2017 Election Results- Luzerne County Council

Matt Vough and Chris Perry

My candidate came up a bit short but I am very proud of the race Wendy Cominsky ran. She is someone without money or powerful friends who just wanted to make a difference. She offered solutions to the problems the county faces and worked as hard as any candidate I've ever met. I'm grateful for her friendship and trust. She came darn close and somehow I feel I let her down.

The top 3 vote getters was not a surprise. Incumbents Linda Houck(D) and Harry Haas(R) ran their record and the people rewarded them with another term. Sheila Saidman was top of the poll in the primary and it carried over.

The surprises of the night were Matt Vough (D) and Chris Perry (R). They also worked their tails off and I saw them just about everywhere.

The great thing about this election was the lack of acrimony.  For the most part the candidates seemed to genuinely like each other and want to work together regardless of party



I want to congratulate all the candidates for offering themselves for public office. It takes guts to run and put up with the nonsense like the anonymous cowards who comment on the local newspaper websites.

x Sheila Saidman (DEM)		21,406
x Linda McClosky Houck (DEM)		20,369
Wendy Cominsky (DEM)		19,365
x Matthew Vough (DEM)		20,386
John Gadomski (DEM)		18,342
x Harry Haas (REP)		20,319
x Chris R. Perry (REP)		20,125
Marc Dixon (REP)		19,115
Stephen J. Urban (REP)		19,758
Gregory S. Wolovich Jr. (REP)		16,620

Wendy Cominsky for County Council

In my many years of politics I have been able to sort out the people who want to be someone verses the people who want to do something.

Wendy Cominsky is someone who want's to do something. She has all sorts of ideas to improve Luzerne County. I may not agree with all of  them all but let's put them out for discussion.

Her platform is on the website:

Wendy Cominsky for Luzerne County Council

A snippet:

Alternative Energy

We also should be considering alternative energy as well as protecting what is left of our natural resources. Apparently some people did not learn their lesson from the coal companies. Tunkhannock is seeing a dramatic drop in local business since the gas drilling craze is fading. When we run out of gas, like the coal mines, those companies will be gone and many people will be without jobs and many businesses without customers. This can cause economic collapse and we need to prevent it. Everybody was sold on gas because it would bring jobs to the area and lower energy costs. Here’s the exciting news: so will the development of renewable energy sources! By shifting our focus to renewable energy, we will lower costs and still have fossil fuel energy to rely on in times of crisis. Environmentally speaking, I believe that clean water will become more valuable than gold in the not so distant future. We absolutely need to protect our natural springs as if they were our children, because frankly, our children will pay the price if we don’t.

Michelle Bednar for Controller 2017

Incumbent Democratic Luzerne County Controller had a nice gathering of supporters at Bentley's on Friday. It attracted a nice crowd including a few Republicans including District Attorney Stephanie Salavantis. The Democratic Party heavyweights State Reps. Eddie Day Pashinski , Jerry Mullery and State Sen. John Yudichak sang her praises. Her campaign team touted her accomplishments including weeding out incorrect homestead tax breaks wrongly granted to some Luzerne County property owner. Her opponent Walter Griffith  had received the break on two homes and an auto repair business he owns.

Democratic County Council candidates Wendy Cominsky, Matt Vough and John Gadomski  offered their support and Republican Chris Perry showed up. Perry has been to almost every event D or R I've been to. He is running hard.

Other notables were Judge David Lupas who is up for retention and George Brown who should have been the Mayor of W-B. I asked Judge Lupas about mandatory minimums and he gave me a  lawyers answer saying they could act as a deterrent but Judges should be able to fit the punishment to the crime.

                                          


Luzerne County sending bills to recipients of incorrect homestead tax break

Luzerne County Council-The Republicans

A list of the Republican candidates with links.

Marc Dixon

                                             

Facebook: Marc Dixon for Luzerne County
No website

Greg Wolovich
                                         

Facebook: Greg Wolovich for Luzerne County Council
No website

Harry Haas

                                     

Facebook: Haas for Luzerne County Council
Website: Harry Haas

Chris Perry
No FB page or website

Stephen Urban
No FB page or website

Luzerne County Council-The Democrats

I have had the good fortune of meeting all of the Luzerne County Council candidates of the years. Most of them recently and for a few it's been a while. Here is a rundown:

The top vote getters in the primary:

17254 votes cast in the Republican primary

1. Harry Haas (Inc)
2. Chris Perry
3. Marc Dixon
4. Stephen J Urban
 5. Greg Wolovich

23480 votes cast in the Democratic primary

1. Sheila Saidman
2. Linda Houck(Inc)
3. Wendy Cominsky
4. Matt Vough
5. John Gadomsky

Only 6000+ votes more Democratic votes than Republicans.

