Paul Anthony Takes Over Reins at GPA

Though Northampton County provides video access to every meeting, and pays dearly for it, it means nothing if those who participate fail to use the mikes. This morning, the newly constituted General Purpose Authority (GPA) met for the first time since Chair Shawn Langen and his sidekick, Shawn Donahue, resigned. It was virtually impossible to hear the meeting. I can forgive GPA members, who are 
there part-time, for forgetting. But it is absolutely inexcusable that David Hughes, a county employee who is essentially serving as the board's administrator, would fail to insist that the mikes be used. It totally defeats  transparency. It also makes the videos a waste of taxpayer money. Not only did Hughes fail to insist that members use the mike, he failed to use one himself. What resulted was a meeting of mumbles.

I know Paul Anthony was elected Chair and that the KingSpry firm was named temporary Solicitor. I also know that the GPA took steps to sever the relationship with Philadelphia law firm Conrad O'Brien, which had been retained by the GPA for anticipated litigation with the County. But other than that, it's impossible to say what happened.

Proposals will be circulated for a new solicitor. Charles Dertinger updated the Board on the removal of  three bridges from a massive P3 project to replace or repair 33 bridges. Those bridges are located along a scenic byway (Little Creek Road) in Lower Mount Bethel, and residents living in that area like the idea of one-lane bridges. 

NMM Response And Analysis

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Above is the five-page response that Norris, McLaughlin and Marcus (NMM) provided in reaction to Northampton County Council's June 18 resolution, requesting that firm's removal as Solicitor to the General Purpose Authority. All this lengthy missive does is confirm that former Executive John Brown was doing an end-run around County Council.

Fee Agreement Approved by GPA? - According to this missive, the GPA approved a fee agreement with NMM on 9/6/16, agreeing to pay $295 per hour to the firm's lawyers. Here's my problem.

- The minutes of the 9/6/16 GPA meeting provide absolutely no support for that claim. They show that the GPA resolved to hire Kriger Construction and Alfred Benesh as contractor and construction manager for a P3 bridge project. But there is nothing to indicate that Lushis and his firm were hired at a specific rate.

- Fiscal Affairs Director Steve Barron had no knowledge of this fee arrangement. The only one he has seen is one that agrees to pay Lushis $200 per hour for regular work and, oddly enough, $250 per hour to respond to a Right-to-Know request.

- I filed two Right-to-Know requests in early January, seeking all fee agreements. Nothing was provided. Not even redacted fee agreements. So I question when this fee agreement was actually executed.

- Even if this fee agreement exists, it has nothing to do with the "special legal services" in which NMM began working on a P3 jail project. That's because that work only began in 2017.

Nobody Complained. - It's certainly true that former Executive John Brown had no complaints with bills that current Executive Lamont McClure has called "outrageous." Nor did anyone who worked for Brown. Here's why.

- Anyone who worked for Brown and complained would be out of a job.

- The GPA never actually approved these bills. They merely forwarded them to Brown. He would approve payment, and the check would be cut to the GPA, not Lushis. So only a few people knew what was going on.

The bills were reasonable. - NMM offers the same argument made by GPA Chair Shawn Langen that, given the scope of work involved, this was a "reasonable" fee. NMM seems to have trouble identifying how much it charged and was paid. I have claimed it received over $800,000 from the GPA in 2016 and 2017. NMM defenders have at times claimed different amounts. NMM cheerleader Dave Hughes, told Council last month that the figure was only $607,000. In its response, NMM has several different figures. Art one point, it's $521,900. Then it's $577,580.

The actual figure is what I said it is, and it is outrageous.

Did Council Appropriate $500,000 to pay NMM? - According to NMM, County Council set aside $500,000 in its 2017 budget for the replacement of the jail. As Council knows, that is a complete fabrication. Council member John Cusick himself observed that the $500,000 was set aside to update a jail study. Without Council's knowledge, former Executive Brown spent $153,000 to pay for "special legal services" being performed by NMM for a P3 jail.

