Allentown's East Side Senior Little League Needs Pitcher's Mound

On his Facebook page, Allentown Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski claims he was at opening day for East Side Memorial Little League yesterday. You won't find him near the Senior Little League.

They were scheduled to play on Saturday, but there's no pitcher's mound at the regulation baseball field along Martin Luther King Highway.

Very nice dugouts, but no pitcher's mound.

In addition to being unable to keep the firefighters properly equipped, Fed Ed decided that there's no money for a pitcher's mound.

The kids from East Side have to schlepon over to Alton Park for agame and hope noone else was there first.

Organized sports are a good way to keep kids from straying. But Fed Ed makes it harder for Allentown's youth to do the right thing.

Brown's Expense Reports Show He was MIA in Much of 2016

Brown at State of County Address

Until medical conditions dictated otherwise, Executive John Stoffa refused to accept a special parking place that is coveted by so many other county officials. He marched up the Seventh Street hill daily, trying to set an example. During his eight years in office, he also refused to submit an expense report for the numerous functions a county Executive is expected to attend. John Brown is another story.  He filed expense reports for everything, including political trips. He, along with then Deputy Administrator Cathy Allen, were surcharged $1500 by Controller Steve Barron. To their credit, they both reimbursed the County. But what about Brown's expense reports for 2015 and 2016?  Do any look suspicious?

As part of a Right-to-Know request filed with Northampton County, I sought Brown's expense reports for 2015 and 2016. I am still awaiting some records, and told the County to take its time as I wade through the 500 pages produced. They include Brown's expense reports from 2015 to 3/25/17. During that time, he has been reimbursed $4,378.48.

Here's what I can tell you about Brown's expense reports:

1) In his first two year in office, Brown billed 151 trips. He billed for for 75 trips in 2015, mostly for travel to different functions here in the Lehigh Valley. But in 2016, he only went on 38 trips. That's about half as many as in 2015 or 2014. Why? It's because in 2016, he was too busy running for state auditor general to have much time for the county. Instead of running the county, he was trying to unseat incumbent state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale. His absence created a vacuum.

2) Brown billed us $644.46 for six round trips to Philly in his unsuccessful effort to defend his termination of Ass't County Solicitor Jill Mancini without first affording her due process of law. Mancini was awarded $94,232 for the due process violation, along with $217,452 in attorney fees. The decision was affirmed by the Third Circuit, which tacked on an another $31,433.15 in attorney fees. I see no reason why taxpayers should reimburse Brown for a mess he created.

3) During his tenure, Brown has had three overnight stays at hotels, all in connection with County Comm'r Assn of Pa (CCAP) conferences. On November 22, 2015, he stayed at the Hersey Hotel for a room rate of $254.19, even though the Hampton Inn only charged Public Works Director Stan Rugis $130.67. In March 2016, he spent two nights at the Harrisburg Hilton for a CCAP conference, at a room rental rate of $317.48 for both nights. In November 2016, he was back at Hotel Hershey, which dropped its rate to $204.24. Brown was unable to state at the April 20 Council meeting whether the County even attempts to get discounted rates like the state and federal government.

4) Brown never charges for meals, even when he has meetings at restaurants. So either he is paying his own way, which is to his credit, or he is dieting so he can look as svelte as i do.

The Donald Coming to Pa

According to what's left of Patch, Donald Trump's rally this Saturday will be at  the Pa Farm Show Complex and Convention Center. It's scheduled to start at 7:30 pm, the same time as the White House Correspondents' dinner that he has elected to snub. You can get tickets here. 

Fed Ed Lite Fails To Invite Blogger to Transparency Presser

I've pretty much reached the conclusion that, if any one of the Allentown Mayoral candidates besides incumbent Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski is to be ignored, it is his pale imitation, Charlie Thiel. I've dubbed him  Fed Ed Lite because of sleazy campaign tactics in which he used a third party intermediary to approach two Mayoral candidates and offer them jobs if they drop out. This political logrolling is perfectly legal But it sends the wrong message in a City that has been decimated by a federal political corruption investigation that has already bagged and tagged seven people, including four City staffers. In addition, he conducted an unethical push poll in which he referred to himself as the only honest Mayoral candidate. And he is scheduling wine-tasting seminars for the oh-so- so-do-so-pa  people in the Jenn Mann cabal at $100 a pop, while ignoring Allentown's blue collars and working class. But if there was any lingering doubt in my mind before, I am now more convinced than ever that he is Fed Ed Lite.

Thiel recently conducted a news conference to discuss transparency and ethics in an attempt to pawn himself off as ethical. But guess what? He failed to invite this bottom-feeding blogger to the event for some reason. That's exactly the kind of trick that Fed Ed himself likes to pull.

NorCo Council Pays Lehigh Township's Central Booking Bill

Lehigh Tp Police Chief Scott
Fogel addresses Council

Yesterday, I gave you the lowdown on a dispute between Lehigh Township and NorCo Executive John Brown over who's responsible for an overdue bill for computer services at the Lehigh Township booking center, which serves five northwestern NorCo communities. It's a $17,680 bill. Lehigh Township thinks the County should pay, while Brown thinks it's on Lehigh Township. At their April 21 meeting, Northampton County Council finally put this matter to rest by taking the money from their own contingency account.

