John Schimmel's Son Brings Technology to Disabled

Before the days of Steve Barron witch hunts, John Schimmel was Northampton County's Controller for twelve years. He's actually an accountant, too. I heard from John yesterday, not to talk about himself or politics, but about his son. He's quite proud and should be.

Schimmel's son, also named John, started a nonprofit in NYC. It's called DIYAbility, and focuses on maximizing the use of assistive technology to help those who are differently abled.

His story was recently picked up in an education blog about the 2013 Maker Fair. "Today if you can work a PC you can literally make anything," John explains. "We’re bringing technology and making into the lives of children with disabilities so they can discover their Abilities!!”

The idea is that giving the differently abled the technology to make their own 'stuff' leads to a better quality of life, more independence and just helps us all to stay curious. An iPad holder for someone who uses it as his sole means of communication? A DJ wheel chair that scratches as you move the chair back and forth? Modifying store bought toys to make them useful to a tot with physical challenges? That's what John does.

He also teaches at NYU and is employed at Dow Jones.

His Dad is very proud.

I'd like John to work on a transporter so I can just beam all over the place.

For those of you wondering, the older John has no bitterness about losing to Barron. "I have two wonderful grandsons; two great children (and their spouses); and a great wife. And I live so far in the Country that my zip code is "E-I-E-I-O". and also Ron [Angle] is one of my neighbors."

Schimmel never once said, "I told you so."

He could have.

Schimmel Concedes Norco Controller Race

From Steve Barron, Northampton County Controller elect:

"I spoke with Mr. Schimmel this afternoon. After the final canvassing of the machines the final margin of victory will be 414 votes. He wished me the best of luck as the new Northampton County Controller.

I thanked him for running a great campaign and appreciate the clean campaign that he ran. I also wished him the best of luck with the grandchild that his family is expecting."

These are two class acts.

Schimmel's Election Day Woes

Northampton County Controller John T. Schimmel, who's facing a serious challenge from Democratic upstart Steve Barron, is in trouble. Someone is taking his signs down. Amazingly, it's people in his own party.

Several county Republicans, upset to learn that hardball political consultant Tom Severson is working Schimmel's campaign, have removed several hundred campaign signs that they, themselves, had previously planted for him.

Hell hath no fury like a Republican scorned.

A Dirty Little Secret in Northampton County

For the past week, I've been publishing post after post about the dirty politics directed at Republicans seeking office here in Northampton County.

"Unleash hell!" commands Bossman Long. Lamont McClure and Charles Dertinger cut the chains, and Tom Severson crawls out from under his rock with a barrage of anonymous robo calls and slime mailers.

On the other side of the rock, a fellow buries his head in the sand every time Severson goes to work. He pretends not to notice, just like he never noticed all those offices he was supposed to audit.

Who is this ostrich? Why none other than John T. Schimmel, who's seeking an incredible fourth term as county controller. He's using the same consultant who pours hot oil all over Republican county council candidates.

Unfortunately for John, his fellow Republicans have learned this little secret, and diehards are on the phone and Internet, and not so anonymously, to spread this message - vote for Steve Barron!

Steve Barron for Norco Controller: It's Time for a Fresh Face

If you drive by the Bethlehem home of Meg Holland, CPA/ABV, CVA, CIA, you'll see something a little surprising - a Steve Barron for County Controller yard sign. Given Meg's superb qualifications, and the fact that she's a Republican, that sign says plenty about Steve.

Steve is challenging Northampton County's long-time controller, John T. Schimmel, who's seeking a fourth term to this part-time, $39,000 per year, position. Schimmel is also the accountant for Easton Area Joint Sewer Authority and maintains a private practice as a public accountant.

In addition to his pleasant personality, Schimmel has been an effective controller. His office undergoes a "quality control review" every three years by The National Association of Local Government Auditors, and has always been found in compliance with government auditing standards.

But twelve years is long enough for one person to be in that office. According to the county website, the controller's office is "independent of the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government." After having been in office so long, can Schimmel still really claim he's independent?

In contrast, Steve Barron can give taxpayers a fresh set of eyes looking at the books. Even more importantly, he brings plenty of new ideas.

1. He's qualified. - Barron's strong academic background includes a law degree from Widener, experience working on audits when employed by the State of Delaware, and his current experience managing finances at three assisted-living facilities.