NMM's Special Legal Services Needed Council Approval. - NMM insists that the $153,000 in special legal services for a P3 jail was completely proper because it was authorized by the GPA Board in May 2017. At this point, Northampton County Council had never agreed to a P3 jail and knew nothing about it. Moreover, as GPA Chair Shawn Langen said, GPA would only work on a new P3 if it was "fully vetted and approved by county council." That never happened. Yet NMM was submitting bills for work that not the GPA, but Brown, wanted done. This was very clearly a violation of Northampton County's Administrative Code. Brown is definitely culpable. NMM was certainly a hog at the trough, and there is little doubt in my mind that Lushis knew damn well that Brown was doing an end run. As someone who actually researched the potential conflicts, and billed the county for it, he should have known.

NMM admits the $700 per hour bill was a mistake. - In its letter, NMM admits that the $700 per hour fee charged by one of its lawyers was an error and it is willing to make a refund. Actually, this lawyer has no license to practice in Pa., and this NMM should be refunding the entire sum that was improperly paid by Executive Brown.

NMM Denies Improper P3 Marketing.  - I question this assertion. other sources tell me that Lushis has made several P3 pitches in Northampton County

I see no material misrepresentations in Council's June 18 resolution. I do see misrepresentations in NMM's response.

This may all be academic at this point.there will soon be two new GPA members, and they will give Executive Lamont McClure control. They can fire the collection firm that really is there to collect NMM's bill. They can then fire Lushis and force Shawn Langen out as GPA Chair.

Law Firm Disputes NorCo Resolution

John Lushis

On June 21, Northampton County Council adopted a strongly-worded resolution calling for the resignations of General Purpose Authority (GPA) Chair Shawn Langen and Solicitor John Lushis. This followed a lengthy meeting the day before, in which Langen suggested once or twice that Council might lack his understanding of high finance. But when Council member Lori Vargo Heffner asked him to explain what he does, he refused to answer. He instead complained that the meeting, which he earlier derided as a "dog and pony show," was making him late for a dinner party.

Lushis, whose billing has been characterized as "outrageous" by Executive Lamont McClure, was paid $813,039.30 in 2016 and 2017. This includes $153,343.50 for “special legal services” in 2017 without authorization from anyone other than former Executive John Brown.

Earlier in the week, Lushis said it would be inappropriate for him to discuss his firm's billing. So he failed to appear before Council.

But his law firm - Norris, McLaughlin and Marcus - has decided it's appropriate after all. According to Council member John Cusick, the law firm has responded and "contradicts" the Council resolution. He made this announcement during Northampton County Council's July 5. He asked Council Solicitor Chris Spadoni whether it is public, and he ruled yes.

It will be posted here on Monday, along with an analysis. I did not expect this law firm to admit, "Yes, we soaked you."  But regarless what it says, the mere fact that there is a response contradicts Lushis' vow that there would be no explanation.

Incidentally, on June 29, a partner in Norris, McLaughlin and Marcus (NMM) - Scott Allinson - received a 27-month sentence for political corruption. Allinson was Lushis' predecessor on the GPA.

In her closing speech to the jury, AUSA Michelle Morgan referred to NMM managing partner Matt Sorrentio as a liar.

He has since resigned from the firm and is now the Chief Legal Officer at Lehigh Valley Health Network.

In other business, Cusick questioned the claim that the friction between GPA and the County is preventing developer Rockefeller Group from building the three-lane bridge it is required to build for a warehouse development in Allen Township. Administrator Charles Dertinger responded that NorCo is committed to paying for a two-lane bridge at the site, but that Rockefeller can pay for a third lane  Since it agreed to pay for a three-lane bridge, this should present no difficulty.

Finally, Council commended four scouts from Troop 44 in Bushkill and Troop 76 in Upper Nazareth for their work in the gardens at Gracedale. They are Peter Gladstone, Nicholas Marth, Andrew Miller and Jonathan Werner.

