Over Zrinski's Objection, NorCo Council Approves Gracedale Oversight Committee

Despite a tongue-lashing from Executive Tara Zrinski that they were stepping on her toes, NorCo Council voted last night to establish a Gracedale Oversight Committee proposed by Council member Dave Holland and supported by fellow Council members Lori Vargo Heffner, Tom Giovanni, Jason Boulette, Theresa Fadem and even Jeff Warren. It was opposed by Council members Ken Kraft, Kelly Keegan and Nadeem Qayyum. Qayyum had argued in support of the committee, so I think he probably intended to vote Yes. 

Zrinski, who had just finished chiding Council over their refusal to go along with her choice of a Fiscal Director at the salary she wanted to pay, amazingly claimed that County Council has no authority to provide oversight of her administration and was crossing the line into actual administration. She argued that Council's sole role under the Home Rule Charter is to adopt legislation, enact a budget and confirm appointments. 

This is nonsense. 

Northampton County's Home Rule Charter specifically grants 13 specific powers to County Council, including the power to require periodic special reports, conduct investigations and even issue subpoenas. In short, it has oversight authority. The Home Rule Charter also clearly states that all residual powers of the county are vested in County Council.

In contrast, the Executive has no residual power. She does have administrative authority over day-to-day matters, but is specifically required to present information regarding the business and affairs of the county as Council might request. That is the whole point of County Council Committees. 

The problem with government, on all levels, is that the Executive branch has grown too strong. This is how we end up with statewide lockdowns or executive orders that bypass the legislature. There has been too little oversight. 

Zrinski's fear, as I understand her, is that County Council would be taking over the administration of Gracedale. Nothing in Holland's resolution (you can read it here), remotely suggests any such intent. It specifically states it is being formed because Council "has a unique duty of oversight to ensure that Gracedale residents are receiving medical, respite and rehabilitation care under the auspices of Northampton County in compliance with all applicable state and federal laws and regulations."

Something wrong with that?

When asked by Council member Kelly Keegan why this Committee was needed, Holland noted that Council has just established a new department for Gracedale, and it makes sense to have a standing committee for that department as it does for others. Without it, there would be no oversight of Gracedale at all. 

Kraft argued that Gracedale could be included as part of Human Services and accused Holland of "overreaching." But as Boulette pointed out, Human Services includes a wide array of different departments, from Aging to Children and Youth, and even Veterans Affairs. He noted that in a committee earlier that day, Gracedale was covered for just 15 minutes. He and Vargo Heffner both argued that Council does have the authority to provide oversight. "I see nothing wrong with the term 'oversight,' "said Vargo Heffner. "People could be uncomfortable with it, and I don't think it implies that anybody is going to be telling anybody else what to do." She added that every Council Committee is, in fact, an oversight committee. 

Fadem made the point that an oversight committee is necessary because Gracedale is "in crisis mode. They have a Provisional II license." 

Next week, I'll fill you in on the other matters considered by County Council last night during its regular and committee hearings. 

Happy 4th! 

Father Who Left Unattended Child in Car Charged With Homicide

Below is a news release from the NorCo DA:

Father Who Left Child Unattended in Car Charged With Homicide by BernieOHare

NorCo Council to Consider Gracedale, Fiscal Director Salary and Senior Centers Tonight

Tonight, Northampton County Council will be discussing Gracedale, the Fiscal Director Salary and Senior Centers.

Gracedale - An Update is scheduled during the Human Services Committee, and it is supposed to come from Director Sue Wandalowski. Why? Just weeks ago, Gracedale was removed from her portfolio, so why is the mouthpiece? And she herself has stated in several of her defensive presentations that she's no expert. She is defensive and inaccurate when it comes to the nursing home. The person who should know what is going on is the Administrator, but she has only rarely spoken. 

When the full County Council meets, they will consider the establishment of a Gracedale Oversight Committee, which hopefully will be headed by Dave Holland, a former Administrator at both Gracedale and in Monroe County. 

That's overdue, especially after the latest visit from the Department of Health that included: (1) another resident (I think we're at four, but he's called Resident 1) who wandered off and who had to be brought back by police; (2) an agency LPN who documented having provided medications and performed tests on the resident while he was wandering the streets of Nazareth, a pretty neat trick; and (3) a biker resident (he's Resident 2) who never should have been admitted and was hoarding meds like oxycodone and bringing in booze and a knife. 

One of my readers, a "local healthcare expert," had this to say:

A friendly review from a local healthcare expert… resident 1 was not assessed properly and should have been on a locked unit based on the resident’s mental health status. There was poor or likely no communication between the aide, lpn and nursing supervisor. The lpns and nursing supervisors are very weak as demonstrated by the various severe deficiencies. Resident 2 should never have been admitted to Gracedale. It was obviously done to fill a bed. No plans were developed to manage the resident’s substance abuse disorder. He belongs in a rehab facility, not a nursing home. The bed is better left empty than admitting a trainwreck violent resident who Gracedale is likely not even able to bill for. I am sure he is there for free care. Dumb. Who wants grandpa living with a drug user biker with dangerous behaviors. And get rid of the smoking. Very few nursing homes allow it. It is a risk for a variety of reasons and takes staff away from care to supervise smoking. Lastly, I see that Gracedale is already partially under the direction of a nursing home management company - CHR. That nugget is in the last sentence of the plan of correction and should be communicated to the general public. The state directed them to use a state authorized company to train the staff as the state determined the home (really the county) is unable to do so. And by the way, the plan of correction is overly complicated and just not doable for any nursing home. So many steps in these processes that no nursing home could comply with. After the plan of correction is completed, run it through quality assurance committee to develop more simplified processes that are doable. Shrink the home down to 350-400 residents, get somebody in there like CHR or other qualified outsourced professionals to run the operation, and rebuild from the ground up. Crazy things can and do happen at every healthcare facility whether it be a hospital or nursing home. It is people taking care of people. You must have systems to deal with those situations. Gracedale has no systems. I hope the county officials read this for the benefit of the poor souls who live there.

Senior Centers. - The state recently cut $400,000 from the county's budget, which is used to fund senior centers. There might be more cuts if and when the state legislature adopts a budget. This will be discussed in the Human Services Committee. 

Fiscal Director. - Last week, the county lost out on a CPA with 30 years of accounting experience because they insisted on setting the pay at a much lower salary than the Executive wanted to provide. It's true that County Council. with some limitations, sets the salary. So Council will be asked to give the Executive authority to negotiate a salary with a proposed hire. 

NorCo Council Member Jason Boulette's Facebook Page Includes Explanations of His Votes

Jason Boulette is one of four new members of Northampton County Council. I want to draw your attention to his Facebook page. Of course, much of it is self-promotional, which is to be expected from someone who must periodically seek public approbation. But I like his occasional "Transparency Tuesday," in which he explains his votes and gets occasional feedback from other Council members and, of course, the public. In Lehigh County, Ron Beitler does much the same thing. He's a bit busy now with Controller Mark Pinsley's proposed intangible property tax, which is disguised as a "wealth tax."

Bethlehem City Council Lacks Quorum at June 16 Meeting

Only three members of Bethlehem City Council (Colleen Laird, Bryan Callahan and Hillary Kwiatek) bothered to show up for its June 16 meeting. This resulted in a lack of a quorum, and the result of this is that no business could be conducted. 

Public comment was still received for nearly an hour.  

Pa. State Budget Late Again

Pennsylvania's General Assembly has done it again. It has failed to adopt a budget by the June 30 deadline. In fact, the state senate has actually recessed until next week. Since 2015, the state budget has been late 9 times. The last budget was adopted 135 days late. 

