- My very first post about local politics was my disapointment that Steve Flood wasn't reelected. Before that I was writing about baseball so we will keep up the mix.
I wrote this at the time:
Watchdog Goes Down
The powers that be in Luzerne county win again. Steve Flood Lost the Controllers race to the party favorite. The reasons they did not like him are the reasons I did. We need rabble rousers and bomb throwers. I even miss Fred Williams radio show on WILK. I did not agree with him on many things, but I like the way he stirred the pot. Steve was good at asking questions and just saying no. The way this county has been run during my lifetime I found him to be way overdue. When I lived in other areas I described m y hometown as a place that never got over the great depression, the best redevelopment project was the Agnes flood and the political reforms of the 1890's have yet to hit. Sadly, not much has changed.
Well, because of Steve Flood many things have changed. Just after he was elected as Contoller I met him at a wedding of some Mrs. G reletive. He got me to support Ed Rendell over Bob Casey for Governor although I was going there anyway. We had a great fundraiser in Plains.
30 people have been inticted or convicted in Luzerne County because he went to the FBI over the 20 year Juvie Center lease. After he was defeated for reelection the new controller dropped the whole thing
I first met Steve Flood in 2001, at the very first Home Rule informational meeting held during that ill-fated attempt at reforming our county government.
ReplyDeleteTo keep it short, I was very, very impressed. I was impressed not only by his knowledge of the inner workings of county government, but by his unbridled passion. The man was a firebrand.
I had a private conversation with him, the details of which I have never revealed for fear of being called a liar.
Interestingly enough, during that meeting that bordered on a free-for-all oft-interupted by the folks that fancied themselves as what was Flood ultimately became--the take-no-prisoners watchdog--he was very, very rudely shouted down by one of Wilkes-Barre's current day leading, ahem, "activists."
Her diatribe started with, "With no due respect Mr. Flood...." And I've never given her even an iota of respect since that day.
Anyway, I had one lone encounter with the man, Steve Flood, and I was duly impressed.
I can offer no greater compliment.
The real truth seldom comes out. Does anyone remember the terrible results created when Steve Flood and Steve Urban took over the county's Retirement Board and cost the taxpayers millions? Of course not, let's just run with the image, not the facts.
ReplyDeleteTruth is, I do remember that.
ReplyDeleteSo continuing along those lines, what else have you got?
No image. Just the facts.
Elected county officials are being imprisoned by the boatload, but we need to take time out to remember that Steve Flood once miscalulated?
Got any more facts to share with us?
If 12:48 doesn't, I do. It was a bit more than miscalculations. I just had this conversation with a local activist who will go unnamed but he explained to me that at the time, he was fighting for them to not buy and later repurchase the Pension's assets (stocks). He argued with them to use a simple transfer method that was available but if they used that system, there would have been no commissions. It was through this person's efforts that Mr Flood backed off his claim that he was paying his own defamation law suit legal expenses and admitted that the pension plan was paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Philly law firm that was also taking millions in fees to represent the pension plan against the former investors. It was a total scam! Steve Urban was up to his eyes with this and he along with Flood convinced Skrep and Vonderhide to approve retroactively the legal fees paid by the Plan. Even in today's world, the pension Plan under Urbans guidance paid the same legal firm 2 million dollars as commission on recovered funds when they simply sold an asset. Let's not forget that what was good for the goose was not good for the gander. Flood hired not one but two CPA's to work in his office and that was nothing but overkill. Our new watchdog just did the same thing. He fired his great right hand mind saying he did outstanding work but he had to fill a political promise to hire the CPA if she became available. Isn't filling political job promises what Griffith was fighting? Phonies one and all and I refuse to create a shrine to reformers who are just as bad as those they claim need reforming.
ReplyDelete"Let he who hath no sin cast the first stone".
ReplyDeleteA very fitting bible passage since we have 2 anonymous posters bashing Mr. Flood.
I believe that although he had his faults, his positive actions outweigh them by leaps and bounds.
Rest in Peace Mr. Flood for a job well done.