An Anti-Semitic Bike Boycott in Philly

Just a few weeks ago, my grandson and I were in Philly for its annual bike ride event, a 20-mile car-free ride through all of the city's neighborhoods. No matter where we went that weekend, it was on two wheels in a very bike-friendly city. We even went to Vietnamese restaurants, Independence Hall, the Philly Art Museum, Penns Landing and an Eagles game.  After dark, we would see entire families on e-bikes or regular bikes packed with groceries and kids. The only time we had an issue was at the Eagles game. Though there are bike racks somewhere, no one knew where they were. We locked our bikes on a fence. Overall, the weekend was a blast. There was another cycling event in Philly yesterday. But unlike the Philly Bike Ride, this was an event designed to tear people apart. 

When we rode the Philly Bike ride, there were all kinds of cyclists, from kids riding alongside their parents to old-time cycles from the 1800s to unicycles. There were also a few people dressed in the striped uniforms of Auschwitz inmates

Yesterday, another kind of cycling event was conducted in the City of Brotherly Love. About 200 supposed cyclists (as opposed to the 7,000 plus who participated in the Philly Bike Ride) decided to "bike boycott six Jewish restaurants at Rittenhouse Square. This group was organized by a shadowy group called Philly Bike On Your Left. Many of those who participated wore masks. Though they claimed the focus was Palestine, these Jewish restaurants play no role in any atrocities against Palestine. They are simply Jewish.

Moreover, this event took place on the eve of the anniversary of Kristallnacht, or "The Night of Broken Glass," when Nazi-led violence devastated Jewish communities and businesses in Germany and Austria in 1938.

Fortunately, there were nearly as many counter-protestors and the event at least was peaceful.

Antisemitism is every real. It is one thing to oppose Israel, but quite another to oppose jews. 

UPDATED:Gracedale Drops to Provisional III License, NorCo Finally Seeking Management Consultant

At last night's NorCo Council meeting, an uncharacteristically somber Exec Tara Zrinski informed the Board that Gracedale's nursing home license has been downgraded from Provisional II to Provisional III as a result of deficiencies at the home on September 10 and 24. But she also indicated that she finally gets it and will seek a management consultant to help turn things around. She added that she has also shared a draft of her strategic plan for Gracedale with Council member Dave Holland. She has asked him to keep it to himself.

According to Zrinski, a nursing home with a Provisional III license can be fined at different rates. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has fined the county $16,350 for the September 10 deficiency. This is in addition to $144,328 in fines assessed since Michelle Morton has been running the facility.

Morton is resigning as Administrator, and Zrinski now concedes that "some of [her] reactions to the surveyors may have not been in our best interests. Zrinski is alluding to a previous attitude of defensiveness. "That's not what surveyors want to her," she acknowledged. They want to hear that we identify the issue, will not dismiss it and that we will ensure that it does not happen again in the future. She conceded that past practice has been to appeal deficiencies, "to no avail."

Zrinski also prepared a distributed a handout on what happens to a nursing home with a provisional license. "I'm not emailing you this information because I kind of don't want Bernie to get it," she stated. "But I know he will."

A handout at a public meeting of Northampton County Council is certainly something to which the public is entitled. But I already know what happens when a nursing home is downgraded a provisional license, which is a temporary license that lasts six months and can only be renewed three times. 

According to the Pa Code, a nursing home with a Provisional III license can operate despite serious deficiencies. It must follow a corrective plan and timetable with the state DOH. Failure to correct can result in closure or the loss of the license. But Zrinski told Council last night that the "likelihood that Gracedale will close is very low."

On the bright side, Zrinski told County Council that Gracedale recently underwent its annual survey and did well. An email from Continuum of Care Director Tom Carson said there were five deficiencies, which he said is below the state average. 

UPDATEd 2 PM - In a news release issued late this morning, the county denies Gracedale is closing (No one has suggested it is). In addition to what she told County Council last night, Zrinski states that "[c]orrecting individual findings is not enough. We must also examine the systems that allowed additional problems to occur and intend to hire a consultant to review policies, procedures, and resident care plans, strengthen our corrective actions, and help demonstrate lasting compliance. Our priority remains the safety and well-being of every resident.”

UPDATED 2:15 PM: Pa. DOH posts September 24 Deficiency - Nurse's Aide Accidentally Broke Resident's Foot. - The September 24 deficiency flagged by the state department of health has now been posted online. It is a "G" level deficiency, meaning one that resulted in actual harm to a resident. 

