Petrilla rakes in the bucks

Luzerne County Democratic Commissioner Chair Maryanne Petrilla has raised $54,000 this year and has $78,000 cash on hand according to her latest campaign finance report. That is more money than all the row officer candidates running this year combined.

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Indicted Jury Commissioner Jerry Bonner gave her $500 but she sent it back. There are a few other names that are in the news listed in the report.

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Wilkes-Barre Area School Board President Frank Pizzella kicked in $125 for her golf tournament that is also listed on his CFR. Pizzella has been charged with conspiracy in a teacher job-selling scheme in 2004. I didn't know that she played golf.

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Michael Pasonick is the owner of an Architect/Engineering firm that does business with just about every government agency in Luzerne County made 2 donations totalling $1750 to Petrilla.

Pasonick was recently identified as the person who paid the bribe of $1400 to Housing Authority member Billy Maguire that was passed on by fellow board member Jerry Bonner. I wonder what the vig was in that deal? In one of the most creative excuses that I've ever heard Maguire said that he was reluctant to ask the housing authority for reimbursement of $1,400 he spent while attending a meeting of the National Leased Housing Association with Bonner in late January 2009 because of the debit card scandal and previous publicity that he was travelling the world on the taxpayer's dime when he was working in law enforcement. So he got Bonner to ask Pasonick to pick up the tab. At least he didn't try to double dip because records show he was not reimbursed by the authority. Bonner's attorney Mike Butera made the revelation about Pasonick. Butera has contributed $1000 to Petrilla.

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Sometimes this gets confusing. Patrilla's committee received contributions from Hazleton State Rep. Todd Eachus' and DA Jackie Mo Carroll then her committee sent money to Eachus and Jackie Mo's campaign committees. Scott Gartley kicked in $500 and Petrilla contributed $1000 to Tina Gartley's judicial campaign. I guess this is an example of 'you wash my back, I'll wash your's.' These people don't use their own money to go to all these events, the donor's pay for it. In addition to Gartley she contributed to 2 other Luzerne County judicial candidates. She sent $250 to Joe Musto and $125 to Bill Amesbury.

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In the row ofifce races she(her committee) gave $250 to Dem Prothonotary nominee Nancy Bellas who's husband has been indicted for taking a bribe and Democratic Controller hopeful Bob Morgan got $550.

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Some Luzerne County officials chipped in for the boss.

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Director of Assessments Anthony Alu $125

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County Solicitor Vito DeLucca $375

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Prison Warden Joe Piazza $500

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This one I find interesting. Former Commissioner Todd Vonderheid ( Bond Brother) who is now the head honcho of the local Chamber of Commerce chipped in $250. Vondy ran as a team with Greg Skrepenak for Luzerne County Commissioners telling people we didn't need home rule because we can trust them. That worked out well. Vondy quit before his term was up.

Groundswell

I want to be the last Jury Commissioner of Luzerne County-David Yonki

I called into the Sue Henry show on WILK this morning and we discussed Luzerne County politics and scandals. These days they are one and the same. The situation of Democratic Jury Commissioner Jerry Bonner came up of course and off the top of my head I suggested that we should all write-in the Yonk for that office in the November election. The reaction to that idea has been tremendous.

After receiving numerous phone calls, e-mails, Facebook postings and hearing the idea being discussed on the late afternoon show on a local talk radio show that were all positive I called my friend David.

He likes the idea!

And he agreed to run for the post after some cajoling from me.

His platform includes:

1. I'd run as an alternative to the taxpayers to ensure that if Mr. Bonner resigns, a crony would not get the position.

2. In my official capacity as jury commissioner, I would take every opportunity to lobby against the continuation of the position. I find it interesting that the Republican Commissioner is not even saying a word about this and how it would effect him.

3. I have much experience with downsizing and elimination of my job. I'm good at it, in the last decade I was downsized three times. It was not of my own making. Finally I can downsize out of a job because the job is not needed.

So let's write-in David Yonki for Democratic Jury Commissioner. The one good thing about the new electronic voting machines it is easy to write-in a person for an office. No more stickers or golf pencils just hit the letters on a touch screen.

August 10 was the last day to take your name off the November ballot so the chances are that Jerry Bonner will still be listed as the Democratic candidate for Jury Commissioner.

The friends of Jerry Bonner

He has many of them including a fellow member of the county housing authority that got a cut of the bribe he accepted earlier this year according to the indictment. That member hasn't been named yet nor the the payer of the bribe.

Jerry was the longtime owner of the Carriage Stop Inn on Route 315 that was the top spot for Democratic candidate fundraisers "because he had the best prices" according to a past County Commissioner. The Carriage Stop burned down a few years ago on St. Patrick's Day after closing early. How many bars close early on biggest drinking day of the year is a question that should be looked into.

Rising from the ashes Jerry replaced the Carriage Stop with a gas station and convenience stop that also has a bar and 6-pack take out store. I suggested that it be renamed "The Drink n' Drive."

If my memory is right I even attended the launch of the Gregory A Skrepenak Foundation at the place. Whatever happened to that?

