Cunningham Releases Bare Bones Five-Year plan

"We are in a time of reduced revenue to the county and have to tighten our belts down to maintaining basic operations and supporting core functions. Fortunately, we were wise enough to take on an aggressive capital improvement plan during the last four years while revenue was available."

That's what LC Exec Don Cunningham said when releasing his fifth five-year plan today.  In his first four years, Lehigh County built Coca Cola Park, renovated and expanded its Courthouse, relocated and upgraded its 9-1-1 Communication Center, embarked on an upgrade and expansion of our Community Corrections Facility, re-built or repaired more than 20 bridges, upgraded and improved IT infrastructure, relocated and improved the county's domestic relations facility, overhauled and improved the Cedarbrook Nursing Homes and built the Trexler Environmental Center. In addition, Lehigh County invested nearly $19 million for the preservation of farmland and open space, and improving county, state and municipal parks.

The latest plan, however, freezes green future fund spending and eliminates the purchase of any new vehicles with general county tax dollars. It cuts back on any maintenance that isn't absolutely necessary and eliminates projects that may be advantageous but are not needed for core operations.

Cunningham does, however, continue Lehigh County's commitment to public safety, maintaining IT infrastructure, improving bridges and maintaining nursing homes. The major new projects in the plan include a new Forensic Medicolegal facility ($2.1 million), which will be paid for with savings from the Courthouse renovation and expansion project, a Regional Crime Data Center ($4.2 million), upgrade and implementation of a new emergency radio system ($3.1 million), the replacement of the Coplay-Northampton Bridge ($12 million) and Lehigh Street 3 Bridge ($11 million) and development of the Jordan Creek Greenway ($1 million).

This five year plan reflects multiple sources of funding, much of which comes from state and federal sources. It covers the period from 2011 through 2015 and will be reviewed and voted on by the Lehigh County Board of Commissioners during July and August. The first meeting to discuss the plan is July 21 at 6 p.m. in the County's Public Hearing Room.

Angle Establishes Reward Box For County Workforce

"Nobody knows better how to do a job than the guy doing it."

That's what Northampton County Council Prez Ron Angle said at today's finance committee meeting, where he announced the establishment of a reward based suggestion box for the County workforce. He is funding it with $2,000 of his own money, and is offering rewards between $100 and $500 to workers who come up with cost-saving or revenue-generating ideas.

Have an idea? Write a note and drop it off for Angle at the County Council Clerk's office.

Callahan Opposes Cap and Trade, But He Supports it, Too

LV Congressman Charlie Dent's campaign team has taken Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan to task for two seemingly inconsistent positions on cap and trade. Here's the latest:

John Callahan just contradicted himself on a major national issue again. Mayor John Callahan most assuredly supports cap and trade, the national energy tax. Callahan signed his name to the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ Climate Protection Agreement. A significant part of that pact is the Mayors’ agreement to urge the U.S. Congress to create a “national emission trading system,” more commonly known as cap and trade.

Candidate John Callahan declared two days ago that he opposes a “cap and trade” national energy tax because “it would endanger jobs or derail the economy,” according to Callahan’s campaign manager.1 So which of Callahan’s positions is true?

At a U.S. Conference of Mayors annual meeting in Miami, the Conference adopted the resolution, “City Priorities for a Cap and Trade System,” which stated on behalf of the Mayors: “The US Conference of Mayors urges Congress to pass legislation that creates a market for carbon through development of a fair and flexible national cap and trade system.” It further declares that “the U.S. Conference of Mayors supports using revenues generated by a cap and trade program to recognize the important role that local governments play in climate protection by channeling some portion of funds generated directly to local governments in support of continued and expanded efforts to reduce emissions.” (Links attached below)

Congressman Dent stated succinctly: “Mayor John Callahan wants a national energy tax to pay for more government spending.”

When the House of Representatives did pass a Cap and Trade bill, Callahan said nothing. But now he claims to oppose it. Callahan remains a member of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Did he forget his support for cap and trade, or simply think voters of the Fifteenth district wouldn’t notice his contradictory position?

“Is John Callahan going to send his membership card back to the Conference in protest for supporting a program that will ‘derail the economy?’” asked Shawn Millan, campaign manager, Charlie Dent for Congress. “If John Callahan now realizes that he was wrong to sign his name to a plan that would be detrimental to the economy, then Callahan should admit that to the people of the Fifteenth District and explain where he really stands on cap and trade.”

Notes:

1. Pennsylvania Avenue, the Morning Call, “Dent, Callahan can agree on this,” posted by Nicole Radzievich, June 28, 2010

Links:

Resolution: http://usmayors.org/resolutions/76th_conference/chhs_03.asp

Agreement: http://www.usmayors.org/climateprotection/agreement.htm

Signatories: http://www.usmayors.org/climateprotection/list.asp

Calling All Comrades ... Again

This is the kind of stuff that only happens here in the People's Republic of Northampton County.

By two votes, Walt Garvin was elected Northampton County's Democratic party chair on June 17. His opponent, Michael Laws, had three proxies from other committeemen, but those votes were never cast. State by-laws provide that only other Democrats from that district can cast a proxy.

