Dobash knocks Lawton and endorses candidates

From the email:

This letter is a plea to the Majority of County Council and the Luzerne County Citizens to hold Luzerne County Manager Robert Lawton accountable.  It is also a letter of support for five Luzerne County Council Candidates who are on the November General Election Ballot.

On September 22, 2015 Luzerne County Council was informed that since the start of this year Luzerne County was without a hazard mitigation plan.   I was surprised, shocked and angry because public safety and wellness was not Lawton's top priority.  This is the biggest error and missed deadline made by Luzerne County Manager Lawton.

 

Listen to the 9-22-2015 Work Session meeting audio.

At our meeting, County Council Chair Linda Houck, asked: "What is the usual procedure?  I can tell you I hadn't heard about it"  Houck questioned Operational Services Director Tanis Manseau about the process to get the plan on the Council agenda.  Manseau replied, "we send it to the Manager".

So Lawton ignored it! Did he put it on a pile or throw it away?

When I took my turn to comment I said: “It’s extremely alarming. I’m asking for an investigation as to why we were not notified.”

I also stated I was thinking of the potential financial disaster.  This is gross mismanagement by the County Manager. 

Lawton's failure to meet our designated deadlines gives enough reasons to replace him with a person who has real leadership skills.

I ask Chair Houck and the rest of the Council majority to wake up and open blind prideful eyes.    Lawton overspends $16.9 million, lies to Council Council and cannot meet deadlines in a responsible manner.  It is time for Mr. "Lateton" to go. 

After a man made or natural disaster we depend on and receive  the recovery money to rebuild lives.

However, to get that money, counties and municipalities need a hazard mitigation plan.

Below is a memo to help  ease our concern:

"This letter should end the concern that Luzerne County didn’t have a FEMA approved HM Plan in place.

All work had been done, the necessary municipal adoptions had not occurred once FEMA Region III provided the normal FEMA “Approval Pending Adoption” Letter.

Nancy/Lucy – Please ensure all municipalities continue to get their municipal adoptions into the county and FEMA Region III, to include the upcoming County adoption in October.  Thanks."

 

Regards,

 

Thomas S. Hughes

PEMA State Hazard Mitigation Officer

Bureau of Recovery and Mitigation

Hazard Mitigation Division

PA Emergency Management Agency

2605 Interstate Drive | Hbg PA  17110

 We need a County Manager who places  Luzerne County Citizens first on his priority list.

The future of Luzerne County  is in the hands of the voters.

The voters have a chance in the November General Election to select the incumbents and those candidates who put public safety first  and stop County Manager Robert Lawton  from crippling the area.

Re-elect Edd Brominski, Stephen A. Urban and Stephen J. Urban, incumbents who have voted against EVERY tax increase since the beginning of the new Home Rule Government.
- These incumbents  opposed the elimination of the Homestead Tax Credit.

- These incumbents supported actions to replace County Manager Lawton who has proven himself to be fiscally irresponsible four years in a row and late with every important deadline designated in our Charter.

I also ask voters to elect Mark Rabo and Ray Gustave who have dedicated their time to attend County Council meetings and know the issues we face.  

- They are the only candidates who have consistently researched the law and shared information at public meetings.

- Both gave excellent suggestions to County Council on important issues before Council took action.

Moving forward with leadership will take strong trustful individuals.

I place my faith and confidence in the people who really care.

Sincerely,

Kathy Dobash

Luzerne County Council Member

Runs with Scissors

Our neighbor Alisha  just relocated her hair salon Runs with Scissors    to her home at 1 West Stanton St. in Plains. The place has a storefront that used to house Kupstas Market that was known for some of the best Kielbasa in NEPA. She has done an amazing job revamping the retail space and even turned the meat locker into a bathroom. Today she had a grand reopening that clogged up all the parking in the neighborhood because she has so many loyal clients and friends.

Hair cutting is one of the few local "Mom And Pop" businesses still left but even they are under attack by chains such as Supercuts. We are lucky in Plains that we still have local family owned businesses such as the best butcher shop around in Plains Meat Market and Sheehan's Pharmacy.

