The LuLac Edition #815, May 13th, 2009

PHOTO INDEX: THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE ATTENDING THE CONTROLLER'S FORUM LAST NIGHT AT LCCC, LUZERNE COUNTY CONTROLLER CANDIDATES IN THE EMPTY AUDITORUM, FROM LEFT ROBERT SNYPNIESKI, ED BROMINSKI, ROBERT MORGAN, WALTER GRIFFITH, ALICE B. COFFMAN AND MODERATOR SUE HENRY. BOTTOM PHOTO ATTORNEY JOSEPH TERRANA.

CONTROLLER FORUM

So what if you gave a candidates forum and no one came? Well that didn’t exactly happen on Tuesday night but nearly. Only 8 citizens showed up for the LuLac Forum we had at LCCC. Sue Henry was the moderator. We had a formal program planned but then just did a very informal discussion of the role of Controller and why these candidates wanted the job. Each candidate was very well spoken, articulate and seemed like the smartest kids in the class. Here’s a brief recap of the event.

ROBERT SYPNIEWSKI

Touted his experience as a lender in the housing and mortgage industry. Said that many voters were apathetic because they just could not trust anymore. Told the group he’d bring common sense to the Controller’s office, spoke of his experience on the reassessment board. His first two moves as Controller would be to evaluate staff and be an active controller. Anyone writing unauthorized checks would be gone. In terms of being a full time Controller, Sypniewski said he would be a hard working controller and that the responsibilities would not take a back seat to anything or anyone. He said he would put his business on hold to devote himself to the office. If there was anything in his private life that would be a surprise to voters, the candidate said he did not. Sypniewski impressed the group with his knowledge of the intricacies of the reassessment procedures. Told the public that he would bring common sense to the beleaguered office.

BOB MORGAN

The only Democrat in the field, Morgan gave a brief bio which included twenty years in the financial services industry. Wants to bring honor, integrity and candor to the office. Told the group that this was the time yo look forward. Said we should all be distressed and disappointed with what has happened in the county but we shouldn’t wallow in the negatives of the past. Told the group he would institute internal audit functions and review all contracts. If he takes office, he would reorganize staff, reassign some people to the budget office, have public information meetings on a yearly or quarterly basis, and utilize the county website to improve transparency. In terms of any problems in his personal life, Morgan said he had no nannies, paid his taxes, and was not aware of any concern. In answering about full time status, Morgan said that this would not be a second job for anyone but did say he had to have commitments to his business clients. He had a great line when he said every time someone does a favor for a friend like a break on reassessment, a senior citizen who could ill afford to pay taxes on a fixed income gets hurt.Opined that all the people running were good, decent committed people who would do a good job.

WALTER GRIFFITH, JUNIOR

Touted his years of experience as a taxpayer advocate. Told the group he closed his business numerous times to work on behalf of the taxpayer. Said he disagreed with the finding that there was no wrongdoing in the debit card scandal. Told the group the Controller has to be the fourth commissioner and privy to all the meetings. Said he would be continuing his practice to meet with the budget director and ask questions. Griffith said he’d meet with the staff to see how they could better interact with each other. Said he’d increase audits and told the group things were so mismanaged, it might take a big overhaul but he was willing to undertake it. Told the group he would be a full time Controller and that he has made provisions to close his business so he could be a taxpayer advocate. Griffith said the reason why he started his own business was because of ethical problems he had with his superiors telling him he had to sell unneeded auto parts and repairs. Griffith said that he would continue his work to hold the county government accountable for their actions.

ALICE B. COFFMAN

Coffman’s presentation was filled with energy. Talking about the small crowd, she said it reminded her of the old TV commercial where one character implored the other “to tell two people who will tell another two people”. Coffman said “she was a CPA, not a politician”. She proceeded to give a tutorial on how one becomes a CPA, said that she takes her career seriously and is responsible for her staff and clients. Sid she would like to extend that responsibility to the taxpayers. Told of her experience as a child in a large family which gave her both independence and responsibility. Said she would institute internal audit structures, go over contracts with a fine tooth comb, insist that tasks be done in a timely manner, have the personal discipline to finish the job she was assigned to and oversee staff to emulate that way of doing business and even time stamp staff assignments to meet deadlines. On being a full time controller, she said she had responsibility for a private business but that her workload with the county would be a top priority. Indicated that she has already had staff meetings with her business to prepare for any eventuality should she be elected. Said she had no children, therefore no nannies, paid her taxes on time and felt that she was the best qualified for the jobs. Told the group no show jobs or the old way of doing business was an offense to her and pledged she would work any hour of the day to accomplish the goals of the office.

EDD BROMINSKI

The former county commissioner toutyed his more than 30 years experience in government. Brominski was an educator, Mayor of Swoyersville, County Commissioner and worked in the assessors office. Said he balanced budgets as county commissioner and that the controller needed to make a lot of noise in terms of being an overseer of the county tax dollars. Told the group about his experience in the assessment office and that he pulled no punches when it came to administering an office back into shape. Sid he was fiercely independent, would be a full time controller and expect his staff to work as hard as he did. Told the group he has no other interests and would be able to be the fourth, vocal commissioner that was needed in the past. Brominski said he would evaluate the staff if elected and would not hesitate to restructure the office to make it more efficient and transparent. Brominski said his public life has been an open book for thirty years and his only failing was trying to reach goals he set at a fast pace.

WIL TOOLE

Toole is thinking of running as an Independent Write In candidate for the fall and attended the event. The former Pittston City Clerk is in the process of gaining signatures on his petitions. Toole asked a few questions regarding assessment and Magisterial rent. On reassessment overhaul, all the candidates agreed that mistakes were made but the whole process should not be thrown out. All agreed that a County Controller needed to have a stronger voice in signing off on the monies paid to the reassessment. On Magisterial rents, the candidates said there should be uniformity on rents, or even a cap on square footage.