Although it certainly appeared to me that an effort was made to be fair, the state committee has still refused to certify Garvin. Like his predecessor Joe Long, Garvin's election was illegal because secret ballots were used. State bosses prohibit that because they're afraid we'll just do what we do in other elections, and vote several times.

So this election will be repeated on Wednesday, July 7, 7:30 PM, at the Northampton County Courthouse, Courtroom #1. Here's how Michael Laws explains it.

"We lost a close race by 2 votes based on a technicality because 3 of our proxy's technically didn't conform to county bylaws

"But we discovered something late that night and then verified it on June 18th that was a another technicality . We discovered a directive specifically directed to county reorganization meetings, that simply stated, that the secret ballot process was unacceptable on all levels in the Democratic Party according to a memo from TJ Rooney dated April 29. So Anne (State Committee member) and Larry Lauritzen contacted State Committee and proactively brought it to the attention of Walt Garvin and Fadia Halma at the State Committee on Sat 19th. When Fadia bought it to Joe Long's attention and it was further backed up by the State Committee’s Parliamentarian, Joe decided to re launch a new reorganization meeting. I did all that to say this. There will be a new election next week on Wed at 6:30 at the court house. Please come and vote again. There is a rumor that they even sent out the proxies, so we have a new opportunity to win this election and continue to focus on the goal of reelecting, rebuilding and making Northampton County Democratic Party the premier Party in the State.

"This is our passport to the future."

A letter from the local party confirms that there will be a do over on July 7. The letter does include a proxy.

Joe Long and Walt Garvin sycophant Charles "don't call be Charlie" Dertinger presided over the last election. I've been told that state Rep. Bob Freeman, a person acceptable both to Laws and Garvin, will have the honors on July 7.

Who's the Mad Dog?

Northampton County DA John Morganelli, a spin master of media manipulation who conducts about three times as many news conferences as Ron Angle, has already called Michael Ballard's quadruple homicide the slaughter of a "mad dog." When telling newsies about Ballard's car accident not far from the murder scene, Morganelli adds, "He'll be alright, unfortunately." Already, there are stories about Ballards KKK ties and child molestation claims that the DA says were too weak to prosecute, although he made sure they appeared in the newspaper.

All of this - from the statements to prejudicial information fed to reporters by Morganelli - is prosecutorial misconduct, and from a long-time DA who knows better. It's the kind of behavior that could be labeled "harmless error" in light of the overwhelming evidence against Ballard, but could also result in expensive sanctions like a change of venue.

Now don't get me wrong. I know how everyone feels about this guy, and I'm no quadruple murder fan. But in addition to being unfair to the accused, Morganelli's conduct has already cost taxpayers thousands. Any defense lawyer who fails to seek sanctions for this prosecutorial misconduct will himself be later accused of ineffective assistance. Disposing of that motion is going to waste judicial and prosecutorial resources, costing all of us money.

He was elected to prosecute, not persecute.

Norco GOP Loves Pork!

On Saturday, I was Ron Angle's guest at a Northampton County GOP picnic. He told me he'd pick me up. At noon, some Blackwater dudes broke into my apartment, threw a black bag over my head, and off we went. Though unable to see, I could still smell pretty well, so I was pretty sure we were in farm country. After about ten minutes, they threw me out of the flatbed, and sure enough, I was in Bushkill Township, where there still are a few of these exotic animals called cows. Yes, this is Angle country.

What goes on at a Republican picnic? Oh, the usual. Some were reading passages of the Constitution to each other. Others were reciting the Bible or just pledging allegiance. There's always some target shooting. But I never expected to see so much food.

"Eat up, Bernie, eat!"

They had actually roasted a pig for the occasion. They gave her a name, too, although I've been sworn to secrecy about that.

Now you may think Republicans are just a bunch of jerks, but they were really nice. After showing me the secret Republican handshake, they made sure my plate was always full. But I was wary. I know what happened to Nicholas Cage in Wicker Man, so I was ready to bolt.

Most of the candidates were there, including State Senator Bob Mensch. Having never heard him before, I expected a dud. I was wrong. In a matter-of-fact style, he explained that growing the size of government is no way to create jobs, and neatly ticked off these facts in support of his argument.

* Pennsylvania has the second highest number of unemployment claims in the nation.

* Pennsylvania is ranked #45 in job creation. Four years ago, we were ranked #44, so we're going in the wrong direction.

* Our 9.9% corporate net income tax puts us in a tie with Iowa for the highest corporate income tax in the nation.

* Rendell has increased the budget by 40% over his years in office.

* The feds will no longer fund about $800 million in Medicare and Medicaid claims, leaving that expense to the state.

"We can't keep going in that direction," he quietly said, noting that our bad business tax policies must change. Asked about the jobs created by the new casino industry, Mensch noted the gambling industry "does not pay much more than McDonald's or Burger King."

Mensch's message would resonate anywhere, which may explain why he is one of the rare Republicans able to garner union support.

Mensch was a tough act to follow, and none of the other candidates came close.