NorCo Council: Enough With PPP Already

You down with PPP? Yeah, you know me. 
You down with PPP? Yeah, you know me. 
You down with PPP? Yeah, you know me. 
Who's down with PPP? Every last homie.

Not the homies on Northampton County Council. Last night, by an 8-0 vote (with one abstention), they made very clear that they've had it with the Northampton County General Purpose Authority (GPA). They want no more PPP (public private partnership), or P3 agreements, coming from the GPA. They want all marketing to stop. They want the GPA to end their relationship with GPA Solicitor John Lushis and his firm, Norris, Mclaughlin and Marcus. They also want GPA Shawn Langen to resign. They stopped just short of seeking a criminal investigation.

This resolution is the result of a meeting called by Finance Chair Ron Heckman on Wednesday. I have already provided a detailed account. An exasperated Ken Kraft said several times that the way  GPA Solicitor John Lushis was paid by former County Executive John Brown amounted to a misappropriation of County funds.

Yesterday, before Northampton County Council met, GPA board members Peg Ferraro and J.Michael Dowd resigned, signalling their own displeasure at the way things have been going. They both have worked hard to develop reputations for integrity and fairness, and Executive Lamont McClure made clear last night that he holds them both in high regard.

Since she just resigned from the GPA, Ferraro thought it was appropriate to steer clear of this resolution, and abstained.

Yesterday's resignations mean that McClure may have won his battle with the GPA, and without firing a shot. He has just appointed Paul Anthony and Frank Pintabone, and he will soon be naming two more members. Ferraro must be replaced by a fellow Council member. McClure can appoint himself to replace Dowd. Historically, the county executive has chaired the GPA, and resigns when his term is up. 

Since the GPA is made up of seven members, and McClure will have named four of them, he appears to be on the cusp of reining in this runaway horse.

During Council meetings, usually only summaries or excerpts of resolutions and ordinances are read. But last night, Council President  Ken Kraft felt it was important to read the entire resolution. What particularly bothered Ron Heckman is not the money wasted by former Executive Brown, but the end run around the Administrative Code. "This is a big deal," he said several times.

The resolution, authored by Kraft and perhaps Heckman, is a powerful indictment of abuse of authority. I have copied it for you.         

WHEREAS, by Ordinance No. 605-2016, enacted on March 3, 2016, Northampton County Council approved a public private partnership project (P3) to repair or replace 33 bridges located within Northampton County; and

WHEREAS, at no time has Northampton County Council approved a public private partnership project (P3) for any other purpose; and

WHEREAS, at a June 20, 2018 meeting of Northampton County Council attended by representatives of the Northampton County General Purpose Authority (GPA), County Council learned the following:

 thought it was

·        Former Executive John A. Brown  told the GPA, in February 2017, that he'd like to use P3 for another 66 bridges, a new jail or adaptive reuse of the existing jail, a warehouse, forensic center, purchase of the Human Services building and a new parking facility.  He made this representation without informing Northampton County Council.

·        Former Executive Brown decided to employ John Lushis, Esq., who already was Solicitor for the GPA to research legal issues, draft legislation, meet with municipal officials and lobby state legislators to sponsor and enact enabling legislation.

·        John Lushis, Esq. and his law firm, Norris Mclaughlin and Marcus, submitted $153,343.50 in invoices for “special legal services” in 2016 and 2017.

·        These bills were funneled in contravention of the Home Rule Charter and Administrative Code through the GPA to former County Executive Brown,  Department of Fiscal Affairs, Department of Public Works and Department of Community and Economic Development in order to keep both County Council and the Controller unaware of what was happening.

·        The funds to make these payments were drawn from a $500,000 fund approved by Northampton County Council as line item 93010, which was to be used to update a jail study performed by former Executive John Stoffa.