Matt Dietz and John Cusick came up with the idea. Hayden Phillips warned, "This is something to take the wolf off the door. This is a one-time payment"

Council wants a Memorandum of Understanding between all parties involved over who pays for what.

Two weeks ago, over an hour was spent discussing this bill. On April 20, another hour was spent discussing the matter.

An exasperated John Cusick finally said, "This is $17,000 for public safety. We spent $50,000 for a fish tank at the bottom of the hill."

That fish tank at the bottom of the hill is a $130 million aquarium proposed by the DaVinci Center. If we can spend $50,000 on that pipe dream, we can spend money to enable police officers to get back on patrol.

Why Brown took such a stubborn position mystifies me, especially since he agreed to fund Bethlehem's booking center. The northwestern tier of the county is also the most conservative and Republican quadrant of the County, which is presumably where Brown could expect to post an easy victory.

Not anymore.

Brown and Benol: What Happens in Vegas Should Stay in Vegas

Mat Benol hangs Ten Commandments behind
him before every meeting

On Monday, NorCo Controller Steve Barron suggested to Council that tighter internal controls might be needed for staff training and development. He pointed out that, in 2016, Human Resources spent $56,758.15 for training, nearly ten times the $5,749.35 spent the year before. He noted a "training" trip at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas, and another trip by the same employee to New Orleans. He told Council that training costs this year are already close to $20,000, even though only $35,000 is budgeted. His report fails to get into various P-card purchases made by Trapp and others in the Human Resources Department, including an $800 popcorn machine and $1,000 spent at Target for gift cards in violation of county policy. That will be coming later, I can assure you, and may even be flagged by external auditors. Pointing to the practice in other jurisdictions, Barron suggests it might be appropriate for Council to approve trips more than 100 miles away from the county. Executive John Brown defended this spending at last night's Council meeting. Council member Mat Benol attacked Barron.

Brown claimed this spending was really an attempt to build the foundation of Human Resources by providing better training to managers and supervisors in other departments. "It is the number one thing we need to do," said Brown. He said he'll be increasing the amount of money the County spends for staff development and training. He argued that the County employees themselves recognized, in a recent survey, that they need more training when named to supervisory roles.

The problem with Brown's explanation is that the $56,758.15 spent by Human Resources in 2016 is more than the $30,000 budgeted. He spent most of 2016 running for state auditor general instead of the job that the people of Northampton County elected him to do, and over much of that year, no one was at the helm. When I go into Brown's own expense reports next week, you will see yourself that there was a leadership vacuum in 2016.

It's the kind of vacuum that would enable Trapp to raid the health and wellness fund for an $800 popcorn machine she keeps in her office. The smell alone should have given that away.

Brown also failed to explain why Human Resources Director Amy Trapp has already spent over $20,000 of the $35,000 set aside this year for training and staff development in her department.

Trapp herself was unavailable. She is recovering from an automobile accident earlier this week, and hopefully makes a complete recovery.

Brown told Council he would make her available to explain these expenditures. Council President John Cusick is a big proponent of a statewide county organization called CCAP (County Comm'r Ass'n of Pa) and has for years encouraged even his fellow Council members to participate. But CCAP meets at places like Mechanicsburg, not Las Vegas or New Orleans. "The optics of that don't look particularly good," he said. Brown still justified the trips because they were highly recommended by a third-party consultant.

Hayden Phillips said that the idea of conferences and conventions is diminishing. He thinks Council might consider, as Barron suggested, a greater role in approving outside travel.

Bob Werner also is concerned because CCAP ismore locally located. He added, "There are best Western hotels."

Brown was unable to say whether the county seeks discounted rates.

Mat Benol, however, is angry that Barron had dared to question these expenses. "This type of report is nothing more than a political football," he said, calling it an "inflammatory" report.

"This is another one of those knee-jerk things that our Controller has done to try to make the Executive look bad. I'm just getting tired of it. At the next meeting, I plan on taking some action on the Controller because the Controller is a financial position, it's not a political position. To me, it's a bean counter position. I understand that this is one of the areas that technically falls to that position, but if you're going to do an objective report, you talk to both sides. You don't just grab some things and make it inflammatory and throw it out there to get the headlines. I'm tired of it. And because I'm not running for re-election, I'm politically expendable. This is just me as a Councilperson getting tired of our Controller using that position as a political pulpit."

Under Northampton County's Home Rule Charter, the Controller is the person responsible for the internal control of the fiscal transactions of the county. This includes trips to Las Vegas and New Orleans. It includes department heads who exceed their spending budgets. It includes spending more money than permitted for meals. It includes the purchase of $800 popcorn machines and the abuse of the county purse to purchase gift cards that violate county credit card policy. As an independently elected official, the Controller has the power, at any time and on his own initiative, to review the fiscal transactions of any county agency without first seeking permission from John Brown or Mat Benol. That's what the Controller did, and that is his job. He has in the past found that the Executive himself was abusing his expense reports, and money had to be paid back to the County.

