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| Your friendly neighborhood GPA |
He specifically has questions about legal bills. They include bills for $400 per hour from Norris, Mclaughlin and Marcus attorneys to speak to each other. One attorney at that firm was actually charging $700 per hour.
Peg Ferraro, who is increasingly growing disenchanted with her role as Council's representative on that Board, said she was enthused about using a P3 to repair or replace dilapidated county bridges, but "it's got out of control."
Council Prez Ken Kraft, the sole No vote to this P3 project, also set the record straight. At Tuesday's meeting, GPA Chair Shawn Langen asserted that the County had authorized the GPA to pursue P3 agreements for other projects. There was no such authorization from County Council, which is the governing body.
Lori Vargo Heffner, who attended Tuesday's GPA meeting, said the "tone and tenor of it is very disconcerting to me." At one point, Chair Shawn Langen called her out and asked, "Who are you?" Langen, along with GPA Solicitor John Lushis, also asked her to leave Council chambers during an executive session, even though that was taking place elsewhere.
"I think I want to be spoken to respectfully," she said of Langen. She also complained about the way that GPA Board members treated Lower Mount Bethel residents. "They were yelled at. They were not allowed to finish sentences. We have a job to represent this County, and not an elitist group of individuals."
The finance committee will meet Wednesday, June 20, at 4 pm.
18 comments:
Why is the county council attacking the GPA? This is silly. First they want them to take care of the bridges and now they are mad. Isn't the GPA an independent group that does not answer to the county council. They may just tell the county to kiss off.
It appears at 700.00 an hour ,there must not be ovesite ,it appears the GPA has been used as cash cow 🐄 . With fees depletion of any starting balance must drain fast .
If the GPA is as bad as Bernie says, someone should be criminally charged. Why were the payments rubber-stamped? A grand jury should look into Lushis, Langen, and Ferraro. Peg's not an idiot. She was very purposefully voting to approve check after check - ripping off the taxpayers she purports to represent. Her lame excuse after weeks of silence is that things got out of hand? Not good enough. She was supposed to be watching things and it looks like she was one of the gangsters. The appearance of impropriety is stunning. I suspect illegal things went on here. Where's Morganelli or the state AG?
I would refer the matter to the feds at this point. It appears to me that there was a conspiracy to deprive the citizens of their right to honest services, and that the Admin Code requirements were ignored in furtherance of that conspiracy. Even the notion of hiring an outside law firm to pursue a debt collection is something I find offensive.
John Morganelli is friendly with Lamont, and for that reason, may want to stay away from this matter. The feds have previous experience dealing with Norris McLaughlin as a result of the Allentown corruption case.
Anonymous @ June 8, 2018 at 2:06 AM
"Why is the county council attacking the GPA? This is silly. "
County Council is not attacking the GPA. It is not "silly". It is not politically partisan either. The county and the people are beginning to ask questions. The answers and attitudes of some of the public servants on the GPA raise even more questions. The GPA represents, or should represent, the interests of Northampton County. It is obvious to this county resident and taxpayer that that some on the GPA have their own self interests in mind and put them above the people of Northampton County. The GPA needs new leadership and a new solicitor. We the people deserve much better.
Hopefully the county council is on the ball and has some good questions for this group. Are they asking for any of their documents to see how they bill? I watched the video, Ferraro should resign. her excuses are just that. She may be your friend but with this board she is either being devious or just incompetent.
Peg is a friend but I have stated several times, both here and to her personally, that she should get off that board bc it cheapens a good reputation she devoted a lifetime to build. She has extremely good instincts about the public and I think she has been a voice of decency and good will. Unlike some council members, she actually has always listened to what people say. Though a state committee person, I have always found her make an effort to be nonpartisan. She is a good person. In fact, I try to listen to her, too, because she has a quality I find very rare - wisdom.
Also, let me add here that I think Lori Vargo Heffner is quite impressive and shares many traits with Peg. I do not say this bc they are women but because I find many similarities in their approach, even though they are from different parties.,
Wise?? You have got to be kidding. She is a very partisan republican. She has had leadership positions in her party even at the national level. She is still in leadership positions. She blows with the wind and follows the money. I can think of some folks in county government with wisdom. Ferraro is not one of them. Her behavior with this board and voting to sue taxpayers is despicable and she should resign immediately or be censured by the county council.
Is County Executive permitted to serve as a member of the Norco Dem Committee??
OT!!!
5:05. Uhhhhh YES
5;05, the by-laws require that a member of Councilserve. It is silent as to the Exec, but hisytorically, the Exec haseen amember,usually the Chair.
Nothing has changed Bernie. County Council is putting on a show for the public. Does Heckman really care about this or is it about politics and elections. Isn't he and old political hack? They will have them in and put on a show and then it will be swept under the rug. You know this.
Wow, why the Heckman hate. I don't think he was even on CC when this happened.
Heckman was not a member of Council when this happened. If this were about politics and elections, they would wait to bring this up closer to next year's elections. But I suspect your remarks are politically inspired.
Word is out there that a very nasty letter was sent to the GPA demanding their presence at a county meeting. That is no way to act. Some people have out of control egos. The GPA should ignore it.
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