UMBT Supervisor Apologizes For Flipping Off Public During Public Township Meeting

I previously told you that appropriately named Vice Chair David Friedman gave the middle finger ... twice ... during a recent meeting of Upper Mount Bethel Tp's (UMBT) Board of Supervisors. He did this to the members of the public that he's supposed to represent. It's what I'd expect from someone ruled unethical by both the State Ethics Board and Commonwealth Court. It's what you can count on from someone who promised to resign if a court ruled he was unethical but then went back on his own word and refused to do so.  

He has demonstrated that his own words mean very little to him. But at Monday night's meeting of UMBT's Board, he did apologize. "I owe everyone an apology for my gesture at the last meeting. It was uncalled for, uncouth, unprofessional and everything else that everybody has said about it so far." He then tried to minimize it as "an act of frustration," but that's false. He was actually gloating after winning on a motion. He promised he will decline to participate in any future meetings of prospective River Pointe tenants. 

Like Amazon. His Eminence, the Right Rev. Ron Angle  lives in Township. (Yes he is a Bishop. I know this because I sent away for his certification a few years ago in exchange for $20). He told the Board that Amazon had set aside $20 billion for a data center in Pa., and Governor Shapiro even designated an envoy to help the world's largest online retailer find data center sites. It has settled on Luzerne and Bucks Counties, and expects to create 1,250 high-paying jobs. "We lost Amazon because of a couple of people in this township that got greedy." 

During public comment, resident Robert Teel observed that both Bermingham and Fredman had campaign signs that promised "better leadership" when they ran for office. "I think you missed it. Better leadership doesn't mean saying FU to the crowd."

Supervisor Jonathan Erler condemned Friedman's antics. "In the year and a half since I've taken this seat, he has not only been found guilty of ethics violations, but also repeatedly misled our residents, promises given three separate times to resign if found guilty. Since then, he has verbally accused at least two residents of considerable violations without providing evidence. Mr. Friedman has threatened me personally in the company of this board with filing ethics charges against me for merely performing a core function of a township supervisor. And again, he just might have violated the ethics code and his oath of office with his motion to resolve a lawsuit that he himself is a defendant in."

Erler then referred to letters from elected or appointed township officials and Supervisor John Bermingham's praise for Friedman. Bermingham then defended himself, saying that Friedman's display of the middle finger was peaceful. Erler them moved to censure Friedman. This motion carried 3-1, but I don't know who voted No. 

Solicitor Ron Karasek will prepare a formal resolution of censure for the next meeting. That's a good thing, As he reminded the Board, a last-minute agenda item like this might very well run afoul of the Sunshine Act.

By the way, what is the legal effect of a formal censure?

Nothing. 

UMBT Government is cRaZy: Supervisor Flips Off Audience After Vote

Upper Mount Bethel Township (UMBT), located at the northeastern tip of Northampton County, is arguably its most beautiful municipality. It still has much of the rural charm that has long since faded from the rest of the Lehigh Valley. And though Bethlehem and Easton tout its history, UMBT has been around a bit longer. It's existed since at least 1730, when Scottish-Irish settlers built a Presbyterian church that now operates as the Slate Belt Museum. Unfortunately, its government is nuts. While it might be a bit more sane than Lower Saucon, it includes one Supervisor - David Friedman - who thinks nothing of giving the finger - twice - to township residents who disagree with him. Let me fill you in. 

David Friedman certainly was and may still be a member of a loose-knit group calling itself Concerned Citizens of UMBT. It was formed to oppose an industrial park called River Pointe Commerce Park. A previous board of supervisors supported this project for a variety of reasons, but mainly because UMBT has so much exempt real estate (state game lands, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area) that it continually raises taxes just to provide the most basic services. It has no police force and relies primarily on volunteer firefighters. 

In addition to this dearth of a tax base, there are few jobs left in the slate belt, especially in communities like Bangor and Pen Argyl. Once kids grow up, most leave. Others fall into bad habits. River Pointe offered a glimmer of hope, but not to the Concerned Citizens. They mobilized and Friedman got himself elected to the Board based on his opposition. 

Before his election, Friedman was part of a group that sued to stop the industrial park. Though the lawsuit was dismissed, Concerned Citizens appealed. Thus, after Friedman was elected to the Board of Supervisors,  he was in the strange position of being both plaintiff and defendant. 

That matter was resolved when Concerned Citizens dropped its appeal. But lSupervisors considered a motion to seek attorney fees incurred in fighting the lawsuit. That lawsuit would include Friedman as a Defendant. Not only did Friedman participate in discussions, but he also cast the deciding No vote to take no action.

In doing so, Friedman used his public office to advance his own pecuniary interest. In short, he acted unethically.

Don't take my word for it. The state Ethics Comm'n itself ruled that Friedman had violated the state Ethics Act. He appealed and vowed to resign if the Commonwealth Court upheld the ruling. 

Guess what? The Commonwealth Court also concluded that Friedman had acted unethically. 

Despite his earlier promise, Friedman refused to resign.

That's about what I'd expect from someone who acted unethically. 

