The LuLac Edition #221, May 11th, 2007

PHOTO INDEX: DISTRICT ATTORNEY DAVE LUPAS, CANDIDATE FOR JUDGE IN LUZERNE COUNTY, ATTORNEY COREY O'BRIEN CANDIDATE FOR LACKAWANNA COUNTY COMMISSIONER AND THOMAS MARSILLIO, CANDIDATE FOR JUDGE IN LUZERNE COUNTY.

AIR O'BRIEN

So it's Friday after work. Tough week. Tired but there is a brilliant sun caressing the Valley. I run some errands and have the top down with this glorious weather right in my face. I call Mrs. LuLac and suggest an outdoor picnic for supper. So I go to this place called "One Pound Cheesesteaks" in Kingston. Buy one of their small sandwiches, tell Mrs. LuLac to bring some Coke Zero for herself and a TAB for me. We drive to the Hilldale ballfield, not the most romantic place for a picnic but she hates warmed over cheesesteaks and I can't abide warm TAB. It's gotta be COLD! So we sit in the empty stands, eat supper and enjoy a nice Friday night in spring. All of a sudden, a small plane begins to fly low and hover. Is it a spy plane sent by the Bushies to scare me off my blog knowing I'm a Gore fan? Is it a disgruntled Forum participant who thinks I messed up on the time and shortchanged them Sunday? Or could it be former WNEP TV anchorwoman Jacqueline Boulden coming back to the area to finally avenge the sarcastic comments I made to her in 1980 at Vispi's Camelot Lounge? None of the aforementioned. Turned out it was a message plane touting the candidacy of Lackawanna County Commissioner hopeful Corey O'Brien. The big red banner proclaimed "CHANGE IS IN THE AIR!!" The other side said, "VOTE COREY O'BRIEN". Mrs. LuLac concluded the plane was going back to Forty Fort for the night. We threw away our trash, went for a beautiful glorious Friday night ride and talked about the upcoming election. Thankfully, we didn't discuss Jacqueline Boulden.

DOWN TO THE WIRE

We've not been looking at the County Row office races lately, let's get to that now.

COMMISSIONERS

On the Democratic side, with the tragic illlness of Steve Flood and the clearing of the field by te Democratic committee, it is Skrep and Petrilla. The GOP side is more interesting filled with more questions than answers. Will David Shipula be able to pull a sizeable vote out of his home area to get the number 2 spot? Will Bill Jones be able to do the same from his Mountantop base and parlay his newspaper endorsements into a viable candidacy? Will Bill James be able to get the core GOP support and ride his "partnership" with Steve Urban to victory? Will Christine Katsock, running an uncharisterically low key campaign be able to persauade enough "gender" voters to prevail? The GOP has not had a woman Commissioner since the late Ethel Price retired in the mid 70s after two terms. Two term Minority Commissioner Steve Urban is believed to be a "shoo in" for this race. The question remains, who will come out on top Tuesday to run with him.

SHERIFF

The Dems have an interesting race in the sense that it pits two Greater Pittston residents against each other. Mike Savokinas and George Nowakowski are going head to head, something they have not done in previous elections. With no third candidate taking votes away from the two, this promises to be a true battle. The people I talked to feel Nowakowski has the experience but they just don't lke the guy. On the other hand, the people who tout Savokinas, tell me how tough he'll be in the job but also how he will handle things with a more velvet glove. It seems like this election is being fought in the Third District and nowhere else. It will be revealing to see what vote totals will come out of Wilkes Barre and Hazleton.

DISTRICT ATTORNEY

Jackie Musto Carroll has the residual support of the Dave Lupas administration plus her own base that can overwhelm an opponent in an election. That said, Vito DeLuca is getting a huge swell of support from the "everyman" types and his candidacy might have received a late boost from the Times Leader endorsement. In the case of Christine Katsock and Eddie Day Pashinski, the paper's nod didn't help much in her race. And my guess is, it won't in DeLuca's effort either.

CORONER

That race is pretty tame but here's what you have. Dr. Jack Consalvo, former TV reporter on Medicine and appointed to the post by the Governor to fill out the term of the late Dr. Hudock. Well known, young, active and a Doctor. Then you have John Corcoran, a Funeral Director from Plains with a solid poitical base. Can that base offset Consalvo's strength? And what about the fact that the Democratic Leadership was miffed the Governor never told them (Classic Ed!!) who he was appointing? The other wild card in this is Funeral Director James Desiderrio who has a great following and decent base in his area too. My guess is that the two Funeral Directors will offset each other's totals to have the good Doctor a win his first race for Coroner. Besides, most people I've talked to feel more comfortable with a Doctor in this position even though its common knowledge the Funeral Directors do a lot of the heavy lifting.

JUDGE

Lupas vs. Marsillio. Did you see Lupas's campaign roster of donors? Did you see Marsillio's? Enough said. Lupas is said to be not the brighest bulb in the lamp, hey, they say that about me all the time. And Hugo is just waiting to have Amy Bradley or Sara Bynoski come and visit for a chat to upset the Lupas applecart but this one is over. Marsillio, a decent guy, an Attorney I have used and a veteran might win in another time and another place. But not this time. One has to wonder what the race would have been like had Atty. Tom o'Connor entered it earlier this year. Lupas in a laugher.