Sunshine Act Prompts East Allen to Postpone Big Box Hearing

These people were unable to see or
hear what was happening in the meeting.

Welcome to America's Truck Stop! The Fed Ex ground facility going up right now in Allen Township is expected to be the largest ground facility in the world, according to Lehigh Valley Planning Commission Executive Director Becky Bradley. In addition to the Fed Ex itself, The Morning Call reports that Allen Township is planning for 13 warehouses around the Fed Ex. They will take up as much room as 100 football fields. This demand for big boxes is so strong that it has spilled over into East Allen Township. Last night, East Allen Supervisors were expected to consider a proposal to change the zoning designation of 155.03 acres along the southwest side of Weaversville Road, from Agricultural to Light Industrial. The suits were all there. Lehigh Valley International Airport, which owns the land. The Rockefeller Group, salivating for more big boxes. But the meeting ended abruptly with no decision or testimony because some bottom-feeder pointed out that Supervisors were violating the Sunshine Act.

That troublemaker was me.

I was there once before and had no trouble finding a place to park. But last night was different. There was no room in the parking lot, but I eventually was able to park on the grass at an empty lot next to the fire company. I was far from alone. Many cars were already there.

80 people were inside the meeting room

Walking toward the municipal building, I noticed a state trooper parked there. Maybe someone had tipped him off that I was coming. But he let me go by without tasing me. He must have been lying in wait for Ron Angle, who like me pops up at the strangest places.

The hallway inside the municipal building was packed with about 20 people. They were unable to get inside the meeting room. More importantly, they were unable to hear the meeting in any way. Resident Sonia Shadid told me another 20 people had previously been sent away.

Though there may have been no room to sit, I figured I could stand alongside a wall and decided to go in. But as I walked in, a big and burly firefighter with 24-inch pythons stopped me at the door. He told me no more than 80 people are allowed inside the room, and that I alone probably count as 10 people, so I wasn't getting in. He weakened a little when I told him I am friends with King Allentown, but he insisted on following the law.

So I insisted on following the law, too. The Sunshine Law. Though largely toothless, it does provide that the "right of the public to be present at all meetings of agencies and to witness the deliberation, policy formulation and decisionmaking of agencies is vital to the enhancement and proper functioning of the democratic process." It provides for public participation at meetings, enabling the public to speak on matters before official action is taken. In this case, the public was being deprived of the opportunity to both listen and speak.

From the doorway, I loudly objected. You see, there's a provision in the Sunshine Act that enables any person, even a bottom-feeding blogger, "to raise an objection at any time to a perceived violation of this chapter at any meeting of a board or council."

So I did. I pointed out that the public was being deprived the opportunity to witness government in action and to add their own voice. Shadid told Supervisors that about 15-20 members of the public had actually been turned away.

Solicitor Joe Piperato was receptive to this argument and explained the law to Supervisors. They unanimously voted to postpone its public hearing until they can find a bigger hall.

After it was over, I thanked each Supervisor and Piperato, all of whom were very gracious.

Lehigh Valley truck traffic is expected to double in the next ten years as a result if all these box boxes,and it will be coming down Airport Road. About 100 people were on hand for this meeting, not including the ones sent away. But I saw no one from the daily newspapers.

Best Campaign Ad This Election Cycle

Northampton County Should Fix Its Flag

Outside the Northampton County Courthouse rotunda are three flagpoles that include the Stars and Stripes, Commonwealth and county flags. Since October, the red, white and blue has looked more like the black and blue. The other flags are fine, but a clip for the stars and bars needs to be extended so that the flag actually looks like a flag. I find it disgraceful that the county government has so little regard for our national symbol.

If Executive John Brown is too busy to pay the proper respect, I know someone who will do so.  

