Northampton County Council member Jeff Warren would like to be the next State Rep. for the Nazareth area and is running against incumbent Republican Joe Emrick. Given the public disenchantment with everything that President Trump has done (and failed to do), he just might win. It's gonna' be a tough year for Republicans. But if Warren's brief stint on County Council is any indication, he will be a disappointment.
At last week's Council meeting, Warren was among those who voted to establish an oversight committee for Gracedale, but only after a motion to table failed. He explained, "I have a problem with the word 'oversight.'"
Excuse me? Why does he think Council Committees exist? Is he aware that the Home Rule Charter provides that Council, and not the Executive, is the "governing body"? Does he realize that Council retains all "residual" powers not expressly granted?
Warren has viewed his role as nothing more than a rubber stamp for the executive branch.
What oversight will he provide as a State Rep? He doesn't evven like the word.
44 comments:
And yet he voted in support of the committee.
Didn't he vote in support of the committee? If so, you are over reaching with this stupid post.
It seems to me that NORCO citizens consistently select their so-called leaders from the bottom 10% of the class. That lack of forethought runs rampant in Bethlehem and is spreading into Lehigh County.
Warren is smart and very hardworking. He’ll make a great Representative. He’ll be very supportive of Gov. Shapiro !
He first voted to table the resolution and later said he had a "significant" problem with the word "oversight." He did vote for the committee, and I suspect that is because he realized how it would look at election time.
I believe he said he just wanted it named the Gracedale Committee similare to the Lehigh county name of their committee for Cedarbrook, apparently he supported the idea just wanted it renamed to a simpler form. Must be a slow news day for you Bern, since this is all you got for us
I'll give him a Mulligan. Perhaps he was reading through beer goggles.
You take so many liberties with your assumptions that they end up as lies. I know first hand with your assumptions for why I supported Dixie.
No need to “suspect” he voted for the committee because he was thinking about the optics at election time; that’s this guy’s M.O. When does he ever act for any reason other than promoting himself or being a rubber stamp for someone else?
Jeff Warren is a smug arrogant asshole. Whether on Council or in the State House, that won’t change
Jeff Warren votes as he is told to vote by Kraft and Keegan. That is why he voted to table a vote for this oversight committee. He only voted for the committee because he thought it might look good to the potential voters in November. He had to add the “but I have a problem with” to pacify Kraft and Keegan (those who really control his votes). It would truly be a disservice to have him as a representative in the PA House since someone else would control his votes there. He’s been part of the chorus on council claiming everything is just fine at Gracedale too. He’s really should just get out of politics all together. Norco and PA need representatives who can’t be manipulated.
Warren will do much more than Emrick ever did. At least he's engaged with the community instead of just appearing for photo opportunities...neither candidate is perfect but Warren actually gives a sh*t.
I quoted exactly what he said, not what you “believe” he said.
I dislike Warren more than Emrick- if that's possible .It won't be close.
Between him and Koo Koo Keegan, there's no wonder NC is so dysfunctional.
Kelly, I made no assumptions. I said I “suspect” he voted for it bc he realized how it would look to be a proponent of no oversight at a 1-star nursing home with a provisional 2 license and a red flag for abuse.
You voted to give a tax break for a luxury department developer. You can explain that when you seek re-election. Hopefully, one of the numerous opponents who lives in your district will primary you. As a council member, you have been a very divisive force.
Warren and many other politicians would help themselves by speaking less. Be concise and stop. Don’t feel a need to respond to everybody who disagrees.
Spoken apparently by someone who truly does know him and has interacted with him. If only Jeff was as great as he thinks he is. One must be willing to listen to all he/she represents. This is not the case with Jeff who truly does believe he knows everything but really does not have a clue.
I dislike both. Another election in which I’m unable to cast a vote.
Are you trying to tell us that, Warren, acting alone, is not in favor of a commission? Conspiracy!
I'll hold my nose and vote for Emrick- Warren is the absolute worst!
@6:30
Check out Lehigh County.
You might feel better.
So what do you think is the source of the wackiness in Lehigh County?
If you don't like the way Jeff drives, get off the sidewalk.
Nice to see Kelly Keegan posting online and not celebrating a political murder for once.
That makes no sense so Jeff himself must have written that last comment.
Correct, like John Fetterman!!
IMO Warren is a huge zero compared to emrick. Only way he wins is a blue wave de facto like this years county council. The best did not win because they were the best they won based on party only. I do think there’s enough draw in the senate rate to bring the people out and this may be a lot closer than what is predicted. But Warren is smug and when he speaks you can’t take him serious because he always sounds fake and tries way to hard to speak in his “act” rather than his true self, he’s a fraud
@ Bernie, there's an important distinction between a tax break and a tax incentive, and it's misleading to conflate the two.
