A relaxed Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure delivered his State of the County address (you can watch it here) yesterday morning to a throng of at least 200 people at Hotel Bethlehem's Grand Ballroom. Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. CEO Don Cunningham, who hosted the event and introduced McClure, said it was the largest crowd he'd ever seen for what is usually a very dry affair. This might be because the event was both free and included a rather luxurious breakfast. I was fashionably late, but still stuffed my pockets with scrambled eggs for the ride home.
As is the norm with most state of the county addresses, McClure lauded several employees. But these workers really deserved the accolades. He praised Gracedale Administrator Jennifer Stewart King, who spent weekends during the pandemic working the floors as a certified nurse's aide at the largest county-owned nursing home in the state. "That's what a leader does," he remarked. He extolled Robyn Barbosa, a Deputy Director of Human Services, for her work in preventing 10,000 families from losing their homes during COVID with $25 million in federal funds. He applauded Drug and Alcohol Administrator Kathy Jiorle for her role in battling the fentanyl crisis with both education and training. But he saved his biggest commendation for the county employees who at that very moment were at the jail, courthouse, 911 center and courthouse. He called them the "finest employees in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania." He said he might last one or two more terms, but they'll still be here. "These are fantastic people."
He said most employees stayed by his side during the pandemic, where the county worked while most governments shut down. "They didn't go home and I can't thank them enough."
He hinted he is working on a project with Wilkes University that county employees might like.
>McClure painted a rosy picture of the county. He pointed to four balanced budgets with no tax hikes and one that included a tax cut. He highlighted a $500 million pension fund despite a market correction, adding that it is 90% funded. But the county's biggest accomplishment during his tenure has been its attention to open space. It has spent $25 million to preserve 3,000 acres of farmland and open space as well as the acquisition of three county parks totaling 300 acres.
"Our future is green," he said. "Green is the color of nature, and green is the color of money, and green is the light that tells us to go forward into the future.”
He raised the the alarm about "warehouse proliferation," a term he coined himself a few years ago. "Our people are done with warehouses," he declared. He admitted nothing is "inherently evil" about them. He acknowledged iconic logistics firms like FedEx, UPS and Amazon, agreeing they pay taxes and provide good jobs. Though they have their place, preferably next to an interstate, "We don't want to be incentivizing them with tax breaks."
He noted that Northampton County has the fifth highest household income and fifth highest wealth in the state. He claimed people are moving here to retire. "We're doing very well."
Yet he acknowledged that the county still faces challenges.
He's concerned about the deteriorating water quality of the Lehigh River. He claims this has been caused by warehouses and poor planning. He hopes that a land freight study compiled by Lehigh Valley Panning Commission and funded by the county will arm municipalities to control their own destinies. He worries about air quality, which he said is causing children's asthma to skyrocket. (The county has placed several air quality sensors to determine more precisely the sources of pollution.)
He stated the county's biggest challenge is expanding the middle class. To that end, he wants more affordable housing, which he prefers to call workforce housing. He noted that a 50-unit development is being built in Forks Tp and other projects are being pursued in West Easton and with Shiloh Baptist Church.
He said the county is currently studying ways to expand broadband access . "We want kids of modest means to be able to rise up out of those modest means and join the middle class."
His desire to expand the middle class is also why the county is investing so heavily in what he calls the fentanyl "scourge." He called it poison ingested by people without ever knowing it. "This is a tragedy. ... We don't have anybody to leave behind. How can we build the middle class if we have people injured and dying of fentanyl?"
McClure also spoke in support of passenger rail. He said he's certain that a current study will pan the idea as too costly. He called that argument a "scare tactic." He said a connection to New York or Philly would expand the middle class.
McClure failed to discuss the Gracedale study ordered by County Council over his veto, though he hinted there would be good news about Gracedale soon. He made no mention of the County Council pay study he vetoed, even after Don Cunningham stated that the average wage for unskilled labor in Northampton County is between $21-22 an hour. He was also silent about Council resistance to his desire for an exclusive and voluntary health clinic for county employees, which he believes will save money for the county and workers.
I saw no judges at this address, but that's almost certainly because the courts are busy on Wednesday with miscellaneous court. DA Terry Houck was likely absent for the same reason. Houck's opponent, Steve Baratta, was present and caught me stuffing those scrambled eggs in my pocket.
Council members Tara Zrinski and Kevin Lott, who have been McClure's most reliable Yes votes, were sitting up front. Council member Lori Vargo Heffner, despite having some friction with McClure, was also there. The room was crowded, and other members of County Council might have been there. But those are the only three I saw.
