Police Safety Not Compromised by Virus on Home PC, Mayor Says

Mayor Rick Hoffman called Patch to answer concerns raised at Macungie Borough Council meeting about the security of the GPS system in borough police cars.

Macungie Mayor Rick Hoffman had a short answer to the question “Did Computer Virus Risk Safety of Macungie Police?” raised earlier in the week by Macungie business owner Tim Romig in front of Macungie Borough Council. “No.” Hoffman called Patch on Thursday after reading a Patch article summarizing the concerns raised by Romig about the email virus on the mayor's PC, which Romig documented using printouts of an email exchange between Hoffman and Macungie Police Chief Ed Harry. In those exchanges, which Romig obtained through a right to know request, Harry told the mayor about the virus and suggested he try to get it taken care of. Even if his computer did have an email virus, Hoffman explained, there is no way a virus in his email could put…

•  2 Comments
• Photos (1)

Did Computer Virus Risk Safety of Macungie Police?

Macungie business owner Tim Romig raised his concerns about a virus on the mayor's computer at Monday night's borough council meeting.

Did a computer virus on the Macungie mayor's home computer put the safety of police officers and borough residents at risk? Macungie business owner Tim Romig thinks so. Romig addressed council at its Monday meeting to raise the issue, with copies of email exchanges between Mayor Rick Hoffman and Macungie Chief of Police Ed Harry in hand. Romig said he obtained the emails after filing a public information act right to know request. The emails, which Romig shared with Patch, date back to January and include at least two exchanges between Harry and Hoffman in which Harry told the mayor that he had received spam email from Hoffman's account. Harry recommended that the mayor do something about the virus. Romig's concern stems from the fact that…

•  24 Comments
• Photos (1)

Citizens Vent at Macungie Council Over Absent Mayor

Despite pleas, Mayor Rick Hoffman failed to attend Monday's Macungie Council meeting to defend police staffing plans.

Macungie Mayor Rick Hoffman was notably absent from Monday night’s long, contentious borough council meeting, frustrating residents who wanted to weigh in on police coverage and council members who were at times subject to residents’ wrath. At issue is whether the borough police force is to provide round-the-clock coverage for Macungie. The mayor has said that the occasional open shift will not jeopardize the safety of the borough. Council and several citizens have said they want the 24/7 coverage the borough is used to. During Monday night's meeting, which lasted more than four hours, several citizens reiterated their arguments. “Council budgeted for 24/7 coverage,” said Dorothy Kociuba. She pointed out that officers from the neighboring …

•  34 Comments
• Photos (1)

Guy Ramsey

10:33 pm on Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Good idea. I wish people could rally to support good ideas, rather than merely rail against bad ones. But, this does not seem to be the way of politics. Sad really, a weakness in our system. Few and far between were comments and support for good ideas. Frequent were barbs and insults when they weren't so good. But, never real support when it came to ways forword for enforceable sidewalk ordinance…   more ›

Borough of Macungie

Macungie Mayor Supports Same-Sex Marriage

Mayor Rick Hoffman joins five other Pennsylvania mayors in supporting everyone's right to marry.

Whether it's Valentine's Day or any other day, the right to marry one's heart's desire -- no matter the gender -- is a concept that is becoming ever more acceptable. Indeed, more and more elected officials are weighing in with their support. Last year Easton Mayor Sal Panto signed into law an ordinance that grants benefits to city employees in same-sex relationships in line with their married co-workers. Only five cities in the state – including Allentown -- have such laws and Easton is the smallest. And each February, the annual "Freedom to Marry" demonstration gains steam. Recently, Macungie Mayor Rick Hoffman offered his support in G-Philly, Philadelphia Magazine's "Guide to Gay Philadelphia and the Suburbs." Hoffman said he is "Proud …

•  5 Comments
• Photos (1)

Four years on Macungie Council is Enough for Ramsey

Council president considers moving out of area.

The Borough of Macungie is a place where a tiff over police scheduling spills over into lawsuits between the mayor, the police, the borough council and even the district attorney. After a while, though, this began to grind into council President Guy Ramsey. This fall, he somewhat reluctantly ran for a second four-year term as a Democrat and then welcomed his own defeat. On Dec. 19, he ran his last regular council meeting, though there will be a short meeting to adopt the 2012 budget at 7 p.m. Dec. 27 in the Macungie Institute. “My name was on the ballot,” said Ramsey, who was named council president two years ago. “I’m putting my house on the market. I came upon this problem after my name was on the ballot and before it could be removed. …

• Photos (1)

Mayor-Chief Dispute Escalates Macungie Turmoil

Mayor calls on District Attorney, Attorney General to remove Police Chief.

The Oct. 17 meeting of Macungie Borough Council began with a three-way exchange among Council President Guy Ramsey, Mayor Rick Hoffman and Police Chief Ed Harry. At the start, Ramsey read a statement announcing the mayor's launching of a "quo warranto" action to review the process under which Harry was hired.  The quo warranto action is explained in this Morning Call report, which says it's basically a letter to Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin and to the Pennsylvania Attorney General claiming that Harry's hiring was in violation of the state's Borough Code. Additionally, Harry did not work his way up through the ranks of the Macungie Police Department, the report said. Ramsey's statement provided a timeline of the legal …

•  4 Comments
• Photos (2)

1MacungieVoice

1:14 pm on Friday, October 21, 2011

If you don't do anything wrong you shouldn't get a ticket.   more ›

Macungie Council Turmoil Continues

Council member Jean Nagle calls her colleagues “fiscally irresponsible.”

Macungie Council member Jean Nagle shocked fellow council members at the June 20 meeting by reading from a prepared statement that blasted them and called for the retraction of the police coverage that was granted at the last meeting. An additional sixth full-time officer and a 30-hour officer were hired, pending the passing of both physical and psychological exams, at the June 6 meeting by a vote of 5-2.  Chris Becker cast the other vote against the hirings. “This was a fiscally irresponsible decision by those voting in favor of this motion," Nagle said. Council had discussed the proposed hiring of the officers with Police Chief Edward Harry, she said, who stated he would "work with what he had” if council did not approve the hiring. With…

• Photos (3)