Northampton County employs a full-time communications director who periodically provides informational posts about what is happening in the county, like the need for a few more elections workers or drop box locations. But increasingly, the person paid by taxpayers is using a governmental social media platform to instead promote both the county executive as well as her agenda. This needs to change and the best way for that to happen is by having County Council adopt a social policy ordinance to prevent elected officials from self-promotion or advocacy on issues that have yet to be endorsed by the governing body. It should never be used to promote a private business. Both of these happened on Sunday.
In a Facebook post, the "County of Northampton" on Sunday posted a message that promotes Executive Tara Zrinski's proposed tax hike with the argument that seniors and the disabled can apply to the state for a rebate. This leaves the realm of information and goes into advocacy to promote a tax hike that has yet to be adopted by the governing body. If the County Exec wishes to engage in advocacy or self-promotion, she should do so from her own Facebook page and use her own resources, not a communications director employed by the county.
Even more disturbing than the position advocacy or self-promotion, the county's official Facebook page was also used to promote a real estate agent who could "help" you determine what your home is worth. This real estate agent then misrepresents that there is only one county hearing on Zrinski's proposed tax hike. "Just reach out to me, I'm your neighbor. .... If you're a homeowner in Northampton County, I'm here to help," says the real estate agent.
There will actually be five budget hearings before adoption, rejection or amendment of the Proposed 2027 budget. They will happen on October 21, 2026, October 28, 2026, November 4, 2026, and November 18, 2026 and December 3, 2026. All the October and November meetings will be at 4:30 p.m. The December 3 meeting will start at 6:30 pm.
County Council's social media policy ordinance should bar the use of a government page from promoting elected officials or advocating issues that have yet to be decided by the governmental body. It should be used instead to share useful information about the county and its departments.
Ah, the perfect plan to push seniors out of their homes - hike their taxes and then refer them to a realtor when they can’t pay.
ReplyDeleteVote democrat!
Implying that seniors and disabled should apply to the state for a rebate? What an absurd suggestion! Why not just eliminate a huge proportion of the proposed tax increase? You know, like trimming your current operating budget in creative ways. Surely, almost every department can exist with 5% (maybe 10%) haircut found within their individual line items.
DeleteReplacement state money is still OUR tax dollars. Enough already!
Property taxes a very unfair way to tax must be eliminated Northampton County is going crazy with property taxes
ReplyDeleteThis is start of communism in Northampton county. Take over private homes 43% tax increase is just the start.
ReplyDeleteWhy do we need to pay a comms director at all? Is it because the executive can't speak for herself without appearing to be an blithering imbecile who gets snippy at a local blogger asking legitimate questions? I guess it is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt.
ReplyDeleteI have no issue with a communications director so long as the position is used for communication about resources and established policy or to highlight what individual departments are doing
DeleteThe DA has a communications director who stays out of politics and only posts about individual cases or matters of public concern like warnings about scams or public safety.
Why can’t the HR Dept do that?
DeleteIf these grifters in county offices require help communicating, they're confirming how stupid we think they are and should resign. Although, they likely can't construct a resignation letter, either. Government doesn't attract stellar intellects.
DeleteThis is not a Democrstic conspiracy. It’s just bad administration.
ReplyDeleteI saw this Facebook post and thought exactly the same thing!! It’s not appropriate to be using the County of Northampton page to promote policies that have not been adopted. As far as the realtor, I was stunned!!! Is that Tara’s buddy??? Why was she chosen? It’s totally unethical.
ReplyDeleteThey say Saint Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland. I wonder if he could do that for NORCO.
ReplyDeleteWho has worse leaders Northampton County or Lehigh county?
ReplyDeleteIt is probably a very close tie. Both suck in their own ways. At least Cedarbrook isn't one huge cluster.
DeleteUmmm, it actually is
DeleteMaybe it’s time to start to eliminate or reset positions that are self serving to the executive and not the county as a whole.
ReplyDeleteGoebbels would be proud of Tara's new ministry of propaganda...
ReplyDeleteNo plastic straws for you!
So we're paying for someone to sit on Social Media all day; I guarantee its someone who's a friend/family member of the administration or Council.
