Jim Martin Made a Difference in Lehigh County

div>Crimefighters are often called bulldogs. I would not use that term to describe former Lehigh County DA Jim Martin, that county's top prosecutor for 26 years. He was not the flashy matador, but the raging bull. I've seen him angry at Lehigh County Comm'r meetings during budget hearings, with steam billowing from his nose and ears as he looked ready to ram headfirst into the dais that protects Commissioners from the running of the bulls. His life, like all our lives, has ended the same way that every life does. He unfortunately passed away on Saturday. But the way he lived his life sets him apart. He left the world, and Lehigh County, a little bit better than it was before he got here. 

Lehigh County DA Jim Martin Seeks Sixth Term

District Attorney James B. (Jim) Martin announced Friday that he is seeking a sixth term as Lehigh County District Attorney. It's a post he has held since January 1998. He is the longest serving District Attorney in the Lehigh County history, and for good reason. His office has compiled an outstanding record, while he has taken a proactive approach to crime.

According to a statement from his campaign, his office has handled over 100,000 adult criminal cases during his 19 years as DA. His conviction rate is 96%. During the same time period, over 25,000 juvenile cases have been prosecuted. Yet the criminal caseload in Lehigh County is current. Of 261 defendants charged with criminal homicide since 1998, 255 have been convicted, a conviction rate of better than 97%. For those murder cases that went to trial, the conviction rate is 93% (80 of 86 cases).

I had a pretty good conviction rate myself. Unfortunately, it was as a criminal defense lawyer.

We've been blessed to have John Morganelli and Jim Martin as the Lehigh Valley's District Attorneys. Despite being from different parties and having different styles, they have both worked together to make this area safer.

Morganelli is a street fighter who is deceptively tough. He had no problem personally trying 25 criminal homicides himself. Instead of litigating, Martin has been the driving force behind just about every technological advance in Lehigh Valley crime fighting over the past 20 years. It is Jim Martin who established the Regional Crime Center, which uses data from police incident reports and even prison logs to track down criminals and detect trends. He also helped establish a forensic center at DeSales University to expedite matters that simply take too long at state police labs. Both have very capable professional prosecutors as opposed to the cronyism often seen elsewhere.

To be sure, they both have enemies. Most are behind bars.

Support for Martin is bipartisan. In 2015, he received over 1,700 write-in votes from Democrats during the primary, and ran unopposed.

"It has been an honor and privilege to have served the citizens of Lehigh County as District Attorney for 2l years," said Martin. "I believe that my leadership of this important office has been effective and that the citizens of Lehigh County, who have placed their trust in me, have been well served. The record compiled by our office has been outstanding, and I am quite comfortable running on my record for a sixth elected term of office. When the record of the District Attorney's Office under my leadership is scrutinized, as it should be, I believe the voters will be satisfied that the Office of District Attorney has been and is in good hands under my leadership, and that I deserve the opportunity to continue as District Attorney."

I am unaware whether anyone plans to oppose Martin.

Lehigh County Jim Martin Sues Over On-Air Defamation at WAEB

For years, Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin has been besieged by taunts,name-calling and damaging lies by a man who has a sick vendetta. I call him the Blog Mentor. He has marginalized himself inmost media outlets, But WAEB's Bobby Gunther Walsh embraced him, coached him and hosted him eleven times as a guest over the past years, allowing him to try to ruin Martin's reputation.

I saw Martin at a police function right after one of these shows, where this very proactive prosecutor was handing out awards to officers all over the Lehigh Valley. A big and sometimes gruff man, Martin tried to blow it off. But I could see that the years-long campaign of lies were taking their toll on him.

The Morning Call is now reporting that Martin has finally reached the breaking pint and has taken action against Walsh and the Blog Mentor. Legal pundits never subjected to this kind of torture called the lawsuit "rare." I'd call it self-defense. They talk about free speech, but the Pennsylvania constitution gives everyone, even Jim Martin, the right to protect his reputation.

I wrote about this matter in June, laying out what I thought and still think was a concerted campaign to damage Martin. Here's what I said then.

Bobby Gunther Walsh, the Lehigh Valley's aging poster boy for crackpot AM radio, is a combination huckster and conspiracy theorist. Between an endless series of commercials and promotions, he parades a series of goofy guests to tell us the sky is falling. Lately, he's been conducting a witch hunt against Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin.

