The Coalition of Alzheimer's Families has once again asked CC the question - WAS TAX PAYER MONEY USED TO FUND A PRIVATE CITIZENS LITIGATION?There was nothing but silence in chambers when Jack Dalessandro walked calmly up to the podium to speak - armed with letter size envelopes packed with information for the council members to digest.
At the podium - Mr. Dalessandro began to speak...
"Good evening Council. Thank you for the opportunity to come before you. My name is Jack Dalessandro from Washington Township.
On February 17, 2011, I came before Council and asked why Ron Angle and Bernard O'Hare were provided with legal advice from our solicitor and Mark Steward from Eckert Seaman's law firm. Mr. Angle and Mr. O'Hare were at that time suing as private citizens to invalidate petition signatures to prevent a referendum questions being placed on the ballot.Those of you present at that meeting may recall that both men denied any coaching from the solicitor or Mark Stewart. For those interested you can view their denials on the tape of that meeting.
Tonight I have provided you with a packet of information. It contains copies of emails and copies of bills. These documents prove that Mark Stewart and others from the law firm did indeed help Mr. Angle and Mr. O'Hare with their "PRIVATE" law suit. The emails will show there was contact between O'Hare, Stewart and others. The bills will show that OUR TAX DOLLARS were used with the approval of Mr. Stoffa to pay for this help.
Exhibit A which Mr. Ohare based his case on was primarily constructed by Stewart and in the E-mail he thanks Stewart for it. Mark Stewart went so far as to tell O'Hare that he modified my physical disabilities. I didn't know that Stewart was a doctor too.
All hours that it took the law firm to review the petitions were charged to the county and paid for with OUR TAX DOLLARS, again, with the approval of Mr. Stoffa.
When Council voted to spend $300.000 for the sale of Gracedale, I do not believe that vote included helping fund PRIVATE litigation.
I believe that Council has a legal and moral duty to the tax payers of Northampton County to quickly and completely investigate this matter and use whatever means necessary to GET OUR TAX MONEY BACK! Thank You."
When he was done...there sat a stunned Mr. Stoffa...a speechless Mr. Angle, and a silant Mr. O'Hare - you had to be there to beleive it!
COAF promised the folks that stood behind us, and beside us during the Gracedale Initiative that we will not go away...that we will continue to seek TRUTH for the tax payers, and we will keep that promise.
Stay tuned for more reactions from stoffa and others after the meeting...coming soon.
Good for you! Thank you from the taxpayers of Northamton County. Stoffa has Angle and O'Hare doing a distraction with his legal attack on Trish. He threatens more lawsuits. He wishes, along wiht Angle and Stoffa, to scare off the COAF.
ReplyDeleteHopefgully county council does something. I hope our fait with the new members isn't met wiht old style silence.
They can huff and puff all they want, it's just hot air.
ReplyDeleteCOAF you guys are great citizens and have more guts than anyone in recent memory. Your Mom's and Dad's are surely proud of what you have done for Gracedale, and the community. Thank you.
I wish I could have benn there! Excellent presntation, and it DOES deserve more attention!
ReplyDeleteIt appears to me by the lack of coverage by the local media of this exposure of misuse of our tax dollars
ReplyDeleteindicates they either do not care or are in the pockets of Stoffa. I can appreciate the council's non-response since they were just provided with the information. However, if they do not do anything to aid in the recovery of our tax dollars then they too become just as guilty as Stoffa, Conklin, Angle and O'Hare. There has been so much turmoil associated with the proposed sale of Gracedale that it is time that it be sorted out. There is a difference between the litigation to recover attorney fees and this issue of misuse of tax dollars.
The media and council need to realize these are two separte issues.
If Council doesn't help with a solution then they become part of the problem. Let's hope that they have the courage to stand up for the tax payers who elected them. This is a test to see if they really meant what they said when they made those wonderful campain speeches or were they just blowing hot air to get elected. It takes a brave person to stand up for what is right. I commend Mr. D'Alessandro and the COAF for doing just that. I'm anxious to see what if anything the council will do! Let's all hope it's the right thing.
ReplyDeleteKeep in mind, when the Express did the "who is running for County Executive" article, they purposely would not contact Ron Heckman. Word at the courthouse is they were told not to mention his name in the paper.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, from day one the local media has been in the pocket of John Stoffa. They also have bought into every lie told by this Administration about Gracedale. The last thing they want to do is mention the one person who actually knows more about Gracedale then any of these guys.
My vote and my friend svotes are for Ron Heckman. He is the only guy I trust to help
ReplyDeleteGracedsale come back.