Pa. DOH - Gracedale Had Yet Another Elopement, a Dishonest LPN and a Resident Who Probably Does Not Belong There

Although NorCo Exec Tara Zrinski should be commended for an ambitious if expensive plan to save Gracedale, the fact remains that the beleaguered home in serios trouble. It was downgraded from a regular to a Provisional I license late last year, and that has recently been downgraded to a Provisional II. Gracedale is the only nursing home in the state with a Provisional II license, and as Council member Dave Holland has warned, this could result in serious repercussions. The state could bar the home from accepting new residents, could stop Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement or take over the facility with more competent management than it has had. 

This downgrade is undoubtedly due to a DOH inspection on May 16, which you can read for yourself here. It is a damning indictment of the home's management. For the fourth time, a resident just walked out of the facility and was gone for five hours before a police officer called at 1 am. An agency LPN falsified her reports. And another resident who for some reason is allowed to come and go as he pleases as per his doctor, appears to be bringing in booze and drugs and is getting loaded, high or both. 

In a recent report to NorCo Council, Exec Tara Zrinski claimed that the root cause of all these issues occurred because the county was too lax about who it admitted. She said all that changed when Michelle Morton came aboard as Administrator. 

Zrinski is wrong. The resident who took a powder (he's called Resident 1) was first admitted to Gracedale in December 2025. At that time, Michelle Morton had already been administrator for nine months. 

On May 13, Resident 1 decided to wander off  at around 5 pm. Though two CNAs noticed that Resident 1 was missing and reported this to an agency LPN responsible for this resident. She did nothing to alert anyone that he was missing. She instead documented that she had given him prescribed medications, even though he was not there. She also reported bogus blood glucose levels and then scratched them out, falsely claiming that he had declined the test. 

In the meantime, Resident 1 had somehow made it from Gracedale to outside of Nazareth's police station, about 1.5 miles away. A police officer noticed him milling about around 10 pm and called facility to see if anyone was missing. 

Once again, Gracedale allowed a resident to just walk off. What's worse, an agency LPN falsely documented that he had received prescribed medications and falsely reported blood glucose levels. 

Resident 2 was admitted to Gracedale before Michelle Morton's time, and I have to wonder why on earth he was admitted. He had a history of drug and alcohol abuse."I am a biker," he told one nurse. That's what we do; we drink, smoke, play pool, and party." He also had a habit of pocketing narcotics provided to him for "pain." For reasons that mystify me, his doctor allowed him to go on "independent leaves of absence," during which he could have been selling those pocketed meds, which include oxycodone. He would return to the facility smelling of booze and would be belligerent and exhibit violent behavior. 

After one of these episodes, a nurse cleaning his room found the following items in a wrapped up blanket: " 12 to 15 marijuana vape cartridges, one bottle of Smirnoff vodka, two 12 ounce (oz) empty bottles of Fireball, one 12 oz empty bottle of Southern Comfort whiskey, a large hunting knife, a wallet with $43.00 and cards, and a container of Resident 2's untaken prescribed medications, which were identified by the pharmacist as six allopurinol 100 mg tablets (prevents and lowers uric acid levels), one atorvastatin 20 mg tablet (used to lower cholesterol), two duloxetine 60 mg capsules (antidepressant), eight gabapentin 400 mg capsules (pain medication), two loratadine 10 mg tablets (allergy medication), 36 melatonin 5 mg tablets (natural sleep aid), one multivitamin tablet, 27 oxycodone 10 mg tablets (opioid), 11 of which were partially dissolved, two ropinirole 1 mg tablets (used to treat restless leg syndrome) , tablet of trazadone 150 mg (antidepressant), two vitamin D3 capsules, one Tylenol 325 mg tablet, and two Tessalon Perles (cough medication). The police confiscated the vape, cartridges, and knife."

This guy is a walking pharmacy! 

He was also caught on one occasion snorting what he said was antifungal powder. 

The DOH concluded that Gracedale failed to prevent Resident 2 from pocketing medications that were administered, returning to the facility intoxicated more than once, and having narcotic medications, illegal marijuana vape cartridges, alcohol, and a weapon in a room shared with other residents. This is an  Immediate Jeopardy situation, meaning that residents are at risk of serious injury, harm, impairment, or death, requiring immediate corrective action.

DOH was responding to one complaint and two reported incidents, which tell me that Gracedale, to its credit, turned itself in. 

Zrinski Posts Her State of County Address

 

Last week, NorCo Exec Tara Zrinski delivered her first "State of the County" address at Bethlehem's Nation Museum of Industrial History. Though unable to attend, I did watch her address on Facebook and wrote about it. Zrinski has also just posted her speech on her Substack, including all the photos she used. 

What I like best among these images is her plan for the Gracedale campus. She plans to convert the existing facility, which crams four residents into a room, into aging-in-place apartments. There would also be a 700-bed skilled nursing facility, medical offices, a dialysis center (Gracedale currently does dialysis in house), a retail center and workforce housing. There appears to be no interference with any of the existing farmland. 

Without question, this is an ambitious project and merits very close scrutiny. But if the county wishes to continue to provide a nursing home, it is necessary. The existing Gracedale facility was built for a different time. While four residents in one room is still permissible, the trend is to reduce occupancy to two. 

The existing facility could easily be converted into apartments for seniors and the disabled who wish to age in place. I could see getting HUD involved and using the Housing Authority to manage this building. 

There are lots of questions to be considered. But this plan is an excellent starting point. 

America at 250

Blogger's Note: Oliver Kornetzke, who wrote the essay I publish below, is a political commentator whose substack is located here. He has a rather damning indictment of this country on the eve of our 250th. 

250 years. Two hundred and fifty fucking years of the most powerful, most resourced, most theoretically capable nation in the history of human civilization and here is what we have to show for it.

Forty million people on food stamps, thirty million without health insurance, the highest maternal mortality rate in the developed world, the highest incarceration rate on earth, an opioid crisis that has killed over half a million people and counting, a housing market so broken that working people cannot afford to live in the cities they work in, an education system that buries young people in debt before they earn their first dollar, infrastructure that is literally collapsing, a life expectancy that is going backwards, a political system so thoroughly purchased by concentrated wealth that the laws it produces bear almost no relationship to what the public actually wants or needs, a working class that has not seen meaningful real wage growth in thirty years, a mental health crisis so severe we normalized it, a gun violence epidemic so routine we don’t even act when preschoolers are slaughtered, and a climate hurtling toward catastrophe while the people paid to address it collect checks from the industry causing it.

Two hundred and fifty years of that. And to celebrate, we built a wrestling arena on the White House lawn.

Not a hospital, or a school, or a housing development. Not a single fucking thing that addresses a single goddamn item on the list above. A wrestling arena. With cranes and pyrotechnics and a steel arch that probably cost more than the annual budget of three rural counties combined, erected in front of the building where Lincoln and Roosevelt and every president who ever tried to make any of this mean something once lived and worked and in some cases died trying.

Truthfully, this is not a departure from American values. This is the fullest possible expression of them. Because this is what we chose. Every single time the choice was presented.

We built a culture where a football coach makes forty times what a physics professor makes and then express genuine bewilderment at the outcomes. Where a reality television star becomes president and a school district cuts its art program in the same fiscal year. Where children know every statistic of every player on their favorite sport team and cannot locate their own country on a map. Where scientific consensus on vaccines, climate, evolution, and basic nutrition gets weighed against a Facebook post and the Facebook post wins at the dinner table. Where the school that wins the state championship gets a parade and the school that produces a Nobel laureate gets a budget cut.

