Kraft: Let Voters Decide Payraises For Elected Officials

Northampton County Council member John Cusick and Matt Dietz have proposed a payraise for elected officials. If passed, the Executive's salary will increase from $85,000 to $95,000, the Controller's salary will rise from $65,000 to $75,000, and Council members will be paid $10,500 instead of $9,500. The Council President will continue to receive an extra $500. These wage hikes would go into effect the next term. That's because Council members have no authority to give themselves a raise. A public hearing is scheduled today. Council President Ken Kraft as suggested a more permanent solution = letting the people decide.

"It's a political football," he said. "No matter what you do, it's a no-win situation."

He added that if Council approved a payraise for the Exec, there's a good chance that it would be vetoed by the Exec. That's because he would be setting himself up for political attacks should he seek re-election.

What Kraft is suggesting is a Home Rule Charter change under which the people, and not Council, will decide whether a raise is warranted. In addition, he wants the salary tied to the consumer price index so this never is an issue again.

NorCo Court Admin Proposes Way to Reduce Jail Census

Nina Reynard and Jermaine Greene

One way to handle an influx of extra inmates is to build a new jail. That's what former NorCo Exec John Brown wanted to do. It's one of the reasons why he is the former Executive. Had he consulted with President Judge Stephen Baratta and Court Administrator J.Jermaine Greene, he might have learned there's another way. It's simply to reduce the jail population by releasing people who pose no risk to anyone.

Greene unveiled this plan to County Council yesterday. Accompanied by Pretrial Services Director Nina Reynard, he's asking for a new pretrial services officer who will be paid an annual $47,857 salary. This officer will help evaluate persons who are arrested, but before they are placed in custody  The pretrial officer will perform a risk assessment before the Magisterial District Judge sets bail at 7 am.

Greene provided an example brought to his attention by Reynard. A person with no criminal record was arrested and charged with possession of drug paraphernalia because he had a roach. He was unable to post $2,500 bail. He sat in jail for 38 days, even though the maximum sentence is just 30 days. He was released immediately when reynard and Greene discovered what had happened.

After that incident, Greene and Reynard began reviewing the bail set by Magisterial District Judges for low level offenders. At this moment, 28 people are incarcerated on minor charges like retail theft because they are unable to post monetary bail

It costs $106 per day to house an inmate, and Reynard told Council that housing these 28 low level offenders has cost the county $91,000. In nearly half of these cases, defendants are being held even though there are existing detainers, which are requests from other jurisdictions to release the person being held into their custody. 

Administrator Charles Dertinger also pointed to defendants with minor crimes who are hospitalized. Once a Defendant is in the county's custody, Medicaid is dropped and the county is liable for the entire bill. In addition, Dertinger noted that the county had to pay $7,700 in deputy over time.

In addition to costing the county money, Greene and Reynard pointed out that pretrial detention is unfair to the defendants. Greene said they lose families, homes, jobs and get behind on child support. Reyynard added that there's a stigma to being incarcerated. 

"We need to do better," said Greene. "Ninety percent of these people will net be returned to custody," added Reynard. "We are pre-emptively punishing these people."

Greene pointed out that Magisterial District judges still have judicial discretion to set bail as they see fit."We  does work is cojust want to give them another tool to let them know this is a problem we're seeing," he explained.

It appears that Magisterial District Judges Nancy Matos Gonzalez and Robert Hawke tend to be the hammers in Northampton County.

Greene added that this new system will mean that pretrial officers have to work weekends, and he will have to negotiate this matter with the unions.

Monetary bail will still be an option for defendants charged with more serious offenses. But interestingly, Reynard said that studies show that monetizing bail fails to make defendants more likely to appear. She said that what does work are reminders at meetings with pretrial officers.

Conor Lamb Victory Good news For Morganelli

Northampton County DA John Morganelli is a tough-on-crime centrist. His views are similar to those held by most people, Democrat and Republican, living in the Lehigh Valley. He is pro-union and more interested in seeing that people have jobs, adequate health care and decent wages than seeing Nancy Pelosi as the next Speaker. His views are very similar to those held by Conor Lamb. Unofficially, Lamb has jest been elected to Congress in a Pa. District that Trump won by 20 points. It's pretty clear that Morganelli is going to win he congressional race here because most voters are, like Morganelli, moderate in their thinking. , .     

A Road Trip Up 309 to Hazleton

It's past 2 am and I've just returned from Hazelton. I was there tonight to watch Allentown Central Catholic and Dallas High Schools play each other in the state 5A boys' basketball tournament. My grandson Dat got himself into early foul trouble and spent most of the night riding the bench. But Keeshawn Kelman and Jay Vaughan saved the day and eked out a 61-59 victory in double overtime. Morning Call sportswriter Keith Groller called the game a classic. The Vikings advance to the quarter-finals on Friday night, where they will face #1-ranked Bonner-Prendergast. We'll find out where the game is being played tomorrow.