I stand by my support for the Dixie TIF, and I'm proud of my vote. You act as though I should be ashamed of it and continue to vilify me, but the facts tell a different story. Every one of the nine Wilson Area School Board directors and all nine members of Wilson Borough Council voted in favor of it. That's 18 elected officials, plus the mayor if you're counting all 19 elected leaders involved, all chosen by Wilson voters, who unanimously supported the project. The only elected officials who opposed it were five officials who don't even live in Wilson.
This wasn't about handing out a giveaway. The site required approximately $35 million in environmental remediation to clean up its toxic contamination before it could be redeveloped. That's exactly the type of project for which a TIF is intended—to encourage investment where redevelopment would otherwise be financially impractical.
It's also worth remembering that we weren't presented with a choice between two competing developers—one proposing affordable housing and another proposing apartments. We had one opportunity to redevelop a contaminated, long-blighted property, and I chose to support it. Given the information and the opportunity before us, I would make that same decision again.
The project would have transformed a long-blighted property, created opportunities for small businesses, generated jobs, and ultimately produced far more tax revenue for Wilson than the property ever had—or likely ever would have—if it remained as it was.
I stand by my vote without hesitation. My only disappointment is that the project didn't move forward, because I believe it would have been a tremendous benefit for Wilson and its residents.
Kelly has to fight for Jeff as usual.
Kelly, a pig is still a pig no matter what you call it. A tax break is a tax break, no matter whether you call it an incentive.
As for your goofy math, the law requires the assent of three taxing bodies. It does not mean that the taxpayers of UMBT must be shackled simply because some borough or school district supports it. Those taxing bodies have different constituencies, which you should know.
Emerick is a rude dolt; Warren will do well. It's not as bad as having to vote uncommitted in the Brooks election.
Bernie,
Goofy math? It's a crucial point that you refuse to recognize. Which happens to be another example of your bias POV reporting.
As for you reiterating the obvious- I know how the TIF works. Five out of 28 stopped it. You don't need to explain it over and over again.
If that project has stopped because of them, it's truly sad for Wilson.
No matter what facts you present to her it’s not going to matter. This is someone driven by ideology, not facts. Given her state of perpetual hysteria, I also believe there is something else going on there. I’m not a psychiatrist, but she just seems unhinged, perhaps a personality disorder. I don’t know. Something just seems off.
Say what you want about Emrick. His constituent services are good. He’s helped a lot of veterans.
Yes Kelly it is goofy math. The state law creating this tax break requires the support of three taxing bodies - the local municipality, local school district and host county. It does not provide that two out of three is good enough. It does not provide that you add up all the votes and then that decides it. The law requires a majority vote from all three taxing entities bc they serve different constituents. So yes your math is goofy.
You seem to have lost track of the argument. I understand that the three governing bodies need to pass the TIF for it to succeed, that isn't what I'm arguing. Yet you keep trying to mansplain that to me, which I think is pretty funny. My math is exactly correct. There were 28 elected officials that were able to vote on it and five rejected it. There's nothing goofy about that, those are the facts. You intentionally ignore the fact that five out of 28 people stopped it, and IMO it is a shame. You don't think it's a shame because you agree with the minority. Good for you!!! Though terrible for Wilson as they will not get any benefits from it.
Kelly, actually, it is you who has wandered off course. This post is about Warren and his objection to oversight, not you and your ridiculous vote to give a tax break for luxury apartments in Wilson Borough that will only attract people from NJ and NYC, which has already happened in Easton. And yes, for the third time, your argument is goofy math. There is no mansplaining here. Stupid is stupid, regardless of the sexual identity of the person spouting nonsense. Your argument is that 9+9+4 means the tax break should pass but ignores a law which requires that 5 members of county council must support it, not 4. That is the real math which applies here. It requires a majority vote by all three taxing bodies. And the reason for this is because each taxing body represents different people. Wilson would see no benefits, but would receive a great demand for more municipal services.
@ 3:03. Love this.
He only listens to Koo Koo Keegan- he doesn't have a mind of his own.
The best part of this blog for the entire year was snuffing out Koo Koo Keegan! Her unhinged personality always shines through!
Their creepy Executive, incompetent Mayor and Council.
Bernie, you can’t argue with stupid. However, it’s great to let her show everyone how stupid she really is.
Whatever you say, Jeff. He said the obvious out loud, he’s a rubber stamp.
Post a Comment