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!
11 comments:
She's not very smart and she's very immature. When a child is brought to heel, the child usually lashes out before having a good cry and accepting the rules designed to bring them to heel. She's also very untrustworthy and will be closely monitored from this point forward. She can't be left to run things on her own. That's good.
TZ has become a major disappointment. She's got the tRUMP mindset. I refer to council as the island of misfit toys. If they weren't so sad they would be funny.
Wolf's unscientific and authoritarian lockdowns earned him a nomination for Man Of The Year from the Ohio Restaurant Association. The man is a legend. In Ohio.
"Qayyum had argued in support of the committee, so I think he probably intended to vote Yes"
Fumbling the football like that is just more evidence to support that his wife is ordering him how to vote and writing his questions.
As for Commissar Tzara, she really shows how vacuous she is when she's dealing with county matters that don't have a photo ops for campaign agitprop.
From the original post: “Zrinski…amazingly claimed that County Council has no authority to provide oversight of her administration and was crossing the line into actual administration.”
Every time I think that Zrinski can’t prove herself be a bigger idiot, I’m proven wrong.
Think for a moment about what she’s claiming above, and how ridiculous such a belief is.
Then remember that she served on county council (and as controller) before she became county executive. If I take her at her word, she spent X amount of years on council believing that she SHOULDN’T provide any oversight to the administration! That certainly explains a lot!
I wish someone would have asked a follow-up question about whether the controller’s office also shouldn’t be providing any oversight as well.
I can’t wait to read the comments from those in the moron brigade who continue to support Zrinski and make excuses for her. Their stupidity is almost as funny as Zrinski’s!
As this year has unfolded, a pattern has become harder and harder to ignore. In my view, there are commissioners who seem far more invested in proving Gracedale can't succeed than in helping it succeed. Which I literally thought impossible after the last Council was voted out.
If Holland believes he has the answers, there's a simple solution: apply for one of the leadership positions Zrinski is putting in place. Put your ideas into practice. Better yet, resign from Council and eliminate any questions about whether politics are getting in the way of progress. It's easy to criticize from the sidelines. It's much harder to step into the arena and be accountable for the results.
What stood out most was the reaction to Tara's announcement that the IJ tags had been cleared and lifted—a milestone that should be welcomed by anyone who genuinely wants Gracedale to thrive. Instead of celebrating positive news for the residents and staff, Holland appeared visibly disappointed. Whether intentional or not, that reaction spoke volumes.
Then there's the media coverage. Bernie has repeatedly portrayed himself as someone who supports Gracedale. If that's true, why wasn't the lifting of the IJ tags the headline? This was objectively positive news for the facility, its employees, its residents, and their families. Choosing not to highlight that development raises legitimate questions about what story is really being told—and why.
The people who live and work at Gracedale deserve leaders who celebrate progress, not people who seem frustrated when it happens. Every improvement should be welcomed, regardless of who receives the credit. Public service is supposed to be about outcomes, not political scorekeeping.
At some point, actions become more revealing than talking points. The public can watch the meetings, observe the reactions, and draw its own conclusions. From where I sit, and it was in my home since I had to call in, the contrast has become impossible to miss.
It’s time to reconsider Gracedale’s purpose for the 21st century. All the oversight and management right now isn’t enough to pull Gracedale out of the depths unless it’s reconfigured into an establishment that the residents of the county can be assured our elderly are properly being cared for. Move all geriatric services/offices into Gracedale. Make it a hub for senior care at all levels. Several senior centers were closed. Why not have seniors congregate at Gracedale for activities? There are plenty of seniors who are alone and could use a community home to keep them connected. Take senior health to another level. All options should be considered given the position the home is in presently.
If all these issues are staring her in the face, why doesn’t she stand up and demonstrate her expertise on how to problem solve using talented people around her?
Her stubbornness and unwillingness to tackle the main licensing issue should send a message to all of us.
Are you still crying about Covid lockdowns five years later?!?! Grow up or think of something more wittier to post.
If only you understood long term care, Ms. Keegan. Mr. Holland truly does so if he’s ruffling feathers about Gracedale, you know it’s as serious as having a Provisional II license but oh wait - Gracedale does.
Kelly, Inasmuch as you were not physically present at the Council or committee meeting, you are in no position to determine whether Holland was "visibly disappointed". I saw no evidence during the committee meeting in which Morton made the announcement that the tag had been lifted. An Immediate Jeopardy tag is the most severe regulatory deficiency any nursing home can receive and requires immediate intervention to protect vulnerable residents. This is the fourth time there has been an elopement at the home, and once again, police had to bring back a resident. The plan of correction was actually mandated by the state DOH, and it is no great victory that the tag was lifted after there has finally been some form of compliance.
What is important, and in my view the most important aspect of the meeting, is that a Gracedale oversight committee has been established. The Exec certainly has the mandate to manage the facility and the county, but it is Council who sets policy, often in collaboration with the Executive, but on its own if necessary. I find it very disconcerting that you are unaware of your own role as a member of the governing body. You are not there to be the rubber stamp you have been.
I have seen no evidence that Holland thinks "he has all the answers." But given his educational background and past employment history as an administrator at Gracedale and in Monroe County, he is certainly more knowledgeable than you or Zrinski. What you fight him every time he offers his insight is totally incomprehensible to me. You should be welcoming, not discouraging, his expertise.
As for resigning his position on Council to apply for the newly created Continuum of Corrector position, I question why anyone who is a health professional would want a position that is exempt and comes and goes with the executive. You need someone like Holland who is willing to devote a career to making Gracedale better, not some political hack or apparatchik.
The people who live at Gracedale deserve quality nursing care, not embarrassing announcements that an IJ tag has been lifted. The people who work at Gracedale need proper compensation for the work they do, and this could be said throughout the entire county. I am more than willing to celebrate progress when I see it, and believe Zrinski's continuum of care proposal is a step in the right direction. I have said as much.
I support doing everything humanly possible to keep Gracedale in the hands of the county. I do not think we are doing everything we can. You do not help the home by wearing blinders and refusing to see how badly the home has slid. You are hurting, not helping, what once was called the county's crown jewel.
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