UMBT Supervisor Discloses Criminal Past Before Being Sworn In

Newly appointed Supervisor Jonathan Erler disclosed a criminal past before being sworn in as an Upper Mount Bethel Tp Supervisor at last night's meeting. He was appointed to fill the vacancy created by David Due's resignation.

In 2013, Erler was pulled over by Long Island police for talking on his cell phone while driving. At the time, he owned a headshop called Twisted Glass in Wantagh, NY, that sold items like bongs. Marijuana and a flintlock were in his car. Police subsequently obtained a search warrant for Erler's home. They  discovered a pound of marijuana, five ounces of concentrated cannabis and $5,000 in cash. More importantly, they uncovered a wide assortment of weapons that included six assault rifles, five high-capacity ammunition feeding clips, Chinese throwing stars, two bulletproof vests, dozens of guns, armor piercing bullets, brass knuckles, swords and daggers. He was charged with possession of marihuana, possession of a controlled substance and criminal possession of a weapon. 

Here's how Erler explained it: "12 years ago, I was arrested in New York on marijuana possession charges and all my firearms were seized. After a few years and many court proceedings, I plead guilty to a first degree misdemeanor as well as some others and later received all of my firearms back from police, including my tactical flintlock rifle or musket. Subsequently, four years ago, the state police again were at my home due to a complaint, though no charges were ever filed. 

"To be clear, I have never been to jail and I do not have any felonies. But since I do have a Class A misdemeanor from New York, I am currently barred from purchasing a firearm while still maintaining my Second Amendment freedom to keep and bear arms."

Erler went on to explain that he disclosed his criminal past to Supervisors after hus appointment but prior to last night's meeting "so they can reflect on it. ... If the board would like to revote on my appointment, I take no offense." 

After his disclosure, there was no motion to revote on Erler's appointment. He was sworn in. 

Supervisors could probably use a few Chinese throwing stars for when Ron Angle gets out of hand. 

The Pros and Cons of Upper Mount Bethel's LERTA

Last week, Northampton County Council introduced an ordinance that would repeal a tax break for an industrial development in Upper Mount Bethel Tp. This corporate welfare 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.

In his report to County Council, Executive Lamont McClure stated that the ordinance he drafted for consideration would rescind the current law and replace it with another that would enable Council to incentivize manufacturing. 

"[I]t's good to incentivize manufacturing," he said. "Also, we want to incentivize brownfield development. ... What I don't think is appropriate to incentivize is warehouses.... We don't need any more warehouses in NorCo and we certainly shouldn't be incentivizing them. But this is not merely a repeal. We're going to have a replacement and we're going to replace the LERTA, but the difference is going to be that, when a permit is filed, you will decide if that parcel gets a tax break. No one else. Right now, under your current law, Upper Mount Bethel gets to decide which parcels get your taxpayers' tax break."

Lou Pektor, a developer of the site, argued that the LERTA should remain intact, noting it demonstrates the support of the local community. 

Pektor said he is competing for tenants on a national and regional level. "This is not a site where we are pulling people out of the Lehigh Valley and moving them 35 minutes north. ... The world has changed and it's not about price. It's about infrastructure, the ability to grow. The changes in what's happened since COVID have accelerated consolidation, have accelerated thinking on plans about long term growth, No longer do you see warehouses removed from manufacturing operations. You see integration of activities, hopefully under one roof or very proximate to each other. Also, transportation between facilities has grown immensely. The cost of labor, transporting people back and forth, has grown immensely.. ... We've designed the site to deliver footprints that are bigger than what a lot of us are used to talking about. .... We believe we'll land one or two data centers at the site until we're done. ... We got great connectivity, we got a great location, we're close to population centers, we have most importantly, power. Power you're going to hear more about if you're attuned to the commercial and industrial world. We have the ability to get up to 400 megawatts. That's almost unheard of." He added the development is close to Route 80 and rail, and that he is putting in water and sewer. ,ned to maximize and compete at a high level. 

Based on election results, it appears that a majority of Upper Mount Bethel residents oppose the LERTA. In fact, I wonder why their Board has failed to take steps to repeal it. 

County Council members Goffredo, Giovanni and Brown all live in other parts of the slate belt. They argue that jobs are badly needed and people are leaving the area. 

I am philosophically opposed to business tax breaks unless they are for a brownfield. What's your take? 

A Tannerite Ban in Upper Mount Bethel?

Mr. Counterman with another friend, Mr. Bob Cartwright

I've told you recently about the uproar in Upper Mount Bethel Township over exploding targets. A Pa. State trooper decided to blow up, not one, not two, but 30 pounds of tannerite at his Upper Mount Bethel Tp property. If you or I did something like that, we'd be sentenced to the electric chair for 20 years. But the grey gods are above the law. Some people were furious about a series of three explosions on March 18, and packed into a Supervisors' meeting. Though town fathers knew exactly what had happened, they claimed the matter was "under investigation." They also discussed the possibility of banning the use of binary explosives (the kind you have to mix together) in the Township. But resident Rufus T. Counterman, a slate belt resident whose family has lived there for generations, is adamantly exposed to any restriction on his personal freedom.

"It's Mister Rufus T. Counterman to you," he told me when he and his buddy, Leroy Sigafoos, recently met me at Mount Bethel Diner. "We are learned gentlemen, you know. Double wides."

Counterman was referring to the double wide trucks he drives for a living.

He told me he is unalterably opposed to any kind of regulation of tannerite. "It gives us something to do, and keeps us away from our cousins and farm animals."

Campaign Signs on Gov't Property Illegal

Not all that long ago, in what we refer to as the Bonusgate prosecution, a lot of people went to jail for using public resources to engage in partisan political activity. A Supreme Court Justice was forced to resign in disgrace and send letters of apology to every sitting judge.Though everyone should know by now that you can't use public resources for political activity, that's exactly what Executive John Brown did within weeks of being sworn into office. He huddled with his publicly paid PR consultant, in an office furnished and paid for by taxpayers, to discuss political fundraising. Now, it's being done blatantly by the Chairman of Upper Mount Bethel's Board of Supervisors, Dennis Jones.

Within a stone's throw of the municipal building, and on property owned by the Township, Jones has planted one of his campaign signs. Why not just start plastering them on the highway trucks, too?

County Council candidate Matthew Dietz has a sign there, too. In effect, they are both using public resources to fund their campaigns in clear violation of the state Ethics Act. Both candidates should be requested to remove these signs.