Ron Shegda (running against Bob Freeman) spoke about gas while his sister kept filling plates with cookies and cupcakes and taking them out to their car. I'll bet they had one hell of a bake sale. Shegda, in a blinding tie-die shirt, droned on while his sister scooped up the goodies. Eventually, someone from the exec committee signalled him to wrap it up.

Matt Connolly (running against Lisa Boscola) brought his cute daughter, who wowed everyone with her singing. He didn't need to speak after introducing her.

Dave Molony (running against Joe Brennan) asked how many people there were from South Bethlehem. Not one person raised a hand. "That's what I'm up against," he lamented, referring to Joe's heavily Democratic district. Dave brought his good-looking kids, too, who must take after their mother. Dave said he wants to get Harrisburg's "taxaholics" into a 12-step program.

Pat Browne (running against Rick Orloski). "If it takes 101 days to pass a budget, it takes 101 days." Huh?

Joe Emrick (running against Charles "don't call me Chuck" Dertinger) had just finished working out. "Just remember the 3 Bs. Be awesome. Be like me. Creatine." Emrick also bragged that in Upper Nazareth, were he is a Supervisor, taxes have actually gone down 7%, which does buck the trend. I think he called Dertinger a girlie boy.

Justin Simmons (running against Mike Horton). "I knocked on 10,000 doors." How many answered? Justin had to be home by 5 PM. They were having macaroni.

Ron Angle (running against everyone). "Did I tell you about my run-in with the judges?" No sooner had he said that than sirens began to wail from a distance. "Morganelli's coming for you!" someone shouted.

That's when I slipped away.

Bethlehem's New Zoning Ordinance Favors Callahan's Brother-in-Law

It's the home formerly owned by legendary criminal defense lawyer and the last real Democratic party boss in Northampton County, Justin Jiralanio. Located on a large 2.74 acre tract at the southeast corner of Linden Street and Butztown Road, 2854 Linden St has been owned by Dino P. Cantelmi for the past nine years.

Twice, in 2000 and 2009, Cantelmi tried, and failed, to obtain a use variance for a funeral home in this residential area. His latest proposal is Cantelmi Condominiums, which would entail demolishing Jiralanio's home and replacing it with 21 townhouses, complete with individual driveways and 51 parking spaces.

If Bethlehem's proposed, "user friendly" zoning ordinance is adopted, Cantelmi will no longer need that condo or a use variance. He'll finally be able to operate that funeral home because Bethlehem's Planning Bureau has recommended changing the zoning in that area from residential to light commercial. I'm sure the funeral processions along Rte. 191 will be no inconvenience at all.

Incidentally, Cantelmi is Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan's brother-in-law. That proposed zoning ordinance sure is friendly to him.

That's just one objection voiced repeatedly at First Presbyterian Church on June 28, during one of three public meetings to solicit public input on proposed changes to Bethlehem's zoning. About twenty, mostly skeptical, residents attended.

"I can see this is a sticking point," conceded Planning Bureau Director Darlene Heller, who made the presentation. "I get it. We noted it."

Another sticking point is a change in zoning along Easton Avenue from residential to commercial. When Bethlehem's Planning Bureau first tried that in 2005, thirteen nearby residents complained to City Council that this rezoning would just make "the Stefko-ization" (a reference to the commercial development along Stefko Boulevard) inevitable along Easton Avenue. Every member of City Council echoed those reservations, and the rezoning idea died.

Until now.

Despite a clear indication from City Council, Heller was adamant. "Our office still believes CL [light commercial] is the appropriate zoning there," she declaimed.

"Unless you're a residential owner out there," grumbled Bethlehem resident Dana Grub. "What you need to do is put yourself in the shoes of the people who live in these neighborhoods."

"We're going to make a note of that and look at it," answered Heller.

Hotel Bethlehem owner Bruce Haines complained about plans to rezone a block at Market and New from residential to commercial. "About five years ago, thirty neighbors got together and spent $50 thousand to keep a bar out of a historic area," he noted, opposed to the idea of rezoning residential districts as commercial.

One unidentified resident complained that the new zoning ordinance is designed "to take care of our preferred property owners," adding that in a light commercial district, business owners can erect five-story buildings next to one-story residences. Heller downplayed that possibility, stating it would require a very large tract and ample provisions for parking.

Bethlehem resident Al Bernotas, currently involved in litigation against Bethlehem's Zoning Hearing Board, complained that the new ordinance eliminates restrictions on 2-ton commercial vehicles parked in residential neighborhoods. "I don't want any tractor trailer parked next to my property."

Although the proposed zoning ordinance was treated skeptically, many provisions were complimented, including parking lot lighting provisions and shared parking.

Believe it or not, Heller thanked everyone for coming and explained there is no specific timetable for enactment of the zoning ordinance. After receiving input and making changes, the ordinance will be reviewed by neighboring municipalities, school districts and the LV Planning Commission. After that review, the ordinance will go to City Council only if there is a recommendation by the Planning Commission.

Callahan: Dent Made Right Call To Vote Against Cap and Trade

When LV Congressman Charlie Dent voted against the controversial “cap and trade” bill that narrowly passed the House last year, his vote was based on the reality that this will kill Pennsylvania jobs while simultaneously increasing Pennsylvania utility bills.