In the meantime, River Pointe filed its own lawsuit (2024-3571) against UMBT Supervisors, including Friedman, over their interference in its attempt to develop the property.  Among other problems, River Pointe lost an Amazon data center at this site, which could have provided numerous high-paying jobs for the slate belt. This e-commerce giant would need massive amounts of water and power, and Supervisors actually voted to dissolve a municipal authority set up to provide these resources. 

Now, UMBT's Supervisors have decided they now like data centers. At their May 12 meeting, they voted unanimously to advise River Pointe that they like them a lot. Friedman wanted to make support conditional on River Pointe's withdrawal of litigation against Supervisors, but Supervisor Cori Eckman argued "one step at a time." 

Right after the vote, for some inexplicable reason, Friedman decided to flip off audience members who were critical of him. This included His Eminence, Ron Angle. In case anyone missed it, friedman did it a second time. 

So Friedman has (1) violated state ethics law; (2) refused to resign after promising to do so if an appeal determined he was unethical; and (3) is now flipping off members of the audience. 

Friedman's disrespectful action has resulted in a storm of protests, including a letter from Stavros Barbounis, who actually films UMBT meetings. 

Friday, May 16, 2025

Mr. Friedman,

At the most recent Upper Mount Bethel Township Board of Supervisors' meeting, your attempt to demand that RPL drop all lawsuits in exchange for a letter of support for datacenters was both short-sighted and highly inappropriate.

If that was not enough, you 'flipped the bird' to a member of the public, a taxpayer, a resident, a previous supervisor, and county council member, among others. What you really did is flip off the Township as a whole. You demonstrated in that one moment that you could care less about this Township, its residents or how your actions affect us.

Upper Mount Bethel Township would not be dealing with lawsuits if it were not for the deliberate actions of certain BoS members, including yourself. Your request to drop lawsuits primarily benefits you and the BoS, and I would argue that the context your request was made in would constitute another ethical violation. It is my understanding that you are also being sued personally. Your demand to drop the lawsuits would, in fact, benefit you financially.

The Township residents are not to blame for the lawsuits or the loss of Amazon. We did not cause the lawsuits; you did. We are, however, the ones paying the price for YOUR actions.

The failure to leverage assistance from individuals on Township boards, commissions, or councils; of whom have direct industry, business, financial or logistics knowledge and experience, further demonstrates a lack of reason and deliberate intent to delay the development of much-needed industry within the township.

Considering all the things happening in our community today, one would expect our Township officials to bring clarity, unity and focus to the issues we face. The elected Supervisors of Upper Mount Bethel Township are to represent the best interests of UMBT and that should be the sole focus, not their own personal agenda. They should conduct themselves in a manner that both provides and demands respect.

It is my belief that YOU were a key factor to the outcome of the Amazon deal that fell through.

It is my belief that YOU are not acting in the best interests of the Township.

It is my belief that YOU are unfit to represent the Township and its residents.

It is my request that you do not take part in any future negotiations, planning, discussions, decisions or otherwise as it pertains to the potential RPL development opportunities, especially as it pertains

to datacenters.

Sincerely,

Stavros Barbounis

Some citizens have complained on Chair John Bermingham's Facebook page. He responded with this bizarre self-portrait.

He has since removed this strange portrait. See why I say UMBT government is downright nuts?

Upper Mount Bethel Tp's Acting IT Director States 53% of Email to Tp Was Blocked in 2024

I've just finished watching Upper Mount Bethel Tp's (UMBT) latest Supervisors' meeting, a three-hour affair on Monday night, which is actually conducted in a garage. I sometimes wonder whether carbon monoxide affects the thinking of both the board and the large number of people who are always there. I heard complaints from neighbors about Mikey Stine, whose stump farm is burning all kinds of things, from vinyl siding to insulation in violation of a township ordinance that the fire chief has no authority to enforce. I thought it might be the fumes of a Ron Angle cigar, but he told me he stays away from plastic these days. Concerns were raised about PLANSlateBelt, a multi-municipal comprehensive plan that might stick Upper Mount Bethel with most of the least desired uses. And something besides Stine's burn farm really stinks. A park foundation seeded with township money as well as contributions from private donors has failed to appear at a Parks and Rec Board meeting for eight years straight but somehow is $30,000 in debt.  These are all stories, but I thought I'd start with an easy one brought up by Stavros Barbounis, who chairs the Parks and Rec Board and is also the Township's acting IT Director. 

Barbounis addressed rumors that the Parks and Recreation Board is corrupt and controls the emails coming into the township. He called this rumor "wildly inaccurate," noting that the township uses a third party cloud-based threat intelligence system to screen emails. 

In 2024, 53% of all emails sent to UMBT - 48,003 emails - were blacked as "inappropriate." "Those are confirmed threats," he said. He also explained that when an email is blocked, the recipient is notified nd can release the black to read it anyway. 

This sounds to me as though the third-party screener probably is identifying a lot of what you and I would call spam, not threats. That has a more ominous tone. 

I also think that if 53% of the email is blocked, the spam filter is set too high. This actually hinders a local government from being responsive to the citizens it is supposed to be serving. UMBT Chair John Bermingham calls himself  "The Voice for the People" on Facebook. Until the Township relaxes the filter on its email screens, he's really only the Voice for 47% of the People.