Dent on FBI Director Firing

(Lehigh Valley, PA) Representative Charlie Dent (PA-15) released the following statement regarding yesterday’s firing of FBI Director James Comey:

“Director Comey always struck me as a decent and honorable man who was put in an extremely difficult situation. His firing by President Trump is both confounding and troubling, and it is now harder to resist calls for an independent investigation or select committee. The President must provide a much clearer explanation as to the timing and rationale for this action. Additionally, more information is needed about how the Director’s firing will impact the investigations by the FBI and both branches of Congress."

Why You Need to Vote For Dennis Pearson For LC Comm'r

Dennis Pearson

Never say never. At age 70, Dennis Pearson is finally a married man. I also believe the time has come for the people of Lehigh County to elect him as a District Commissioner representing West Bethlehem and Allentown's east side. He has been a tireless advocate for neighborhoods, and has taken a keen interest in local government for decades.  While his delivery has always raised eyebrows and snickers, his dedication and knowledge are beyond dispute.

Dennis has two Democratic rivals.One of them is Basilio Bonilla, a former Bethlehem School Director who , when he bothered showing up, managed to piss everyone off. A grandstander, he was yanked from every committee post after Bethlehem's School Board had to apologize for a second time to Allentown's School Board after he attempted to interfere in their business. Some say he's matured. I'd prefer to see him spend more time serving his community instead of being a professional candidate.

Then there's Amy Zanelli, the supposed establishment candidate. I remember her as the chicken lady.

In 2015, Zanelli lived in Hanover Township, Northampton County and appeared at a Supervisors' meeting to complain about the Township's ban on chickens in residential areas. She told Supervisors she was a caseworker in Children and Youth. Flashing her badge,she accused Manager Jay Finnigan of fowl play for refusing to allow her to own backyard chickens. She asked Supervisors if she could make a presentation at their next meeting, and they agreed, but she never showed up.

That was the last I saw of the chicken lady until early this year, when Tom Muller announced he had decided against running for re-election as Lehigh County Executive Muller singled the chicken lady out as his preferred candidate in that district. She was identified as a Rutgers grad who worked in child protective services in New Jersey and now is a realtor.

What Muller failed to mention is that the chicken lady had been fired.

Zanelli had been employed as an intake worker in Somerset County, but was terminated in 2012 because she refused to return to work after receiving a number of leaves of absence under the Family and Medical Leave Act. Though she refused to work, she dropped in on her office one day to deliver Avon products to co-workers.

Zanelli appealed her termination and lost.

She told me she was a victim of discrimination.

Zanelli worked in Northampton County Children and Youth as a caseworker between  March and October 2015. She was terminated there as well, and during her probationary period.

She told me this was because her hours had been expanded beyond the time she had agreed to give.

Dennis is far superior to both of these candidates.    

Brown Skips NorCo Retiree Luncheon

Nearly 200 people attended the semi-annual luncheon for retirees at Northampton's Memorial Community Center on Tuesday. Executive John Brown failed to appear. He has been a no-show at every retiree luncheon since he was first elected, though he and Council are always invited.

Because Brown was invited, so was Lamont McClure, a ten-year Council veteran who is Brown's Democratic opponent in the Executive race. McClure received a very friendly reception,especially from former Gracedale employees.

Peg Ferraro and Ron Heckman, a retiree who is running for Council, were there. So was Matt Dietz, who represents the slate belt region on county council.

Peg was questioned on her vote against a cost of living increase (COLA) last year, and she explained that she got no COLA last year and was primarily concerned that the funds are stable.

No Wild Turkey at Turkey Hill

Steve Salvesen

You might be able to buy booze at Wegmans or Weiss. But by a 3 to 1 vote at their May 9 meeting, Hanover Township Supervisors voted down an ordinance that would have approved the transfer of a liquor license to a high-end Turkey Hill gas station located at Sterners Way. Mark Tanczos, who owns a beer distributorship, recused himself. The sole Yes vote was cast by John Diacogiannis. Jack Nagle, Steve Salvesen and Michael Prendeville voted No.