It started in February and will continue today. Walsh uses a guest (I won't name him) who has a vendetta against Martin. "I have multiple pages of documentation that [my guest] provides to back up what he is asserting," Walsh deceptively assures listeners.

He accuses Martin of creating "a culture of corruption and incompetence." He implies falsely that Martin goes easy on drunk drivers because he's a drunk himself. Walsh's guest states, "Maybe there are people in high places in Lehigh County, maybe in the District Attorney's office, who have experience driving drunk and don't think it's that big of a deal." Walsh and his guest even accuse the DA of case-fixing. He encourages listeners to mob courtrooms in an obvious attempt to resurrect lynch mob justice. While passing out pitchforks and torches, they defame a man who has dedicated much of his professional career to criminal justice.

Last Wednesday, police officers from all over the Lehigh Valley were recognized for their efforts in deterring both aggressive and drunk driving. Jim Martin was the person who made these presentations, and then stuck around to hear their concerns. That's pretty strange behavior for someone who goes easy on drunk drivers.

Walsh has never acknowledged the visionary role Martin plays in law enforcement.This includes the creation of a regional crime center that uses the latest information technology advances. This center has solved several homicides and other major crime sprees. Instead of focusing on reality, Walsh defames Martin as a corrupt, crooked, incompetent, case-fixing drunk who goes easy on and cuddles with criminal defendants, especially if they are "young and shapely" blondes. Walsh and his guest have told outright lies, not verifiable facts, about three cases. Let me set the record straight. .

James W. Lauer 

What initially attracted Walsh's guest to this defendant is his last name - Lauer. Walsh's guest think there must be a connection to Phil Lauer, a prominent defense attorney.

Gunther's guest repeatedly asks, "Who does he know?"

There is no relation.

James Lauer has been charged four times with drunk driving. In the most recent episode, he ran a stop sign, T-boned a car, and injured four people, including a pregnant woman. He left the scene, but was apprehended right away, and has been in jail since that day. In addition to driving drunk, Lauer committed an interlock violation, somehow evading a system that authorities installed to keep him from driving drunk.

He is obviously going to get hammered.

But Gunther's guest incredibly warns, "I smell a case fix here."

I smell something, too. Bullshit. The guy has been in the can since the day of the accident, and had no lawyer at his most recent court appearance, months after languishing in jail. Not even a Public Defender. He has been jailed repeatedly for his drinking. If anything, Lauer's record demonstrates a no-nonsense approach to drinking and driving in Lehigh County.

But Walsh's guest claims he has proof that Lauer gets special treatment.

"In 2010, when Mr. Lauer was doing time for his third DUI in Lehigh County prison, they gave him an afternoon furlough to attend a wedding," he charges. "Would they do that for you or me? Who is this guy? Who does he know? You're in prison for your third DUI. They let you out to go to a wedding?"

Walsh starts laughing, creating the impression that authorities let a drunk out of jail to get blasted at a wedding reception.

Here's why this furlough was granted. Lauer's son was getting married. It was just three days prior to parole. He was released for three hours to attend the ceremony itself, not the reception. Moreover, Lauer was drug and alcohol tested when he returned to jail. The courts would do this for any inmate who had a good record in jail. You don't treat people like animals and then expect them to act like humans.

Walsh and his guest know these verifiable facts. They would rather lie so you believe that Lauer is connected..

Update: Lauer was sentenced to 2 1/2 to 7 3/4 years in prison. 

Amber Washko

Another false claim made by Walsh and his guest is that Martin gives preferential treatment to "young attractive drunk driving women". He cites the pending Washko case as an example. Last May, at what Gunther's guest himself admits is a "tricky intersection" at American Parkway and Dauphin Street, Washko ran into a vehicle being driven by Joseph Hennessey and killed him. Nearly eight months later, she was charged with drunk driving, but not homicide by vehicle.

An incredulous Walsh asks, "She wasn't even charged with vehicular homicide? ... You're kidding me."

Walsh's guest responds, incorrectly, that this woman was driving too fast, "obviously ran a solid red light," and killed Hennessey as he inched his way into the intersection. He calls the matter a "case-fix in progress", and thinks vehicular homicide charges should have been filed. In a letter to Judge Ford, he complains, "I know a judge can't tell crooked, incompetent, and lazy DA Jim Martin what charges to file."