Commonwealth Ct Affirms Finding that UMBT Supervisor Is Unethical

Pennsylvania's Commonwealth Court, in a ruling handed down on November 8, has affirmed a state ethics commission finding that Upper Mount Bethel Tp Supervisor David Friedman is unethical. Specifically, the Court found that Friedman acted unethically when he voted twice against seeking legal fees in an unsuccessful lawsuit against the township in which he was one of the suing plaintiffs. He voted twice in a matter in which he himself had a direct and personal financial interest.  The Court was also highly critical of "myriad and substantively significant" defects in Friedman's brief on appeal, which was filed by Bethlehem lawyer Chris Spadoni.

Spadoni's brief was so bad that Judge Fizzano Cannon, writing for the Court, stated "that this Court, like the Commission, is uncertain what arguments Friedman is asserting, how he believes the record supports those arguments, and on what legal principles and authorities he is relying as support.

Frankly, anyone who is in public office should know that it is unethical to vote in a matter in which you have a financial interest. Yet that's precisely what Friedman did when he twice voted against a motion that would have authorized UMBT to collect over $9,000 in legal fees incurred in defending a lawsuit in which he himself was one of the unsuccessful litigants. 

It is even more appalling to read of a "flagrant disregard" of the rules of appellate procedure, especially after they were brought to the attention of Friedman's attorney. 

That lawyer, Chris Spadoni, is also the Solicitor of NorCo Council, and has been giving them advice on potential conflicts of interest. 

NorCo Council Declines to Rescind Tax Break For Upper Mount Bethel Tp Industrial Dite

By a 5-3 vote, Northampton County Council declined last night to repeal an ordinance granting a tax break for the RPL industrial development in Upper Mount Bethel Tp. This incentive was approved last April by Republicans John Goffredo, Tom Giovanni and John Brown as well as Democrats Kerry Myers, Lori Vargo-Heffner and Ron Heckman.  They bought the argument that this would bring jobs to an economically depressed area. Those who opposed it argued that it would also bring warehouses, increased truck traffic on Rte 611 and would destroy the natural beauty of Upper Mount Bethel Tp.

As tax breaks go, this is the least offensive. It is called a LERTA is an acronym for Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance.

Property owners inside a LERTA zone may apply for a tax break for improvements that increase assessment, upon which all real estate taxes are based. They will continue paying full taxes on the current assessment, but the increase in assessment resulting from improvements like a new manufacturing facility or warehouse can be phased in gradually over a period of ten years.

At last night's meeting, Council heard the same pro and con arguments about the LERTA that have been made since last April.

Newly elected Council member Jeff Warren, who sponsored the repeal, must have sensed it was in trouble because he filed a motion to table. That motion failed in a 5-3 vote, In addition to Warren, the Council members who voted to table were Kelly Keegan and Ken Kraft.  The Council members who voted against tabling were Ron Heckman, Lori Vargo-Heffner, John Goffredo, John Brown and Tom Giovanni.   

On the merits, the repeal failed by the same margin. Council members Ron Heckman, Lori Vargo-Heffner, John Goffredo, John Brown and Tom Giovanni voted No to repeal, while Council members Ken Kraft, Kelly Keegan and Jeff Warren voted Yes.    

Later that evening, Kelly Keegan complained that she is not "a rubber stamp. I actually was really insulted by that. I don't know where that came from. There's no evidence of it."

Kelly, your votes show you for what you are. You are in lock step with Lamont McClure's agenda every step of the way, voting in a block of three Council members including Warren and Kraft. It's vary obvious.  

When it Comes to UMBT, NorCo Council Solicitor Spadoni is Conflicted

If the current make-up of Upper Mount Bethel Township's Board of Supervisors is any indication, voters want nothing to do Lou Pektor's River Pointe Commerce Park. They are very concerned this industrial "park" will increase truck traffic along Route 611, add even more warehouses and destroy the rural charm of Northampton County's most beautiful municipality. A large and active group, sometimes referred to as Concerned Citizens of Upper Mount Bethel, has changed been unable to stop this development, but has changed the face of Upper Mount Bethel's government. 

Many of them expressed their concerns when Northampton County Council considered a tax break for Pektor last April. Judith Henckel, a well known environmentalist, added that this kind of tax break is limited to blighted areas, but is being applied to farmland. 

As with most things, there's another side to this story. Council members John Goffredo and Tom Giovanni, who actually live in the Slate Belt, complain there are no jobs. According to Goffredo, "The slate belt is an area where there are no stores, no restaurants, no nothing." Former Upper Mount Bethel Supervisor Robert Teel described it as a depressed area that never recovered when the garment industry died. Giovanni said that his aging father-in-law lives in Evergreen Village and struggles to pay taxes. "This has to go through." said the normally laconic Council member. "That northern tier of our county is suffering and we need to help them."

When push came to shove, Northampton County Council approved this tax break, known as a LERTA. It was supported by Republican Council members Giovanni, Goffredo and John Brown and Democratic Council members Lori Vargo Heffner and Ron Heckman. It was opposed by Republican Council member John Cusick and Democratic Council members Tara Zrinski and Kevin Lott. 

Executive Lamont McClure, no fan of warehouses or truck traffic, vetoed the measure. But Council overrode his veto with the same votes that initially approved the tax break.

McClure's concern may well have been justified. Since this vote, the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission has been with with 13 million sq ft of proposed warehouse development in Northampton County. This includes nine separate plans submitted by Pektor in Upper Mount Bethel Tp. 