Each Supervisor explained his vote. Salvesen said that he supported alcohol sales at Wegmans and Weiss because there was testimony from both of those stores that there would be 24 hour supervision of the alcoholic beverages sold there,but no such assurance was made by Turkey Hill, a gas station that hires part-time people. He said there were too many avenues for abuse.

Nagle said it comes down to common sense and thinking about the "health and well-being of our Township." He said that, contrary to testimony offered at a hearing two weeks before, a convenience store like Turkey Hill is a destination for people who want to get a quick can of soda or jug of milk. He said permitting alcohol sales at a gas station "goes totally against what's been going on in this nation for the last 30 years, with Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the National Transportation Safety Authority. ... For me, to permit alcohol to be consumed at a place that dispenses gasoline is literally like throwing gasoline on a fire."

John Diacogiannis

Prendeville said the density of alcohol licenses "contributes in a very detrimental way to neighborhoods." He said he would be uncomfortable sending his children to get a gallon of milk at Turkey Hill at 1 am and have them compete against people trying to buy and drink alcohol at a gas station because other bars have closed. "The potential risk far outweighs any reward in my mind," he concluded. "It has the potential to introduce problems that have already overburdened our police department and first responders."

Diacogiannis, unlike his fellow Supervisors, voted to approve the liquor license transfer. He reasoned that the state legislature has expanded sales to gas stations. "This decision has already been made by the state," he said. "It's really not our part to make these decisions."

Finnigan later noted that there were also concerns whether parking would be adequate for this new use, but there was no plan to review.

Though Supervisors denied a liquor license transfer to Turkey Hill, they unanimously approved changes to their zoning ordinance that would permit distilleries, brew pubs and wineries at certain places within the Township. Solicitor Jim Broughal explained the reason for this ordinance. If you don't put this in your ordinance, your neighbor can put a distillery in his house," he explained. "You are required by law to provide for every use we know about. If you don't, it's exclusionary zoning."

They also adopted an ordinance banning invasive bamboo, joining a number of other Lehigh Valley municipalities that have followed Bethlehem Township's lead in banning or regulating this legal immigrant from southeast China.

Invasive or running bamboo is actually a grass and is recognized by the Pa. Department of Conservation and Natural Resources as one of the fastest growing and most invasive plants in the world. According to a study by the Institute of Invasive Bamboo Research, running bamboo even survived the Hiroshima bomb.
Throughout Pennsylvania, 19 communities have adopted bamboo ordinances. Some, like Douglass Township, have imposed a ban on this grass,which can reach a height of .

A Cumberland County Court has declared running bamboo a "vegetative nuisance" The court reasoned that urban living includes certain responsibilities, including a responsibility to take precautions against invasive plants that encroach upon another person's property.

Supervisors endorsed the bamboo ban in a 4 to 1 vote. Once again, John Diacogiannis was the sole dissenter. He called it an "invasion of individual property rights." He said this is a matter that neighbors should handle between themselves, although some neighbors can be unreasonable. He said he doesn't like invasive bamboo, wither, but is opposed to an ordinance "for every single little thing."

"I'm planting it!" joked a resident who earlier that evening had complained about an unreasonable neighbor."I gotta' go."

 In an unusually busy night, Supervisors also approved the vacation of paper streets laid out on property owned by the Earl Kunsman family, near Bath Pike. Prominent Bethlehem Attorney Jim Holzinger advised Supervisors that he was unable to ascertain that these roads ever existed or were accepted by the Township,but are referred to in the deeds.

Finally, Bill Vogler asked Supervisors to do something about sinkholes.He recognized that "we live on Swiss cheese, but said sinkholes caused by water main breaks are different than those that occur naturally. Several water companies have infrastructure in the Township, according to Diacogiannis.

Vogler and Finnigan discussed the situation after the meeting.

Finnigan Tormented on 60th Birthday

Hanover Township Manager Jay Finnigan celebrated his 60th birthday on Monday. Quietly. That changed Tuesday night. Supervisors decided to draw attention to Finnigan's sixth decade on earth with both balloons and insults.

