 |
| John Brown and Shawn Langen (right) pose by "Bridge Closed" sign. Great optics for the P3 Bridge repair project. |
The GPA has stonewalled several right-to-know requests, but has begun providing partial responses. The layers of this onion have begun to peel away. It is now clear that Brown was using the GPA as a conduit for capital projects, and without regard to the wishes of Council or the best interests of the County.
Through the GPA, he hired the same controversial PR firm that had been challenged in two lawsuits. At the suggestion of Solicitor John Lushic, the GPA authorized Chair Shawn Langen to begin billing the County, even though this highly unusual arrangement was never authorized by Council. Brown used GPA solicitor John Lushis to provide legal advice on matters having nothing to do with the GPA, like how to skirt Upper Nazareth's zoning ordinance. Through the GPA, Brown paid Lushis an obscene amount of money.
While using GPA Solicitor to advise him on matters having nothing to do with the GPA, Brown had then County Solicitor Ryan Durkin advise the GPA on the myriad of suits it could file against the County should the incoming administration decide to back out of a public-private partnership agreement for the repair or replacement of 33 bridges.
What is the GPA anyway?
It was first established by Northampton County Council on May 6, 1999, pursuant to the Municipality Authorities Act. It initially served as a conduit for former Executive Glenn Reibman's controversial $111 million multi-purpose bond. Over the years, it has been a conduit for the issuance of both taxable and tax exempt bonds to help finance public and private projects, mostly with hospitals and universities. It also administers the NorCo Loan and Development Fund and the Community Investment Partnership Program Revolving Loan Fund. But it may exercise any powers authorized by the Municipality Authorities Act. In 2016, became the lead agency involved in a plan to refurbish or replace 33 county-owned bridges at a cost of $38 million, with the work being done by Kriger Construction. The lack of transparency surrounding this project, which might actually be very beneficial to the County, is when the problems began.
Two people largely responsible. The first is Executive John Brown, who never understood that county government is much different than a corporate boardroom. The second person at fault is GPA Solicitor John Lushis, who has been funneling large bills to the county through the GPA. He is a member of the Norris McLaughlin law firm. Another member of that firm, Scott Allinson, is currently on trial in Allentown for political corruption. He was also billing the GPA through that firm.
Brown is gone, but Lushis is still giving legal advice to the GPA.
In his report to County Council on February 15, Executive Lamont McClure summed things up.
"It's my view that GPA historically was an authority that provided a wonderful service for St. Luke's, Lafayette, Lehigh, whoever needed to run large bond issues, and the GPA did that for them. I think they got a little bit away from their mission. But with that said, we've isolated what the problem is. I think we're going to over time deal with that problem. I think it's one problem, and I think it will be taken care of in the near term.He started by appointing Paul Anthony and Frank Pintabone to the GPA. Peg Ferraro, herself a member of that Board, voted No to Pintabone
"I'll give you an example. In the P3 process [this refers to a deal to rehab or replace 33 county bridges], the Solicitor prepared documents for the contracts that were executed, and then copyrighted them. So all this stuff is paid for by public money, and the Solicitor's law firm has the copyrights.
"So I think we've gotten a little bit beyond the GPA's mission. It's a thing that will not be corrected overnight, but it will get corrected."
Today, I'm going to share the bills that Shawn Langen has provided to the County. From what I'm told, they remain unpaid. Langen made the mistake of submitting his bills at the end of the year, as John Brown was going out the door.
When he was designated in January 2017 as the GPA person who would be checking the work done by a third party engineer that is already checking the work done on the bridge project, Langen said "It's our project," said Langen. "My fear is that if somebody is not watching the third party engineer, I don't want anything to slip through the cracks." Langen added that his costs "would be fully reimbursed by the County," and Lushis said there would be a letter agreement with the County authorizing the payment of $200 per hour.
Whether that agreement actually exists is unknown.
Northampton County Council approved no such agreement. Council member Peg Ferraro, who sits on GPA, was MIA when this appointment was made.
Though Langen has told me that the enabling legislation requires review by someone from outside the county, no one gave that as a reason for hiring him.
This came at a fortuitous time for Langen, whose employment with Arcadia Development had ended.
Between February and December, Langen charged the County $11,950 for "P3 oversight." This oversight consisted of lengthy meeting with Lushis, review of Lushis bills and even for time spent delivering papers. He charged for letters to Lower Mount Bethel residents, something that really should come from their elected representatives or county workers.
Langen told me he's willing to donate this money to the Third Street Alliance, but only made this pledge after it was learned that he was charging the County.
Tomorrow, I'll tell you how much Lushis has charged the County over the past two years. It makes the Langen bill look like a pittance and is not even complete.
