Supervisors met on Friday night because Monday, their regularly scheduled meeting date, was Veterans' Day. Of course,the first thing they did was go into executive session, aka the back room, to discuss personnel matters. When they popped out about ten minutes later, Chairman John Bermingham announced, "There will be no action taken."
I assumed that meant no action would be taken. Silly me. I stuck around for about 15 minutes as they discussed a Christmas tree lighting ceremony by the fire company on December 4, where everyone will sing carols, eat cookies and maybe blow up some tannerite. Though Santa was sitting in the audience, I figured I got a bum steer and left.
Not long after I departed, they took official action they said they weren't, and appointed Santa as Township Manager and at a starting salary of $85,000 with all the usual benefits. Voting yes were Bermingham, David Due and Robert Teel. The grinch, aka
Santa Claus, incidentally, is a fellow named Eddie Nelson. Every winter, he goes to Florida and plays Santa at the malls. He canceled his contract this year. Nelson is a former Supervisor, but has no experience as a manager ... or zoning officer ... or planner ... or finance guy. In fairness, he has worked from time to time as a crossing guard.
One of the persons Santa beat for this job is former NorCo Exec John Brown. Between Brown and a mall Santa, I'd take the mall Santa, too.
I think I'm on Santa's naughty list now.
So the chairman said there would be no action taken, but then after everyone left
ReplyDeletethey took action? That is about as low as you can get. That is an example of the
worst in local government. Appaling
what a disgrace- another twsp. manager w/o any experience whatsoever!
ReplyDeleteKnown Ed a long time and he may have the temperament for this job...he is in no way qualified to handle such affairs. UMBT elected officials have done a great disservice to the people of the township. Agree that Brown is qualified but his likability is zero. Was Cowboy Bob given a chance to interview? HA!
ReplyDeleteHonestly I believe the Chairman is trying to do the right thing. Unfortunately he is also the face of "Progressive" govt, uninformed and lets emotion make the decisions. UMBT has always been a special navel of the universe.
ReplyDeleteLocal government is going to the dogs. Township Manger experts are far and few between. Being new to the Townships they have no knowledge of the Second Class Code relative to reporting for the various Township Committees. They may know budgets but little else. If the Township does not have a qualifed road superintendent or rely on their Engineering Consulting firm to assist on Road projects, the Township will suffer from road maintenance. Township Managers must answer to the Supervisors and if they do not do as tell you, they will not hold the position very long. Lastly, why should Township Supervisors receive 100 % Medical Insurance if they do not work 40 hours per week on Township business?
ReplyDeleteHi Bernie, I know I was in your head when I was Chairman of the Republican Committee but I thought that had subsided since it has been a few years. I am not on the Upper Mt Bethel Board, unless there is another Craig DeFranco lurking around. I am honored you are still thinking of me, LOL
ReplyDeleteCraig DeFranco
Do you have to live in umbt to be the manager? I have no experience either and would love to throw my name in for 85+k dollars.
ReplyDeleteSorry, Craig. Now I'm on your naughty list, too. Corrected to reflect the real grinch.
ReplyDelete"Do you have to live in umbt to be the manager?"
ReplyDeleteNope.
Ho Ho Ho
ReplyDeleteI heard the cops are now asking for 100K . Shakedown Bernie, keep digging
ReplyDeleteSunshine Act violations are a rampant event out in the boonies especially when no one is there to report the sin..blogger or newspaper reporter.It's a cowardly way to do business regardless.
ReplyDeleteI'd take one of Santa's reindeer before Brown.
ReplyDeleteNo wonder Rick Fisher walked away from the managers job in UMBT..clown college in session.
ReplyDeleteDungeon Master to Santa interesting twist.
ReplyDeleteBernie you should be pissed! You, like anyone else are told NO action will be taken and they wait till all leave the meeting. What an Unchristian thing for Mr. Birmelin to do. So republican of him. The way the fake, fraud and phony Board Chairman operates and everyone knows it. If he put half as much time in making sound decisions as he does trying to get himself looking food in the news media this would not have happened. Is it not a coincidence that Nelson is appointed right at the time for the residents to have a sewer system and massive growth shoved down there throat? Who hires someone who has NO experience and pays them 85K? Smells real bad!