At their last meeting, McClure asked County Council to rescind the tax break. He said he'd support a LERTA for manufacturing or to remediate the hulking PPL power plant, but that incentivizing warehouse development is "obscene." 

I happen to oppose most corporate tax incentives. If someone has a good business idea, he should need no government money to succeed. Moreover, no amount of government money can transform a bad business idea into one that is good. So I pretty much agree with McClure's concern. but that's not the point of this post. 

Though Northampton County Council voted in favor of the tax break and against the wishes of what seems like a majority of Upper Mount Bethel Township's voters, it needs to know that their Solicitor is in bed with Pektor's opponents.

County Council Solicitor is Chris Spadoni. He has represented Upper Mount Bethel Tp residents in their fight against Pektor.  He represented Pektor foe and Township Supervisor David Friedman in a complaint that Friedman lost before the state ethics board. Now that the Township is under control of these concerned citizens, he wants his piece of pie. He's been appointed as an alternate township solicitor, but that isn't enough. He wants to be lawyer to the zoning hearing board, even though he'd have to resign as alternate township solicitor. That way he can pretty much stop any zoning changes that Pektor might think are necessary. 

But there's a price to pay. 

Spadoni is clearly conflicted on this or any matter concerning Upper Mount Bethel Tp and the county. He is ethically barred from offering County Council advice on any legal questions that could arise during their consideration of McClure's latest proposal.  

UMBT Approves "9th Largest Bldg" in US

David Friedman, an Upper Mount Bethel Tp (UMBT) Supervisor, advised Northampton County Council last night that UMBT has just conditionally approved the 9th largest building in the country. It will be over 1.5 million sq ft when complete. Friedman said he has no idea what is intended, but possible uses do include a warehouse. 

In April, County Council voted 6-3 for a tax break for the developer at that site

UPDATED: I am unsure how this proposed building actually ranks among the country's largest buildings.

Anti-Development Plank Wins on Both Sides in Upper Mount Bethel

It's very rare to see a write-in candidate beat someone who's already on the ballot. But that's exactly what has happened in the Upper Mount Bethel Tp, where two Supervisor seats were up for grabs. 

There were two candidate on the Republican ballot, Cori Eckman and James E Potter. Eckman won 723 votes and Potter snagged 420. Unfortunately for Potter, he was eliminated by 439 write-in votes cast for Jason Albert. So the two Republican candidates are Eckman and Albert. 

On the Democratic side of the ledger, Ed Nelson was the sole candidate. Jason Albert was kicked off the ballot as a result of problems with his nomination petition, which were pointed out by Nelson in a challenge. 

Nelson, who incidentally is Township Manager until the end of the year, did pick up 126 votes. But he faced a write-in campaign from Albert and Eckman, and they beat him. Albert won 267 write-ins and Heckman garnered 250.  

So unofficially, Eckman and Albert are the only two candidates on either side of the aisle. They can only be beaten if someone can top them with a write-in during November's election.

Eckman and Albert are part of Take Back UMBT, a group upset about the River Pointe development and the traffic it will bring. Northampton County voted to give developer Lou Pektor a tax break called a LERTA at this project, where increased real estate taxes will be phased in slowly over 10 years. Advocated of this tax break said it would bring badly needed jobs. Opponents said it would bring warehouses and truck traffic.

Based on these election results, it appears that a majority of Upper Mount Bethel Tp voters oppose this development.

Upper Mount Bethel Tp's New Manager? Santa Claus

At an unusual Friday night meeting, Upper Mount Bethel Township Supervisors voted 3-1 to appoint a new Township Manager. Believe it or not, it's Santa Claus!

Supervisors met on Friday night because Monday, their regularly scheduled meeting date, was Veterans' Day. Of course,the first thing they did was go into executive session, aka the back room, to discuss personnel matters. When they popped out about ten minutes later, Chairman John Bermingham announced, "There will be no action taken."

I assumed that meant no action would be taken. Silly me. I stuck around for about 15 minutes as they discussed a Christmas tree lighting ceremony by the fire company on December 4, where everyone will sing carols, eat cookies and maybe blow up some tannerite. Though Santa was sitting in the audience, I figured I got a bum steer and left.

Not long after I departed, they took official action they said they weren't, and appointed Santa as Township Manager and at a starting salary of $85,000 with all the usual benefits. Voting yes were Bermingham, David Due and Robert Teel. The grinch, aka Craig Anthony DeFranco, voted No.

Santa Claus, incidentally, is a fellow named Eddie Nelson. Every winter, he goes to Florida and plays Santa at the malls. He canceled his contract this year. Nelson is a former Supervisor, but has no experience as a manager ... or zoning officer ... or planner ... or finance guy. In fairness, he has worked from time to time as a crossing guard.

One of the persons Santa beat for this job is former NorCo Exec John Brown. Between Brown and a mall Santa, I'd take the mall Santa, too.

I think I'm on Santa's naughty list now.

Is It Time For Upper Mt Bethel to have Its Own Police Department?