At the time, three of Pennsylvania’s five Public Utilities Commissioners warned the Pennsylvania Congressional delegation of skyrocketing energy costs as well as the loss of 66,000 jobs. (Letter is below).

PUC Letter re Cap and Trade
Now this legislation is being considered by the Senate, and The New York Times reports that "cap and trade" could emerge when the Senate and House reconcile two different bills.

So how does Congressional candidate John Callahan feel about this subject? Well, it took him a year, but he has sided with Dent. According to Pennsylvania Avenue, Callahan would have voted against cap and trade just like Charlie Dent. Mouthpiece Justin Schall is quoted saying, "In this economy, we can’t do anything that would endanger jobs or derail the economy."

Gee, that sounds Republican.

A Republican Dr. Seuss

One of my conservative friends constantly sends me emails trying to convert me, kinda' like the Moonies. I enjoy them mostly because of their good humor, something in very short supply among the preachy Obamaphiles.

Let me share this Dr. Seuss poem, forwarded by my well-heeled blueblood friend (or one of his servants) while I was at home, trying to figure how to break into his house without setting off his alarms.

I do not like this Uncle Sam, I do not like his health care scam.

I do not like these dirty crooks, or how they lie and cook the books.

I do not like when Congress steals,

I do not like their secret deals.

I do not like this speaker Nan ,

I do not like this 'YES WE CAN'.

I do not like this spending spree,

I'm smart, I know that nothing's free,

I do not like your smug replies, when I complain about your lies.

I do not like this kind of hope.

I do not like it. nope, nope, nope!

The Judges and Curious George

Courthouse insiders can see that judicial tipstaffs are paid full-time for part-time jobs. Some judges themselves rarely put in a full day, something you can easily determine for yourself by looking at their empty reserved parking spots.

But what about other judicial employees? Do they put in a full forty hours? Probably most of them do, but it's very hard to provide the oversight that is very common with other County workers. Once you ask too many questions, the phrase "judicial discretion" is uttered, which is kinda' like dipolmatic immunity on a local level. So when you ask whether law clerks really work forty hours a week, everyone gets all indignant and insulted.

But last year, Controller Steve Barron was given a glimpse into the inner workings of judicial employees when he looked at what was going on at the DUI Center. He refuses to discuss it with me, and I've only pieced this together as a result of what I've heard after I began writing about tipstaffs. It reveals that tipstaffs are not the only judicial employees getting paid for nothing. Let me tell you the story of Curious George.

Back in 1989, then DA Don Corriere created a DUI Center for the efficient processing of suspected drunk drivers. The courts ended up supervising the Center until 2007, when it dawned on them that if they are the bosses, they could hardly be called neutral and detached arbiters of the findings made at the DUI Center. Former Sheriff Jeff Hawbecker got stuck supervising the Center, but it was too much of a headache, and he shoved it off on DA John Morganelli in 2008.

When that happened, Controller Steve Barron could actually able to review the payments made to county workers who at one time worked under the supervision of the Courts. That's how he learned about Curious George Bruneio, who worked there.

How Bruneio got the job is anybody's guess. Some say he took a test. Others claim he's pals with Deputy Court Administrator Jill Cicero and her husband.

One thing is certain. He does pretty well for himself. Curious George was paid $46,804.76 in 2007. In addition to a base pay of $36,246.78, he received $1,376.46 in vacation, $1,452.93 in holidays, $841.17 in personal days, $1,000 in longevity pay and a whopping $5,887.42 for on-call time. Oh yeah, he also drove to and from the DUI Center in an County-owned car.

So what's the big deal? We have a full-time employee who makes a bit extra. So what?

Well, Curious George has another full-time job, too. You see, in addition to telling people to repeat the alphabet at the DUI Center, he's also Freemansburg's full-time police chief. The courts claimed George was an exempt salaried employee, kinda' like tipstaffs. But if that is so, how the hell did he get nearly $6,000 in oncall time in 2007?

Bruneio got on-call time pretty consistently over the years.

2004: 308 hours at $5,391.54.
2005: 406 hours at $7,427.73.
2006: 504 hours at $9,427.32.
2007: 308 hours at $5,887.42.

That totals $28,134.01 above and beyond the regular pay of a County worker, and one who just happens to be Freemansburg's full-time police chief. It is very questionable whether Curious George was always on-call in that way. I am sure there is a lack of documentation.

When DA Morganelli took over the DUI Center operations in 2008, he stopped the on-call pay to Bruneio.

Despite a directive from County Exec John Stoffa, Curious George continued to drive a County car back and forth from home to work. His home, incidentally, is in Springtown, Bucks County. That continued until a few months ago, when the DA grabbed the car for one of his detectives.

Now, if you haven't decided about Curious George yet, listen to the story told by phlebotomist Gidget Mock. She worked under Bruneio at the DUI Center between 2003 and 2005, and ultimately sued on claims that he and others sexually harassed her. When she told Bruneio, he twice directed her to report to his Freemansburg office. No part of the DUI Center is located there. Here's her version, as summed up by a federal judge.