ReplyDeleteThey should have hired Lamont McClure. He could mess up a one car parade and is less qualified than either Brown or the clown. Just watch him run an election .... to a grinding halt. He's perfect.
ReplyDeleteUMBT did not get Santa but got a lump of coal and an inexperienced buffoon at that and all for 85 THOUSAND A YEAR and the bene's! Great move UMBT from school parkinglot/crossing guard to Twp. Manager? Funny! You cannot make this stuff up!
ReplyDeleteSanta Claus to run UMBT?
ReplyDeleteWhy not? Dems are gonna run Mrs. Claus for prez.
And I hear she's the generous one in the family.
This folks will not end well for sure and no doubt with a lawyer suing the Township probably claiming age discrimination as a standard MO. Did they call Sprint for the background of why he was let go off of Workman's comp and where else he was working? He has quite a history of employment that needs brought out along with his coaching jobs. Pathetic to think our Township has gotten lower then Hidy Ho and the sludge dumping on our farms with this hire. Warm up the lawyers cause now we will really see our taxes raised to pay this goof off to go away. The Township building looks like a side show of a circus.Not HO HO HO but HA HA HA - Ed got you now! Who did this mans background investigation Bozo the clown? or SATAN Mr. Chairman?
ReplyDeleteJust when we thought Hidy Ho was done pooping on us? A GIANT TURD lands on the Township in the Managers office! Where was Mr. Suspenders of Million Dollar Highway when we need him most? Hidy Ho spread enough poop and sludge on our lands and now this turd in the managers seat? What a sham approving this guy after telling the public there would be no action taken at the meeting. He lost how many elections including most recently a school board seat and he ends up here? Our Township is turning into a political sewer cause the smell of this smells worse then poop! No experience to run a Township that operates on over 4 million dollars of our hard earned money per year. An 85K salary for what? And his background is and showed what? He is qualified how? Sick sick sick! As one person in the Township building defined him perfectly- A HOT MESS for a hot mess of a TWP! Only two of the supervisors have any common sense and they are the one's that voted NO NO NO for HO HO HO! Joke is on us taxpayers its gonna be a bumpy sleigh ride thru the courts with this goof!
ReplyDeleteUMBT has just surpassed itself as the largest perennial circus in the area. It is now the Greatest Show on Earth!!! Where else can you watch an all star cast of characters. Pinter and his hand puppet Bermingham, Bob "Let's Make a Deal" Teel, and Anthony "Do I really live in the Township" Defranco. And now Ed running it. So he's going to be told what to do by the 3 Stooges and their Puppet. Dig deep into this Bernie, see who will be making out in the end, who will benefit? The Supervisors will line their pockets from the Sewer and land Development and the blame will be placed on Nelson. They picked their Huckleberry!
ReplyDeleteBrownstain or a mall cop dressed as Santa? Hrmm....Interview the Brownstain of Northampton counties undies and the Township's own turd and you kept the Twp's turd. Hire the cretin or dunce? This adds the defining of "stupid" or "dunderhead"= When UMBT supervisors have a quorum and they need another idiot in the building- HO HO HO
ReplyDeleteBreaking news! Johnny just announced the next township sponsored movie night. "UMBT Confidential"
ReplyDeleteIn politics stupidity is not a handicap- Napoleon Bonaparte
ReplyDeleteBernie, The previous 3 township managers were paid 65 thousand and all had municipal government experience in the working government environment why was this man paid a 20 thousand dollar raise over Rick Fishers salary and the other 2 before him? The odor of this is real bad. A 20 thousand dollar raise to someone who had NO experience government operations period. Twenty THOUSAND OVER those that had qualifications previously? The entire Board should resign en mass. From 60K to 85 for a parking lot cop that highlights winters as a mall santa? Unbelievable!
ReplyDeleteJohn Brown the cry baby or Ed Nelson the mall Santa/parking lot attendant.... its a no brainer made by those without brains.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Ed the Santa, John Birmelin, the Goofy chairman, David Due as Scarecrow - if he only had a brain, along with the "Tooth Fairy" Bob Teel..... what a made for cinema movie. You cannot invent this stuff locally.
Any man that finds a bunch of fools that take a security guard parking attendant and goes from 10 bucks an hour at the Bangor School to 85 thousand dollars a year as the manager at the township deserves a trophy> Any man that found the three fools that we have elected supervisors to spend out money for this deserves a trophy and a congrats. Eddy sell them the sleigh too! I am sure monday it is santa Claus is coming to town-ship Ho Ho fools, Fools!