Police knew Washko was drunk and could have charged her with that right away. But if she pleaded to these charges, they would be unable to charge her with anything more serious even if they later determined that her intoxication was a factor in the crash. You can't try someone twice for the same or even a related crime. Police waited, appropriately, until their investigation was complete before deciding what to charge.

Here are the facts, based on what police found in their own accident reconstruction. Hennessey was ahead of the white stop line that appears on American Parkway at that light. His vehicle was going 15 mph through the red light, and Washko came along at 43 mph. She had the light. Hennessey's vehicle was blocked by an embankment, and when it finally came into view, Washko only had 1.0 seconds to react and attempt to avoid a collision. According to police, it would take a sober person 1.6 seconds to react. That is why Washko was spared vehicular homicide charges. Though she was impaired, it played no role in Hennessey's death.
 
"Is this another example of a shapely (and drunk driving) young female being left off the hook by an enchanted DA Jim Martin?" asks Walsh's guest on his blog, to which Walsh refers listeners repeatedly.

No. You don't automatically charge someone, even a drunk person, with vehicular homicide. There must be evidence that the intoxication played a role in what happened.

Update: Washko was sentenced to three to six months in jail.

Jennifer Gehringer 

In another effort to falsely portray Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin as a prosecutor who looks the other way for "young, shapely blondes," Walsh and his guest point to Jennifer Gehringer. She struck and killed Parkland gym teacher John Toggas in 2008 as he crossed the street near Dorney Park. Though she was intoxicated, she was never charged with vehicular homicide. Just drunk driving.

Outrageous, exclaim Walsh and guest.

Here are the facts they fail to tell listeners. It was around 2 am, dark and Toggas was wearing a black T-shirt and dark shoes. He was drunk himself, and had been arrested earlier that night for drunk driving. He had argued with his wife, and decided to walk 13 miles home, loaded.

Gehringer, driving at or under the speed limit, never saw him. Nor would a sober person.

Walsh and his guest have been feeding a string of lies and distortions to radio listeners. They want to see courtrooms packed with 50-100 people to pressure judges into imposing harsh sentences instead of following the law. Ironically, they may have tainted Washko and Lauer so badly that it will be impossible to try these presumed innocent defendants in Lehigh County. Ex parte contacts have already resulted in the recusal of several judges.

I'd like to see the courtroom packed, too, when Walsh, his guest and Clear Channel are sued for libel. They have no interest in justice, but do have axes to grind.

DA Jim Martin Endorses Dean Browning For LC Exec

Dear Lehigh County Republicans:

I'm voting for conservative businessman Dean Browning in the Republican Primary for Lehigh County Executive on Tuesday and I hope you will join me.

Dean has the executive experience necessary to manage the county effectively, and I know he'll work with me to provide local law enforcement with the tools they need to keep our neighborhoods and schools safe. That's why I'm endorsing Dean Browning for County Executive.

Please don't forget to vote. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Jim Martin

Dent, Gerlach and DAs Take Aim at Tax Fraud Scam

Synopsis: A multi-billion dollar tax return fraud scam is being run by identity thieves. The Lehigh County DA and the Berks County DA have been fighting this scam and they say it’s about time the IRS got into the game. Charlie Dent takes action. He’s introducing a straightforward bill that asks the IRS to double-check their data before issuing bogus tax refunds – thus saving billions of tax dollars and saving local law enforcement from expending resources they don’t have.

The Scam

- Perpetrators buy lists of personal identification information for Puerto Rican citizens who are not required to pay federal income tax
- Puerto Rican citizens only need to file a U.S. federal income tax return with the United States if they have earned income in the continental U.S. or if they are employees of the U.S. Government
- Fraudulent federal tax returns are prepared and filed using the stolen Taxpayer Identification Numbers (TIN)
- In some cases perpetrators solicit the help of U.S. mail carriers to intercept the fraudulently issued tax refund checks
The tax refund checks are cashed at one-stop check cashing establishment

The Impact (Facts and Figures):

- The tax returns are usually around $5,000 to $7,000
- A single Social Security number from Puerto Rico goes for about $8-$10 on the black market.
- This fraud scheme appears to be in the billions of dollars
- In 2011, the IRS reported 938,664 fraudulent returns related to identity theft totaling $6.5 billion, and 582,000 taxpayers who were the victims of identity theft

