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

Walter Griffith for Controller

From the inbox:

Walter L. Griffith, Jr. announces candidacy for a second term as Luzerne County Controller.

Dear County-Wide Neighbors and Friends:

I hereby announce that I shall be seeking a second term as your Luzerne County Controller.

When I announced in 2009 that I was going to be a candidate for the office of county controller, I made a promise to all taxpayers that I would represent their best interests as an independent monitor of the county’s fiscal activities.  I also promised, when need be, to challenge government officials’ funding proposals, to share questionable activities publically and to complete audits in a timely manner in order to maintain the integrity of the county’s revenue and disbursement processes.

You, the citizens of Luzerne County, spoke “loud and clear” in 2009 that you wanted an independent and candid overseer as Luzerne County Controller and elected me to work for you for the next four years.

The results of your confidence have been noteworthy!  In regard to monetary matters in general, accountability has been markedly improved.  Specifically, overpayment of contracts have been curtailed, a policy for the fueling of the county fleet of vehicles has been instituted, and employees being paid double for services provided has ceased.

As I undertake this election initiative and thereby seek your ongoing trust and support to continue as Luzerne County Controller, please be responsive to requests for your signatures in support of my May 2013 candidacy, and to the extent you are able, please contribute to my campaign fund (details to be announced) in order for me to address all the requirements and expectations of the election process for me to remain in your service.

I am so very proud to have been given the opportunity to represent you, the residents of Luzerne County, during this four year term and look forward to your expressed confidence in me this May to remain your Luzerne County Controller.

Respectfully and appreciatively,

WALTER L. GRIFFITH, Jr.

From Walter's website:

The ability of Walter L Griffith Jr to be an effective County Controller was the thought process when Commissioner Steven A Urban endorsed Walter L Griffith Jr for County Controller in 2009. Steven A Urban was the Luzerne County Commissioner and stated ” Walter Griffith would be an effective County Watchdog”

GDAC get together

Scott Cannon put together a great event at the River Street Jazz Cafe in Plains that attracted about 100 people. There was an auction of artwork and a raffle of of baskets and one of them was won by Mrs. G. She is thrilled. We will be listening to the Beatles for the next week.

A few candidates for the upcoming election showed up. Michele Bednar is running for Controller and was circulating petitions. Steve Urban is also  is running but that is a big secret. Eileen Sorokas is running for Luzerne County Council and told me that she has already filed. Independent Rick Williams was a bit iffy but it sounds like he running again. 

It was great to meet and dance with Dallas Twp. sup Liz Martin and Harvey's Lake Miche'lle Boice.

Things I learned tonight;

W-B Area School Board will have plenty of candidates but Luzerne County Council will not.

Christine Katsock is running for reelection but Lynn Evans is not. Genaway  and a couple Thomas and Evans are in. Cafferfy from Plains is a candidate.

We will see Wednesday.

2013 Luzerne County elections

5 seats on the Luzerne County Council and the Controller's spot are up for reelection next year. Democrats Elaine Madden Curry and Linda McClosky Houck and Republicans Harry Haas and Eugene Kelleher along with Independent Rick Williams were the bottom 5 of 11 elected in 2009 so their seats are up this time. The other 6 seats will be decided in 2015. I haven't heard that any of them are planning to run again or bow out but it's early and I'm sure there will plenty of candidates in the primary on both sides. I can think of a few people that came up short last time that will give it another try and a few others are making some noise.

Controller Walter Griffith told me he is definitely running for reelection and I don't see anyone taking him on in the Republican primary but anything can happen. Walter has taken some criticism over audits but I would argue that he is still the most popular politician in the county because he continues to be a pain in the ass. His 2009 Democratic opponent Bob Morgan said he is not looking for a rematch but I've seen him at all sorts of political gatherings the last few months. People change their minds. The other candidate in 2009 was Wil Toole of Pittston who can't be counted out. Former Commissioner Steve Urban is also threatening to run.

New Luzerne County GOP chairman

In a bit of a surprise Kingston attorney Bill Urbanski was elected as Luzerne County Republican chairman defeating incumbent Terry Casey 79-72 at the party convention Sunday at Genetti's.