This story is about the road trip to Hazleton, taken with a prominent local attorney who grew up in the coal regions. He's a big fan of the Vaughans (Jay, Sammy and Emily) as well as Chad Kratzer.

We tooled up 309 North and I received quite the history lesson en route. We passed near the scene of the Kelayres massacre. That's where five Democrats were shot and killed in 1934 when the passed the home of "Big Joe," the local GOP boss. He wanted to stop there, but I passed.

I'm a Dem, and Big Joe might still be around.

We also passed near the site of the 1897 Lattimer Massacre. that's where 19 striking miners were shot and killed by a sheriff's posse. Though evidence showed that most of those killed had been shot in the back, the Sheriff and his posse were acquitted. The barrister wanted to stop there, too, but I said it's too late to pass out cards now.

We passed through economically depressed McAdoo and Tamaqua and along slag heaps left from strip mining. We passed an old company town, Audenreid, in which workers would be forced to spend all their earnings and never get ahead.

We also discussed the Molly Maguires and whether they received a fair trial (I said they didn't, he said they did).

We passed near the site of the Sheppton Mining disaster, in which two miners were rescued but a third was never found. Some think the surviving two miners ate him. This barrister suggested we stop there. "Not on an empty stomach," I answered.

Speaking of empty stomachs, we did stop at a great Italian restaurant called Ovalon. That's been there forever, and would rival any restaurant in the Lehigh Valley.

Though it's right by us, the coal regions are another world.

Coming Your Way, Truck Traffic and Big Boxes!

Although Allentown has received most of the recent attention, the real story is going on in Allen and East Allen Townships. That's where Fed Ex Ground is under construction. At full build out, Lehigh Valley Planning Comm'n Executive Director Becky Bradley predicts it "will be the largest ground facility in the world." It will bring jobs, but it will also include a lot more big box warehouses and logistics facilities that will double truck traffic in the Lehigh Valley over the next few years. They ware being built in Allen and East Allen Townships, near the Fed Ex, with the ultimate goal being same day delivery to customers along the east coast. And while online shopping and big boxes explode, brick and mortar department stores will wither, taking jobs away.

In his first State of the County address, NorCo Exec Lamont McClure said he's troubled by the impact of this development. But there's little a county can do. We may have a regional planning commission, but we have no regional planning and zoning laws. Over the years, developers have systematically destroyed much of the rustic charm of the Lehigh Valley. There's no longer much difference between Route 248 and in Northampton County and Route 145 in Lehigh.

A small group of local citizens have banded together. They call themselves CARD (Citizens for Accountability and Responsible Development).

In the meantime, Jaindl and Watson Land Companies which are proposing six warehouses taking up 2.5 million sq ft in Allen Township. Part of the plan requires an easement over Northampton Area School District property for a state road and a water detention basin. But a deed restriction in the school district deed requires that the land be used solely for ""education and related purposes."

CARD filed a RTK request, seeking correspondence between Jaindl and school officials from 2014 to present. It's been flat out denied and for five reasons.

One reason cited, an internal investigation, is bullshit. That would include internal correspondence, not correspondence between Jaindl and the school.

A second reason for denying everything is the fact that some of the correspondence includes real estate appraisals. That information could be redacted.

A third reason is that these are internal predecisional deliberations. Bullshit again. Communications with Jaindl are necessarily external.

A fourth reason to deny everything is attorney-client privilege and work product. This is nonsense. To the extent that there is attorney client privilege, it is waived in communications with a third party.

A fifth and final reason for denying everything is that it might reveal employee identification numbers. This is nonsense because that information can easily be redacted.

Unfortunately, the school district response is dated February 20. This was just sent to me yesterday. Hopefully, CARD has appealed. It is quite clear that the school district has no intention of being accountable.

NorCo Council to Consider Raises For Elected Officials

hen NorCo Council meets on Thursday, they will be considering a payraise for elected officials. If passed, the Executive's salary will increase from $85,000 to $95,000, the Controller's salary will rise from $65,000 to $75,000, and Council members will be paid $10,500 instead of $9,500. Council President will get an extra $500. These wage hikes would not go into effect until the next term because Council members have no authority to give themselves a raise.

I expect elected officials to give their full attention to the public they serve. But they are public servants, not slaves,and should be compensated at much higher levels than are proposed.

The Executive is in charge of a budget that is approaching $400 million. He oversees 2,200 employees. Thus, as far as I am concerned, he should receive the same salary accorded to the President Judge. That is $181,871. The salary is adjusted annually in accord with the consumer price index. That way the issue never has to be addressed again.

So I would amend the ordinance so it provides that the Executive is "compensated with an annual salary identical to that of the President Judge of this County. I would also add provisions to the Controller and council salaries that state "as adjusted annually by the Consumer Price Index."

