MILFORD – The Pike County Commissioners have a policy that they never discuss personnel matters in public. This policy is based on recommendations made by their present Solicitor and from prior Pike County Solicitors. However, a past employee who recently sued the County, Dawn Metzger, has decided to make her personnel matter public. The Commissioners have not even been served with a copy of her Complaint, which was filed in the Federal District Court in Scranton; however, copies have already been sent to the news media. Given the accusations in the Complaint, the Pike County Commissioners believe it is necessary to respond publicly. However, this will be the only press release given in this matter.
First and foremost, the Pike County commissioners decided to remove Dawn Metzger, Director of Pike County Children & Youth Services. The Commissioners based this decision on information received from the Court of Common Pleas of Pike County, employees that worked under Dawn Metzger, and the third party individuals who had continual contact with Ms. Metzger as Director of Pike County Children & Youth Services.
After a lengthy investigation, the Commissioners decided it was best to remove Ms. Metzger from her position. She was given a due process hearing before her removal. She was represented by counsel throughout the process. She was also offered a new position at the Pike County Correctional Facility as a Treatment Counselor, which in consultation with her counsel, she agreed to accept. The commissioners then transferred her to a new position. Six days later, she advised the Commissioners that she would not be accepting her new position. She was then terminated from her new position at the Pike County Correctional Facility for job abandonment.
It is unfortunate that this matter has become public. The Commissioners will vigorously defend their decision to remove Ms. Metzger as the Director of Pike County Children & Youth Services. They are confident that the Court will dismiss her claim under the “Whistle Blower Law” as it is without merit.
Publisher’s Note: The Pike County Press was not provided with a copy of the lawsuit but obtained a copy directly from the Administrative Offices of the US Courts.
July 23, 2009 | Posted in
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Commissioner Harry Forbes
By Pat Camuso
MILFORD – The Pike County Board of Commissioners have filed an appeal challenging the court’s ruling in the county auditors extension dispute.
The commissioners blocked an extension petition for the completion of the 2008 audit beyond its state mandated July 1 deadline saying that the auditors must now finish the audit with no pay. The board contends that there is no incentive for the auditors to finish in the prescribed amount of time. They say that, traditionally, the auditors purposefully “drag their feet” in order not to finish the audit by the July 1 deadline and thus making an extension of paid time necessary.
The Pike County Auditors promptly sued the county for not being granted the extension of paid time to complete the audit and won. Pike County President Judge Joseph Kameen found in favor of the auditors granting them a two-month extension.
In a 12-page decision, Kameen said in part, “This court will not accept the conclusion that the auditors must work for no salary after July 1. While the commissioners have created a limited or restricted budget for the auditors in fiscal year 2009, the creation of such limits cannot form the basis to compel the auditors to work for free or for wages significantly below other county officials.
“The argument that there is no money in the budget is not the controlling issue. A budget is a planning tool and it is often the case that due to changing circumstances, appropriations for certain items also changed resulting in either excess or shortfall. In such cases, the county commissioners can make supplemental appropriations or authorize the transfer of unencumbered balances by resolution.”
The Pike County Press spoke to both the auditors and Commissioner Harry Forbes on Monday, July 20, and found that parties on both sides of the dispute are confident that they will prevail in the appeals process.
Auditor Ann Seaman equates the commissioner’s argument that the auditors purposefully run over the deadline to take extensions year after year with being called “liars and cheats.” She said, “When they [commissioners] say that we are lying and cheating what do they base it on? What facts do they have to base it on?”
Tom Foran
Auditor Tom Foran says that their workload is huge and increases every year in pace with the county’s growth.
The auditors maintain that, regardless of what the commissioners budgeted, the operations of the auditor’s office are out of bounds for the commissioners. “We are elected officials, elected to a 4-year term, and answer only to the voters,” said Seaman.
Foran said he has no doubt that the court’s ruling will be upheld. He explained that the law provides for such deadline extensions because they are necessary in many instances across the Commonwealth; especially in counties, such as Pike, that are growing exponentially as well as in counties with smaller budgets. Foran feels that the judge’s ruling was well thought out, complete and will hold up under any appeal because it’s well within the confines of the law.
“We are confident in our appeal on all levels,” said Forbes. “And this business about a vendetta is ridiculous. They are all good people over there; all active in their community; I have no personal problems with them. But our job is the county budget; that is all this is about. Remember we are a board; no one person makes decisions around here.”