Casey was elected in 2008 succeeding Lynette Vilano. and it's fair to say that his record has been more hits than misses. In 2007 the Luzerne County Republicans lost EVERY contested county election. Their only winner that year was Steve Urban because one Republican had to be on the board of commissioners. His first move was hiring Renita Fennick as executive director who was able to deal with the various factions and got people to work together. A year round headquarters was opened in downtown Wilkes-Barre with space donated by a real estate outfit and he got the back mountain money boys to kick in some bucks to pay for it all. It paid off in the 2009 county elections when the Republicans won 2 out 3 of the Row Offices up that year. In 2010 the focus was getting Lou Barletta elected to Congress that was helped by the national wave.

Elections for the county council under the new Home Rule form of government was on the ballot in 2011 and the Republicans snagged 4 of the 11 seats and Stefanie Salavatis knocked off DA JAckie Mo. Not bad for a party that has been on the outside for a long time with a significant deficit in registrations.

 But some Republicans said they should have done better after all the corruption that has seen a slew of Democrats go to jail. Some have complained that the county party didn't help out municipal candidates enough particularly in Wilkes-Barre but that is not the focus of the county party.

The county Republicans haven't been able to fill all of the committee spots and got a big black eye when a race hater wrote himself in for one of them.One of my Republican friends said it was not a priority to recruit county committee members but 6th District honcho James O'Meara said he tried his best to get people to sign up without much success.

Bill Urbanski sounds like a Republican populist if there is such a thing CV: "My vision is simple: do away with unnecessary expenditures and bureaucracies and build a more inclusive county Republican Party," Urbanski said. "Too often committee members and even average voters feel as though they are on the outside looking in, or what may be worse, on the bottom looking up. In my mind, the contributions made by the rank-and-file members of the GOP are just as important as the contributions made by those in positions of power."

It looks like Kingston Mayor Jim Haggerty is the next coming of Marty Murray on the Republican side. He wrote the Home Rule Charter and now this.  "Winning the Republican county election is proof of your grassroots ability," Haggerty said.

Bill's brother posted this picture  :

Update: James O'Meara corrects me in the comments..

Actually, Gort, this year we were successful in the 6th getting new committee members. We have filled 8 of 10 slots in Plains, for example, and I will find people for the other two slots. It was similar throughout the rest of the 6th District. Recruiting those slots is a primary duty of a District Chair, so the empty slots ...and the responsibility to fill them ...are my responsibility.

Sell the Station

County manager: Sell Market Street Square complex

Luzerne County Manager Robert Lawton is proposing a new course of action for the train station at the Market Street Square complex in Wilkes-Barre.

On Tuesday, Lawton said he does not support a prior decision to spend $2 million renovating the station and asked the county redevelopment authority to sell the 5 acres of land, train station and its properties in the complex.

Why the county bought this pile of junk from Thom Greco for $5.8 million was a mystery to me and many others, the Bond Brothers made that deal.

In 2010, Greco was sentenced to two years probation for failing to tell federal agents he was the victim of a shakedown by former county Commissioner Greg Skrepenak.

Greco said Skrepenak refused to pay a bill of more than $10,000 for televisions supplied to a sports bar run by Skrepenak's father, and prosecutors said the televisions were a reward for helping with the purchase of the train station complex.

Lawton has decided not to piss away more money on a property that is a total mess which is a good call. The idea that a visitors center could be built or the miracle of restored train service is not in the cards. The main building has been neglected for so long it is probably in similar  shape as the Hotel Sterling. Steve Urban thinks it's all about him   
"He is retaliating against me personally because I'm a supporter of the project," said Urban, who did not attend the meeting. "Anything we started he wants to destroy."

I always liked Steve when he was the minority commissioner willing to to say NO to stupid spending but he seems  to go off the rails on this one.

Luzerne County is broke, it is less than broke with almost $500 million in debt obligations so spending on new projects is out out the question.

