Let me tell you a little secret. It was by no means a foregone conclusion that Northampton County Exec John Stoffa would ever appeal Judge Baratta's logically flawed decision about Gracedale. Baratta ruled that although the nursing home certainly impacts the public purse, an initiative concerning its sale somehow does not "extend" to the budget. I appealed Barratta on the signatures without batting an eye, but Stoffa agonized for days, even to the point where he was losing sleep.What bothers him is that even if I am right and there really are only about 13,000 legitimate signatures for an initiative on Gracedale's fate, that's still a lot of people. He's also very reluctant to challenge the wisdom of Northampton County's bench.
He did appeal, not because he wanted to, but because he felt he had no choice. As the highest elected official in Northampton County, he has a duty to protect and defend the Home Rule Charter, and the logical result of Judge Baratta's ruling would bring County government to its knees. In the finest statement I've ever heard him make, he declared, "We can't have 23,000 county executives making a decision and have a representative government."
Stoffa made this comment at a news conference attended by The Express Times, WFMZ, Easton Patch, and one bottom-feeding blogger. Morning Call reporter Jenna Portnoy, the beat reporter assigned to Northampton County government, was absent.
She did speak to Stoffa later that day, and wrote about it. In a lead-in sentence that is more editorial than story, Portnoy misrepresents Stoffa completely. "Northampton County Executive John Stoffa is so determined to keep county voters from weighing in on the sale of Gracedale nursing home that he's taking the fight to Commonwealth Court," she "reports." As I've already indicated, Stoffa appealed in spite of a strong conviction that the voters should have a say.
I have no idea what Jenna was thinking.
The mainstream media prides itself on objectivity, and for the most part, they succeed. I'll add that Jenna Portnoy is an excellent reporter and has written countless balanced and factual accounts. As a disreputable blogger, I won't even try. I might ruin my reputation.