We chose the bomber over the teacher. The tank over the clinic. The aircraft carrier over the water treatment plant. We spend more on military than the next ten countries combined, including our allies, while veterans sleep on the streets of the cities they came back to. We built the most expensive killing apparatus in human history and then told the nurse she made too much money. We sent young men to die in wars that made defense contractors rich and called it freedom and put a yellow ribbon magnet on the back of the car and called that support. We made the soldier and the police officer into sacred untouchable symbols of national identity and then cut their benefits, denied their PTSD claims, let them die waiting for VA appointments, and sent them back for third and fourth tours because it was cheaper than taking care of them when they came home. We worshipped the uniform and neglected the human inside it because the uniform is a symbol and symbols are cheaper than healthcare and housing and the therapy that would actually help. We built bases in a hundred and fifty countries and could not build enough affordable housing in fifty states. We funded a military budget that could have ended homelessness and medical debt and student debt several times over and we did it with bipartisan enthusiasm and called the people who questioned it unserious.

We chose entertainment over education so many times and for so long and at every available level of society that we forgot there was a distinction worth making. Spectacle over substance, performance over policy, the aesthetics of greatness in place of the actual thing, and the feeling of winning instead of asking what was being won and who was paying for it and what it would cost the people who came next.

Rome had bread and circuses. We Americans have food stamps and a wrestling ring outside the Oval Office.

250 years. This is what we built. This is what we chose. This is what we are celebrating. And the most perfectly, catastrophically, irreducibly American thing about all of it is that anyone pointing at this image and asking what it means will be called unpatriotic by people watching it on a television they bought on credit they cannot afford to pay back, rooting for a sport they cannot explain, in a country they cannot describe, celebrating a birthday they cannot contextualize, for a nation that has spent two and a half centuries confusing the noise it makes with the work it never did, all while claiming to be the greatest country on Earth.

Happy Birthday America! You have never looked more like yourself!"

NorCo Council Considers Separate Committee for Gracedale

Ordinarily, Gracedale is just one of several departments covered whenever NorCo Council reviews human services. Several Council members are now suggesting the need for a separate committee just to cover the nursing home. In view of Executive Tara Zrinski's plan to expand operations there with medical offices, housing and even a retail strip, this is really necessary.  In addition to considering the merits of this plan, millions in taxpayer dollars will almost certainly be needed to make up a deficit this year, Moreover, the county really needs to prioritize getting its Provisional II license back on track.

According to the PA DOH nursing home facility locator, there was a visit to Gracedale on May 14. But as of the time I write this story, inspection results are still unavailable. This visit likely was the result of both an elopement and contraband brought in by a resident. This is something Exec Tara Zrinski mentioned in her last executive report. 

Fed Ed Returning to Allentown This Week

Former Allentown Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski, who has been released from federal prison to a halfway house in Philly, is expected to be in Allentown this week. He'll have lunch with a few supporters. He apparently has already lined up a job.  

Gracedale's Evolution Over the Years

Blogger's Note: In her State of the County address yesterday, Executive Tara Zrinski spent several minutes reviewing its history from the time it was owned by the Moravians. Several years ago, I spent a day or two compiling a brief history, relying heavily on records at Easton Library's famous Marx Room. What I've learned is that, since its existence, somebody has always been trying to kill Gracedale, including me. It was almost named Valley of the Nuts. Just as important, Gracedale has consistently redefined itself over the years. 

1. The early days. - Gracedale is part of what was originally a 600-acre farm, settled by the Moravians in 1745. Single dudes had to live on a similar-sized farm called Christian Springs, where they had access to plenty of cold showers. Gracedale was for the married folks.

How did it get its name? There were actually two factions. One group of prissies wanted to call it Gnadenthal. Being German, that sounds pretty tough, almost like a name for one of the Transformers. But it actually means Dale of Grace, or Kindness, a point made by Zrinski..

Another group of Moravians, led by Ronald Von Angle, wanted to call it Neissthal. That's another German name and it sounds pretty tough, too. But it translates to Nutty Valley, or Valley of the Nuts, supposedly because of all the hickory and walnut trees.

For some reason, Valley of the Nuts sounds perfect to me, but Moravians had a love feast and went with Kindness.

2. Indian Attempt to Kill Kindness. - Everything went dandy for the married Moravians at Gnadenthal, a farm of "unsurpassed fertility." But in 1763, a group of Indians on their way home from Bethlehem were provoked and robbed. The response was an uprising that coincided with other uprisings elsewhere, and quickly spun out of control. One of the places ravaged, in East Allen Township, is now the home of late County Executive John Stoffa. I kid you not! Andrew Hazlet was the unfortunate owner.

In an account published by none other than Ben Franklin, we learn that Hazlet attempted unsuccessfully to defend his home from attack. "Hazlet attempted to fire on the Indians, but missed, and he was shot himself, which his wife, some distance off, saw. She ran off with two children, but was pursued and overtaken by the Indians, who caught and tomahawked her and the children in a dreadful manner; yet she and one of the children lived until four days after, and the other child recovered. Hazlet's house was plundered."

When word of this and other atrocities reached the Moravians at Gnadenthal, they stockaded the entire farm, which was then considered the "bread basket of Pennsylvania." Fortunately for the Moravians, they had built up such a good reputation with local Indians that most actually assisted in defense. In fact, several Native Americans have been buried with Moravians

3. The first poorhouse. - In 1837, Pennsylvania imposed one of those "unfunded mandates" on Northampton County, requiring it to construct a home "for the Employment and Support of the Poor." According to Express Times historian James Wright, "The philosophy then current in America was that the poor could provide some relief for themselves by doing agricultural labor to defray the cost of their care through the sale of farm produce." Moravians were somehow induced to part with 235 acres for $90 per acre, along with a large dwelling house, stone barn, outbuildings and an excellent spring.

An almshouse was added in 1838, a three-story stone structure that still stands today and is known as the Greystone Building. Total cost? $6,284.99.

4. Life in the poorhouse. - In its first year of operation, Northampton County had 117 "paupers" in residence, administered by exactly one steward (for the dudes) and one matron (for the dudettes). If someone got out of hand or refused to work, the steward could lock him in a dark cell and feed him nothing but bread and water for 48 hours.

Social reformer Dorothea Dix visited Gnadenthal twice. Dix was an advocate for the poor and mentally ill. She believed mental asylums were a humane answer to the cages, stalls and pens in which the mentally afflicted were housed in yesteryear's version of group homes. Kinda' the exact opposite of today's approach. She gave the home high marks.

5. Cholera's Attempt to Kill Kindness. - Did you know there was a cholera outbreak in 1849? It's a vicious disease that attacks the intestines, causing diarrhea and nausea, leading to dehydration, shock and death. There was no vaccine at the time. It hit poorhouses and factories hardest. In Bucks County's poorhouse, 120 of 150 residents died. The Durham Iron Company was hit hard, too. People refused to leave their homes for fear of contracting the disease.

Some of Gnadentahl's residents did unfortunately contract cholera and die, but comparatively few. Once again, Kindness dodges a bullet.

6. Transition for Almshouse to Retirement Community. - Sometime around WWI, other agencies began to provide services to the poor, making poorhouses increasingly irrelevant. The population that did exist got older and more infirm. Farmers have to be hired to till many of the fields. The population diminished as staffing needs doubled.

7. 1951: The Birth of Gracedale. - As the poorhouse died a slow death, County officials embark on a new project, a nursing home. By the end of 1951, a new and modern institution costing approximately two million dollars was completed and placed in service. The retirement home's new name, Gracedale, is the English translation of Gnadenthal. Three physicians and four pastors were always on call.

In 1951, Gracedale still had 100 pigs and 500 laying hens. 