NorCo State Funding For Child Welfare Up 3.77%

NorCo Executive Lamont McClure has stated several times now that his primary focus is making sure that we respond to the most vulnerable among us - our children, elderly and the mentally distressed.  Sohe's pleased to announce a proposed 3.77% increase in state funding from Child Welfare Services for the 2018-2019 budget. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania anticipates releasing $2,665,388 to our department of Children, Youth and Families.

The increased funds will be allocated to counseling, training in life skills, emergency shelter, foster care and child abuse protective services. These programs are crucial to protect our most vulnerable residents.

The total budget amount approved for child services for the next year is $3,497,765 with $2,665,388 from the state, $486,917 from federal funding, and $345,460 from local taxpayers.

Is Allentown Finally Ready For a Ray of Sunshine?

Dark clouds that have surrounded Allentown for the past two years are finally beginning to fade away. Disgraced Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski has finally resigned. Roger MacLean, a well-respected former Police Chief, is Interim Mayor. Starting this past weekend, there's an extra hour of daylight. So it's time to ask whether the Queen City is finally ready for a Ray of Sunshine. That Ray is Ray O'Connell, who just stepped down as Council President a few short weeks ago. City Council will be making its choice soon. You never know what will happen, but it appears that Ray has four votes. That's all he needs.

There is no shortage of people who would like to be Mayor, including some of the several thousand candidates who ran and lost. It's rumored that one of them, Siobhan Sam Bennett, has already called several Council members. I haven't reached out to her to confirm if this is true, but know she already burned her red campaign blazer.

The serious names I've heard are Ray, Roger MacLean, Nat Hyman and Charlie Thiel.

If Roger MacLean wanted this position, he'd be a formidable candidate. But what I've heard is that he has no interest. He did not run for the position, and is already happily employed as a detective for the Lehigh County District Attorney

Nat Hyman, who did run for the job and captured the second highest vote total, is smart, energetic, innovative and reportedly interested. But I suspect Council is wary of this Democrat turned Republican turned Democrat. Although party affiliation means nothing to me, it matters a lot to many elected politicians

Republican turned Democrat Charlie Thiel bugs me. Not because he is a Republican turned Democrat. Because he's full of himself. After having endured 12 years with one narcissist, it's completely foolish to bring in another.

Dan McCarthy, who was named Solicitor by Fed Ed but has not been confirmed, dragged City Council into an executive session last week. On a matter as important as the City's next Mayor, McCarthy wanted to talk about it in the back room.

Though no one asked him, he then proceeded to give a "plainly clear" legal opinion that elected members of City Council like MacLean or O'Connell are ineligible to hold appointed paid positions for a year after they leave office. There is nothing "plainly clear" about that provision at all.In fact, the previous Solicitor, Susan Wild, thought it was "plainly clear" that Council members could be appointed to vacancies left by elected officials. Unlike McCarthy, she was actually confirmed by Council. Council should follow the last real legal opinion it received.

What's "plainly clear" to me is that McCarthy's opinion has Fed Ed's fingerprints all over it. The last thing Fed Ed wants is to see someone from Council appointed to his old job. They called on him to resign, so he'd rather see a former city vendor and contributor like Charlie Thiel in there, who could be controlled by him and lobbyist Jennifer Mann.

It's also "plainly clear" to me that McCarthy's appointment by the now guilty Mayor should be rejected by Council. Fed Ed's successor should be chosen from the ranks of the Council who stood up to him.

This means Ray O'Connell.

Ray's main message? It's the same one he's had since he first ran for City Council. "We, as a City, are only as strong as the School District, and the School District is only as strong as the City."  He said our children and their growth are "vital components" to the City's success. He claimed that 17,000 students in Allentown, or 89%, are from low income families. This is exacerbated by a transient rate of 40%. He described children who attend all four middle schools in the course of one year. "That is unacceptable, totally unacceptable," he said.

Though he believes the school district has made strides, "the city government has failed. We cannot let this continue."

O'Connell believes that the best way for the City and school district to turn things around is through "school-based community revitalization." His plan is to develop areas around the schools and the quality of life for people in those neighborhoods.

"Neighborhoods created this City. East Side. West End. South Side. Northeast. They created this City."

The school district plans to open two schools in 2020. "We need to work with developers to ensure that these schools are built to a healthy standard of living,." he said. Corner groceries.Mentor programs."We would work with the school district to ensure these needs are met. ... We need to come together"

At a school-based community revitalization program in Baltimore, O'Connell noted that state reading standards went from 19% to 78% in five years.