·        Former Executive Brown's authority to hire a special solicitor is set forth in the County's Administrative Code. The only professional service agreements exempted from the Code are those negotiated by the Courts or Human Services. § 13.01e. Professional services defined as "services requiring specialized knowledge, skill and expertise ... ." § 13.02. Procurement authority is vested in the County Executive, subject to approval by Council. § 13.03. All county services, including professional services, must be obtained by one of several forms of competitive negotiation. § 13.07a. Services in excess of $25,000 requires a written contract. § 13.16a. These contracts must be filed in the Procurement Department. § 13.16a. If they exceed $100,000, Council approval is needed. § 13.16c. Contracts for professional services must require that there be a final report provided directly to County Council. § 13.16f.     

·        These requirements were ignored. There was no competitive negotiation. There is no written contract, and nothing is on file in the Procurement Division. Though former County Executive Brown paid over $100,000, he never sought County Council's approval. No final report was filed. This procedure was done specifically to keep the governing body, County Council, uninformed about plans to use a P3 to build a jail and market it to other municipalities.

·        Section 13.21 of the Administrative Code provides, "No elected or appointed official or employee of the County shall intentionally or knowingly circumvent the provisions of this Article. Further, that any such elected or appointed official or employee of the County of Northampton who shall intentionally and/or knowingly violate this Article shall be subject to surcharge to the extent of the damage shown to be thereby sustained by the County of Northampton, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon a conviction thereof, shall be sentenced to imprisonment of not more than one year or pay a fine of not more than $1,000, or both. Any contract entered into in violation of the within article shall not be binding upon the County of Northampton."

·        GPA Solicitor John Lushis and former County Executive John Brown have continued to market P3 projects to other entities, both public and private, for their own personal gain and without regard to the best interests of Northampton County

NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS RESOLVED AS FOLLOWS:

1) Northampton County Council hereby requests the General Purpose Authority to terminate the services of John Lushis, Esq. and Norris, McLaughlin and Marcus as Solicitor to that body.

2) Northampton County Council hereby requests that GPA Chair Shawn Langen resign from the GPA and expresses their appreciation to him for many years of dedicated service.

3) Northampton County Council hereby requests that the GPA not attempt in any fashion to market P3 to any other entities.

Kraft: Fees Paid to GPA Solicitor a Misappropriation of County Funds (Updated)

Ken Kraft

"No dogs or ponies were harmed," quipped County Council Finance Chair Ron Heckman yesterday at the conclusion of a meeting he called to try to get a handle on what's going on at the beleaguered General Purpose Authority (GPA). Heckman was responding to GPA Chair Shawn Langen's gripe that it would be nothing more than a dog and pony show. The nearly two-hour meeting was actually quite productive.

What's at stake is a $38.5 million project to replace or repair 32 of the county's 119 bridges. They have been conveyed to the GPA for construction and a 10-year maintenance period, after which they will be returned to the county. The contractor is Kriger Construction, and Benesch Engineering has been providing third-party oversight. The work Benesch is doing has been in turn been monitored by GPA Chair Shawn Langen. He has billed the county for his work, but NorCo Exec Lamont McClure refuses to pay. In addition, GPA Solicitor John Lushis and his firm, Norris, Mclaughlin and Marcus has been paid $813,000 in 2016 and 2017. McClure refuses to pay any of the 2018 bills, but is paying Kriger for its work as milestones are met.

Ron Heckman

In recent months, there's been increasing friction between the GPA and the County. The GPA, without seeking any competitive bids, hired Philadelphia firm Conrad O'Brien after John Lushis told them that the County was about to sue. Instead, this law firm wants authority to sue the County. After receiving several negative reports from McClure, County Council invited the GPA to appear at its Finance Committee. Langen complained he wanted an invitation in writing, and then when he got it, complained about the short notice. But he was at yesterday's Finance Committee, along with fellow members Shawn Donahue, Paul Anthony and Peg Ferraro. Benesh Engineer Greg Kuklinski also appeared. Executive Lamont McClure was at a meeting of the Lehigh Valley's Planning Commission to ensure that the Meadows bridge in Lower Saucon Township is expedited.

