The LuLac Edition #1548, April 12th, 2011

PHOTO INDEX: COUNTY COUNCIL BANNER.

IS ANYBODY THERE?

This is an important election and my hope and prayer is that people will pay attention. But I’m not so sure after what happened last night at the Ramada in Wilkes Barre. Apparently the Democratic party district chairs decided to have a forum to meet the Council candidates. There wasn’t a great deal of publicity and a very big ballroom was secured. I learned a valuable rule when I worked for Hubert Humphrey’s ’72 Presidential campaign, book a small room so that when people can’t fit into it, the media will say “it was a packed room”. Anyway this event started at 6PM. The Democratic party was going to have chairmen of the districts there to “interview” the Council candidates. None of those people who were supposed to be doing the interviewing came. There was virtually no advertising and I’m sorry the Voice’s freebie political notes/events page doesn’t count as marketing. Isn’t there a fund in the Democratic treasury to purchase air time for stuff like this? I mean why pay $50.00 a year twice a year for a dinner. But I digress. Attorney Bill Vinsko, the Mayor Tom Leighton’s cousin was supposed to be the moderator. The family guy who is wishing everybody a “Happy Spring” on TV was set to do a bang up job but never got the chance. There were at least 10 Judicial candidates at some point there. . There was even a commonwealth court Judicial candidate (Kathryn Boockvar, Bucks County) who drove up because she thought she could really meet some voters. Uh not this night. As far as the County Council candidates, you had about 30 attending. There were 4 County Democratic party officials and very few members of the general public. Some sources tell me there were no average Joe or Janes, just candidates yacking to each other. Forty minutes in, they ended the misery and called the whole thing off. There were no interviews of any kind and leaders of the party beat a hasty retreat as did Attorney Vinsko. You had to feel for the judicial candidates, commonwealth court candidate (who drove two hours for nothing), and 30 some county council people who had nothing to do but talk to their opponents. That’s fun but you’d be better off going over to Chacko’s and work the lanes for votes. So the event was a disaster. Now I’ve run forums before. Publicized the hell out of them and didn’t get good turnouts but people in the general public knew about it. The 2009 Judicial Forum was held on the hottest day of ’09 in April. Crap, the weather was so nice I didn’t even want to be there! But the public came. The Democratic Party has an organizational problem. They need more Indians and less chiefs. But all that said, at least they tried. At least the candidates came out too. But the public did not. And while this event had its flaws, at some point the general public has to participate and step up. You aren’t good citizens by being a talk radio loudmouth, sniping at people running as you drink in your neighborhood bar and don’t even bother voting but still bitching about things. It’s time for the voters to wake up and step up. Maybe this non event will be a wake up call for everybody.

CARTER IN TOWN

Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States came to Plains, Pa to auction belongings off to raise money for his hometown of Plains. Carter wowed them and the event was a success.

FIRST AD

The very first TV ad for the Luzerne County Council is starting to air. Blythe Evans the third is on the airwaves and here is his ad produced by media guru Scott Cannon. Jeez, can a Cliff Madrack infomercial be on the way?