 

 

 

Steve Urban is not running for Congress

Former Republican Luzerne County Commissioner now Democratic Luzerne County Council member was circulating petitions for a possible run in the newfangled 17th Congressional district but it looks like he either decided not to file or more probably didn't get at least 1000 Democrats to sign them. Urban has run for Congress before as a Republican and for Lt. Governor and State Senator. After his last race that he lost to John Yudichak he got miffed and switched party's because the local Republicans wouldn't sign on or help him financially in his long shot State Senate bid. The local Republicans put their efforts into winning the Congressional race and the Governor's contest that paid off. Urban has never been able to raise much money for his campaigns and probably won as the 3rd wheel of county government in past contests and rode his name recognition to a seat on the new county council.

That leaves sort of incumbent Tim Holden who is trying to introduce himself to most of the people of the new 17th Congressional District versus Democrat Matt Cartwright from Moosic.

The only Republican to make the ballot is Laureen Cummings who started off running for US Senate.

PA 17th Congressional District update

Matt Cartwright announced Tuesday that he take on Tim Holden for the Democratic nomination for the the newfangled 17th CD.

His announcement speech was music to a lot of Democrats ears (via DWT) saying "But when a handful of representatives from the Democratic Party turn their backs on the middle class, and start voting like Wall Street Republicans, something is really wrong. Something even more fundamental is broken.What’s broken is their promise to protect the middle class instead of the profits of big banks…or the oil & gas companies… or Wall Street. What’s broken is their promise to vote for bills that benefit the middle class and not loopholes that benefit special interests. What’s broken is their pledge to make decisions based on what’s best for the average family and not what’s best for the lobbyists contributing to their campaign funds...As a Congressman I won’t need campaign donations from special interest groups to know what the right thing to do is. I will already know what the right thing to do is....As a Congressman I will not apologize for being a Democrat. As a Congressman I will not forget that the Democratic Party is the party of Franklin Delano Roosevelt....Let’s elect a Democratic congressman who votes like a Democrat. Let’s elect a Democratic Congressman from the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party."

Contrast that statement with the press release Tim Holden sent out last March.

REP. HOLDEN RANKED 14th MOST CONSERVATIVE CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRAT IN 2010

Rep. Holden was ranked the 187th most conservative member in all of Congress, fourth most conservative remaining Democrat after the 2010 midterm elections.

More from Howie: 2010 was a conservative year and Holden won. Since then, he has voted (on crucial roll calls) with the Democrats 31.96% of the time. That's right-- Holden has backed the right-wing agenda espoused by Cantor and Boehner 68% of the time.

I was wondering if any Republican would get into the race, none so far , then we get this from PoliticsPA

Luzerne County Councilman Stephen Urban, who made headlines last year when he switched from Republican to Democrat, is circulating nominating petitions for U.S. Congress. He would face incumbent Rep. Tim Holden and Democratic primary challenger Matt Cartwright, an attorney from Scranton....If Urban enters the race, it would be a big boon to Holden. He would likely split the Lackawanna-Luzerne bloc that is key to Cartwright’s campaign.

I don't know how much of an impact Urban would have on the the race as his fundraising for his past campaigns for Congress, State Senator, Lt. Governor, etc. (as a Repuplican) has always been anemic. He rode his name recognition to a seat on the new Luzerne County Council then left a poison pill budget as outgoing Commissioner under the old system that the new bunch can't reconcile because it just doesn't add up. I have always liked Steve but lately he has been acting like a jerk. Not taking the oath of office with the rest of our new councilors and abstaining on the vote for the Manager because he applied for the position. Now this.

Luzerne County Council to hire a manager

The papers are reporting that a guy from California will be offered the job as the first Luzerne County manager under home rule later today. The CV and the TL say the pick is Robert Lawton. I don't know much about him other than what I read in papers but certainly wish him the best. He is walking into a mess of a budget situation left over by former Commissioners Maryanne Petrilla, Steve Urban and the other guy that interim manager Tom Pribula has been trying to address. He keeps proposing a mix of tax increases and budget cuts that the new council keeps shooting down. Sounds a lot like what is going on in Washington.

