The LuLac Edition #1579, May 5th, 2011
PHOTO INDEX: ALAN SHEPHERD, THE FIRST AMERICAN IN SPACE FIFTY YEARS AGO TODAY, THE LUZERNE COUNTY COURTHOUSE AND OUR 1972 LOGO. THE PHOTOS
Shall death photos of Bin Laden be released? The administration says that it might endanger national security. Conspiracy theorists say they need proof. More than 65% of Americans want to see them. The White House says no. Well someday those photos will be leaked. It took more than 20 years but the autopsy photos of John Kennedy found their way into print in the late 80s. These photos will be seen. But it is crucial that the administration not release them. The Obama White House has done more than anyone expected, they got him. Obama said on the campaign trail in one of the Presidential debates that he would track the terrorist down and kill him. There are those who are saying that the Navy Seals shot a defenseless man. I say those people never were in conflict. Who is to say that he didn’t have a detonating device somewhere? Who is to say that he might have had a suicide plan in that warped head? And what if they brought him back alive? Can you imagine the trial? Can you imagine the media coverage? The line the media stars would form to “get into his head?” Bin Laden got a little more than he deserved in my opinion. He also got a little more respect in his burial than the thousands of people he blew to buts on September 11th, 2001. You will see the pictures someday….you won’t see them now. Give it a rest!
UNION UNREST?
It looks like the endorsement of a Union ticket has gotten the ire up of a few County Council candidates. Two candidates for County Council , Tom Rome and Wil Toole are on the warpath because they were not interviewed, contacted or considered for the union backing. Here’s a piece of information they are sending out:
Labor Council Ignored
Union Candidates!
AFSCME Members, you need to know that the Labor Council did not interview all of the County Council Candidates. In particular, they ignored one of the original organizers of the Luzerne County Local 1378.
Wil Toole is a County Council Candidate and he was one of the original organizers of the county union. He led the 30 day strike that gave us our certification and was elected the first president of Local 1378.
Tom Rome, also a candidate for County Council and president of PSEA Pittston Area Support Staff Local has fought in court for employee’s rights.
“BOTH MEN WERE IGNORED FOR
LABOR’S ENDORSEMENT FOR COUNTY COUNCIL!”
WE DO NOT FIND FAULT WITH THOSE CANDIDATES WHO WERE ENDORSED BUT WE STRONGLY QUESTION THE MOTIVES OF MEMBERS OF THE LABOR COUNCIL WHO KNOWINGLY IGNORED THESE TWO RECOGNIZED LABOR LEADERS.
We Ask that you consider our candidacy and give us your vote in the Democratic County Council election.
Thank you
Wil Toole
Former President President PSEA
Tom Rome AFSCME Local 1378 Pittston Area Support Staff Local
See the problem Toole and Rome have is that they were never even considered for the Union endorsement. Look at the slate the Union endorsed! Do we know any of these people? Some are faceless people with virtually no name recognition. Toole and Rome as well as other County Council candidates who have been friends of labor should be angry. The grand plan of the labor group is to get control of 6 seats on the County Council. Then you will see fat union contracts with bigger salaries and more power to the workers. If you think you couldn’t get County workers to perform their duties before…wait until the Public sector Unions get a hold of the government. Toole and Rome might be angry they weren’t asked but voters should be wary of any interest group, like Labor that is backing one ticket. Do you actually think they are going to not see anything else but labor’s point of view? Here’s what a letter said when the Committee originally made their endorsements: “”Right now we have an opportunity to focus on our immediate futures by electing county council members who will think of the worker. These potential candidates have been one of us have walked in our shoes … know what it is like to give a fair day’s work for a fair day’s wage.” What about the workers who is a tax payer and might have to pay for union contracts? Potential candidates who have walked in our shoes, like former teachers who worked 8 months out of the year? Know some people who’d love to walk in those shoes? Do you think any union endorsed candidate is going to actually decrease the bloated County workforce? I don’t think so. Vote for who you want for County Council but stay away from bloc tickets that will only have their own vested interest as a priority.
WILKES BARRE’S BIG NAP
Mayor Tom Leighton has received many government grants for redevelopment, pavement of streets, etc., Maybe the Mayor should try to get funding for “uppers” and “greenies” or massive amounts of caffeine to wake up the city of Wilkes Barre. The Mayor held a Town Meeting the other day, 30 people showed up. Half of them were his staff! People in Wilkes Barre are taking a long nap. That means good things for the Mayor now trying for a third term. It also points to the lethargy of the body politic. And that’s pretty sad.
AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT
A BIG ANNIVERSARY
The first American in space, Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard, finally has his own stamp. The Postal Service dedicated a stamp Wednesday to mark the 50th anniversary of Shepard's suborbital flight, Freedom 7. The ceremony took place at Kennedy Space Center on the eve of the anniversary. Shepard's three daughters were there, as was Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter. Carpenter told the crowd it's fitting that a Forever stamp was chosen to honor Shepard.
Carpenter says Shepard didn't like it that Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin beat him into space by less than a month. But he says the success of Shepard's flight on May 5,1961, helped lead America to the moon. Shepard went on to command Apollo 14. He died in 1998.
It was 50 years ago today that the nation held its breath. It was a short suborbital flight that took only 15 minutes but the beauty and wonder of space was right on our doorstep. As a 7 year old, I watched (for some reason I was home from school) on TV and heard and witnessed the excitement. The Space Race had begun and we finally had an American in it.
MEDIA MATTERS
PCN
PCN TO AIR JUDICIAL CANDIDATE PROFILES
With the state primary a little less than a month away, voters will have the chance to learn more about the candidates running for the statewide judicial appellate seats before going to the polls on May 17. Starting Monday, May 9 and running through Wednesday, May 11, PCN will dedicate part of their evening programming to judicial candidate profiles of those vying for opportunity to be named to be placed on the ballot for PA Superior Court and Commonwealth Court this fall.
The schedule of candidate profiles is below. The network has tentatively scheduled encore presentations for PA Commonwealth Court candidates on Wednesday, May 11 and Friday, May 13 beginning at 10:00 a.m., while PA Superior Court encores will be shown on Thursday, May 12 starting at 10:00 a.m. Additional encores will also air on Saturday, May 14 with PA Commonwealth Court interviews starting at 5:30 p.m. and PA Superior Court interviews will then begin immediately following at 7:30 p.m.
Monday, May 9:
8:00 p.m. – David Wecht, Democrat for PA Superior Court
8:30 p.m. – Paula Patrick, Republican for PA Superior Court
9:00 p.m. – Vic Stabile, Republican for PA Superior Court
Tuesday, May 10:
8:00 p.m. – Anne Covey, Republican for Commonwealth Court
8:30 p.m. – Paul Panepinto, Republican for Commonwealth Court
Wednesday, May 11:
8:00 p.m. – Kathryn Boockvar, Democrat for Commonwealth Court
8:30 p.m. – Barbara Behrend Ernsberger, Democrat for Commonwealth Court
For more information about the candidates running in the state primary, visit PCN’sspecial Election 2011 page at www.pcntv.com. The one-on-one discussions featuring each of the candidates are also available on the Election 2011 page.
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
This week Shadoe Steele will feature Ramsey Lewis s his guest on Saturday Night Live at the Oldies. Lewis had some big hits in the 60s and was the definition of “cool soul jazz”. Saturday Night Live at the Oldies is heard every Saturday from 7pm to midnight with ABC News at the top of the hour.
ECTV
'Sprits' should be high the week of May 9th as ECTV Live welcomes Lee Moon to the discussion show. Lee is a so-called'Ghost Detective' with the group 'NEPA Paranormal.' Co-hosts Judge Tom Munley and David DeCosmo will be talking with talking with Mr. Moon about some regional paranormal investigations. The program airs on Comcast Ch 19 at Noon and Midnight
throughout the week.
SUNDAY MAGAZINE
This Week on Sunday Magazine, Brian Hughes speaks with Brian Moran from the Association of Private School Colleges and Universities about the negative impact of the Department of Education's "Gainful Employment Regulation" will have on students pursuing higher education.
This Week in Harrisburg examines worker safety issues, a bill calling for parental notification of underage drinkers, and improved highway safety by restricting texting for teen drivers in Pennsylvania.
Brian speaks with Lori Chase from the American heart Association about the Luzerne County Heart Walk coming up Saturday May 14th at Kirby park in Wilkes Barre.
And Magic 93's Frankie in the Morning speaks with Sheri, the co-chair of the Relay For Life of Greater Hazleton.
Sunday Magazine, Sunday morning at 5:30am on JR 93.7, and 97BHT, 6am on 97.9X, 6:30am on Magic 93, and 9:30am on WARM 590 AM.
1972
U.S. President Richard Nixon orders the mining of Haiphong Harbor in Vietnam....In Pennsylvania State Treasurer Grace Sloan and Auditor General Bob Casey outpoll their GOP opponents by 3 to 1. It is a precursor to a big General Election win. Both Casey and Sloan are asked this early to help other Democratic candidates….in the 117th District, newcomer George Hasay still waits on absentee ballots to guarantee his primary win. His Democratic foe will be long time State Representative Stanley Meholchick and the number 1 song in LuLac land and America was “Little Bitty Pretty One” a remake of the old Thurston Harris tune, done by the Jackson 5.
