The long-simmering dispute between Lehigh County commissioners and county Executive Thomas Muller about the future of the Cedarbrook nursing homes boiled over during Tuesday night’s commissioners meeting.
Commissioner Brad Osborne accused Muller of being responsible for “a cheap political trick” and “playing on the fears of the elderly.”
The latest dispute, which involves posters put up in Cedarbrook by the county administration, comes just two weeks before a crucial vote on the future direction of the county-owned nursing homes.
At their next meeting on Dec. 10, commissioners plan to act on the administration’s request to begin funding a $1.5-million project that would convert a wing in the South Whitehall township nursing home into a 41-bed short-term rehabilitation unit.
The controversy that erupted Tuesday surrounds a poster hung inside Cedarbrook on Nov. 17.
At the top of the poster is an artist’s rendering of a new main entrance to Cedarbrook.
The poster states: “We have asked the county commissioners to approve renovations to Cedarbrook. In addition to a more user-friendly entrance into the building, we are proposing changes to each nursing unit to provide private and semi-private rooms with access to bathrooms.”
It also states: “If you agree that it’s time to give Cedarbrook a face lift, contact your county commissioner and tell them[sic] to support the Cedarbrook renovations.”
The poster provides a phone number for the commissioners office and county email addresses for all nine commissioners.
Commissioners said the project before them does not include a new entranceway into Cedarbrook. Nor would it change each nursing unit by creating private and semi-private rooms with access to bathrooms.
Osborne asked Cedarbrook director Terry Hollinger if he believed that poster was a fair and accurate representation of the D-2 wing project being considered by commissioners.
Hollinger confirmed that project does not include changes to each nursing unit or a new entrance.
Said Commissioner Vic Mazziotti: “There has been no specific proposal to us from the administration to accomplish either of these two things. There has been nothing specific except the D-2 wing that’s before us.”
Mazziotti continued: “The implication is the administration has made a specific proposal to this board — that is before this board — and that this board is the stumbling block; that we are holding back these changes discussed in this document.”
Hollinger said he wrote the words on the poster, at the direction of Muller.
“Most people will recognize this posting as a cheap political trick,” said Osborne. “But I think they’ll be saddened to learn that we have political posters put in a government-owned building, playing on the fears of the elderly.
“I think this is not only unethical, but I wonder if it also is illegal.”
Said Mazziotti: “This was designed to put political pressure on us, for a proposal that the administration never made.”
Dan McCarthy, the county’s director of administration, acknowledged there is no proposal before commissioners that would put a massive amount of money into extensive renovations at Cedarbrook.
Commissioner Michael Schware said that poster was taken down only after the administration was caught in an outright lie.
Schware said the administration is using Cedarbrook residents and employees “as political pawns, which is the most reprehensible thing I can think of.”
Showing a rare flash of anger, McCarthy said he took “complete issue with that,” but Schware did not yield the floor.
“If this plan had merit, you wouldn’t need to resort to cheap political tricks,” said Schware. “It would be able to stand on its own; the numbers would support it.”
He added: “Residents and employees are being lied to.”
Lisa Scheller, chairwoman of the nine commissioners, said she is very upset with the poster, because it put out promises never made by anyone except Muller.
Muller, a Democrat, believes the key to the future success of the county-owned nursing homes includes upgrading them so they become more competitive. He hopes the D-2 wing renovation will be just the first of many improvements to upgrade Cedarbrook.
The commissioners, all but two of whom are Republicans, have not taken a position on what they see as the future of Cedarbrook. But some have made it clear they don’t agree with the direction Muller wants to go.
The Dec. 10 vote on the proposed rehab unit will be the first test of those differing views.
“I think you’ll hear very strongly from this board on Dec 10,” predicted Osborne.
Commissioner wanted an apology
Osborne initially wanted Muller, who was not at the meeting, to write a letter to everyone who contacted commissioners after reading the poster and “tell them that this poster is false, apologize for authorizing it and provide the correct information to all those residents.”