I have been getting beat up in the comments and other blogs for my backing of the new form of government. It's a school board, it won't work, etc. The new charter is not perfect but then what is? I preferred the previous charter with an elected county executive and a mix of distict and at-large elections for the council. That plan was shot down when Skrep and Vondy said "trust us." That worked out well.

This new form of government was passed as a reaction to the Juvie Brothers scandal for sure. The thing I like about it was elimination of most of the row offices that were power centers with no oversight. How many of them went to jail? There is no Democratic or Republican way to perform an autopsy (Coronor) or to register a will. And What the hell is a Prothonotary?

If they hire Lawton and he doesn't back out before February 21st the Yonk has some advice. A couple of my favs

Don’t take it personally if people don’t like you because you’re an outsider. People from Scranton have the same problem.

If someone says you’re a cousin….don’t believe them

Abe’s Hot Dogs, South Main, the original. Don’t settle.

There are two Steve Urbans on the County Council, one has hair, the other doesn’t. Both may seem like the same person so you’ll need to tell them apart.

Quick Hits

I've been on a bit of a vacation since the the New Year so I've been slacking off on the blog but my fellow local scribes have been doing their usual great work.

So what's going on.

Penn State hired a new head football coach. New England Patriots Offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien is the pick and some are upset that he doesn't have ties to the University. I think the whole idea is to bring in someone from the outside to clean house. CRV lists his positives and he is a Brown graduate like the last guy.

The new Luzerne County Government is having it's growing pains with Urban the Elder and Urban the Younger refusing to play nice with others. Surprise. The county council has to hire a permanent manager with the whole secrecy argument of the candidates identifies getting blown up by Jennifer in the TL. Do you really think that with this many people involved in the process they could keep a secret? I like the pick of Tom Pribula as the interim manager. I think he is the only person who ever resigned a Luzerne County job on principle when he wouldn't sign off on the last budget with fictitious revenues from land sales that never happened. Like PSU there seems to be a need to bring in an outsider not connected to the politics/power structure but if that doesn't work out Tom may be a good fallback. CFD has a report card and PB gives us a reporter's view.

The new Turkey Hill in Plains is almost complete. Mrs. G says " I wish it was still the ACME."

1000 words

Outgoing Commissioners leaving a mess

This is a guest post from Wil Toole. Wil held various administrative positions in the City of Pittston and was a candidate for the new Luzerne County Council in the Primary. When it comes to county/municiple government he is one of the most knowledgeable people around.

Merry Christmas, You're Fired!

