I received two comments on Friday, almost certainly from the same person, ridiculing two matters peculiar to Northampton County. Let's start with the comments themselves.
" I thought we had council people in our county and Lehigh County has Commissioners. Will someone explain what this is all about. What's the difference betweeen the courthouse and the government center? isn't it one and the same."
"th new democrats on council wanted the prestige of being called commissioners. They crave attention for their egos. Also, it has always been the County Courthouse until McClure, craving attention changed all th stationary to show th government center. He didn't want people to think the courts were in charge but that he was. He wanted everyo9ne to do it but the courts laughed and said, no. These dems egos need constant attention and adoration."
Commissioner or Council members? Lehigh County's legislative body is called the Board of Commissioners. Its members are called Commissioners. Northampton County Council members were called Council members and the body as a whole was referred to as County Council.
These names are the result of the Home Rule Charters in each county.
Over the past few years, several Northampton County Council members decided they'd prefer to be called Commissioner. I guess it sounds more important. When they go to state meetings of the County Commissioner Ass;n, they can pretend they are on the same level as real Commissioners in counties where there are three Commissioners who act as both legislators and executives.
This is pure ego stroking and it never much got anywhere until Lori Vargo Heffner decided to try again. Now because this is actually a change to the Home Rule Charter, this would have to be advertised and approved by the public.
All Council members, both Democrat and Republican, supported this plebiscite. Ego is by no means limited to one party. In last year's primary, voters approved the name change. I doubt very few actually knew this was just ego-stroking. The question was phrased in a way to make it seem that voters were approving a nine-person body.
Northampton County Council, incidentally, is still called County Council. So we have nine Commissioners on a County Council.
Shouldn't it be a Board of Commissioners?
I suppose that will be the next big change.
Courthouse or Government Center? It's both, but primarily, it's a courthouse. That's the name etched in stone outside the rotunda.
So far as I know, there's been no move to have the building called anything but the courthouse. It is true that correspondence from the McClure administration does identify the building as the government center. This happened early in his first term, I do agree there's a tad bit of ego stroking there. I was told it was done to minimize confusion. But in all my years as a nearly daily visitor, I have yet to meet anyone who was confused about the government center's location at the courthouse. McClure has no authority to name any county building. That's the province of County Council.
What we call things can have deep underlying meaning or could be ego.
As for me, call me Ishmael.
17 comments:
So who's on first?
Here's another case where we differ from Lehigh, in that Lehigh does have separate buildings for each purpose- a courthouse and a government center.
Love it. Close but McClure outpaces her by a mile. Of course, you did not factor in Zirinski. Now there is an ego fit for a senator!
As a faithful reader of your "BLOG" I rarely comment on the many interesting issues you bring forward. I enjoy reading the many comments put forth by your readers, some quite informing and some not so informational. This issue of the County Council being a Board of Commissioners or the newly established BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS being the County Council is plain lunacy. I had to read your explanation more than once but I think I now understand it. If I were to run for office and be placed on the ballot as a person seeking to be elected and fulfill the duties of Northampton County Commissioner, and say I win, I would get sworn into office as a member of the Northampton County Council without the legislative duties, responsibilities, and obligations of a legislated County Commissioner. That clears things up. Thank you Lori Heffner.
Actually most of these people are referred to with other titles that would not be printable in a family oriented blog. I would expect that commissioner or council member is the least used title.
Politicians are the lowest form of scum on the planet. They prove it every day. I have a vision that their own family members hate them and regularly spit in their food at home. Politicians deserve to eat someone else's spit whenever they dine. I don't call them council members or commissioners. I call them detestable assholes.
CCAP stands for County Commissioner Association of PA. Northampton County is the 13th largest County in PA. There are County Commissioners in rural Counties with fewer residents than some boroughs represented by Councilmembers. Are these rural Counties playing to their egos or do they want an equal seat at the table in the eyes of Harrisburg? State agencies can be confused by titles and municipal designations such as township, boroughs, and cities. The title change seems appropriate to give County commissioners equal representation when attending state functions. A part time Mayor of a borough of 4,000 residents could be viewed with higher authority than a full time manager of a Township with 30,000 residents.
I truly don’t care exactly what they “call” themselves as long as they stop the political jabs at each other and get down to business, especially with Gracedale. It’s time to make everyone from McClure to HR to that administration accountable for the mess that is Gracedale. It’s time to stop using COVID as the reason for the failures there at Gracedale. I would hope by now that even you would see that, Bernie.
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Politicians are the lowest form of scum on the planet. They prove it every day
says the anonymous poster
Whatever they're called, I'd like to see an ordinance requiring them to wear powdered wigs and be fanned with palm frons by campaign donors during meetings.
8:41, the action of NorCo Council is deceptive. They are implying that they have the same Exec authority that commissioners have in most counties (urban and rural) and they simply do not. They are legislators.
To your point about a township manager having more cred than a small boro mayor, a mayor is elected while a manager is appointed and is a bureaucrat.
8:30, this has nothing to do with Gracedale
Why all the confusion? Instead of one person, the executive, with all power why not do what most counties do. It sounds like this home rule is about vesting all power in one person with a weak and ineffective council. Hell, they don't even know what to call themselves. Maybe they should hire a professional manager to run the county instead of an elected politician. Sounds like you can get a Trump at a local level. How old is this charter?
12;10 you are correct
If there are nine councilmen/women on council at one time there have probably been more than 100 elected council members. If none of them had problems with being called council people why do these few idiots have a problem. If it like you say Beern, they do not function like the rest of the state's County Commissioners who are both Legislators and administrators. You are right Bern, these people have an ego problem or some other mental deficit.
annon 4:02 has point. The Charter I believe is like 50 years old. I have been told that over th past few Administrations the County Executives have claimed more and more power. The legislative branch has faded into the background and is just a paper tiger, if that. Review the damns thing.
One Solution. Term Limits for the executive and possibly council.
"Anonymous Anonymous said...
Politicians are the lowest form of scum on the planet. They prove it every day
says the anonymous poster"
Actually, current polling strongly supports this very low view of politicians. Those polled are also anonymous. I doubt most politicians' mothers like their politician progeny.
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