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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Monday, December 24, 2018

McClure Deserves "A" After First Year

In Lamont McClure's first County Council race, he once called a news conference at the courthouse to signal his support for then Executive Glenn Reibman's $111 million bond. During his remarks, he ripped into me because I and four others had sued to stop it. After he finished, I introduced myself. McClure would go on to lose that race and his second race, too. He would eventually get appointed. The very first thing he did was commit a Sunshine Act violation, followed by a threat to sue me for libel when I pointed it out. He and I hardly started out on the right foot. But the very same person I once called "McMud" has been excellent during his first year in office. I give him an "A," and am far from alone. Here's why

(1) He has held the line on a tax hike, something he said he'll avoid completely in his first term.
(2) His first budget is a true balanced budget that only spends the revenue generated,and without dipping into cash reserves.
(3) He eliminated a number of positions he felt were unnecessary.
(4) All along, he has said our core responsibility is to help those unable to help themselves. To that end, he has beefed up Human Services so that it is more responsive to the abuse and neglect that victimizes some of our children, elderly and mentally ill.
(5) He took on a runaway General Purpose Authority (GPA) and won;
(6) He stopped the bleeding of county money for the GPA attorney and Chair;
(7) He has been transparent, advising both Council and the public what the county is doing through frequent news releases. He is accessible, readily available to employees with concerns;
(8) He beefed up the staff at the jail to reduce the mandated overtime for corrections officers, which forces them to work tired and miss holidays with their families.
(9) He revised the procurement provisions of the Administrative Code, which have in the past led to multiple lawsuits. This was discussed for years, but never done.
(10) He returned the administration of Gracedale to the county. The third-party administrator cost the county about $400,000 per year;
(11) He successfully negotiated six union contracts;
(12) Though personally opposed to the P3 bridge project for the repair or replacement of nearly 30 county-owned bridges, he is committed to seeing the project reach a successful conclusion.
(13) When the Meadows Bridge failed in Lower Saucon, he successfully lobbied the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission and PennDOT to fast-track a replacement.
(14) He has resurrected the county's commitment to open space, fully funding farmland preservation, environmentally sensitive land and municipal parks.
(15) He has partnered with Easton to create more affordable housing;
(16) He has partnered with the Slate Belt to spur community development and pride.
(17) He is demolishing the Milides building to double the parking area across the street from the courthouse, as well as establishing a safe crosswalk.
(18) After over five years, he finally had emergency generators installed at Gracedale.
(19) He is purchasing the Centralized Human Services Building, but in a way that leverages $800,000 per year in state funds.
(20) After decades of talk, he is building a forensic center.
(21) He persuaded the Retirement Board to award a COLA.
(22) He revamped the county's medical care in a way that encourages health savings accounts, which he is willing to help fund. 

All of this is in one year, and I am sure I missed some achievements. Some employees have been critical because he has failed thus far to address salaries. Give him time. His record in one year exceeds what most Executives accomplish in four.

Later this week, I'll give you my assessment of County Council.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Council an F?

Anonymous said...

Why would Council get an F? They voted on these ideas

Anonymous said...

His bills will come due for the next executive. He lived off the last one for the last year. We've seen this movie before.

Anonymous said...

Meadows bridge fast tracked ?..
Are you back on the sauce BO?

Anonymous said...

I have no fault with McClure but he needs to straighten out the 9-1-1 center before something bad happens. Multiple dispatching errors such as dispatching to an address that has the same name as a street outside the county when the job is actually in another county resulting in a delay for aid. This isn't supposed to happen with computer aided dispatch. Another example, the police answer a burglary alarm in a recently foreclosed home and discover a fire alarm malfunction. The PD report "no fire" but want a fire officer to reset the alarm .But the fire dispatcher puts it out simply as a "fire alarm" resulting in a full fire dispatch. Another mis communication between the fire and PD dispatcher. It puts the responders at risk. It goes on and on. While there are still some strong individual dispatchers one can hear lots of new voices on the airwaves.I can only speculate a high turnover rate due to the pay scale. It scares me to think that Bethlehem 911 is about to fold into NORCO 911.Im not familiar with the present hiring system at NORCO 911 although in the past it was strictly the "buddy system". This is really a matter of public safety that needs immediate action.

Anonymous said...

This is so crazy, how many other people was B.O. wrong about. B.O. would say "he/she is absolutely the worst person you would ever want to know, or he/she is a person I met and is the nicest person you ever want to meet.

Anonymous said...

It IS Man Crush Monday. Nobody for a minute buys this. You have been stuck up Lamont's butt for quite some time. So here Lamont is your Xmas gift from Bernie....

Bernie O'Hare said...

7:15, the Meadows bridge is indeed fast tracked amd should be done in two years.

Bernie O'Hare said...

