The LuLac Edition #149, Feb. 9, 2007

PHOTO INDEX: WILKES BARRE MAYOR THOMAS LEIGHTON AND FORMER STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL, LACKAWANNA COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY AND MAN WHO WOULD BE GOVERNOR, ERNEST PREATE.


WOULD YOU BELIEVE YOU CAN BE

ASHAMED IN WILKES BARRE?

When I began producing this site last May, my main goal was to try and make it like another news source for people who liked politics and government. Accordingly, I treated the production of it like I would a daily news briefing with updates and the such. It is one of the things that makes doing this both a challenge and a true blessing. You think you are going to lead with one thing but then something happens that steers you in another direction. That happened this morning. My plan was to write a short piece on the passing of Anna Nicole Smith. While there are no great political implications there, there are sociological aspects that I wanted to cover.
That all changed this morning when I read the news report in the Times Leader about last night’s city council meeting in Wilkes Barre. I do not go to city council meetings, (shame on me!) and perhaps I should after what transpired last night.
Before I begin, let me say this about Mayor Tom Leighton. He has been a very good coalition builder as the head of the city. You need that in order to get things done. He has cultivated and grown relationships with funding sources vital to the city of Wilkes Barre. He has addressed needs and problems in some cases before they were even anticipated by the citizens of the city. That’s called leadership.
However, all that said, I truly believe the Mayor’s comment to Sam Troy, last night, if accurately quoted (and I have no reason to believe the TL reporter made it up) was way out of line. The Sinawa Corporation bought the old Murray Complex in Wilkes Barre at a Sheriff’s sale. The once grand structure (when it opened in 1979 as a bar/warehouse, the opening line of any self respecting male on the hunt for a woman back then was not “what’s your sign?” but “how the hell they going to heat this place in the winter?” By the way, it worked everytime!) has fallen into serious disrepair and is one of Wilkes Barre’s underachieving areas.
At last night’s council meeting, there was a discussion to forgive back taxes on the property and to move forward with a proposed tax increment financing plan designed to fund renovations at the complex.
There was some opposition. Tower and taxpayer advocate Bob Kadlaboski pointed out that the Sinawa’s have donated heavy to the Mayor’s campaign. He was booted out of the chambers. I think Bob is a great guy and one of Wilkes Barre’s most colorful characters so it was no surprise to me that he left them howling on Council. But the treatment of Sam Troy has me puzzled. Troy pointed out that a private “Joe” would have to come up with his own money out of his own wallet to revitalize a property. His point to the Mayor was that if you are a private developer or say you are a private developer you can get tax easement from the city while a private citizen does not have that privilege. It is true that private citizens do not develop and risk their own livelihood buying up and renovating properties to improve the city. But apparently, neither are the wealthy real estate developers either because of the tax breaks they seem to be getting.
The Mayor pointed out to Troy that the property was blighted and that “Troy should be ashamed of himself.” Here’s my questions:
1. What should Troy, a citizen addressing council be ashamed about?
2. Should he be ashamed for being one of a few citizens to show up and see what was happening in the city?
3. Should he be ashamed for taking time out of his day and attending the meeting?
4. Should he as an American citizen where the rights of free speech are still intact (last time I looked anyway) be ashamed to express an opinion even if it’s at odds with Mr. Leighton’s plan to revitalize the city?
5. Should he be ashamed because the Mayor said he should be ashamed of himself?
Mayor Leighton strikes me as an impatient man. And given the condition of the city, that’s a good thing. You want to get things rolling because you want to see results. But hurling insults at citizens who disagree with your plans (I mean Mr. Mayor, it’s not as if you didn’t have the votes lined up and Mr. Troy’s statement was going to sway the bobblehead head Council against you!) diminishes what progress you are trying to achieve. Being in Government for 12 years on Council and now for nearly four as Mayor, I’m sure you’ve heard the same thing from the same people many times over. But they are your people, Mr. Mayor. And they should be treated with the dignity and respect that comes with your position and your office. If you don’t want any public input from citizens and continue to insult them for just existing, then let’s re-do the city charter again and just not have any elections, free speech or public forums at all. Pick your neighbors, your friends, even Kadlaboski as council members (you can throw him out of the meetings for comic relief if you need to) and do things your way. In your eyes, we’ll most likely have nothing to be ashamed of, but in the eyes of the rest of the world, well, I’m not so sure.

ERNIE THE ATTORNEY

I was putting the dog out last night before Mrs. LuLac and I went to dinner and I saw WYOU TV’s Interactive news with former Lackawanna County DA and State Attorney General Ernie Preate. He was on the station to talk about unsolved murder cases in the county. (This is of course a ratings sweeps period and “unsolved murders” is always a good topic.) Anyway, Preate was talking about the Tommy Genova case (Genova was President of the Scranton School Board and was gunned down in the parking lot before a meeting, Genova also was a local rock and roll singer who had a minor hit in the early 60s with a song called “The Lover”) and how it remained unsolved 26 years later. Preate was articulate as ever and really impressed me with his knowledge of the cases. Preate of course was earmarked to be the next Governor of Pennsylvania (he lost to then Congressman Tom Ridge in the 1994 GOP primary when charges of corruption and mail fraud loomed over him for illegal (how ironic is that charge now) gambling contributions made to his campaign.) Preate served his time, rehabilitated himself getting back his license to practice law and has been doing work on behalf of incarcerated inmates. It was good to see him back in the public eye. Even though his brush with the law might have deterred others from continuing to serve the public, it apparently has given Mr. Preate more perspective and more experience to contribute his considerable skills to his community.