8. 1975: Unions Threaten to Kill Gracedale. - In the wake of Indians and cholera comes the union, with a third attempt to kill Gracedale in 1975. Following an AFSCME vote to strike on July 21, 1975, leaflets were passed out that demonstrate pretty clearly just what these union workers really then thought of the residents. "It is obvious that Gracedale must be closed for an indefinite period of time. Some residents can go home with relatives or friends, hospitals should be notified to be ready to admit the ill, while our County Home may be able to care for the balance. ... Call the Commissioners. Demand your rights. Together we shall overcome the Commissioners' brand of politics in Northampton County."

This threat to kill Gracedale, of course, failed. But no matter how much unions claim to care about the residents, their 1975 leaflets indicate they were willing to subject residents to removal, all for the sake of a few bucks.

9. 2011: Attempt to Sell or Lease Gracedale Fails. - In the wake of rising costs, then Executive John Stoffa proposed the sale or lease of Gracedale. Despite arguments that the best way to save Gracedale was to sell it, voters decided overwhelmingly to keep it.   

10. 2011: Third Part Administrator Hired. - After the attempted sale of Gracedale failed, a third-parter Administrator - Premier Health Care Services was hired to manage the home. County Council adopted an ordinance providing that all funds that went to Gracedale would stay there, which would prevent the county from using any profit to run other operations. By 2015, census had risen to 681, and the county went two years in a row with deficiency-free surveys. 

11. 2019: Third-Party Administrator Replaced With In-House Administrator. - Despite the success shown by Premier, the county decided to return to an in-house administrator in 2019. 

12. 2020: COVID and the Great Resignation. - A COVID pandemic was particularly deadly to senior citizens, and many staffers decided to resign. Things got so bad at one point that then Exec Lamont McClure called in the National Guard. Many staffers never returned, and Gracedale began to rely heavily on agency nurses. 

2025: Gracedale Placed in Provisional License Status. - As a result of a number of elopements., Gracedale was placed in Provisional I license status. That has since been downgraded to Provisional II. 

Conclusion. - Over its lengthy history, Gracedale has evolved from working farm to stockade to poorhouse. In its last seventy-five years, it has been a nursing home. What Zrinski has proposed amounts to another step in its evolution. 

Sources:

NORTHAMPTON COUNTY COMM'RS TO NAME NEW ALMSHOUSE "GRACEDALE", Easton Express, 12/24/51.
COMMONWEALTH MAGAZINE, GRACEDALE (July 1952)
TRENDS AT "GRACEDALE": MORE AND OLDER GUESTS, MORE WHO ARE INFIRM, Easton Express, 8/18/53
GRACEDALE: Moravian Setting for Modern Northampton County Courthouse, by Edward F. Reimer
MODERN MEDICAL CENTER SETS GRACEDALE APART FROM OLD COUNTY HOME, Easton Express, 8/18/53
10-STORY GRACEDALE TOWER IS DEDICATED, Free Press, 2/19/1975.
ALMSHOUSES, FACTORIES HIT BY 1849 CHOLERA EPIDEMIC, James Wright, Looking Back, The Easton Express, 12/31/89, page C-6.
GRACEDALE FOUNDED AS MORAVIAN SETTLEMENT, JAMES WRIGHT, Easton Express (date unknown)
GRACEDALE: Moravian Setting for Modern Northampton County Courthouse, by Edward F. Reimer

Zrinski Unveils Long-Term Gracedale Plan in State of the County

Yesterday, at the close of the work-day, members of our local ruling party convened at the National Museum of Industrial History on Bethlehem's south side to hear Tara Zrinski's first "State of the County" address as County Executive. I watched it on Facebook, not in person, because I had a conflicting matter at the same time.  I'm glad I watched. At the end of her presentation, Zrinski finally unveiled what I've been waiting for - a long-term plan for Gracedale.  

The beginning intros were a bit cringeworthy. It's a bit unclear to me, but there may have been an open bar. It wasm, after all, happy hour. But this is a far cry from the 7 am addresses delivered in previous years by the likes of John Stoffa and Glenn Reibman. Instead of black coffee and orange juice, there was Rocky music and some goofy guy who sounded like a WWE announcer introducing speakers who themselves were making introductions and announcing a lengthy list of corporate sponsors. I was waiting for "Let's get ready to ruuuuumble," from this guy but he must have left for a Trump rally somewhere. Nearly eight minutes went by before Zrinski ever made it to the podium. 

When she did, she was fairly relaxed and amiable. She started off with the obligatory joke (about her numerous hair colors), told guests she didn't mind of they wanted to sneak off to the bar, and went to work. 

About 90% of what she had to say could have been said by the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission's Becky Bradley. It was all about county demographics and how they've changed over the years. 

Toward the end of a 47-minute speech, Zrinski unveiled her "strategic" plan for Gracedale. Administrator Michelle Morton had a "strategic plan" for the beleaguered nursing home nearly a year ago. This is a new one. 

Zrinski's goal is to keep Gracedale both county-owned and county-operated (meaning no third-party manager). She also wants it to be self-sustaining with no need for county contributions. 

To accomplish this feat, she's planning for a new Gracedale that makes use of its 365-acre campus. A rejuvenated Gracedale, with adjoining medical offices, a dialysis center, workforce housing for county employees and retail space. There already is a daycare at the facility, and she is hoping to partner with area colleges that offer nursing, and Gracedale would in turn provide affordable housing for these students after they graduate. "That is how we solve our agency-nurse dependency," she said. She acknowledged "it's not going to be easy." 

Zrinski said people might think she's cRaZy after seeing this plan, but I'll be honest. It is eerily similar to a proposal I made in December 2024. I called it "A Modest Plan to Retain NorCo County Workers and Provide Workforce Housing."

The county owns 375 acres at Gracedale and 500 acres elsewhere. Here's what I suggested back then:

Northampton County has about 1700-1800 employees, though its actual number should be closer to 2,000. It has problems attracting nursing care at Gracedale, despite offering retention bonuses and even building a daycare that may or may not yet be open. This is a nationwide problem, and the county has been forced to hire outside nurses to provide care at higher rates than it pays its own. 

In addition to a shortage of nursing care at Gracedale, there is also a shortage of corrections officers, youth care workers and 911 dispatchers. They are often forced to work overtime to fill gaps in coverage, which exhausts them and can make conditions unsafe. 

Couldn't we express our appreciation to these unsung heroes by providing them with an affordable place to live?

Here's what I would suggest as a pilot program. The Gracedale campus is huge. Some of that land is used neither for farming nor anything else. It's just grass to cut. How about a small development of about 30 homes for workers in critical departments like the jail, Gracedale, Juvenile Justice Center and 911. I'm not speaking of McMansions but am thinking of smaller homes like the Boxable Casita. 

The county could offer these homes and agree to hold the mortgage at a low interest rate. The qualifying employee would own, not rent the property to erase any illusion that this is a company store. If the employee either leaves county employment or decides to sell the property for a larger home, the county would have an option to repurchase at its appraised market value. That way the employee could build equity, and the county could attract and retain good workers. 

I discussed this idea with several members of County Council, who themselves had similar ideas. So I think she'd have support and believe this could actually solve Gracedale's biggest problem, a reliance on agency nurses who lack the empathy that county employees have. The only part of her Gracedale presentation I dislike is her insistence that the home be county-managed. I think the county has demonstrated over and over that it lacks the expertise to manage a nursing facility. 

Zrinski never got into some of the many other issues facing the county. She noted the county has had no tax hike for eight years (hint, hint), that there's been no reassessment since 1995 (hint, hint). 

Defeated NorCo Council Candidate Sam Elias Was Featured at Trump Rally

I thought Sam Elias, a Bethlehem police officer and a member of the Lebanese diaspora here in NorCo, had a very good shot at winning one of the five at-large seats up for grabs last year. But when the votes were tallied, he ran a distant 6th. He was nearly 10,000 votes behind Nadeem Qayyum, the fifth-place finisher. But yesterday afternoon, during a Trump rally at Mack Truck, he got rock star treatment from none other than the President himself. 

