Trapp Wants Back in Allentown

Northampton County Executive John Brown lost his re-election bid for many reasons. Lamont McClure ran an excellent race. Brown was certainly hurt by the Trump factor. Most county employees (and their families) voted for McClure, too. His unilateral decision to cut benefits made clear that he was intent on balancing the budget on the backs of county employees. Then he hired Amy Trapp as Director of Human Relations. She was toxic. She brought us an $800 popcorn machine, trips to Vegas and New Orleans and lunches at the courthouse on the taxpayer dime. She created her own fiefdom with people she imported from corruption-plagued Allentown. She attempted to force everyone to use biometric punch clocks without consensus. Then there's the "entitled spoiled brat government employees remark," posted on this blog on an account owned by her husband. Let's not forget those $10 and $15 gift cards she purchased with employee money. She was unable to explain what happened to some of them. McClure obviously declined to retain her.

Not long after she left the county, it was my understanding that she found a Human Resources job. I declined to write about it because it was in the private sector. But I learned over the weekend that she is trying to get her old job back in the City of Allentown. Over one year in Allentown, 23 people were fired or forced to retire.

On her Linked-In page, Trapp fails to mention the job she had in the private sector. It either fell through or sheleft after a short period. She describes herself as a "dynamic, professional, experienced human resource professional seeking a new opportunity!"

She's endorsed by Charlie Thiehl. I's sure that will carry great weight with Allentown Mayor Ray O'Connell.

Brown and Benol: What Happens in Vegas Should Stay in Vegas

Mat Benol hangs Ten Commandments behind
him before every meeting

On Monday, NorCo Controller Steve Barron suggested to Council that tighter internal controls might be needed for staff training and development. He pointed out that, in 2016, Human Resources spent $56,758.15 for training, nearly ten times the $5,749.35 spent the year before. He noted a "training" trip at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas, and another trip by the same employee to New Orleans. He told Council that training costs this year are already close to $20,000, even though only $35,000 is budgeted. His report fails to get into various P-card purchases made by Trapp and others in the Human Resources Department, including an $800 popcorn machine and $1,000 spent at Target for gift cards in violation of county policy. That will be coming later, I can assure you, and may even be flagged by external auditors. Pointing to the practice in other jurisdictions, Barron suggests it might be appropriate for Council to approve trips more than 100 miles away from the county. Executive John Brown defended this spending at last night's Council meeting. Council member Mat Benol attacked Barron.

Brown claimed this spending was really an attempt to build the foundation of Human Resources by providing better training to managers and supervisors in other departments. "It is the number one thing we need to do," said Brown. He said he'll be increasing the amount of money the County spends for staff development and training. He argued that the County employees themselves recognized, in a recent survey, that they need more training when named to supervisory roles.

The problem with Brown's explanation is that the $56,758.15 spent by Human Resources in 2016 is more than the $30,000 budgeted. He spent most of 2016 running for state auditor general instead of the job that the people of Northampton County elected him to do, and over much of that year, no one was at the helm. When I go into Brown's own expense reports next week, you will see yourself that there was a leadership vacuum in 2016.

It's the kind of vacuum that would enable Trapp to raid the health and wellness fund for an $800 popcorn machine she keeps in her office. The smell alone should have given that away.

Brown also failed to explain why Human Resources Director Amy Trapp has already spent over $20,000 of the $35,000 set aside this year for training and staff development in her department.

Trapp herself was unavailable. She is recovering from an automobile accident earlier this week, and hopefully makes a complete recovery.

Brown told Council he would make her available to explain these expenditures. Council President John Cusick is a big proponent of a statewide county organization called CCAP (County Comm'r Ass'n of Pa) and has for years encouraged even his fellow Council members to participate. But CCAP meets at places like Mechanicsburg, not Las Vegas or New Orleans. "The optics of that don't look particularly good," he said. Brown still justified the trips because they were highly recommended by a third-party consultant.

Hayden Phillips said that the idea of conferences and conventions is diminishing. He thinks Council might consider, as Barron suggested, a greater role in approving outside travel.

Bob Werner also is concerned because CCAP ismore locally located. He added, "There are best Western hotels."

Brown was unable to say whether the county seeks discounted rates.

Mat Benol, however, is angry that Barron had dared to question these expenses. "This type of report is nothing more than a political football," he said, calling it an "inflammatory" report.

"This is another one of those knee-jerk things that our Controller has done to try to make the Executive look bad. I'm just getting tired of it. At the next meeting, I plan on taking some action on the Controller because the Controller is a financial position, it's not a political position. To me, it's a bean counter position. I understand that this is one of the areas that technically falls to that position, but if you're going to do an objective report, you talk to both sides. You don't just grab some things and make it inflammatory and throw it out there to get the headlines. I'm tired of it. And because I'm not running for re-election, I'm politically expendable. This is just me as a Councilperson getting tired of our Controller using that position as a political pulpit."