1) Does the third-party checker need to be checked? -  Kuklinski told Council there's no need for a separate set of eyes and ears to watch him, in stark contrast to what the GPA has been doing. Langen stated that he has been spending too much time doing this, and wants proposals for someone else to do this work  This appears to be both unnecessary and redundant.

John Cusick

2) Who picked the 32 bridges being repaired or replaced? - Not us, said Langen for the GPA. Not us, said Benesch Engineer Kuklinski. Last week, I reported that only nine of these bridges are actually considered structurally deficient.  Now no one likes to admit that they read this here because I am a bottom feeder, but everyone was pretty quick to deny involvement in bridge selection. So are we spending money unnecessarily? Kuklinski said he never really examined the bridges to determine whether the work is actually needed. But he said the majority of them are 60 years old and are mostly single lane bridges. He believes this raises safety concerns, although people in Lower Mount Bethel want to retain single lane bridges along Little Creek Road because they are part of a designated scenic byway.

The person who came closest to answering this question is a Matt Dietz. He believes the bridges were to be spread out so there is no unnecessary traffic burden on any one municipality. But that answer makes no sense because eight bridges in this round are located in Lower Mount Bethel.

Lori Vargo Heffner

3) How is the project itself going? - Ken Kraft notes that we've already paid $5.6 million and only one bridge is done. But the project itself seems to be going well. According to Kuklinski, the County is finishing Bridge #202 (Ott Road, Lower Mount Bethel) and expects to start three bridges in the next few weeks. In 2019, Kriger plans to repair or replace another nine bridges. The DEP has given 10 of 13 permits. There has been only one change order, and that is one that actually benefits the county by returning Meadows bridge. Kriger is on track to be finished by January 2021.

4) How about that $813,000 legal bill? - In February, I reported that GPA Solicitor John Lushis and his law firm, Norris, McLaughlin and Marcus, were paid $813,039.30 in 2016 and 2017 as a result of their affiliation with the GPA  The money came mostly from the County and the GPA, although it also included $30,000 for a St.Luke's bond. During yesterday's meeting, both Shawn Langen and Financial Specialist David Hughes attempted to cast doubt on that figure, and in a way that cast doubt on me.

"Where are you coming up with $800,000?" Langen huffed to Cusick. I laughed to myself because neither Cusick nor Ken Kraft, who said he learned of it during a meeting in January, wanted to admit they read it here. After all, I am a bottom-feeding blogger who dives into garbage cans. But I also know how to file and pursue Right-to-Know requests.

Robert Werner

What Hughes did was disingenuous. He handed up a list of the billing over the past two years that are "relative to the P3." I listed all the sums paid to this law firm, whether it was P3, GPA, "special legal services," or the $30,000 paid by St.Luke's as a result of a bond. As I have previously reported, they add up to $813,039.20.

According to Hughes, the amount paid was only $607,027.33. That's incorrect.

Ken Kraft picked up on this immediately.

"Where's the other $153,000 bill for the P3 jail thing that was never approved by this Council?"

Hughes then produced that bill. He never provided the actual GPA bills or the money that came from St. Luke's. I have gone over my figures with several county sources, and they are accurate. What the GPA attempted to do was minimize excessive billing.

Once the numbers were out there, Langen tried to argue that soft costs like these are reasonable for a $38 million project, and even suggested that Council is unaware of this kind of finance.

Actually, it is

John Lushis

5) What about the billing at $700 per hour? - The GPA's agreement with Lushis' law firm authorized payments of $250 per hour, but he submitted bills that included charges of $700 per hour from one of the attorneys in his firm, and that's a lawyer who isn't even admitted to practice in Pa. Kraft asked for an explanation.

"The $700/hour fee comes from litigation," said Financial Specialist David Hughes. That's very interesting, especially when you consider that this lawyer has no license to practice in this state. But the information Hughes gave is again incorrect. As a county employee, he should make more of an effort to be accurate.