ReplyDeleteIt's no secret that local press is a shadow of its former self. A communications person can be very helpful in making the citizenry aware of programs that are available or what individual departments are doing. Elected officials can use their own accounts to promote themselves or discuss policy. You see this with some elected officials like Jason Bouletter, Frank Pintabone or Ron Beitler. That is fine. They are using their own resources and actually often do provide helpful information. I would have no issue with Tara Zrinski establishing a page for herself as Exec to promote herself and her policies. But she would have to use her own resources, not those of taxpayers.
DeleteI haven't seen the post, the post could have been set forth in full. It may well be a public service announcement, informing seniors of the state rebate program to limit the impact of a practically inevitable tax hike in 2027.
ReplyDeleteContrast the Trump propaganda "public service announcements." There was an announcement that those ads would be paid for a Trump PAC, when it was announced that the fed ad buy had run out the day before. This post is a cheap shot at Zrinsky, but red meat for the typical commenters. It's very much a double standard, and what was likely a quick post that seems to serve a legitimate apolitical purpose maybe shouldn't be a call to action where the County likely has better things to do. But the commenters will probably love it.
I linked to it. All you need do is click on it. It is advocacy and a promotion of private business, both of which are clearly wrong. And I agree completely that this ban should exist on all levels of government and for all elected officials and all media. No elected official should be able to use taxpayer funds or official government webpages or social media to send images of himself or endorse positions that only has the backing of the exec or legislative branch. Government resources should be limited to informational posts about available programs, not pending matters or a tax hike only endorsed by one branch.
DeleteSo it's safe to assume the tax payers paying for Trump's "love me, love me" ads are a no no too??
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. There should be a ban in all levels of government of the use of all media in which taxpayer resources are used to promote any elected official or advocate a position that has not been agreed upon by both exec and legislative branches. This includes what Trump is doing, includes those periodic mailers you get from state senators and state reps with their pics. etc. The franked mail advising of state services provided are fine if no pics are included.
DeleteTrump reimbursed all that amount.
DeleteIt was a rhetorical question making the point that Trump supporters overlook the ‘love me love me’ BS commercials but are here raging against Tara. Eye rolllll!
DeleteAnd, as I’ve experienced, if you think this true information about the hearings means anything to Tara, Bernie, you are wrong. She thinks only Tara and disregards advice and often the actual rules as they exist. The realtor must think senior homeowners don’t understand the taxes they’ve been paying probably for years. Thank God she can enlighten them. A bad look for a gal who appears to have a successful real estate business.
ReplyDeleteAt least she turned on comments. McClure was much worse. There is case law specific to this but as an atty himself, f it he says
ReplyDeleteSo when will this abuse of a government media site be referred to the DA?
ReplyDeleteI do not believe this rises to that level at this juncture.
DeleteTaxes are going to be high, let me sell your house for you. Tara probably gets a kick back. Fruit loops has been using the County Facebook page to promote herself since she took office. Base on all the postings you have to ask who’s running the county, seems she’s never there. Makes sense she’s clueless anyway. And THANK YOU Bernie, for calling this out. Someone has to keep this whacko drama queen wannabes comedian in check.
ReplyDeleteRemove the post
ReplyDeleteAnd when a county employee posted something on her own facebook page the executive didnt like during covid they wanted to discipline her. They dont play by their own rules with social media. Its a waste of taxpayers money and the employee should be disciplined and the executive should also be suspended for a few days just like theyr would do to an employee.
DeleteIt's simple - this is a campaign function and should be treated as such. Zrinski's campaign fund should reimburse the county for these costs and not engage in this behavior going forward.
ReplyDeleteFWIW, Siegel is doing the same thing, or trying to anyway, in Lehigh County.
Why is the county using social media as agitprop for the oral muck coming from Commissar Tzara's orifice? And why are they plugging for a real estate agent?
ReplyDeleteAnd, yes, ditto on the federal level.
So McClure is gone - is Morton next?
ReplyDeletethe realtor post was... wildly innapropriate.
ReplyDeleteBotox and lattes. Business as usual
ReplyDelete