Still Alive And Well!

It has been a little while since we have posted anything on our blog. Not because we disbanded, we have not. But, because we want to give all of our newly elected officials a sincere opportunity (of at least a year) to demonstrate their faithfulness to "We The People" without distractions from us.

The Coalition of Alzheimer's Families never desired to govern the county. If that were so, we would have run for office. Our desire from the start (and still is today) was to speak for those who could not speak for themselves. No one can deny we accomplished that mission. No one!

Our current silence on this blog is nothing more than a well earned period of rest. We are alive and well, and still meeting to discuss matters that regard our county gem "Gracedale".




We cleaned our house, and are now enjoying a moment of peace.




Rest assured however, if we see our house becoming filthy again, we will not hesitate to rise once again.

Yes, "We The People" will rest, and yes, we will sleep (in turn of course). But, we will always have a watchman watching! Prepared to sound the alarm.

The John Stoffa Legacy...

...Or better said - DECEPTION!
As we near the end of 2013, we look back with humble pride at the history making event - "The Gracedale Initiative".

Regardless what any one person may say, the Gracedale saga unified the community and the county in a manner never witnessed or experienced before. Not in Northampton County. And, in all probability...not in the state or the nation.

Recently, an outsider asked: "What was the Gracedale initiative really about?" Our response: The Gracedale Initiative was about helping each other, with special consideration for our elders. Whom, in their day molded our great nation into what it is today. We went on to explain that while we continue to be  proud Americans who love our country dearly, these days we're not always so proud of some of our Government officials.

A miserable liar - John Stoffa

Elected government officials like outgoing County Executive John Stoffa pollute the existence of any office they hold. In retrospect, it certainly appears that Stoffa's main concern was putting his name on a building. And, hanging a self-portrait on a wall...to be worshipped like God. But, God he is not.

He has been portrayed as "pulling his last weed". We suggest that he has pulled his last hairs while cursing COAF for exposing him. His portrait was painted using a hypocritical brush. His legacy will be remembered forever, but not for anything positive. Stoffa himself would like us to believe that except for a half mil tax hike he had promised during his campaign, he never raised taxes beyond that. We agree, he did not! However, lets explore why not...At one point, we had as much as a sixty-two million dollar surplus. So the real question is: Why would he raise taxes?

While Stoffa was being lifted, it was stated that his one regret is the Swaption. Of course, it was quickly noted that he inherited the swaption. We agree! He did. We would also note however, that he could have come out smelling like a financial genius if he pulled the trigger on the swaption gun when it was well under ten million. Instead, his failure to act in the best interest of the tax payers (in a reasonable time and manner) cost the tax payers in the area of twenty-seven million dollars, with absolutely nothing to show for it. So really...how financially astute is he? And, did he fail to act out of ignorance, stupidity, or vindictiveness? In any case - it cost the taxpayers millions that could have been better used to do good for our community. For example: It could have helped sustain Gracedale for the next fifteen years. The Millions carelessly wasted exposed Stoffa's financial incompetence. 

On the subject of the Human Services building, Stoffa pushed, and pushed some more for it without any hesitation. Why??? Well, in our opinion, because he thought County Council would dedicate the building to his failed eight years legacy. They, of course, did not! Great decision by County Council.

Now, before he leaves office, he wants to waste more of our hard earned money. On what you ask? On an issue that has been decided several times. The issue? The Gracedale ambulance service. On December 21, 2013, as we prepared to celebrate Christmas, Stoffa was preparing to appeal a ruling by the Honorable Judge Leonard Zito. Judge Zito ruled against Stoffa. Stoffa's legal council argued that County Council overstepped their authority by not accepting Stoffas recommendation. Really??? That's just as ridiculous as it sounds. A recommendation by definition is a suggestion, which means that County Council was well within their right to reject the recommendation. Not only did they reject it once, but several times. So why can't Stoffa just accept the decisions? Because Stoffa want's to continue to drain what's left of our once healthy surplus.

John Stoffa's legacy is nothing more than what he practices - deception! In our opinion:

He lied to us to get elected.

He lied to us regarding his Gracedale intentions.

He lied to us about "not appealing" his failed court case against "We The People".

He lied to us about not using tax dollars to sue "We The People".

His entire eight year term was a web of lies.

We don't take pride in making these statements, but they are true! That's how we will remember John Stoffa...as nothing more than a liar. Your time has come John. Good bye, good riddance...and know that you will not be missed!

What Happened???

Simple...The Nor-Co voters desired change!

Hmmm...yes, I have raised taxes!

While we are somewhat surprised that Gerry Seyfried and Ron Heckmen lost their attempt to be seated on Northampton County Council, we're not surprised that John Callahan and his dream team lost. We can explain it this way - Nor-Co electors don't want or need additional taxes!