Now Barron is a Democrat who supports John Brown's opponent in the Executive race, Lamont McClure. Without question there are political overtones to what he is doing. But what he is doing is the job the people elected him to do. "If I really wanted to be political, I'd gather this information and just sit on it until September," said Barron. "I told Council about it now because I want to keep staff training and travel expenses in check.If I failed to disclose it now, Benol would be asking, 'Where's the Controller?'"

He's doing his job.

Benol is supposed to provide oversight of the executive branch as well. But he apparently thinks he's a cheerleader.

Friends of Gracedale Foundation Established

Scott Parsons and Bob Werner

Former NorCo Council member Scott Parsons may no longer be a member of County government, but is still involved in County service. He was at Council's April 21 meeting to announce the establishment of the Friends of Gracedale Foundation, a non-profit charitable corporation that will be able to accept tax-deductible donations for the county's nursing home.

"It's good to see most of you," joked Parsons,who was joined at the podium by Council member Bob Werner, with whom he formed a close friendship during his tenure on Council.

"We're here to help," he added.

Though the Foundation will target corporations and philanthropists, anyone who wishes to make a tax-deductible contribution may do so with a check that can be mailed to Friends of Gracedale Foundation, Post Office Box 138, Nazareth, PA  18064.    

NorCo Council Honors Lyme Disease Warrior Cathy Gumlock

Cathy Gumlock with NorCo Council President John Cusick

At their April 21 meeting, Northampton County Council honored Palmer Township resident Cathy Gumlock, a retired school teacher, for her crusade against Lyme disease. She is a founding member of the Lehigh Valley Lyme Support Group, which meets the first Wednesday of every month at Country Meadows, 4011 Green Pond Rd,Bethlehem Township, Building 1. That group seeks to improve the lives of those who suffer from Lyme disease.

She told Council and a group of about 30 high school students that the best cure is prevention and early. She said those who suffer from the summer flu might actually be experiencing Lyme disease. She explained the disease is carried by tiny deer ticks that usually latch on to people around their ankles, then work their way up the body to find a spot to inhabit.

As she spoke, a lot of people began scratching themselves.

Solicitor's Office: Fed Ed Had No Say Over RTK

At Wednesday night's Allentown City Council meeting, Roger MacLean gave a pretty dramatic display of how Allentown responds to a Right-to-Know request. My impression was this is yet another indication of Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski's lack of transparency.


On Thursday, I contracted the Solicitor's Office and learned that Fed Ed actually had nothing to do with how City lawyers responded. In addition, I was told that, in addition to the redacted material you see, the City furnished a great deal of information.


In fairness  to both the Solicitor's office and Fed Ed, I thought I should clarify what I wrote.

O'Connell: Faulty Fire Trucks An Embarrassment to City

Allentown firefighters at City Council

On Friday, I told you things are so bad at Allentown Fire Department that a pick-up truck is being used as one of the six "engines" responding to fire calls. There are supposed to be two ladder trucks, but one has been taken out of service. On Monday, that remaining ladder truck broke down while smoke jumpers battled a blaze at the rear of 654 N Jordan, endangering both the laddermen and the citizens they serve.

Firefighter Keith Pierce

This problem has been going on for some time. Between 2008 and this year, Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski has slashed the operations budget by 65.52%. Last night, a group of firefighters took their concerns to a packed City Council meeting.

Arriving late, I missed the first two speakers, Jeremy Warmkessel and Adam Perreault. But I was in time to hear Keith Pierce, the safety committee liaison. He is also a rescue engine driver, hazmat team tech and tech rescue operator. He told Council that the entire reserve fleet is now on the front line.If one more vehicle breaks down, enginemen will be responding to fires in a pick up with no water and no hoses.

"In my opinion, it comes down to the fact that we don't have a fleet replacement plan," said Pierce. He added that many of the vehicles being used are 1999 vintage or earlier. "You wouldn't drive your car as much as we drive those fire engines." He said the vehicle breakdowns, combined with a force that Fed Ed has whittled down from 146 to 122, has created a safety risk

Coach Michael Kaminski

"I think it's an embarrassment to the City," responded Council President and Mayoral candidate Ray O'Connell. I think it's a slap in the face to our firefighters, who risk their lives every day.I think it's a slap in the face to the residents, who are at risk."

Controller Jeff Glazier said a new fire engine in planned in 2018, and two more are planned in 2019. But Pierce, who said that "firemen are the ultimate pragmatists," responded that these pipe dreams tend to vanish at budget time. "It's where the rubber meets the road. When those trucks back into the fire station for the first time,that's when we'll count in it."

O'Connell, who said he'd meet with Pierce any time, is concerned that a "tragedy is around the corner. ... Bottom line, it's public safety."

Daryl Hendricks, a former police captain who handled hoses himself and is Chair of the Public Safety Committee said he'd like to join in that discussion. So would Julio Guridy, chair of the Finance Committee. He called the situation "unacceptable" and "deplorable." Roger MacLean said he'sseem the reuests for equipment, and they get cut.