"We can do it here. We do not have dumb children. We need to give them the resources.We need to be with them. We need to give the parents the resources. Every parent I met over the years - they want to do the best for their children. They love their children. They don't have the resources. We, the City and school district, need to bond to give them the resources"

He said that as important as the downtown revitalization is, "we cannot turn our backs" on the rest of the City. "We have to develop the South Side, East Side, Northeast."

"Too many children have not seen success. You grow and you learn from success."

Strong neighborhoods plus strong schools equals a strong city."

You will see Ray O'Connell, Luiz Garcia and Daryl Hendricks at athletic events for these kids like summer basketball and high school games. There is a corps of adults who already are hard at work as mentors. People like Toomey Anderson and Glenn Klein, the most interesting man in the world.

Whoever is appointed faces a tough job because city finances are a mess  Fed Ed actually ignored his most important responsibility as Mayor - public safety. The police and fire departments need to have the equipment they need to keep you safe.

The person best suited to be Mayor is the one who should have won the primary - Ray O'Connell.

Girls' Basketball is Different, But Exciting and Empowering

Traffic was terrible coming from Philly on Friday night, as anyone who has the misfortune to commute could tell you. I doubt anyone at Olney Charter commutes to the Lehigh Valley, so they were taken by surprise and arrived late for the opening round of the state tournament at Freedom High School. To make matters worse, they were up against a very strong Easton Area High School's Girls Basketball team, which is ranked 12th among big schools (6A) statewide and was early. Olney was still given the time needed to warm up, but it probably made no difference. Easton is much bigger and faster. The Lady Rovers had no trouble dispatching Olney, 67-22.

I've watched about five girls' basketball games this year. Contrary to the popular conception, they have been competitive games But what I liked about Easton, led by Leanna Deegan, is that they seem to be really enjoying themselves out there. They're trying to win, but they're having fun, too.

Leanna Deegan by herself might be a reason to watch girls' basketball. As she draws closer to the 1,000 point mark, it amazes me that this Lafayette-bound senior plays two other sports - field hockey and volleyball. Other exciting basketball players that will be around next year. are Taliyah Medina, a Bethlehem Catholic sophomore, and Emily Vaughan, an Allentown Central Catholic freshman.

Girls' basketball is a bit slower, and that is a blessing to me. I try to keep track of assists, steals, rebounds, turnovers and missed shots. I would completely blow that task later Friday night when the Allentown Central Catholic and Greencastle boys' teams faced each other. But it was easier to do with the girls' teams.

There's another difference. The girls are a little less physical.

I've seen Dat Lambert, Chad Kratzer and Jay Vaughan get knocked into New Jersey as they try to make plays. For Keeshawn "the beast" Kelman and Kevin Kern, it's even worse. Those guys are under the boards and are constantly getting nailed with elbows and pokes.But they drive on. An eye can be dangling from Kern's socket and he'll just shove it back in and play.

But on Friday night, when an Easton player tripped over an Olney player, she began to cry. I don't think she was hurt. She was embarrassed.

The final difference is in attire. One of the Olney girls had donned a hijab. Nike has managed to find a way to make them without the safety pins or other details that might harm other players. I heard no one say a word about it, either, which is a hopeful sign of religious tolerance.

What girls' basketball does is empower these young ladies. If they excel in basketball, they can excel in math and science, too.

14 District XI Basketball Teams Still Standing in States

Politicians must have been barred from playing any role in drawing up the PIAA district map that governs high school sports. The Lehigh Valley is part of District 11 and includes Lehigh, Northampton, Monroe, Carboin and Schuylkill Counties. Over the weekend, the first round of games in the state championship basketball tournaments was played. After the last buzzer sounded, 14 of them are still standing and will participate in the "sweet sixteen" of their respective divisions.

I am listing them below with their state rank. This is determined by MaxPreps, and is based on wins and quality wins.  District XI can boast two boys' teams and six girls' teams included in the top ten of their respective divisions 

Boys' Basketball:

2A: Moravian Academy (#21) will face Northwest (Shickshinny) (#44) on Wednesday night.

3A: Notre Dame Green Pond (#33) will play Bishop McDevitt (#16) Wednesday night.

4A: Bethlehem Catholic (#3) will face Conwell-Egan (#29) Tuesday night

5A: Allentown Central Catholic High School (#7) will play Dallas High School (not the Cowboys) (#21) Tuesday night @ Hazleton High School, 8 pm. .

(Bangor was sadly eliminated by Lampeter-Strasburg, 54-42, on Friday night.)

6A: Pocono Mtn West (#48), after beating Chambersburg by just 1 point, will play Hazleton (#8) on Wednesday night.

(The three other District XI teams were eliminated. East Stroudsburg South fell to Neshaminy, 62-47;  Northampton lost a heartbreaker to St. Joe's Prep, 62-57); and Emmaus was dominated by Central Bucks West, 53-35.)