"In February or March of 2004, Mock went to see Bruneio at his office in Freemansburg to complain about the inappropriate behavior of Marshall and McClymont. When Mock walked into his office, Bruneio got up from his seat, and acted like he was going to close the door behind her. Instead, he cornered Mock, and asked her if she was wearing a padded bra.

"Mock told Bruneio that she did not appreciate his comment. She also stated at that time that she wanted all the comments about her lingerie to stop. In a later incident, Bruneio attempted to touch her breasts when he walked past her in a corridor at the DUI Center.

"In August, 2004, Mock again met with Bruneio at his Freemansburg office, and during this meeting, Bruneio made contact with her breast. Like the previous encounter earlier in the year, Mock entered the office, and Bruneio got up to shut the door. After closing it, Bruneio escorted Mock to a chair, and touched her breast while doing so. Mock attested to the fact that Bruneio said after he touched her breast that he was happy to know that she was not wearing a padded bra that day. Further, when Mock then got up to leave, Bruneio acted like he was going to 'smack [her] ass' as she walked by him. Mock said that Bruneio frequently acted like he was going to 'smack [her] ass.'"

The County ultimately settled with Mock for close to $80,000. Curious George still works for the County.

Whether it is bogus hours or sexual harassment, this is what you can expect when one branch of government refuses to allow the kinds of oversight common everywhere else. It creates an atmosphere of corruption in which the kids-for-cash scheme conmcocted by two Luzerne County judges becomes all too possible.

Northampton County Coubncil President Ron Angle has called a special meeting of the County's Finance Committee on Wednesday at 1 PM to discuss this "judicial discretion" gone awry. Controller Barron has been invited.

Angle Explains Tipstaffs

Over the past two weeks, I've been focusing on Northampton County's tipstaffs, who are regularly paid for hours they never work as glorified butlers for our local judges. Northampton County Council Prez Ron Angle, in a news conference last week, describes their duties.

"The tipstaff is kind of a personal aide to judges. Each judge has two tipstaffs. The tipstaff basically bangs the gavel, says court is in session, bangs the gavel when they're gonna' adjourn, goes gets coffee, shows jurors to the jury room, if the judge is looking for water, he goes look for him. Frankly, they're political patronage jobs is actually what they are. They're not hired based on their ability, they're not hired based on a test. Each judge is allowed to pick two tipstaffs.

"Now, these tipstaffs make in the range of $20 to $28 thousand a year. They're indisputably part-time jobs. They're here when the judge they work for is in the courtroom and court is in session. If he's not here, they're not here. When court's adjourned, they go home. They work on average maybe a little over 20 hours per week.

"They're hourly employees but mysteriously, somehow they're now being called salaried employees. But in reality, they are hourly employees.

"Now in the times we're in - in the United States and in this state and in this County - where people are losing their health care benefits, people are losing many things - these part-time political patronage employees who make 20 some thousand a year for a minimal amount of hours a week, get full County benefits. Their benefits equal their pay. They get it all. They get health care, they get dental, they get a pension, they get everything imaginable. To hit a gavel and say court's in session, to hit a gavel and say we're going to lunch, to go get coffee, and to basically be an errand person.

"Now anybody who's been around the courthouse realizes, and I'm not looking to demean them, but that is the job. That is the honest reality of that is the job.

"Well yesterday, when I and Mr. Stoffa tried to explain to the President Judge that these are the kind of things we need to cut, it's not going to have any impact on the functions of the Court. Well, they were adamant. These guys are very important guys who they don't know how they could function without them.

"So I would ask the taxpayers of Northampton County, because most of these tipstaffs are retired people, wouldn't every retired person in Northampton County love to have a $25 thousand a year job for a few hours a week, get another pension some day and get full health benefits? We'd have people lined up for these jobs. But you don't get a chance to get that job because that's a political patronage job.

"Those jobs should absolutely be eliminated. If a judge says to me, or like Mr. Onembo tried to say to me, well who will bang the gavel, who will close the door? Well, most of the time, for those people who cover the court beat, there's two or three deputies in the courtroom. Let the deputy bang the gavel, let the deputy go for coffee, let the deputy fill the water jug.

"I don't expect the lady in Walnutport who's a widow on a fixed income to pay for it, or the young couple in Hellertown, who's trying to hang onto their house, to pay for it.

"Frankly, the courts are out of control ... . They live in their own world. They don't care about the taxpayers of Northampton County. They live to serve their little kingdom over in their ivory palace made of marble. Well frankly, as you can see by me, I serve the people, and it's time the courts got snapped into line. "

Now if the tipstaff positions are eliminated, as Angle suggests, judges will just complain that the legislature is interfering with a separate branch of government, and one we have an obligation to fund. They'll win. But we can lose a battle and win the war.

How? Re-classify tipstaff positions in next year's budget so that they are only paid when they actually work. Kill the benefits, too. Judges can then sue their heart out, but they lose. It is impossible to justify payments for hours not worked. That's called theft.

Lehigh and Northwest LL: On-field Rivals, Off-field Friends

Although yesterday's hot sun slowed everyone down, Northwest Little League's ten-year olds quickly came to life when some lifesaver offered them baseball cupcakes after yesterday's game.