2. He's independent. - Although currently a member of the Democratic committee, he told me he'd resign that position if he's elected. In fact, he told me it's "unfortunate that such an independent office has to be part of the partisan process." Unlike party machine candidates (Branco, Maher and McClure), Barron has stayed away from their political consultant, who's known for running sleaze campaigns.

3. He'll be full time. - Barron believes a controller who examines a budget that is quickly approaching $400 million annually, needs to be there all day, every day. And he's right. The county has thirty-three different payment locations, and needs a full-time controller. In contrast, Schimmel recently refused to insist on an extra auditor because they'd have nowhere to put him. ''Frankly, this is one of the most important functions in the county. These are the people who independently represent the taxpayers and make sure things are audited and dollars are spent right. I don't want to hear there's no room for a desk,'' was how Ron Angle responded, showing just a tad more concern over the controller's office than the controller himself.

4. He'll audit. - Many county offices have gone unaudited for many years, but Barron wants to change that. He's pledged to audit every county office, at least once, during his four year tenure. Currently, outside auditors dictate much of what the controller's office does. Perhaps that needs to change.

5. He's accessible. - The proof of that is that Barron spoke with me, and everybody knows I'm a miserable bastard. "I believe that even private citizens can ask for audits when they feel that money is not being spent appropriately. When they write that check to pay their tax bill, they have the right to feel they have ownership. My office will be a watchdog for the people's security."
As much as I admire Schimmel, I think it's time for a change at the helm in the controller's office, and will be voting for Steve Barron on November 6. I also want to compliment both candidates for running a clean, issues-oriented, campaign.

Barron, Angle & Ferraro Shine in Debate at the Slate

Nearly fifty people braved cold and wet weather last night for what is fast becoming the Lehigh Valley's most widely informative and entertaining debate for political hopefuls. You see, no one watches TV in the slate belt. They instead spend their evenings shooting at each other, going to meetings and talking politics. So the Pen Argyl Area Concerned Citizens decided a few years ago to just invite the candidates up for a night of give and take. And the result has been a smashing success, not just for the candidates, but for the rest of us as well.

The format is terrific. Each candidate makes a brief opening statement. After that, a three member panel poses tough questions, followed by even tougher inquiries from the public. After we all have our say, candidates cross-examine each other.

Several luminaries attended the festivities, including fellow bloggers Chris Casey, WindGapper & RadRalph. And although he started his day with a 7:30 AM speech, Northampton County Exec John Stoffa was there, too, giving me dirty looks. Maybe his wife is mad at him and he was afraid to go home.

Let me give you the play by play.

County Controller candidates: Steve Barron (D) v. John Schimmel (R). - Barron Pulls an Upset.

When I first told you about last night's debate, I told you the main event would be Ron Angle, who even wore a suit. But the biggest surprise is relative newcomer Steve Barron, who did so well against twelve year controller John Schimmel. I didn't see that one coming. I don't think Steve did either. I shook hands with him before the debate, and he was very nervous. He needn't have been.

Bethlehemite Barron was in Schimmel country last night. Schimmel has lived in the slate belt for thirty-eight years, and noted this almost as soon as he started speaking. But by the time the dust had settled, Barron had won the crowd.

Although not a public accountant like Schimmel, Barron is certainly qualified. He currently manages 28-32 employees and a $100 million budget. And while attending law school, he performed audits for the state of Delaware. But what impressed most was Barron's insistence that the controller job be full-time. "You cannot manage a $340 million budget if you do it part-time." Asked how he could survive on a $39,000 salary, Barron claimed that would actually be a payraise for him. Schimmel smirked, and people noticed. At first, Schimmel claimed his office was only 0.8 miles from the courthouse, but by the end of the evening, he said he'd commit himself full-time if the county charter is changed.

Schimmel was very defensive about the embezzlement that Northampton County suffered last year, mentioning it several times, even though Barron himself did not make it an issue. Schimmel even tried blaming county council audit requests. "It tied us up quite a bit," and then started questioning Barron's auditing experience before he was permitted to question him.

One thing bothers me about Barron, and that's his close ties to many of the Democrats on council. Would he let them use him as a political tool? Amazingly, someone asked Barron about that, and he responded very convincingly. He claimed his best friend is actually a Republican, but would stop being his best friend if he stole from the county. He also made clear that he has no role to play in county policy. "This office cannot be political."