I have the bills. As you can see in the excerpt of one of them below, "PDH" charged $700 for one hour's worth of emails concerning prisons in Pennsylvania, and if he actually practiced here, he'd know they are called jails. He charged $1,260 for 1.8 hours to review a John Lushis memo concerning prison legislation that Lushis was lobbying before the Pa.legislature. "PDH" charged another $1,750 for 2.5 hours to talk with Lushis about, among other things, "political issues" that might arise with the sponsorship of this state legislation.  These guys were charging outrageous legal fees to talk to each other and were acting as lobbyists and politicians, not lawyers. "PDH" has no law license in Pa, so he may be unaware that he should have registered as a lobbyist. .

I could cite additional examples, but I made my point. Hughes was feeding Council bullshit burgers.

They deserved the truth.
.   
6) Who authorized Lushis to research P3 projects like the jail, which are outside the scope of the bridges project? - According to Langen, former Executive John Brown. At a meeting in February 2017, Brown told them  he'd like to use P3 for another 66 bridges, a new jail or adaptive reuse of the existing jail, a warehouse, forensic center, purchase of the Human Services building and a new parking facility. He had run none of this by County Council. Ron Heckman, who read the minutes of that meeting, told Langen that GPA pledged that it would be fully engaged, but Langen explained that the GPA would only work on a new P3 if it was "fully vetted and approved by county council."

Langen eventually complained he was being asked John Brown questions. "You want to ask questions to somebody who's not in the room," he protested. Ron Heckman said no one expects him to speak for Brown, but the only way they could find out what is going on is by asking questions.

7) How were the bills paid? - Ken Kraft managed to establish that there was absolutely no oversight. According to Hughes, Brown just authorized payment of bills that followed a rather circuitous route. Lushis would present a bill to the GPA. Langen insisted that they never approved the payments for "specialized legal services." The bills were instead passed along to Brown. Hughes said Brown would sign off, then the bill would go to Fiscal  and a check would be cut. From there, the money went to public works. They would call Hughes, and he would pick up the check and deposit it into a GPA account. From there, a check would be drawn to Lushis. This whole process certainly appears to have been designed to keep the County Council in the dark and the Controller out of the loop."That's circumventing our authority and the Home Rule Charter," observed Kraft. "They used you as a conduit to get something that they wanted done without our approval."

8) Are the Specialized Legal Services a Misappropriation of County Funds? - "This is a misappropriation of county funds," declared Kraft.. "This is spending something we never approved." He and Cusick both observed that the money was drawn from a $500,000 fund set up in the corrections budget and that was supposed to have been used to update a jail study. "What we approved was an update to a decade or so old jail study that was done under the John Stoffa administration," said Cusick. "At no point was it ever brought to Council that this would be done as part of a P3 project."

9) Is the GPA Marketing P3? - Langen denied that GPA is pursuing any P3 projects outside of Northampton County, although Lushis said earlier this week he was contacted by another municipality. He also admitted to hiring Sahl Communication at the request of John Brown. It is also known that Brown and Lushis tried to pitch P3 for the Hotel Bethlehem with a lender.

Bob Werner said he supported the bridge bundling project in 2013. He proposed and pushed this long before P3. But he is leery of what is going on with P3, and who is benefiting. He told Langen that Lushis went to Columbus Ohio to pitch the mechanism  "This thing has been abducted and kidnapped by a couple of people for profit," he asserted.

10) Was Langen Condescending? - Pretty much. "You keep making references to maybe we don't understand what multimillion dollar projects are," noted Lori Vargo Heffner, so she asked him to explain what he does. Landen refused. "I'll answer questions as they relate to the finance of this project," he replied.. "I have about 12 more minutes before I have dinner for 10 people. You gave me less than a week's notice during working hours"

Heckman then reminded Langen that he got plenty of notice but said he wanted a formal letter. "You were aware that we wanted to have this, so please, let's stick with the facts," he admonished him.