After hosting so many Democratic fundraisers over the years Bonner was rewarded with the office of Democratic Jury Commissioner in the 1996 election which is basically a do nothing job that pays well. He might have even earned a pension for his "service."


Jury head Bonner indicted

County jury commissioner indicted on corruption charge

Man in the middle

Jerry Bonner decided to plead guilty to just one charge of funneling a bribe of $1400 from local engineering contractor Michael Pasonick to fellow Housing Authority (retired Wilkes-Barre cop)member Bill Maguire. What was the vig? Bonner originally was going to fight the charges but was offered a deal that he couldn't refuse by the US Attorney. For this and other possible misdeeds he will get probation if the Judge goes along with the sweetheart deal. I hope the judge throws it out and there is a trial.


Jerry was the longtime owner of the Carriage Stop Inn on Route 315 that was the top spot for Democratic candidate fundraisers "because he had the best prices" according to a past County Commissioner. The Carriage Stop burned down a few years ago on St. Patrick's Day after closing early. How many bars close early on biggest drinking day of the year is a question that should be looked into. He also beat a gambling rap when it couldn't be proven that he actually owned the place.

After hosting so many Democratic fundraisers over the years Bonner was rewarded with the office of Democratic Jury Commissioner in the 1996 election which is basically a do nothing job that pays well. He might have even earned a pension for his "service." He was appointed as an "unpaid " member of the Luzerne County Housing Authority in 1993.


Note: I have been assured by the Rain Man that he has an airtight alibi about his whereabouts that fateful St. Patrick's Day. His ire about the price increase of Killian's along with his known carelessness with alcohol and butane lighters should not infer any wrongdoing.

When you're right you argue the facts, when you're wrong you argue the law

That's what my lawyers tell me.


Luzerne County Democratic Jury Commissioner and Housing Authority Chairman Jerry Bonner has asked that his statements to FBI be thrown out because he was not advised of his Miranda rights before being interviewed by the feds. He may have a point if the FBI didn't follow the rules. At the same time anybody who has watched any cop show over the last 40 years knows that you that you can ask for a lawyer at anytime and refuse to answer questions that might incriminate yourself.

It looks like Jerry is going to fight the charges that he passed on a bribe just like Frank Pizzella is doing.

I hope they both get a trial so all the dirty laundry can be aired.

Who's running for what?- Jury Commissioner

Our next Jury Commissioners have been decided since there is one from each party and only one candidate has filed on each side. Long time host of almost every Democratic fundraiser ("because he had the best prices") for years at the Carriage Stop Inn, Jerry Bonner, is the only Dem to file for the office. The Carriage Stop burned down a few years ago after closing early on St. Patrick's Day. Jerry recently had a $100 a pop fundraiser to fund his reelection bid, no word on the turnout. The lone Republican is Frank Semanski.

Congratulations gentleman on your impending reelection. Why we need a Jury Commissioner is another question and that will hopefully be rectified by the new Home Rule charter.

Another day another indictment

SCRANTON – A retired Wilkes-Barre detective was charged Friday by federal authorities with accepting a bribe in connection with his position as a member of the Luzerne County Housing Authority. William Maguire of Mountain Top is the second member of the authority’s board to be charged in the past 10 days.

So now we now know who Jerry Bonner was sharing his ill gotten bounty with but the person with the deep pockets has yet to be named. Maguire is another local politico that has plead guilty to just one charge of corruption.

I know that the US Attorney has a reason for getting a plea agreement from all these crooks but I would like to see a full accounting of their crimes like what just happened with the Juvie Brothers.

What else have they done?

Operation HEART kickoff

"All Democrats are not crooks, but all the crooks are Democrats.”-Luzerne County GOP Chairman Terry Casey

To reinforce that point yesterday we saw the Juvie Bothers, Michael Conahan and Mark Ciavarella, plead not guilty to a 48 count indictment. They previously plead guilty to 2 charges.

Jury Commissioner and Housing Authority Board Chairman Jerry Bonner also entered a plea of not guilty to taking a bribe. To top off a banner day W-B Area School Board President Frank Pizzella was indicted. All of them are elected Democrats.

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Our local elephants have a snappy new slogan to get the point across.

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Operation HEART: Honesty· Ethics· Accountability· Reform· Transparency

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Yesterday, the county Republican Party had a sparsely attended news conference in their shiny new digs in the Mid-town Village in Wilkes-Barre with PA State Supreme Court nominee Joan Orie Melvin as the headliner. Two of the three row officer candidates didn't even bother to show up. You still have to work on this party unity thing folks.

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Chairman Terry Casey started off the festivities reminding us that this is "the valley with a heart." A slogan that has been popular since the Agnes flood in 1972. Again I feel like we are living on Noah's Ark, before the flood-after the flood.

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That will and determination, that essential goodness, is still here. Unfortunately, it has been overshadowed by a corrupt political machine brought on by the perils of a one-party system. It’s the dirty little secret that we’ve all known about for years: cronyism, nepotism, teachers paying for jobs. One set of rules for those in power, another set of rules for the rest of us. So, what do we do to polish that tarnished image and to reclaim our reputation as the Valley With A Heart?

