Denise Carey wins and so do the people of Wilkes-Barre

“This definitely was not about the money. It was about the principle. This is a win for the community. Now no one has to be afraid of speaking up. That was the point of this.” -Denise Carey


In 2004 Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton was faced with some tough budget choices and he decided to close the fire house in the Heights section of the city. The people in that neighborhood were understandably upset and worried about their safety but we elect people to make tough decisions for the greater good. I thought it was good call because it would cost a fortune to repair the building that has since been sold.

In 2005, Denise Carey filed a petition to allow voters to decide the fate of the firehouse through a ballot referendum. The city argued some of the 1,300 signatures were collected under false pretenses, and Carey withdrew the petition on the day a county court hearing was scheduled to resolve the dispute. The city asked that Carey pay $11,056 to cover the city’s legal fees and Judge Michael Conahan agreed. The award was overturned on appeal in January 2007. That judgement by Conahan was the heart of this case.

Someone disagreed with a decision of her local government so she took action to oppose it and they tried to ruin her financially. My friend David put it better than I could:


The Council and Leighton thwarted Carey's efforts to try and get the Fire House closing on the ballot. The action against Carey basically said to city residents, if you dare to criticize or God forbid organize in opposition to the City administration policies, and we, the rich, wealthy and powerful will squash you like a bug. Maybe put you in debt, maybe take your home and livelihood away.


TL: "Mayor Leighton may be able to take away a fire station, but don’t let him take away our constitutional rights. A verdict in Denise Carey’s favor tells citizens you are safe. You can speak out and you don’t have to fear that a politician or the government can come back and sock you with a hefty attorney bill.”

In other business Leighton wants money from the state gaming funds for more surveillance cameras in the city. Slots money=Lower property taxes, do any of these politicians remember that?

Luzerne County reassessment

Lawyers, lawyers everywhere and ...............they will make money.


Reassessment opponents to hire lawyer


Pa. court weighs state's property tax assessments


They may tie it up for a while but in the end we will pay more in property taxes and the esquires will be better off.

I paid our property taxes today and we got a $211 reduction from the slots revenue. That is good but why is only half of this money is dedicated to property tax relief? The other half is to go to "economic development projects" that the rest of us call Corporate Welfare.

Some examples:

The new hockey arena in Pittsburgh

A fantasy Airport in Hazleton

Part of the money is "EARMARKED" to help the host towns deal with the problems that arise from having one of these money pits such as traffic control, wear and tear on the roads plus the anticipated increase in crime. From what I see the Mohegan Sun Casino hasn't had many negative effects on my little hamlet of Plains Township. We have actually benefited from the place because more than 20 streets have been paved since the cash started flowing in. The best benefit for me and my neighbors is that the cost of a case of trash bags was reduced from $75 for a case of 50 to $25.


Thanks Suckers

Pennsylvania budget

For the first time in a while the Governor (Ed Rendell) and the state legislature agreed on a budget for the Commonwealth before the deadline of July 1st. Both sides got some of want they wanted with Rapid Edward and the Democrats getting more money for education and an obscene amount of borrowing for a long wish list and the Republicans can point out the plan doesn't have any tax increases.

This item irks me: $800 million from slot-machine revenues for dams and water and sewer facilities. We were told that tax revenue from the slots would be used to lower school property taxes with some allowance to offset the local costs of hosting the casinos. Now with this new pool of new money every politician and others can't resist the temptation to spend it on something else. Some people with a history of getting local governments to finance their ventures are even proposing to use $250 million of slots money to guarantee a bond issue to build a cargo airport near Hazleton that no shipping company will commit to using.

Thanks to Capitol Ideas for his heroic coverage of the budget negotiations over the weekend. It probably involved too much stale coffee, fast food and antacids.

Tax relief or Corporate Welfare?

Given a choice what would our represenatives in Harrisburg opt for?

Pa. House OKs slots funds for new arena

The state House voted 121-77 today in favor of a new slots-funded economic development program that will supply $8 million a year that's needed to build a new hockey arena in Pittsburgh.

Slots revenue eyed for projects

Supporters of a proposed cargo airport in the Hazleton area are eyeing slots revenues to help pay for the $500 million project. State Rep. Todd Eachus, D-Butler Township, inserted a $16.5 million authorization for the cargo airport in a new House bill listing projects under the Pennsylvania Gaming Economic Development and Tourism Fund.

It doesn't surprise me that this new big pot of gold is just too tempting for our tribunes of the people to resist. Rapid Edward sold this idea to us saying that revenue from the slots parlors would be used to reduced property taxes. I haven't seen my property taxes reduced and the Governor now wants to raise the sales tax with a promise to reduce property taxes that would create yet another pot of money that can be raided. How many more taxes will be proposed with the promise of reducing school taxes only to be diverted to another purpose?

We're in the money

PLAINS TWP. — The township on Monday received its first cut of gaming revenue from the state’s first casino. Ron Filippini, chairman of the Plains Township Board of Commissioners, said the township received a $295,800 check from the state Department of Revenue, which is based on business at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs from its opening Nov. 14 through Dec. 31.

As a resident of Plains Twp I just want to say "Thanks Suckers."

But I question if our town fathers will spend this new windfall wisely. Last fall they included the anticipated the slots revenue in the annual budget. This first chunk of money is to be used for normal housekeeping expenses such as overtime costs related to the storm that should have killed us all with the leftover used to pave a few streets. But the original purpose of reducing property taxes is still on hold until the reassessment is finished, if ever.

The gaming revenue could eventually be used to lower township property tax bills, but that could depend on whether the county imposes new assessed property values in 2008, Filippini said. The county commissioners last year decided to delay the county’s first reassessment of property since 1965.