"Is that his age or IQ?" wisecracked Solicitor Jim Broughal. "His IQ isn't rising," answered Jack Nagle.
  

Bangor School District To Form Diversity Committee

In the wake of a pretty serious act of discrimination at Bangor High School on Friday, Superintendent Frank DeFelice and Easton NAACP President Lance Wheeler met yesterday. While school officials are unable to get into specifics, I understand that disciplinary action has been taken against the students involved in that incident. In addition, the school district has agreed to form a diversity committee that will include parents , administrators and teacher. The goal will be to level the playing field.

A diversity committee was formed once before in Bangor, after a federal lawsuit alleging racial discrimination was settled.

It met only once.

This one needs to be more active.    

Lance Wheeler will make sure.

It appears that pockets of racism are still prevalent in the Bangor area. Not the subtle kind, either.

Yesterday, I had a conversation with yet another mother of three biracial children. Her oldest graduated last year, but she still has two boys going through the system. None of her three children ever presented a disciplinary problem. Their experience at what really is a good school is mostly positive. But not completely.

One of her sons, when in the 9th grade, was involved in a debate class and was arguing his points. The student opposed to him eventually blurted out that no one cares what he thinks because he is a "n-gg-r." School officials admonished the boy, but when they called his parents, they were told that is the way they all feel.

Her daughter, who was a senior last year, also experienced a racist encounter with a star baseball player. She had been trying to park her car in her numbered spot when another girl jumped in ahead of her. The two began to argue, and the star baseball player intervened.

He yelled at the biracial girl, "Get in your car. You need to leave. You and your brother are n-gg-rs here,and we don't want your kind."

This incident was witnessed by several students,and an Assistant Principal who conducted an investigation brought them all into his office and told the star baseball player, whose dad happens to be a coach, That statements like that are not permitted on campus. That was it. No apology. No discipline. Everyone was just sent back to class.

Bangor at the time was undefeated in baseball. It finished 23-1.It was around this time when that incident happened.  

Is Lehigh County Sanctuary City? Beitler Says No, ICE Says Yes

In an interesting piece on negative campaigning in the Lehigh County Executive race, Lower Mac Comm'r and blogger Ron Beitler asserts that Lehigh County is not a sanctuary city. I tend to agree, but would feel a lot better if ICE and Center for Immigration Studies felt the same way. .I wish I could answer this definitively, but can't.

Campaign Signs in East Allen Township

The purpose of an election is to get people top vote for you, not piss them off. Someone might want to tell that to East Allen Township Supervisor candidate Georgiann Hunsicker and her husband. They've been planting campaign signs in people's yards without permission, and when property owners take them down, they get phone calls threatening them with criminal prosecution unless the signs return to their supposedly rightful place. What these people are being told is that they have no right to interfere with political signs placed in the public right-of-way.

There's no question that the public right of way extends into the yards of many people, especially in the 'burbs. But the property is still owned by the homeowner. It is subject to the public right-pf way. To know exactly where that right of way ends would require a survey.

Hunsicker believes it is her God-given right to plant her 100 signs anywhere within a public right-of-way, even if that right of way extends over someone's property. It's not. According to PennDOT, they compromise public safety because they distract drivers. They also pose liability concerns. And if a person owns property that is subject to a right-of-way, he still owns the property. Any person who wishes to place a campaign sign on someone else's property, even if it is on the public right-of-way, still needs permission from the property owner.  The fact that PennDOT or the township has an easement for road purposes does not mean that a political candidate has an easement for sign purposes.

Generally, people like to be asked. My guess is that Hunsicker has lost more votes than she has gained as a result of her behavior with residents who object to her signs in their yards.

We'll know in a week.  