July 23, 2009 | Posted in
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By Pat Camuso
DINGMAN TOWNSHIP – In her resignation statement last week in front of the Pike County Board of Commissioners, former elections director Yolanda Goldsack told the board that she was anxious to talk to the press. The Pike County Press caught up with Goldsack last Monday at her Dingman Township home for an exclusive interview.
To recap: Last week Goldsack refused to accept a transfer to another county position by reading a surprise statement to the county Board of Commissioners. Her stepping aside and eventual resignation came amid a flurry of accusations and politicking from the Pike County Democrat Committee (PCDC).
The PCDC has questioned Goldsack’s job performance on a seemingly ongoing basis while alluding to conflict of interest concerns because of her past active association with the county Republican Committee as well as her husband’s (Robert Goldsack) elected post as Delaware Valley School Board member.
No actual cases or formal charges of conflict ever arose during her time as elections director but Goldsack says this didn’t stop Julius Litman, Chairperson of the Pike County Democratic Committee, from pointing to a “perceived” conflict of interest. For example, Litman said Pike County Democrats have warned repeatedly against the “corrupting conflict of interest represented by her presence as director of elections.”
Goldsack attributes Litman’s comments to a type of politics that is not above launching unfounded accusations; a nastier type of politics she thought she had left behind in Hoboken, New Jersey (her former home). “My job as elections director was to ensure that voters had trust in the process,” she said explaining that Litman, however, used misinformation to do everything he could to make voters not trust the process in an effort to make political hay.
Goldsack said that mistakes were made during the most recent primary ballot but at the hands of outside technicians from the voting machine company. Following the mishap in Dingman District 2, Goldsack said she called the voting machine company and they dismissed and replaced the two technicians responsible. She explained that other such errors were made during the machine testing process but the election itself was unaffected. “They made us look like we didn’t know what we were doing,” said Goldsack.
“Litman said if it hadn’t been for Karl Wagner’s eleventh-hour intervention they don’t know if the machines would have been ready. He said that Karl had all 70 machines retested – that is a lie.” She explained that no machines were retested. “That means everything that was sealed, shut, packed and ready to go would have been re-opened and tested; that’s just not true. Any issues that occurred during the testing were addressed during the testing and once the machines were closed and sealed they were good to go.”
“There were two machines that failed to turn on when the arrived at the polling place. Litman blamed the testing but testing has nothing to do with machines going on and off; that is a power problem – they have to be plugged in right,” said Goldsack.
“The democrat committee said that the voter rolls need to be purged or it will leave room for shenanigans; that was their first beef when I took the job,” said Goldsack. “The first thing that I did as director was to research the voter rolls and I discovered a law that is called the “Five-year Voter Removal Program and the National Change of Address Program.” Goldsack explained that by using criteria set forth in these programs she discovered nearly 8,000 names of Pike County voters who failed to cast a ballot in the past two federal elections putting them on the inactive list. Should a person on the inactive list fail to vote for an additional five years they get dropped from the voter rolls.
Goldsack continued, “I then asked Harry Forbes if the previous director ever initiated the voter removal program. He said it involves a mass mailing and “she did something with the change of address thing but it’s a mailing and it’s very expensive.”
Goldsack told Forbes that the Five-year Voter Removal Program is mandated and necessary to cleaning out the voter rolls. Forbes responded, according to Goldsack, that the program mailing would be too expensive and the county never did it before so he wasn’t going to do it now.
Goldsack said she persisted in lobbying for implementation of the five-year program. It was state law that it be completed within the following week. At last, county solicitor Tom Farley explained to Forbes that the law mandates the program with no exceptions. “It was then and only then that Harry [Forbes] said OK. If I hadn’t done that plan as Harry wished we would have been breaking the law and the rolls would have not been cleaned up; and now I had only a week to put it together and get it done – and we did it.”
Goldsack recalled that when Forbes was initially interviewing her for the position she asked what the duties were; wondering out loud if she was qualified. She said that Forbes promised her training but very little ever came. Goldsack said, “They sent me to Monroe County for training; one day for a couple of hours and that was the extent of my training. And they had different machines than us. They had me doing my job with one hand tied behind my back all the time…”
“I had to do my job with one day of training,” said Goldsack. “If it hadn’t been for Janice DeFebo (elections office clerk) I would have been at a loss. Considering the position that the commissioners put me in I think I did pretty darn well.”