The outgoing County Commissioner's have finally outdone themselves. They have prepared a budget that if adopted would bring county government to its knees and bring the business of the people to a shattering halt.
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This budget is far beyond what could even begin to resemble a working budget and in my mind is nothing less than a parting slap in the face to every Luzerne county resident.
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I will put the cart in front of the horse and comment on the real problem of county finances. Simply put, it is the debt. The debt service in 2008 was budgeted at just over $1 million dollars. It jumped to $21.8 million in the 2011 budget and for 2012 the debt services is listed as $24.8 million dollars. And there in folks lies the problem. The solution is to remove the debt service from the general fund and treat it as the separate animal that it is. The problem was not addressed properly so as a quick fix, it must be seen as a separate issue and a debt reduction fund must be created with millage dedicated for that purpose. The general fund millage would be adjusted to reflect this change. The next step would be to renegotiate the entire debt and to try the debt reduction plan I offered two years ago. The practice of creating future debt must stop post haste and not a dollar should be borrowed that does not affect the health and safety of our residents. NO MORE SPENDING!
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As you look at the current proposed budget, there was no thought or effort put into it. If there was then shame on the mini minds that created it. I will state a few examples of why the budget is unworkable.
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On the expense side the budget goes against logic and prevents various departments from operating and in some cases lock horns with the law.
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An example of ignoring the law would be the Court Stenographers. The 2011 budget is listed at just under 1.1 million dollars. They have spent as of October $876,532. The new budget is $750,286 which is a cut of 44.45%. The problem is that a court stenographer must be present and create a written record of every action taking place in the court system. This line item is designed to fail.
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The Prothonotary's office was cut from just over $1 million dollars to $607,793 for a 68.96% cut. This office is required for the operation of the courts and maintenance of various legal documents. The other Row offices have been cut to unmanageable amounts and the reasoning that they will no long be separate offices does not hold water. The Row Officers were removed from existence but not the duties of each office. Records are still required and the fact that these offices are located in three separate buildings has not even been considered. The cost of the individual Row Officer will be eliminated but there remains a need for management and supervision. How do you maintain control and effectiveness when the cost of doing so is removed from the budget? The Register of Wills budget was cut 50%, Clerk of Courts cut 57%, Treasurer 57% and the Coroner cut by 29%. These cuts are a budget directors dream come true but they are a manager's nightmare. The Department of Probation is cut 35% and it appears that the outgoing commissioner's must think that no criminals will be placed on probation, no fines and fees will be collected and restitution for victims will be forgotten. The Magistrates are cut 53.23% and I would think part of their logic is that one magistrate office might be eliminated. Flawed thinking because if that happens, it wont occur till 2013 so they must still operate.
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The Commissioners have given no thought to the fact that there are contracts in place but union and business. Example, of the 17 Magisterial offices, approximately 10 have leases with local municipalities and these local governments are planning their budgets with these leases in place. The remaining office have private sector leases and I doubt that these landlords are willing to cut the leases in half. Other than that, please consider that many Magisterial offices only have two clerical people so if they are cut in half, that leaves one person to run the office. If that person is sick or on vacation the office must close, there are no backup staff. The deeper you delve into this fantasy budget, the more childlike it becomes.
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This is just a brief overview of the expense side of the ledger and I didn't even mention other big ticket items such as the prison, Moon Lake, etc.
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The lack of thought is pretty evident when you consider that insurance and benefits remain about the same and this is after the county workforce is decimated. Is that logical?
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On the income side, there has been nothing done in the form of creative management and the lack of effort is obvious in the numbers as they currently exist.
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Steps that can be taken is the restructuring of the county debt, increasing probation services fees, the more active use of home arrest vs incarceration. This would result in the criminals (non violent) paying the cost of the ankle bracelets and supplying their own health care, food and clothing. The county spends millions each year on health care for prisoners. There can be an attempt to renegotiate county leases and discussions can be held with the unions to accept a temporary pay freeze or renegotiate the amount of the contracted pay increases. Probation fees for both adults and juvenile offenders must be increased. Some of these fees have remained unchanged for a number of years.
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The thing I must caution on is that balancing the budget on the backs of the employees is never a good idea and long term, it causes a negative impact on county operations. The county must offer an early retirement incentive but they must pledge to not fill the vacated positions and the unions must agree to allow for transfers to save jobs. Employees must be allowed to transfer within the system to fill job needs and avoid layoffs in one department and hiring's in another. It is also possible to consider voluntary short term layoffs. Yes the county is self insured but the amount paid on layoff would equal the net pay of employees, not the gross. The costs of Social Security alone would be significant.
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This is a time for creative thinking, not the simplistic approach that was used to gut the budget and give no thought to the consequences. For those incoming Council members who have taken the NO taxes approach of the Tea Party mentality, there is a reality that government is useful and serves a purpose. The problem in Luzerne county is that in recent years, little thought has been given to economic management and taxpayer responsibility. Services must be provided and in many cases are required but the delivery system can no longer be based on careless spending such as the palm reading time clocks and patronage with little thought to required funding.
Taxes are a requirement for services delivered and thoughtful frugal management must be the foundation of responsible government.

And former State Rep Kevin Blaum weighs in with his TL column

Commissioners continue to cause damage Kevin Blaum In the Arena

With only 45 days remaining in their tawdry tenure, the county commissioners brazenly made two appointments to the Luzerne County Community College’s Board of Trustees and named two more to the often pivotal county planning commission...On Monday your Luzerne County commissioners voted to create a bi-county authority to run the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport. The Lackawanna County commissioners followed suit, and each body gets to make three appointments to the board with each appointee serving a four-year term...Worse, the commissioners might be leaving behind a political budget document set to explode early next year, forcing the new council to raise taxes only a few weeks in or preside over a government that makes huge cuts in the office of a new district attorney and the new judiciary in which it functions.

