Last night, all nine members of Northampton County Council voted to establish a Human Relations Commission (you can see the original version here) to resolve claims of discrimination in a timely manner pursuant to the county's police powers.
The purpose of the ordinance, as stated in the bill itself, is to "declare [the county's intent] to promote the rights and opportunities of all persons to participate in the social, cultural, recreational, and economic life of the County and to assure equal opportunity for all persons concerning employment, housing, education, health care, and use of public accommodations without regard to actual or perceived race, ethnicity, color, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, physical marital status, familial status, GED rather than high school diploma, or mental disability, relationship or association with a disabled person, source of income, age, height, weight, veteran status, use of guide or support animals and/or mechanical aids, or domestic or sexual violence victim status."
The Commission envisaged by this ordinance consists of seven members appointed by the Executive, which County Council can confirm or reject. Members will reflect the diversity of protected classes. If the commission finds that a complaint of discrimination is substantiated, it can fine the offender up to $600.
Among the many members of the public who spoke in support of this ordinance was Liz Bradberry, who chairs Lehigh County's Human Relations Commission and is herself the CEO of Keystone Equality. She stated that Lehigh County's Human Relations Comm'n can resolve complaints in two days, much faster than the two-year average with the state.
I was a bit concerned about cost, given that county finances are tight. But Bradberry explained that in Lehigh, their Commission has spent only $136 over the past two years.
Bradberry also informed Council that 76 municipalities have established human relations commissions statewide, including 6 counties. She also reviewed case law supporting human relations commissions.
In addition to Bradberry's factually based oration, Council members themselves made some impassioned arguments in favor of the ordinance.
Nadeem Qayyum, the County's first Muslim and Asian American elected in the county, said that the Human Relations Ordinance is more than a legal text. "I see a promise," he said.
Theresa Fadem said her family (great grandmother) was brought here as a slave from West Africa and that she herself "has suffered a lot of discrimination in my lifetime." She was proud of the members of the public who advocated the ordinance.
Dave Holland, who announced that he has a husband, stated that "when people are treated differently, they struggle at another level than people who aren't treated differently. ... If we're treated differently just because of who we are, it takes a toll on the individual, not only the individual, but the whole family. ... When somebody has to deny who they are, it crushes your soul."
Lori Vargo Heffner gave no impassioned speech, but instead acted as a scrivener to tighten the language of the ordinance with a series of friendly amendments, all of which passed.
This ordinance also was supported by Executive Tara Zrinski. "Our strength as a county comes from the diversity of our residents," she said.
I only wish that bloggers were a protected class.
Oh they’re going to be really mad at this one and they can’t even fake to hide their outrage claiming they’re concerned about the costs. I’m sure the comments will be pleasant as always
ReplyDeleteSerious question—what gap is this actually filling? Discrimination is already illegal under federal and PA law. Adding another layer at the county level just creates more government oversight, more rules to navigate, and more confusion without a clear need.
ReplyDeleteWas there any other relevant pressing business discussed by this council at the meeting?
ReplyDeleteA feel-good pat me on the back move. Now when are they going to fix the real problems NORCO faces?
ReplyDeleteGracedale sinks into oblivion while the wokesters play virtue signaling games. And they did all of this on land stolen from the Leni Lenape. What a bunch of phony First Peoples haters.
ReplyDeleteThey are a protected class now
ReplyDeleteBeing able to not discriminate against "source of income" is a big win for drug dealers.
ReplyDeleteWell they do love their criminals so there's that. Please stop discriminating against them.
DeleteWith all the problems facing the County, this is way down on the list.
ReplyDeleteWhat's next? "I'd like to buy the World a Coke" as the official county song?
ReplyDeleteNorthampton's problem is the people elect to many liberals and we all know that liberals love to tax and spend other people's money.
ReplyDeleteMost liberal council in the counties history. Let’s see how they govern. It’s easy to pass feel good policies that are redundant to state and federal law. Yes! Bloggers should be included lol.