Apologies to E Allen BOS Candidate Don Heiney

I was quite pleased with myself when I published an unofficial list in early March of candidates running for local office in Northampton County. I got it out there just hours after the deadline for filing had passed. I made a few mistakes, and corrected them as they were noticed. But in one case, I completely missed a candidate running for a Supervisor's seat in East Allen Township. His name is Don Heiney.

Two seats are up this year. One Democrat and six Republicans are seeking their party's nomination for two seats. The lone Democrat running is Eric Yocum. The six Republicans are Heiney, incumbent Madelyn Kemp, Janice Buskirk, Brian Budraitis, Georgiann Hunsicker and Edward Heiser.

The Fed Ex being built in Allen Township, which is going to spawn big boxes and traffic congestion in East Allen Township, has people concerned.

Heiney has a fairly impressive resume. He's held the following positions in East Allen Township: Supervisor – 2 ½ yrs; Chairman, Municipal Authority – 3 yrs; Chairman, Planning Commission – 4 yrs; Chairman, Board of Auditors – 5 yrs; Township Delegate, Board of the First Regional Compost Authority (FRCA) – 4 yrs; and Township Delegate, Nazareth Area Council of Governments (NAZCOG) – 4 yrs.

He is a Certified Community Planner with training in community planning, zoning, Subdivision and Land Development (SALDO) Review and creating an Implementable Comprehensive Plan (series 1, 2 and 3)

In the real world, he has been an independent IT Professional for over 17 years.

And he's got a beard. They like those in East Allen Township

NorCo Exec: McClure Way Ahead in Money Race

Lamont McClure at Bethlehem rally

Though the numbers that matter are the ones registered in the voting booth, it's no secret that money helps get the message out. Right now, Democrat Lamont McClure is way ahead in that category in his bid to become the next county executive. He is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination, and used his time to focus on raising money. His second Friday Pre-Primary report shows that he has raised $49.5000 so far. His total warchest now stands at $51,778.56.

Incumbent John Brown, running unopposed for the GOP nod, has made no effort to campaign. He skipped a county party meeting last week and also was a no-show at a pizza party thrown by popular Judge Emil Giordano, a Republican running for the Superior Court. His second Friday Pre-Primary report shows just one contribution, $1,500 from landfill owner Charles Chrin. His warchest  has just $2,137.74.

That's hardly enough for one night in Vegas.

Most of McClure's money comes from unions, including AFSCME, the bargaining unit that represents many of the county's unionized workers. That's no surprise, given that Brown has hardly endeared himself to county workers. But what is a surprise is to see that several Bethlehem Democrats who previously supported Brown are now supporting McClure.        

Brown kept things close in Bethlehem, enabling him to win the race countywide. He appears to have lost his Bethlehem advantage.

Fed Ed's Candidates

I support cops, not criminals, in Allentown. So the last person I'd like to see elected next week is Public Official No. 3, aka Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski. We now know who he is pushing, thanks to a little house party last night. City Council candidate Jessica Lee Ortiz, who masqueraded as a grass roots candidate, is a No. So are school board candidates Lisa Conover and Phoebe Harris. These supposed grass roots candidates  are Fed Ed put-ups.

Dour Molovinsky to become Whirling Dervish

As most regular Lehigh Valley blog readers may have noticed, Allentown blogger Michael Molovinsky was really blowin' oil a few weeks ago when Morning Call columnist Bill White wrote about his annual Hall of Fame and forgot to mention me. Twice. Now I agree that I am entirely unforgettable. But I usually only get that from the ladies, and then, only in my dreams. Denied his moment of schadenfreude, Molovinsky was outraged and claimed there had been some sort of conspiracy theory.

Last week, White wrote about his Hall of Fame again, and made sure he mentioned me this time. Twice. He explained he had forgotten. But at the same time, he also ripped into dour (I prefer to call him petty) Molovinsky, who started blowin' oil again. "[T]hey both knew that i hit the nail on the head, and that's why they were both offended," he insisted, before being sedated.