Some links and obserations.

Wendy Cominsky  

Website:  Wendy Cominsky for Luzerne County Council
 Facebook: Wendy Cominsky for Luzerne County Council

Matt Vough

Website: Matt Vough Luzerne County Council
Facebook: Matt Vough Luzerne County Council

Linda Houck



Facebook:Llinda Mcclosky Houck for Luzerne County Council
No website

John Gadomsky

Facebook: John Gadomsky for Luzerne County Council
No website

Sheila Saidman

Facebook: Sheila Saidmain for Luzerne County Council
No website

That's it for the Democrats. Republicans coming up.

Luzerne County Council

The thing about the the latest Luzurne County Council race was the lack of acrimony. With a few exceptions the candidates avoided trying to tear down their opponents. It was a race about ideas to make our county a better place to live.

The 2 people that impressed me most were Republican Marc Dixon and Democrat Wendy Cominsky. They have some ideas to improve
our lives and are running to do something not be somebody. You may disagree with them but they will listen to your ideas and try to come to a solution.

On the Republican side 5 candidates advanced for 5 seats. Incumbent Harry Haas may just win another term.Gregory S. Wolovich Jr. is running hard. 

Linda Houck was near  the top of the ballot on the Demcratic side and Sheila Saidman topped it. Matt Vough and John Godamski round out the field

Rock the County-Wendy Cominsky for Luzerne County Council

Wendy Cominsky is one of those very special people who decided to run for office. She doesn't have money or powerful friends just a desire to make a difference. I asked her why she would want to do such a thing and she told me she has been an activist about issues she cares about and people suggested she should run for office. So she listened to them and threw her hat into the ring. She is a middle class worker who owns her own business and she said if she is successful it will encourage more people like her.

She organized a great event and invited other candidates to circulate  petitions. The other council candidates gathering signatures were incumbent Linda Houck and newcomers Phil Gianfarcaro, David Popiak and Sheila Saidman.

Michelle Bednar is running for reelection as Controller and said she is proud of the job she has done. She has reorganized the office and has done more with less people because of the county financial problems. The audits are on time and she will be looking at the  books of the local tax collectors next. The audit of the Homestead exemption has netted $100K in back taxes.

A couple of Wilkes-Barre Area School Board candidates also were seeking some ink.Melissa Etzle Patla and Jarvis Wright. More on Jarvis tomorrow.

 

Luzerne County Council election 2017

The TL has a rundown of the candidates that have so far expressed an interest in becoming Luzerne County Councilors. Democratic incumbent Council chair Linda McClosky Houck is up for another run but Eileen Sorokas will take a pass.

 I backed Eileen last time but her support of Trump as reported in this Newsweek article ( Why Did Donald Trump Win? Just Visit Luzerne County, Pennsylvania) poisoned her potential support among  local Dems. The news of the last few weeks revealed a serious lack of judgement on her part.

Incumbent Republican Harry Haas says the county has made progress on the debt and other issues and will seek a third term. Kathy Dobash is being coy but is probably in.

Independent Rick Williams is non committal about  term.

A bunch of Democrats will be circulating petitions:

Wendy Cominsky, of  Dallas Township

 John Gadomski, of Wyoming

 Philip Gianfarcaro, of Pittston

 David Popiak, of Hazleton

 Sheila Saidman, of Kingston

 The Republicans looking to get on the ballot:

Mark Dixon, of Wright Township,

 Chris Perry, of Fairview Township

 Stephen J. Urban, of Wilkes-Barre

 Gregory S. Wolovich Jr., of Newport Township

This Sunday candidate Wendy Cominsky is holding a petition party open to all Democratic candidates.

Rock the County

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

Tony Brooks for Wilkes-Barre City Council

Tony Brooks had a great turnout for his campaign kickoff for the  W-B District B council seat at Le Manhattan Bistro on South Main St. last night.  He reports that the event pulled in almost $3700 which is some serious coin for a city council race. It was also the first event I ever went to were the waitstaff was circulating escargot with the other hors-d'oeuvres

This guy has created more excitement in a local race than I have seen in years but he has big hill to climb to overcome the Democratic registration advantage,but he can do it. In the primary
more Dems voted than Republicans 807 to 167 but in the last General Election in 2011 only 1254 people bothered to vote. If he can identify his voters and increase turnout he wins.

