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Thursday, December 13, 2018

NorCo Controller Blasts Law Firm, Former Exec, in Devastating Audit

John Lushis
Imagine you're elected Northampton County Executive, go to your office to begin your new job, and find nothing's there. That's what happened when Lamont McClure started as the County's top man. The shredders must have been working OT before he started. He was flying blind on top of a $450 million budget. But one of the first things to cross his desk was an outrageous legal bill from John Lushis of Allentown law firm Norris McLaughlin. Even more amazing, it was for a new jail at Gracedale. Former Executive John Brown had repeatedly denied this during the campaign. As McClure settled in, more and more of these bills crossed his desk. He would eventually learn that Brown had been using the county's General Purpose Authority (GPA) to do an end run around County Council. Now an audit from Controller Richard "Bucky" Szulborski confirms it, and also demonstrates that Lushis' law firm was overbilling.

John Briwn
Earlier this year, Council VP Ron Heckman convened a special hearing over GPA irregularities. Its former Chair, Shawn Langen, was condescending and dismissive. "I have about 12 more minutes before I have dinner for 10 people," he huffed at one point. Following that hearing, Ken Kraft introduced a tough resolution calling for the resignations of Lushis and Langen.

Thy both eventually stepped down. McClure has refused to pay Lushis any moremoney,and he rejectedbills that were also submitted by Langen.

Slowly, Lamont McClure has appointed new members, and the GPA is now a better and more responsive agency. In the meantime, the Controller was asked to audit GPA over the billing and how it is that Lushis was able to get away with charging so much money. That audit was released December 10. Lead auditor Anthony Sabino pretty much confirms that Lushis overbilled and that former Executive Brown was using Lushis as some sort of secret solicitor with no oversight from Council.

According to the audit, Lushis overbilled the county on the P3 bridge project to the tune of $55,069. Even worse, John Brown paid him $153,343.50 for work related to a new jail even though that work was never authorized by Council.

"[W]e , we believe NMM was acting as a Professional Service vendor of the County and that all restrictions included in Article XIII of the County’s Administrative Code (Procurement and Disposition of County Property) are applicable as to their retention for workrelated to the Jail Reconstruction Project. The only procedural difference was that invoices were addressed to the NCGPA but they were paid directly to NMM by the County."

The audit goes on to point out six violations of the county's procurement code. In addition, the GPA violated its own by-laws when hiring vendors.

You can read the audit in its entirety below.

NorCo Controller's Audit of GPA by BernieOHare on Scribd
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9 comments:

  1. AnonymousDecember 13, 2018 at 3:19 AM

    Jesus Christ and Holy Shit!

    These guys are freekin crooks. Do you think if Brown and his council had stayed in power this would have ever been found out? It appears that McClure's discovery and Heckman's special meeting blew this thing wide open, along with your reporting. You all did a good job Bernie. Especially you!

    Instead of running out and trying to be know it all's maybe the new members Zirinski and Hefner should try and learn from the likes of McClure, Heckman and Kraft. There is something to be said for experience in the age of new blood.

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  2. Bernie O'HareDecember 13, 2018 at 8:37 AM

    I loved the way McClure approached It took him a few months, but he got rid of the problem, there. Heckman's special hearing was amazing.He was the perfect person to do it bc he is so fair-minded. Ken Kraft knew something was up from the onset. His resolution, which was read into the record inits entirety, was brilliant. I have never seen a county audit this damning.

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  3. AnonymousDecember 13, 2018 at 8:42 AM

    So the question is "when will the DA file charges"?
    he is a lame duck now so its the perfect time, John!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Bernie O'HareDecember 13, 2018 at 11:13 AM

    The DA will not far le charges unless he is sure he can convict. I don’t think it is criminal. It could be civil, but even there, there would be a lot of hurdles and s counterclaim. What I like about the audit is that it confirms everything in Ken Kraft’s resolution and everything I wrote, and then some.

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  5. carlDecember 13, 2018 at 3:15 PM

    So there is no higher authority that would investigate? PBA disbar them for being deceitful?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Bernie O'HareDecember 13, 2018 at 4:08 PM

    You could file complaints with any of a number of agencies, but I think a civil action would be the best option. It would be a mess.

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousDecember 15, 2018 at 12:12 PM

    The gift of John Brown..it just keeps giving and giving and..

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousDecember 17, 2018 at 4:46 AM

    Finally read the entire thing. It is a clear violation of the law. This was a deliberate move to avoid county council. This must be followed up and not just dropped. Could be one of the worst offenses in county history.

    ReplyDelete
  9. AnonymousDecember 17, 2018 at 4:48 AM

    What is Brown and Lushis now doing?

    ReplyDelete

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