The LuLac Edition #277, August 3rd, 2007

PHOTO INDEX: SENATORS ROBERT P. CASEY, JR. AND ARLEN SPECTER.

DOING THE RIGHT THING

For the first time in nearly 15 years, two Pennsylvania Senators seem to be singing from the same song sheet. And the amazing thing is they are from two different parties. Both Senators Casey and Specter voted for an increase in the Children's Health Insurance Program, an entity pioneered in the Commonwealth by the late Robert P. Casey, Junior.
Here's a rundown of the Senate Roll Call vote:

The Pennsylvania vote on the 68-31 vote Thursday by which the Senate added 3 million lower-income children to the State Children's Health Insurance Program. On this vote, a "yes" vote was a vote to pass the measure. Voting "yes" were 48 Democrats and 18 Republicans and 2 independents.Voting "no" were 31 Republicans.

Pennsylvania Casey (D) Yes; Specter (R) Yes.

THE STREETS OF WILKES BARRE

The business improvement district in Wilkes-Barre began providing extra police patrols and cleaning crews in the downtown area Wednesday .Property owners in the district can expect to be billed soon. Organizers hope the added security and clean-up dollars will make the downtown area, bordered roughly by River, Washington, North and Academy streets, more attractive to shoppers and new businesses.“You want to create a climate downtown that is even more attractive than it is today,” said Larry Newman, vice president of community and economic development at the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry.“ Downtowns that are succeeding today are investing in themselves,” he said. The police patrols, clean-up crews, district-wide marketing, facade improvements and a “bad debt reserve” will cost $540,000 over five years. To pay for the added services, property owners in the business improvement district will be assessed 2.57 percent of their current county real estate tax assessments. The median cost to property owners is about 77 cents per day, Newman said. Some business owners chafed at the idea of paying a fee in addition to their property taxes, but the vast majority welcomed the improvements.“We’re already paying for those services, now you’re double-billing us,” said Samuel M. Wolfe, owner of a downtown real estate and appraisal business. “I’ve been taxed so many times in the city and nothing happens.” Gus Genetti, owner of Genetti Hotel and Conference Center, is one of the district’s supporters.“It’s the best thing since sliced bread,” he said. “It’s not a substantial contribution by any one individual organization. What’s not to like about it?” Similar projects have helped to revitalize parts of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Erie and Reading, among others. The district in Wilkes-Barre is the first of its kind in northeastern Pennsylvania and could give the city an edge as the region’s municipalities continue to seek out new businesses to spark life in their changing economies. “Essentially, (the business improvement district) is a self-help mechanism,” Newman said. “The reality is that downtown is in a very different competitive situation than where it was 30 years ago.”

Now that the city has earmarked the Downtown for a spruce up, one wonders if the neighborhoods will have some attention given to them in terms of a makeover. And one wonders if an excise tax will be placed on those areas that would like to see debris like left over garbage, recyclables dropped and not picked up by DPW workers or dead animals in the road picked up in a timely manner.

Combined reports Citizen's Voice/LuLac Political Letter