So let us give thanks to Maryanne Petrilla, Stephen Urban and Thomas Cooney for reminding everyone why voters marched to the polls en masse to abolish the offices they hold and to establish a new, reform government that assumes its responsibilities on Jan. 2.

Luzerne County budget

The good news is that it doesn't use fictitious revenue from land sales or borrow more money. The bad news is it includes personnel cuts in the court system and other departments that will not stand.

County budget includes deep cuts

The largest preliminary cuts from 2011 expenditure levels are: probation, down $1.2 million; prison; more than $900,000; magisterial courts, more than $800,000; district attorney, more than $600,000; domestic relations, more than $600,000; stenographers, more than $300,000.

Carolee is not happy

2012 budget down $3.5M


County Prothonotary Carolee Medico Olenginski blasted Urban and Petrilla after the meeting for cutting $419,000 out of her budget, saying the loss would reduce the revenue generated by the office and “sabotage the new government.”
“In my opinion, they are vindictive, evil people and are taking their last shot at me because I stood up to them and could not be compromised to stoop to their level of bad government."

Nor is Judge Burke

Burke: Lawsuit over judiciary budget cut may happen

"There is a mandate to fund the court system at the level of "reasonable necessity.' The current proposal would fall woefully short of meeting that standard, and the court will continue to review all budget matters over the next weeks with a goal of coming to a funding resolution with county officials," Burke said Monday.

Gort42 Luzerne County Courthouse special correspondent Ethel Price has some inside info:


Petrilla sent an email to all departments telling them to prepare a new departmental budget to conform with the budget figures the commissioner's prepared. She also advised them to prepare a list of positions that would equal the budget cuts.

The row officers sent her a reply pretty much telling her to go screw herself and they were not going to cut staff for her and she should do her own dirty work. Apparently Carolee told her in very strong terms how she felt about it.

Today I got my hands on the overall budget and to tell you it is a mess is a gross understatement. For example, Petrilla/Urban cut the magistrate offices by over 53%. They cut some of the rents in half. Now think about that ..... in many offices, there are only two clerks so if the remaining clerk is sick or on vacation, the office will have to be closed. There are leases with private landlords who will not sit and give up half of their agreed upon rents. Approx. 10 of the 17 offices are housed in municipal buildings and these local governments also have leases and they are pretty much done with their budgets using figures from their leases ......... now what?

This is just a small part...... the Court Stenographers budget is cut by just over 44%. How can that be? These stenographers are required by law and must be present for every court action. How will this be accomplished when the budget is cut almost in half?

The big thing here is that the cuts that were made were not made from the proposed 2012 budget. They just threw those numbers away and these are cuts against the 2011 budget.

This budget is absolutely unworkable. The cuts were made without regard to employee contracts or legal requirements.

It really is a cluster f***. Petrilla and Urban put their heads together on this and all they did was prepare a budget that kills balances. The debt is the real culprit and it is impossible to pay the size debt we have by balancing the budget on the backs of the employees. It just can't be done. Debt needs to be funded by special dedicated debt mileage and the budget must be addressed on a needs basis, not a wish list.

Luzerne County government

In the recent election the Luzerne County GOP did well. Dick Hughes will now be a judge and Stefanie Salavantis kept hammering the kids for cash scandal topping Jackie Mo in the District Attorney race showing what a ton of money and a savvy media campaign can do.

The race for the new County Council was the most unpredictable yielding a somewhat surprising result with only 6 Democrats winning seats in a county with a big Dem registration edge. There will be 4 Republicans and an Independent rounding out the newfangled 11 member body. Kingston Mayor and study commission chairman Jim Haggerty told me before he wrote the new charter that he wanted to try to minimize the influence of campaign contributions For the most part each candidate ran a solo effort with a few alliances that at times crossed party lines but didn't work out. My good friend David Yonki said that name recognition would be a key in this race because of the crowded field predicting that Urban the Elder and Urban the Younger would top the poll. It was good to see that the CV quoted a real political expert in addition the Captains Obvious college professors. I would add that the Independent Rick Williams TV spots raised his name recognition contributing to his win. I expect (hope) that party loyalty will be put on the back burner and our new Councilors will do what is best for us all. It will be interesting to see what alliances and deals that will be made in the coming months and years.