Last time I took you on a trip to Upper Mont Bethel Tp, residents were upset about mysterious and very loud explosions. As first reported here, it was a state trooper and his pals, shooting up tannerite. This hardly enhanced the Pennsylvania State Police image. Since then, there have been complaints about state police response times, the shooting of automatic weapons at all hours of the day and night and Supervisors have been discussing whether it's time for the Township to form its own police department. The township did once have a police department, but it was disbanded in 1996.

The Township has heard a presentation by East Bangor's police chief, Robert Mulligan. He just happens to be Portland's police chief, too. It was also supposed to hear a presentation by Slate Belt regional, although i do not know whether that has occurred.

Comm'r Ron Angle

On Monday night, Supervisors voted 3 to 2 to hire a consultant from New Jersey to study the question. I have no idea why they would do this when the state Department of Community and Economic Development is willing to do its own evaluation at no cost. But this consultant is supposedly only charging $1.

Supervisor John Bermingham, who calls himself the "Voice for the People" on his Facebook page, has previously said that Supervisors will get public input before making a decision. I believe that putting this on the ballot would be illegal, but the township could do a survey.

Upper Mount Bethel is a very large township with no major highways. So though some troopers live in he Township, response times are probably very slow.  An independent police department would make certain that no rogue troopers would embark on a tannerite tantrum, something state police refused to address.

My guess is that most who live in the township would just as soon allow Easton and Bethlehem to subsidize their state police coverage. I have long felt that any municipality unwilling to provide for its own public safety has no reason to exist and should be abolished. On the other hand, Lower Macungie is the third most populous municipality in the Lehigh Valley and has no police department.

I do understand why Upper Mount Behel residents would want their own police department. The last time they felt safe, Ron Angle was the Commissioner.

And I was Batman.

State Trooper Caused Upper Mount Bethel Explosions

Sunday night, March 18. Ron Angle, Emperor of the Slate Belt, had just retired for the evening. He was drifting off to sleep, counting dollar bills in his head. Suddenly, a loud explosion shook the very ground beneath him and dumped him out of bed. He immediately sprang into DEFCON 1, releasing his hounds and activating his search lights while he descended into his underground lair. As the explosions continued, he began to worry that the "No Sludge" faction of the Township (about 95%) had finally hired a SEAL team to terminate him with extreme prejudice. Explosions continued, rattling his windows and knocking a portrait of him to the ground. But then, as suddenly as they began, they stopped.

It was no attack. It was no earthquake. Nor did I cause this by tripping and falling to the ground. The culprits responsible? Slate Belt residents. The explosions broke some windows and were heard as far away as Hackettstown.

Now if you live in Bethlehem or Allentown, you might occasionally buy sparklers and light them up at night. More adventurous souls will buy firecrackers and set them off on July 4.

But in the Slate Belt, where even the women are men, they would just laugh at you. They like to see things blowed up. Blowed up real good.

There are now about 30 different versions of what happened. First it was a gun range in Portland, then it was a gun range in Upper Mount Bethel, even though the Township has no gun range. Let me give you the skinny.

There's a bunch of guys in the Slate Belt who have a love affair with Tannerite. That's a binary explosive that comes in two packages. One is ammonium nitrate. The other is aluminum powder. By themselves, they are perfectly safe. But if you mix the two and then shoot at the mixture, it blows up.It blows up real good.

While most Slate Belt residents watch NASCAR on Sunday afternoons, these guys blow things up. Usually it's one or two pounds. On March 20, it was 30 pounds that went KABOOM!

The chief suspect, believe it or not, was a blind kid. He may not see what he's shooting, but he can hear it. He's out there all the time, blowing things up. But he was crossed off the list because he had a pretty good alibi. He was at Disney World.

So who was it?

Angry residents poured into Upper Mount Bethel's meeting room on Monday night, looking for answers.  Chair John Bermingham would only say it was under investigation. But Supervisors knew. The bomber admitted what had happened the next day to Rick Fisher, the Township Manager.

"It will never happen again," he promised.

If you were amazed that a blind kid likes to blow things up,you'll be even more amazed to learn the culprit is actually a Pennsylvania State Trooper. He's stationed at Troop M in Belfast, and lives on a 77-acre tract in the township, very close to the Delaware River.

Before naming this Trooper, I have reached out to him, and am waiting for his call.

Township officials are exploring a violation of the Township's noise ordinance. But without a decibel meter, that's impossible to prove.

What we're really talking about here are some possible crimes. It is a felony to risk a catastrophe via exploding devices. It is also a felony to intentionally cause an explosion that damages the property of other people. Shattering windows would qualify. This also resulted in a large volume of 911 calls.

Ironically, Pennsylvania State Police has told a local newspaper that it has "no information" concerning the explosions. Figures. One of their own is the person responsible for them.

This is precisely why DA John Morganelli has previously said that the state police should never investigate themselves.

Upper Mount Bethel Gets $8,000 Grant to Build 1-Foot Observation Tower

They don't call Upper Mount Bethel Township the Cancun of the Lehigh Valley for nothing. For one thing, it has its very own Stonehenge at Columcille Megalith Park. Once a month, that's where they sacrifice Democrats. But everyone knows that. I'm writing for another reason, and that's to tell you of plans to build an observation tower next to some garden for endangered and rare plants. Supervisors are using $8,000 in some conservation grant for this project. There's only one problem. The tower is just a foot high.