According to a Nurse Aide Kardex (a concise, quick-reference worksheet that summarizes each patient’s essential care information in one place) a resident at Gracedale was non ambulatory and needed assistance of two staff members when getting in and out of a wheelchair. A nurse's aide who failed to read the Kardex and who did not even know what a Kardex moved a resident from the toilet to a wheelchair, and in the process that resident's foot was fractured. This aide was supposed to have had a shadow day with another aide, but there is no evidence that happened. The resident stated that the nurse's aide let her slide down causing her leg to get twisted. She further stated that more than one staff usually assisted her; but at that time, only one staff member assisted with the transfer.

According to DOH, the facility's negligence resulted in a serious injury to a resident. 

Joe Welsh Tells NorCo Council He is Willing to Serve Jeff Warren's Unexpired Term

Yesterday, I recklessly speculated on just who might be interested in serving Jeff Warren's unexpired term as a District III Council member. Joe Welsh, a Tara Zrinski cheerleader who speaks at every meeting, is one of the names I mentioned. Joe decided to address my gossip at last night's meeting of NorCo Council and had a few choice words for his critics as well. 

"I might consider that position with the understanding that I would never run for it, and I would simply be interested in being, um, I think, as a caretaker for lack of a better word ... ."

After mentioning Joe as a possibility, several of my readers chimed in with some unflattering remarks. Joe addressed them as well.

"I did want to respond to some of the comments that were made, because it basically bled out a lot of the snakes named anonymous from under their rocks.

"The suggestion was made by multiple people that your meetings would be 12 hours long, if I were on this council. Now, as far as I know, I never got gonged by Mr. Kraft and this five minute timer. [Actually, he did, on the evening he spoke about ICE despite being concussed earlier that day]. So if I can coherently present issues to you in less than five minutes, I don't think that means that translates in any way, your meeting's been 12 minutes or 12 hours long.

"Another person suggested that I was a liberal joke, and one of them said that I would be even worse than Commissioner Warrant. If that was possible. So there you have it. I make friends wherever I go. But there used to be a saying that, I don't care what you say about me, just spell my name correctly. Unfortunately, a lot of these anonymous posters couldn't get a five letter last name right. And I think, you know, if you got a 20% error rate in spelling somebody's name, you always see because he signs his posts on that blog."

"Glad you're not trying to balance a budget."

Joe, if you think they treat you poorly, you should read what they say about me, lol, except I get it from everyone. Of course it's usually justified in my case. 

I personally would prefer someone younger, like Jerry Seyfried. 

YouTube Video of NorCo Budget Hearing Concerning 43% Tax Hike Fails to Post Online

Yesterday, NorCo Council conducted its third budget hearing concerning a 43% tax hike requested by Exec Tara Zrinski for next year. Though the meeting lasted well over two hours, the video failed to load. Instead, an error message appears. These videos are being brought to you by NorCo's outside IT department, which has demonstrated yet again why this outfit should be canned. It also follows the elections' office refusal to post campaign finance reports to the county webpage. 

Since Executive Tara Zrinski claims transparency, she will hopefully address this matter. The public should be able to watch these budget discussions.  

UPDATED: Who Will Replace Jeff Warren on NorCo Council?

Now that he's been elected to the state house, Jeff Warren will need to resign his seat on NorCo Council. He takes office in early December, so my guess is that he will resign before Exec Tara Zrinski's budget comes up for a vote. That way he can avoid being tagged with a tax hike.  My question is who will replace him?

Warren is a District, as opposed to an at-large, Council member. His District, District 3, consists of the Townships of Bethlehem Tp, Lower Nazareth, Hanover, East Allen, Allen and the Boroughs of Northampton, N Catty, Freemansburg and Nazareth. It pays $10,000 a year. Anyone appointed to replace him in his final two years would have to be a resident of that district. NorCo's Home Rule Charter imposes no requirement that the appointee be a member of the same party as the resignee, but I seriously doubt that the eight remaining Democrats on County Council would appoint a Republican.

Possible replacements include former Exec Lamont McClure, former Exec Jerry Seyfried, former Council member Jeff Corpora and Joe Welsh, who has been attending lots of meetings in recent weeks. 

I doubt very much that Lamont could get more than three votes. Jerry Seyfried would be an excellent choice, but I'm unsure he'd want it. Jeff Corpora has experience, having served two years as a court appointee. Joe Welsh is knowledgeable and amiable, but his frequent soliloquies to County Council might have hurt him if he is interested. 

I am sure there are several people already making inquiry. 

UPDATED 8:24: In the original report, I neglected to include Freemansburg as part of District 3. 