His relation with County Council is actually McClure's biggest challenge. He'll be unable to address anything else unless he establishes a more collegial atmosphere than currently exists. Of course, County Council does itself no favors when one of its members undermines the Sheriff's authority, and no one condemns it.
I've watched McClure for many years. He can be very guarded with others, and that has often led to misperceptions about him. But when he can just let that guard down and be himself, he's very good. Yesterday, he was very good.
47 comments:
"I've watched McClure for many years. He can be very guarded with others, and that has often led to misperceptions about him."
For fanboys like you. All the veracity of Trump and the charisma of DeSantis.
He loves the spotlight. He should have introduced the present county council people but that is not his style. No class.
Wow. What a whitewash of county history. He oversaw a slaughter. the worst in the nation, at Gracedale. He should be criminally investigated. His response to the mounting death toll at Gracedale, close sliding boards at county parks, where violators could be arrested and fined. McClure did this to county citizens and their families, while he snoozed comfortably in his estate. He's a terrible executive and a worse human being. I'll vote for the first DA candidate who agrees to criminally investigate McClure for his role in Gracedale's record-setting deaths. 18064 was one of the deadliest zip codes in the country.
To build a Middle Class you need to deal with able bodied people who actually want to work, and not expect government to provide everything to them without expending their energy and time to become independently responsible. Such “stock” is in short supply these days. Many in our current government actually want dependency. They invite it to seek votes and remain in office.
Said like a true politician..
Grow the middle class? LOL. He could start by paying county employees a decent wage.
You saw no judges or anyone from the DAs office because there was miscellaneous court. Yet miscellaneous court was forced to a halt for over an hour because the entire public defender’s office was forced to attend this event, leaving no one to cover their responsibilities in court. Why would McClure force them to go on a miscellaneous court date?
McClueless needs to go! We can't take anymore of him. He wrecked this area. We don't need more people coming in to the area and pushing families that have had generations living here that are now having to move out because they can't afford what the NJ/NY people coming in can. I think it is hilarious how he praises the employees like Steward-King. She needs to go too! He praises employees while not paying them what he should. He doesn't do reviews nor give step raises they way they are suppose to be. GET RID OF HIM!
It's hard for the middle class to grow when they are getting hit hard with record inflation and record energy costs.
"He loves the spotlight. He should have introduced the present county council people but that is not his style. No class."
All elected officials who were there were introduced by Don Cunningham. No need to repeat.
". Many in our current government actually want dependency. They invite it to seek votes and remain in office."
I am unaware of any local official who invites dependency to get elected. That argument has been made a lot of lot about Congress and presidential candidates, but I honestly fail to see how it enters into any political strategy on a local level. I happen to know a number of people who are in what you call the dependent class, They are there bc they need to be there. Those who can work do. By the way, most of these people getting assistance consider themselves conservatives and don't vote at all. I know of only one couple who plays the system for everything they can get.
There incidentally already are work requirements for people on food stamps. I'd have no issue with work requirements for Medicaid or cash assistance, but it would need to be managed better than the current systems in place, They don't work. If you've ever navigated state systems for assistance, you'd appreciate this reality.
"Yet miscellaneous court was forced to a halt for over an hour because the entire public defender’s office was forced to attend this event, leaving no one to cover their responsibilities in court. Why would McClure force them to go on a miscellaneous court date?" I doubt very much that McClure forced assistant PDs to attend his address. They probably should be forced to stay in place if such an event occurs again.
"Wow. What a whitewash of county history. He oversaw a slaughter. the worst in the nation, at Gracedale. He should be criminally investigated. His response to the mounting death toll at Gracedale, close sliding boards at county parks, where violators could be arrested and fined. McClure did this to county citizens and their families, while he snoozed comfortably in his estate. "
Actually, McClure responded quite effectively to a pandemic that caught everyone unaware. The death toll at Gracedale was tragic, but that is bs the elderly are particularly vulnerable. He had an isolation ward set up long before anyone else, and was quick to seek nursing assistance from the national guard when it was available. He kept county offices open when nearly all other municipalities were shuttered. He still had C&Y responding to abuse claims instead of forcing cops to do it, as was the casein other counties. He did close county parks at a time when the science was still unclear about the risk of spread. Once it became clear that outdoor spread was minimal, the parks were re-opened. He provided $10k grants to hundreds of small businesses unable to operate as a result of a draconian shut down that should never have been imposed. He provided millions to people in danger of losing homes and apartments. He set up testing at a time when they were hard to get. Among leaders, I'd put his response to the pandemic far and above what I saw from other officials. It might have been his finest moment.