ReplyDeleteIt's not redundant but is more expansive than state or federal law and that's ok bc it's not a subject of pre-emption.
DeleteBased on the ordinance, almost everybody is in a protected class or can claim to be.
ReplyDeleteEverybody in the county is of some ethnic background. Are we all covered?
ReplyDeleteI’m German, Irish and Lithuanian, am I covered?
Are all people who might be mocked for having flat feet or a big nose, for example, covered?
Will the commission have subpoena power?
Do county residents really want yet another body that can demand information from them and fine them?
Jeff Ward, Bethlehem
All great questions that they’ll never answer.
DeleteNYET!
DeleteNo new revelations about council members Theresa, David and Nadeem. We all in the US are descendants and have different ideas. Pointing out how different we are is not always a positive but voting against it would have been suicide for anyone on council. It’s only March (sigh) of year one.
ReplyDeleteOur county executive is honestly a joke. Watching her chew gum while giving official department updates looks sloppy, disrespectful, and completely unprofessional. This isn’t a casual hangout, it’s supposed to be leadership. If you can’t handle something as basic as presenting yourself with a little discipline and class, what does that say about how seriously you take the job? It’s a small detail that screams a much bigger problem. Tara tries to be a comic too, tells council to bring their Easter Baskets to the Sheriff’s Easter egg hunt, or talking about the damage from the storm saying you all probably had shingle damage too or telling Kraft you don’t like hearing my long reports. Loved his response, this is a council meeting. She constantly displays she’s not a leader or fit for this job. Voter will find out the hard way.
ReplyDeleteAs criticisms go, this is fairly petty and you look like you're grasping for straws. There are real reasons for criticism, but these are not among them. Her biggest problem is county finances, followed closely by Gracedale and employee morale. How she responds on those matters is what matters, not chawing gum.
DeleteCriticism doesn’t have to wait for a budget crisis to be valid. How an elected official presents themselves in public matter, it reflects seriousness, respect for the role, and attention to detail. If someone can’t be bothered to show basic professionalism during an official update, it raises fair questions about standards overall.
DeleteAnd yes, finances, Gracedale, and morale are bigger issues—but those don’t exist in a vacuum. Leadership is judged in both substance and presentation. Dismissing one as “petty” doesn’t make it irrelevant; it just lowers the bar for what we should expect.
Like I said, petty.
DeleteIt’s early but so far Tara as been the best county executive I recall. She genuinely seems to care about this county the people and doing the best she can. She wants to save gracedale which we need, she wants to preserve open space and stay green all of which is very important. Let’s hope she can keep up the great work, and more importantly she’s is leaps and bounds better than McClure. We went from McClure using the office as a stepping stone and a political chip to a person who wants to truly do the best they can.
DeleteI wouldn’t expect anything different. Chewing gum like a cow. No class. Based on your response you would probably go into court chewing gum before a judge. Real professional.
DeleteHad to see it to believe it. Does anyone think Tara actually goes home and watches her performance at meetings (or whatever it is) on You Tube? I say “yes” because she loves to hear and see herself. Anyway, will have to tune in again to see if the wisecracking and gum chewing continue. I think Mr. Kraft was a little annoyed (how funny is that) with her. Gracedale continues to have DOH visits. It’s almost April, Mr. Warren, and the license is still provisional. Guess your wait until
DeleteApril suggestion for success for Gracedale is a failure. I believe the gum chewing will continue. It’s petty, after all, right?
Best County Executive, compared to McClure, that’s easy, but best? What has she done in 2 1/2 months to declare her the best unless you have only been around for her and McClure’s term. Let’s she what happens with Gracedale, the budget, taxes, to name a few. Remember, she was the County Comptroller, so she’s has responsibility in the budget too. Oversight.
DeleteProtected class? You're lucky there isn't still a bounty on your head...
ReplyDeleteLol, I think there is.