Now the hard part.

Members get applicant details

The first job of the new council is to hire an unelected county manager but this story tells us that they can't even agree on the ground rules on applications.

In other news the present Commissioners have decided to spend $1 million to tear down the Hotel Sterling after pissing away $6 million trying to save it. The place was wreck even before the recent flooding.

Another boondogle on the horizon is the Market Street Square property that the county bought from Thom Greco for $5.8 million in 2006. They voted to sink another $2 million into the place to clean it up that will let the county put a senior center and the tourism bureau office in the station. $7 million plus for a senior center and tourist office for this place ? Another property that should be bulldozed and start from scratch. I worked at the Station years ago and it was an eyesore and hazard even then. There was some entertainment value when Greco and the owners of the Woodlands owners the Cornfelds got into a pissing contest that resulted in some expensive cars getting towed all over town.

Greco and Greg Skrepenack should enjoy the show on TV.

Predictions: Home Rule Yes and some state legislature races

I have been doing an informal survey of office holders, fellow bloggers and other political watchers over the last few days and we pretty much agree on the following races.

The Luzerne County Home Rule Charter will win big. Unlike 2003 there has not been a very organized effort against it and people are so fed up with what has been going on for years that just has recently been exposed that they are willing to take a chance on another form of government. The charter is not perfect but the biggest objections about an elected county executive and council elections by district can be addressed in 5 years by amendment instead of going through the whole process of electing another commission and writing another charter.


The PA 14th Senate race will be won by John Yudichack(D). The district has an overwhelming Democratic registration and Yuddy has been a good state rep. I like Steve Urban (R) and think he has been a good county commissioner. The Libertarian candidate Betsy Summers will eat into his vote but even if she wasn't in this Yudichack would still win big.

In the 118th State Rep District incumbent Mike Carroll (D) will be returned for another term.
Carroll has pleasantly surprised me with his desire to overhaul the campaign finance laws (there aren't many) of Pennsylvania and reform the redistricting process. His opponent Terrance O'Conner likes to dress up in 18th century garb and stand in the bed of his pick up truck yelling into a bullhorn. Today is Halloween so O'Conner should fit right in. One of his campaign planks is repeal ling the sales tax on ammunition. It's hard to win an election when you make yourself into a cartoon character and a joke.

Karen Boback (R) will win big in the overwhelmingly Republican 117th District. I have to congratulate Richard Shermanski (D) for running a energetic campaign.

James O'Meara (R) is my favorite underdog in this cycle. He has stayed positive in his uphill challenge to unseat Eddie Day Pashinski (D). He came to every blogger event and he married a great girl. I have never cast a straight ballot so this is one Republican I will be voting for. Pashinski wins big.

Yuddy and Urban club each other in debate, Summers along for the ride

Senatorial smackdown

Urban, Yudichak fire off at one another in debate

Yudichak and Urban go after each other in 14th Senatorial debate

Watch it on WVIA

I wanted to embed it but kept getting an error

Libertarians make the cut

It looks like the local Libertarian state house candidates have enough signatures to spare to get on the November ballot and survive any challenges.

14th District Senate candidate Betsy Summers needed 1063 and got 2279. Brian Bergman's goal in the 119th State House District was 389 signatures and he too filed almost twice the minimum with 625. Tim Mullen's number just blew me away. Mullen has been working hard going door to door on the west side needing 436 signatures and was able to convince 2279 of his neighbors to sign his petitions. Remember that the Democratic and Republican state house candidates only need 300 signatures to get on the primary ballot. Signatures don't necessarily translate into votes but the Lib's have to be happy with these results and the Republican candidates should be worried. I doubt they will mount a challenge to the petitions but anything is possible. The local GOP's best signature challenger in the past, Liz Sichler, has other worries.

Links to candidate websites.


