Judge Baratta Shrinks Super Shrink

Judge Stephen Baratta

NorCo Council member Lori Vargo Heffner, aka Super Shrink, grilled Court Administrator Jermaine Greene and two doctors on Thursday night over a Director of Treatment, what really is a minor staffing change at the Juvenile Justice Center (JJC). After about 30 minutes of hostile questions, she said she had no desire to be "picayune" at 8 pm on a Thursday night. She's decided to be picayune in emails to Greene. Super Shrink is now demanding a "written overview of the program" at the Juvenile Justice Center. She wants to do a site survey, i.e. access confidential juvenile files. She also told Greene she did not like his tone on Thursday night, which was both professional and respectful. That's more than I can say about her own demeanor. Super Shrink has received a response to her latest demands. But they don't come from Greene. They come instead from Judge Stephen Baratta, who is the Administrative Judge for Juvenile Court.

Copies of Judge Baratta's four-page response went to Greene, President Judge Michael Koury, Ron Heckman, County Council and their lawyer, Chris Spadoni. Someone on Council leaked it to me. Below are excerpts:

Greene: "Your reaction does not comport with my understanding of Mr. Greene's general demeanor. Please know that he is a valued employee of the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts - the Administrative arm of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. He is well respected throughout this Commonwealth, and especially here in Northampton County, for his skill and professionalism. ... [H]is professionalism and his work product have never been questioned before I saw your email."

Lori Vargo Heffner

JJC in Courts' domain: "I remind you that both the Home Rule Charter and the Administrative Code speak to the separation of powers and the exclusive authority of the Court to manage its employees and our internal operations, which includes the employees and the treatment programming of the JJC."

Site survey demand: "[S]tate and federal regulations governing our facility do not permit you, as a county office holder, to have access to our files, as all juvenile records are protected by very stringent confidentiality restrictions."

Must Director of Treatment be licensed social worker: "Please know that we have consulted with the Department of Public Welfare and the Office of Children and Youth about this position, the agencies responsible for auditing JJC operations. Both are comfortable with the job description. No licensure is required to manage and coordinate treatment, as the position is purely administrative. I would also remind you that the position of the Deputy Warden in Northampton County Prison overseeing the prison's treatment services does not require any licensure."

Appointment is Fiscally Prudent: "Frankly, I do not understand your interest in controlling the Court's job description for an administrative position in the JJC. By creating this position, we were able to eliminate a higher paying (Deputy) position, saving the county money and we consolidated services by reorganizing staff. I would think, from an efficiency and fiscal savings standpoint, that this request would be unopposed by Council."

Time to vote: "I do not understand why your intention to examine our clinical operations and programming is relevant to Council's consideration of the request to consolidate various existing JJC administrative duties into this new position. I am told that Council has already been provided with all the forms and other necessary documentation to create this position. You need no other documentation to vote on this request."

Any meeting with Super Shrink will be formal: "I will endeavor to assist you in your efforts to inquire into our clinical programming. I only request, given the tenor of your email, that we do so formally, with the involvement of the entire Council and your Solicitor ... ."

Super Shrink Interfering with Courts: "[W]hat authority does County Council have to interfere with the Court's management of its employees and our desire to reclassify positions when we reorganize our administrative operations, so long as our requests are fiscally prudent and do not infringe upon the duties and responsibilities of the County Executive or County Council Administrative?"

This has gone on long enough. Single-handedly, Super Shrink is destroying the good working relationship that the Courts have with Council and the Executive. It is time for VP Ron Heckman to put a stop to the nonsense and just conduct a vote on the tabled resolution.