Public Works Director Craig Messinger agreed that "there is a need for it. ... It is a priority"

Daryl Hendricks listens as Ray O'Connell pledges
to meet with firefighters

Michael Kaminski, the well-regarded head boys' basketball coach at Harrison-Morton Middle School said that in 2009, there was a gas break right next to his house."I wouldn't have wanted to walk in that, let alone, have the guts to walk in the street, and I thank you for that,guys. It is the duty and responsibility of the people in front of me here ... and in the administration to make sure something gets done.He questioned what would happen if I fire broke out at the NIZ or the PPL building and there was no ladder truck..

Julian Kern said that, in years past when he worked as a freelancer, two trucks would respond to blazes. Now, "these engines and trucks break down constantly," including one truck that went down while responding to its first fire. He said the situation "is putting the lives of firefighters and the residents at risk." He added that the fire department, however, is "top notch. They are quick at getting on scene. They are quick at fighting the fires. I've watched them in person doing this. They are awesome.These guys deserve to have the proper staff and equipment."

Restaurateur Don Ringer asked, "I thought we were the City Without Limits, is that true? He noted that, just last week, Fed Ed claimed to have $18 million in reserve. "Why can't we use some of that money to buy a fire truck? It saddens me to see those guys, who do a helluva' job, sitting here with garbage."

Dennis Pearson, who just came from umpiring at Notre Dame, said this lack of equipment causes pressure on other communities rendering assistance.

Fed Ed, of course, was absent. He was busy blacking out Right-to-Know requests.

Transparency, Fed Ed Style

Roger MacLean shows a Fed Ed response to a City Council RTK

Allentown Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski has taken transparency to a new level. City Council asked him for a copy of his five-year plan, something the City's Home Rule Charter (Sec. 811) requires him to produce with his Budget every year. He played games so Council members filed a Right-to-Know request. What MacLean is showing is Fed Ed's response, clear as mud. Maybe there's a few fire trucks in there.

It's astonishing that a person who is so secretive and whose indictment is imminent according to his own attorney, can arrogantly thumb his nose at at the public's right to know and the people's elected representatives.  

Hey, I Have Had No Thai Food For a Week!

After leaving NorCo Council yesterday, I traveled to Allentown because I thought firefighters would be there to tell City Council that deteriorating equipment is endangering public safety and their own lives. When I got there, the meeting had already started and the room was packed. But as is the case with most meetings, the front row is almost always empty, so that's where I went. I plopped down, took off my Barmah hat and began snapping pictures. When I turned to get a photo of the audience, the four previously packed rows behind me had gone to the other side of the room. Poor Julian Kern bravely tried to keep his seat, but eventually passed out and was taken away.  He'll be complaining about headaches on Facebook for the next several weeks.

The Thai food I had last week is more powerful than I thought.

John Brown Pisses Off His Most Loyal Supporters

As much as I criticize NorCo Executive John Brown, he does have a tough job that forces him to make unpleasant choices. It's too bad he never got the chance to see Marty Bechtel or Gene Hartzell, our first two Executives, in action. It was a simpler time, but they still made it look easy. Brown, in contrast, has managed to piss off his most loyal supporters in the northwestern tier of Northampton County in a way that makes him look like a grinch who is insensitive to public safety. Amazingly, it's over the paltry sum of $17,680. He's right, but could have used one of Amy Trapp's staff development courses so that he could explain things better.

Before I tell you what happened, I want to explain a little more about Gene Hartzell. When he was concerned about tardiness, it never crossed his mind to install punch clocks. He instead would occasionally stand at the courthouse entrance and look at his watch as a tardy staffer came in. That took care of the problem. If you needed something and went to see him, he'd say No and give you 1,000 reasons why what you were seeking is impossible. Then in the next day or two, you'd see a news account telling you he was doing exactly what you had suggested. He knew how to listen and how to be flexible.

Northampton County now has a streamlined centralized booking center right outside the jail. Brown is right to be very proud of it. When a person is arrested and charged with a serious offense, he is taken to a central booking station, located next to the jail. Arresting officers at one time had to wait as the accused was processed, which usually took between two and four hours. With 2,000* bookings per year, this was roughly 4,000-8,000 man hours. This is an incredible drain on smaller departments. It often meant that there'd be no police coverage. The changes that Brown and Corrections Director Dan Keen made early last year put those police officers back on the street within 30 minutes.

In addition to the central booking station at the jail, there are two others. One of them is in Bethlehem, and that at one time was the sole booking center. The third and newest one was built in Lehigh Township with grant funds provided by the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association and Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. In addition to Lehigh Township, it serves the police departments in Walnutport, Northampton ,North Catty and Moore Township. It includes a Livescan Fingerprint Computer System, Commonwealth Photo Imaging Network (CPIN) and Videoconferencing Closed Circuit TV Network. It's a 24/7 operation that serves the same purpose as the other two booking centers - getting police officers back on patrol. But the grant commitment only funded operations temporarily, and language in the agreement made that clear.