I recited why McClure deserves an “A” for his first year. There has been one substantive response re 911. I agree with that concern.

Anonymous said...

Okay. McClure gets an "A" . However, a monkey could have improved upon the mess that Stoffa and Brown left. The County was in Chaos. Our County Government a disgrace. Now, what about us who worked for the County the past twenty years and they balanced budget after budget by denying employees a livable wage and taxing our medical benefits. Their still doing it.

Anonymous said...

Bernie

I just want to wish you a Merry Christmas!

Peter J.Cochran said...

Happy holiday to you Bernie, here is my gift, G2 section reporting Tony Bassil ,Easton City will run for NorCo controller and Jhelum would be great .

Anonymous said...

Agree with 10:43, after twelve years of Brown/Stoffa the county was in the shitter. McClure has done more positive things in one year then they did in twelve. The 911 Center is a mess. The preferential hiring of "pals" has actually hurt the county. Bethlehem beware. McClure personally is a cold fish who knows how to talk like the lawyer he is. In other words he makes passionate speeches that are mostly BS. However, he is a far sight better than Deringer who is not liked in the courthouse. He is arrogant and thinks his crap does not stink.

Overall McClure is good at his job. Dertinger is all in with the bs at the e911 center and could be the weak link in the Admisntration.

Merry Christmas!!!

Anonymous said...

Recently in a local township covered by Volunteer FFers the local police were called to a restaurant that had been hit by a hit-run vehicle. It wasn't a bid deal and the building owner needed a report for insurance. After the PD arrived the officer requested just a fire officer to check the building but the fire dispatcher put it out as a "vehicle into a building". Luckily the fire officer was near by and called off the troops quickly but in the meantime the FFers are racing to the station to man the equipment. Another 911 gem down in Easton when the police dispatcher gives out a fire alarm and at the same time reports that they have word that a child pulled the alarm. At the same time the fire dispatcher simply gives it out as a "fire alarm" and doesn't tell the responding firefighters about the kid pulling the alarm until the FD already has all their equipment on the road. It goes on and on and I cannot believe that it is allowed to continue. It drives you crazy. Years ago the local papers would have picked up on this but apparently the papers just don't care anymore.

Anonymous said...

County redundancy. No need for every venue ,ie, Township and borough to have a half million dollar fire truck. If I remember there are about 200 fire apparatuses in this country,police venues are high and the tax payer some how gets sacked .in a commonwealth this is a problem . Somebody in leadership should get a handle now a develop a year 2030 plan to streamline cost. Easton ,Palmer,Wilson , Nazareth for example don’t need million dollar ladder trucks each they need competent people that can use them at half the number correctly. Add this issue across the state and you see problems paying for the machinery.

Anonymous said...

I give Professor O'Haire an A for reporting.Merry Christmas Bernie !

Anonymous said...

First round of furlough notices were sent to private sector employees as a direct result of the shutdown. They could not wait until after the Holiday. There will be no back pay for these folks. We need comprehensive immigration reform bill and transportation funding....not a dumb wall.

Anonymous said...

The absence of proper barriers has cost the American tax payer Billions . If you don’t pay taxes you might not care. Educating illegals kids they produce here ,along with SNAP and housing .and i reimbursement to the hospitals and Staff costs that delivered their children not to mention the high cost of transportation via jet rides back during deportation. Consider this ,your in a banana republic someplace on vacation with your family and somebody comes for you an takes you away for some aledged crime . First thing to do is get ahold of U.S.Councilate . So your looking for protection from the government. If you don’t agree with the sovereign issues of our country maybe you should find a place elsewhere and take Whoopi Goldberg with you. You have that right to go. Good thing is you is you probably can’t go to a banana beach because the pass ports would cost more than your paying in rent on assistance.so - if your paying taxes and a working class you should care about shoring up our boarders.

Anonymous said...

B - Employee salaries should be near the top of the first year list, if not the top, since without the loyal, dedicated, knowledgeable, way underpaid employees the County would not be running.

Anonymous said...

If my tax dollars was spent on your education (i.e. spelling and grammar), then I'll take my chances on the immigrants. Merry Christmas!

Anonymous said...

What a worthless asshole. Must be a member of the Lehigh Valley Tea Party or a lackey for the local Chamber of Commerce.

Anonymous said...

Merry Christmas you filthy animals!

Bernie O'Hare said...

8:07, the county government has nothing to do with fire apparatus. Your remark is incredibly ignorant bc you would basically decimate volunteer fire companies and end up paying much more. Those men and women put their lives on the line for you, and you can thank your lucky stars you don’t need them. You may.

Anonymous said...

Your way out of line

Anonymous said...

You are incorrect about the mandates at the Jail. They are just as bad now as they were before. This will never change as long as the current schedule is in place.