Luzerne County Home Rule

A guest post.

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Home Rule - An important question for the voters

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The question on the May 19th primary election ballot regarding the Luzerne County Government Study Commission presents a unique opportunity for the voters of Luzerne County to have a direct, positive impact on the quality of their government. Since it is a non-partisan question, all voters, including registered Independent voters, will have an opportunity to approve or reject the question and to select 11 candidates to serve on the Study Commission. A "no" vote on the question will ensure that the current form of county government stays in place and the voters will have no reason to expect anything other than "more of the same" will continue to dominate the Luzerne County Government. A "yes" vote, on the other hand, will result in the establishment of a Government Study Commission to study the current form of county government, see what works and what doesn’t, and then develop a recommendation that fixes the current problems and establishes a form of government that works fairly for all of the residents of Luzerne County. That recommendation will then be submitted to the voters for approval.

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There are 20 concerned residents on the ballot for the 11 Government Study Commission positions. These are voluntary, unpaid positions. Most of the candidates have completed a questionaire for the Luzerne Home Rule Organization. These questionaires provide insights into the candidates and can be viewed online at _www.luzernehomerule.org_ <http://www.luzernehomerule.org/> . I urge the voters to review the information posted on each candidate, vote "yes" to establish the study commission, and to vote for the 11 candidates that they believe will best promote an open, effective, and fiscally responsible government for the residents of Luzerne County.

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To acquaint voters with "home rule" and the candidates for the study commission, the Luzerne Home Rule Organization has held four candidate forums throughout the County, the fifth being on Wednesday, April 29th at 7:00 at the West Wyoming Town Hall. The time and place of future home rule forums will be announced in the local newspapers and posted on the home rule organization web site, _http://luzernehomerule.org/events_ .

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If you haven’t already done so, please plan to attend a future forum to meet the candidates and to find out about this important question on the May 19th ballot.

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Ray Gustave

Swoyersville, PA.