Girls' Basketball:

2A: Mahanoy Area (#1) will play Sacred Heart Academy (#24) Tuesday night

Minersville (#3) will play Old Forge (#26) Tuesday night.

3A: North Schuylkill (#1) will play Imhotep Charter (#9) Tuesday night.

4A: Allentown Central Catholic (#14), which defeated Lewisburg with a 3-point buzzer beater by freshman Emily Vaughan, will play Lancaster Catholic (#1) Wednesday night.

Bethlehem Catholic (#2) will play Bonner-Prendergast (#16) on Wednesday night.  .

5A: Southern Lehigh (#6) will play Lampeter-Strasburg (#13) Wednesday night.

6A: Easton (#12) will play Souderton (#2) Tuesday night. (I had the privilege of watching Leeana Deegan play on Friday night. What struck me about her and the entire Easton team is that they are really having fun.

Freedom (#5) faces Abington (#9) Tuesday night.

William Allen (#33) will play Central Dauphin (#13) Tuesday night.

(Nazareth was eliminated by Council Rock North, 47-34.)

Troll Warning

As regular readers of this blog know, I attract a lot of cRaZies. I'd say these are just jealous people, but it's probably because I'm a little touched myself  Over the weekend, I imposed comment moderation and refused to permit anonymous comments. There's a fellow who comes on this blog regularly, particularly after he's had a few, to attack a local judge. He also attacks the family members of this judge. He's an ugly man who regularly insults the judge with ethnic slurs. Why he uses my blog to do this is a mystery Though he never signs his comments, I know who he is. I am in the process of doing something about him. In the meantime, I refuse to prevent others from commenting on issues as they see fit. If you see something that looks like it is from him or another troll, just ignore it.I will delete the comment promptly. 

Boys' Hoops: Allentown Central Catholic Advances to Sweet Sixteen in 5A State Tournament

Allentown Central Catholic is the only District XI team still standing in the state 5A tournament, which started Friday night. While the Vikings defeated Greencastle-Antrim, Bangor came up short against Lampeter-Strasburg.

The 16 teams still standing will square off as indicated on Tuesday night. The numbers I place after each team tells you how they are ranked in 5A by MaxPreps. Allentown Central, for example, is ranked #7.

The championship game will be played in Hershey on Friday, March 23, at 8 pm.

Penncrest 49, Shippensburg 36
Northeastern 69, Sun Valley 60

 Penncrest (#8) v. Northeastern (#10) on Tuesday

Abington Hghts 75, Garden Spot 47
Chester 61, Martin Luther King 47

Abington Hghts (#5) v. Chester (#26) on Tuesday

William Penn 63, Holy Ghost 59
Bonner-Prendergast 56, New Oxford 45

Wm Penn (#24) v. Bonner (#1) on Tuesday

Allentown Central Catholic 69, Greencastle-Antrim 52

Dallas 70, Lower Dauphin 54

Allentown Central Catholic (#7) v.  Dallas (#21) on Tuesday @ Hazelton

Milton Hershey 75, Bayard Rustin 52
Bishop Shanahan 76, Hershey 38

Milton Hershey (#6) v. Bishop Shanahan (#16) on Tuesday

Archbishop Carroll 66, Wissahickon 59
Lampeter-Strasburg 54, Bangor 42

Archbishop Carroll (#2) v. Lampeter-Strasburg (#13) on Tuesday

Highlands 52, Franklin Regional 31
Carrick 53, Hollidaysburg 38

Highlands (#18) v.Carrick (#19)on Tuesday

Mars 68, Hampton 47
Trinity 45, Cathedral Prep 42

Mars (#3) v.Trinity (#15) on Tuesday

Two Charged in Gang-Related Bethlehem Homicide

DA John Morganelli, Bethlehem Police
Chief Mark DiLuzio

A little over a year ago, on February 8, 2017, a man who was leaving his Bethlehem home for work noticed something unfamiliar on the sidewalk near the northeast corner of Sioux and Sassafras Streets. Because it was 2 am, it was difficult to make things out. But as he drew closer, he realized it was a person lying on that sidewalk. That person was later identified as Teayahe Glover, a 19 year old woman living in the area. She had suffered multiple gunshot wounds, including one to her face.

Bethlehem police opened an investigation. Detective Christopher Beebe suspected this shooting might be related to one that had taken place just six days earlier and about five blocks away. But he was unable to coax witnesses into talking and asked the Investigating Grand Jury, with its subpoena powers, for help. Thanks to that investigative tool, Bethlehem police were able to crack the case. On Monday, homicide and conspiracy charges were filed against Xavier Sheldon Snyder, age 18, of Washington, NJ, and Kasheem Abdullah Aiken, age 36, of Easton. District Attorney John Morganelli announced that both defendants were being picked up

Kasheem Aiken

According to Morganelli, Glover was killed in retaliation for cooperating with police in the shooting that had occurred just six days earlier. Young's gang allies also blamed her for the shooting.