The Solution:

“Local law enforcement personnel are being forced to dedicate time and resources to combat a crime that is occurring because of data management issues at the IRS,” said Congressman Charlie Dent at a news conference yesterday, in which he as joined by Congressman Jim Gerlach and District Attorneys Jim Martin (Lehigh) and John Adams (Berks). “H.R. 353 requires the IRS to devise a system that will determine if a citizen has filed a U.S. federal income tax return in the United States and in another territory or possession under the same taxpayer identification number. This would stop the potential for fraud at the source.”

The Big Picture:

“We are dealing with big issues in Washington right now," states Dent. "Our debt stands at nearly $16.4 trillion and our federal deficit has exceeded $1 trillion for the past four years. To get our deficit under control, we are going to have to make tough but smart decisions about our spending priorities. We are going to have to take steps to protect and strengthen our entitlement programs. We are going to have to identify and address waste, fraud and abuse. We can save billions of dollars right here. This is a small but important step in righting our fiscal trajectory and protecting our citizens."

Hansell Vetoes $5 Million Jobs Cut in Lehigh County

LC Exec Bill Hansell

Despite the lack of power, Lehigh County Executive Bill Hansell convened a news conference on November 1 to announce his veto of a budget amendment approved by a divided, 5-4, Board of Commissioners late last month. Their amendment slashed $5 million from the budget by reducing compensation to the County's workforce. Hansell blasted this jobs cut as "an unnecessary threat made against a work force that is already well under the number of employees that Lehigh County had twenty years ago." He added this cut "serves only to demoralize our staff with threats of furloughs, layoffs and terminations."

In addition to the veto, Hansell reduced non-personnel expenses by $3.5 million from what was contained in his original budget, which he called a compromise to a budget amendment that proposed $5 million.

Supporting Hansell at this news conference were Lehigh County Commissioners Percy Dougherty, David Jones, Dan McCarthy and Brad Osborne. With this support, it appears unlikely that Commissioners will be able to muster the six votes needed to override Hansell.

Also joining Hansell were numerous County officials, from Republican DA Jim Martin to Democratic Sheriff Ron Rossi.

Commissioner Lisa Scheller, part of the five-member coalition who supported a $5 million reduction in employee compensation, filmed part of the news conference and walked out, shaking her head.

District Attorney Jim Martin noted that last month's budget amendment instilled fear of layoffs or pay cuts in the approximately 45 employees under his supervision. "I can tell you that none of them deserve that," he remarked. "They work very diligently and hard on behalf of all of the citizens. He called the $5 million jobs cut, which translates to 100 employees, as unnecessary. "It was not a thoughtful approach," he argued. "If we can't prosecute cases, we can't fulfill our obligations." He commended the "political courage" of the four Commissioners who stood with Hansell

One of these, Dr. Percy Dougherty, a Republican, stated he is now a "marked man," referring to next year's election. A geologist by education, Dr. Dougherty described the budget process in lyrical terms. "The dark clouds that we saw on the horizon weren't the hurricane coming. It was budget season, and it hit us with a flurry, probably more so than the hurricane," he waxed.

Daugherty explained that he supported Hansell's veto because it includes $3.5 million in cuts to non-personnel expenditures. This will still guarantee a $44 reduction to each taxpayer, as was contained in the budget amendment approved by five Commissioners as well as the original budget proposed by Hansell.

Fellow Republican Brad Osborne, who chairs the Board, agreed that the $3.5 million in non-personnel cuts "begins the process of closing the structural imbalance between revenue and expenses in a sustainable way."

Democrat Dan McCarthy, like Dr. Dougherty, also referred to the recent storm. "When you have catastrophes like this, people want government," he stated. "It does have a valid role to play in our society." He complained that the $5 million jobs cut would rob Lehigh County residents of the very people needed to react to crises like Hurricane Sandy. Fellow Democrat David Jones called the indiscriminate jobs cut too much of a "blunt approach."

Commissioners are scheduled to vote on overriding the veto at their November 14 meeting.