Barron's final point pretty much says it all. "Look at what experience has gotten you. It's got offices that have gone unaudited for decades."

Plainfield Township Supervisor candidates: Randy Heard (D) v. Glenn Borger (R). Heard Wins Because He's a Dentist.

These guys should flip a coin or something. Pretty much all I heard was "I agree with Randy" and "I agree with Glenn." There were no discernible differences. But Heard is a dentist and they scare the shit out of me, so I'll call him the winner. Actually, Heard has a keen interest in local government and has been attending meetings for years. They were both likable and both would benefit Plainfield Township.

County Council at large candidates: Peg Ferraro (R) v. Tony Branco (D). Ferraro Wins.

Peg has thirty years of government service, and twelve of them have been on Northampton County Council. She's won some races and has lost a few, too. That prompted a question about why she would want to do it again, especially since she'll have to run again in two years.

"It's a genetic defect," she answered. After we stopped laughing, she explained that she grew up with it and enjoys it.

Her biggest concern is our out of control prison population. And last night, she embraced Stoffa's proposal that we start adopting programs for inmates that combat recidivism. She also spoke favorably about the very controversial bicounty health bureau, giving it some cautious support.

That's not the Peg I know. In years past, she has always been reluctant to take positions until absolutely necessary. But she's become very relaxed and really opened up last night. I liked what I saw.

Like Peg, Tony Branco is very personable and charming. And he sounded more like a councilman last night than he has on council. But Tony is also one of the council members who strangely rejected a routine Stoffa request to rebid a county contract. He was concerned that doing so would penalize a bidder who did everything right. But he forgets his allegiance is to taxpayers, not county vendors. Stoffa ultimately ignored council and rebid the contract, saving taxpayers $1.8 million over the amount that was originally bid by that same vendor. Branco had no explanation for his actions last night, or for his refusal to listen to the advice given by council's own lawyer.

County Council District 4 candidates: Ron Angle (R) v. John Maher (D)

Let me tell you the difference between these two guys. Ron Angle started things off by noting, "I see a few ringers in the crowd." And there were, too! He stood up, brash as ever, and flatly told the crowd, "This race isn't about me. It isn't about the guy next to me. It's about good government. We have an exec who believes in good government, so I'll support him. It doesn't matter if he's in my party." By contrast, Maher read from a script in which he at one point called Angle an "antagonistic life long politician." At this, Angle smiled and shrugged.

After slamming Angle, Maher proceeded to claim that he's from the "corporate culture" and is one of those "consensus builders" who believes that the majority should decide and that government must be conducted openly.

I asked Maher to reconcile that claim with his participation in the local party machine. Twenty Democratic committeemen, mostly from Bethlehem, chose him as the slate belt endorsed candidate in some dark Nazareth bar. All he could say was that he went to the party. At another point, he claimed he's "come up through the ranks of the party system." He even said the party should "close ranks." He's clearly a machine pol.

Maher, relying on his experience in the "corporate culture," even tried to defend council's goofy decision to try and award a bid to a high bidder. I believe Maher should continue his experience in the corporate world and leave governing to officials who will look out for the taxpayers.

Angle, by contrast, claimed it is time for the county to get back to the basics - courts and prisons, row offices and human services. He pointed out that, when he was first elected to county council eight years ago, Northampton County was a corrupt government. Two people ended up in jail. He admitted he can be divisive, but also pointed out, "I know the difference between right and wrong. Four people want to go back to the wrong, and he [Maher] wants to join them."

(Photos courtesy of Wind Gapper)

Update: The Morning Call has a well-written report of last night's debate.

It's Official - We Have a Controller's Race in Northampton County

About a month ago, Bethlehem Democrat Stephen J. Barron, Jr., announced he would seek the Democratic nomination for Northampton County Controller. Both Barron and three-term incumbent John T. Schimmel have now filed their nomination petitions, so they'll be facing off in November.

Barron, a fresh face with new ideas, claims he would be "a full-time controller, someone who is willing to put the citizens of Northampton County first." That's a major commitment for a job that only pays $39,000 per year. Barron believes this is the only way he can keep another promise - auditing every major office during his four year term.

In contrast to Barron's vigor, Schimmel offers voters an experienced and well-respected professional accountant. Schimmel is vulnerable because a county employee stole at at least $120,000 from an office he failed to audit - ever. That office was the criminal division, which does handle a lot of cash. On the other hand, Schimmel can probably claim to have saved the county millions during his tenure. Just recently, he put the clamps on credit card abuse and bogus health claims.