Manager Bob Cartwright tells me it can only be a foot high because it has to be ADA accessible. If it were much higher, someone might do a header and sue the Township. Worse yet, someone might try to kill himself by doing a swan dive right into the garden for endangered plants. Ron Angle does live in the Township, so the suicide rate is pretty high.

Anyhoo, Cartwright claims that people will be welcome to bring a lawn chair or wheelchair and sit on the observation tower, watching the cattails and other fantastic flora. He told me that Upper Mount Bethel is the only place in the universe where you can watch the Mount Bethel Fenn.

Angle was out there a few days ago to meditate, and claims he saw a very unusual animal, swimming between the fenns. It's the real reason he dropped out of the Controller's race. It looks like this:

Jones Refuses To Let Public Speak

According to the official tally, Dennis Jones has lost his bid for a spot on the ballot as a Republican candidate for Upper Mount Bethel Board of Supervisors. He's a lame duck, and demonstrated just how lame that is at Monday night's meeting of the Board. Though the agenda provided for public comment, he adjourned without recognizing Ron Angle and Ray Hartzell, both of whom had their hands up.

"Tough luck!" he told them.

U11 Lady Slaters Win CBL Playoffs

After a 13-2 season, Upper Mount Bethel Township's U11 Lady Slaters recently won the Community Basketball League 'ship in a 16-11 victory over Pleasant Valley. last night, the team presented Upper Mount Bethel Supervisors with a plaque noting their achievement, which will be kept there until next year.

It's their first championship in seven years. The team is coached by Adam Kluska, Bob Giamoni and Brian Smith.

Fortunately, the ladies left right before Ron Angle decided to use the toilet, which is conveniently located right next to the meeting room. They don't call him the Sultan of Sludge for nothing. Before he was finished, half the room passed out and had to be hospitalized.

300 Acres of Quarry Land Being Pitched as Open Space

Tp Manager Bob Cartwright

Bob Cartwright, who is both Township Manager and Zoning Officer in Upper Mount Bethel Township, is probably wondering what the hell he did. As Zoning Officer, he made $55,000 a year and everyone left him alone. Now, for another $10,000 a year, he has to placate the egos of five warring Supervisors who seem intent on getting nothing done. And that's pretty much the way things went down last night. Several motions were defeated in a meeting highlighted by remarks from the peanut gallery. They were led by the Sultan of Shit himself, Ron Angle.

There were also some heated exchanges between Jerry Geake and Larry Hallett. Supervisors did manage to authorize an appraisal of the Eastern Industries, which is about 300 acres of an old quarry that was purchased by the Township in 2008 for $2 million. Mortgage payments cost the Township $100,000 per year. The plan is to keep the buildings, which amount to about 16 acres, and sell off the development rights to the remaining land to the Nature Conservancy.

But even the Nature Conservancy acknowledged last night that it's highly unlikely that a former quarry land could ever be developed. It's also by no means clear that Northampton County Council would ever approve open space funding for this kind of project. Hayden Phillips has previously made clear that he is philosophically opposed to open space funding, and Glenn Geissinger has voted against some projects where the possibility of development is remote. In addition, even the Open Space Advisory Board questions using open space money to buy development rights in land already owned by a municipality.

The Nature Conservancy stated that if the County voted against this project, it might fund it on its own.

If you think Angle was deadly as an elected official, you're wrong. He's most dangerous as a citizen, weighing in on different topics as they come up. Last night was no exception. Angle was accompanied by the Bad Mark last night, who was there simply for the entertainment.. Me, too. The Good Mark was doing the Stations of the Cross.

While he was there, Angle managed to

• get signatures to a nomination petition for someone running for Supervisor, and from the very people he was criticizing.
• convince Supervisors to put off a deed transfer requested by Attorney Al Pierce. 
• raise questions whether it's more economical for the Township to hire someone to do annual paving  than to do it themselves. 
• belittle a recent newsletter from Chairman Dennis Jones, which contained 28 spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors.
• complain that taxes have gone up 300% over 12 years with nothing to show for it other than a roof over a silo in a meeting room where the water is polluted.  

The place was packed, as usual. I believe people in Upper Mount Bethel go to meetings because the TV reception is poor in the mountains.

Senator Scavello Visits Upper Mount Bethel Tp

Senator Scavello addresses U. Mt Bethel Supervisors

Here in the Lehigh Valley, it's rare to see a state representative or state senator in what Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski has derisively referred to as the boonies. Unless an election is around the corner, they are largely out of sight and out of touch in our more rural communities. So it was both refreshing and something of a surprise to see State Senator Mario Scavello at last night's meeting of Upper Mount Bethel Township's Board of Supervisors.

"It's a lot more crowded here than it was in Bangor," joked Scavello about the crowd "There were only two people in Bangor," joked
Scavello, who brought his Chief of Staff with him, stated he would like to personally visit each of the municipalities he represents at least twice a year.

Asking what he could do for them actually took Supervisors by surprise. They're not usually offered help by state legislators.

"We need more jobs, I know that," Scavello stated.

Finally, Township Manager Bob Cartwright asked Scavello about Governor Wolf's proposed budget. Scaello stated that it would result in a 30% property tax reduction in this area. "But he's holding it a year," Senator Scavello complained, noting that Governor Wold does not plan to distribute any of the property tax relief for another year.