The Commissioners who support the $5 million jobs cut are Vic Mazziotti, Scott Ott, Michael Schware, Tom Creighton and Lisa Scheller. Executive Hansell claimed that only Creighton honored his multiple requests for a meeting, although this was disputed by other Commissioners who complained they were not invited to the news conference.

Sharpe Not Too Sharp

I know, I know. He looks like he's ready to strangle that poor woman, but don't worry. He's a Doctor. A Doctor of Law. And that's his wife, who's still alive. ... I hope.

That's Robert L. Sharpe, Jr., Esq., a Juris Doctor who supposedly graduated from Temple Law School. He drives a black Mercedes and likes to point out that I don't have much money. He's right. too. Bottom feeding is much more lucrative if you practice law.

But if he really did graduate from Temple Law, he should ask for his money back. He's just filed a ridiculous ballot challenge against Lehigh County DA Jim Martin that will certainly be bounced on Friday. Let me give you the details.

In a challenge filed Tuesday, Not-so-Sharpe is trying to knock Martin off the ballot because the Big DA asked his secretary to notarize nomination papers. Never mind that she's really a County employee and does not work for Martin. It's back to Martin Guitars for Jimbo, says Sharpe.

But this Mercedes-driving legal beagle should stick to chasing ambulances. Members of one party have no standing to challenge the nomination petitions of another party. Sharpe,who is actually a Democratic Committeeman, is challenging a Republican's nomination petition, and that's a no-no, according to our Commonwealth Court.

Judge Madeline Palladino, who hails from Lehigh County, provides this reasoning. "Pennsylvania maintains a system of strictly partisan primary elections. Our anti-party raiding legislation provides that only registered electors of a particular party may participate in that party’s candidate selection process. No cross-over voting is permitted. Only registered and enrolled members of a party may sign the nominating petitions of party candidates, and even the right to circulate a petition is strictly limited to members of that political party. Therefore, the conclusion is inescapable that while voting members of a particular political party do have a substantial interest in assuring Election Code compliance of the candidates in that party’s primary election, non-members, who are not eligible to participate in any manner, do not have such a substantial interest."

Game over.

What Not-so-Sharpe should be very worried about is that DA Jim Martin actually knows the law, is not pushed around too easily and has been known to bite back. Sharpe has just exposed himself to a Judicial Code sanction for vexatious conduct because his action was not brought in good faith, but to harass, the DA.

Don't get me wrong. There's probably a good hundred thousand people who hate Martin's guts.

They're behind bars.

DA Jim Martin Speaks Out on Deputy Sheriffs and Community Police

Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin was a forceful advocate for community policing at last week's commissioners' meeting, in which the measure failed by a vote that went strictly along party lines. Republican commissioners rejected a Republican DA's plea for more police. Martin's mammoth size alone is quite intimidating, and I told you that he continually paced the meeting room as "smoke billowed out his nostrils."

Word of my report apparently got back to Martin, but I was tipped off. I quickly packed my bags and was getting ready to leave for an extended vacation before those Lehigh County deputies could nail me, but I was too slow.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Who is it?" I said, trying to sound like an old lady.

"Sheriff's department. Open up, we know you're in there, O'Hare."

I consider jumping out the window, but swat teams were all over the place. I opened the door. Instead of being handed a warrant for overtime parking in Lehigh County, I was given a nice letter from DA Martin. He writes as forcefully as he speaks, and he is right about what he said. He also agreed to let me share his letter with all of you.

I read your post of last Thursday, and I am sorry that I did not see you in the audience Wednesday evening. I guess you were obscured by the “smoke billowing out of my nostrils”. I would have liked to have said “hello” to you.

You did make one statement that I take slight exception to: “…[A]nd DA Martin told commissioners he won’t consider deputies law enforcement officers until a statute is adopted.”

I think what I said was closer to: “Under a ruling from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court: sheriffs are not considered law enforcement officers in Pennsylvania and have very limited powers of arrest.” They can arrest for motor vehicle violations amounting to breaches of the peace committed in their presence. And, sheriffs, like all citizens, may arrest for felonies committed in their presence.

That is not my opinion. That is the holding of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in ­Kopko v. Miller, 892 A.2d 766 (Pa. 2006). In Pennsylvania “…sheriffs are not ‘investigative or law enforcement officers’…”

HB 466, which has been pending in the House Judiciary Committee since February, 2007, would change that decision. Law enforcement organizations throughout Pennsylvania oppose this bill for a variety of sound reasons.