“My time working as director was one of the most stressful yet wonderful jobs that I ever had – I loved my job,” said Goldsack. “I loved being part of something that was important to our community. There was no prestige in it – all I got was grief – but I was able to organize a ballot where people came to perform their most fundamental right as Americans – that was awesome. I didn’t care what party was going into that booth. I had a part in something that was very important.”
“I’ve been called a lot of things but people are free to say what they will even if it’s hurtful. I took a great deal of pride in my work and my staff did, too. We initiated a lot of improvements in the office that people aren’t even aware of; we increased productivity in that office.” Goldsack then went through a laundry list of improvements to the elections office made during her tenure. “Rich Caridi was the only commissioner who would come down and ask specific questions; he recognized the terrific job we were doing and was the only one who really cared.”
Goldsack said her office was the most innovative in the county and she fully credits her former staff; Janis DeFebo, Irv Rosen and Nadeen Manzoni. “These people are at the core of making the election run. They are dedicated, talented and honest. They need to be recognized for the job that they do in an exemplary fashion. Pike County voters will continue to get a fair and honest election because of these people – they are honorable people.
July 16, 2009 | Posted in
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By Pat Camuso
MILFORD – The Pike County Board of Commissioners have rejected all bids to build “Phase One” of the Emergency Services Training Facility at the Pike County Complex in Blooming Grove.
According to Chairman of the Board of Commissioners Rich Caridi, construction bids as well as bids for a “flashover simulator” system and a “confined space maze” system have all been rejected. Construction bids, according to Caridi, were not within budget constraints and the remaining bids were characterized as “non-responsive” because not enough bids were received.
Commissioner Harry Forbes explained that the project will no longer go out to bid in phases. “We will put the Emergency Training Facility Project in a one-bid package,” said Forbes. “We feel we will get better bids on the whole entire project as opposed to bidding in phases.”
Forbes said the project will go back out to bid sometime in November with work to begin sometime the following spring.
According to Caridi, the delay now gives the county time to move ahead on installing a “geothermal heating & cooling system” into the project. He described the heating system as an alternative energy system that utilizes natural occurring heat from deep within the ground. Caridi said the state-of-the-art system is expensive but will save the county money on energy costs into the future.
Caridi explained that the county will seek “alternative energy funding” from the state to offset the cost of the geothermal system. Caridi says the delay also affords more time for the county to find and apply for other grants to support the project.
July 16, 2009 | Posted in
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Getting the Job Done: Auditors Anne Seaman and Missy Strub at work on Wednesday. Auditor Tom Foran is on vacation this week and was unavailable for this photo.
“…they need to quit butting in where they have no authority”
By Pat Camuso
MILFORD – The Pike County Auditors are reminding the Board of Commissioners that they hold an elected office and answer only to the voters – so stop butting in.
The commissioners decided to block an extension petition for the completion of the 2008 audit beyond its state mandated July 1 deadline but the auditors sued and won their extension in the county Court of Common Pleas. The commissioners intend to appeal the court’s decision according to Chairman of the Board of Commissioners Rich Caridi.
The auditors feel that the decision of President Judge Joseph Kameen was well thought-out within the law; focused; complete and able to hold up if appealed.
“I think it’s unfortunate that Commissioner Caridi is not thoroughly versed in the law,” said Pike County Auditor Missy Strub. “It’s a misconception that our work is finished when the state report is requested on July 1; it’s not finished. We were elected to a four-year term. The state report has become so cumbersome that we have always required an extension but that doesn’t mean our work is to be completed on July 1 – just that one report should be finished if possible or else an extension is granted; we can continue to work throughout the year and we should be allowed to if need be. The commissioners have absolutely no authority to tell us when we’re done or when we’re not done working.”
“Once our report is filed its not like we don’t have more work to do”, Strub continued. “We could spend November and December preparing for next year – it’s our call – not the commissioners. They do not have the right to tell us we can’t work; its pettiness on the part of the commissioners; they need to quit butting in where they have no authority.”
We don’t serve at the pleasure of the commissioners,” said auditor Ann Seaman. “We serve only the voters; we answer only to the voters.”
Strub said, “They [commissioners] have no authority to tell the sheriff how to run his office nor do they have any authority to tell the Prothonotary how to run her office – or the recorder of deeds or the DA. They’re all elected officials and they run their own office as they see fit; we are elected officials too and we’ll run our own office and answer only to the voters.”