Somewhere along the line, Lehigh Township got the impression that Northampton County would continue funding operations. Two weeks ago, John Brown made clear they were wrong at a Council meeting attended by Supervisor Cindy Miller, Chief Scott Fogel, Manager Alice Rehrig and Magisterial District Judge Robert Hawke. They wee also lathered up that the County had moved a polling station out of Lehigh Township and into Moore Township.

Brown's attitude was that, if these municipalities want their officers back on the road quickly, they should pay for it. Their position is that the county should pay for it out of funds assessed to defendants when they are processed. Brown made his remarks after Lehigh Township officials had already left, but when they heard about it, they vowed they'd be back.

In the meantime, Council President John Cusick asked Controller Steve Barron to "audit" the Lehigh Township center. All Barron could really do is point out the competing arguments made by both sides.

Yesterday afternoon, Cindy Miller was back before Council's Finance committee. She claimed that Northampton County's central booking unit was a "mess" before her Chief came down to Northampton County and assisted them in streamlining it. She asked why the County would refuse to pay for Lehigh Township but pay for Bethlehem.

Brown previously stated that he agreed to pay an additional year for Bethlehem because of the 911 merger, but it's only for one year.

He told Council that the central booking unit actually operates at a loss. In 2016, it collected $274,578 in fees but spent $418,443 in expenses. He was unwilling to bear the $17,680 bill for Lehigh.

Council President John Cusick put things in perspective. "This is $17,000 for public safety," he observed. "We spent $50,000 for a fish tank at the bottom of the hill," he added, referring to the proposed DaVinci Center.

Gene Hartzell, if he were still Executive, would call Cindy Miller into his office and explain in detail why he's unable to pay that bill, much as he'd like to help. Then he'd send her a check and tell her it's the last time.

The northwestern quadrant of Northampton County is heavily Republican. Why on earth would John Brown want to alienate them in an election year, especially since he already suppressed the vote by moving a precinct that would have voted for him into another township? He may be a good bean counter, but he's a lousy politician who is arguing over a minor matter.

After the meeting, Miller went to Brown's office. Hopefully, the spirit of Gene Hartzell possessed him.

Congressman Cartwright Gets Friendly Reception at NCC Town Hall

Matt Cartwright

When Congressman Charlie Dent faced 400 angry people at Hanover Township Community Center a few weeks ago on a cold and rainy day, it was hard for him to speak more than a few words without being interrupted by numerous catcalls over Trump's attempt to repeal and replace Obamacare with something that Dent himself refused  to support. But the weather and mood was much brighter last night, when Congressman Matt Cartwright faced a friendly crowd of about 90 people at  Northampton Community College's Alumni Hall. One of the messages he repeated frequently is that "democracy really works."

Northampton County is split between Dent, whose 15th Congressional District extends along Route 78 to Dauphin County, and Cartwright, whose 17th Congressional District extends north to Carbondale.

Bethlehem Township Commissioners Tom Nolan and Malissa Davis were there, along with Palmer Township Supervisor Ann Marie Panella and Easton Mayor Sal Panto. NorCo Exec hopeful Lamont McClure attended, along with County Council hopefuls Bill McGee and Tara Zrinski. Easton City Council candidates Terrence Miller and Taiba Sultana were spotted, as was Saucon Valley School Director candidate Tracy Magnotta.

Cartwright began the town hall by introducing and praising many members of his staff, outlining their specialties. Then he got down to business, answering questions written in advance by members of the audience. From time to time, someone would blurt out a question, and he answered those, too.

About 90 people at Cartwright Town Hall

Obamacare. - Cartwright said that he and Dent are in the same neighborhood. "There are a lot of problems with ACA (Affordable Healthcare Act). It's too expensive on some groups. It has deductibles that are too high on some other groups, and it involves some taxes that disparately impact some groups and some industries." He spoke of some taxes he considers unfair, like the Cadillac tax and the bedpan tax. "It actually hurts some of the manufacturers right here in the Lehigh Valley." But Cartwright observed that "we've moved the needle on this discussion. It used to be, 'no way, no how,' on anything like the ACA, but now it's, 'Let's make it work.'" He is hopeful that a bipartisan solution can be achieved "to work out the kinks in the ACA and make it work for everybody. That's what the American people want."

Trump Budget. - Cartwright believes Trump never laid eyes on his proposed budget,and that it was hatched "in the basement of the Heritage Foundation." He said "it is dead on arrival." He noted American people will oppose many of the cuts to popular programs.

Appropriations Committee. - "I really enjoy working on the Appropriations Committee," Cartwright said. It's a position he shared with Dent.

Trump Tax Returns. - Cartwright explained that there is a Bill to force Trump to release his tax returns, but that because Republics are in charge of the House, "they control what bills come up for vote in committee." He also noted that even if such a bill were to pass the House and Senate, it would have to go to the White House for Trump's signature. "Raise your hand if you thin he's gonna' sign that."

Social Security - Cartwright supports SS2100, an attempt to extend the solvency of social security. He noted that Schuylkill County has 150,000 people and 38,000 are on social security.

