In a few days, I hope to send a questionnaire to the NorCo Council and Exec candidates. It will be limited to county issues to the extent that is possible.
I will be asking whether it is time to do some long-range planning for Gracedale, the county-owned nursing home. How can we make it sustainable 50 years from now? How can we make it sustainable two years from now when 70-80% of the nursing staff comes from outside agencies? Will we even need nursing homes?
What is their attitude on public handouts in the form of tax breaks for private development? A divided Council supported a tax break for an industrial development in Upper Mount Bethel even though it could result in more warehouses to an economically depressed area. But a $29 million tax break to develop the old Dixie factory in Wilson Borough for luxury apartments remains on hold. Where do the candidates stand on this issue?
What can the candidates do to address overworked corrections officers and emergency dispatchers, who are often mandated to work overtime? Are the salaries really competitive when even Monroe County, a smaller county, pays many of its workers a higher salary?
What is their attitude on attending committee meetings. Will they miss most of them, like Ken Kraft does, or will they attend?
What will they do to resolve the acrimony between Council members, and between Council and the Executive branch?
What is their attitude on toothless resolutions addressing national issue like abortion, trans rights, Israel's invasion of Gaza or whatever the national flavor of the day might be? Is there a place for these matters on a county stage?
44 comments:
Good luck with getting any real honest answers
Taxes and spending They must stop
There hasn't been a property reassessment since 1995. Do we need to do one?
Ask Lori VH, If her GEO wins will she be looking for a new job in his administration?
To be fair, I think the UMBT LERTA was approved before the Pektor plan was announced.
Then there was debate over whether it had to be renewed.
Changing the rules after somebody has invested millions of dollars and lots of time into a permitted use in private land would not have been appropriate.
Tax policy should be steady, not whimsical (as the tariff policy is).
Jeff Ward
Bethlehem
Will you fully cooperate with ICE and all federal authorities to remove illegal immigrants from our county, or force them to make arrests outside of the courthouse complex, putting innocent souls (residents, LEOs, courthouse workers and visitors) in Easton's West Ward and the rest of Northampton County in physical danger?
No one should answer your questions. This blog is the KOD for candidates. Everyone you’re for loses and everyone you’re against wins.
With your Boy Lamont leaving, and Heckman going too, no one will care what is written in this toxic rag.
Honestly, it’s laughable that anyone still takes Bernie’s blog seriously. It’s less journalism and more like one man’s desperate cry for relevance. The whole thing reads like a high school gossip column, except with his worthless opinions and a lot more bitterness. His so-called “questionnaire" is just bait—he’s not looking for input, he’s looking for drama. And sadly, stirring the pot is the only trick he’s got left. The blog doesn’t inform the county—it pollutes it. Ignore it, and let it fade like the outdated relic it is.
If elected, do you pledge to resign your position if you do not uphold your sworn oath to defend the Constitution of the United States and of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania?
If elected, do you pledge to resign your position if you are censured by council for any reason?
How will you cooperate with I.C.E.?
Why do the democrats have a 19% favorable number??
I know this isn’t county related but as a moderate Democrat I need to know if Giovanni is a MAGA Republican is he an election denier. He may have my vote depending on his answer. I understand if you don’t want to include this question.
Kelly Keegan, Everything I mentioned are issues in front of Council You don't want readers informed where Council members stand on things or that you are its most divisive member on the left and Brown is the most divisive member on the right. And you are far from the first elected official to go after me. You will fail.
Will you, as a Council member, ensure that our elections are fair and legal and that every eligible vote is counted correctly?
Some great questions. I totally forgot about ICE.
If the IGT program is terminated, how will this council and administration raise $2 million dollars to replace those dollars that keep Gracedale in the black, without raising county taxes?
No NO and NO. go F yourself
they are and always have been fair and legal, stop your nonsense J Brownstain
What are your professional qualifications and how does your professional background apply to the work that county council does?
How will you work with members of the other party if you're in the majority? And how if you're in the minority?
Same question for how you'll work with the Executive.
How will you deal with housing affordability?
What do they plan to do about low wages and rampant pay inequality? There are clerical tech 3’s with master’s degrees, working in their field, and they cannot get a raise or promotion. You can literally make more working at Wegmans or Wawa. And the pension means nothing to a 20 something who can’t pay rent with their net take home wage
Will you as a council member, speak out against rising electricity costs? I would think the county has something to do with this.