The evidence garnered by the grand jury is that Alan Young, a gang member with the Hoover 74 Crips, believed that Glover might have also been seeing Tariq Page, a member of the Grape Street Crips. The two scuffled, and Paige pulled a gun and shot Young, seriously wounding him.

Glover witnessed the fight. Instead of remaining silent, she called police. This resulted in Paige's arrest and ultimate conviction of attempted murder. He'll be behind bars for the next seven years

Young was friendly with both Defendants, and all three were associated with a third local gang known simply as Cherokee. The Defendants began threatening Glover..

Shortly before Glover was shot and killed, she had received several text messages blaming her for the Young shooting. Two males were ringing the doorbell of her home at Seneca Street and then running off.

On her Facebook page, Glover posted this status: "The scariest s--t just happened to me. I'm freaked tf out yo! I want all this to be over. I can't deal. I'm gonna lose it."

It was the last Facebook message she ever sent.

Teayahe Glover

Around that time, Defendant Aiken began pressuring Defendant Snyder to lure Glover out of her Seneca Street home. When Snyder initially demurred, Aiken grabbed him by the arm and told him to text her or "I'm going to shoot you in the face."

Snyder then texted Glover to say that he and his cousin had come by to see if she wanted to smoke marijuana. "I need a smoke," she answered and agreed to meet him outside.

The two began walking and talking. She was unaware that Aiken was behind her, and he opened fire at the northeast corner of Sioux and Sassafras Street. She collapsed, but was moving along the sidewalk. Aiken walked up and shot her in the face. Then he turned to Snyder and said, "Let's go or you're next."

After reciting the facts as determined by the Grand Jury, Morganelli lamented the "wall of silence" that surrounds gang activity, saying that state law should be strengthened to make gang membership by itself a crime. Bethlehem Police Chief complimented Assistant DA Bill Blake, Detective Beebe and the Grand Jury for "bringing he wall of silence down." The Chief added, "We need to take notice of these organized criminals, and that's what they are, basically predators in our society. We need to remove them. We need something like a RICO statute on the state level."

The RICO statute is a federal statute applied to organized crime like the mafia, drug cartels and even politicians like Chaka Fattah.

As Morganelli announced the arrests, Glover'smother, Tanya Miller, fought back tears and held hands with Reverend TimSmith of the Faith Works House at Salvation Army. He said that Glover'spresence "still hovers over us, and we want her to know she's not forgotten." He said the family listens to "God's voice of justice," and thanked those in law enforcement "for holding fast to your calling."

HS Hoops: Why Are There So Few Minority Basketball Coaches in District XI?

Toomey Anderson and the "awesome"belt

I've told you before that I'm just a basketball fan. But Toomey Anderson, a former Parkland and Muhlenberg standout, is the Lehigh Valley's Ambassador of Basketball. During this past season, I've seen him everywhere, #alwayswatching. He makes the sport even more fun with great pictures of "celebrities in attendance" and game videos on his LVBR twitter feed. As if that were not enough, he also hosts The Awesome Show to promote the sport. His guestlist has included numerous coaches like Randy Atiyeh, players and the Lehigh Valley Dean of Sportswriting, Keith Groller.

One of the segments on his show is "What's up with Dat?", in which he has been a strong advocate of making high school basketball games something that involves all the students. He wants to see bands in the gym and a wild student section.

But he has another observation, and it's more serious. He notes that of 108 boys and girls teams in District XI, there are only seven minority head coaches. Ed Jennings, who runs the SCBL program, has observed that this exclusion carries over to the referees, too. This is no knock on the many excellent basketball coaches who really look out for their players, like Doug Snyder at William Allen. But as positions open up, there is an overflowing talent pool of minority basketball coaches that deserve consideration.

Morning Call senior sportswriter Keith Groller just highlighted Dr. Shawn Munford, the head coach of the East Stroudsburg South Cavaliers and 6A District XI champs. He grew up in a single-parent home in Philly, and though he at one time played professional basketball, he went on to earn his physics PhD and is now a professor. But he is also a life coach,and not just a basketball coach.

He represents a class of coaches, black and white, who really look out for the kids who play for them.

Fed Ed: "So Long, and Thanks For All the Fish"

I said I'd believe it when I saw it, and I saw it ... at least on video. Yesterday afternoon, a "disappointed" and  "saddened" Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski announced from the stoop of his 11th Street home that he was stepping down as Allentown's mayor. He was surrounded by men and women holding bibles.When he finished speaking, he declined to take any questions, which more or less has been his modus operandi for the past 12 years. Instead he returned to his mancave while his flamboyant attorney, Jack McMahon, parried with the press. Here are my observations.