DeleteMy favorite comment from council came from Nadeem Qayyum. He made it very clear that he is the first Muslim on the council. Don't know what he said about the actually proposal but I do understand that he is the first Muslim on the council.
ReplyDeleteNobody knows what he said he doesn’t speak English.
DeleteGee, No one would have known!
DeleteWe all know how she deals with diversity. Didn’t she kick her one son out of her home because he held different opinions and belief than hers. So much for diversity being a strength. Just get rid of it. Hmmm…. Continued hypocrisy, Dona’s I say not as I do.
ReplyDeleteHere we go. The personal attack. Anonymous, of course.
DeleteIt does say a lot.
DeleteI never heard anything like that about TZ. I do see liberal folks who like to say they’re oh so tolerant until you tell them you disagree with them on an issue. Then watch how tolerant they are. Especially if you tell them you’re for smaller government and less taxes.
DeleteWell not sure if you noticed but there are definitely crazy people that threaten others (not necessarily on this site ) so maybe it's better to be safe than sorry. Opinions can still be shared and are not less valid because they are anonymous.
DeleteWell not sure if you noticed but there are definitely crazy people that threaten others (not necessarily on this site ) so maybe it's better to be safe than sorry. Opinions can still be shared and are not less valid because they are anonymous.
DeleteWell, according to Emily Post, nothing screams unprofessional more than a mouthful of gum during a meeting.There it is!
DeleteI noticed bc I get treats all the time, but unlike you, I am not a coward and stand by what I write. That's ok, I allow anonymous comments, but your credibility is diminished when you use that privilege to launch petty personal attacks.
DeleteDon't worry with Joshie at the helm in Lehigh... Northampton is gonna look like the pros.
ReplyDeleteThe county will get what they elect more taxes is coming because those liberals love to spend.
ReplyDeleteNot only did this important ordinance, which provides a local mechanism to quickly resolve discrimination problems in Northampton County, unanimously pass County Council with bi-partisan support, not one, single person showed up to speak against it. That's called consensus.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I've seen, Executive Zirinski is working diligently to build consensus on a wide range of issues affecting County residents. Her transparency in government is reflected in her comprehensive public reports to Council. Her committment to building consensus is demonstrated by the number of task forces which she is establishing to find solutions to long standing problems. She is refreshingly committed to working to address issues on a regional basis. The Human Relations Ordinace is an example of her leadership. Why should a Northampton County veteran be denied the legal protections afforded veterans in our sister county?
It's easy to sit home and fire off personal attacks without taking responsibility for those comments (unless your legal name is "Anonymous.") That's the difference between the attackers and Executive Zirinski. She has rolled up her sleeves, steped up to the plate, and is constructively meeting the challenges facing County residents.
Will she make mistakes,? Of course! The only to avoid a mistake is to sit at home and do nothing. Fortunately, she has chosen the higher path.
-- Joe Welsh, East Allen Township
Gotta love the ignorant comments under this post. People who commented negatively don’t know what they’re talking about and it’s very apparent. Funny how all the speakers last night were in support of this ordinance and all the trolls who speak negatively about it are hiding behind their keyboards in this blog. But I guess you would’ve had to because if you attended last night and spoke negatively against it you would’ve been met with extreme opposition. Who wouldn’t want “everybody” to be safe and not be discriminated against, and if they were, to have a swift response?? I bet you all loved when Trump made fun of the disabled reporter. That’s the kind of people you are.
ReplyDeleteThis council and administration should check their priority list again. Doesn’t seem that cement mills and human relation groups are up there ahead of fiscal disaster at Gracedale and inability to produce adequate answers for moving funding around without reason. Well,
ReplyDeleteWe will see soon.
I wish those on Council, especially Ken Kraft would go home and watch the feed. I have the volume turned all the way up as high as it will go and still can't hear people speaking. Everyone needs to speak no more than 2" from their microphones and Ken should be reminding everyone of that. He was all excited about the amount of people who attended the meeting but nobody cares that those who watch the fee can't hear it. Tara should know better but she was carrying on a conversation from her seat and Ken had to finally tell her to use the microphone. Isn't that just commonsense?
