A divided Northampton County Council has rejected an ordinance that would dramatically increase its oversight over contracts. Under current law, council must approve all contracts in excess of $100,000. Lamont McClure wanted council to have oversight over all contracts in excess of $10,000.

This would give council the final say over controversial contracts like Executive John Brown's $75,500 public relations contract with Bethlehem-based Sahl Communications.

This proposal failed along party lines at the Aug. 18 meeting, but only after council members traded barbs.

Those started before the meeting. In letters to the daily newspapers, Democrats McClure and Ken Kraft justified the increased oversight.

"What are we supposed to do when confronted with an inexperienced administration that has not inspired confidence that it is developing the competence to govern?" they asked. "What are we to do when confronted with the evidence that political operatives are being awarded consulting contracts with public money to perform what appears to be a hybrid of county and political work for John Brown personally?"

During the meeting, McClure accused the administration of wasting "thousands of taxpayer dollars" on contracts like one for Integrity Personnel, which was paid $24,000 to help Executive John Brown, a Republican, find a cabinet. He noted it took Brown seven months. "What kind of public value was there to that?" he asked.

What rankled Republicans was McClure's additional accusation that they are all "complicit in allowing public money to be used for political work." As public relations consultant Kim Plyler shook her head, McClure read an excerpt from an email to Brown, in which she referred to someone as heavily involved in the GOP. A few other emails indicate that Plyler took notes for a political fundraiser and met with Brown in his county office to discuss the matter.

McClure insisted council needs to do more than simply alert authorities.

"It should be us who takes care of this," he argued.

Brown previously has strongly denied any impropriety. He has previously criticized Democrats on council, as well as Controller Steve Barron, of promoting personal political agendas. He has charged that they disrupt his own initiatives and distracting the public from a very real financial crisis facing the County.

Republicans were appalled.

"We have a good deal of witch hunting going on right now," remarked Seth Vaughn. Glenn Geissinger was more direct. Addressing McClure, he said, "As an attorney, I find it appalling that you would accuse a man without the proper foundation."

Knowing this was a loser, Werner proposed an amendment allowing to allow the executive to have authority over contracts under $25,000. That failed in a 5-4 vote, along party lines. Then Ken Kraft suggested a $50,000 amendment, which met the same fate.

Former Council member Ron Angle, who engineered the $100,000 oversight requirement when he was a member of Council, had previously told council that this proposal goes too far.