No. Why would you want that
What is the Meeting date when they are only talking about Gracedale ???
She’s useless, Bernie. Not worth your time or a response. Good job, though.
What is the role of county council? Do you believe in the separation of powers in county government? Who sets the agenda for county council?
Gracedale isn't in the black. It ran a $9.9 million operating deficit last year.
Executive. Plan for saving farmland. Plan for stopping warehouse development in the county. Plan for conservation of land
Is your name in the Epstein Files?
What a nasty woman.
Kelly Keegan is the Jim Gregory of Taiba Sultanas. She's proof that there should be an IQ requirement to serve on council with the adults.
Will you keep the poor taxpayer in mind vs. these overpaid county employees?
LOL Love the question
Because its needed bdly and before the state mandates it
How is council planning on handle lawsuits because of the staffing issues. If I was the family of the resident of gracedale that was abused I'd have a lawsuit against the county and Lamont personally. The county knowing and willing pays wages so they can't fully staff the institution. For that reason they bring in agency nurses.
In other departments employees are being mandated 2,3,4,5 times a pay period. When one of these employees gets in a car crash and hurts or kills themselves or a civilian I personally put the liability on the county and Lamont personally.
Good questions Vlad, apparently you offended one of the communists AKA democrats on here lol.
Where is everyone going to park when the parking garage is torn down in two years? Are you going to bus employees and visitors up the hill? Will working from home on a hybrid schedule be an option to save parking? Employees already have to park in the overflow lot down the hill by the nursing home on court days.
Will a hybrid work option be available to county employees under your new administration, for positions that it would be possible? Look up the benefits that come with this. The Commonwealth of PA State positions offer these options if you look in their job postings. Not having to drive Rt 22 everyday will definitely improve mental health.. Can also help retention with the lower salaries paid.
Also to note: County benefits really are great, but clerical jobs paying $33k at Domestics, Civil, and all other very important offices with huge work loads and tough clientele, is the issue. Tough to get decent promotions from these jobs too. Then they are stuck at the end of the pay scale for years and years until they retire making like $41k at most after all those years. The salary speaks for the type of candidates you get = turnover.
If Gracedale paid millions to agency nursing staff since the start of this year... Pay your employees +$5/hour and they will stay and you will get better candidates that will stay. If the pay isn't competitive with St Luke's and LVHN, where do you think the good quality nurses are going to work in the Lehigh valley? All that extra money in their 401k will surpass the county pension by miles.
Also, Lehigh Co that pays $1000s more for the same positions.. I get County size comparison in the salary study but Lehigh certainly should have been included... Not little countries that pay ~$10/hour. Lehigh's benefits aren't as good as NorCo but it pays the bills which is the goal in this economy.
Yes pensions and benefits are great, but it can't pay for $1500+/month rent for a one bedroom here and bills to survive until the next pay check, especially for single income earners.
NorCo should take note of what MontCo just did and look to create their own version of D.O.G.E like they did.. just raised their county employee minimum wage from $16/hr to $20/hr minimum wage increase:
Montgomery County increases minimum wage for employees - WHYY https://share.google/KIbgtWoAwEdl9jqJY
Tom is a common sense consensus builder. This is local politics and he’ll govern from the middle IMO.
Ms Keegan has some kind of personality disorder. You get more attention than her Bernie, and it’s driving her nuts lol,
They did have some serious hiccups with these machines in two elections. The last one went pretty good I guess.
Kelly, please go away, you ignorant hack. You and Warren are a disgrace!
I submit that an I.Q. test should be given to every candidate. That way, we don't end up with people like Kelly Keegan & Jeff Warren.
All good points. The hybrid thing though, the state has been pulling people back to the office. Private sector is going that way also. Unfortunately, people take advantage of the privilege of working from home. It’s great for working moms, but there’s always a few who ruin it for everyone else.
Can you please show me an example of a over paid county employee?? Not their total salary because that factors in over time that many our forced to work OT. Please show me an hourly rate that is ridiculous???? Please
There's plenty of parking across the street and Lehigh County employees contribute more toward their benefits.
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