It's that time of year. All Star Tournaments for District 20's fifteen teams have been underway since Thursday. Here's the way it works. You play until you've lost twice. At my grandson's 10 year-old level, it is possible to advance from the district all the way to the state championship. For older groups, it's the world. They might play teams from Latin America or Japan.

Locally, Lehigh Little League has dominated the 10 year-old division over the past ten years with two district, 5 regional and one state championship. But to do that this year, Lehigh's bombers - which include power hitters like Sammy "the slugger' Kraihanzel and golden gloves like Kyle Picht - are going to have to get past Northwest. Harry "the Heater" Faindl has been hurling sparrow missiles in his last few outings. Forget MLB, the Pentagon wants him. And slugger Tyler "T-Man" Anthony knocked a weather satellite out of the sky in his last at-bat.

Of course, these kids know all this. They go to school together, live near each other and even play with each other on the Bethlehem Canes, a travelling tournament team that just won ECTB's Memorial Day Invitational. They are friends who will likely be playing together at Liberty High School in a few short years.

So it's no surprise that in yesterday's sweltering heat, Lehigh's kids were among the fans rooting for their friends at Northwest. Sammy and Kyle were signing autographs, along with another Lehigh slugger, young David Bertolotti. Everyone calls him "The Mayor" because he's so damn friendly. Even the umps love him.

Northwest's hitting was too much for North Central, and after 5 1/2 very long innings, the final score was 14-5. A barrage of singles and doubles won the game. That was Northwest's second win. In their first outing on Thursday night, they pounded Southside Bethlehem, 12-6.

But Lehigh has two victories under its belt, too. Despite being behind Hellertown 9-3 on Thursday night, they came out on top of that game, 17-12. Then they just demolished a combined Northeast Bethlehem and Freemansburg team on Saturday, 22-0.

So this Wednesday night, at 6 PM, Northwest will face Lehigh. Next year's bragging rights are on the line. Losing team lives to fight again, so it's very possible these teams will face each other twice. Once all the dust has settled and only one team advances, I am certain that the other will root their friends on and mean it. Both organizations have produced some classy ballplayers.

Of course, Lehigh and Northwest need to keep an eye on Nazareth, which also has two wins.

Here's how things look so far.

Hellertown: lost to Lehigh
Nazareth: 2 wins. Mountainville and East Side
Lehigh: 2 wins. Hellertown and NE Fountain Hill
Northwest: 2 wins. Southside and North Central
North Central: lost to Northwest
Northeast and Fountain Hill: lost to Lehigh.
Southside Bethlehem: lost to Northwest.
City Line: beat Freemansburg, lost to Pennridge
Mountainville (South A-town): Lost to Nazareth
East side A-town: Lost to Nazareth
Pennridge: 1 win against Cityline
Freemansburg: 1 loss to Cityline
Southern Lehigh: no team
Richland Area: no team

Biden: Only a "Smartass" Would Ask for Lower Taxes

Looks like Obama dumped the wrong guy. The McChrystal staffer who told Biden to "Bite Me" makes more sense. Biden, incidentally, is the guy who persuaded John Callahan to run for Congress.

Is Angle Senile, Too?

Two short weeks ago, Ron Angle was telling Express Times reporter Doug Brill that Senior Judge Franciosa, of all people, is senile. But I'm wondering whether the Northampton County Bulldog forgot to take his pills yesterday. Let me tell you what happened.

Angle called a 2 PM news conference to blast the Court. He and County Exec John Stoffa had just finished a two-hour conference with Court Administrator Jim Onembo and PJ Kim McFadden, in which they all pledged to work with each other. Almost immediately after that conference ended, Onembo fired off a letter that basically says, "We're judges and we'll do whatever the hell we want." McFadden even issued a Court Order demanding that two vacancies be filled ... now. But instead of sending the letter to Angle or Stoffa, it went to Council member Ann McHale, who just loves those black robes. That's just another snub to Angle and Stoffa. Stoffa noted the slight, but was more amused than upset. But Angle is furious and used the bully pulpit to cast a spotlight on the Court's disregard for County finances.

Now Ron did a pretty effective job of portraying Onembo as a backstabber who not only goes back on his word, but does it behind the backs of the very people to whom he pledged cooperation. (You can read Sarah Cassi's account here). But this story has nothing to do with any of that.

It's about poor Michael Duck.

Michael Duck must have drawn the short straw to cover this news conference for the Morning Call. Now Duck has that beard thing going just like Riley Yates, the Morning Call reporter whose "Dressed for Success" story made fun of an Angle Court appearance in stained T-shirt and baggy trousers with suspenders. That was below the belt (or suspenders).

Yates and Duck are physically similar. They both have some kind of beard (probably in honor of former Comments Editor Glenn Kranzley). They are also young and skinny, at least compared to most of us. But they are two different people. Really!

But Angle got them mixed up. Throughout the news conference, he repeatedly referred to Duck as Yates. "You wanna' make fun of the way I'm dressed today, Yates? Let me show you the inside of my shoes. See that? That's hay."

And so on.

Duck eventually told Angle, "I'm not Riley Yates."

I've seen the two of them together so I believe him.

Embarrassed, Angle said something about having a senior moment, and later apologized to Duck.

