Was Ms. Bjorhus fired because she is a whistle blower?

Ms. Bjorhus and Joe Carroll’s Forensic Auditor, Manny Dechter separately and independently discovered the missing or allegedly stolen $162,000 from 2008.  Unpaid trash bills of City of Coatesville officials were also discovered during the audit procedures. 

It's my understanding that some City Officials were very angry that their unpaid trash bills were made public. 

Curiously Mr. Dechter was allegedly immediately dismissed before his work was completed after he uncovered the unpaid trash bills of city officials.  See: “Some City Officials Owe Trash Bills”: http://www.dailylocal.com/articles/2011/06/09/news/doc4df16003d96eb830464529.txt?viewmode=fullstory

Although Ms. Bjorhus may not be able to release information concerning her work because of the terms of her dismissal, I believe that she can participate in a criminal investigation. 

On Friday evening November 11, 2011 I had an emergency surgery.

For about 10 days I had a low fever. My doctor tested for a number of things with negative results. On Wednesday November 9th I started to have tenderness in my abdomen and I noticed that my pants were tighter. My doctor ordered a blood test for toxins. On Friday November 11th the test came back positive and my doctor said to meet her at the Emergency Entrance of Brandywine Hospital as soon as possible. It was about 4pm.  I was admitted, had an MRI of my abdomen and at about 10:30pm I was in the OR. It was the beginning of my month and a day in the hospital.

 I had laparoscopic surgery to remove a section of my intestine where I had developed diverticulitis. My intestine perforated and the infection spread into my entire abdomen (peritonitis). Dr. Olukoga said there was a whoosh of escaping air when he opened my abdomen. My abdomen was flushed out with an antibiotic solution. Right now my large intestine is disconnected from my small intestine and I have an ileostomy. The end of my small intestine pokes trough my abdomen, it’s called a stoma. In 3 to 6 months the ileostomy will be reversed and my colon reconnected. Until then I need to wear a bag over the stoma.

On that Friday evening my muscles were shutting down, my liver and kidneys were shutting down. Someone, a nurse or doctor, told me that I wouldn’t have made it to the next morning without surgery to remove the infection. My surgeon is Dr. Olukoga. He is trained in advanced laparoscopic surgery and was on duty that weekend. I was told that he was one of the best in the area. At about 5:00 am Saturday morning I was recovering in the ICU. It was a very close call. In a way I am a very lucky man.

 For some reason I didn’t feel very much pain in my abdomen. Maybe I just don’t react to pain, I don’t know. I didn’t display the usual symptoms. I heard that it’s unusual for someone as sick as I was to be able to walk into the hospital.

 I think that because the infection was very bad that my bowels wouldn’t restart properly. I had scarring from the infection that partially obstructed my intestine also. My recovery was unusually long. I was in the hospital until Monday December 12^th, one month and a day. On December 7th I complained about a pain in my back that I thought was a muscle sprain. I was walking in the hallway pulling my IVs along without much trouble and I was breathing OK. A person with blood clots in their lungs usually can’t breathe very well at all.  Dr. Bamezai ordered a test for blood clots just in case. It turned out positive for several clots in my lungs, very large clots in my left leg veins and a clot in an artery in my right leg. My exit from the hospital was delayed until the clots were under control and Warfarin was therapeutic.

Dr. Bamezai said, “You scare me.” I think that it’s because I can be deathly sick and appear healthy.

I had a NG tube (Naso-Gastro tube) down my nose and throat for at least 3 weeks. Worse yet it was removed and put back twice. My nose and throat are still a little sore.  The Dilaudid IV helped to ease the pain.  It wasn’t always easy but I managed to keep my spirits up. I think that’s half the battle. 

The nurses on the second floor of Brandywine Hospital did a lot to keep my spirits up. They made my month in the hospital almost pleasant and at times fun. A very special THANK YOU TO THE NURSES ON THE 2nd FLOOR OF BRANDYWINE HOSPITAL. They link the technology, the doctors and the patients. I could see the nurses fighting daily to make sure the medical needs of patients were met and that patients were as comfortable as possible. Hospitals are powered by nurses. It was beautiful to see them make the hospital work for the patients.

 So right now I am at home typing this on my computer. I can walk around the downstairs but the stairs are a challenge right now. I went upstairs for the first time today with an assist from Mike the physical therapist. But I get tired out very quickly. Our living room has a hospital bed that I am using until I can manage the stairs on my own.

 The biggest challenge for me right now is the ileostomy bag. The end of my small intestine is poking through my abdomen, it’s called a stoma. I stick a plastic bag designed for that purpose over the stoma and it collects what comes out of my stoma. It’s a little gross but you get used to it. Some people have them 30 years or more and lead normal lives. The hard part for me is getting the bag to stick well enough to my skin so that it doesn’t work loose.

I have a nickname for my stoma, “the percolator, Because the stoma is my small intestine, not my large intestine, the discharge is unpredictable and because the area needs to be dry when applying the bag it and it’s often “percolating” when I am trying to apply a new bag and I’m fighting to keep the area dry.  

I will get the hang of it. But right now I feel a little insecure.

GO SEE AND HEAR FOR YOURSELF

What all this means for this blog is that I won’t be able to get to a Coatesville City Council meetings and record the meetings in the near future. So if you want to know what is happening at the city council meetings go see and hear for yourself.