@2:47 am aka Lori Vargo-Heffner... Isn't it past your bed time? You were introduced by Don Cunningham. Why would Lamont recognize you who has voted with the Republicans to give warehouses a tax break, block a health center that will give the employees a no cost healthcare option and save the county money, and alienate the members of council in your own party.
Its is even rumored Lori, that you coordinated with Glenn Geisinger to encourage Kerry to join the Republican party and run a write in because you don't want another Democratic Woman on County Council.
The PA Federation of Democratic Women should expel you for your treatment of your Democratic female colleague on County Council.
His pandemic response was abominable and heartless. His clinging to the cultish vax mandates has directly harmed county juveniles and their families. His decisions cost lives. But he brags....
I doubt very much that 2:47 is Vargo-Heffner. She did vote for the LERTA in UMBT. If past history is prologue, it will lead to warehouses. I'd agree that she is also misguided in her embrace of Kerry Myers, who has proven to be a very bad elected official and believe the sole reason for that is that he allies with her and against McClure. Insofar as Zrinski is concerned, she is just as bad as Myers. So I can understand the animosity for an opportunist who often has put her own ambition above service to the people. He public Facebook page calls herself "public candidate" bc she runs for so many offices. She is too unfocused.
"His clinging to the cultish vax mandates has directly harmed county juveniles and their families. His decisions cost lives. But he brags...."
The original vaccine was over 90% effective. It saved lives. Unfortunately, and largely thanks to antivaxxers like you, not enough people got it and the virus mutated. Now the vaccine is about as effective as a flu vaccine. It is still worth getting.
Wow, Bernie. Maybe pay attention to those posts about Gracedale and the administration. It sounds as though they lived it or still are living it.
praise for all the county employees.....what a joke you can tell how he really feels by the pay study he keeps vetoing.
"Wow, Bernie. Maybe pay attention to those posts about Gracedale and the administration. It sounds as though they lived it or still are living it."
I've paid close attention all along to both the bad and the good about Gracedale. I always do. What I know is that a disgraced former employee and a failed county exec candidate tried to take advantage of the tragic deaths for political gain.
"praise for all the county employees.....what a joke you can tell how he really feels by the pay study he keeps vetoing."
I agree county employees are grossly underpaid and have been advocating a pay study for years. But do not think for a minute that it solves the problem. It basically just exposes it. McClure has an obligation to the employee and I think he is too cheap. I have told him this many times. He is very tight with a buck. I'd hate to be his waiter. I bet he'd hate for me to be his waiter, too. John Brown, John Stoffa and Glenn Reibman were also cheap. And it is thanks to Brackbill that step increases stopped. Jerry was cheap, but not with the workforce. Gene and Marty were also cheap. Seeing a pattern here?
Kraft or Barron at 2:47,
No one on county council has given tax breaks for warehouses. The UMBT project was not for warehouses. Also, the play for voters was a sad effort to take advantage of people who thought the county had any real zoning power.
Talk to the developer, He already owned all the land, and he had the zoning to do what he wanted. He rejected the last-minute power play by the executive. Therre was no compromise and he and his legal team were not going to play the waiting game. Ther developer sill tell you. So, the vote was for incentivized Manufacturing not warehouses. Since without the incentives he was clear warehouses would be cheaper. Maybe he was truthful maybe not but he held all the cards. People like Keegan should work on the massive development coming in her township that will add thousands of cars and kids to the schools.
This pathetic political talk about warehouses also hides the fact that while with one hand people like Mclure and others shake their fists at warehouses. They gladly take the tax revenues they provide. As well as developer campaign contributions. So while MR. O'Hare may love McClure as a mancrsuh but he is as guilty as Zero Zirisnki at misleading voters.
… so they all went voluntarily on a miscellaneous court date? Is that what you’re suggesting?
"… so they all went voluntarily on a miscellaneous court date? Is that what you’re suggesting?" Let me repeat myself. I highly doubt that McClure mandated PDs to attend his state of the county. Maybe Deluzio did, but I doubt McClure gave such an order.
" The UMBT project was not for warehouses. Also, the play for voters was a sad effort to take advantage of people who thought the county had any real zoning power."