All the girls tell me Alisha and her crew do a great job. Now if she would only learn to make Kielbasa.

More photos at my FB page

The Pope in America

 Photo Credit


Pope Francis started his North American tour in Cuba then flew to Washington and now he is in New York. His address to Congress has been interpreted as endorsing one political point of view or another depending on who you listen to. As far as his pronouncements about helping the poor and being tolerant of other people he hasn't said anything different than previous Pontiffs. Do good works, feed the poor, stop poisoning the planet and follow the golden rule.

 He reminded us all in the Americas that most of us are immigrants.

 It will all be forgotten by next week.

Congress-critters weigh in:

Matt Cartwright

 
“I am struck by the historical significance of His Holiness Pope Francis’ visit to the United States, and honored to have witnessed Pope Francis address a Joint Session of Congress this morning.
“I share key public policy priorities and commitments set forward by Pope Francis during his tenure.  Specifically, I was pleased and inspired that His Holiness discussed the caring for the marginalized and the poor, advancing economic opportunity for all, and serving as good stewards of the environment.
“I am very much moved by the presence of the Holy Father and my hope is that his message will stir policy makers to make the world a better place for all of its citizens.”


Lou Barletta


 
“It was a singular honor for me and my wife, Mary Grace, to be present in the House chamber when Pope Francis addressed a joint session of Congress, the first time any pope has done so.  These are very troubling times in which we live, and the pope’s message of peace is something that people of all faiths – or no faith at all – can benefit from.  We should be greeting the Holy Father as Americans, not as Republicans or Democrats, and check our politics at the door as we do so.  He is the leader of one of the great religions of the world, the successor to Saint Peter, and we should all listen to and reflect on what he has to say.
“As a Catholic, I revere the pope as the leader of my church, the Vicar of Jesus Christ, and I am glad to have him open conversations about secular policy, which we may consider and discuss freely.  Whether Pope Francis’s remarks confirmed your position on a certain issue, or caused you to examine your own beliefs, his speech was a call for us to be better caretakers of each other and our world.  As matters of public policy, members of Congress may disagree on the pathway to achieving certain goals, but his overall message is something we can all embrace.  
“I agree with Pope Francis that we must be good stewards of the environment, and appreciate his embrace of new technologies as a means to that end.  His view that prosperous nations such as ours should welcome new citizens is well taken, as is the church’s Catechism that those new arrivals must respect the laws of their new host countries.  Finally, he was unequivocal about the sanctity of life, and that we must cherish and protect life in all of its stages.
“When the pope speaks of caring for the poor, the sick, and the unborn, he is speaking to what many of us believe.  It is fitting that he has visited America, because this is a nation which shares his vision of putting people in position to be able to pursue their dreams and enjoy the blessings of liberty.
“This was an extraordinary thrill for Mary Grace and me to witness Pope Francis’s address, as well as the canonization mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.  These are experiences we will never forget.”

I am not worthy

A big thank you to one of my first blogger buddies for featuring Gort42 on his gig on WBRE.


http://www.pahomepage.com/video?videoId=234412191

What if Trump wins the GOP nomination?

Photo from here


I've been watching Presidential politics a very long time and I have never seen anything like this. The more outrageous things he says that would sink the usual presidential bid makes him even more popular.If he is caught out saying something dumb or lacking knowledge he just insults his opponents or the inquisitor. They are losers and stupid.


He is top of the polls nationally and leading in 3 of the early voting states. Whether he can build a turnout operation remains to be seen but that may not even matter if the people he is connecting with show up on their own. Many people I talk to both Democrat and Republican tell me 2 things they like about him. Kicking out illegal immigrants and the system has been been corrupted by money and since he is rich he can't be bought.

He may win a few of the early primary and caucus states but the SEC Primary happens on March 1st. Trump may have the momentum to win some of them but not all . This is also Hillary's firewall. My prediction is that he will many of the southern states and clear the field. Then what?

At that point he will have to start kissing the ass of the big donors since he probably doesn't have $1 Billion to finance a general election campaign on his own. Then the much vaulted "Republican Establishment" will have a choice to make.