That having been said, sheriffs perform vital functions and encounter dangerous situations on a daily basis. They deserve to be appropriately armed; and, while revolvers may be adequate, I think they deserve the protections of more capacity and more rapid fire that a semi-automatic pistol provides.

All of that having been said, the point before the commissioners was not whether the sheriffs in Lehigh County deserve to be better-armed. The issue was whether or not providing $1.2 million to offset about half the cost of providing community police officers in ten to twelve jurisdictions who have expressed an interest, is appropriate. I happen to think that public safety is a “core function” of all governments; and I think the Republican commissioners missed an opportunity to improve public safety in Lehigh County; and did so on a purely political basis.

Update: In a related matter, The Morning Call today reports the Lehigh County Sheriff Ron Rossi has decided against disciplining deputies who publicly criticized their boss.

LVPoliblog Has Some Questions for Lehigh County DA Jim Martin

Up until now, I thought I was the only local blogger with a death wish. But after reading some recent entries at LVPoliblog, it looks like Chris Casey has put himself on the endangered species list, too. He's begun to ask some hard questions about Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin. Incidentally, Martin is the 2006 president of the Pa. District Attorneys Association.

If nothing else, Casey's posts should take some of the heat off me. Finally! Now maybe I can start blogging about my real passion - woodpeckers.

1. Martin's unopposed re-election bid.

Casey tells us Democratic lawyers fear the DA. "[T]he overwhelming conclusion is that once you cross Jim Martin and the Judges in Lehigh County, you can kiss any hope of getting clients or meaningful legal work goodbye." I just don't buy that. Martin is a very popular DA, and few attorneys want to wage an expensive losing campaign.

2. Martin's real estate venture.

Casey questions whether it is ethical for Martin, a District Attorney with an annual salary of $134,293, to also have a 16.66% interest in SMS Properties LLC, which receives rent from Allentown law firm Stevens & Johnson. Casey asks, "Is it a way for Stevens and Johnson to transfer income to James Martin without him being a partner in the firm?"

As a matter of law, this is entirely ethical. Martin in fact lists this interest on his own financial disclosure. But it bothers me when I see supposedly full-time public officials with all kinds of outside revenue, like Northampton County's own court administrator. Full-time should mean full time. But is Martin really considered full time?

Casey claims state law prohibits a DA from being a partner in a law firm. I am unaware of any such law. And Lehigh County's Home Rule Charter specifically permits both its commissioners and DA to hold other jobs.

So I just don't know whether Casey has this one right. I'm sure a commenter will set us both straight.

But even if Casey is in Neverland on that one, I'm still bothered that Martin has a real estate interest so close to the Lehigh County court expansion. During the discussions leading up to this project, Martin had actually threatened the Cunningham administration with a criminal negligence prosecution. That was a shameful abuse of his office. Now it's apparent that Martin's real estate holdings, located so near the courthouse, will appreciate in value with the courthouse expansion.

Did Martin really give a rat's ass about a new courthouse or was he just interested in increasing the value of his real estate holding?

3. Serial killer Charles Cullen

Casey also criticizes Martin's investigation of serial killer Charles Cullen, the killer nurse, and St. Luke's Hospital, as unenthusiastic. Stevens & Johnson represents St. Luke's. In fact, Martin has vigorously resisted efforts by St. Luke's victims to look at his now closed investigative file.

Casey believes Martin should have recused himself from participating in any investigation of Charles Cullen "because of his (Jim Martin's) shared financial interest in property with the partners in the firm representing St. Luke's Hospital."

Casey's right. Regardless whether Martin made the right call, this presents an appearance of impropriety. He probably should have stepped aside.

4. Favoritism?

Finally, William Villa, father of a 25 year-old woman killed by a drunk driver, claims Martin showed favoritism to his daughter's killer because he was the son of a prominent local attorney. That's really hard to know without looking at how similar cases are handled.

What's Martin's side of the story? Casey stated Tuesday that he has called the DA, and is waiting for a return call.

Whether these allegations pan out or not, it's nice to see someone is finally asking questions in Lehigh County. These questions, by themselves, hurt no one. They make our government better. It's the failure to ask them that causes the real damage.