Regulations. - Cartwright opposed and voted against the Scrub Act because there were no hearings. "I don't call them regulations, I call them protections."  He admitted "there are some bad regulations out there that need to go but we need to work on them one at a time."

Trump.- "Make no mistake, I am not here to trash Donald Trump. He won the election," said Cartwright. "Not by a majority," someone in the audience muttered. "He won it by the rules that are laid out and I have to work with him." He likes Trump's desire to invest $1 trillion in infrastructure, but not by tax credits to private corporations.

Next President.- "Not me."

Gerrymandering. - Like Dent, Cartwright explained that redistricting is done by the state legislature, not Congress. Speaking of his own district, he asked, "Did you ever see a map of my district? That is a shape that does not occur in nature."

Bethlehem Township Paves Way For Brodhead Road

Township Engineer Brian Dillman

At their April 17 meeting, Bethlehem Township's Board of Commissioners voted on a number of resolutions that gives Township engineer Brian Dillman the green light to proceed with what really is a reconstruction of Brodhead Road. That's a 9,000 ft long, two-lane Township road that extends east from Township Line Road until it intersects with Route 191. Located in Lehigh Valley Industrial Park, the road is heavily traveled by tractor trailers, and has been the subject of numerous complaints by township residents. Commissioners set aside $1.3 million for this project in this year's budget, and a $400,000 grant has been secured.

Dillman told Commissioners that the eastern part of the project, near Route 191, will be completed by the Bethlehem Distribution Center developer. The project will include four pedestrian crossings, and Commissioners agreed to seek PennDot approval for warning signals at the three crossings near Township Line Road, Miller Circle and Opus Way.

Before reconstruction begins, handicapped accessible ramps must be prepared on sidewalks adjoining the road.

Bids are expected by late May, followed by a contract award construction starting in mid to late June. It will be a 120-day contract broken into three phases. In the first phase, the contractor will put together a maintenance and traffic protection plan. The second phase, will involve reconstruction of one of the road lanes. The third phase will be reconstruction of the other lane.

When the actual reconstruction starts in late July, Brodhead will be a one-way detour westbound to Route 512. Some of the work will be done at night, but Dillman said some of the work must be done in daylight or else the product suffers.

Tom Nolan, Malissa Davis and Pat Breslin voted to authorize Manager Melissa Shafer to seek bids. Mike Hudak and Kim Jenkins were absent.

In other business, Commissioners approved an update to its comprehensive plan after an exhaustive review that included 14 meetings. Planning Commissioner James Daley told the board that traffic mitigation and stormwater management are the two critical issues they considered most.

Nolan, Davis and Breslin also voted unanimously to adopt a resolution supporting legislative efforts to end gerrymandering in Pennsylvania by establishing an independent commission to draw state legislative and congressional districts following the 2020 census. They did so following a lengthy presentation by Fritz Walker of Fair District Pa. "Voters should choose their legislators," said Walker. "Unfortunately, it's frequently legislators who are choosing the voters. That's not the way it should be."

Bethlehem Township is the 21st Pa. municipality to adopt a resolution in support of an independent redistircting commission.

Beware of HR Staffers Bearing Gifts

In Northampton County and other municipalities, some employees have something called a P-card. This is a purchasing or procurement card. It's similar to a credit card. It eliminates both a cumbersome procurement process and the need for petty cash, which is always subject to abuse. It provides an electronic trail, so people like the Controller or any good government watchdog can determine whether taxpayer funds are being spent properly. But Northampton County's Department of Human Resources has basically perverted the P-card system to crate another kind of petty cash or slush funds. It is doing so by purchasing gift cards.

On January 1, Courtney Kendzejeski, who is in command of Human Resources at Gracedale, used her P-Card to purchase $1,000 worth of gift cards from Target. Human Resources Director Amy Trapp has been handing others out to some county workers. So what's the big deal?

First, gift cards totally defeat the purpose of having P-Cards. With a P-Card, you can follow the money. But once that money is spent to buy gift cards, accountability is gone. When $1,000 worth of gift cards are purchased, what assurance is there that these gift cards are actually being used to reward worthy employees? Unfortunately, the potential for fraud exists. Amy Trapp or Courtney Kendzejeski or someone else could simply keep a few or even most of those cards for themselves, and no one in the county would be any the wiser. To be clear, I have no reason to doubt the personal integrity of any person in Human Relations. But sooner or later,someone in that department will use these gift cards as his or her personal piggy bank.

Second, there is some evidence that rewarding employees with gift cards can backfire. According to one article in Forbes, they can actually demotivate workers who would prefer to see their hard work rewarded the way it should be - with a fair wage. Some will also feel that favorites are being rewarded.

Finally, gift cards are taxable income. The County derives its revenue with property taxes, yet is handing out cash equivalents to employees that it is failing to report as income. This happens to be the opinion of SHRM,where several HR staffers are members.

