- Lehigh County commissioners agreed last month to raise Controller Mark Pinsley’s legal budget
- But County Executive Phil Armstrong vetoed that line of the budget, eliminating the extra funding for Pinsley’s office
- The controller said he believes the line-item veto was “punishment for putting out the Cost of Misdiagnosis report” in August
LEHIGH COUNTY, Pa. — Newly re-elected Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley took aim Wednesday at the county’s top official, accusing him of trying to “intimidate and undermine” his office.
County Executive Phil Armstrong late last month vetoed an amendment to double the controller’s legal budget, which Lehigh County commissioners approved by a 5-3 vote.
Pinsley said he requested the money so he could use an independent solicitor and not the county’s attorneys.
Commissioner Jeffrey Dutt, who voted against increasing the controller’s legal budget, had encouraged Armstrong to consider vetoing it.
Pinsley released a statement Wednesday in which he said Armstrong’s line-item veto of the legal-budget increase was “punishment for putting out the Cost of Misdiagnosis report.”
Pinsley published that report in August, calling for an independent investigation of Lehigh County’s Office of Children and Youth Services, among other recommendations.
"I call on the board to do the right thing and resist this abuse of power by Executive Armstrong. I work for the people, not the powerful. I expect the board to stand up to power here.”Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley
He’s said he developed the report in response to parents’ claims they were falsely accused of child abuse by Lehigh Valley Health Network’s Child Advocacy Center, which operates independently of the county but gives recommendations to CYS workers.
Lehigh County commissioners look set to delay any investigation into the CYS office after the Greater Lehigh Valley Parents’ Medical Rights Group appeared to take steps toward litigation against Lehigh Valley Health Network.
“Executive Armstrong can cite budgetary concerns, but this amounts to less than $10,000 out of a budget over $500 million,” Pinsley said Wednesday. “This is not about balancing the budget; it's about attempting to intimidate my office and me and prevent us from doing our job.”
Armstrong did not immediately respond Wednesday night to LehighValleyNews.com's questions about Pinsley's accusations.
'Abuse of power'
Pinsley urged Lehigh County commissioners to override Armstrong’s veto and restore the legal-services funding they passed for his office last month.
"I call on the board to do the right thing and resist this abuse of power by Executive Armstrong,” he said. “I work for the people, not the powerful. I expect the board to stand up to power here.”
Pinsley, a Democrat, looks to have defeated Republican Robert E. Smith Jr. in Tuesday’s municipal election, according to unofficial results.
His apparent re-election came less than a week after he filed a defamation lawsuit against the Lehigh County Republican Committee after it distributed a mailer claiming he marched in a “pro-Hamas” rally last month.
Pinsley is seeking more than $1 million in punitive damages for the "extreme emotional distress, humiliation, depression, embarrassment, anguish and anxiety" and "a physical manifestation of said distress" that continues.
“This is a malicious and false attack on a person of Jewish faith, intended to destroy his reputation in the Jewish community,” Pinsley’s lawyer Matthew Mobilio said at a news conference to announce the suit.
Pinsley has defended his participation in the Oct. 13 rally, which he said was to show support for Palestinians, not Hamas.
“I understand that we have our differences in the political theater,” Pinsley said Nov. 1.
“However, describing me, a practicing Jewish man, as someone who supports Hamas and wants to defund the police without any support for those positions from cited sources is simply unconscionable.”
A day after suing Lehigh County Republicans, Pinsley accepted a $50,000 donation from the attorney who was recently chosen to prepare a lawsuit against Lehigh Valley Health Network for its alleged over-diagnosing of medical child abuse.
LVHN spokesperson Brian Downs said last month that "less than .5% of children who visited our children's hospital (in the past year) were referred for suspicion of child abuse."
All doctors and caregivers in Pennsylvania are legally mandated to report suspected child abuse, Downs said, noting they can face criminal charges if they do not.
Cases that require further attention are evaluated by child protective services and legal authorities, he said.
"Importantly, when the authorities decide to not press charges, or a case is determined to be unfounded, it does not confirm that a misdiagnosis has occurred," Downs said. "In some instances, it may mean that authorities have decided to pursue a different path such as providing support services and a safety plan for any child/children and family members involved."