This is why old farts should never call older farts senile.

Should Middle Class Be Paying Higher Taxes?

Yesterday, I told you that Northampton County taxpayers, some of whom are unable to afford health insurance, are nevertheless footing the bill for health care coverage for County workers. And thanks to the federal health care overhaul, the price is going up, and could easily contribute to a tax increase next year.

We are in the middle of a recession that may be turning into a depression, especially if you look at the burgeoning number of sheriff sales and our 10% unemployment rate. So is this really a good time for a tax hike?

Democratic County Execs John Stoffa and Don Cunningham are doing their best to avoid that, and are actually working with their Republican legislative counterparts (Angle and Browning) in a refreshing display of bipartisanship. But at the much more partisan national level, House Democrat Majority leader Steny Hoyer is arguing that we need to raise taxes.

Of course, Republicans are furious. LV Congressman Charlie Dent lobbed a news release stating, “Raising taxes on American workers and small businesses – to pay for continued overspending in Washington-- is not only a mistake, it is doomed to failure as economic policy. The question is not whether government can ‘afford’ to let people keep their own money; it’s whether taxpayers can ‘afford’ the government’s reckless spending. And taxpayers deserve to know where John Callahan stands.”

Dent points out that his opponent, John Callahan, has already raked in $10,000 from Steny Hoyer. And it is fair to say that Callahan is very pro tax. In Bethlehem, he has signed off on four property tax increases plus a $52 municipal service tax, and his own budgets have increased spending by 54 percent in just six years. He reneged on a promise to cut taxes using casino host fees, and instead boosted spending by 12 percent just this year. Lest we forget, Callahan is also the leading proponent of increasing the local sales tax by 17 percent to pay for government overspending.

Of course, the notion of raising taxes smack dab in the middle of a recession is idiotic, so I'm with Dent on that point. But in a way, Hoyt and Dent are both right. We do need to cut spending. But we also need to raise taxes if we are serious about reducing the deficit.

Why do I say this?

For one thing, social security is now running at a deficit. According to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, that wasn't supposed to happen for another fifty years. But it did. That's what 2.7 million new claims and a deepening recession will do. So instead of borrowing from social security, as we've been doing for years, we now have to use general revenues just to keep it afloat.

That's a problem, but it pales in comparison to Medicare, where the deficit is a whopping $36.3 trillion, give or take a trillion.

When pols speak about our national debt, they conveniently ignore the cost of Medicare and social security, resulting in a an artificially low figure of somewhere around $13.5 trillion, although Obama's latest budget will add between $8.5 and $9.7 trillion to even that figure over the next ten years. When you add everything together, the real national debt, right now, is close to a $56.4 trillion sinkhole.

The only way we dig out of that is by a combination of cuts and tax hikes.

David Walker, who served as Comptroller General and headed the nonpartisan GAO under both Presidents Clinton and Bush, has a sobering assessment, along with some very specific suggestions. Here are some excerpts from one of his recent speeches.

Connolly Slams Boscola Mailers

Yesterday, I told you about Matt Connolly and his state senate campaign against Lisa Boscola. He's made an issue out of the mailers that all incumbents, including LV Congressman Charlie Dent, routinely send at taxpayer expense.

Legislators justify this as a way of communicating with and informing constituents. But they are often criticized, especially by challengers, as blatant self-promotion. During his news conference yesterday, Connolly released this statement:

"Pennsylvania right now is undergoing yet another budget shortfall. Our elected officials look high and low to find waste in programs and departments, but never seem to look at themselves. One such area of spending that serves no one other than the official in question is taxpayer funded newsletters and self-promotion pieces. My opponent, Sen. Lisa Boscola (D), has been printing and sending multi page, 4 color mailers since she entered the senate 11 years ago. Add to that the many birthday cards and other items sent on the taxpayer dime and it all adds up to a greater deficit. Our officials must use their own money for things that promote themselves and are of little or no value to their constituents. As your senator, I will introduce legislation that will limit the total budget for communication mailings within a district. Simple black ink on white newsprint will suffice. The glossy mailers may be printed on recycled paper, but are not recyclable, like magazines. They just add to the landfill. Many of them are quite extravagant – not done by some in house staffer but a real professional. What does that cost us? In her last 6-page mailer, there were 8 pictures of Mrs. Boscola yet less than one third of it had any real information that would help taxpayers. Our officials need to remember that they work for us and have to spend our money in a way that we approve, not that makes them look the best.

"I respectfully ask Sen. Boscola to refund to the taxpayers from her large re-election fund the cost of the entire amount of last term's mailing and other non-citizen communication to the general fund. The commonwealth needs it and with $177,000 in her campaign war chest she can certainly afford it. The taxpayers must come first."

Bethlehem Zoners Make Everyone Happy

Makeshift tents made the courtyard between Bethlehem's public library and City Hall an obstacle course on Wednesday night. But for two business owners and one Center Street family, it was worth the trouble. Bethlehem's Zoners unanimously granted all three appeals.