"I'll support it if it helps us. If it doesn't, I'll support [SB]76," he stated, referring to a tax shifting bill that has been under consideration in Harrisburg for several years.

After Scavello was gone, Supervisors thought of several things they could ask for help with, including grant money for an emergency generator. Next time, I think they'll be ready.

Skeet Shooting At Angle's Farm

I dropped by Ron Angle's farm recently, only to discover that he and Jim Hickey were skeet shooting. ... In a tank. It's a step up from the last time, when they had me strip and gave me a 15-minute head start in their own version of hunger games.

While I was there, I asked Angle about a DEP appeal that some Irish terrorist filed, challenging his God-given right to spread shit on his lands.

Ron was nonplussed.

""Pull!"

"That only applies to Grade B shit," he told me, explaining a permit is only required for Class B sludge.

He then went on to tell me he now plans to spread Class A shit, which requires no permit at all. He's planning a 3" coating as soon as weather permits.

"What's the difference between Class A and Class B shit?" I asked.

"Better assholes," was Angle's answer. "You see, Hickey and I are Class A assholes. You're only a Class B asshole, Bernie. But keep trying."

"Pull!"

Another Shitstorm in Upper Mount Bethel

Just when you think there couldn't be any more shitstorms in Upper Mount Bethel, another one comes blowing in. This one involves a Bangor School Director who apparently loves Wagner, and thinks everyone else should, too.

Lump's Deli is home to a Table of Knowledge in Bethlehem, but there are several such tables at The Upper Mount Bethel Diner. There's even a Table of Shit, which is where Ron Angle and his sludge-slinging friends dine every morning. Yesterday was no exception.

One of Ron's friends, Mark Thatcher, was there yesterday, eating spam and eggs, and pontificating on coyotes or something when in blew Bangor School Director Toni Lynch. He's got a new cellphone, and has it programmed to play "Ride of the Valkyries" whenever he wants.

Unlike Lynch, Thatcher is no fan of Wagner. He warned Lynch before that, if he stuck that phone in his ear one more time, it was going in the toilet. So of course, that's precisely what Lynch did.

Thatcher grabbed the phone and tossed it into the toilet, even though it was full of shit chunks. He then returned to his breakfast.

"It was self defense!" exclaimed Angle, who told me he would testify for Thatcher if necessary.

Red-faced, Lynch was unwilling to retrieve the phone. But Angle tells me two of his friends put their snorkels on and dove in. They also photographed it, although I don't have the picture.

"All it needs now is a bowl of rice and it'll dry right up," explained Angle, as he collected the shit from the toilet.

Thatcher offered to buy Lynch a new phone, but he stormed out of the diner and went to the staties. Thatcher has been charged with criminal mischief.

"That idiot doesn't even know what a Valkyrie is," Thatcher told me from his home in the Valhalla section of Upper Mount Bethel. Oden lives right next to Angle, by the way.

Shit Wars Continue in Upper Mount Bethel

One of the signs residents claim do not exist

It's Christmas time. Time to put logs on the fire, not to discuss the logs we drop into the toilet. So I bet colorful land owner and former NorCo Council member Ron Angle $5 that no more than 50 people would bother to show up for a hastily-scheduled meeting between Christmas and New Year. There's already been a big meeting about Angle's plans to spread shit, more politely referred to as biosolids, on his farms. But I'm $5 poorer. People in Upper Mount Bethel really take their turds seriously. Nearly 200 of them crammed into the Mount Bethel Fire House last night for yet another powwow. They came in angry, in the mood for a good ol' fashioned lynching. But by the end of the night, some sludge opponents even liked what Angle had to say. One sludge opponent even told a typical Angle heckler to "shut the fuck up." The tide may have turned in shit wars. In the end, it's not about shit at all. It's about the farmer. Let me give you the flush-by-flush.

Ron Angle doesn't give a shit

Upper Mount Bethel has five Supervisors, chaired by Judy Henckel. She lost a primary re-election bid. Her critics have claimed she was wasting the Township's open space money to buy steep slopes, cliffs and bogs. Though a survey of Township residents indicates that farmland preservation is their top priority, she refused to spend a nickel to preserve Upper Mount Bethel farms.

She's no friend to farmers.

Angle, on the other hand owns several farms in Northampton County. He has never developed a property. In fact, he once told me he does not even consider himself the owner of the lands titled in his name. He said he is just a caretaker, and the land will be here long after he is gone.

He is no friend to Judy Henckel.

Ron Karsek, 15-year Township Solicitor

But one thing Angle does care about is farming. "If we lose farming in the Township, we ultimately will lose the beauty of the Township," he warned. 

He told the still angry crowd that at one time, there were 50-60 dairy farms in Upper Mount Bethel. Now there might be two, thanks in large part to governmental interference in milk prices.

In an effort to save the dairy farmer, our government destroyed him. A visit to what was once the proud Crivellaro dairy farm is all the proof you should need.

"They don't fix the price of gasoline, but they fix the price of milk," Angle complained.

Most of the remaining farms in Upper Mount Bethel are now crop farms, Angle noted, adding that agriculture is the biggest business in Pennsylvania. But even these farmers are in trouble. Corn fetched $8 a bushel just last year. This year, it is half that price, which means less money in a farmer's pocket.