On Thursday night, he begin to feel a little better and decided to go to the Lehigh Valley Tea Party. Fellow zionist Pamela Geller, who hates the Islamization of America almost as much as he does, was the main speaker. Maybe he could cry on her shoulder about Wehr's Dam and Bill White. But alas, his dreams were dashed.

You see, Northampton County Bulldog Ron Angle was at that meeting, too. I was busy covering NorCo Council, as any award-winning broadcast journalist would do, but Angle was at the tea party as my eyes and ears.

I'm everywhere.

Unfortunately, Ron is a conservative, and really liked what Pamela had to say. So after her speech, he stood in line and bought her book.

"Have you ever heard of Bernie O'Hare?" he asked as he handed her a copy of her book to sign.

"Why of course. He's the number one blogger in the Lehigh Valley," she answered. "Everyone knows that." And that's how she signed the book for me.

Unfortunately, Molovinsky was standing behind Angle all this time. Hearing that I was the number one blogger was more than the dour little bastard could bear. He began blowin' oil everywhere, started rolling on the floor and screaming "Allahu Akbar," converted to Islam himself, and had to be carted away in a tow truck. He's been on a lift all weekend.

He may never write again. Doctors tell me he now wants to become a whirling dervish.

Grammar teachers everywhere will be thankful.

Meet Wind Gap Magisterial Candidate Mike Ondilla

Wind Gap's Magisterial District Judge race is a three-way affair including incumbent Doug Schlegel and Attorneys Dave Jordan and Mike Ondilla. Mike's wife called me and told me, "You really need to meet my husband." I made her a promise to do so but fell short. I missed him at Rita's Italian Ice, where he had a campaign event last weekend. But we finally connected on Friday, when Ondilla filed his second Friday Pre-Primary report.

A graduate of Moravian College and Widener School of Law, Ondilla got his start as a law clerk for Judge Leonard Zito. "Nothing riled him," he told me. He said he learned more than the law from Judge Zito

After his clerkship, Ondilla worked with a few firms but then took a slightly different path than most lawyers. He became a sales tax consultant.  He can use his legal knowledge, but does not have to worry about winding down his practice if elected.

He's fortunate to have a lot of support in Wind Gap. He is backed both by Democrat Scott Parsons and Republican Matt Dietz. He also has the support of Adriane Masut, who was Magisterial District Judge in Wind Gap before it went to Schlegel.

I gave him a few openings to take shots at his opponents but he declined, telling me he'd rather lose than go negative.

Obviously, he'd make a great Magisterial District Judge.

NAACP Wants Moon Cricket Lesson From Bangor Schools

Lance Wheeler, President of the Easton branch of the NAACP, likes to learn new things.Today, he plans to visit Bangor Area School District to learn all about moon crickets. He has read the stories and also has been contacted by parents in the slate belt with additional stories.

I have previously told you that two of the high school's most talented basketball players were thrown off the team at the end of the season. They happen to be of color. Did race play a role in this decision? I'd hope not.

Then on Friday, just as my moon cricket story began to die down, a student at the high school donned KKK garb - some say it was ISIS - and shouted "F-ck n-gg-rs!" A mother of biracial children pulled them out of the school, and they may be home-schooled for the rest of the year.

Swift action has been taken. Some of the students who instigated this have been suspended. One has been expelled.

But this story has led to a charge of racism by another parent with bi-racial children. She emailed me. I have been unable to talk to her and don't have permission to use her name. But she claims that reported discrimination against her children to an assistant principal who told her he "had no tolerance for bullying, or racism in his school. The students should always feel safe there and like a big family. ... However, after his investigation and interviews with witness the perpetrator was called in the office along with my children and told not to say things like that anymore and that was it. No disciplinary action, no apology to my kids nothing."

The claim is that the student who donned this regalia was instigated by others, and I can see that happening. But I have since seen his Facebook page. If Bangor school officials are unaware of it, they really need to take a look. It is loaded with photographs of the Confederate flag. That in and of itself could have many explanations. But what really bothers me is the one above.