Much has been made about the loyalty oath that the Donald signed pledging to back the Republican nominee. But if the Trump is the nominee I can see a 3rd party/independent bid by an establishment Republican. It may be one of the candidates running now because the loyalty oath isn't worth the paper it's written on or it could be someone waiting in the wings like Paul Ryan or Mitt Romney

Glenn Geissinger for Congress

Northampton County Councilman Glenn Geissinger launched his congressional campaign Tuesday for the PA-17th CD against  U.S. Rep. Matthew Cartwright. He is the first Republican to announce and we can expect more.

His announcement via the Morning Call: "I want Matt Cartwright to understand that solutions come out of the private sector. They come out of people like you and me going to work every day to make America a better place. They don't come out of adding more regulations. They don't come by scaling back on our ability to produce jobs,"....I am going to do what it takes to win in order to bring what these people think government should be to Washington,"....

Sounds good until this;

 The people of northeast Pennsylvania need someone in the nation's capital who would go up against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and protect blue-collar jobs and the coal industry that dominates the northern part of the district. 

The coal industry in PA is just about dead in Pennsylvania and employs less than 9000 people statewide. It seems that it is a tenet of faith for Republicans that the EPA is some sort of  evil organization that people hate. The last time I checked people like clean air and water. 

He also took a shot at the Democratic House Leader  Geissinger painted himself as a better fit for the district than Cartwright, whom he labeled a "Nancy Pelosi Democrat."

This is so 2008. Trying to tie a local candidate to the soft spoken grandmother from Sodom on the San Andreas hasn't worked beyond the people who would never vote for a Democrat anyway. 

I would argue that Pelosi was a more effective Speaker than John Boehner  who can't even keep the government working because he can't  deal with a bunch of anti-government anarchists.

 

Pashinski Brunch

Eddie Day and the Guv

 Thom Shubilla and Eddie

State Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski is having his annual September Brunch at Genetti's in Wilkes-Barre on Sunday at 11AM.

This event always draws a big crowd and in 2013 our future Governor scored some major points with the locals by greeting everyone at the door.

It's curious that there is nothing on the intertubes about this gathering. Pashinski doesn't have a Facebook campaign page and his campaign website hasn't been updated in a few years.

Blogcon this Saturday

Mark your calendars! NEPA BlogCon 2015 is scheduled for Saturday, September 12, 2015 at East Stroudsburg University's Hoeffner Science & Technology Center. Registration will begin at 9:00 a.m. and the first session will begin at 9:45 a.m. Sessions will run throughout the day until 4:00 p.m., with a 45 minute break for lunch.

All proceeds will benefit a technology and programming camp for girls in grades 4-6. For the cost of your ticket, you'll get exclusive access to this area’s top Internet professionals, ready to show you all the tips and tricks you'll need to spice up your social profile, beautify your blog, and network with the best of them!

TICKETS ON SALE NOW: http://nepablogcon.com/nepa-blogcon-2015/
NOTE: RSVP'ing via the Facebook page does not guarantee ticket availability.

Young Dems getting the band back together

I have always been a supporter of our local chapters of the Young Democrats and Young Republicans in Luzerne County . Both outfits have very generous to me over the years.

 Just looking at their Facebook pages they both have been dormant since 2013 so it's good to see one of the organizations getting back in gear.

  2016 is a very important Presidential Election and no matter who you are supporting it is important to come out to get the ball rolling. In addition 2015 can be a great opportunity to get a new crop of Democrats elected on the Municipal level and get geared up for the 2016 Primary and General Election.
We will also discuss officer elections and possibly be joined by 2015 candidates!

Thanks
YDs President Thomas Shubilla

 Membership is open to anyone under 36 who is a registered Democrat. Please come participate. We will elect board members and discuss future plans.

 Monday September 14 at 7PM

Leggio's Restaurant.

Note that this is the Plains Township location at 1092 Rt 315
Wilkes Barre, PA 18702.


I hope to see the Young Republicans  become active again.  Under Bob Zaruta they put on a great event Youth in Politics. Frank Mazza is now the President but he is busy working for Pat Toomey and is a Temple fan