According to Trump, Elias has named his youngest child Melania. 

I hope it's a girl. 

For his part, Elias thanked Trump, Congressman Ryan Mackenzie and the entire white house for helping him as a father of six in a single-income household. "Hard work should pay off, not get punished with higher taxes," he said. He lauded Trump for severely curtailing tax on tips and overtime. 

He also praised Trump for his approach to Lebanon. "The Lebanese people finally have an American ally who advocates for a sovereign and independent Lebanon governed by the Lebanese people." 

Israel thought it had a great American ally in Trump, too. 

So did Italy ... and Britain ... and Canade ... and Mexico ... and Denmark.

Ukraine was a bit smarter and started making its own drones. 

Two Suicides at NorCo Jail Within Past 10 Days

NorCo Exec Tara Zrinski has confirmed that, over the past 10 days, there have been two suicides at the jail. The names of the deceased are being withheld until next of kin are notified and Coroner Zach Lysek completes his investigation. I will update this story with more details as they are known. I am told by a source (the mother of an inmate) that the deaths include one male and one female and they were days apart. 

According to a news release from Coroner Zach Lysek,

"One of the individuals is Katelyn M. Godiska, a 34-year-old woman from Bethlehem, PA. On June 14, 2026, she was transported to St. Luke’s Hospital, Easton Campus from the prison, where she was pronounced deceased. The cause of death was Asphyxiation, and the manner of death was Suicide.

"The other individual is Randolph P. Adams, a 35-year-old man from Bethlehem, PA. On June 19, 2026, he was transported to St. Luke’s Hospital, Easton Campus from the prison, where he was pronounced deceased. The cause of death was Asphyxiation, and the manner of death was Suicide."

According to her obituary, Godiska was "a bright and gifted graduate of Nazareth Area High School, where she also excelled in Lacrosse. Kate was working for Nick’s On Main, of Bethlehem. She was known for her artistic creativity, vibrant imagination, and ability to bring beauty and inspiration to those around her. Kate had unconditional love for her family and held a strong bond with her siblings."

Godiska was in jail because she was unable to post $75,000 bond after being charged by Bethlehem police with aggravated assault and related offenses. She was still awaiting her preliminary hearing., which would have taken place today.

Like Godiska, Adams was in jail because he was unable to post $50,000 bond after being charged by Palmer Tp police with robbery of a motor vehicle, theft and unlawful use of a motor vehicle. 

When there is a suicide at the jail, it goes into lockdown. Inmates are stuck in their cells and only allowed out for showers and meals.  Given that a high number are already suffering from serious mental illness, this policy should be reconsidered. According to Truthout, lockdowns are considered more severe than solitary confinement because of the lack of structure. They cause or exacerbate anxiety, depression, PTSD, and other mental health issues

(Originally posted 6/22/26 at 1:56 pm.)

NorCo's New Fiscal Affairs Director Declines the Job Over Low Salary

Last week, Northampton County Council voted to confirm Deb Watlington, a CPA with 30 years of accounting experience, as the county's new Fiscal Director. But they did so at a lower starting salary - $109,632 - than the $125,108 proposed by Executive Tara Zrinski.  Council members Ken Kraft, Kelly Keegan, Jason Boulette, and Jeff Warren were more than happy with a higher salary for what would have been the county's first Fiscal Director with a CPA. 

The final vote to confirm Watlington at the lower salary of $109,632 was approved by Council members Lori Vargo Heffner, Tom Giovanni, Ken Kraft, Dave Holland, Jason Boulette and Theresa Fadem.

Council member Qayyum was opposed to hiring Watlington at any salary.

County Solicitor Melissa Rudas had argued that the Executive has the authority to hire at a higher rate, but my reading of the Career Service Regulations (which could be incorrect) limits the Executive's authority to raise anyone's salary to only one step. Council approval is needed for anything higher. 

In a comment published on this blog, Council member Kelly Keegan warned that this could happen. She stated, 

Northampton County has gone months without a Fiscal Director, one of the most critical financial positions in county government. We've struggled to attract qualified candidates because the salary simply isn't competitive. Potential candidates have declined interviews or withdrawn from consideration because they could earn significantly more elsewhere.

Then, after an extensive search, we finally found a highly qualified candidate willing to leave her current position and take a pay cut to serve Northampton County. Instead of welcoming her and recognizing the sacrifice she was making, Council chose to amend the resolution and reduce her starting salary from Step 3 to Step 1.

Think about the message that sends.

We complain that we can't find qualified people. We acknowledge that the private sector and neighboring organizations pay more. We finally find someone willing to come here anyway, and then we decide to pay her even less?!

This wasn't fiscal responsibility. The difference in salary is negligible in a multi-million-dollar county budget. What isn't negligible is the cost of leaving a key financial leadership position vacant, delaying projects, overburdening existing staff, and creating instability in county government.

The question taxpayers should be asking is simple: Are we trying to recruit and retain talented professionals, or are we making political points at the expense of effective government?

Actions have consequences. If this candidate walks away, Northampton County will once again be searching for a Fiscal Director while wondering why qualified applicants aren't lining up for the job.

I believe that Watlington should have been hired at the higher rate requested by Zrinski. In pushing this hire down to the low rung on the pay scale, a majority of County Council allowed the perfect to be the enemy of the good. Watlington may have had no specific experience with county government. But she has 30 years of accounting experience and is a CPA and would be part of an office that is already very talented. County Council should reconsider what really was a mistake if Watlington is still willing to serve. 

Gracedale is Only Nursing Home in Pa With a Provisional II License

As I told you last week, Northampton County's Gracedale nursing home now has a Provisional II license. It previously had a Provisional I license. In early May, Executive Tara Zrinski said the home did very well in its annual survey, but the downgrade from Provisional I to Provisional II indicates that the facility is in worse shape now than it has ever been. 

Although Zrinski has previously stated that she is happy with Administrator Michelle Morton, the state Department of Health has had to visit the home 27 times since she has been there. Gracedale has been cited eight times since her arrival last year (six times last year and twice this year). The home has been repeatedly cited for elopements (escapes) and a failure to meet minimum staffing requirements. 

I've told you that the latest CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) rating places the home at just one star, which is considered well below average. The home has the added indignity of a scarlet letter in the form of a 

 next to its name to warn potential residents and their families about the possibility of abuse. The home has operated with a Provisional license since February.

All of this, not some of it, has happened during Morton's tenure. And that's understandable. She's had 23 different jobs since 1983. Her background is therapeutic recreation, not nursing or nursing homes. 

In her Exec report last week, Zrinski tried to downplay the problems, stating that they were caused by being too lax in admitting people. I'll agree that is likely one of the causes. Sure, Gracedale should be a sanctuary for the indigent, but should decline residents who are violent to other residents and to staff. But that is only one of the causes. 

Administration is another. The sheer number of visits from the DOH alone indicate that people (staff, residents or both) are unhappy with Michelle Morton, the current Administrator. The decline in the home's ratings, the citations, and the downgrade to a Provisional I and then a Provisional II license have all happened under her watch. I have no doubt she could succeed in some role, but not as Gracedale's administrator. 

A third root cause of Gracedale's problems is its heavy reliance on agency nursing. These are nurses brought in from outside agencies. They are paid far more than regular staffers, which obviously causes resentment. And since they come and go as they please, they are unable to build up the relationships with residents that regular staff have.