Nick Bozakis, owner of the popular Nick's Pizza on Main Street, also owns a four-family dwelling at nearby 813 Main Street. Seven years ago, he decided to build a four-bay detached garage on the property, as well as an apartment on the second floor. He submitted a plan called "Bozakis Apartments", and was granted a building permit for the garage. Nobody realized that the second floor apartment was omitted. Then Bozakis obtained plumbing, electrical and mechanical permits for the second floor apartment. All the work was inspected and approved. It was only after all these improvements were completed that he discovered that he never actually had a green light for the apartment. As a result, he's had an empty apartment for the past seven years.

Allentown Attorney James Prescott, representing Bozakis, told zoners there had been "missteps" by both sides, and Zoning Officer John Lezoche conceded a "blunder on our part." "We should not issue permits for any other trades until a building permit is obtained," he admitted.

ZHB member Ken Kraft put it like this: "You're here for a variance to do something that's been done for seven years."

Solicitor Mickey Thompson noted this is a "lost in translation" scenario, and zoners quickly granted Bozakis the variance for that second floor apartment.

Zoner's second request came from Gregory Berger, represented by Bethlehem Attorney James Holzinger. Berger operates a three-bay auto repair business at 746 N. New Street, where he employs three mechanics and a secretary. He was before the ZHB ten years ago, when he first bought the business as a combination gas station and auto repair shop. Bucking the usual trend, Berger sought and obtained permission to discontinue gas sales. Now he wants to expand his business 49.7% so he can add an additional two bays and allow mechanics to work inside. One of his neighbors appeared to compliment Berger's quality work. Zoner William Fitzpatrick told Berger, "It's nice to hear that some of these people are good neighbors to you."

Berger left the meeting room knowing that his appeal had been granted.

The final application considered by zoners was Jan and Helena Hudsky's request to convert an existing three-season porch into a family room at 1755 Center Street. Before the hearing, Jan Hudsky told The Bethlehem Press that he is originally from Slovakia and his wife is native to the Czech Republic. As a boy, he could see the orange glow of Dresden burning during the fire-bombing of WWII. Asked how zoning here compares to Slovakia, he said, "If you need a garage, you just build it."

In the land of the free, he needed a dimensional variance, but he easily got it.

Ron Angle's Summer Uniform

Last Friday, when Northampton County Bulldog Ron Angle appeared in Court sporting a stained T-shirt and baggy pants, Morning Call reporter and fashion consultant Riley Yates decided to make a big deal out of it, in an article entitled "Dressed for Success." Angle had been cutting hay when summoned to Court with only thirty minutes to get there. The judge understood, but Yates just had to get in a little dig. After all, Angle is from the disenfranchised Slate Belt.

Yesterday, Angle had a two-hour long meeting with County Exec John Stoffa, Court Administrator Jim Onembo and President Judge Kim McFadden. They are attempting to find common ground in the neverending quest to reduce the size of County government everywhere, even in the Courts. Tipstaffs might have been mentioned once or twice. I can recall no occasion when the PJ and Court Administrator sat down for that long with the Exec and Council Prez. It's safe to say Angle has the Court's attention, and that's a positive sign.

I know this because there are no secrets in Northampton County. Morning Call reporter Riley Yates found out, too, and called Angle for comment.

"I'm not going to speak to you until you learn to dress better," is how the Bulldog tells me he replied to Yates before hanging up.

Above, you can see Angle in his new County Council summer uniform. Notice the nice dress shirt, along with wading boots for all the bullshit so common in government.

Race Car Driver Matt Connolly Taking on Boscola

His name is Matt Connolly, and up 'till now, he's used to racing with GTOs and Porsches at Matt Connolly Motorsports.

Now he's in a completely different kind of race against the Porsche of Lehigh Valley politicians, state senator Lisa Boscola. Today, he's hosting a news conference at The Bethlehem Rose Garden to complain about Boscola's frequent constituent mailers, paid for at taxpayer expense. He'll be introducing legislation to ban them.

Connolly claims he was inspired to run while volunteering for Charlie Dent's 2008 re-election.

Matt might be surprised to learn that Congressman Dent sends out informational mailers, too. Here's what he said when I asked him about it in 2008:

"Well, if I could have the media publish this information, that would be great. but they don't. A lot of my press releases are ignored, so this is one of the few ways left that I can communicate. By the way, we keep limitations on how much franked mail we send out. I have returned $200,000 in federal funds from my MRA. I run a frugal office. We don't spend a lot of money on a lot of frills. But we do feel that, from time to time, it is necessary to send out an informational mailer."

Boscola could easily make the same argument. Unfortunately, I will miss his news conference and am unable to ask him whether he ever raised this issue with Dent.

Connolly's campaign is being managed by Lehigh County Comm'r Glenn Eckhart.

Pam Varkony Regular Op-Ed Columnist at Daily Caller

My black Irish sister, Pam Varkony, used to write a great column at The Morning Call. But she, like so many other talented writers, became the victims of a struggling newspaper industry. Now, we're all struggling. We are losing jobs and homes, but there are fewer journalists to tell us what really is happening.

Well, here's some good news. Pam Varkony has landed on her feet as an an op-ed columnist with The Daily Caller, a widely read national news site catering to Republicans. Her first piece, The Woman Effect, appeared yesterday.

Congrats, Pam!