1) No remorse. - Although Fed.Ed was "so very sorry that you and the City had to endure this long, drawn-out saga," he said nothing that hinted at the slightest remorse or acceptance of responsibility. Instead, he vowed to appeal his sentence as his factotums applauded. He's portraying himself, and not Allentown's citizenry, as the victim.

2) With one exception, no Democratic leaders joined Fed Ed. Most of the people I saw are the same ones who stood by him in July, when he was first indicted. I was at that news conference, and remember them telling me then to wait for the verdict. Well, the verdict is in. One fellow leery of the crowd began taking pictures of the Fed Ed detractors.

3) Congressional candidate Rick Daugherty joined and supported Fed Ed. - He even applauded Pawlowski several times. He apparently thinks this will help his chances and that people will flock to a campaign that endorses political corruption. "Bernie, I support the legal system," he explained. "In all my dealings with Ed I never saw anything illegal, not even a hint of anything illegal. The appeals process is part of that legal system." This is something you should consider when you vote in the primary. Daugherty has sided with political corruption.

4) Jack McMahon is a noble man. -  I've seen McMahon handle several criminal cases in Northampton County. I've told you that when the money is gone, so is he. But this lugubrious lawyer is standing by Fed Ed even though the Allentown Mayor is now impecunious. McMahon said he would defend Fed Ed to the end. He also said that when Pawlowski was first charged, but I expected him to be gone by now. I was wrong. His decision to stand by the now guilty Mayor may be difficult for some of you to understand, but to me, it demonstrates a great deal of personal integrity. We are all lucky that lawyers like McMahon are still out there. Since I am firmly convinced that Fed Ed is guilty as hell, I would want him to have the best possible representation. He has it.

Fleckster Spotted at Easton Area Coffee Shop

I told you last week that Miked Fleck, former best bud and political consultant to Allentown Mayor Edwin "Fed  Ed" Pawlowski, is back in the area. He has since been spotted at an Easton area coffee shop, attired in cargo shorts and flip flops.

Updated: Fed ED Resigning Today? Believe it When You See It

Both WFMZ-TV69 and The Morning Call are reporting that Allentown Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski is going to resign today. The WFMZ report cites multiple unnamed "sources," while the newspaper is hanging its hat on just one.

I have no problem with relying on anonymous sources so long as the reader knows that is what you are doing. I do that all the time. Also, I have heard the same story from multiple sources myself. According to Emily Opilo's twitter feed, Pawlowski briefed top staffers at a meeting with them Tuesday night. This would have taken place after Judge Juan Sanchez canceled Friday's "status conference."

But we know that his wife Lisa wanted the City to carry the family on health insurance a bit longer even though that would be theft. From his Facebook page (since deleted), we also know that Fed Ed stated yesterday that he is broke.

So while I do think he's going to resign eventually, and am hopeful it does happen today, I'll believe it when I see it. He is just arrogant enough to stretch this out a bit longer, completely oblivious of the reality that he would be hurting himself at sentencing time.


Updated 3:40 pm, Mayor Resigns! - My thanks to a reader who attended Fed Ed's resignation, and who was kind enough to provide this update: "Attended mayor's news conference, he did not take questions. He said his resignation is effective 5 p.m. tomorrow (Friday). Stated he would appeal. Said he was proud of the revitalization of a "rust belt city" in his 12 years in office. Expressed gratitude for support he has received from citizens. Expressed regret the citizens had to endure his legal process. His son attended the conference in front of his South 11th Street row home but not his wife. He was welcomed with applause from a contingent of recognizable City Demo Party members. One individual walked around with a sign indicating he was "For Sale" and the TV crews all interviewed sign man after the event ended. TV stations from Philly were there. Mayor was non-emotional. His lawyer then talked for a much longer time, not saying much except confirming there would be an appeal process and reminding folks the mayor could have delayed his resignation for some time prior to this week."

Should There Be More Women in Elected Office?

Today is International Women's History Day and March is Women's History Month. Once a week this month, I will discuss a topic that has particular significance to women. Today I'll hit on my favorite topic - politics. 

During the election cycle, I remember speaking to Lori Vargo Heffner at Tuskes Park. She's a smart and well-informed person, but wasn't running much of a campaign. She asked me how I thought she was doing, and I smugly told her that one of the Democratic women running would win, but not both.

Well, we all know know that I had that wrong. Women kicked ass in the 2017 election. Didn't matter if they were Democrat or Republican. I do think part of the reason for that is Donald Trump, who has been guilty of misogyny several times before and since his election. In addition, the #metoo movement has emboldened many female victims of sexual harassment to speak out. Whatever the reason, results at the polls were jaw-dropping.

Seven women, both Democrat and Republican, were elected to all the open seats on the state's three appellate courts. Locally, there are now three women on Northampton County Council, two on Lehigh County's Board of Commissioners. In Bethlehem, Paige Van Wirt has just been appointed to City Council, where she will join Olga Negron.