A final problem, quite frankly, is politics. The continuum of care positions that Zrinski sought and got are political hires who come and go with the exec. They should have the protection of either career service or a contract. When he was first elected Exec, one of the first things Lamont McClure did was fire the Director of Nursing, Her position was career service, but she must have been probationary, or he'd be unable to axe her. Here's what she wrote in 2018:

"Gracedale has been neglected for years. Not just the last four years but for many decades. The outdated and appalling status of the living conditions for the residents of Gracedale actually brought me to tears the first time I saw the cinder block walls and furniture obviously from decades ago. The resident mattresses had not been replaced for years (actually no one could tell me when) leading to resident skin pressure injury. An assessment revealed these mattresses were no longer offering any pressure reduction. The mechanical lifts recently assessed found 22 lifts were in poor condition. The most vulnerable of our population have been ignored and the taxpayers should be appalled as I was. However, my goal was to work to improve the conditions and the mattresses have been replaced, some furniture has begun to be purchased and the next step was to begin mechanical lift replacement. The ultimate goal being to develop a purchasing replacement plan yearly to assure that this would never happen again.

"I knew the position would be a challenge, and I happen to love a challenge that works to improve the lives of residents in long term care. So imagine my response in early December when I received a letter from the new county executive- elect that stated “this past November our voters spoke loudly and issued a mandate for change.” It went on to say “ I write at this time to inform you that you will not be re-appointed to your position in the new administration” and “your last day of employment with the County of Northampton will be January 1, 2018.”

I believe this nurse was canned because she was chosen by the John Brown administration. 

In her report to County Council last week, Zrinski stated that the downgrade to Provisional II occurred because of yet another resident elopement as well as a resident who brought contraband (I'm told it was a K-Bar knife) into the facility. These matters do not yet appear on the DOH deficiency site, but I suspect we'll be seeing them soon. An alarm actually went off during one of Zrinski's visits. "I assure you that person did not get away," she declared.

As NorCo Council member Dave Holland stated last week, a provisional license means that the state DOH can do a number of things. They can stop new admissions. They can stop Medicaid reimbursements. They can take over the facility with their own managers. 

How common is a provisional license in Pennsylvania? I decided to check.

According to the DOH nursing home facility webpage, there are 661 nursing homes in Pennsylvania. Gracedale is the only one operating with a Provisional II license. 

Of 417 for-profit nursing homes, four are operating with Provisional I licenses: Emerald Nursing and Rehabilitation (Elizabethtown); Kadima Rehabilitation and Nursing (Palmyra Pa); Rochester Residence and Care Center (Rochester); and Wecare at South Hills (Canonsburg) Provisional I.

Of 223 NonProfit Facilities, all have regular licenses. 

Of 14 county-owned facilities, only Gracedale has a Provisional license

Of 7 State-owned facilities for veterans, all have regular licenses.

Another point made by Zrinski during her Exec report is that for-profit homes are less likely to accept Medicaid. Northampton County has 11 nursing homes.  All but 1 accept Medicaid. 

Holland on What a Provisional II License Means at Gracedale

Dave Holland, a nurse practitioner and nursing professor at East Stroudsburg University, was also an administrator at Gracedale and at Monroe County's nursing home. He knows about medical care. He also knows about nursing homes. Last year, Northampton County voters fortunately elected him to an at-large seat on Northampton County Council. Since that time, his insights and attempts to provide advice about the home have been strangely ignored by Executive Tara Zrinski, who prefers listening to an administrator whose background is therapeutic recreation. While she does zumba classes, the home is clearly and objectively declining. It was placed in a Provisional I license last year. Despite claims that things were improving, the state Department of Health has downgraded Gracedale's license to Provisional II.  

When did this happen? When was Administrator Morton informed? When was Executive Zrinski informed? We do not have the answers to these questions, but the public itself was in the dark until earlier this week. 

The most important question is what does a Provisional II license mean? Despite attempts by Council President Ken Kraft to muzzle Holland at last night's meeting, he explained in very clear terms precisely what options are now available to the state Department of Health, and it's pretty bad. Here's what Holland said: 

If we don't resolve our noncompliance status, we're not going to have to worry about the continuum of care because we won't be able to have the license to do so.

So what do I mean by that?

So, in a provisional license status, every day that goes by that we're not in compliance, there are remedies that are available to the Department of Health, which they have not instituted yet, but they certainly could at any day.

That includes denial of new admissions to the facility.

If we're denied admissions to the facility, we're not allowed to carry out the mission of Gracedale, which I'm going to read to you.

Gracedale is a skilled nursing facility that serves the medically challenged and financially indigent residents of Northampton County and surrounding communities. The mission of the facility is to rehabilitate its residents to their highest practical level of medical, social, and psychosocial well-being.

If we get into a situation because of noncompliance, fair or not, that's the situation we're in from the Department of Health.

We're not gonna' be able to meet that mission because we may be denied admission at some point.

Second to that, the other option is to deny payment.

And again, we will not be able to comply with our mission to the residents of Northampton County if we're going to be denied payment for Medicaid or Medicaid residents.

There's a process where the agreement to provide payment for Medicare Medicaid can start, they can start that process to nullify and separate from that agreement based on noncompliance.

So the other options are temporary management.

If we don't get into compliance within a certain period of time, they can basically deem we are no longer capable of managing it ourselves and institute temporary management.

Zrinski Attempts to Minimize Gracedale's Problems

At last night's meeting of Northampton County Council, Executive Tara Zrinski spoke twice about Gracedale, both during courtesy of the floor and in her Executive report.  In hir first oration, she spoke about the good care the nursing facility provided to her mother, something she has done several times in the past. She never mentioned that this care was during a time when Jennifer Stewart King, and not Michelle Morton, was the Administrator. In her Exec report, she tried very hard to paint the home in a positive light. She noted that there were 14 citations in 2025, but only 4 "technical" violations this year. She did not point out that we're not even halfway through the year. She said the root cause of these problems go back several years. She said none of the citations this year reflect a failure to provide care, which is utter nonsense. In fact, the poor staffing is precisely why the home was cited in January and again in May.  I'd also say that a failure to follow doctor's orders, especially concerning medications and blood sugar levels, is indicative of outright negligence. 

She did finally mention Gracedale's downgrade from a Provisional I to a Provisional II license. She believes the root cause was the county's admission process, under which some risky residents were accepted. She said the home is now more selective in who it accepts. 

I'd like to know what the DOH has been at Gracedale 27 times since Michelle Morton was hired as Administrator. It's true that most of these complaints are unfounded, but the sheer number suggests to me that employees, residents and family are unhappy. This reflects on Morton's leadership. 

I'd like to know why, after being repeatedly cited for falling below the state minimum nursing care requirements, Gracedale was cited for that again and with a provisional license. Amazingly, Morton claimed this shortage was caused by call offs. Why on earth would the home fail to plan for call offs? 

I'd like to know how Gracedale, whose very mission is to take care of people, could ignore doctor's orders. 

We got answers to none of these questions because as soon as she was done with her Exec report, Zrinski asked for an Exec session to discuss "personnel."  And accompanying her into the back room were Morton and Human Services Director Sue Wandalowski, who is supposed to have nothing to do with Gracedale. That's the whole point of the new positions sought by Zrinski. No doubt, the purpose of the exec session was to scapegoat someone for problems that have grown worse since Michelle Morton arrived. 

Finally, I'd look to know when Zrinski was apprised of the downgrade to Provisional II. It certainly belies her previous reports. 

NorCo's Human Relations Comm'n Members Confirmed

At last night's meeting, Northampton County Council confirmed the following appointments to the newly established Human Relations Comm'n. 