The LERTA was for development at Riverpointe. It's true the developer denies he's interested in warehouses. But that's what always happens. So whether you like it or not, the six Council members who voted for a LERTA did vote to incentivize warehouses. I realize it was for noble reasons. Three Council members live in the slate belt and claim a LERTA is needed for jobs and to build the tax base. Those are good arguments. But the fact is that you granted a LERTA that in all likelihood will give a tax break for warehouses. That's just what happens. The developer cannot sit on that property and wait for years. He needs to sell lots.
The question in my mind is how do UMBT residents feel? They answered that question in the election. They do not want it. The three Council members who live in the slate belt do not live in UMBT. I think they are looking at the are, but not that township.
Raise compensation where there are chronic vacancies. Otherwise, no raises for the perpetually dissatisfied and complaining. There's a labor shortage waiting for all job changers. It's been in all the papers. Go and grab your brass ring if you're currently dissatisfied.
I won't say she didn't help on the floors but I do know she worked from home alot. A nursing home administrator and nursing director are required to be in the facility not sitting at home working
He needs to stop sweeping the problems at the county 9-1-1 center under the rug. Delayed dispatches, wrong addresses etc. He should also demand that all dispatchers speak English clearly and fluently. It is only a matter of time before the county gets hit with a wrongful death lawsuit.
Don Cunningham, even more worthless than mcclueless
Jerry Seyfried was the last of the great country executives, they cared about what the county did in services and treated the staff like family. They did not want to get elected on the backs of the county employees. Since then, they have all been progressively worse.
They stopped caring about the county core functions and all wanted big pet projects and big headlines. McClure may well be the last county executive. Now it is all ego and playing to taxpayers while lying about staffing and problems. Without a responsible media looking over their shoulder they are unaccountable and run the county like their own little kingdom. The Home Rule experiment has run its course in Northampton County. WE don't need all powerful little Kings with a powerless council.
Cunningham and McClure are birds of a feather. Both out of touch with the average county resident. They both feed at the trough and advocate for rail service to NY to further destroy the affordability of local residents. Out of touch and clueless. They both are big into speeches and forever do-nothing jobs.
Are your kidding me? You should be praying for passenger rail to the
Valley! If you own any property in Northampton County, new passenger rail service to the Lehigh Valley will explode your property values with new rail service here!! People from Northern NJ and NYC will flock here for low housing, low taxes and low cost of living for a short train ride into NYC!
Boy, aren't you living in Lala land.😆
Amen brother (or sister), Amen.
11:17, Clueless and cuckoo. Out of touch.
My middle class aunt died in Gracedale during CoViD. We couldn't visit her. Too late for her, Lamont. Thanks.
Did you doctor this photo of McClure? If not, there’s no way a person’s face should be that red. He might want to get that checked out.
And the crime will rise
You need to watch a week's worth of Judge Judy.
11:17 I will say this, anytime passenger rail service is brought into or extended into a new area outside of a major metro area, property values do rise significantly due to a rise in demand.
And this makes housing affordable? I think it's a terrible idea.
It’s the other way around. All the trash will have a quick ride out to sell their drugs for more money here.
I got the vax but I hardly think the virus mutated because of the anti vax folks. I read somewhere that the virus mutated in response to the vaccine. As far as the mandates, why would you mandate a vaccine that neither keeps you from gettin it, or keeps you from spreading it? All this when the military and labor market were chronically under staffed. The mandates turned out to be a well meaning but wrong response.
"I got the vax but I hardly think the virus mutated because of the anti vax folks. I read somewhere that the virus mutated in response to the vaccine."
Actually, it's probably a bit of both. A virus will mutate and become a variant the more it spreads among a large population of people. But it can also mutate when people are immune to older versions of the viru00s, which would be the case among the vaccinated and previously infected. https://www.unitypoint.org/news-and-articles/why-viruses-mutate-explained-by-an-infectious-disease-expert#:~:text=Once%20a%20virus%20enters%20your,varies%20from%20virus%20to%20virus.
"As far as the mandates, why would you mandate a vaccine that neither keeps you from gettin it, or keeps you from spreading it?"
At the time the mandate was imposed, the vaccine was still highly effective. So it made sense. It is less so now. It has about the same efficacy as a flu vaccine. So the covid vax mandate has ended.
Lamont needs to be as diligent with his caloric intake! He seems to be expanding faster than warehouse development in the county. He is still young, but getting closer to a heart attack. He is clairvoyant pushing hard for a county employees health clinic. He will need it!
11:07, What precisely does your ad hominem have to do with the subject? He is an elected official, so I am allowing this jab, but you must really be an ugly person.
Earth to 11:07 alien reptilian; he's a human being. that's not nice but still cause for concern. Did cunningham play a little diddy? 10.4
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