A few years ago there were people at the meetings that were there to intimidate residents and interested people, that all came to a stop several years ago. The meetings are sanguine now, so come on in.

See “Parkesburg Today” for articles about the 45th Legislative District Candidates

Barry Cassidy Seeks Newly Created State House Seat

Caln Commissioner Seeks New Legislative Seat

“We the People" not “I the Property Owner"

UPDATE:

Now that the facts are out the horsey people appear to be less a victim of the big bad community and more like an uncooperative neighbor. I think the politicians who immediately came to the Horseshow Association’s side against the community owe the community of West Vincent an apology.

SEE:

Township sets date for vote to rescind condemnation of Horse Show Grounds

Friday, December 16, 2011

By SARA MOSQUEDA-FERNANDEZ
smfernandez@dailylocal.com

When you read articles like this; Politicians react to Ludwig's Corner decision keep in mind that there is a bigger fight across the nation to give more rights to property than to communities. Most of the property by area in Pennsylvania that is privately owned is owned by corporations, mining companies, industry and much of our farmland is owned by real estate speculators. Right now we are witnessing drilling company’s efforts to overrun Pennsylvania’s community’s rights to clean water. I am suspicious of politicians who jump to defend property against the rights of a community.

Property rights are what mining and drilling companies and real estate speculators hold over the heads of communities. Over the years the real estate lobbies have whittled down our community rights. When a developer or mining company comes into a community the laws are already slanted in the properties favor. We should be championing community rights and not the property rights of corporations.

Our local communities once came together formed a militia and fought for their community rights against a big time property owner named King George of England. It's "We the People" not "I the property". 

“Property Rights and Responsibility  

All private property rights are completely dependent on the community. We maintain a right to our land only because we can record a deed at the county courthouse, which is supported by the community. We enforce our property rights through a legal system supported by the community. Our property would be worthless without roads and electric and telephone lines built by the community. We are safe and secure in our homes because of police and fire departments organized by the community. 

 Just as the community makes it possible for us to enjoy our property, each community has the right – the obligation, in fact- to ensure private property is used in ways that will benefit the long –term public interest.”  

 FROM:

Save Our Land Save Our Towns by Thomas Hylton 

SAVE OUR LAND, SAVE OUR TOWNS

Also see:

The 45th Legislative District

Emotionally it's tough for me to choose between Josh Young and Barry Cassidy. Both men are in the race for state representative in the newly created 45th Pennsylvania House Legislative District. I know and like both of them.

But as a Coatesville resident who would love to see our area prosper there is only one choice. The 45th includes the City of Coatesville, the boroughs of Downingtown, South Coatesville, Parkesburg and Modena. Townships in the 45th are Caln, East Caln, Valley, East Fallowfield and Sadsbury.  Those municipalities make up our local part of the Keystone Corridor; see "Plan the Keystone". Barry Cassidy played a part in the development of the Keystone Corridor as a part of developing “Citizens for the Train” and work on the “Greenline” planned to link Phoenixville to Paoli by rail.  We are getting a new train station in Coatesville and Downingtown and improvements to the Parkesburg station in part because of Barry’s enthusiasm and hard work to develop rail transit.

Back in the 1990s Phoenixville was mostly known as a place to buy drugs.  Barry Cassidy removed the street dealers from Phoenixville one corner at a time. I witnessed Barry Cassidy change Phoenixville from a drug selling town* to what is now one of the most popular and sought after residential, shopping and dining areas in Chester County.

Barry brings years of experience working with PennDOT, Septa and Amtrak on corridor development.  As State Rep. for the 45th district he would continue that work.

One more thing, Barry is a tough manager; if you aren’t producing he will lean on you until you do. He had the emotional toughness to remove the street dealers from Phoenixville. He will need that emotional toughness in the State House. I heard Governor Rendell talk about the PA Statehouse, he said something like; These guys get out of bed every day not thinking about what they can do for their constituents, they think about what they can do to hurt the guy on the other side of the aisle. The ruthlessness of the Republicans in the Statehouse can discourage newcomers but I think Barry can roll with the punches.

*”About 2002, Phoenixville had a higher crime rate than Coatesville, according to Carroll. At that time, the borough began hiring more police officers while the city did not, he said. Now, Phoenixville has a much lower crime rate than the city, Carroll said.‘Adding extra cops is not the only answer to reducing crime, but it certainly helps,’ Carroll said,” 

FROM: 

Daily Local News 

DA warns against cutting city cops 

Published: Sunday, October 30, 2011

Is Stacy Bjorhus the Coatesville whistle blower being fired because she is a whistle blower?

Is Ms. Bjorhus being fired because she uncovered Coatesville City Councilman Marty Eggleston and Coatesville City Councilman Ed Simpson's delinquent trash bills?

Is Ms. Bjorhus being fired because she uncovered that Coatesville City Councilman Jarrell Brazzle allegedly illegally received vacation pay for his part time and summer job working for the city?

Is Ms. Bjorhus being fired because she did her job and traced the missing $162,000 from 2008 to cash payments that were recorded as received but allegedly never made it into the city accounts?

Is Ms. Bjorhus being fired because she "put an emotional strain" on the city employees that allegedly handled that missing cash?

I'm in a hospital bed hooked up to IVs and pumps so it's difficult for me to add links to what is written above.

There is a ton of information on the Coatesville Dems Blog, much of it live recordings. The "Search this Blog" search works well if you are looking for more information.