Allentown Ladder Truck Breaks Down Battling Blaze

On Friday, I told you things are so bad at Allentown Fire Department that a pick-up truck is being used as one of the six "engines" that respond to fire calls. There are supposed to be two ladder trucks, but one of them has been taken out of service. Between 2008 and this year, Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski has slashed the operations budget by 65.52%.

"He is setting our department up for failure," warned firefighter Jeremy Warmkessel.

On Tuesday, that failure happened.

Firefighters responded to a fire at the rear of 654 N Jordan with their one remaining ladder truck. It broke down as they battled the blaze, endangering both firefighters and the citizens they serve.

The fire vehicles are serviced by a a garage whose manager seems always to be "waiting for parts." He receives a bonus each year, determined by how much he saves the City.

Fortunately, no one was injured as a result of using defective equipment. But that is only a matter of time.

NorCo Heroin Task Force Gets $103,000 Grant

Northampton County's Heroin and Opioid Overdose Task Force (Task Force) has  received a grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency to combat the heroin and opioid epidemic. This money will promote community based education and awareness. It will also fund access to treatment and naloxone, a life-saving treatment for drug overdoses. .

Who's in this task force?  Bethlehem Health Bureau, Northampton County Drug and Alcohol Division, Northampton County Coroner, St. Luke’s University Health Network, Lehigh Valley Health Network, ethlehem EMS, Bethlehem Police, Bangor Police, Northampton County Department of Corrections, Center for Humanistic Change, Neighborhood Health Centers of the Lehigh Valley and Two Rivers Health and Wellness Foundation.

Two Rivers Health and Wellness will administer the grant.

Justin Sheftel Memorial Softball Tournament Set

The 13th annual Justin Sheftel Memorial Softball Tournament is set for June 17, 2017 at the Lehigh County Athletic Fields. Twenty-two teams will be competing and over 800 friends, players, family and community members will be in attendance.

Former Philadelphia Eagles placekicker and 6-time NFL Pro-Bowler David Akers will be part of a new VIP Reception and will participate in a free Fitness and Sports Performance Clinic for middle and high school aged students. There will be softball, but mostly, there will be fun.

Through the Tournament, the Justin Sheftel Memorial Fund has grown significantly over the years and, with its growth, the memorial fund has been able to increase its impact on local non-profits and to deliver a message against underage drinking and drinking while driving. The Justin Sheftel Memorial Fund has awarded twenty-two scholarships to deserving Parkland High School students and participates in many other charities throughout the community.

Information on how to meet David Akers and to become a sponsor: http://justinsheftel.com/sponsorship/sponsorship-information

This event is held in honor of Justin Sheftel, who died in June of 2005 at the age of 18, just hours after he graduated from Parkland High School. Sheftel was hit by a car driven by a drunken driver while crossing a street in Ocean City, Maryland. Out of this tragedy grew the annual Justin Sheftel Memorial Softball Tournament, which was started by a group of Justin’s friends as an incredible and meaningful way to honor his life.

Barron: Stronger Internal Controls Needed For NorCo Staff Training and Travel

Controller Steve Barron

What happens in Vegas is supposed to stay in Vegas, they say. But word that two Human Resources staffers went on a junket there, and to the Mirage Hotel no less, is just one of many disturbing details disclosed by the information I've received from Northampton County in response to a Right-to-Know.

It disturbs NorCo Controller Steve Barron, too. Below is a memo he sent to County Council yesterday, calling for greater internal controls over staff training and travel instead of an out-of control county that has authorized trips to Vegas, New Orleans, Atlantic City's Harrah Resort and other posh destinations. Specifically, he suggests that Council should approve all travel requests that are over 100 miles away.  

As Controller, I have the duty to audit the fiscal transactions of all agencies that receive or disburse county funds, and report to you and the Executive if I determine that the potential for waste or abuse exists. I am empowered to audit the account of any agency, at any time, without interference and on my own initiative. The purpose of this report is to put you on notice that the potential for waste and abuse exists with staff development training and travel expenses, demonstrating a need for stronger internal controls.

Year-end budget numbers for 2016 reveal that the budget for staff development in the Department of Human Resources jumped from $5,749.35 to a staggering $56,758.15. This is an increase of 987% in one year (Exhibit 1).

I reviewed other county departments to compare those costs of staff development and training within the county (Exhibit 2). As you will see, the jail had the highest cost for staff development and training, but that is because the County was addressing drastic staff shortages and the training was mostly done in-house. The jail now has filled 196 of its 200 positions.

Human Resources did a lot of training away from the courthouse campus. To prevent potential waste and abuse and conserve taxpayer dollars, internal controls are needed to ensure that training and travel expenses are not abused.

As an example, I refer to an airfare charge for a two-night trip to the NeoGov User Conference (October 12-14, 2016) in Las Vegas (Exhibit 3). There is a hotel bill for that time period for two employees at the Mirage Hotel. There were two rooms purchased as one male and one female traveled on the trip. Conferences like this are meant more for networking and less about training. NeoGov was brought online in late 2014 and used through 2015. This conference was not so much about training and seems to be excessive if not outright abusive. The total cost for the airfare, conference fees and hotels was $2,434.32. This total does not include meals. This seems excessive when the Department of Defense only allows $102 max for a hotel and a $166 dollar per diem total in Las Vegas (Exhibit 4).