Senate 14


Steve Urban (R)

John Yudichak (D)

Betsy Summers (L)



State Rep 120th


Phyllis Mundy (D) incumbent

Bill Goldsworthy (R)

Tim Mullen (L)



State Rep 119th


Rick Arnold (R)

Gerald Mullery (D)

Brian Bergman (L)

Bergman get's a signature

The local libertarians put out a challenge to the major party candidates for the state legislature a few days ago to sign the petitions of their hopefuls as a show of good faith that they truly believe in the democratic process and that all qualified candidates should be allowed to compete.

As predicted the Republicans declined the invitation.

CV: Steve Urban, a Luzerne County commissioner and 14th Senatorial District candidate, called the move a "ridiculous request" and refused to sign Summers' papers...West Pittston Mayor Goldsworthy also declined to sign Mullen's papers, advocating Mullen join his campaign to usurp 10-term state Rep. Mundy. Goldsworthy said he has a stronger campaign and more name recognition than Mullen but believes in the similar ideals as the Libertarian Party...Rick Arnold brushed off signing papers for Bergman, a potential opponent in the 119th race, for fear of invalidating his own campaign.

Democrats John Yudichak and Phyllis Mundy haven't been heard from yet but Gerald Mullery believes in the small "d.""I would sign it. What the hell? I don't have any problem with thatI've met Brian. He's a nice guy. I welcome him into the race."


The lineup


Senate 14


Steve Urban (R)

John Yudichak (D)

Betsy Summers (L)



State Rep 120th


Phyllis Mundy (D) incumbent

Bill Goldsworthy (R)


Tim Mullen (L)



State Rep 119th


Rick Arnold (R)


Gerald Mullery (D)

Brian Bergman (L)

Libertarians make a good point

And issue a challenge.

If your not a Democrat or a Republican the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania makes you jump through all kinds of hoops to get on the ballot.


I got this press release from the NEPA Libertarian Party.


Wilkes-Barre, PA— According to Northeast Pennsylvania Libertarian Chairman Lou Jasikoff, “the Libertarian Party will be wrapping up their ballot initiative over the next few weeks, and will submit their signed petitions to Harrisburg on July 30th. The deadline for submitting petitions is August 3rd and the Libertarian Party is challenging all candidates to sign the petition as a show of good faith, especially in light of Bonusgate, that they truly believe in the democratic process and that all qualified candidates should be allowed to compete in the arena of ideas.”

“I think it is important for all the candidates to be on record as to whether they are willing to sign the petition because it has been the Republicans and Democrats that have made the rules by which another Party or Independent candidate must meet to be placed on the general ballot. We will focus on those candidates within the districts that we have candidates running for office, specifically John Yudichak, Steve Urban, Phyllis Mundy, Bill Goldsworthy, Rick Arnold, Gerald Mullery, Dan Rae, and David Millard, but will be encouraging all candidates to sign” said Jasikoff.

With the Republican and Democratic parties having a strangle-hold on access to the ballot, candidates from other political camps must go through the lengthy process of getting signatures from registered voters on their petitions to run. The process for Libertarian candidates Betsy Summers, Tim Mullen, Brian Bergman and Tom Anderson began in the cold and rain on primary day.

"Candidates from the major parties say they support all of those who are qualified to be on the ballot. Now is the time for their actions to speak louder than their words," noted Betsy Summers, Senate candidate 14th District.

Jasikoff concluded, “We explain to potential signers that this is not an endorsement but simply an effort to allow them, to allow us, to be on the ballot. That we have men and women dying in Iraq so they can have free elections there and we should not have to fight tooth and nail to get on the ballot here. We hope our current legislators and opponents agree and we will post their responses to our requests after August 3rd.

Good luck getting any of the Republican or Democratic candidates to sign on to this. But if I was running any of the Democratic campaigns I would have my people out there helping them get signatures.

Meet the candidate

Urban For Senator Meet-and-Greet

Time: July 16, 2010 from 5pm to 8pm
Location: Bo Brother's Pizza (Wyoming)
Street: 2004 Wyoming Ave
City/Town: Wyoming
Website or Map: http://bobrothersllc.com/
Phone: For Info: 570-825-2901