Like I said on Friday, Bangor has a problem.

Fox Calls Benol Out For Hypocrisy

Controller Steve Barron has suggest tighter internal controls over travel by county staffers. He also noted that the amount of money spent on "training" in Human Resources has skyrocketed. It's about ten times what it was before Brown took office. In what seems like a choreographed response to Barron, Executive John Brown used most of Council's Thursday night meeting to bash Barron. First, he had Trapp take the podium to explain that he's saved a million dollars in workers compensation costs, although the truth is that those savings actually began under Executive John Stoffa. Then he had Corrections Director Dan Keen come up and talk about active shooters and other problems that can happen at jails,even though Barron never questioned the money spent on training in Corrections. Finally, Mat Benol unleashed a vicious personal attack on Barron, claiming the position should be defunded. He even called Barron "corrupt," based on his incorrect assumption that Barron had personally profited from the use of an autodialer in John Morganelli's AG race.

Slate Belt resident Jeff Fox is a conservative who backed Hayden Phillips in the Controller's race against Barron. I doubt that he sees eye-to-eye with Barron on many things. But he saw through the nonsense spewed on Thursday night, and sent the letter below to Benol,with copies to every Council member.

Matt Benol,

After reading and viewing the meeting of 5/4/17, I do have a few comments.

In my humble opinion, it seems that you are the one being extremely partisan. Your role on council, once elected, should be about issues and policies which serve the county and its' citizens, taxpayers, well. You work for all. Not just R's. Saving money is saving money. The controller position is an important one, especially for the taxpaying citizens of Northampton County. Defunding this position, even if legal, is not even a reasonable suggestion. The controller is doing his job. Council, including you, should do theirs.

According to the article posted on Lehigh Valley Live by John Best, you said..."... Barron should have sat down with the HR department and discussed how the money was spent before sending a memo out with accusations of abuse and overspending."... Did you sit down with Mr. Barron to discuss these issues as you suggested Mr. Barron should have done? Do as I say not as I do? You publicly attacked Mr. Barron for doing his job. Did you speak to him, man to man, before you did so publicly? Who is politically motivated? Enough with the politics! Grow up and remember for whom you work. This is just one example of many which have prompted me to leave the republican party after 30+ years. Too much petty party partisan politics which interfere with what is in the best interest of We the People!

Jeffrey Fox

Return of the Moon Crickets of Bangor (Updated)

One week ago today, I told you about the moon crickets of Bangor. I never heard this expression, but a coach at the school district did, and is alleged to have used it while addressing some black athletes. They sued, and received a settlement.

This story made me wonder about two basketball players kicked off the team at the end of the season. Was it because they are of color or their inability to follow team rules, I wondered.

I know who these boys are, have watched them play, and  know they are tremendously gifted.  One of the played with my grandson.  But I never spoke with either of them before writing my story.

Last night, I was contacted, for the first time, by their mother.  She explained what had happened, from her point of view.  She told me that, at school, her sons have been accused of stirring up this story, which is untrue. What really provoked me to dig a little, and I did not have to dig long, was the result of other problems at the school district.

Today, as one of these young men made his way down the hall, he was confronted by a student adorned in what appears to be a white hood and mask.

No one has to tell me what means.

 As he was dragged down the hall, students claim he began to shout, "F-ck n-gg-rs!"

No one has to tell me what that means, either.

Bangor has a problem.