Under Northampton County's Home Rule Charter, the Controller is the person responsible for the internal control of the fiscal transactions of the county. This includes trips to Las Vegas and New Orleans. It includes department heads who exceed their spending budgets. It includes spending more money than permitted for meals. It includes the purchase of $800 popcorn machines and the abuse of the county purse to purchase gift cards that violate county credit card policy. As an independently elected official, the Controller has the power, at any time and on his own initiative, to review the fiscal transactions of any county agency without first seeking permission from John Brown or Mat Benol. That's what the Controller did, and that is his job. He has in the past found that the Executive himself was abusing his expense reports, and money had to be paid back to the County.

Now Barron is a Democrat who supports John Brown's opponent in the Executive race, Lamont McClure. Without question there are political overtones to what he is doing. But what he is doing is the job the people elected him to do. "If I really wanted to be political, I'd gather this information and just sit on it until September," said Barron. "I told Council about it now because I want to keep staff training and travel expenses in check.If I failed to disclose it now, Benol would be asking, 'Where's the Controller?'"

He's doing his job.

Benol is supposed to provide oversight of the executive branch as well. But he apparently thinks he's a cheerleader.

Trapp or Her Husband Called NorCo Workers "Entitled Spoiled Brat Government Employees"

Amy Trapp

Yesterday, I told you that DA John Morganelli refuses to allow his staff to punch timeclocks. He learned of the Brown Administration's intentions as maintenance staff knocked a hole in the wall outside his office for these biometric devices. That's a lousy way to communicate. But the Brown administration found an even poorer way to communicate yesterday. It was on this blog, and denigrated the county worker. John Brown claims that county employees are its most valuable resource, but his top staff apparently think otherwise. Most disturbing of all, it's his HR Director.

The chief proponent of timeclocks,  which have cost Northampton County over $30,000 already (I'll haveallthe details Monday), is HR Director Amy Trapp. She had one installed outside her office within weeks of being hired. I think timeclocks are wonderful for what I'd call an encapsulated workforce like the jail, Gracedale or even the Juvenile Justice Center. The staff at those places stay at the facility and only work there. But it's foolish for the county courthouse or the human services workers. Assessors, Deputy Sheriffs, probation officers community and economic development staff and caseworkers and even clerks all have business that require them to work at remote locations. If forced to punch a clock, they would actually cost the county far more money in overtime than the $30,000 it has already flushed down the toilet.

Yesterday, I was told that Amy Trapp insists on installing time clocks and has threatened to hold up the pay for people who refuse to use them. I didn't believe this until I received a comment yesterday afternoon at 5:07 pm.making the same threat. The comment was quickly deleted, but I receive email notifications of all comments posted on my blog, even those that are deleted by the author. This one came from Dan Trapp.

HR Director Amy Trapp's husband is a fellow named Dan Trapp. Now he might have been the poster.But  I know of couples who use only one person's name and I know wives who use their husband's accounts. So this could have been from Amy Trapp using her husband's account. One of them posted a comment, but forgot to do so anonymously. This is what came from "Dan Trapp":

Is this a serious article? Are you kidding me!? Hourly employees don't want to use a time clock? And there is some rule, law or document somewhere stating that hourly employees don't have to use a time clock? Seems to me that anyone putting in an honest day's work wouldn't have a problem punching in or out. As a taxpayer in Northampton county I'm glad that there will be proof of an employee being at work. These entitled spoiled brat government employees need to get on board. If they don't want to punch a clock at the Northampton county courthouse let them quit and punch a clock elsewhere. Hey, here's an idea. Don't punch the time clock and when there's no money in your account on pay day, bet they'll start punching a time clock! And as for Morganelli maybe he has more important things to be concerned about. And to the person who made the idiotic statement " it is dehumanizing" get a grip! Millions of people punch in and out every day!

The comment was quickly deleted when "Dan Trapp" realized that the Trapp name was used. Either Dan Trapp or Amy Trapp, using her husband's account, posted a comment that disparages county employees who oppose timeclocks as "entitled spoiled brat government employees who need to get on board."

I'll tell you about these entitled spoiled brats. Many are single mothers. Many of them work two jobs and even three jobs to make ends meet.

This comment, which comes from the HR Director herself or her husband, is outrageous. It also includes the same threat that had earlier been attributed to Amy Trapp.

I informed Trapp about this comment and she blamed her husband. She said that he posted it. She asked me to remove his name, but incredibly, failed to apologize for what the message said, even after I sent her a verbatim copy. She never said she was sorry for insulting the very people that Executive John Brown has called the county's most valuable asset.

She did apologize to me, but I am not the person she offended.

If John Brown has even an ounce of respect for the county workforce, he should insist that she make a full apology to the entire county workforce. He should also consider asking her to resign.