ReplyDeleteI agree. The sound quality is terrible on a smart TV, but it is better on my PC and phone. I have noticed these problems since the so-called improvements by our so-called IT department. They just don't give a shit.
DeleteThe youngsters in the IT dept don’t attend meetings nor do they place notes in council chambers for council members to turn mics on and speak into them….it has never been a good system.
DeleteWhen they are on the mike they are on all the speakers, everyone last night was on mike and everyone in the room could hear them. We are actively working on a solution to the rooms inability to broadcast the sound properly and will be installing solutions in the future. I have not heard this complaint about not being able to hear on a smart TV as everyone i know who watches it on a smart tv does not have this problem.
DeleteI have this issue on my smart TV, but not on my phone or PC. I have the same issue with Easton City Council, but not Bethlehem, Allentown or Lehigh County. You can hear, but have to turn volume very high. I have spoken to one other person with this issue, but this is not a usual topic of conversation and perhaps some of your friends do have this issue and you just never brought it up.
DeleteThe IT department in the county sucks. It probably should be in-house
Bernie the republican plot to make liberals look bad is working---just let them talk
ReplyDeleteUs liberals can’t understand Remaglicans because you speak to fast and in low volumes, as if you don’t know what you are saying.
Deleteliberals can not spell
DeleteIs this in place of eeoc claim or other avenues???
ReplyDeleteSo, I have a pronoun in the name of my business. If some self-described protected class walks by and is offended or the wait staff uses the wrong pronoun, I can get hauled before this progressive hoard and fined up to $600? My only question is when they start getting high on their power and fining people willy nilly, do I have recourse in the courts since I will not pay a fine leveed by some board of angry people. Is people a bad word now.
ReplyDeletePeople are suffering at substandard Gracedale and McClure left the money cabinet dry but this is the most pressing issue the county faces?
You keep trying to drag Gracedale into every one of your comments. Why don't you just go away and let them fix this, Oh that's right, you never learned about instant gratification. your parents always gave you what you wanted as soon as you started crying in the isle at the grocery store.
DeleteThey can’t fix it if they won’t acknowledge that it needs to be fixed. DOH reports reveal it is in desperate need of fixing. Tara has no clue how to fix it and she listens to those who tell her not to worry and that they’ve “got this”. Apparently they do not. By the way, it appears two now former council members were right about Gracedale all along but some other council members accused them of “just wanting to sell it”. Sad.
DeleteThe point is that…..they don’t know how, or they don’t want to.
DeleteReal discrimination is wrong. Thus we have avenues in place to deal with it. However far too many make allegations of discrimination today that are not valid thus the system is backlogged . So now we will have volunteers to make determinations and fine people? I could not read the 34 pages today in entirety. But this seems ridiculous with much more issues that need to be addressed and not duplicating systems already in place. What legal authority will these volunteers have?
ReplyDeleteThe executive, like any executive, is not expected to have all the answers to all problems but she is expected to find them.
ReplyDeleteShe can certainly start by performing a top to bottom audit of every department and division and make the moves now rather than later. She can’t afford not to.
Am starting to believe she can’t.
ReplyDeleteWords and committees and more lengthy reports mean nothing until problems are really fixed.
ReplyDeleteTotally off the subject here but it’s more than “just a few shingles” off of the roof at Gracedale as stated by Tara to council the other night. I could elaborate but that should be the subject of another blog itself, Bernie. Maybe take a look yourself.
ReplyDeleteShe cannot manage the many facets of the county. She never ran a business or managed more than one person, herself, and she struggled with that.
ReplyDeleteSo relieved we now have a Human Relations Commission, we really dodged a bullet on that major decision , but can someone now. please update any real work done to help Gracedale?
ReplyDelete