A second example is an airfare charge that came two months after the Las Vegas trip. This trip was for a Worker’s Compensation Conference in New Orleans, LA. Two male Human Resource staff members were scheduled to go on this trip, but only one went. Interestingly, this staff member is one of the two who had just traveled to Las Vegas two months earlier. He stayed from 11/29/2016 until 12/2/2016 in New Orleans (Exhibit 6). The cost for airfare and hotel on this trip was $1,297.68. This cost does not include fees for the conference or meals. The Department of Defense per diem rate in New Orleans is $192-220, and the funds expended by the County appear to have been in excess of that allotment.

This same staffer is currently registered for a Harrisburg Worker’s Compensation Conference in June. This begs the question whether the New Orleans travel was really necessary as there are clearly conferences much closer. Also, how many training conferences does this employee need to be proficient in Worker’s Compensation?

The Controller’s office uses software for data analysis called ACL. This software has a user conference as well. In 2017 it is in Nashville, TN. While I would love to send my staff to this conference, it is would be a poor use of taxpayer money. We have instead formed a user group with several members of the Institute of Internal Auditors and that group meets at PP&L on a regular basis.

I am sure there are users of NeoGov in close geographic proximity to Northampton County where the Human Resource Office can apply a similar strategy to save taxpayer money. The next NeoGov User Conference is at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in October of 2017. It is my hope that Council can work to convince the County Executive that sending people this year would be a waste of taxpayer money.

I decided to check what other counties do when travel expenses are approved. In Lehigh County it is largely a function of the department head to anticipate training and travel during the budget process. In Cambria County (Johnstown, PA), County Commissioners must approve all travel outside the state. Cambria County is a 4th class county. Allegheny County has a very strict policy on travel, which I have attached (Exhibit 5). You can see that they limit travel and require several approvals. Allegheny County is a 2nd class county. Finally, Dauphin County, who is a 3rd class county like we are, has the county commissioner vote on all travel outside the routine mileage taken by workers who are required to travel off site as part of their job duties.

The final highlight of these expenses would be a $7,050.00 bill paid to Northampton County Community College for five employees in the Human Resource Department to be trained (Exhibit 7). These trainings were titled:

• Effective Interactions
• Situational Leadership
• Conflict Resolution Strategies
• Managing the Performance of Others
• Coaching for Improved Performance
• Basic Management Skills

This cost was approximately $1,400 per employee. This is excessive. In 2016, we spent approximately $700.00 per correction officer at the jail for their training and staff development. Someone hired into a professional human resources position should be proficient in them before they are hired into that department.

I wanted to also note that there are several meals that seem to be purchased and paid for on these trips and at these conferences that look to be in violation of Northampton County’s Policy on Travel, Meal and Mileage Reimbursement (Code 3.708). However, I will address those in the Procurement Card Audit that will be beginning this month. Several of the meals purchased in the Human Resource Department and throughout the county are purchased using Procurement Cards. This way we can do a universal look at the reimbursement policy and make recommendations based on a larger countywide view.

In closing, it is important to bring this to your attention now since the cost for this line item is already at $19,906.26 (as of 4/12/2017). At the end of 2016 there was discussion of budget transfers to pay a vendor that ultimately led to that bill being paid in 2017. In the e-mail attached Doran Hamann said to one of the disbursement staff that there was no more money to move in 2016 (Exhibit 8). The bill was paid in the 1/06/2017 check run when there was money in the budget to cover the expense. The e-mail exchange was attached to the bill that was paid in 2017 as justification for holding the bill and delaying payment.

Clearly some of these 2017 expenses are not budgeted for and the budgeted amount for 2017 in Misc Employee Benefits in the Human Resource Department (which includes staff development) is only $35,000. That means that already 63% is spent for 2017, and we are only in April.

Alerting Council to this matter in advance highlights a potential problem. Hopefully, this memo will curb spending as more scrutiny is placed on these expenses and ultimately prevent the frivolous and abusive spending of taxpayer money. I also included a complete list of these costs for 2016 in Exhibit 9 and total for 2017 expenses as Exhibit 10. If there are any other items you would like reviewed or to inquire about you now have ready access to the information.

I also recommend that Council take a larger oversight role in travel matters that could lead to large costs. Something reasonable like council approval of all travel that is over 100 miles from the county (excluding the District Attorney, Courts, Sheriff duties for the Courts or routine travel in departments like CYF) would not be too burdensome and allow you greater oversight of the budget expenses which you approve as part of your duties under the Home Rule Charter. The 100 mile limit would not limit travel to places that county employees usual travel to for conferences and training (Philadelphia, Harrisburg, New York), but will provide oversight and an additional approval when airfare and additional taxpayer money would be required to be spent. Council may also want to consider adopting adherence to the DOD rates for travel and reimbursement.

Thank you for your diligent review of these concerns, and I would be happy to provide additional documentation if requested.