It's all Tim's fault

“It’s not about me,” ...“It’s about the issues.”- Tim Grier

Officials ask citizen Tim Grier to withdraw challenge to bond borrowing to avoid layoffs, cuts.

SHUTDOWN CONSIDERED

It's all Tim's fault that every year the Luzerne County Commissioners have to borrow money to pay last years bills. It's all Tim's fault that they borrow money for one thing and spend it on another in violation of state law. It's his fault that they hid the looming deficit until after the election, violating the Bond Brothers (Skrep and Vondy) policy of regular budget updates.

And who's fault was it to let a few select people pay for their personal entertainment expenses with a county debit card?

DebitCardmissoner Greg Skrepenak has threatened to shut down the Luzerne County government if Grier doesn't back down saying the latest bond issue is needed to pay back last years tax anticipation loan which will lead to all sorts of dire financial consequences.

But there is an alternative before drastic measures have to be taken if the county will go to the courts and ask to borrow the money to cover this years shortfall. That process allows a 10-year repayment schedule; the county wants a 20-year repayment schedule.

“There’s no reason to stretch it out,” Grier said. “You have the option to go to the courts.

Is that correct?”

Sam Guesto responded, “That’s correct.

”“There you have it,” Grier said.

So the short term crises can be avoided and all this borrowing can be more defined hopefully with proviso that if you don't spend it on the original project the money must be returned.

Luzerne County

I'm a bit behind on the latest outrage in Luzerne County but my friend PJ is up to date. A very welcome guest post:

I have just read in today's paper (Jan. 4th) that Tim Grier's challenge was denied by the state due to his failure to own property. I however do own property in Luzerne County and if Mr. Grier would like to contact me I would be more than happy to file a complaint as a taxpayer with "unlimited status."

I Probably wouldn't have thought much about it until Commissioner Skrepenak decided to run his mouth about concerned citizens. I know political victories are rare for him lately but please act like you've done it before. Commissioner Skrepnak liked to say how they "didn't blink," but if I recall he had a meeting with Mr. Grier essentially begging him to drop his complaint. For you Commissioner Skrepenak to attack Commissioner Urban after the many wrong things that you have done is downright laughable. When it was time for you to take your lumps you kept your head down and didn't acknowledge the people with legitimate questions.

You have "defamed your character" through your actions. Do not blame a young man for questioning his government and do not get angry when people listen. That is what democracy is at its finest. I don't know Tim Grier and probably do not agree on many philosophical issues but we agree on one thing. You're to be accountable for our money and spend it wisely. Do not blame Urban and say he was angry about this past year's elections.

If you live in Luzerne County you are aware that there is a huge registration disparity. However your actions Commissioner Skrepenak have made it easier for Republicans and I thank you for that. The one constant that I hear from my fellow constituents is why did this come out after the election? Perfect timing Commissioner Skrepenak.

Now if you could please kick us while we're down, isn't it reassessment time? You did hold off for after the election, remember? More of my fellow constituents and my tax dollars for you to figure out how to waste.

Paul J.M. Stebbins Jr.

(Ed Note: I always welcome guest posts. Just email me your stuff.)

Luzerne County bond update

Grier’s fight with county continues

Tim Grier has asked the Commonwealth Court to prevent Luzerne County from borrowing $93.5 million while he challenges it in court. The county also argued that public interest “will be harmed” by a delay in issuing the bonds because the proceeds will fund important projects.

Grier has a sensible response saying most of the bond proceeds have not yet been allocated to “identifiable projects.”

“A review of the ordinance in question proves this,” Grier’s response says. “If the projects have not yet been identified, let alone been subject to planning and cost estimates, how could the county be harmed by a stay in issuing the bonds to support these unidentified projects?”

Grier proposed the county use the delay to continue planning and producing cost estimates.

Go Tim.

HomeRule

Luzerne County is up against the wall

Tim Grier is not going to give in and he shouldn't even after Luzerne County Commissioner Chaiman Greg Skrepnak said this through his mouthpiece.

TL: Speaking through county Public Information Officer Kathy Bozinski, Skrepenak said he is confident the county “did everything it possibly could to reach out to Tim Grier and try to resolve this issue.”

I can't find a link but I'm sure I read that Grier said that he has not been contacted by Skrep. The crux of the problem is twofold. Skrep and company wants to borrow $93.5 million to fund a bunch of wish list projects in Wilkes-Barre and elsewhere without providing the details. The other part of the new bond is to fund this year's deficit and pay off a Tax Anticipation Note (TAN) that is due by the end of the year. I always thought that a TAN was to to bridge the gap for a couple of months before the property taxes come in then the taxes would pay it off. In this case it looks like the Commissioners had no intention of paying off that note but wanted to push it off to the next year. Now Plan B has to kick in.

Now the big worry is paying off the TAN or the county will have to shut down. They could go to the court and get permission to take a loan that would have to be paid off in 10 years but they want to bury it into yet another bond issue that stretch out the the payments over 20 years.

The county is now scrambling to find $10 million to cover the 2007 tax anticipation loan and they just might do it. Or maybe not because the numbers don't add up.

Budget and finance says $3.2 million is left. Other officials have other figures.



The Debit Card thing is just a symptom of the disease. I'll return to the Debit Cards but we need a moniker for this scandal that doesn't end in gate.

Tim Grier has a website

Info re: Tim Grier v. Luzerne County

Hello,
First of all, thank you for stopping by and thank you for your support. There have been so many inquiries with folks asking, "What is going on?" and "How can I help?" that I set up this site.

roxburynews.com has a video of Tim explaining what is going on that was filmed at the Luzerne County Courthouse. It has a funny clip of him buying a dog license.

You can view the video here: Blip

Grier Applies For Luzerne County job

Grier’s PR job application takes jab


Wilkes-Barre activist Tim Grier has facetiously applied for a Luzerne County public relations consultant position. In a lengthy application submitted to Chief Clerk/Manager Doug Pape, Grier outlined his experience monitoring government and working on campaigns.


“You seek assistance in message strategy – rather than wait for you to hire me, I will give you my trade secret -- BE HONEST AND FORTHRIGHT WITH THE CITIZENS OF LUZERNE COUNTY,” Grier wrote in his application. “In all honesty, I believe that is exactly what the county needs to get back on track.”

Big Dan has the entire letter.


Of course he is wasting his time but it might be a good idea to give him the job. As Lyndon Johnson once said: Better to have him inside the tent pissing out, than outside pissing in.

But as usual the fix is in. My sources in the courthouse inform me that this guy has been promised the position.

Luzerne County

With all the fun in the PA 10th CD race I've fallen behind on the latest Luzerne County news.

After his challenge to latest bond issue got tossed on the grounds that he doesn't have standing to make such an objection Tim Grier filed an appeal with the Commonwealth Court. After the decision by the state Department of Community and Economic Development dismissed the complaint Democratic Commissioner Greg Skrepenak couldn't resist tossing insults at Grier and accusing the Republican Commissioner Steve "the terrorist" Urban of a conspiracy. Now Skrep and the other walking ad for weight watchers Attorney Pete Moses are acting like bullies. They are threatening to seek reimbursement for county legal fees and court costs and want Grier to post a $80 million bond to pursue the appeal.

There’s no way I’m going to have to post a bond. That would make it impossible for anyone to challenge borrowing,” Grier said.

Out of this whole mess there is a renewed call for Home Rule.

Home rule redux?

More than four years after home rule’s defeat by a margin of 54 percent to 46 percent, David Capin is gathering support for another try.

Check out the website:

HomeRuleYes.com

Candid Camera

I haven't been to a Wilkes-Barre city council meeting since I moved out of the city a few years ago but I may start attending again for the entertainment.

WILKES-BARRE – A city man’s apparent attempt Thursday to give city officials a taste of their own medicine by photographing and videotaping them got council members a bit irritated.
But when Tim Grier, a frequent city critic, questioned a city employee’s credibility and referred to city officials as “rats,” their anger really showed.

Before the meeting, Grier took photos of city officials and videotaped the meeting, as he has done in the past. During the public comment portion, he criticized the city for placing cameras around City Hall and in other areas.

“This is not Russia,” he said. “You’re going to get yourselves in trouble.”

The rats comment came when he questioned the credibility of a city employee. Back to the cameras. The councilors didn't like being videotaped because they don't know what will be done with the footage. The point Tim was making is that there is no policy about how to protect people's privacy and managing the footage. Fair enough.

Video cameras are all the rage in law enforcement but I don't know how many crimes are solved by them. Maybe our city fathers can put a few people on the job to evaluate their usefulness and address the privacy issues. Many questions arise. Do you spend more money for a video room in police HQ to monitor them or let them just tape everything until you get a complaint? How long to you hold on to the tapes?

Now a rant. I'm sick and tired of being treated like a criminal as go about my daily business. When I walk into a store that says there is video surveilance I've been warned and it's my choice to enter. No warnings are given as I walk down the street. When you apply for a job you're subjected to a drug test. My phone calls can be tapped and finances examined without any oversite. An American citizen can be declared an "enemy combatant" and be held indefinately without recourse to the courts. The Constituition has been described as "quaint" and "just a goddamn piece of paper."

The Constitution and Bill of Rights say something else.

Article I, Section 9

The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it.

Admendent IV

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Reads Tim's take on the whole thing at Un-American Luzerne County.

Someone is willing

We write our bond issues generically, so that we spell out the key specifics, but we have got some latitude as to what we can do and what capital projects can be undertaken, because as you know, the capital needs vary...There is economic development dollars included in there, so the projects can vary, and they change.”- Luzerne County Chief of Budget and Finance Sam Diaz

From what I've been reading in the papers that shouldn't really not be allowed. Any bond issue is supposed to spell out what it is paying for with specifics about the project like what is going to be built and how much it will cost with an assurance that the project will outlive the bond. These guys keep borrowing more money without telling us upfront what it is supposed to be spent on. Remember that they borrowed $9 Million to build a new Juvie detention facility then later decided to go with a lease arrangement at an outrageous price that is being investigated by the state. Then instead of holding on to the money for the long pro missed new jail or just returning it they pissed it away on other projects. I'm sure someone can make a case for the projects that were funded but that's not what the money was borrowed for.

I just became aware that a ordinary citizen can object to such nonsense and one extraordinary citizen did just that. From the CV:

Wilkes-Barre gadfly Tim Grier on Monday drove to Harrisburg to lodge an official complaint to stop Luzerne County’s plan to borrow $80 million.

The deadline to file a complaint with the state Department of Community and Economic Development about the plan is today at the end of the business day in Harrisburg.Grier says the state should reject the county borrowing scheme because it violates the state Local Government Unit Debt Act. He complains the county would balance this year’s budget with “unfunded debt.” He said the county failed to give “a clear description” of construction and property projects that would be financed. He said the county also failed to obtain “realistic cost estimates” of those projects.

Gadfly? I expect better from Michael Buffer in the CV. I'm not sure what that even means but it doesn't sound complimentary. Tim did us all a favor by voicing his objections.

Bonds, Luzerne County bonds

The Luzerne County Commissioners voted the other day to spend some left over bond money on things it wasn't originally borrowed for. I've been complaining about this sort of shell game as long as I have been blogging.


The bond money came from $32.5 million borrowed in November 2003 to fund Susquehanna River recreation improvements. The bond document did not earmark funding for particular projects, which means commissioners are free to spend the money as they see fit.

Tim (take your hat off) Grier has made the same objection and points out that that bonds are supposed to be used for long term capitol improvements not everyday operating expenses. County Budget/Finance Chief Sam Diaz, and noted debit card abuser, said there is no legal requirement to use the money on projects that will last as long as repayment. I think he is wrong on that point. Even if he isn't the county government shouldn't be borrowing money for one thing and spend it on another. A few years ago they borrowed $9 million to build a new juvi prison then gave a sweetheart lease to a Pittston facility that the state objected to and had to terminate the lease. Then last December they used that money as Christmas presents for all sorts of projects that had nothing to do with the reason for borrowing the money in the first place.

Diaz also detailed the shortfalls of the last piece of fiction that was passed off as the county budget.

In other business Thursday, Diaz released a report explaining how the county ended 2007 with a $13 million deficit.
The report blames the deficit on a $16.8 million revenue shortfall, predominantly due to the county’s failure to meet projections in the following areas: current-year tax collections, $5.3 million; prior-year tax collection, $4 million; sale of county-owned land, $4.5 million; securing of state probation grants, $637,700; and federal transportation grants, $503,000.

Now they want to use $2.5 million of the proposed new bond issue to buy some land from Louis DeNaples when they can't sell the land they were counting on the help balance this year's budget. WTF?

Grier has offered to drop his challenge to the latest $93.5 million Bond issue if the Commissioners would just explain in detail what the money will be spent on. To me that's a reasonable request but they won't do it. And even if they did spell out how the money will be spent the way the thing is worded lets them spend the money on other things. Am I just becoming an old cynical bastard that doesn't trust the government?

Wilkes-Barre attorney Pete Moses, who is handling the county’s bond borrowing legal matters, on Friday declined to say if the county will accept Grier’s offer. Moses said he finds it "curious" that Grier wants to settle at this stage and is surprised Grier went public with his interest in settling.

It should be noted that Peter Moses looks to make a pretty penny on the bond issue and is billing the county for his work on this challenge. He has the best of both worlds. It makes you wonder why the county would bring in a hired gun who has a financial interest in seeing the bond succeed when they have so many other solicitors on the payroll.

And Commissioner Greg Skrepenak said the debit card abuse is "not criminal." It may not be but if I used a company card to buy drinks at a strip club or a $800 dinner tab with a $300 booze bill or pay for my kids hotel bill I'm sure I would be on the business end of a bread line

Permit protest in Wilkes-Barre today

WILKES-BARRE-City council members do not plan to vote Thursday for an ordinance which would require people to pay a $20 fee for a permit to protest...Although council will not vote on the ordinance on final reading Thursday, members of the local activist group Voice of the People USA plan to protest it at a rally outside city hall before the council meeting, said chairman Frank Scavo, who also is a member of Old Forge School Board. They will hold a rally outside city hall Thursday beginning at 5 p.m. and will attend the meeting at 6 p.m.



Frank Scavo and a hatless Tim Grier appeared on Interactive WYOU last night to discuss the ordinance. You can watch it by clicking here. Thanks to Big Dan for pointing out the link and sorry Tim but I couldn't resist another hat joke.

Walter has a Website

Walter Griffith for Luzerne County Controller

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My background politically is very simple…I am not related to any one in Luzerne County that works in the courthouse and I will not bankrupt my moral or ethic character to get elected to any position in government..

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He lays out an Action Plan for the office.

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Including a Pledge to be a “Full Time” Controller, place all County Audits online and to provide that all County Audits are done by Bid and all Bid’s submitted will be solicited from outside Luzerne County.

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He also has a picture of Tim Grier speaking before the Wilkes-Barre city council posted which I asked him about; I placed this picture to emphasize the people that are taxpayer advocates as well as to show I was a part of the fight at City Hall. I think a lot of people respect Tim as well as him being a good friend of mine...

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Walter is also running for the Government Study Commission.

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The other Republican candidates for the controller nomination are : Edward Brominski, Swoyersville; Alice B. Coffman, Sugarloaf Township; Nanda Palissery, Dallas; and Robert Sypniewski, Dallas. The winner will face the lone Democratic contender, Bob Morgan, of Mountain Top.

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None of the other candidates have website up yet as far as I know.

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Update: Griffith attended the Salary Board meeting today and sent along this recap.

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I represented the taxpayers today at the County Salary Board Meeting regarding the approval of all the court employee's salaries.
The Meeting opened with the public comment section of the agenda and I asked Chairperson Petrilla why the agenda and salaries are not made available long before 5 minutes before the meeting so the people can review the salaries and the creation of new positions. The people need to have sufficient time to read the agenda and the salaries to be able to be sufficiently educated to ask questions if we are going to move forward with an open and efficient government.
The agenda had the roster of the Salary Board as Urban, Pettrilla, Skrepenak, Martinelli and President Judge Muroski, however the President Judge was not at the meeting but his "Right hand Man" Mullroy was there in his place. I immediately spoke to object to this because the County Code stated the President Judge must be there not his designee as the County tried to do this time . I was successful in having the Court Tipstaff have the President Judge come to the meeting because he was summoned there by the Salary Board. I made this the first time the President Judge was actually a part of the process as prescribed by law...
I then raised the issue as to why AJ Martinelli was on the Salary Board when he is not the County Controller. I was told by Commissioner Petrilla that AJ is the Controller because the Governor issued a letter stating he was appointed by him as the Acting Controller. AJ Martinelli is not the Controller and has no place on the Salary Board.
There is supposed to be a salary freeze on the County Budget however in the enclosed documents you will see the County Courts are able to create new positions and fund them quite well.. Seems like a double standard..I will not allow this as the next County Controller..I will not vote to increase the payroll by increasing the staff..
I have enclosed the Exhibits of all the personnel at the Court system as well as the Agenda for your review and if there are any questions...please feel free to ask ..also note that there was no other candidates for Controller at the meeting...

Tim Grier drops bond challenge

From a press release:

As of this morning, I have contacted Attorney Cowger and asked that he file the appropriate paperwork to withdraw my appeal of the DCED's decision.

My reasoning is as follows:

First and foremost, the efforts by Commissioner Skrepenak, Mr. Moses and others to discredit or defame me with their disparaging remarks is more than I and my family should have to endure. While they have clearly shown a penchant for abusing the system we entrusted them to protect, I have only attempted to hold them accountable, something they obviously are unused to and unwilling to accept. Their comments about me and my actions have only served to confuse the community and damage my reputation - an interesting tactic considering the recent notorious behavior of Commissioner Skrepenak and his associates at the courthouse.

Second, other than my attorney, I have absolutely no faith in the Pennsylvania courts or its officers. Pennsylvania courts, from Luzerne County to Harrisburg, have a history of making political decisions on behalf of those in power rather than just decisions on behalf of those whose grievances are legitimate.

Additionally, this effort to right some egregious wrongs has taken away from my time to study and also be with my family. While I can't get back the time that I have spent on this effort to stop the wanton and wasteful spending, I can certainly budget my time better in the future to ensure future success.

I have always said that I try to act not just in my own best interests, but also with the best interests of the community in mind as well. That is exactly how I approached this matter from the beginning, and it is how I approach it today. It is important though that I maintain a proper balance. Continuing this fight while so many in the community, through their silence, have made it clear they do not support it would not, in my opinion, be the right thing to do. Thousands have spoken up in support of my actions, but hundreds of thousands have said and done nothing. I interpret the silence of the majority to mean that they were fine with the current state of affairs. I have no doubt that by withdrawing this appeal Luzerne County will quickly return to such a state, and that a new PR consultant will let us all know what a fabulous state it is.

They had the money

Skrep is in panic pass mode trying to find a way to pay the 2007 Tax Anticipation Note (TAN) but it didn't have to come to this.

A TAN is taken by almost all local governments to bridge the gap between ongoing expenses and the time when property taxes start rolling in. Why they can't budget for this drop off in cash flow is another question. Most local governments pay off their TANS well before the end of the year but not Luzerne County and every year they push it off to the end of the year then borrow more money just to fund last year's payroll and other expenses. It's been going on forever.


Back to my original point. The county tax bills go out in the spring and many people like us pay them early to get the 2% discount so they had the money in the coffers to pay it off by June. In 2003 Commissioner Steve Urban and then-Commissioner Tom Makowski voted to borrow roughly $9 million for a new county-owned juvenile facility. It was never built because Skrep and Vondy outsourced a government function at an outrageous price with a 20 year contract to boot. Some people think that this bond issue is so loosely written so the Commissioners can bail out PA Child Care, the owners of the Pittston facility. But anyway they had the $9 million from that bond in the bank but instead of holding on to it for an emergency like this one they spent it on other things. Just think if they just hung onto the money they could have used it to pay off the TAN.

This is just the kind of thing that I have been objecting to for a long time. Borrow money for one purpose then spend it on another, it's not right. Tim Grier read the law and found out that they have not been following it.

Meet the candidate

From the comments. Dan Meuser has a meet and greet next Tuesday:

The Prince Hotel 45, East Tioga St. Tunkhannock, PA. 18657, Tuesday, March 11, 2008, 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM


It's not a candidate event but a voter registration drive will be held at BF J'Eat's Pub in Nanticoke.

Ready, Set, Vote !!!

Friday March 7th, 2008 5:30 to 8pm Free Food ... Free Voter Registration !!!!

Guest speaker; Tim Grier

Join us as we discuss voting regulations

YOU CAN NOT VOTE IF ..........You are registered as an Independent, a non partisan or any party out side of the two prominent parties.Voters registration forms and Absentee Ballots will be available. Learn your constitutional rights. Do your civic duty ! Use your voice !!! Sponsored by ...B.F. J'Eat "non smoking pub"306 front st at oak st(hanover section)nanticoke pa 18634

Mario Fiorucci in the news

SUGAR NOTCH MAYOR: Mario Fiorucci is seeking the Democratic nomination for mayor of Sugar Notch.

Fiorucci is employed as a medical records processor. A graduate of Hanover Area High School, he attended Luzerne County Community College; College Misericordia, class of 1980, where he received a bachelor of arts; and Georgetown University, class of 1982, where he received a master of arts in political science.

As mayor, he plans to begin a recycling program by piggybacking with either Ashley or Hanover Township; reduce council from seven to five members to save money; and merge the police department with Ashley or Hanover Township.

Fiorucci has worked on the regionalization issue since 1999 and is confident it will deliver better protection to the citizens of Sugar Notch. He does not believe the town can provide all municipal services necessary for a proposed 300 home development led by Earth Conservancy.

Mario realizes that a little town of less than 1000 people can't keep going it alone. It's a hard sell telling people that they can't afford their little fiefdom much longer and merge services and eventually their political identity with a larger neighbor. His annual State of the World Forum is coming up in May.

The chairman of PACleanSweep, Mr. Russ Diamond, will talk about his reform agenda and proposal for an unlimited constitutional convention for PA. A resident of Annville, Lebanon County, Mr. Diamond createdPACleanSweep.com after the midnight pay raise by the General Assembly.

The second speaker will be Mort Malkin. He is asocial-political activist and author of four books on health and fitness. He recently edited "The Lilac Book of Peace-Axioms & Quotes." He has a column of political satire called "Gadfly" in the Towne Crier and a health & fitness column called "The Body and Brain Trade" for the News Eagle.

Also speaking is Mr. Caleb Ginyard III. He will conduct a multi-media presentation about his famous father, Caleb Ginyard Jr., a renowned black doo-wopand spiritual singer. His book, "My Name is Caleb N.Ginyard: A Father and Son Autobiography of a Spiritual Musical Genius," is the basis of his presentation. Theelder died in 1978 after traveling the globe, creating a musical legacy as lead singer of several groups including the Du-Droppers, Jubalaires and Royal Harmony Singers, among others.

Annual Free Speech Awards at the State of the World. Special award to Kurt Shotko of Lackawanna County, for political protests at the Wilkes Barre, St. Patrick's Day Parade in 2005 and Tim Grier, presently a primary candidate for mayor and council in Wilkes-Barre. His most important protest was for third party ballot access. He stood in the voting booth for 30 minutes in 2005 without voting. His stance generated much needed media coverage of third party issues in NEPA.

The annual event takes place on the first Sunday in May. This years' date is 5/06/07. The event is held indoors and outdoors, rain or shine at 893 Main Street Sugar Notch, PA. From I-81 take the Nanticoke exit,then take Exit #1 into Sugar Notch. The building isthe last house on the right, exactly one mile from the first house in town. It will have several big State of the World sings on it. A parking lot is across the street in the Dr.'s Clinic. Phone Mario Fiorucci at 570-819-0721 or email him for more info. Food, music and refreshments are provided.

Some results

Lupas won both nominations for Judge. Jackie-Mo will be the next DA. Skrep and Petrilla are the Democratic nominees for commissioner. Urban and Jones will be the Republican opponents. Savokinas beat Nipper in the Sheriffs race. The Coroners race is to close to call. The biggest surprise of the night is Sue Rossi beating Randy Tomasacci for the Republican nomination for Clerk of Courts.

WNEP has the totals.

Act 1 seems to have gone down all over the place. John Corcoran won the primary for coroner.

W-B council race totals are here :

CITY COUNCIL WILKES BARRE CITY COUNCIL DIST A
TIM GRIER . . . . . . . . . . 76
RICK CRONAUER . . . . . . . . .824
JOHN R. MADAY . . . . . . 60
SHIRLEY MORIO VITANOVEC. 521


DISTRICT B
RAY ARELLANO . . . . . . . . . 102 BRUCE J. REILLY . . . . . . . . 396 TONY THOMAS JR. . . . . . . . . 460


DISTRICT C
JUSTIN MCCARTHY . . . . . . . . 259
SAM TROY. . . . . . . . . . . 123
KATHY KANE . . . . . . . . . . 400


DISTRICT D
JOE DANIEL . . . . . . . . . . 323
TIMOTHY ANDERSON . . . . . . 98
BILL BARRETT . . . . . . . . . 439 SARAH MCCAFFREY . . . . . . . 60
MICHAEL J. MCGINLEY . . . . . 213
BRUCE SZCZECINSKI. . . . . . 175


DISTRICT E
VIRGIL ARGENTA. . . . . . . . . 104
FRANK MATELLO SR.. . . . . . . 92
MIKE MERRITT . . . . . . . . . 332
CHARLOTTE RAUP. . . . . . . . .166
RON SILKOSKY . . . . . . . . . 165

Take it to the people

WILKES-BARRE – Four men known for peppering council members with criticism during meetings at City Hall now want to sit on the other side of the table.

Tim Grier, Sam Troy, Bob Kadluboski and Walter Griffith Jr. have acquired nomination petitions for council, mayor or both.

Great! The upcoming election in Wilkes-Barre may become a lot more interesting. These gentleman have been very critical of Mayor Tom Leighton and the city council for some time and now they will have the opportunity to tell the voters what they would do differently.

Mayor of Wilkes-Barre

No one seems to want the job except Tom Leighton. To my great disapointment the man in the shades with a quick hook, Bob Kadluboski, passed on the race. The quick hook refers to his talent of towing any illegally (or not) parked car when he is not busy playing batman ramming into cars. He also dropped an anonymous attack piece in the CV just before the last election. The ad was a clear violation of election law. Pennsylvania election code requires political ads to clearly identify the people or groups who pay for them. Haven't heard a thing about it since.

Former Police Chief Tony George will not run because "I would rather spend the time with my family." Can't blame him for that.

Tim Grier has filed petitions to run for city council and Mayor. We'll see what office he wants to run for.

There's a Republican!

Republican Linda Stets said she will run for city council and mayor with a focus on on the neighborhoods. I did a Google search but didn't come up with much.

A list of who's running for what is available at the Luzerne County website.

The Yonk's council gaggle

I stopped by the Wilkes-Barre City Council forum at Gennetti's on Sunday organized by local blogger David Yonki of the LuLac Political Letter. I don't live in W-B and when I informed one of the candidates of that she just walked away from me. Oh well. From the press accounts I read I missed the highlights since I had to leave early and according to David, Tim Grier and Walter Griffith wowed the people in the audience.

My interest was District E since I grew up in the North End. The only Republican and long time neighbor, John Yencha, didn't show up. Nor did Frank Matello who I've known my whole life but haven't seen in years or Virgil Argenta, the leader in the sign wars. Charlotte Raup started off by saying W-B has to get rid of the drug dealers and crack down on the absentee slum lords. A sentiment repeated by almost every other candidate. Mike Merritt looked down at his speech and read it. And Ron Silkosky recited a long synopsis of the Robert Redford movie The Candidate but said something that caught my ear: "Hazleton's loss of illegal immigrants is Wilkes-Barre's gain." I'm not sure what he meant by that or even if he meant it to come out that way. I'm surprised nobody else picked up on it.

The one incumbent I heard defended the Mayor and council. Tony Thomas said the Governor has faith and gave an inventory of the streets that have paved. He then went on about the renovation of Coal Street Park and the widening of Coal St. We've been hearing about that for a long time.

My favorite of the event was District B candidate Ray Arellano. He told a love story. A long time resident of Arizona who married a local girl that brought him back to NEPA. He said he decided to retire here after numerous visits and fell in love with the place. He challenged people to get past nepotism, cronyism and do what's right.

The press write-ups were positive. I sat behind the CV reporter but didn't have a chance to chat and the TL guy was at the media table that David generously invited me to sit at but I digressed. I'm not a media guy, I'm a blogger.