Osborne presented that as a motion, which was seconded by Mazziotti.
“I would not support this,” said Commissioner David Jones, one of only two Democrats among the nine.
“This is throwing gasoline on a fire.
“This is not going to make our ability to collaborate going forward any better. My mom always told me when I was a kid: ‘Two wrongs don’t make a right’.”
Schware also wanted the executive’s letter submitted to the commissioners and approved by the commissioners before being sent. He also suggested commissioners should have prior approval before anything else is posted at Cedarbrook.
“You are a legislative body,” objected McCarthy. “With our checks and balances, our home rule charter, our separation of powers, I’m not sure that would be enforceable.”
Osborne said he has requested an opinion from the county’s legal department regarding whether commissioners have the authority to set a policy for postings in buildings owned by the county.
Said Mazziotti: “Maybe what we need is a poster correcting what was said.” But he also said he did not want to get into “dueling posters.”
Positive resolution
Jones said both sides “are pushing to the brink” because they don’t have trust.
“We’re all playing games right now with this. We don’t need to play games. We need to have some real honest dialogue. We’ve got to be able to trust one another to a certain degree.”
Saying “it is my understanding this is something we’re trying to collectively work on,” Commissioner Amanda Holt suggested a letter composed jointly by the commissioners and county executive be sent, “explaining exactly what the issue is before us.”
“I like that idea,” said Osborne. “I think that’s a fine resolution to this.” He said he would support a joint effort to do a new posting in Cedarbrook “accurately describing the project before us.”
He withdrew his motion to require Muller to write a letter.
Holt replaced it with a new motion that Mazziotti, who chairs the Cedarbrook committee, and Osborne, its vice chair, develop a joint communication with the county executive regarding what currently is being proposed at Cedarbrook.
Commissioner Percy Dougherty called that a very productive solution to a discussion that started out very antagonistically.
Holt’s motion passed 8-1. Commissioner Geoff Brace, also a Democrat, voted no.
After the vote, Jones noted: “The administration still has to decide to play nice.”
Second poster
McCarthy said the first poster was taken down 24-36 hours after he learned about it and replaced with another one.
Titled “What do you think?” that second poster stated: “Many people believe Cedarbrook is in need of upgrades and renovations. In addition to a more user-friendy entrance to the building, it has been suggested that changes be made that over time will provide private and semi-private rooms with direct access to bathrooms. These enhancements will take time to accomplish and will cost money.”
The second poster also suggests contacting county commissioners, stating “they want to hear from you,” and again lists the phone number and email addresses.
Mazziotti said that poster also was not factual, because it still suggests the administration has made a proposal “that you haven’t had the courage to make. But you’re implying that you have and that we’re somehow holding it up. That’s just not true. It’s dishonest and it’s pitiful.”
Scheller said that second poster still is misleading because it also is topped by a depiction of the new entrance for Cedarbrook. She felt by doing that, the administration still is presenting that entrance as part of the proposed project.
Third poster
McCarthy said a third poster — titled “Did you know?” — was put up about the administration’s proposed reconfiguration of the D-2 wing, the only Cedarbrook change being considered by commissioners.
That poster mentions the Dec. 10 vote and suggests Cedarbrook residents tell commissioners “how you would like them to vote.” It also has the phone number and email list.
Mazziotti called that poster “factual but inappropriate.”
Scheller said all the posters are incorrect and should be taken down “immediately.”
Cedarbrook’s financial status
Commissioners also are angry because the Muller administration has not provided them with a “dashboard” — a one or two-page summary of Cedarbrook’s current financial status.
Osborne said the administration had promised to provide that information, which was requested at the last commissioners meeting, by Tuesday night. But he said that was not done.
“I am concerned that we cannot provide what I would consider basic financial data within a day, two days, a week, certainly two weeks,” said Osborne. “Why can’t we get any sort of information?
