Politics & Government

County Exec: Gracedale Could Close If We Don't Sell

John Stoffa said closing or cutbacks could be in the nursing home's future as he announces appeal of recent court ruling.

Gracedale may not survive if it isn't sold, Northampton County Executive John Stoffa told reporters Tuesday.

Stoffa was announcing plans to appeal a by county Judge Stephen Baratta that would allow the sale of Gracedale to go before voters. If that ballot measure passed, the county would not be able to sell Gracedale for five years.

Citing the founding fathers, Stoffa said allowing the future of Gracedale -- the county nursing home in Upper Nazareth -- to be decided by petition goes against the representative form of government.

Find out what's happening in Eastonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"We cannot have 23,000 county executives making a decision and have a representative form of government," Stoffa said, referring to the number of signatures opposing the sale.

Stoffa and some members of county council have been trying to sell Gracedale, arguing that it's become too much of a financial burden. Stoffa noted Tuesday that there aren't enough votes on county council to support a tax increase it would take to pay for Gracedale, which isn't budgeted beyond the first six months of this year.

Find out what's happening in Eastonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

And if voters stop the sale of Gracedale? 

"We'd have to go back to county council and hope that reasonable minds would prevail," Stoffa said, and that council would authorize the county to spend $3 million on Gracedale for the remainder of the year. 

Two companies have put forth a  of $35 million to buy the home. Stoffa predicted tough times ahead if the sale doesn't happen.

"If we aren't able to sell Gracedale, Gracedale will be closed," he said. "If not closed, downsized significantly."

He argued that if a petition could halt the sale of Gracedale, future petition drives would be able to keep the county from taking action on other things.

"Some day a new county jail will be needed and the same type of petition drive could cause that not to happen," Stoffa said.

Opponents of the sale say Gracedale has actually for the county. Others, like Councilman Lamont McClure, maintain that the county has a moral obligation to provide care for its older residents.

Mario Martinez, spokesman for the group trying to keep Gracedale publicly-owned, said he was disappointed with Stoffa's plan to appeal, saying that the executive had told members of the group that he would let Baratta have the last word.

Stoffa acknowledged that he had said that, but later changed his mind after thinking the issue over and considering how the petition affected Gracedale in particular and county government in general.

Martinez, like Stoffa, cited the founding fathers, saying the Constitution gives people the right to petition for redress.

The Gracedale decision, he said, should be made by the entire county, "not just nine people," a reference to the members of county council. Martinez said his group is not deterred by Stoffa's appeal. He also dismissed a recent news report that said the group was out of money.

"We know we're going to win this," he said. "We're prepared to fight this to the very end."


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here