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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Friday, September 06, 2019

NorCo Council Wants to Know Who Dared Leak Sacrosanct Council Email

Earlier this week, I exposed a blatant attempt to pull a fast one by NorCo Council member Bob Werner and Rev. Mike Dowd, a former NorCo Council President. Last year, NorCo Council shelved a proposed $20,000 grant to restore the church steeple at Easton's UCC, where Dowd is Pastor. Though the award was never funded, the money still sits on county coffers. So Dowd came up with a new way to get his hands on this dough. He proposed awarding that grant to the Greater Easton Development Corp. (GEDC) and removing the church's name. This way, GEDP could find $20,000 for the steeple. Now you might think most members of Council would be outraged at this attempted money laundering. You'd be wrong. Instead, they wanted to know who dared leak that email to me.

Council's $100k per year Clerk, Linda Zembo, gave this report:

"There was on Bernie's blog an email I sent to ... certain people that somehow was leaked from his blog. In my email, it does say at the bottom that any transmissions was prohibited because it contained confidential information. I received an email from Mike Dowd. I forwarded it to some people.Then somehow it got on Bernie's blog. I did not release it. ..."

Council Solicitor Chris Spadoni admitted he read the blog, adding it "says something about my lifestyle."

"By the way, we're talking about Lehigh Valley Ramblings," said an amused Council President Ron Heckman.

"Do we really have to talk about this and give it any more steam than it needed?" asked Council member Tara Zrinski.

A few points.

First, and contrary to what $100k per year Council Clerk Linda Zembo asserted, I only published the email that Dowd had sent. Last time I checked, he's not on Council.

Second, any email or communication concerning the disposition of county funds is public information. Especially if it involves possible money laundering. You can mark it "confidential" all you want and I will still publish it.

Third, Council's $100k per year Clerk is a little nutty when it comes to marking things confidential. Even Council meeting agendas,which are about as public as you get, are marked "confidential" in emails.

Finally, I never reveal sources, but just this once, I will.

God gave it to me.

He appeared to me in the Recorder of Deeds

"My Temple will be called a house of prayer, but Rev. Dowd has turned it into a den of thieves,” he boomed.

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

The quote of Zembo should not say "leaked from his blog". It was leaked TO your blog, more specifically to you. It can't be "leaked" from a public posting. Of much more concern is that this may be an effort to conceal what these funds might be used for - I agree with you.

Anonymous said...

God here, I am much vexed by this, much vexed!

Anonymous said...

Obviously a case of, "I'm not upset it happened, I'm upset that I got caught." Keep them accountable Bernie.

Anonymous said...

Speaking on behalf of the Dagda, I'd like to go on that record to state He only reveals off-color jokes to Bernie.

Anonymous said...

Nice razzle dazzle to protect sources. God never goes to the Recorder of Deeds. God hangs out at Register of Wills to see who was naughty or nice, and who tried to take it with them. He's on watch for UCC cheapskates who didn't tithe and pay for their own steeple.

Anonymous said...

Bern your temple is the recorder of deeds office in the Northampton County Courthouse? How is it that you can study the word of God surrounded by all the thieves stealing all that real property?

Anonymous said...

Omg The devil is in the courthouse NOW? Shit and here all along we had fake news that John Brown and Cathy Allen were the axes of evil doing satan's work-

Anonymous said...

Dearest Bernard,

An appearance by the almihty himself.. I would have hoped that he would have instructed you that not the Recorder of Deeds Office but your body is a Temple NOT An AMUSEMENT PARK~

Anonymous said...

10:26 Axis of evil

Canary said...

Well done Bernie! That report likely saved taxpayers from spending $20,000 on a church steeple whose maintenance is best left to its congregants. You deserve a Keystone award.

JC said...

Bernie hates God and the feeling is mutual.

Anonymous said...

Keep the truth coming.

Anonymous said...

Actually, both issues (the steeple and leaking) are important.

The steeple issue is important for the reasons listed above, and the leaking issue is important from the standpoint of trust between members of Council.

If a Council member or someone on an e-mail chain is going to immediately leak an e-mail, that doesn't bode well for how Council works together.

I'll grant that it's possibly would have come out at some point anyway, but only after being subject to the Right-to-Know process.

If the person who leaked the e-mail wanted it to become public, they could have held a press conference about it or mentioned it at a public meeting. Or they could have discussed the issue with Dowd and asked him to withdraw the request.

Instead, they chose to leak the e-mail anonymously through a blog, which will only sow distrust and discord among all members of council.

I realize that expecting a politician (or someone else on the e-mail distribution) to have a spine and own their actions might be a bit too much these days. But it certainly wasn't a Profile in Courage.

Bernie O'Hare said...

You should not write a word about public $ unless prepared to see it in print. Like some Council members, you are more bothered by the leak than the money laundering

Anonymous said...

Agreed..two wrongs do not make a right here. Open government is essential for public confidence in the process. This back room bs goes on way too often and the violations of the public's right to know happens too often and politicians count on it as business as usual. Typical stuff..blame the messenger first and forget the critical issue at hand. Council needs to wake up and play fair with the tax payers.

Anonymous said...

Sunshine Law violations occur on a regular basis at all levels of government and those in charge are careless as to these violations. Doubt many elected people even know what that law says. Disgusting.

Anonymous said...

10:30am
The Bern's bod is not an amusement park ride like and similar to your anus. Adults are not regular riders of the Cho Cho train of you it's desires!

Anonymous said...

No, the feeling is not mutual. Read your Bible. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Bernie O'Hare said...

Please find a more suitable analogy.

Anonymous said...

Bern, thanks GOD everyday that his behind has only been tampered with by waste. Many that post on his blog are anal irratants of the most hanious types as well as salad tossers themselves.
The truth will set you free!