“It’s their [commissioners] interfering that creates problems,” added Seaman. “Maybe they should take a look at how they spend money in other areas.” Seaman has said in the past that animosity may have developed when the auditors’ questioned Commissioner Harry Forbes about his expense account. “They [the commissioners] have cart-blanche and can spend whatever they want but all other county officials stay within reason and limits. I can’t say that about all the commissioners because that would be wrong – just one.”
“It’s a shame that the commissioners do not focus on the things they should be doing for this county,” said Strub.
“The commissioners insulted us and tried to damage our reputation; they are not going to call me a liar and a cheat – we serve our county with honor,” said Seaman. She read through a long list of Pennsylvania counties that were granted extensions this year including counties with much smaller budgets.
Auditor Tom Foran was unavailable for comment.
July 16, 2009 | Posted in
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Kickoff Presentation Monday, July 13 at 7 PM, in Dingman Township
PIKE COUNTY, PA—After careful deliberation, the Pike County Public Library (PCPL) Board has asked the Pike County Commissioners to place a referendum on the November 3, 2009 ballot for a dedicated library tax of 1 mil. The PCPL Board has been in discussions over the past two years with the Pike County Commissioners about the critical need for increased library funding.
“Our county’s annual library allocation has remained frozen at $200,000 since 2000 while demand for PCPL’s services has increased by 100% and continues to climb substantially each year,” says PCPL Board President Maleyne Syracuse. “The Commissioners have said they cannot increase the annual library appropriation and suggested that the PCPL seek voter approval for a dedicated library tax in order to secure the increased funding we need.”
Based on the current assessed value of property in Pike County, a one mil tax would yield over $900,000 annually. The annual cost to the average Pike County homeowner would be about $35—less than what it costs a family of four to go to the movies once.
To ensure that the referendum is placed on the November 2009 ballot, the PCPL must gather more than 700 petition signatures from Pike County voters. By law, the petition drive must be held between August 4 and August 25.
“Libraries are uniquely democratic institutions that are vital to our quality of life and our community’s continuing economic, cultural, recreational and social well-being,” says PCPL Director Ellen Schaffner. “The Library needs help to gather petition signatures, educate voters about the referendum, and get out the vote on November 3.”
PCPL volunteers will host a series of community meetings in all 13 Pike County municipalities—and for any interested community organization—to provide information and address residents’ questions. The series will kickoff on Monday, July 13 at 7 PM, in Dingman Township, at the Volunteer Fire Department, located at 680 Log Tavern Road.
The current schedule for additional meetings, which will all be held at 7 PM, includes:
Tuesday, July 14
Matamoras Borough Hall
10 Avenue I
Wednesday, July 15
Palmyra Township Municipal Building
HR1 Box 15C
Thursday, July 16
Blooming Grove Township Municipal Building
488 Route 739
Monday, July 20
Porter Township Municipal Building
HC 12 Box 461
Tuesday, July 21
Westfall Township
Location TBA
Wednesday, July 22
Lackawaxen Township Municipal Building
116 Township Road
Thursday, July 23
Shohola Township Fire Hall
325 Route 434
Monday, July 27,
Delaware Township Municipal Building
116 Wilson Hill Road
Tuesday, July 28
Milford Borough Hall
109 West Catharine Street
Wednesday, July 29
Greene Township
Location TBA
Thursday, July 30
Lehman Township Municipal Building
RR 4 Box 4000
Additional meetings will be scheduled and announced at www.pcpl.org, or call the PCPL Headquarters at 570-296-8211 for more information.
The PCPL System operated at a deficit in 2008, incurring a loss of about $40,000. Even with staff cuts and other economies, the system is operating at a deficit again this year and is projecting to lose about $20,000.
The PCPL is currently dipping into reserves to fund shortfalls but reserves will not last forever. The library system cannot sustain current service levels without increased funding, and has reluctantly developed contingency plans for cutbacks in services for 2010 if it is unable to secure funding by that time.
“A yes vote in November means our library system and its services will improve and expand out to all regions of the county,” says PCPL Board Member Tom Hoff. “Otherwise, immediate service cuts will be necessary and no county-wide expansion will be possible.”
To become involved with PCPL’s efforts or to schedule a presentation to your community group, contact PCPL Volunteer Coordinator Kathe Brannon at 570-296-5354 or kbrannon@ptd.net.
July 6, 2009 | Posted in
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