Below are links to each invoice submitted by Langen. I'm a great believer in participatory journalism, and am laying it all out there
https://www.scribd.com/document/371807636/Langen-Invoices-to-NorCo-GPA-Feb-March-2017
https://www.scribd.com/document/371807796/Langen-Invoices-to-NorCo-GPA-April-May-2017
https://www.scribd.com/document/371807898/Langen-Invoices-to-NorCo-GPA-June-2017
https://www.scribd.com/document/371807963/Langen-Invoices-to-NorCo-GPA-Jul-2017
https://www.scribd.com/document/371808047/Langen-Invoices-to-NorCo-GPA-Aug-2017
https://www.scribd.com/document/371808154/Langen-Invoices-to-NorCo-GPA-Sep-2017
https://www.scribd.com/document/371808269/Langen-Invoices-to-NorCo-GPA-Oct-2017
https://www.scribd.com/document/371808619/Langen-Invoices-to-NorCo-GPA-Nov-2017-part-1
https://www.scribd.com/document/371808721/Langen-Invoices-to-NorCo-GPA-Dec-2017
24 comments:
Brown looks good in his safety vest. Will come in handy at his new job as a crossing guard.
Wonder how Langen's brother got his cushy job?
TLDR
12:11, I don't know what planet you're from, but no probation officer I know has a "cushy" job.
Stay on topic or you will be deleted.
So, even though the amount is small, he should still get some jail time? Or am I missing something?
Attorney's covering for Attorneys and politicians paying everybody with taxpayer's funds. A pay to play scheme law firm in the middle, is this Allentown? Come on Bernie, you have opened up this can of worms, however, bring to light Lushis's insulation game and the facts already brought out about his law firm and their part in the "Fed Ed" pay to play scheme. 1.6 Million dollars to "Fed Ed's" campaign from 2006-2011 and Allinson's admission that they are not the best, but they are the best at what they do [pay to play].
Would like to see total billings for any of these days. Must have a paper form to fill in total hours billed each day. Wonder if they exceed an 8 hour day. Remember a movie years ago where lawyers were billing hours in excess of 8 per day. Who paid for these lawyers to go to the bathroom or have lunch.
Re: 8:20 AM comment: I, too, would like to see these billings especially since actions like copyrighting work for a municipal agency are involved; however, it is possible that more than 8 hours might be billed on any given day. Legal work is not necessarily 9-5 everyday. And while there certainly should be “paper” copies of invoices, a firm this large could be doing their timekeeping electronically with a paper invoice coming later.
The attorney for the former Bangor Boro Authority (Molnar) billed more than 24 hours in one day. He did this many times while funneling $ back to M Saveri. Shameless greedy pigs!
And this is not off-topic. John Brown was a part of this graft as mayor in Bangor. He continued his criminal activity at the county level.
Bangor School District is STILL WAITING for the PA State Auditor General to investigate the Solicitors bills from years of over billing-
Can someone give the Auditor General directions to Bangor?
Its widespread all over Bernie.... Ask why does the Bangor School District representative on the Board of Trustee's of Northampton County Community College have a representative making decisions for students and Taxpayers at a cost of over 400 thousands dolars a year of taxpayer money since she move a year ago.
Angle brought this up numerous times and I hear a lawsuit to get her out is in the works soon since the School Board is in love....
Anonymous 9:16 & 9:19
You're absolutely correct- John Brown had this same scheme going while he was Bangor's Mayor. John Molnar got caught funneling $ back to Marino Saveri. Don Spry did the same thing to the Bangor Area School District- until he got caught. Politics corrupts most people- keep up the good work Bernie!
I see that each bill states on bottom, approved by GPA and County.
8:20, I linked to each bill and t8me spent is noted. Carl, the invoice states at the bottom that the $200 per hour is pursuant to agreement, but no one has passed off or approved any of the specific bills. Moreover, I have yet to see the letter agreement to which Lushis referred in Jan 2017.
His brother got a county job, something many people want desperately. don't minimize the connection.
I minimize both the connection and pathetic cowards like you. His brother works for the courts, and is a consummate professional. You probably had him.
This appears all legal. Sounds like a big deal about nothing. The county has representatives on its authority so if it was wrong they would say something. Ferraro said there was no problem so what is the problem?
All legal? Where is the letter agreement? Did Council pass off on this? I know they did not. And peg Ferraro was absent from the GPA meeting at which this was discussed. Even if legal, it is unheard of for authority members to be paid in NorCo.
Why did Ferraro even run for re-election? She is constantly absent. Even if she shows she is absent.
She is probably in on this nonsense as a insider or not bright enough to understand it.
we need a special counsel to investigate these shenanigans.
better sleep with one eye open O'Hare. The boogie man may be coming after you soon. lol
why dont they hire poor John Brown as the Authority Manager? He can bring in Kitty Cathy Allen as his Azzistant Administrator?
Poor Johnny needs a job...
Post a Comment