NANDA PALISSERY

Palissery e mailed me on Monday and said he might have a commitment that would prevent him from attending Tuesday’s event. He did and wasn’t there.

MEET AND GREET

MARGARET BISIGNANI MOYLE
Event: Margie for Judge Rally at Trax
"Trax inside Radisson Scranton"
What: Rally
Host: Margaret Bisignani Moyle for Lackawanna County Judge
Start Time: Thursday, May 14 at 5:00pm
End Time: Thursday, May 14 at 7:00pm

HEIGHT QUITS

James Height has resigned from the Wilkes_Barre Area School Board. Superintendent Jeff Namey said he received a brief letter from Height this afternoon expressing regret. WBRE TV reports that Height may have resigned because of the FBI probe into the district which has already implicated board member Brian Dunn. Height was chair of the board and is on the ballot in the spring primary. He was not in attendance at the WB Area School Board meeting on Monday.

A BLUE RIBBON PANEL

I’ve been calling for something like this for a long time. Now it appears people at the state level are on the same wavelength. The three branches of state government are discussing taking a comprehensive approach to the judicial scandal in Luzerne County and its impact on juvenile defendants wrongly sentenced to serve time in detention centers. The talks represent a high-level response to the corruption scandal that led to guilty pleas by former judges Mark Ciaveralla and Michael Conahan for taking kickbacks from a contractor for a privately run juvenile detention center. The state Supreme Court has started to overturn juvenile sentences handed down by the two judges. Under discussion is the creation of a special blue-ribbon commissions to oversee the effort, with the state Department of Public Welfare being the lead agency on one commission, sources said. Supreme Court Justice and former Philadelphia D.A. Ron Castille is involved in the process along with local State Rep Todd Eachus.

KADLU’S KASH

Wilkes Barre has agreed to pay tow truck driver Bob Kadluboski $250,000 to settle a lawsuit he filed that alleged his contract was improperly terminated. Officials said although the city agreed to settle the case, it does not admit to any wrongdoing. The settlement includes payment to Kadluboski and legal fees charged by his attorney. Kadluboski, owner of City Wide Towing, filed a federal lawsuit against the city in connection with its decision to cancel his towing contract a few years back. The contract gave Kadluboski the right to tow all vehicles, such as those involved in car crashes, that were ordered removed by city officials. U.S. District Judge James Munley ruled in September that the city had violated Kadluboski’s right to due process when it terminated the contract because it failed to give him an opportunity to respond to the allegations.

JUDICIAL CANDIDATE BIO

As part of our on going series in covering the Luzerne and Lackawanna County Judicial races, we are going to do brief profiles on those candidates running. In today’s edition, we continue with Attorney Joseph Terrana. The order was determined by our lottery at the LuLac Forum last week.

JOSEPH TERRANA

Attorney Joe Terrana practices law in Kingston with Terrana Law, P.C., handling a variety of issues including real estate transactions, business start-up, commercial and personal injury litigation, and estates. He previously practiced in the litigation department of Hourigan, Kluger, Spohrer & Quinn, P.C., and with Joel A. DeBoe & Associates, of Arlington, Virginia . He is admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Federal District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. He is also an associate member of the Virginia State Bar. Attorney Terrana also currently serves as Counselor to Congressman Paul E. Kanjorski (PA-11). In this position he assists constituents with a wide variety of federal issues, works with community leaders on projects to improve the quality of life of their residents and assesses the local impact of federal legislation and regulations. From 1992 to 2001, he served as District Director for the Congressman, and during law school he worked on Capitol Hill. His varied career includes six years as Director of the Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania Community Business Center of Fannie Mae, where he spearheaded efforts to prevent predatory lending practices and foreclosures in the Poconos, helped business in communities like Wilkes-Barre and Scranton assist their employees in buying homes and helped re-build neighborhoods with organizations like CityVest in Wilkes-Barre and the Pine Street Neighborhood in Hazleton. Attorney Terrana is the co-founder and President of the Luzerne County Housing Partnership, a non-profit corporation that provides education resources to local families, communities, elected officials and housing industry professionals on homeownership and neighborhood rebuilding. He is the Secretary/Treasurer of the Luzerne County Redevelopment Authority and the Luzerne County Rail Corporation, a member of the Board of Directors of the Greater Pittston Meals on Wheels, and member of the Wilkes-Barre Law and Library Association. He serves as a Parish Facilitator for Called to Holiness and Mission: Pastoral Planning in the Diocese of Scranton. He is a member of the St. John the Evangelist Core Committee, Chairman of the St. John the Evangelist Marketing of Buildings Committee, Instructor for the St. John the Evangelist's Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults and an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist. Attorney Terrana attended elementary and middle school in the Pittston Area School District and is a graduate of Scranton Preparatory School . He received his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Villanova University and his Juris Doctorate from George Mason University School of Law in Arlington, Virginia, where he was a member of the Law Review and President of Phi Delta Phi Honor Fraternity. He and his wife, the former Cindy Wysokinski, and their two six year olds, Jake, and Lola, reside in Greater Pittston.

FROM HIS KICKOFF
“At this critical moment, what our residents need and deserve – now more than ever – is a Judicial Branch they can count on for fairness, justice, and compassion. I know I can help restore the integrity of our Judicial Branch because these have been the very guideposts of my two decades of public service. And they will be the pillars of my service as Judge.” —JOSEPH TERRANA

F.M. Kirby Center, Wilkes-Barre February 15, 2009
TERRANA'S VIDEOS