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| Dave Collins |
In his veto message. McClure noted we've already committed this sum to New England and decried the lack of a substantive plan for student loan repayment. He said it would be "administratively unworkable" and would "pit employees with college degrees against those who do not have them." He added that the funds set aside "do not begin to scratch the surface of the need, and concluded that it was an "unserious proposal."
While I believe the Council members who supported this program were sincere, I'd have to agree that a student loan repayment plan for county workers would be quite complicated. One county worker asked me whether this plan would include student loans taken out by an employee for a child. I frankly do not know because there is no plan.
In other business, County Council agreed to a $144,000 contract with Design Nine, Inc. to do a feasibility study of broadband throughout the County.
County Council needed six votes to override McClure's veto. It got only five, and thus failed to override the veto.
Council Members Lori Vargo Heffner, Tom Giovanni, John Brown, John Cusick and John Goffredo all voted Yes. Council members Tara Zrinski, Kevin Lott, Ron Heckman and Kerry Myers voted No. Yes, Vargo Heffner sided with Republicans. Yes, County Republicans suddenly like student loan repayments. "Cross out hearts and hope to die, we believe in all these things."
In other business, County Council voted unanimously (9-0) for a $144,000 contract with Design Nine, Inc. to study Broadband service throughout the county. Community and Economic Development Director Tian Smith said the study would be a "county wide assessment" of "where we need to fill holes and gaps." This certainly includes more rural sections but she observed there are also some problems in inner cities.
McClure advised Council that Director of Public Safety Ken Kraft is retiring, and will be replaced by Dave Collins. Let me tell you a bit about Collins, one of my favorite people.
I got to know him years ago, and respect him as a straight shooter. "I wear the white shirt with double bars," he told me several years ago, when the County under a previous administration tapped him to testify against another jail employee. He warned he would tell the truth if called. He was never called.
He says what means and means what he says.
He's an Easton boy. He graduated from Easton High School, where he played basketball. Though he's a big man who looks like an NFL offensive lineman, he wanted to study and teach the fine arts to children and enrolled at Kutztown University. Life got in the way. His college dreams took a back seat to raising a family, and one of which he's very proud. He has four daughters, is a grandfather and worships at Shiloh Baptist Church.
The man who wanted to teach fine arts maintained his interest in local youth. He was a program director at St. Anthony's Youth Center. He managed some programs at the Easton Area School District while working at jobs to support his family.
President Judge Robert Freedberg saw something he liked in well-spoken Collins, and recommended him for a job with Northampton County at the Juvenile Justice Center. He started working for the County in 2002 In 2009, he transferred to the jail. By 2011, he was a Lieutenant. Just two years later, in 2013, he was promoted to Captain.
It looks like your county is running amok with ideas way beyond their job description. Student loan payoffs for county employees, health care clinics for county employees, broadband study? Does the county really need to study broadband. It is now available to anyone who wants to pay the fee.
ReplyDeleteThe county administration is not there to provide percs and payoffs to county employees but to manage the finances of the county for all the residents, not engage in wealth transfer to government workers.
Someone needs to sit these people down and explain their job description and the limits to their authority.
This entire paragraph embodies what the wealthy and greedy corporations think about the working class. They don’t want you to have any resource that will educate you, keep you healthy, or question your working conditions. They treat you like a cog in a wheel, with zero dignity. They want to work you to the bone, and if you get sick or injured, they want to dispose and replace you with someone else immediately, because you’re as disposable as a plastic bag. They see the “perks” county employee ask for as an attack on their money and as a “transfer of wealth” when all corporations have done is exploit the working class. And they’ve brainwashed to think that it’s okay to treat you this way.
DeleteThat you fail to comprehend the importance of broadband in 2022 is a demonstration of incredible stupidity on your part. You make that even more clear when the very point is that it is NOT available to everyone who can pay the fee. Fortunately, Congress has authorized the funding of these kings of projects, and in a rare display of good sense that you lack, has given municipalities some say in deciding how to spend this funding for broadband. In exploring the shortcomings of our current system, the hope is to improve it so you can continue to read the few pearls of wisdom offered by this blog in the morass of conspiracy theories and Q-Anonsese coming from social media.
ReplyDeleteAnd as much as it must pain you, there actually is an Affordable Connectivity Program for people of limited means to have Internet access.
You saved me the trouble of calling him out.
DeleteBut what about Anon 3:52's claims of percs and payoffs for County employees, Bernie?
ReplyDeleteThe federal government has a public service student loan forgiveness program. State and local government employees are eligible after making 120 months of payments. 10 years is a long time but maybe there is a few county employees who don’t realized that they’re eligible. More info can be found here.
ReplyDeletehttps://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service
Dave Collins is a good man. I’ve known Dave for years from St Anthony’s. He is the right man to have this position and I wish him the best of luck!
ReplyDeleteBroadband is available in the whole county through starlink, the likely internet provider of the future.
ReplyDeleteFor 100 a month and supply your own equipment. The equipment is another 299 to 499 .That's a little out of reach for most people.
Delete"But what about Anon 3:52's claims of percs and payoffs for County employees, Bernie?"
ReplyDeleteYou are also incredibly stupid. If there were a scintilla of truth to that assertion, there would be no exodus from Gracedale, Juvenile Justice, 911, the jail or the row offices. People would be flocking to work here. It's just another lie, unworthy of discussion
But am I "observably stupid?"
Delete"Dave Collins is a good man. I’ve known Dave for years from St Anthony’s. He is the right man to have this position and I wish him the best of luck!"
ReplyDeleteHe embodies what is right about county workers. Our seal contains the words "mercy" and "justice" and I always felt that people like Dave display those qualities in their professional life.
Lol. Lamont got his boy a pension. Enjoy Ken
DeleteI wish Mr Collins the best. I hope they are compensating him at least as well as Kraft but hopefully better considering he actually knows what’s going on in the jail lol.
ReplyDeleteSeems to me like a bad choice...He has no background in public safety. If the county would have looked, they could have found a much better candidate. Once again a job goes to someone for a favor and not to the best applicant.
ReplyDelete