These are both likable and professional guys. Both have kindly agreed to speak with me at some point during their campaign. If there are any questions you'd like answered, just post them as comments. I'll add them to my own questions, and get back to you as this campaign heats up.

Right now, I'm going to vote for both of them. I have two voter registration cards, so I should be able to vote twice. Right?

Barron to Oppose Schimmel in Norco Controller Race

Every now and then, I check out Above Average Jane. She describes her blog as "the mostly political ramblings of a small-time, big-mouth community activist." Sound familiar?

But even Jane pleads ignorance when it comes to most county offices. "Every four years those of us in the suburbs vote for county row offices and, by and large, we have no idea what these offices are or what the people in them do." In that respect, Jane and I are different. I have a passionate interest in county government, which increasingly is becoming more important as areas regionalize to deal with police protection, open space and disaster planning.

1. What is a county controller?

The Northampton County Controller's function is described on the county website.

Our purpose is to audit County departments and entities receiving County funds in accordance with the Home Rule Charter and to make recommendations to County management that will improve the economy and efficiency of County operations, ensure compliance with laws and regulations, and strengthen internal controls safeguarding County assets.

The County's Home Rule Charter established the Controller's office as the internal audit function of the county in 1978. The Controller is elected and is independent of the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government. The Controllers Office conducts financial and performance audits of agencies receiving, disbursing or authorizing the disbursement of County funds, as well as the records of contracted service providers. Office activities and accomplishments are summarized in the Controller's Annual Report to County Council.

Audit projects are determined by state statute, internal risk assessment and requests. The County Executive, County Council members, department heads, employees and residents may request an audit.

2. Who is the county controller?

Northampton County's current controller, John T. Schimmel, has come under attack because a criminal division employee, whose office had miraculously escaped an controller's audit since 1992, embezzled around $120,000. But Schimmel can also take credit for recently discovering that the county had wasted nearly $200,000 on bogus health insurance claims and credit card abuse. He's seeking a fourth term to this part-time, $39,000 per year, position. Schimmel is also the accountant for Easton Area Joint Sewer Authority and maintains a private practice as a public accountant.

Although nominally a Republican, party leaders will tell you Schimmel's no politician. A few years ago, they got all worked up over Schimmel's decision to support family friend Mike Koury, a Democrat, for judge. Party boss Mark Hoffman huffed, "He's a great accountant, but not very politically astute."

Frankly, that's something I like about Schimmel. Party affiliation should be pretty much irrelevant to a controller.

3. Steve Barron Thinks He Can Do Better

Steve Barron, a lifelong Northampton County resident, thinks he can do better. Tuesday, he announced his candidacy, declaring he would be a "true fiscal watchdog." He has pledged to audit every office, no matter how small, at least once during his four-year term. "I am calling for open and accountable county government for each and every tax payer. ... During my tenure, the Controller will conduct fair and professional audits of every county office."

Steve's campaign kindly provided me with an announcement. Here's an excerpt.

The Bethlehem Democrat’s first bid for public office comes just months after the District Attorney launched an investigation into whether a deputy clerk embezzled nearly $100,000 in bail money. The county office was last audited in 1992.

Barron's strong academic record and professional experience make him an excellent choice for Controller. After completing his undergraduate work in government and politics at Widener University, Barron immediately entered the school’s law program and received his J.D. in May 2002.

Barron is currently the program director for Whitehall’s Impact Systems, Inc. The company runs assisted living homes for developmentally disabled adults. As director, Barron oversees the operation and staffing of four different homes, ensuring the residents an optimal quality of life.

Barron has been active in the Democratic Party as a volunteer since his late teens. Last year he earned high marks for his work when he was appointed Treasurer of the Northampton County Democratic Committee.

Barron, his wife Erin, daughter Emma, and dog Charles are lifelong residents of Northampton County, with strong ties across the community.

What doesn't come across in a press release, unfortunately, is the personality. For someone seeking public office and who has such credentials, Steve comes across as a very organized, level-headed and humble man. He's got a nifty website so the dude must be serious. I'd like to see how these guys campaign before I decide. But I'll support Barron immediately if he tells me his dog "Charles" is named after Charles Dertinger.