And why not? Like me he was born in the old Wyoming Valley Hospital on Dana St. and left for a few years but came back to place he was born and loves. Tony is a historian known for leading tours of Wilkes-Barre's treasures.

In his address to the crowd he threw out some ideas like residents are the key to the downtown. You need a 5-10 year plan to revitalize Wilkes- Barre not just wing it. We need more neighborhood associations and even look at making downtown into a retirement village where people can actually walk to things to meet their needs. We need walkable neighborhoods like Rick Williams recently proposed on county council  He made a strong point by saying don't move, Improve.   Like me he thinks the KOZ program has been a failure. He also addressed the Sherman Hills problem by pointing out that people won't go downtown because of all the problems but they still go to Wegman's which is closer to the notorious apartment complex. Being a Republican he ruled out a tax increase calling for expanding the tax base. Tony pointed out that many places don't have partisan elections for local offices and he not in this to trade votes for jobs. He then did a Q&A with the crowd and one person reminded us that there a lot of good people living in Sherman Hills.

He delighted in  pointing that the crowd not only included  Republicans but Democrats, Greens and even a Socialist from the soviet of Washington State and claimed that his primary opponents in both parties had endorsed him. 

I teased Shawn Walker of the WB Area School Board that the headline of this post would be Walker Endorses Brooks. He was fine with that saying he couldn't get any more popular with the other board members.

I also had a nice chat with Republican Mayor candidate  Frank Sorick who told me he hates asking people for money for a political campaign because people are taxed enough.

In local elections in the last 20 years I have voted for more Republicans than Democrats because there is no party way to plow the streets or pick up the trash. What matters is competence and integrity .Tony Brooks has both.

No post on local politics would not be complete without these 2 characters. Anchor baby on the left the fashion challenged  guy on the right.

Pictures on my FB page

Kathy Dobash says thanks

Dear Friends,

I am writing to thank you for your vote and support during the most recent general election on November 5, 2013.

As a candidate-elect for Luzerne County Council I want to provide you my email address:  kathydobash@yahoo.com .  Please feel free to contact me regarding any Luzerne County issue which may require my assistance.

I believe in openness and transparency.  I will be glad to present your concerns to other members of Luzerne County Council at public meetings.

With your help, we can make a difference and improve our communities throughout Luzerne County.

Again, I sincerely thank you for your support.  I wish all Luzerne County Citizens a wonderful Holiday Season!

Kathy Dobash

Luzerne County Council results

CouThe 

McClosky Houck

18,227

Eileen M. Sorokas

17,531

Kathy Dobash

17,272

Harry Haas

17,007

Rick Williams

16,739

Sue Rossi

16,584

County Council

Richard Heffron

16,265

Ciaruffoli-Taffera

15,854

Eugene Kelleher

15,852

Michael Giamber

14,701

Paul Defabo

13,182

187 of 189 reporting

 Not a bad result.

Last minute emails

The election is tomorrow and a few candidates have sent me some stuff.

I don't cover Scranton or Lackawanna County unless a friend is running for office but the Mulligan camp has been sending things to me for months. This is the latest:

SCRANTON, PA - With just one day until Election Day, the Mulligan for Mayor of Scranton campaign continues to build momentum. And as the campaign continues to build, here is a look back at the numbers behind the momentum:

21,000            Number of doors in Scranton knocked on by the Mulligan Campaign

1890               Number of blocks walked in Scranton while going door-to-door

180                 Miles walked by Jim Mulligan while going door-to-door in Scranton

$154,165        Amount raised by Mulligan Campaign in less than three months

$66,703          How much less Bill Courtright's campaign raised than Mulligan in the last 3 months

41                   How many ideas Mulligan proposed to fix Scranton's finances

41                   How many more ideas Mulligan proposed than Courtright to fix Scranton's finance

1-0                  Jim Mulligan's record in debates against Bill Courtright

1                     Endorsement by the Scranton Times-Tribune of Jim Mulligan for Mayor

 Luzerne County Council candidate Eileen Sorokas talks about the budget:

The County Council has many issue they are facing prior to this election. In fact, all issue are important, that affect the public. Indeed, the most important issue, beside public safety, I will have to deal with is the budget. Through life experiences I have gain skills to manage budgets and understand the suffering people undertake when they lose their homes to foreclosures due to taxation or loss of jobs from budgets cuts. The hard decisions have to be made to either increase taxes or lay off people. My Goal is to “To Hold the Line on Taxes” with staff reduction through attrition. However, the county released an unbalance budget.  Consequently, putting fear into the public and employees with having an 8% tax increase or 160 employees to be lay off. Also, the unions will be asked for $2.7Million dollars concessions or 57 layoffs. Furthermore, the county cannot get a Crediting Rating for potential refinancing of their bond issue, unless they prove they have fiscal stability for at least two years. Also, no credit rating is causing our bonds fees to increase.  Appears my Goal may be out of touch with the main stream. Indeed, I will have to work harder to achieve my goal. Consequently, the County Manager and his staff should works to reduce taxes for all the citizens of Luzerne County.

The time for talking is over, we must go back to justifying all department cost.  Zero base budgeting. No more using past figures. Also, the taxation problem is state wide, but magnified with Luzerne County’s high debt. Furthermore, our State legislators should be working with our county to fine solutions. Indeed, there are some bills in the house and senate for tax relief using the States Income Tax and Sales Tax. Maybe, a local Drink Tax. However, the bills are not going anywhere. Incidentally, the Gaming Industry was for property tax relief, how much are we getting?  We have a Casino in Luzerne County and the county get very little if any benefit. We must look at other ways of taxation besides property taxes. Certainly, new taxation in the future to be equal for all citizens. By council working together and making it a goal, I believe the end result will be positive for all citizens of Luzerne County.

  Thank you 

Eileen M. Sorokas for County Council

As does Kathy Dobash:

 Luzerne County Citizens:

I attended the first public hearing about the Luzerne County Budget.

Below is the audio.  If you fast forward to the end of the meeting you will hear the intimidation thrown at citizens who stayed to speak during the public comment portion of the forum.

The County Solicitor is instructed to time everyone. 

10-29-2013 - First Luzerne County Public Budget Hearing

First I want to say, public comment should be allowed at the beginning of the meeting.  The meeting should take place in a larger room. 

A  tax hike of 8% was suggested throughout the meeting.

The majority of County Council did not want to hear the public outcry.  They are out of touch with those who live on a fixed income and working families.

The next scheduled budget hearings are:

November 12th, 18th and 19th.

My name is Kathy Dobash. I am a candidate for Luzerne County Council.

 I oppose tax hikes.  They hurt families and businesses.

On Tuesday, November 5th, help me OPPOSE the 8% tax hike.

Political Rants: 


Tomorrow is election day here in Pa. I am urging everybody to get out and vote. In particular (no fainting please) vote for Bednar for Controller and Harry Haas for council.

In the controller race, as much as it pains me to ever endorse a democratic candidate, this is an easy call to make. Sometimes the devil you don't know is a far better pick than the one we all know all too well.

For county council I am hoping everybody votes for just Harry Haas. Harry is a man of exceptional character and honesty and he deserves all of our votes.

Harry Haas for Luzerne County Council

Harry Haas has a web ad:

Rick Williams on the air

Independent County Councilor Rick Williams is running a reelection TV spot that is very similar to one that worked so well for him last time. I think the TV ad put him over the top in 2011. He is the first Independent candidate to win a county wide election in my memory. It has  testimonials followed by his pitch.




And he sent along this note:

Two years ago, when  Luzerne County voters decided to govern ourselves differently through Home Rule, many predicted that change would not come quickly.

Taking one step at a time, I believe we are now on a path toward more accountable, effective and ethical county government.  It’s important to vote in the election next Tuesday, November 5^th.  It does matter.

Help Luzerne County Council keep moving forward to a more promising future.

 Vote.

Rick Williams

Independent Candidate for re-election Luzerne County Council

And one last event:

 Independent candidate Rick Williams is holding a Get out the Vote Party. On Wednesday, October 30th, from 5 to 7pm there will be a gathering at the Riverside Café, 187 Old River Road, Wilkes-Barre.

Paul Dezinski for county council

In addition to the 11 people on the ballot Paul Dezinski of Wyoming is running a write-in campaign. He owns a lawn care business and  has 14 years experience  in the Fire-EMS service. He's a lifelong Colts fan and likes the Yankees in baseball and picked the Cardinals to win the Series.

I talked with him the other day and asked why he is mounting a very long shot write-in campaign but  didn't try to get on the ballot. He said the time limit had expired before he decided to run. His motivation for running is the spike in crime. I'm not sure  that the county council can do much about that.  He said that  John Boland and John Marianacci have been supportive.