Sylvia Keverenge Bethlehem, PA 18015 

Grace Crampsie Smith Bethlehem, PA 18018 

Peter Hristofas Easton, PA 18042 

Victoria Opthof-Cordaro Bethlehem, PA 18015 

Jessica Teel Sadler Wind Gap, PA 18091 

Marc Singer Easton, PA 18042 

Patricia Baranowski Wind Gap, PA 18091 

Reginald Belon Easton, PA 18042 

Thomas Raymond Dubreuil Bethlehem, PA 18020 

Arlene Ifill-Leon Easton, PA 18042 

Elena Kenney Bethlehem, PA 18018 

Ron Moyer Easton, PA 18042

I omitted precise mailing addresses. 

The vote was 8-0, with Council member Nadeem Qayyum abstaining (He said "absent"). Qayyum argued that the appointments should consist of "protected" classes, even though Council Solicitor Matt Deschler explained that we all can be considered a "protected" class, depending  on the circumstances. He wanted to know, as he did in a committee meeting the previous day, how many of the appointments were persons "of color." He asked Executive Tara Zrinski whether she went to churches and temples to recruit candidates, something she said she did not do or feel obliged to do. She said her picks were as diverse a group as she could possibly choose. 

NorCo Council Confirms New Fiscal Director, but at a Lower Pay Than Proposed by Executive

 At last night's meeting, Northampton County Council voted to approve the appointment of Deb Watlington as the county's new Fiscal Director, but at a lower starting salary than what had been proposed by Executive Tara Zrinski. 

Zrinski's appointment would start Watlington at a salary of $125,108, and with benefits would give her a total compensation package of $164,923. 

While she agreed with the appointment, Council member Lori Vargo Heffner said that the starting salary should be $109,632 and proposed confirming the appointment at the lower rate. Her motion to amend was passed by a 5-4 vote, The Yes votes were from Vargo Heffner, Theresa Fadem, Tom Giovanni, Nadeem Qayyum and Dave Holland. Voting No were Council members Ken Kraft, Kelly Keegan, Jason Boulette, and Jeff Warren. 

At this lower rate of $109,632, Watlington's appointment was approved in a 6-3 vote. Voting yes were Vargo Heffner, Giovanni, Fadem, Holland, Boulette and Kraft. Voting No were Keegan, Warren and Qayyum. 

Before the vote, County Solicitor Melissa Rudas advised that the Executive has the right to hire a Fiscal Director at any salary she chooses, and that reducing the pay was an "exercise in futility." Vargo Heffner strongly disagreed, stating that Council approves the budget and corresponding salaries. 

This issue has arisen before. When he was Executive, John Brown knocked his Administrator's salary up by three steps without getting permission from County Council. Then Controller Steve Barron noted this increase violated Career Service Regulations (Section 4.01) that require County Council to approve any pay raise that bumps anyone up more than one step in the payscale.  The Home Rule Charter does specifically provide that County Council sets the wages (Section 202(11).

While Zrinski has the authority to award a one-step increase right now, it's unclear to me what authority she has to set a higher salary. 

Zrinski made clear in her introduction of Watlington that a higher salary was necessary to lure Watlington, a CPA, from Lehigh. So I fail to understand why Council went with a lower compensation package for someone who already is taking a pay cut. 

Zrinski Declines to Specify Race, Religion or Gender Identity of Human Relations Comm'n Members

During yesterday's NorCo Council Personnel Committee hearing, attended by five Council members*, a list of 13 nominations for the newly established Human Relations Commission was considered. Since I can only go by phonetic spelling of some of these hopefuls, I'll forego naming them until tomorrow. Things were going smoothly until member Nadeem Qayyum decided he had some questions. 

Qayyum, who has a very annoying habit of refusing to use his mike, decided he wanted to know how many of these selections are persons of color and wanted to know details like religion, etc. 

Zrinski, who is increasingly getting irritated by questions that Qayyum has written out in advance because his English skills are so subpar, said she declines "to specifically identify who is ... who is a person of color, who is Muslim, who is gay, who's trans. I am supposed to identify those individuals on this list? I would think that that is almost discriminatory."

I'd say it is definitely discriminatory.

"For the record, I need to ask these questions," explained Qayyum.

"Sure, sure, sure, sure, sure sure," responded Zrinski. "For the record, I'm not going to specifically identify people."

In the desire to be inclusive, we often make the mistake of being exclusive. 

_____

* This meeting was attended by Council members Nadeem Qayyum, Jason Boulette, Tom Giovanni, Dave Holland and Kelly Keegan.  

Pa DOH Downgrades Gracedale's License

Back in early May, NorCo Exec Tara Zrinski had good news about Gracedale, reporting that state Department of Health officials were very positive during the annual survey. Based on what she said, I expected to see that Gracedale's provisional license would be restored to regular status during a recent state licensure visit. Instead, that license has been downgraded from Provisional I to Provisional II. Though the county has been aware of this relegation, it has failed to make any public mention of it during any of the meetings since that time. This is not transparency. This is sweeping a problem under the rug and hoping no one notices. 

My understanding is that, at some point, Medicaid will refuse to reimburse nursing homes. This facility continues to move in the wrong direction. 

Zrinski Nominates a CPA as NorCo's New Fiscal Affairs Director

Northampton County Executive has nominated Deborah Watlington, a CPA, as the county's new Director of Fiscal Affairs. She was introduced at yesterday's Personnel Committee and is set for confirmation by County Council this evening. If confirmed, the county will finally have a Director of Fiscal Affairs for the first time since October of last year. 

Watlington, who as a degree in accounting and an MBA from Lehigh U, has been employed by Lehigh for the past 16 years.  She's worked in accounting for 30 years. She is currently Senior Financial Analyst in the Provost Office. 

She is one of 10 applicants for the job.  "I believe she will be an asset to the county throughout my tenure," said Zrinski. 

Qayyum, who earlier had reservations about the Human Relations Comm'n appointments and the salaries for Continuum of Care directors, had written questions about whether Watlington had direct government financial experience, but conceded she had good qualifications. 

He also complained about the proposed salary of $125,108. Zrinski responded that this salary is actually lower than what she was getting at Lehigh. His numerous objections are hard to report because he consistently fails to use his mike.

Finally, Council member Kelly Keegan interjected that "it seems like we're badgering a woman we're lucky to get." 

For once, I agree with her. 

A Trip Around the LV Blogosphere

For a time, the Lehigh Valley Blogosphere was pretty much a desert. Aside from Michael Molivinsky and your truly, few others were willing tor had the time to provide a local perspective. Thanks in part to Substack, that has been changing in recent years. 

Molovinsky on Allentown is an old fart who focuses primarily on Allentown, as his blog title suggests, although he does occasionally roam into other issues. Now if you read this guy, you might think he really must be some obnoxious asshole. But if you meet him in person, you'll soon realize you were right. Especially if you are employed by The Morning Call. Actually, Michael and I are friends. This is a matter of necessity because everyone else hates us. 

Lehigh Valley News Briefs is an excellent place for in-depth stories on what really is going on in our bizarre non-profit community, where entities like DaVinci, the Bethlehem Food Co-op and Lehigh Valley Public Media routinely con local officials into doling out our tax dollars for ventures that go nowhere. Publisher Jeff Ward is an accomplished alumnus of Bloomberg News. 

Armchair Lehigh Valley is made up of journalists and editors who at one time or another worked for the dailies. These folks have a lot of institutional knowledge about the Lehigh Valley that unfortunately is missing from what's left of our local newspapers. They do a great job of covering local campaigns and elections. Armchair's latest entry is a report about a complaint filed against Lead Left, a PAC that poured $1.7 million into the Pa.07 Congressional primary in an effort to keep Bob Brooks or Ryan Crosswell from getting the Democratic nod. 

Comm'r Ron Beitler is actually a Facebook page that gives us all a bird's eye view of what is happening in Lehigh County. Beitler is a thoughtful conservative who re-registered as an Independent recently and speaks out very persuasively on issues like Mark Pinsley's so-called "wealth tax". 