"What are we really doing for the farmers?" he asked. "When last have any of you stopped at a farm and said thanks for the cornflakes I had this morning?" he asked. He then noted that the Township, instead of spending one cent on the farmer, has thrown $5500 per acre to buy development rights on swamps and bog land that is not developable.

Angle pointed out that his tenant farmers pay $150,000 for fertilizer on his Township farms when they could use treated shit and lime for nothing.

All they needed were bingo cards

Angle said he would stop talking shit is Supervisors would use open space money to buy fertilizer for qualified farmers, instead of swamps.

 
Angle's proposal was actually first advanced by Township watchdog Anthoni Scott a few weeks ago. Henckel tried to brush him asid then and again last night. She insisted the proposal is illegal and refused to recognize Scott until everyone else had spoken.

When he finally was allowed to speak, Scott noted simply that "[t]he farmer has a right to survive."

Two people other than Angle did seem to buy into Scott's idea.

One was Ron Karasek, the Township Solicitor. He told residents that any attempt to prevent Angle from spreading shit on his lands would likely fail. But he feels that devoting open space money to subsidize farmers, under a program in which all farmers can participate, is much more likely to withstand a court challenge.

The second person buying into Angle's idea is one of the leading anti-shit advocates. Sue DeGenaro, who helped form a "No Sludge" Facebook page, told Supervisors that Scott's subsidy proposal should be considered. She said the matter would have to go to referendum and that funds could be used on a sliding scale to subsidize farmers who adhere to "sustainable organic practices."

There was still a procession of residents.

Joe Gorman, an Irishman, spoke in a heavy brogue about a "community bill of rights," which so far has failed every time it has been challenged. He lectured everyone about our rights as Americans.

Daree Sicher, from Berks County's United Sludge-Free Alliance, waved six studies showing the potential harm caused by shit and insisted "these are not local turds," but would be coming from New York and even ... Delaware.

Point by point, Sicher was refuted by Synagro's Pete Price, whose company will be applying the sludge. He pointed out the shit  is pretreated, that infectious waste is not even sent to sewage disposal units, and added that the turds in fact will be Easton and Allentown turds. No Delaware turds. Sicher, a high school graduate whom the Sierra Club considers a "sludge expert," confused Dover, Delaware with Dover Township, which is located here in Pennsylvania.

One resident complained that too much attention is being paid to farmers. "What about me? she asked. "We do matter, not just the farmers."

Supervisors voted unanimously to drop the injunction they voted on at their last meeting. Then, after a brief executive session, they voted 4-1 to try to come up with a plan to subsidize farmers. Judith Henckel dissented, claiming the plan is illegal and a misuse of "open space funds for private person's profits."

Under that logic, every penny spent to buy steep cliffs and bog lands was also a misuse of open space funds because that money enriched people, including a millionaire realtor.

Incidentally Angle is not subsidized by this plan. The money would go to the farmers who work his land, not him.

Henckel also complained that Angle has "finally found a way to scuttle open space."

But Supervisor Larry Hallett took her to task. "Do you want to solve this, Judy, or do you just want it to hang out forever?"

There were still grumblers. Howard Klein, a Supervisor from Lower Mount Bethel, demanded that Angle produce his "contract" with Synagro. Price, the Synagro rep, told Klein there is no contract.

Supervisors will meet again on January 6 to reorganize and to hear more about the "community bill of rights." A lawyer with an advocacy group has been unable to appear at two meetings to explain why it is legal and has yet to speak to Solicitor Ron Karaseck.

Incidentally, yesterday was Angle's birthday. 

Upper Mount Bethel To Convene Emergency Shit Meeting

Though she's on her way out the door after her electoral defeat, outgoing Upper Mount Bethel Supervisor has called an emergency shit meeting to deal with Ron Angle tonight, 6 pm, at the Mount Bethel Fire House. Though the colorful former Northampton County Council President has agreed to delay shit spreading on his farms until mid-January, that's not good enough for his foes.

Now I don't know how you personally feel about shit, but it's a hot topic in the northern tier. Sure, it's holiday time, and shit should be the last thing on people's minds. But the Upper Mount Bethel Township shitkickers have been busy. In addition to persuading Henckel to call this emergency meeting, they've also blocked access to a Ron Angle farm along a road that he actually owns.

With one stone.

When Angle told me about this, I didn't believe him. I had to see it for myself. So last week, I met him at the famous Mount Bethel Diner for a tour. He was holding court with about ten other people when I arrived. Some of them have asked Angle not to do it.

"You can sprinkle sugar on it and call it a brownie," but it's still shit., said one of his confidantes.

Angle doesn't give a shit.

I don't know what it is about diners. I think all public meetings should take place there because no matter where it is, from Billy's to City View, all the problems of the world get solved there. But I digress.

After everyone had finished eating their breakfast, Angle took me on a tour. We passed various "no shit" signs along the way. But we had to stop repeatedly because, as luck would have it, Ron had the shits. I told him to save it.

In addition to looking at the blocked road, I went onto the farm. It commands a magnificent view. People use it in the Winter to four wheel. In the Fa;l, they hunt the land. In the Spring and Summer, there are crops. Would people rather see another crowded development there or a farm?

I sometimes wonder what they are thinking.