More info on his Facebook page.

Some of his messages to me:

 I could tell u some why I've decided to try as a write in campaign . Well the violence is a big part of it 10 Homicides in Wilkes-Barre and no other council person campaigning has mentioned to make our streets safer and to curb the violence . I have 14 years in the Fire-EMS service both currently as a volunteer and career . I see and deal with the bad violence on a daily basis over the last 14 years it has risen and risen even higher ....And now to see that at the casino a girl was held gunpoint and robbed . It's only gonna get worse if someone like me doesn't take the step forward . I'd like to see a county wide gang task force and work with the local authorities to make our streets safer for people of all ages and it's a beautiful place here in Luzerne County and we can even go forward and still make it safer for tourism and if not soon we will see houses being sold off as people being in fear of their lives ....And our county 911 system I'd like to implement the Lackawanna county style GPS dispatched for Paramedic units only . I am sure you have read the paper a few months back about the elderly gentleman heart attack on the ground in the back mountain area . And a closer paramedic unit was closer but they waited for one of out Luzerne Borough to respond and pass the closer one ....Also taxes are a concern on not to higher taxes as it effects the senior citizens who live on fixed incomes and can barely pay for medications due to the Medicare changes they go with out meds as the out of pocket expense is draining them to nothing and it not like they get raise when taxes go up . So I would have to analyze any tax hike very carefully before I said yes to raising them.

Brominski on the Luzerne County Council election

Luzerne County Councilor Edd Brominski is backing the accountability ticket +1 of
Mike Giamber, Eileen Sorokas , Renee Taffera and Rich “Kick” Heffron  in the upcoming election.

He sent along a somewhat cryptic LTE:

Editor:

The following are examples of how TRANSPARENT three of the four incumbents running for County Council really are.

One incumbent said at a meeting of elected officials and some of the public “WE are not going to let the Charter get in our way”!! He has proved it by serving on a board which allows pay increases to employees of the county without Council approval as required by the Charter.  He proclaims business knowledge yet has not made one suggestion as to how we are to solve the $430,000,000 crisis we are in.

A second incumbent read the Bible at a public meeting, yet he fabricates numbers to be saved by eliminating the tax collectors, at a political rally, without substantial information.  The only purpose was to secure votes for re-election.  Further he committed to vote for a person applying to a County Authority solely to gain votes for his re-election from a segment of his party.

The third incumbent solicited an applicant for a county appointed board (who he nominated and voted for) and also solicited the same person to apply for the Deputy Director’s Position in the Elections Bureau.  All this was done to curry minority votes.

These are issues that the public does not know of, but are examples of the LACK of TRANSPARENCY by these incumbents seeking re-election in November.

These same candidates voted for the 2012 2% tax increase, voted for pay raises and now we are further in the hole with our budget.  They have all indicated they support the 8% tax increase proposed by the manager. None have ever offered a way to solve our budgetary problems nor objected to the reckless spending by the manager. 

These three also voted down a division head in order to hire another, less qualified person, at a higher salary. Make them accountable to you now, do not re-elect them.

I ask you to, research, vote and be very selective in your choices, and when you choose, select Mike Giamber, Eileen Sorokas , Renee Taffera and Rich “Kick” Heffron  for Luzerne County Council.

Yours in Honest Government, I am…

Edward A. Brominski

Luzerne County Council Member

Then he posted this on his Facebook page:

 Do you care?

Luzerne County has a tax value of $19,000,000,000 ( that is BILLION)
Each mil of taxes is worth $19,000,000 (that is million)
We are taxed at 5.32 mils (0.00532)
From Sept. of 2012 to Sept. of 2013 we picked up $401,000,000 in new assessments.
That should be $2,000 000 + in new tax dollars, correct? 

WRONG!!!

$389,000,000 was abated, given back.

$12,000,000 was used for tax purposes, that equates to $64,000 in new money to run the county.

With these figures, why would Jim Bobeck support Haas, Kellerher and Williams for re election? To keep the status quo!!!!

We pay a manager $100,000 plus benefits to stop this loss of money, and I and the council get $8,000 a year to watch the books. Something is wrong. 

Renee Taffera , Mike Giamber, Eileen Sorokas and Kick Heffron deserve your vote to help keep an eye , or TEN including me, on your money. Remember Nov. 5th VOTE..