Updated 2:05 pm, Ferraro Resigns From GPA:  Below is her resignation:

Please accept my resignation as the Northampton County Council representative on the Northampton County General Purpose Authority.   I have been honored to serve and see the benefits to many worthwhile projects.  When the Authority agreed to be the conduit for the P3 project the responsibility changed and I feel that it is time for me to allow someone else to serve.
Sincerely
Peg Ferraro 

Updated 3:30 pm. Dowd Resigns From GPA, Too! - J Michael Dowd has joined Peg Ferraro in resigning from the GPA. Both Dowd and Ferraro have worked hard over the years to develop reputsations as fair-minded people. Their continued involvement in the GPA is something neither needed. Both Ferraro and Dowd are former Presidents of Northampton County Council.

The by-laws of the GPA provide that one member must be a member of Council, so McClure will have to fill Ferraro's vacancy with another member of Council. Dowd should be replaced by McClure himself. Historically, the County Exec has chaired the GPA.
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Blogger's Note: This story originally published at 2:48 am.

Despite Efforts to Keep Public in Dark, GPA Meeting Is Broadcast

Yesterday, I told you that Northampton County's General Purpose Authority (GPA) was meeting that day at 8:15 am. It was a "special" meeting designed to keep the public away. For one thing, it was scheduled for the Human Services Building, not Council Chambers. For another, it was also a teleconference meeting. Pretty hard to participate when no phone number is provided.  The meeting was called concerning Ron Heckman's invitation to appear at his Wednesday Finance Committee. He's concerned about Solicitor John Lushis' excessive bills over two years, which do add up to $813,000.

I was more than a little surprised to go on the county website yesterday and learn that I was able to listen to the meeting  Someone in the County hooked it up to the video system, so whether the GPA likes it or not, their pearls of wisdom have been recorded. 

As usual, Solicitor John Lushis dominated the meeting as though he were a member of the Board and not there to provide legal advice. He even went so far as to start talking about a new P3 project he wants to run through the GPA He had to be told to stop talking.

During this meeting, Chair Shawn Langen called the invitation "political,'and called Heckman's meeting a "dog and pony show." He said he wouldn't go.

His sidekick, Shawn Langen, said Lushis' $813,000 bill was actually "reasonable." He vowed to boycott Heckman's meeting, too. 

Peg Ferraro had a different view. "We absolutely have to show up," she said. "How does it look if we don't show up?"  Frank Pintabone said much the same thing.

Somewhere along the way, Chair Shawn Langen got disconnected. When he returned to the meeting, he warned everyone that there were listeners.

"We do have 11 callers, so there's a handful that haven't identified, so there's a head's up," Langen warned everyone.

"Did you say 11 callers?"asked Lushis.

"Yeah I was the 11th caller." Then he gave this warning.  "So everyone knows, there is a list of numbers generated from this phone call. A list of the phone numbers. Not the individuals' names."

After this, Langen and Donahue decided they would go the meeting after all. But not Lushis. He said it would be "improper," but wanted everyone to know that "a lot of information about this project that is flat out incorrect." He said claims that he was paid $813,000 are "absolutely incorrect."

"It is up to us to educate everybody to what is going on,." responded Frank Pintabone, but that won't be happening.

Shawn Donahue told Pintabone, quite condescendingly, that he is "drinking from the fire hose with information that is being thrown at you."

But it's not appropriate for Lushis to explain. They will instead provide CDs in which 95% of the information has been redacted

Heckman told me he likes dogs and ponies.

GPA Schedules "Special" Meeting Today

Northampton County's General Purpose Authority (GPA) cancelled their regularly scheduled meetings in both March and May. Now they have scheduled a "Special" meeting by teleconference for today. Here is the exact language of the Notice.