(Originally published 1:47 pm)

In Defense of Trips to Las Vegas

Last month, Controller Steve Barron submitted a troubling memo to Northampton County Council, suggesting that stronger internal controls are needed over the amount of money spent on travel and related expenses. What bothered him were trips to New Orleans and Las Vegas by Human Resources staffers, as well as a staggering jump in training for Human Resources (HR), where spending increased from $5,749.35 in 2015 to $56,758.15 in 2016. He never even got into HR Director Amy Trapp's decision to blow $800 on a popcorn machine, or thousands of dollars spent on Target gift cards with no accountability. At a Council meeting later that week, Mat Benol dismissed Barron's report as "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." Amy Trapp herself was unavailable, but was at last night's meeting to explain why all this spending was so necessary. Though Barron never criticized the money spent on training by Corrections Director Dan Keen, he was called forth to explain how the training at the jail saves lives. And Benol renewed his attacks on Barron. Instead of responding to the message, he attacked the messenger. He wants to defund the Controller.

Trapp justified the conferences in Las Vegas and New Orleans. She indicated the trip to Las Vegas was to learn how to use a software system, and that is the only place where the training is done.

Her justification for the New Orleans trip for workers compensation was that it had been recommended by the third party administrator and saved the County money. She noted that the County spent $1.4 million on workers compensation claims in 2015, but only $595,000 in 2016. She implied that the County saved all this money on workers compensation because of that New Orleans trip.

That is a flawed argument because the New Orleans trip was in the end of 2016, between November 29 and December 2. That trip could have only affected workers compensation matters after December 2.

She also claimed that the money spent on training reduced turnover by about five per cent. Turnover may have been reduced in 2016 over 2015, but no evidence linked reduced turnover with the increased training.Moreover, she herself indicated that the county's turnover rate last year was 15% and that the average in the public sector is 10-12%.

It's unclear whether anyone aside from Benol or Seth Vaughn was persuaded by her spiel.

Matt Dietz asked her whether she shopped around for the best hotel rates. Trapp attempted to justify paying more at the Mirage Hotel. Dietz stated that his job requires him to travel and his company shops for the best rates. He noted that there are workers comp classes in Pennsylvania.

Bob Werner pointed out that Trapp is in charge of the policies for travel and meals. She admitted she scheduled the trip. He pointed that the policy requires government employees who travel o get discounted and low rates. Then Trapp said that someone else scheduled the trip "This was absolutely in your area of expertise," Werner told her. "I don't think this was done as well as it could have been done." He also noted that Trapp is using savings in 2016 to justify a trip at the end of 2016.

"There are questions here that should have been reviewed before the trip," he said.

Seth Vaughn then said he was encouraged by Trapp for "seizing these opportunities." He believed that a trip to New Orleans at the end of 2016 saved the county $1 million in 2016. Even though it didn't.

"This is nothing more than a political hit piece," said Mat Benol, "and I'm going to address the gorilla in the room." He called Barron's report "false news."

After Trapp was done, Brown then decided to call Corrections Director Dan Keen to justify his training expenditures, even though Barron had no complaints about the amount of money his department spent on training. Keen, who was away from his job at least 39 times over the past two years, spoke about the importance of training, though what he did has nothing to do with New Orleans or Las Vegas.

"God forbid, look what happened in Delaware," he said, though I had no idea what he was talking about.

Then he started talking about active shooters in prison lobbies, and I suppose that's a justification for trips to Las Vegas and New Orleans.

After they were done, Benol said he wants to do something to Barron because he has a history of violating the Home Rule Charter and Administrative Code. Then he slammed Barron for getting $22,100 from DA John Morganelli when he ran for Attorney General. He noted that Barron failed to report this on his ethics report. "He's nothing more than a corrupt officer," said Benol. "The optics of this stinks."

He went on to say that Barron's salary be defunded.

He seemed to think that money was going into Barron's pocket, but this accusation is false. As Benol might say, false news. Barron owns an autodialer, and Morganelli gave him money so he could purchase time on it for calls made by Morganelli. None of that money went into Barron's pocket.

Instead of paying attention to the message, the Brown administration went after the Controller. He was called "corrupt" for pointing out that Human Relations is blowing taxpayer money like drunken sailors.

The whole point of bringing this situation to Council now, instead of September, was to keep it from becoming political. But it will be political now. I am sure voters will have a different view of Barron's memo than the one offered by Benol.