Unlike what some out there are saying regarding what has taken place in Nor-Co politics. The simple truth is that John Callahan is known for raising taxes! His record is clear in that regard.

It really does!

And while some believe that it was voter turn out that hurt the Democratic party during yesterdays election, we feel differently. Remember, we (COAF) do one thing very well...WE LISTEN to our neighbors. What we heard throughout the days leading up to the election were comments like "if Callahan gets in - taxes will surely go up." The kicker is, these comments were coming from Democrats. As we understand it, it wasn't low voter turnout, or lack of Democrat voter turn out - but Democrats VOTING Republican in order to keep their money in their pockets, which otherwise would go to higher taxes. That was the difference.

Walt Garvin and the Democratic Party awoke this morning believing they had a real bad dream. Only to realize that what they perceived as a bad dream was actually a nightmare. And worst yet...REALITY.

Really???

The Democratic Party must now accept this wake up call! They must first open their eyes so they can see their way to the kitchen, and then open their nostrils and smell the coffee. The folks of Nor-Co don't need or want higher taxes, nor bigger (needless) government. No! They want lean necessary government which operates like a well tuned business machine. And apparently, that is what they saw in John Brown and the republican Party. Even the Democratic vote!

While we did not envision a Republican sweep, the voters have made their decision. They have spoken loudly so that there is no mistake about what they want, and what they don't want. They want Gracedale safe, and they don't want more taxes - and they trust the Republican party will deliver that.

A bipartisan effort - D', R's and I's.

We feel it is safe to say: the Nor-Co voters (both parties) felt fooled by John Stoffa, and refused to be fooled again by John Callahan. Regardless of what politicians believe, electors are not fools. They're actually very smart. They proved that during the Gracedale Referendum Initiative when Republicans voted with Democrats to save Gracedale by a three to one margin.

My name is not "Stoffa."

We feel that the days of "jumping off a ledge simply because our party tells us to do so" are over. What we have witnessed in recent Nor-CO history is D's and R's unifying their vote to accomplish what they want.

Yes, it true - only time will tell. But, knowing the voters as well as we do, we (COAF) have our money on the voters.

Now, it is time to extend our congratulations to John Brown and the Republican Party for the miracle they just lived, and delivered. We hope you never stop listening to "We The People". And we pray for your success.

Hollowed Amusement...

We received this halloween link, rather amusing!

Enjoy.

http://www.jibjab.com/view/-e5U_EXYTEur7E4BgBkIkQ

Our Choices - And Why...

After much consideration the following candidates receive COAF's endorsement:

County  Executive:

John Callahan

County Council:

Ron Heckman - D

Gerry Seyfried - D

Deb Hunter - D

Peg Ferraro - R

Seth Vaughn - R

Our deliberations over these candidates were extensive. The number one item of concern for us of course was Gracedale. However, we did consider each candidate on the basis of their character and integrity.

We feel consistency in these matters is vital. And while we did not support John Callahan in the primary, we explained during a meeting with him that Lamont McClure deserved our loyalty because he was instrumental in the effort to save Gracedale. Had Mr. McClure not thrown his hat into the ring, perhaps we would have supported Callahan early on. That's the past however, this is now. We collectively decided on Mayor Callahan over Mayor Brown because during our meeting with Mr. Brown, while he seemed competent and qualified, he also seemed reluctant to sign a pledge that he would not consider selling Gracedale. As the entire county is aware, Gracedale is our mission. We harbor no ill feelings for Mr. Brown. We respect his position, however, we require the assurance that Gracedale will not be set up for failure again! We received that assurance from John Callahan.

Our county Council choices were somewhat more involved. However, because we are engaged and informed it was not difficult. We first looked at the ten candidates to identify who actually supported Gracedale during the battle to keep her in our hands. Of the five selected, only one did not - Seth Vaughn. So why would we endorse him? Simple, he met with us prior to the primary seeking our support. This young hopeful said something that we have rarely heard from any sitting servant. He said "I'm sorry I did not support Gracedale during my first run for Council." And then he said something even more meaningful. "I didn't know enough about Gracedale." To us, this young man demonstrated humility on a level not often seen in our local government. He realized he made a mistake, he owned it, and he pledged to work as hard as necessary to keep Gracedale right where she is because now he understands how important Gracedale is to the county residents she serves. And, how equally important Gracedale is to the taxpayers who foot the bill, as well as the electors who hire and fire our public officials through the power of their vote.

On the Democratic side, we extend best wishes to Christen Borso and Tom O'Donnell. They both pledged to do right by Gracedale too. Unfortunately there are only five seats available. If you don't make it this time around, don't hang your heads - persevere.

On the Republican side, we can't say much about Hayden Phillips, Glenn Geissinger, or Mathew Benol because none of them considered us worthy of a meeting. Geissinger did schedule a meeting with us, however, he did not attend. We will certainly wish them all well, but that's it! If we're not worthy of thier consideration now, logic tells us we won't be later. And if we're not worthy of their time now, they're not worthy of our support or vote.