“The reason I’m bringing this up publicly is because I tried to address it privately. The executive said: ‘We will provide that sometime in 2015’ and feels that my request is irrelevant to the issue.”
Osborne said knowing the current financial status of Cedar brook “is very relevant to the subject at hand.
“We need to know what our current expenses are, we need to know if they are stable, we need to have this information so we know which direction should we go, at what magnitude and at what speed.”
Osborne demanded to know why commissioners did not receive that requested information by Tuesday night “and when are we going to get it?”
He added: “I’m concerned that we don’t know what our finances are.”
Hollinger said he was told by commissioners that he would be provided with specifics regarding what financial information they wanted to see, but didn’t get it.
Responded Osborne: “Whether you understood what we wanted on a dashboard or not, couldn’t we just construct some basic financial information and present it?”
McCarthy said the administration can provide commissioners with some basic data about the operation of Cedarbrook, including expenses. He added: “We can build upon that if the board would like to have more.”
When Osborne asked how soon commissioners will get that, McCarthy said: “Give us one to two weeks.”
“It shouldn’t be two weeks to get information,” said Jones, adding the commissioners have been asking for such information for many months.
Calling himself a Cedarbrook advocate and supporter, Jones said he is very surprised at the “amount of complexity involved in getting what should be basic information for making management decisions daily.”
Said Jones: “It’s difficult to want to make a case for supporting when constantly and continuously what’s coming our way has the appearance and smell of incompetence. I don’t know how else to say it.
“You’re making it difficult to be a supporter.”
McCarthy said he understands that commissioners need to be convinced Cedarbrook is operating on a sound fiscal basis. He then promised to provide data before the Dec. 10 meeting.
Advised Jones: “To make all of this go away, provide the information.”
Competing with private rehab?
Commissioner Thomas Creighton said he knows the Dec. 10 vote on the proposed rehab unit will be a very tough decision for many of the commissioners, which is why “we’re trying to get as much information as we can.”
One of the questions commissioners have is whether creating such a unit will put the county-owned nursing home in competition with privately-owned medical facilities in the county that already offer short-term rehab.
Hollinger, the Cedarbrook director, said 11 other local places reported they do have short-term rehab units. Two are in hospitals and nine are in nursing homes.
He said they average in size from 21-61 beds, with occupancies of 90 to 100 percent. Three reported they generally remain at 100 percent occupancy and two of the three have waiting lists.
With the expected growth in the population of county residents who are 65 and older, said Hollinger, “We feel there is a definite need within the county — not to take services from those that are already there, but to provide an additional service to those that need them.”
Schware asked how many of the places that are at 100 percent in their short-term rehab units plan to expand to increase the number of beds. Hollinger said they were not asked that question.
Cedarbrook resident speaks
At the beginning of the commissioners meeting, Cedarbrook resident Edward Onufer encouraged commissioners to visit the nursing home to learn what it is like “and why it is and should remain a monument to Lehigh County.”
He said the debate, and publicity about it, has created fear among residents and their families that Cedarbrook will be sold.
“I want to save Cedarbrook,” said Snuffer.
Onufer, introduced himself as vice president of the Cedarbrook’s council and said he has resided at Cedarbrook for more than eight years. He said it provides excellent care.
He advised commissioners to get the funding to do all the necessary alterations and additions.
A couple of other county residents spoke in support of Cedarbrook and indicated the commissioners share responsibility for the long-running public debate about the future of the nursing homes with no decision, which they said it bad for the moral of Cedarbrook's residents and staff.
Elizabeth Krause, who works at Cedarbrook, asked commissioners: “How can we employees soar like eagles if we have to service a bunch of turkeys like you?”
“I’ve been called much worse,” said Scheller.
But, defending her colleagues, Scheller said they are trying to do what’s best for the whole county — including those “who need a place to go like Cedarbrook,” county employees and all residents.
She also maintained: “It is not the commissioners who are holding this thing up.”
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