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It was one Hell of a year.

Following an election that ousted Council President Kelly Gross and left her minion, Councilman Tom Nodoline, impotent of power on Council. New Council members entered a Borough Hall in January that had computers missing or locked out, files shredded, and all of Kelly Gross’ emails erased. All office staff had been dismissed.

They both conducted a Scorched Earth policy on the Borough before anyone newly elected gained access to the office, hoping that the new Council would fail and much of what had been done over the years would remain undiscovered.

We didn’t fail, though even I was concerned how West Easton would fare, considering the total state of affairs that Kelly Gross and Tom Nodoline placed the Borough in.

There were undeserved payments discovered. Billings removed from the collection process. Record Retention Act violations. PA Title 8 violations. Contracts signed without Council approval of the expenditure amount. No record maintained of Petty Cash transactions.

There was even an actual S*** List with names of residents who were targeted.

The new Council had a lot of work to do.

Councilman Dan DePaul was voted in as the new Council President and set to work on finding people to staff the office and fill positions that had been left vacant, or needed to be replaced.

New Councilman Henry Nodoline concentrated on property and road needs.

I set my sights on computer problems. Myself and an outside associate worked to get computers and equipment accessible.

Council convened 20 times in 2016 to clean up the mess left us, make West Easton more transparent, and to address the many problems ignored by the previous administration.

We also sought Justice for the many violations committed by those who once ruled West Easton. The Northampton District Attorney ultimately refused to prosecute by citing “Prosecutorial Discretion.” The little Borough of West Easton wasn’t worth the time and resources to prosecute.

Despite the daunting task of correcting our Borough’s mismanagement and regaining the public’s trust in its leadership, we made a lot of headway.

• Borough Hall business hours have been expanded
• Doors to Borough Hall are now unlocked during business hours
• A working website for the Borough, providing notifications, contact info, meeting dates, meeting minutes, downloadable forms, more
• Right To Know requests expedited without unnecessary delay
• Public comment at council meetings is no longer officially “timed” and there are now two public comment sessions during each council meeting
• Approved Council Minutes provided to public without a RTK request
• Hired a Borough Manager
• Hired a Borough Clerk
• Hired a Treasurer
• Hired a Borough Solicitor
• Hired an Engineering Firm
• Reduced quarterly sewer/trash bill amount to residents
• No tax increase for 2017. Mil rate remains at 11.7
• Monies owed to the Borough from Kelly Gross were collected
• Submitted complaint re certain Borough officials to NorCo DA
• Substantial contract amounts now require full council approval
• Expenditures need full council approval
• Set limit on office expenditures
• Borough employees received a pay increase
• Borough accounts moved from a bank paying no interest to a bank that does pay interest
• Contracted with a computer firm for new hardware, maintenance, and virus protection
• Computer problems have been solved with backup files maintained off-site
• Cancellation of an unnecessary computer software program (Caselle) together with its annual support cost
• Cameras installed in key areas to deter illegal dumping
• Now utilizing one of two vehicles (Jeeps purchased by the previous Borough Council), which had been standing idle (in storage) for two years
• Borough potholes repaired
• Numerous roads being sealed and resurfaced (Part of the three-year project ending 2018, to slurry seal all roads in the Borough)
• Structural repairs to the Borough Hall completed
• New energy-saving LED lights for all Borough street lighting – awaiting Met-Ed installation schedule
• Adamson Street Rebuild Project finally tackled and completed for $86K (former engineers Recommended a contract for $300K)
• $124,400 Grant applied for and awarded for Storm Water Project
• Grant for bicycle rack and benches awarded
• Benches installed at the park on Keystone Avenue
• Federal Grant awarded for Borough to receive half the cost of snow removal conducted over 5 days