GET OUT AND VOTE!

Who Do We Pick?

As we near the 2013 general election, we have to carefully evaluate the candidates for County Executive, as well as for County Council.

As a bipartisan activist group seeking the well being of a very necessary core function in our local government "Gracedale", the Coalition of Alzheimer's Families desires and seeks to balance the political scale in a manner which fulfills the needs of ALL taxpayers, electors and residents of Northampton County...that we all may have a voice in office.

Sadly, in America today the task of selecting honest and trustworthy statesmen is difficult to say the least. Why so? Because the political waters are murky with deception. Also, like sharks, there are more politicians than statesmen in the waters these days. And yes, there is a difference in the two. Horribly, the difference between the two usually leads to corruption. 

For example, we recently experienced corruption in Nor-Co with the "Ross Marcus and Alan Jennings scandal". Mr. Jennings, quoted by the Express Times on October 23, 2013 says: " I think it's important that we all remain vigilant to make sure that our business is done with honesty and integrity". Yet, he openly acknowledged that he intentionally violated the rules to hire county employee Ross Marcus, who granted Jennings organization (CACLV) at least seven contracts amounting to the sum of $889,000.00. Clearly this is a conflict of interest. So, a good question for Mr. Jennings is: where exactly is the honesty and integrity in your unethical behavior? There is no doubt that CACLV is a worthy organization doing wonderful acts of kindness for the community. However, doing so does not grant them the right to break the rules.

We then have to ask: why did County Executive John Stoffa allow the breach to take place? Well, consider that Mr. Stoffa decided to veto an amendment co-sponsored by Lamont McClure and Ken Kraft, designed specifically to prevent such conflicts of interest from occurring again in the future. What does that tell you? It tells us...he is at the head of the corruption. And in our opinion, you really can't call it anything else. When the servants decide to benefit themselves instead of those they have sworn to serve, you can only call it corruption.

COAF has been carefully considering the candidates. Hence, one of the reasons for our recent silence. No, we're not perfect, and most importantly, we don't pretend to be. What we are is engaged and informed. we are working hard to change the culture of corruption which does exist today in Nor-Co. We can only do so through the power of our votes. So please get out and VOTE.

We will announce our choices tomorrow. Our selections will hopefully bear the county good fruit, as we continue on our journey forward. If for any reason you don't appreciate our choices, then make your own decision. Just please make sure you get out and vote... 

...Be part of the solution!

Poor Performance...

...County Executive John Stoffa is on his way out, for many of us, not soon enough. 

Why would we make such a statement you ask? Because Stoffa turned out to be a big disappointment to the elector's of the county. He decided not to run for re-election when he realized We The People had exposed him to be a self-serving liar. And as such, a snowball would stand a better chance in a furnace than Stoffa has at the polls.

Four out of five County Council members whose seats are up for grab this coming November, also did not serve the county well. John Cusick and Tom Dietrich for example, lost their appeal to their party when they orchestrated the coup that overthrew the renegade Ron Angle. For that we thank them. However, they performed poorly there after, especially dealing with the recent Ross Marcus "conflict of interest" scandal. And so did Bruce Gilbert and Barbara Thierry, who performed poorly their entire terms.

Excluding Peg Ferraro (at one point or another), they all stood with Ron Angle and John Stoffa in their movement to sell Gracedale. They all failed in that endeavor. Excluding Peg Farraro, they must all go!

The Ross Marcus issue sadly highlighted the incompetence of the sitting Council. From our prospective, an honest council would have stood up as our representatives and clearly stated that what Stoffa and Marcus decided to do is simply WRONG! Instead, the majority praised him on his way out, even as he continued to violated the County Constitution (AKA The Home Rule Charter).

Recently, there was a question regarding County Controller Stephen Barron relating to part-time employment. While we support Mr. Barron, we would be the first to say: if he is doing something wrong, it must be corrected. Needless to say, Mr. Baron corrected the matter by resigning his part-time employment. In so doing, he better serves the county. 

John Cusick went on record (according to the express times)  and suggested that: Baron's second job warrants a close examination". Also suggesting (according to ET) that "the potential violation could warrant a forfeiture hearing, a county process similar to impeachment". The question is: why didn't Mr. Cusick say the same thing about John Stoffa and Ross Marcus? Mr. Baron made a correction, while Mr. Marcus did not. And Mr. Marcus was allowed to violate the HRC, while Mr. Baron was not. We advocate following the rules, and that means everyone!

Council needs to do something to correct this misguided direction, which in effect will set a precedence for future corruption. 

This sitting Council still has time to demonstrate (by their actions), that perhaps we're wrong about them. To make no correction is in this matter however, simply confirms our opinion.