Gene Fischi takes a well deserved retirement

I haven't been a fan of the Luzerne County early retirement schemes* but maybe this time it has done some good.

.

WILKES-BARRE – Luzerne County Prison Warden Gene Fischi has opted to accept the early retirement incentive being offered by the county after efforts to secure a contract that would guarantee his job failed.

.

After all the fun and games that have gone on at the prison the last few years Fischi and Deputy Warden Sam Hyder asked for 5 year contracts that the prison board ignored. So he quit, good for him. I wasn't aware that senior county managers even had contracts. I was under the impression that the top administrators were "at will" employees of the Commissioners like all political appointees. Mr. Fischi is still a young man so I'm sure he will find another government position after he "retires" ala Bill Brace.

.

*The original "Life Transition Plan" in 2006 was supposed to save $2 million over 15 years by floating a bond to finance the plan that will cost $23 million over 15 years. I have yet to see an accounting or progress report that documents any money that has been saved. Another feature of this scheme was to hire back many of the people who took the golden parachute through a temp agency owned by PA-10th Congressional GOP candidate Chris Hackett who gave his first campaign contribution ever to the Democratic Luzerne County Commissioner candidates Vondy and Skrep.

.

I've been asking Chris Hackett for an interview but he has been reluctant. The last time I asked him about it he gave me the weather report for Hades. Saying I will get a sit down when the weather down there turns unseasonably cool. I thought our last chat went very well. He wants to debate Chris Carney but he won't debate Gort? I've also asked Carney for some time but his campaign has yet to get back to me. He won't debate Hackett and he won't debate Gort?

.

Well, not a debate, I would just like to ask them both some similar questions about budgets, spending and taxes. And a few other things.

.

Gene Fischi's greatest hits.

.

The Prison violated the county purchasing policy and possibly state law.

.

His Deputy, Sam Hyder, travels the world on the county dime and has not still payed back his personal expenses incurred during his visit to a strip club. Bad eyesite.

.

And we became a laughing stock of the country when Hugo Selenski used bed sheets to escape from the lockup on Water Street. It was a cliche from a bad old campy Movie.

Violate the law, get a week off

WILKES-BARRE — Luzerne County Correctional Facility Board unanimously voted Monday to suspend prison Warden Gene Fischi for one week without pay because the warden failed to inform board members about decisions to avoid bidding purchases.
The board also put Fischi and prison kitchen supervisor Jack Rentko on probation for a year.

And Sam Guesto still has a job after telling Rentko to ignore bidding requirements saying “do it or it’s your ass.”

Some sort of secret police organization is supposed to be investigating this mess according to DA Jackie MO but she hasn't named the agency. Why can't she tell us which one? And why are our great local reporters giving her a pass?

Luzerne County prison

The prison board has declared a "state of emergency" because of the overcrowding at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility. It was prompted because prisons in other counties no longer have room for Luzerne County inmates. Another result of the so called war on drugs which now sees over 2 million people locked up every year in the US. In the 1970's the national prison population was about 200,000. The practical effect of the declaration is that warden will be able to award a no-bid contract to build a fence around the facility’s minimal-offenders unit.

The Commissioners are still looking at building a new lock-up that will cost at least $70-100 million that will have to be borrowed and Minority Commissioner Steve Urban thinks is too expensive. He wants to renovate the old juvenile detention building and use it as a women's prison to free up space at the main facility.

The prison Board also settled 2 lawsuits that resulted from the Hugo Selenski escape. After that fiasco Warden Gene Fischi and his Deputy Sam Hyder blamed it on underlings. The underlings objected to taking the blame and mouthed off to the press resulting in them getting fired. Call this a win for the 1st amendment that county taxpayers have to foot the bill because the top people wouldn't take responsibility for their actions. Maybe Fischi and Hyder have a future in the Bush Administration. And just to add to fun a guard has been granted medical leave because his dog suffered hearing damage.

The jury is out

Democratic Luzerne County Commissioner Chairwoman Maryanne Petrilla has been getting some high marks from some of my friends lately. She has been joining with GOP Commissioner Steve Urban in making all the right noises about the countless scandals that have come to light over the last year. But what action has she taken?

She called for an investigation of Judges Mark A. Ciavarella and Michael Conahan business relationship with PA Child Care owner and Cargo Airport builder Robert Powell after it was widely known that the FBI and IRS had already launched a probe.


She called for Sam Guesto's head when it was revealed that he was strong arming county prison officials not to bid out items that were previously bid and deciding on his own to build a bigger prison. Not to mention the Debit Card Debacle. But Guesto has a job with the courts now and his boss is Ciavarella who says he's doing a great job. I have an idea, since this newly created court director job was invented for him after his position as chief clerk became untenable how about the salary board meet and eliminate the job.

The prison board suspended Warden Gene Fischi and the Purchasing Director for a week for violating the county bidding policy and possibly breaking state law. They should have been fired. Some sort of secret police organization is supposed to be investigating this mess according to DA Jackie MO.

And why does Sam Hyder still have a job on the public payroll?

Remember when Controller Steve Flood was screaming about the 20 year lease with PA Child Care and a bunch of other things. He was making too much noise and asking uncomfortable questions so he had to to go. So the County Dems recruited Maryanne Petrilla to take him out in the Primary of 2005. In her 2 years as Luzerne County Controller I don't remember her making any waves except for auditing the Republican Row Officers and even then she didn't find much wrong.

With all that said I hope that she does kick ass and takes names but I'm a cynical old bastard that has to see results.