PUBLIC NOTICE The Northampton General Purpose Authority has scheduled a Special Meeting to be held on Monday, June 18, 2018 at 8:15 AM by teleconference. Anyone wishing to listen to the meeting is invited to attend at the Northampton County Human Services Building, Conference Room C-6, located at 2801 Emrick Blvd, Bethlehem, PA, 18020. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the recent invitation from the Northampton County Council Finance Committee to attend its meeting on June 20, 2018 and such other business as the Board of Directors may deem necessary or desirable. Northampton County General Purpose Authority Shawn Langen, Chairman

Under Pennsylvania's Sunshine Law, the meeting must be advertised 24 hours in advance. I notice the meeting will be held at the Human Services building and not Council chambers, and wonder whether that is to prevent it from being filmed.

I've previously told you that the GPA has been invited to the NorCo Council Finance Committee convening on Wednesday.  They are concerned about  the outlandish $813,000 billed by Solicitor John Lushis, as well as bills submitted by GPA Chair Shawn Langen. Executive Lamont McClure refuses to pay them.

Heckman Invites GPA to Finance Committee

In a post about the P3 bridge project yesterday, I told you that only 9 of the 33 bridges are actually "structurally deficient." The very first comment to that story asks, "Is it true that county council sent the GPA a very insulting and demeaning letter demanding they attend the next county council meeting?"

Below you can see the "very insulting and demeaning letter." It's an invitation from NorCo County Council Finance Chair Ron Heckman, asking the General Purpose Authority to attend his meeting next week on June 20 at 4 pm.

invitation to NorCo GPA by BernieOHare on Scribd

NorCo Council Finance Committee Has Some Questions For GPA

Your friendly neighborhood GPA

Last night, Northampton County Council Finance Committee Chair Ron Heckman announced that he had just sent an invitation to the Northampton County General Purpose Authority (GPA) to come in and explain what they've been doing. After reviewing three years worth of minutes, he has questions. He believes the GPA sees itself as being marketable, but "I never thought of them as an entity unto themselves."

He specifically has questions about legal bills. They include bills for $400 per hour from Norris, Mclaughlin and Marcus attorneys to speak to each other. One attorney at that firm was actually charging $700 per hour.

Peg Ferraro, who is increasingly growing disenchanted with her role as Council's representative on that Board, said she was enthused about using a P3 to repair or replace dilapidated county bridges, but "it's got out of control."

Council Prez Ken Kraft, the sole No vote to this P3 project, also set the record straight. At Tuesday's meeting, GPA Chair Shawn Langen asserted that the County had authorized the GPA to pursue P3 agreements for other projects. There was no such authorization from County Council, which is the governing body.

Lori Vargo Heffner, who attended Tuesday's GPA meeting, said the "tone and tenor of it is very disconcerting to me." At one point, Chair Shawn Langen called her out and asked, "Who are you?" Langen, along with GPA Solicitor John Lushis, also asked her to leave Council chambers during an executive session, even though that was taking place elsewhere.

"I think I want to be spoken to respectfully," she said of Langen. She also complained about the way that GPA Board members treated Lower Mount Bethel residents. "They were yelled at. They were not allowed to finish sentences. We have a job to represent this County, and not an elitist group of individuals."

The finance committee will meet Wednesday, June 20, at 4 pm.

NorCo General Purpose Authority Cancels March Meeting

Northampton County's beleaguered General Purpose Authority (GPA) is scheduled to meet again on Tuesday, March 6, at 8:15 am. But it's been cancelled. At the last County Council meeting, two new members were appointed to the board though GPA Solicitor John Lushis insists that his board, and not County Council, "shall" be making at least one of these appointments. I've also told you that the GPA Chair has billed the County $11,950 last year to check on a third-party engineer hired to check on the P3 bridge builder. And Lushis has billed and been paid $810,000 over the past two years. At the risk of setting off the Lushis meter once more, I wrote to ask why this meeting was cancelled.

Is it because the GPA refuses to recognize incoming board members? Are they going to court?

I have heard nothing from Lushis, but began to ask around and learned that it is common to cancel a scheduled meeting unless there are action items to consider.

I am still waiting for complete replies to my Right-to-Know request.