NorCo GPA Board Members Need to Go

GPA Chair Langen poses with Glenn Geissinger,
just days before the election, and you paid for this
lousy picture.  

NorCo General Purpose Authority (GPA) Chair Shawn Langen insisted at Monday's meeting that he is completely apolitical. He made the same claim in a separate meeting with me. But the facts tell a different story. It prostituted itself to help former Executive John Brown in his bid for re-election.  Its Chairman began charging the County for work, something that has never happened before and was never disclosed to Northampton County Council. It has also lost sight of its role as nothing more than a conduit for loans. It instead began taking steps so it could market itself as the place for local governments to come if they want to do a P3 project. It would do nothing for the County. But it might help Solicitor John Lushis line his pockets.Its time to seek resignations from the entire board. Helene Whitaker, whose term already expired at the end of last year, has told current Executive Lamont McClure that she's done. Another board member, Neal Koplin, has resigned. That leaves the Board with five members who need to go.

Last year, the GPA hired Sahl Communications, the very same firm that Executive John Brown had hired at public expense to try and make himself look good. the result was two lawsuits. Despite what happened, GPA hired Sahl at Brown's request and paid this firm was paid between $60,000-70,000 in public funds in a thinkly veiled attempt to get himself re-elected.

Sahl created a completely web page for the GPA, even though one already exists as part of the county web page. Sahl also set up a Facebook page, loaded with pictures of John Brown. They are still there, even though he is no longer the Executive.

Sahl then promoted an October 27 groundbreaking ceremony  for work on the first of 33 bridges being repaired or replaced  Though careful to make sure that I was never informed, Morning Call reporter Tom Shortell was there. He is much nicer than I.

The reason I was kept in the dark is because the groundbreaking ceremony was planned just days before the election. It was obviously political. John Brown, Peg Ferraro and Glenn Geissinger were all seeking re-election, and were hoping to get some free publicity. The Facebook page includes pictures of them all, taken at public expense on election eve.

Shortell, to my knowledge, never ran that story. The Express Times no longer really exists. So the hoped for publicity never came.

A third grader could have done a better job of setting up the Facebook and web page. It was a complete waste of public money.

The five GPA board members who need to go are Mike Dowd, Peg Ferraro, Langen, Mark Schiavone and  Shawn Donahue.

Mike Dowd is a former NorCo Council president, but us the person who actually made the motion to violate the Sunshine Act and go into executive session in January without bothering to explain why. He knows better. Also, he chairs the Airport Authority. One of these shadow governments is enough.


Peg Ferraro was MIA last January, when the Board voted to pay Langen. She may have even been absent when the GPA voted to retain Sahl. She definitely was absent in January, when the Sunshine Act violation occurred. Even at the most recent meeting, she participated by phone from Florida. She clearly lacks the time for this responsibility. In addition, there is caselaw providing that an elected official should not be a part of a board that the elected official helps to appoint. Courts have found this to be contrary to public policy.

I have nothing against Schiavone or Donahue, and perhaps they should be re-appointed. but they should offer their resignations and let McClure decide.

Langen should never have agreed to permit Lushis to work for the GPA and simultaneously work for then Executive John Brown, as some sort of secret P3 Solicitor. This is an inherent conflict of interest. Langen should also have realized that he should never accept a dime without getting approval from NorCo Council, regardless what Lushis might tell him.

The person who really needs to go is board Solicitor John Lushis. He is there to sell P3 projects, not assist what is supposed to be a conduit agency for loans.