council will appear to take the public into consideration before voting on something that was decided behind closed doors.

"DaVinci will turn out their people to make it appear that the fish tank has real and overwhelming support. The people who actually have their own skin in the game be swamped by the well-connected special interest group looking for public dollars.

"And we all know this story ends the same, with this Executive/Council or the next."

My only disagreement with this reader is that I believe that the new Council will reverse this grant. To use Ken Kraft's words, "It's insane."

Peg Ferraro, who has been named Pocketbook Peg by my readers, was the spearhead for this grant. She has placed a ball and chain around the county's neck for the next 40 years, really hamstringing its ability to fund tourism anywhere else. Kraft told me that repealing this ordinance is the first thing he intends to propose once the new Council is sworn in.

After this grant was approved, most of the public and even the press left. The Morning Call's Tom Shortell and I stuck around. What happened next is the real story last night. It is that a bitter Executive and lameduck Council tried their best to sabotage Executive-elect Lamont McClure and an incoming Council before they can get started. It was an appalling display of sour grapes. They failed last night. But with a few weeks left until they are gone, they just may succeed.

John Brown had assured McClure's transition team that he wanted to leave office on a high note. There would be no surprises. He'd play no games with the budget. But that's precisely what he did.

In a long night that included several presentations, Brown decided to give the longest Executive report of his career. He went on at least 20 minutes, patting himself on the back and congratulating himself on what a fine job he did. I had no problem with this. I'm sure he's disappointed that he lost the election. If he wanted to list some of his achievements, so be it. If he wanted to remind everyone he is still the Executive, he is. But then he told council to reduce the tax millage rate by a mill. Never mind that it is he who proposed a budget that required 11.8 mills for a balanced budget. Never mind that reducing the millage would result not just in deficit spending, but an unbalanced budget that violates the Home Rule Charter. The revenue estimate set by the Executive will fail to equal what the county spends.

Ken Kraft said that the budget Brown introduced in October, when he still thought he was going to win the race, called for 11.8 mills. Now that he's lost, he wants to reduce taxes by one mill without a corresponding reduction in spending, and let McClure deal with the consequences. "You're automatically putting the next administration on their heels, where they're going to have to raise taxes," he said. "I think it's a real shitty thing to do. Underhanded. And you people are despicable for even putting it up there."

Budget Administrator Doran Hamann advised Council that a one-mill reduction would translate to $8 million in tax revenue. "Decisions would have to be made to either cut the budget by $8 million or subsidize the budget with fund balance from the general fund, which only the County Executive can do."

Under the Home Rule Charter, Council has no authority to interfere with revenue projections. Only Brown could decide to deficit spend.

Brown eventually said he would take the money from fund balance.

At this point Council began squabbling over whether to grant a half mill or one mill tax decrease. Seth Vaughn, Mat Benol and Glen Geissinger voted against a half-mill tax decrease because they wanted a full mill. Hayden Phillips, Matt Dietz and Pocketbook Peg Ferraro voted against a full mill tax decrease because they wanted a half mill. So Council did ultimately vote to hold the line on taxes at 11.8 mills, with the Geissinger-Vaughn-Benol trio voting No.

Now you might dismiss what Ken Kraft said as the rants of a partisan Democrat who should be committed. I have tried to have him put away a few times myself.

But it's hard to ignore what Matt Dietz said. Matt is a conservative Republican representing the northern tier of the county. He'd love to cut taxes. But two things bothered him. First, the move to reduce taxes was coming over two months after Brown introduced a budget that called for 11.8 mills. Second, while declining to name names, Dietz said that there comments made by Council members at the last meeting stating that they would vote for a millage reduction "and watch the next council try to balance it. And the next administration. I think that it is poor servants of the people of Northampton County, and I'm pretty embarrassed that it was said."

An honest man.

Sitting next to Dietz was a partisan Republican (Mat Benol) who insists on hanging a decalogue behind him at every meeting. And sitting another seat away was a former Mormon bishop (Geissinger). I am always leery of people who wear their religion on their sleeves. If you ever wonder why I refuse to stand when these phonies offer their fake prayers, this is why. There is no doubt in my mind that the Mormon Bishop and Ten Commandment Kid colluded with Brown and Vaughn to hamstring McClure before he ever got started. Never mind that it's the people who will suffer.

Brown may very well veto this budget so he can press the matter.

I'm sure you have lots of questions about the specifics of this budget, as well as other matters. I'll have more for you next week. For now, I'll say only that it is highly unlikely that anyone who Brown brought with him into Northampton County will be kept after this attempted sabotage. Brown promised no surprises, and then broke his word with this stunt. McClure would be foolish to think he could trust any of them, and he is not foolish.