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Nothing short of a heart transplant. And that’s what we plan to do.We are the Republican Party of Luzerne County and I stand here today and pledge that the days of a one-party political system are over.

Zen has the whole speech.

Judge Melvin had this to say:

The most egregious case of judicial corruption and judicial abuse of power in our nation’s history actually occurred here in Pennsylvania, in Luzerne County. The judiciary violated these children. Within 5 minutes of being sworn in, they were escorted out in shackles to these personal profitable lock-ups. This is surreal. It is right out of a Charles Dickens’ novel.

She then recounted how she handled juvenile cases when she was judge in Pittsburgh. Non-violent kids didn't get locked up but were sentenced to community service.

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Dick Hughes was the next to speak and he was for positive change then touted that he has been endorsed by the Luzerne County Police Chiefs.

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The last speaker was Controller candidate Walter Griffith who stole the show. He was going to read his speech but put it aside and spoke from the heart. He endorsed the goals of operation HEART and added that he has been passionate about local government and the spending of your money. He knocked the local Dems sense of entitlement and pledged to "follow the money" whenever something doesn't pass the smell test. He complimented former Controller Steve Flood for his tenacity and said he will be just as tenacious.

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The program ended with Executive Director Renita Fennick singing the praises of Carolee Medico who didn't bother to show up.

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If Carolee were here, we’d have to give her the letter “R.”
If anyone knows reform, it’s Carolee Medico Olenginski.
For those of you who remember, Carolee took the courthouse by storm when she was first elected 12 years ago.
She took some steps that were unheard of – she came to work every day, stayed all day and kept track of her staff’s hours and days off.
She used the term “judicial corruption” long before it became a household word in Luzerne County.
It took courage to stand up for the people – especially when you find yourself standing alone – as Carolee often did. Many wished her well but ran for cover when she confronted corruption.
She was way ahead of the investigators and knew there was trouble under the dome. She was such a threat to corrupt officials that her 2001 opponent spent over $265,000 to unseat her.
We need to get Carolee back in office to finish the job that she started.


Register of Wills Candidate Gina Nevenglosky was also a no show.

A few other faces in the crowd were Commissioner Steve Urban and former State Senator Charlie Lemmond.

2009 elections

In Luzerne County we will be electing a Controller, Prothonotary, Register of Wills and Jury Commissioners. The Controller's spot has been vacant since Maryanne Petrilla was elected Commissioner and Rapid Edward has not nominated a replacement. Incumbent Prothontary Jill Moran has drawn some fire about her work habits and business dealings and the speculation is that she will not seek a third term. Democrat Dottie Stankovic was unopposed in the general election four years ago although the good old boys tried to knock her off in the primary. Jerry Bonner is the Democratic Jury Commissioner and I can't even remember who holds the Republican slot.

Jobs like Prothonotary and Register of Wills are clerical positions that should not even be elected offices. Same goes for Jury Commissioner who's only official duty is to once a year hit the print button on a computer to get a list of prospective jurors. But we will have elections for these jobs until we get Home Rule.

As usual the action will be in the Democratic primary that will probably make the November election a formality. I hope that I'm wrong about that prediction and new county GOP Chairman Terry Casey can recruit some quality candidates and the back mountain money guys raise some serious cash for them.

I will be posting some scuttlebutt about who may be running for these positions in the coming days. If you have heard any names being tossed around let me know in the comments or toss me an email.

We will also get to pick at least one new Judge plus various school board members and municipal offices.

Jury Commissioner

A few months ago I was on the WILK Sue Henry Show and the situation of indicted Democratic Jury Commissioner Jerry Bonner came up and off the top of my head I suggested that we should all write-in the Yonk for that office in the November election. The reaction to that idea was tremendous. Unfortunately David wasn't able to mount a campaign for various reasons which disappointed me because I had already appointed myself campaign manager.

The office is useless and should be eliminated either by the Study Commission or a referendum authorized by the legislature that has happened in other counties.

Write-in David Yonki for Democratic Jury Commissioner and skip the other 2. The one good thing about the new electronic voting machines it is easy to write-in a person for an office. No more stickers or golf pencils just hit the letters on a touch screen.

The Sharp Dressed Man sings

SCRANTON - Former Luzerne County official Bill Brace helped federal prosecutors with an investigation of county Clerk of Courts Robert F. Reilly, a government attorney told a federal judge at Brace's sentencing Wednesday.


Brace was sentenced to only 3 months in prison for accepting a$1500 suit from an unnamed contractor because he ratted out used car salesman and Big Ugly's investor Reilly in addition to former Commissioner Greg Skrepnak and former Jury Commissioner Jerry Bonner. Apparently there is no honor among thieves when your own ass is on the line. The feds are also questioning Reilly's involvement with LRW Solutions group that Controller Walter Griffith has stopped paying because of concerns about the company's contract with Luzerne County.

If that isn't enough Judge Munley dropped this bomb


Brace's criminal conduct went beyond the suit and his position in county government...
Munley, summarizing a confidential pre-sentence report, said Brace accepted $800 per month from another company over a two-year span after he led the firm's officials to believe he could secure them business with the City of Wilkes-Barre, his employer for 31 years before he joined Reilly's office in 2001.

More about that later.