NorCo Council Interviews Four Candidates For Vacant Controller Position

In alphabetical order, Northampton Copunty Council interviewed four candidates yesterday for the vacant Controller's office. Whomever is selected will hold the $65,000 office until the end of the year. In November, voters will decide between John Cusick and Tara Zrinski. 

Nurit Baron: According to her LinkedIn page, she's a graduate of  Douglass College, where she majored in English Literature and Computer Science with a concentration in economics. She's been employed as an English teacher (in Japan), corporate trainer, upgrade analyst and business analyst.

She's quite political. She managed campaigns for both Mark Pinsley and Tara Zrinski, both of whom are far to the left of most Democrats. She was the Sec'y and Treasurer of Lehigh Valley For All (who agree with us) and is the Treasurer of the Northampton County Council of Democratic Women. 

She told Council member John Goffredo that she is ethical and honest, and would be neutral with respect to Zrinski and John Cusick, both of whom are candidates for Contrtoller. "I'm quite a neutral person, anyway, I'm not an extreme person. I don't believe in blue team, red team."

Her association with Zrinski and Pinsley says differently.  

When asked how she'd prepare a budget for her office, she said, "I would ask a lot of questions, especially of Mr. McClure and the Council ... ."

This answer tells me that, as accomplished as she is, she fails to understand that a Controller must be independent of both the Executive and Council. The Controller's Office is actually a separate branch of government under our Home Rule Charter. The last persons for whom she should have questions would be either the Executive or Council. 

Altynay Kanatbekoff: She's definitely the total package. According to her LinkedIn page, she has a bachelor's degree in accounting from KIMEP University (Kazakhstan) as well as a Master's degree from Columbia in International and Public Affairs. She is a certified fraud examiner, and  is currently working on getting her CIA and CPA licenses. 

She a vet. Not just any vet, but served with the 82d Airborne, which is highly regarded by anyone who ever served in a combat unit. Her husband still serves in active duty, which would make a four-year commitment difficult for her. That's why she decided against running.  

She and her husband have four daughters who are competitive swimmers. 

Get this. She's fluent in English, Russian, French, Kazakh and Kyrgyz.

She should be working for the state department, not Northampton County. In fact, she did, as a freelancer. She says she's out now, but I don't believe it for a minute. She's clearly a secret agent brought in to keep an eye on Steve Barron.   

Kanatbekoff is the only candidate who actually has experience in the private sector as a real financial analyst. When working for Seville Transactions, her job was to analyze high risk transactions to identify possible fraud. She also owned several businesses. 

This is what you want in a Controller. She's already employed by Northampton County as a financial auditor in the Controller's office. 

"Bucky was not just our colleague, he was a friend," she said of Bucky Szulborski, whose unfortunate death created the vacancy in the Controller's office. She obviously knows the office. 

"We need super-qualified people like you in government," said Council member Ron Heckman. He pointed out that she is risking her career service position. She agreed, but said she would be happy to stay after the election if the newly elected Controller wants her. "The county would be foolish if they didn't hire you back," said Heckman. 

She said she sees no need to hire a replacement for her. She has completed all her assignments. 

Scott Parsons:  He's a former member of County Council, where he served two terms. He also was employed by Public Works. He said he "could hit the job running." He said it would take other appointees three or four weeks just to figure out the phone system. He apparently was unaware of Kanatbekoff's application. 

Nadeem Qayyum: He's a former Democratic Controller candidate, where he was rejected by 60% of the Democrats who voted. He pointed to his education in law. He indicated he would be transparent and would ensure that county funds are managed efficiently. he said he would bring "a positive impact on the community."  

In response to a question from Zrinski, Qayyum said he would give up his position in the bar for five months. That should be easy because he has a law degree from Pakistan, but is not a lawyer in the US and is not a member of the bar. He likely misunderstood the question. I think his poor understanding of English is why. 

Council will decide on an appointment tonight. 

This should be a no-brainer.