ReplyDeleteCongrats Ed you found the three biggest fools ever elected David Due, "the legend Bobber-on his knees" Teel and the screw ball Birmlin chairman. Three fools!
Check out the Twp meeting minutes for October 17th. They interviewed 4 candidates and provide a transcript of each. Due asks a very professional question to Brown. "The Aquarium" "Why wasn't the slate belt considered?" What a dingleberry. The interview skills of these boobs is embarrassing.
ReplyDeleteWow I was at the Mt. Bethel Diner tonight and asked a former Township elected official what this with Teel being called "bobber" and heard the down skinny on his friendship with an old man and how he got that building in Mt. Bethel many years ago and has earned the name "bobber". Enough said but what a creepy and to think he is trying to get central sewerage to cover all his properties. This is just not right nor fair of the people of our township. Bernie Thank You for exposing this.
ReplyDeleteA short Xmas wish to all Santa Ed's enemies... How do you like me now taxpayers? What an XMAS gift to UMBT! Ho Ho
ReplyDeleteJohn Brown could not even win a competition to be township manager of East Podunk, PA??? ROTFL. He dreamed he could be Inspector General of PA, which didn't pan out. Maybe WallsMart is hiring greeters.
ReplyDeleteChristmas and Santa is about a time of giving and the taxpayers/residents of the township better grasp ankles with this one. Thank you Supervisor's
ReplyDeleteSanta will be extra jolly this year since he is now gonna screw the twp out of 85 thousand a year! Christmas this year is about the birth of Santa's checkbook!
ReplyDeleteI believe SATAN has taken over the Chairmanship of the Township- enough said.
ReplyDeleteBernie, I hope this is an early April Fool's joke? This is what my tax money is going to? Ed's a nice guy and all but this has Disaster written all over it.
ReplyDeleteWOW.....You people are really idiots!!!!!! You complain about all the ones with all the experience who have done nothing put FUCK everything up,,,and now someone with no experience gets the job and everyone is pissed well maybe Santa will do a great job..lets wait and see....or maybe that is what you all are afraid of...???
ReplyDeleteThank you for the word from Santa at the North Pole. Now back to making candy canes.
DeleteDoes anyone have a copy of the ad posted in any paper for this position? Want to see what the qualification needed for this job were. Doesn't it seem shady, that a managers position, great benefits, pension plan, 85K a year salary and you don't need any experience, didn't get hundreds of applicants. How is it that only 4 people applied for this job? Who did the back round check on Santa? UMBT is a real joke, with clowns spending tax payers money! The past managers had experience and got 60K a year and Santa get 85k, with no knowledge of anything. Doesn't know zoning, purchasing, accounting, book keeping, road work and it goes on. They had good people and because of the shit show there, they all quit. Why aren't UMBT tax payers put first, instead of the Supervisors putting their own agendas priority? The town is falling apart and it is only going to get worse. There are existing problems that the town doesn't address at all. The road department that does nothing, with everyone at retirement age. If you want to see where the road department earns their money, go to the diner, the sand pits and watch them sitting around. Watch them load salt trucks, 30 minutes a truck, its a joke. Go ask for help from the one lady there and she is lost. IF the other lady comes from the back to help you, you get a attitude and she says, its not her job. Try and get anything done from zoning and you are out of luck, as they fired every zoning officer. UMBT spends tax payers money, like it is no big deal. How long will the residents of UMBT sit back and let this slide? A circus run by clowns, with exceptions for a few. How about this, at the next town meeting, the clowns can pull up to the building in a small car, all pile out of it, followed by Santa in his sled and start the meeting with, welcome to the biggest shit show on earth and Ho Ho Ho!
ReplyDeleteIs it true? No “Job Johnny” in Upper Mount Bethel Township! But how could they overlook all of John Brown’s qualifications after all he has experience at spending tax payers hard earned money. It looks like they agreed that a Security person can be better trusted than the politician Johnny. There must be a horse farm willing to hire you as your good at shoveling their waste. Little Lord Fauntleroy you will have to change your outfit and try again as the people truly recognize who and what you are. The Chief
ReplyDelete