My fence needs to be painted

Maybe I should hire this guy who is down on his luck


WILKES-BARRE – Former Luzerne County judge Mark Ciavarella is painting for a living these days. On Thursday, Ciavarella was painting a porch at 313 McLean St. owned by Bob Kadluboski, owner of City Wide Towing.

Cupcake, as Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton affectionately calls him, has been in the news lately for engaging in his favorite pastime of disrupting city council meetings complaining about his competitor LAG Towing suggesting some sort of corrupt bargain. Kadluboski is a civic minded person who has taken time out of his busy crime fighting schedule to be a such thorn in the side of W-B city council that they are considering changing the rules about public comments at their meetings.

I have to commend Mr. Kadluboski for giving a convicted criminal a way to make a living while he awaits sentencing.

For some reason this reminds me of a book I recently read


"I Heard You Paint Houses"

I wonder what prompted this?

W-B cracking down on predatory towing


Tow-truck drivers looking to haul off cars illegally parked in private and public lots will face added scrutiny under an ordinance discussed Tuesday by city council, requiring companies to be licensed and conform prices with a city-mandated list.

"We're just trying to protect our residents from some possibly unscrupulous practices," said council Chairman Bill Barrett, who pushed for the law. "It's a business, and we're mainly focused on the non-consensual part."

If approved, towing companies would register with the Code Enforcement Office and pay $300 for a license, which would be renewed annually, according to a draft of the ordinance. There would be five classes of vehicles, ranging from less than 5,000 pounds up to 80,000 pounds, with maximum fees covered under the law.


It would also forbid the towing of a car unless the property owner signs a form authorizing the removal of that specific vehicle. If they violate the ordinance, a tow-truck operator risks a fine between $300 and $600 or the loss of their license.

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The Hook strikes again

Our own version of Batman is in the news again. Some poor guy parked in the Penn Plaza parking lot then walked across South Main St. in Wilkes-Barre to grab his lunch returning 15 minutes later to find that his car was gone. He thought is was stolen but he was just another "customer" of City Wide Towing. His lunch ended up costing him 152 bucks.

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City Wide is owned by Bob Kadluboski who was once described by Citizens Voice Columnist Mike McGlynn as the closest thing Wilkes-Barre has to a terrorist. Councilman Bill Barrett is looking to stop predatory towing.

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Kadluboski has always been a colorful character.

He has rammed his tow truck into suspected criminals and apprehended a fleeing felon at gunpoint showing his commitment to fighting crime. When his dogs escaped from his compound and mauled someone he defended them proving he is an animal rights advocate. When you have to deal with him after he towed your car a you get a lesson in customer service. He placed an ad before the 2006 election without disclosing who paid for it, and the paper that published it let him do it, affirming his commitment the first amendment. The ad was a clear violation of election law. Pennsylvania election code requires political ads to clearly identify the people or groups who pay for them. Haven't heard a thing about it since.


For all the effort W-B has made to bring people into the city it just takes an incident like this to setback years of progress.