This is a good thing. I'd agree that electing someone just because she's a woman is just as foolish as electing someone just because he is Italian, black or whatever. But the fact is that women are under-represented in elected office. They make up only 18% of the General Assembly  and there are no women in the Pennsylvania delegation to US Congress. Pennsylvania ranks 49 of 50 states in female representation in elected office.

Is there a form of latent sexism that, up until now, has kept women out of office? Id so why has that changed so dramatically?

Pawlowski's Revenge

If someone is convicted of embezzlement at a bank, you don't let him continue to work there until he is sentenced. But Allentown Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski, found guilt of 47 counts of political corruption, is still in control at a city where he dispensed contracts and other favors to those who helped his political future. He was expected to resign before a status conference on Friday, but since that has been canceled, he may have decided to stay in office a few days longer. I am deeply concerned that he will use these few days to take his revenge, and in a way that hurts city residents.

As I write this story, Governor Tom Wolf has declared a state of emergency. Bethlehem, Easton and most municipalities have declared snow emergencies. But despite predictions that a foot of snow is on the way, Fed Ed refuses to call a snow emergency.

One of his Facebook readers posted this remark: "Translation: I spent the snow budget on lawyers."

Fed Ed has to know that his refusal or delay in calling a snow emergency is only going to make things worse for city residents and workers once the snow starts coming down hard. Allentown residents can only hope that the snowfall is less than what was predicted and that forecasters are as wrong as they were last week.

He really needs to go.

McClure: "We All Work for the People of Northampton County"

When Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure was first asked to deliver a "State of the County" address, he wondered what he'd be able to say because he's been in office for only two months. So he decided to speak about the challenges he's facing. In conversational style, he made his focus pretty clear in his March 2 address to a packed house of at least 150 people at Historic Hotel Bethlehem. "We all work for the people of Northampton County," he said after introducing his staff.

I was one of the first ones there. I told people that I'm hungry for good government But what I was really hungry for was free bacon. I loaded my plate with a small mountain and made my way to a table right in front, I do this so I can get good pics  But no one was willing to join me. I was sitting at a table laid out for at least ten people, but except for me, it was completely empty.

"I have to compliment you on your ability to keep a table empty," said former Lehigh County Exec Tom Muller, a fellow bastard who is not hated nearly as much as I.

Let's face it, I'm as mean as cat shit.

Hotel Bethlehem Managing Partner Bruce Haines must have felt sorry and sat next to me. But even he had to leave because I kept quoting Obama speeches to him. Lovely Marta Gabriel was there and I usually bother her, but the PFAs she has taken out against me are still open. Alicia Karner was ignoring me because she was still miffed about Bangor's loss to Central Catholic the previous night and my observation that everyone in the slate belt looks just a little bit like Ron Angle.

Right before the festivities started, my table filled up. Jerry Seyfried said he was under orders to sit next to me.

Then Don Cunningham ascended the podium and said how nice it was to "see people sitting with Bernie O'Hare." He introduced McClure as a "highly energized, highly focused" Exec. From what I've seen of him over the past two months, I'm inclined to agree.

McClure, incidentally, is a cracker. Like my parents and many others who live here in the Lehigh Valley, he's originally from the coal regions. His father, with whom he was very close, was himself  involved in local government his entire life. So when McClure said that county government is his "highest ambition," I believe him.

Instead of speaking formally from a prepared script or power point, McClure adopted a conversational and even friendly tone.Over the years, his formality has been the biggest knock against him. You never got a glimpse at the real Lamont McClure. But that picture is beginning to emerge, and he's likable and willing to laugh at himself.

"When your grandmother is at Gracedale, you want people who care," he observed.  Before he came into office, the County's Area Agency on Aging received an "F" in a state assessment. He said that was unacceptable, noting that the elderly are among our "most vulnerable population."

He was particularly bothered that the agency had lost three files."Those aren't files, those are people who were lost,"he said.

He pointed to a child protection agency that had been hamstrung by 22 state laws enacted in the wake of the child abuse conviction of Penn State Assistant Coach Jerry Sandusky. He said the office is consumed by red tape, delaying caseworkers from getting into the field. "If we don't go, nobody goes to check on that child," he warned.

So for now, his primary focus is on rebuilding morale and appropriate staffing, what he called "blocking and tackling."

His staff is working on a plan to deal with the opioid crisis. He said the biggest problem he's seen is a lack of inpatient care for young people.

McClure's address was attended by most members of County Council, DA John Morganelli, Controller Bucky Szulborski and former Executive John Brown. He also pointed to several officials from municipalities throughout the County. Judges were absent because of miscellaneous hearing court on Fridays. The event was open to the public, and at no charge. It was sponsored by the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation.