The LuLac Edition #105, Dec. 6, 2006

PHOTO INDEX: THE BEARS LOGO, COMMISSIONER MIKE WASHO OF LACKAWANNA COUNTY AND THREE AUTHENTIC SAN FRANCISCO LESBIANS.


PAY RAISE ISSUE AGAIN???


It seems like there will be another Pay Raise issue permeating Luzerne County Politics in next year’s elections. The salary of Tom Leighton, Mayor of Wilkes Barre already has come up. The Mayor makes $71,000 per year and is the top paid chief executive of a city in these parts. Now the Mayor says if you break it down to the hours he spends on the city, it would come to a minimum wage payment. The Mayor notes he is on call 24 hours a day and that city residents regularly talk to him in grocery stores, gas stations and restaurants. When you accept a public responsibility, you open yourself up to that. It comes with the territory. However, given the low salaries of most voters in this city, it would not be out of the question for a candidate to come out of the woodwork and try to oppose the Mayor in either the Democratic primary or on the GOP ticket in the fall. Keep in mind Christine Katsock came within 800 votes of Leighton the last time in 2003. Since there is no organized Republican party to speak of locally, Leighton seems to be safe at this time. He has taken a preventative action by pledging to not raise his salary.

THE COUNTY PAY QUESTION

The word is out that the County Commissioners as well as the County row officers want a raise saying they are underpaid in comparison to Mayor Leighton as well as executives in the private sector. On the surface, they make a good point that being paid under $50,000 as a Commissioner and under $40,000 as a row officer, with that much responsibility is underpaid by private industry standards. I can agree with that BUT let’s apply the YONKI formula to a county pay raise for elected officials. Here it is:
1. Give the Commissioners as well as the row officers a raise. Pay them all an hourly rate of $27.00 per hour, $216.00 per day, $1080.00 per week, which comes to $56,160 a year. However in keeping with private business, let them swipe a time card. With today’s Kronos technology, it would be easy to monitor.
2. If the row officer or Commissioner does not comply with the time swipe, then that amount not covered would get deducted, just like in private business.
3. If a row officer or Commissioner was attending to other business not deemed as germane to their job description, off site, than that money too would be deducted.
4. The raises would be given in good faith that this would be the office holder’s only job. And if it found that the office holder broke those rules, he or she would get three warnings from a bipartisan, court appointed citizen’s committee that would take action. If, after the third warning the office holder does not comply, he or she would be suspended from the office with half pay, pending further investigation. In the interim the deputy of the office would be required to step in and take care of the office.
5. A court appointed “master” would be the clearinghouse for any accumulated sick leave the office holder might want to take.
If the current office holders want to be paid like the private sector, then the same rules should be applied via their compensation.

LACKAWANNA COUNTY NEWS

Mike Washo is “coming a courtin’” and Nellie bar the door, he’s looking for a running mate. Names mentioned so far to run on the Democratic ticket in 2007 for Lackawanna County Commissioner are Evie McNulty, wife of the former Mayor and political consultant, James McNulty, County Register of Wills Linda Munley, a proven vote getter through three decades, John Blake the director of Governor Rendell’s Northeast office, two people close to Senator Mellow, Atty. Corey O’Brien, TV talk show host who has told people he’s “Mellow’s guy” (given the pay raise issue, Mellow’s reaction to it, the devious and heavy handed way he engineered no opposition in his Senate primary) being “Mellow’s pick” is indeed a dubious distinction. Any smart campaigner would zero in on that liability despite Mellow’s showing in the General. Also mentioned is a Mellow ally and Chief of Staff, Tom Browning.
Former City Council President and Mayoral candidate Gary DeBileo has been mentioned as a candidate too.
Washo wants to make a decision by the Holidays and he wants a primary where he will run unopposed. With Democrats being Democrats, wish him luck with that!
On the Republican side, the two majority candidates Robert Cordaro and A.J. Munchak have primary opposition. Only the Republican party in Lackawanna County would run a ticket against two candidates who are currently in office. They can’t get a candidate to run for Mayor in Scranton because of the joke leadership of Paul Catelano but they can dig up two candidates to run against two guys who took down 20 years of Democratic rule in the county!!!!!! Anyway, running against Cordaro and Munchak are Phillip Spinka and Robert Castellani who is the brother of former Commissioner Randy Castellani. And coming full circle in this article, Randy Castellani the Democrat minority commissioner resigned mid term and was replaced by the aforementioned Mike Washo.

WHERE ARE WE?

After that bad weather last Friday, I was surprised to learn on Saturday Morning from ABC Radio News that the Mr. Z’s Supermarket that sustained heavy damage was not located in Mountaintop but rather Allegheny County! And people wonder why citizens are getting their news from the internet.

BLOGGERS NEED NOT POST

The Times Leader ran a story on Sunday about Judge Ann Lokuta. After it, they asked for comments. I posted one, leaving my full name as well as my blog address as well as that of Gort 42 ( http://gort42.blogspot.com/ ) since we both did stories on the Judge’s plight. But the Leader chose not to post my thoughts, perhaps they were threatened by more substantial facts and stories that appear on all local blogs. You’d think they’d like us bloggers since their former Editor Matt Golas ran an insipid, non inspired blog in every news edition. Well, if we can’t post, we won’t buy the paper and if we don’t buy the paper, the ad revenues go down and………..hey, that’s the prevailing story of the newspaper industry these days isn’t it?

DA BEARS

I’m a Packer fan and a Bill’s fan. Both are out of contention this year. So I’m putting my efforts behind the Chicago Bears, the long time archrival of the Pack. The reason? Poor Rex Grossman is taking so much crap for not being a good quarterback. Truth be told, the guy is a horrible QB. There are some Sundays I think I can hurl a pass farther than he, even with the cane, the bad back and poor wheels. But it would be something if the Bears made it to the Super Bowl without a superstar QB. Kind of like the radio station a friend of mine worked at for years. During the one time the place ran without a General Manager and a Program Director, it became number one. GO BEARS!

OYSTER'S DIVERSITY

The Weekender reports that the Oyster Restaurant in Genetti’s Complex will be holding a Gay/Lesbian/Trans Sexual/Cross Dressers Sunday event starting in January. Curious choice for the grand Genetti Hotel that is steeped in tradition and history. I duly note this because if some ambitious right wing candidate starts citing Wilkes Barre’s “San Francisco Pelosi values”, we’ll know what he or she is driving at!

FROM PETE CASSIDY
ON JFK, THE WAR AND HILLARY

Label me. I'm against the war in Iraq and I oppose terrorism with all my being! I'd pull the switch on a murderer so long as the conviction was based on a fair trial. I'm strongly in favor of stem cell research. I oppose big government. I support programs for the poor and English as our language. I cant stand our national anthem, but love America the Beautiful. I support the troops, but resent efforts to create Heroes because I know there will always be real ones. I believe gay individuals should be allowed to marry. I believe in the separation of church and state.I Believe in freedom of religion as well as freedom from religion. I dont believe I believe in God, but I damn sure understand why others need to. I dont believe my government tells the truth and quickly question anything they tell me.( I was just 15 the day JFK was shot. That night was to be my first High School Basketball Game as a Junior Varsity cager. We were scheduled to play Black River, but we didnt. Don't recall if we ever made that game up.) Guess in a way, nothings ever really been the same. In the over 40 years in between, I've come to question everything and I dont know if I could ever vote for Hillary. So where does that all leave me?