Looks Like a Blue Tsunami, Not a Blue Wave

At the time I wrote this story, unofficial results show what appears to be much larger than a blue wave. It's a blue tsunami! President Donald Trump asked voters to act as though he were on the ballot, and the votes tallied show an overwhelming rejection both of him and the direction in which he has taken the country. Republicans have refused to stand up to him and they are paying the price.

In Northampton County, all 155 precincts had reported in by 11 pm in a remarkably smooth election with a 53.1% turnout. I heard of remarkably few problems at the polls or with voters receiving the wrong ballots. The only unforced error was the poorly considered decision to close the elections office to the public on pre-election Friday. Other than that, things went quite well.

Lehigh County is reporting a 53.2% turnout, but that number is subject to change as more reports come in from their 158 precincts. In that county, there was a problem with scanning devices in one precinct, but I'm unaware of any widespread issues. 

It was more than a good night for Democrats. It was very nearly a clean sweep. With the exception of Zach Mako and Ann Flood, Lehigh and NorCo tallies show Democrats have won all state house races. Incumbents Joe Emrick, Milou Mackenzie, Gary Day are losing. In the Senatorial races, Lisa Boscola and Nick Miller are clear winners, and Jarrett Coleman is losing.  

WFMZ has projected Bob Brooks as the winner in the Pa.07 Congressional race with a 57% lead that exceeds polling expectations. Ryan Mackenzie will go down as a one-term wonder.

According to The New York Times, Democrats took control of the Senate and are on pace to win a large majority in the House. The President said he would accept the results. Trump campaigned on the economy and appears to have received a stinging rebuke. Voters went to the polls on a day with the highest ever gasoline prices on an election day. 

What's It Like at the Polls?

Please feel free to share your experience at the polls. Is turnout heavy or light? Are there any problems or are things running smoothly? 

Here's the opening paragraph of what the county posted on election day: "The work County doesn’t seem to ever stop, not even because of an election. The garage is being demolished as we speak and the county is business as usual in every other way, but we know that elections are a core function of the County and, in Election Day, the priority is the election. That is why we working at all hours, as many as humanly possible, to stay on top of everything."

The post goes on to state that there was a watermain break last night that could have affected five polling locations in South Bethlehem, but that was resolved. It adds that one election judge overselrpt. 

NorCo Retirees - Expect No COLA in 2027

At a retiree luncheon in May, NorCo Exec Tara Zrinski argued it would be ridiculous to deny them a COLA when inflation is out of control. But at the Retirement Board meeting last week, no action was taken. So if you are a NorCo retiree and was hoping to see one, you'll have to wait 'till next year or perhaps as long as three years before the matter is even discussed.

According to the county's pension manager, the retirement fund was valued at $585.7 million as of October 27. It was 92% funded at the beginning of the year. If a COLA were granted this year, it would be 4.2%. But it would cost the county $14 million. The county is still paying off three previous COLAs to the tune of $21 million. 

Council President Ken Kraft said that, as a retiree, he'd love to have a COLA. "But I just don't see how the county can afford to do this," he added. Council member Lori Vargo Heffner suggested a smaller COLA but was told it has to be 4.2% or nothing. She said it's unfair to vote on this matter without knowing what the Council will do with Zrinski's proposed budget. 

A suggestion was made that COLAS be granted to retirees with relatively modest pensions, but the Board was told it must be for all or none. 

Retiree rep Pat Strunk said that pensioners would appreciate a COLA, "but I can understand under this environment that it may not be possible."

Earlier in the meeting, former Exec Gerald E "Jerry" Seyfried argued at length for a COLA, noting that the failure to award them in previous years has diminished the pensions of retirees by 20%. 

2026 Election - Make Your Last-Minute Pitches

As many readers of this blog are aware, I am notoriously inaccurate when I make election picks. It's considered the kiss of death, and some candidates have actively lobbied me to endorse their opponent. In this race, I've endorsed no one. If "none of the above," were a ballot option, I really believe it would win hands down. 

Here are my predictions. 

Governor - Shapiro wins easily. (I cast no vote).

LV Congress (Pa. 07) - Brooks. (I voted for Lou Shupe)

Pa. Senate (18th Senatorial District) - Boscola in a landslide. She's been in office far too long, but Janney had neither the right amount of money or the right message. 

Pa. Senate (16th Senatorial district) - Coleman wins a close one against a political opportunist. 

Pa. State House (137th legislative) - In the only race I consider competitive in NorCo, I believe Emrick will win a close one. I've seen lots of yard signs for Emrick at people's homes in Nazareth and Palmer. I also see lots of Warren signs, but not in people's yards. 

Feel free to make your pitches.