DA Jim Martin Stonewalls on Stinky Debbie Garlicki Hiring as "Executive Aide"

Readers, for essential background info, please review the following two LVS exclusive blog posts, before reading this post, thanks ...

1. DA Martin: We Have a Right To Know

2. Kathleen Parrish Responds

Okay, so far, we've established the following:

1. Longtime Morning Call "newspaper" courthouse beat "reporter" Debbie Garlicki parted ways with The Morning Call "newspaper" on July 25, 2008.

2. That same month, July 2008, DA Martin asked the Lehigh County Commissioners to okay him adding a brand spankin' new salaried position in his DA's office, "Executive Aide" (hmm, wonder if Jim had anyone specific (wink wink) in mind for the job?)

3. In Feb. '09, Debbie Garlicki (what are the odds?) became DA Jim Martin's new "Executive Aide" and re-commenced her duties of turd polishing and promoting DA Jim Martin in Press Releases ... pretty much exactly as she had done at The Morning Call "newspaper" ever since DA Martin's first wobbly (hiccup) day on the job back in 1998.

Which brought us to our next exclusively excellent questions for Kathleen Parrish, Lehigh County's Right-To-Know/Open Records Officer:

In an email dated Aug. 7, 2009, the always polite Bill Villa queried...

Hi Kathleen, please send me all records (document copies are fine) that depict the advertisements used to announce the open position of Executive Aide in DA Jim Martin's office that was filled by Debbie Garlicki in February 2009. This would include any/all newspaper classified or display ads, postings on the Lehigh County web site, email announcements of the job opening, flyers that may have been hung in-house at the DA's office or Courthouse, etc. Also, please send me all records that indicate how many people applied for the position that was ultimately awarded to Debbie Garlicki in Feb. '09.

Kathleen Parrish Responds Again

and Likely (Our Guess) For The Last Time

Aug. 13, 2009

Dear Mr. Villa,

I am unable to fulfill your request because no such records for the position of Executive Aide in the District Attorney's office exist. 65 P.S. sections 67.102 (definition of "Record") and 67.705.

As an independently elected official, the District Attorney has discretion in filling budgeted positions.

[Redacted: 286 "boilerplate" words on how to file an appeal in Harrisburg on this matter which basically outlines an exercise in total futility]

Thank you,

Kathleen Parrish

Open Records Officer

Lehigh County

Well, there you have it, Lehigh County Voters. DA Jim Martin (left) (who runs unopposed every election because Lehigh County Democrats curiously never put a candidate up against him) has "discretion" to fast-track whoever the hell he wants into a county job and have us taxpayers pay that person's salary. Got a problem w/ that? Try calling Harrisburg (wink wink).

Readers, in a post COMING SOON, LVS will demonstrate, and, exclusively, natch ...

1. How DA Jim Martin utilizes his "discretion" to fix DUI homicide cases for connected cronies.  

2. How Debbie Garlicki and The Morning Call "newspaper" have helped DA Jim Martin pull this shit off.  

We guarantee you it will floodlight up the excellent question of whether Debbie Garlicki was "awarded" the job in DA Jim Martin's office (and remember, Garlicki was the only candidate) ... or rewarded w/ a job in DA Jim Martin's office.

Included in this COMING SOON post will be my "excellent questions that deserve to be answered" regarding DA Jim Martin's highly suspect dispatching of a Sept. 2007 DUI homicide case the night before trial. BTW, my questions were deemed "excellent" and "deserving of being answered" by then Morning Call "newspaper" Investigations Editor (now "reporter") Tim Darragh. These are the same excellent questions the (now defunct) Morning Call Editorial Board refused (229 times) to meet w/ me on.

Essential Reading > WHY WE FIGHT