Upper Nazareth Township Meetings, penned by Becky Bartlett, is a no-nonsense news site that focuses solely on what is happening in Upper Nazareth. I envy Becky because, without any training, she can tell a story without government without opinion, the way that I and others just need to do. 

Apocalypse Vibes is written by Rich Wilkins, who at one time worked on Congressional races all over the country. He has a much better insight into congressional races than most of us. 

Allentown Truth is all about the inner workings of Allentown, written from the perspective of an anonymous person who really detests Mayor Matt Tuerk. His latest is that the City had a Blues, Brew and BBQ event at which no one showed. I don't know if that's true because I wasn't there. But if nobody was there, that should include the anonymous blogger who claimed no one was there, which would mean at least he was there.  

LVCI offers the perspective of a local Everyman who sees a strange world whiz by. Sometimes he laughs. Sometimes he cries. 

If there are other local blogs out there worth reading, please let us know in the comments. 

Pinsley's So Called Wealth Tax Under Fire

Blogger's Note: Below is an op-ed written by Lehigh County Comm'r Ron Beitler (Independent), Lehigh County Comm'r Antonio Pineda (Republican) and Phil Armstrong, former Lehigh County Exec, Democrat. 

Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley has proposed recycling an antiquated county intangible personal property tax by branding it a “wealth tax.” Once levied by counties in Pennsylvania, it disappeared 25 years ago for many reasons: legal challenges, administrative problems and broad acknowledgement that it was bad policy.

Most concerning, the current label of a “wealth tax” is a sales pitch. Political marketing. It makes the proposal sound narrow, targeted and aimed only at billionaires. That is not accurate.

This is not a tax exclusively on the ultra wealthy or the “Elon Musks” of the world. Plain and simple, it's a tax on personal financial assets. It hits common savings tools and certain small business ownership interests. Stocks, bonds, mutual funds and non-retirement brokerage accounts are all specifically named in the Controller’s report. The enabling law also raises unresolved questions about other useful family, retirement and estate planning tools, including custodial brokerage accounts, 529 college accounts and private mortgages held as assets. These are all tools working families, seniors, parents saving for their children and small business owners use to make responsible plans for their futures. As presented, this tax has no minimum income threshold. And adding one later may only deepen the legal problem because the 1913 law does not clearly give the County the authority to create one.

This is all part of the central problem. The public is being sold a narrow tax on extreme wealth, but the actual proposal reaches everyone. Repeating a misleading label does not change what the tax actually does nor does it change who it hurts.

This is not a Republican, Democratic or Independent concern. That is why the three of us, from different political backgrounds, agree on this point: Lehigh County should not revive a legally risky tax on savings, common investment tools and small businesses.

While some might dance around what this really is, others are more direct, describing this kind of saving as “hoarding wealth.” We strongly disagree. For generations of Lehigh Valley families, including people who worked hard their entire lives at places like Mack, Bethlehem Steel and other local employers, saving was not "hoarding wealth". These were not millionaires hiding money. They were working families taking responsibility for their futures, supporting children, driving modest cars, fixing what they could and planning ahead so they would not have to depend on the government later. That is basic financial discipline. We should encourage it, not punish it.

At a time when credit card debt is near record highs, younger folks struggle to save or invest, family sustaining jobs are harder to find, and basic costs keep rising, the answer is not to punish folks who manage to save. We should want people to work, save, invest and build security, not tax the same dollars a second or even third time because they planned responsibly.

The proposal also hits small businesses at exactly the wrong time.

Supporters claim owner-operated small businesses would be excluded, but Mr. Pinsley’s own report admits very common small business structures are actually the source of the majority of revenue. These are not exotic structures used only by the wealthy. They are common ways small businesses, especially family businesses, are organized.

Small business owners routinely work 50, 60 or more hours a week under pressures most never see: payroll, rent, insurance, utilities, supplies, repairs, maintenance, taxes, compliance, permitting, staffing and constant uncertainty.

For most small business “wealth” is not cash sitting in a bank account. It's tied up in equipment, inventory, buildings, debt, invoices and the business itself. On paper, a business owner may look successful. But in reality, many are fighting every month to make payroll, cover bills and keep the doors open, yet still find time and resources to sponsor youth teams, support fundraisers, and donate to fire companies, schools, churches, nonprofits and community events. This is exactly the wrong environment to pile another tax on small business owners and could force them to either cut back on their community support, or not grow their business.

The legal risk is also serious.

If this tax were clearly legal and clean, the county would not need outside tax counsel, as recommended by the Controller in his report, to find a constitutional workaround. This alone should raise alarms. This sounds less like confidence in the law and more like shopping for a legal theory to support the outcome they want. Passing a constitutionally suspect tax does not just invite a lawsuit. It would send taxpayers the bill.

Lehigh County should focus on controlling costs, delivering core services and encouraging economic growth.

This is not a bold new idea. It's a recycled bad idea that every county that once had it walked away from. Taxing savings discourages saving. Taxing investment discourages investment. Taxing small business ownership discourages growth, expansion, and job creation.

Do not be fooled. This proposal is not a so-called wealth tax. It is an asset tax. A broad tax on common savings tools and small businesses that punishes responsible behavior, creates huge legal risk and adds another burden at exactly the wrong time. Lehigh County should reject it clearly, publicly and permanently.

Commissioner Ron W. Beitler, Independent

Commissioner Antonio Pineda, Republican

Phil Armstrong, former Lehigh County Executive, Democrat

Gracedale - Four Deficiencies, Including Failure to Meet State Nursing Care Minimum ... Again

Since the beginning of this year, Gracedale nursing home has done its best to establish a very positive social media presence. It has highlighted Valentine Day, Mardi Gras, its executive chef, volunteers, a food truck festival, its employees and tuition assistance program and even its very own prom night. Without question, there are good things to say about the home and the people who work there. NorCo Exec Tara Zrinski has said she plans to unveil her long-range plans for the facility at the next Human Services Committee. The fact remains, however, that it still has issues. The home has been the subject of eight visits from the state DOH this year. On two of these inspections, Gracedale was cited for deficiencies.

The most recent published survey (they appear online 41 days after the event) was on May 1. The state DOH was there for four reasons: a Medicare and Medicaid Recertification; state licensing; civil rights compliance, and one complaint. Unfortunately, several deficiencies were found. (You can read them yourself).

Two residents were victims of Chemical Restraints. - Many nursing home residents suffer from dementia. Others may need antianxiety medication at times. But when it is prescribed, it must stop after 14 days unless the resident is re-evaluated by a physician. Two residents were being given these medications beyond the 14-day limit. 

The home failed to implement doctor's orders for four residents. -  These include a failure to take blood stool samples, failure to notify physician of dropping blood sugar as requested; administering blood pressure medication despite physician order that it be skipped if resident's heartbeat is too low; and failure to follow a doctor's order to provide a resident with a certain kind of boot that prevents bed sores. 

Inaccurate assessments - In at least two instances, nursing staff failed properly to document a resident's condition. In one case, nurses inaccurately reported that a resident had no falls when notes reflect he did. In another, a nurse incorrectly reported that a resident was receiving dialysis. 

Failure to provide minimum required nursing care. - Gracedale has been cited repeatedly over its failure to meet the state minimum nursing care standard, including earlier this year. It blew it again over one of 22 das reviewed. 

Zrinski has previously stated on several occasions that Administrator Michelle Morton is doing a good job. The facts tell a different story. 

Will this negatively impact Gracedale's effort to have its provisional license recertified to regular? Online, the home is still listed as having only a provisional, but as previously stated, there is a 41-day lag between real time and what appears online.