Shall death photos of Bin Laden be released? The administration says that it might endanger national security. Conspiracy theorists say they need proof. More than 65% of Americans want to see them. The White House says no. Well someday those photos will be leaked. It took more than 20 years but the autopsy photos of John Kennedy found their way into print in the late 80s. These photos will be seen. But it is crucial that the administration not release them. The Obama White House has done more than anyone expected, they got him. Obama said on the campaign trail in one of the Presidential debates that he would track the terrorist down and kill him. There are those who are saying that the Navy Seals shot a defenseless man. I say those people never were in conflict. Who is to say that he didn’t have a detonating device somewhere? Who is to say that he might have had a suicide plan in that warped head? And what if they brought him back alive? Can you imagine the trial? Can you imagine the media coverage? The line the media stars would form to “get into his head?” Bin Laden got a little more than he deserved in my opinion. He also got a little more respect in his burial than the thousands of people he blew to buts on September 11th, 2001. You will see the pictures someday….you won’t see them now. Give it a rest!
UNION UNREST?
It looks like the endorsement of a Union ticket has gotten the ire up of a few County Council candidates. Two candidates for County Council , Tom Rome and Wil Toole are on the warpath because they were not interviewed, contacted or considered for the union backing. Here’s a piece of information they are sending out:
Labor Council Ignored
Union Candidates!
AFSCME Members, you need to know that the Labor Council did not interview all of the County Council Candidates. In particular, they ignored one of the original organizers of the Luzerne County Local 1378.
Wil Toole is a County Council Candidate and he was one of the original organizers of the county union. He led the 30 day strike that gave us our certification and was elected the first president of Local 1378.
Tom Rome, also a candidate for County Council and president of PSEA Pittston Area Support Staff Local has fought in court for employee’s rights.
“BOTH MEN WERE IGNORED FOR
LABOR’S ENDORSEMENT FOR COUNTY COUNCIL!”
WE DO NOT FIND FAULT WITH THOSE CANDIDATES WHO WERE ENDORSED BUT WE STRONGLY QUESTION THE MOTIVES OF MEMBERS OF THE LABOR COUNCIL WHO KNOWINGLY IGNORED THESE TWO RECOGNIZED LABOR LEADERS.
We Ask that you consider our candidacy and give us your vote in the Democratic County Council election.
Thank you
Wil Toole
Former President President PSEA
Tom Rome AFSCME Local 1378 Pittston Area Support Staff Local
See the problem Toole and Rome have is that they were never even considered for the Union endorsement. Look at the slate the Union endorsed! Do we know any of these people? Some are faceless people with virtually no name recognition. Toole and Rome as well as other County Council candidates who have been friends of labor should be angry. The grand plan of the labor group is to get control of 6 seats on the County Council. Then you will see fat union contracts with bigger salaries and more power to the workers. If you think you couldn’t get County workers to perform their duties before…wait until the Public sector Unions get a hold of the government. Toole and Rome might be angry they weren’t asked but voters should be wary of any interest group, like Labor that is backing one ticket. Do you actually think they are going to not see anything else but labor’s point of view? Here’s what a letter said when the Committee originally made their endorsements: “”Right now we have an opportunity to focus on our immediate futures by electing county council members who will think of the worker. These potential candidates have been one of us have walked in our shoes … know what it is like to give a fair day’s work for a fair day’s wage.” What about the workers who is a tax payer and might have to pay for union contracts? Potential candidates who have walked in our shoes, like former teachers who worked 8 months out of the year? Know some people who’d love to walk in those shoes? Do you think any union endorsed candidate is going to actually decrease the bloated County workforce? I don’t think so. Vote for who you want for County Council but stay away from bloc tickets that will only have their own vested interest as a priority.
WILKES BARRE’S BIG NAP
Mayor Tom Leighton has received many government grants for redevelopment, pavement of streets, etc., Maybe the Mayor should try to get funding for “uppers” and “greenies” or massive amounts of caffeine to wake up the city of Wilkes Barre. The Mayor held a Town Meeting the other day, 30 people showed up. Half of them were his staff! People in Wilkes Barre are taking a long nap. That means good things for the Mayor now trying for a third term. It also points to the lethargy of the body politic. And that’s pretty sad.
AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT
A BIG ANNIVERSARY
The first American in space, Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard, finally has his own stamp. The Postal Service dedicated a stamp Wednesday to mark the 50th anniversary of Shepard's suborbital flight, Freedom 7. The ceremony took place at Kennedy Space Center on the eve of the anniversary. Shepard's three daughters were there, as was Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter. Carpenter told the crowd it's fitting that a Forever stamp was chosen to honor Shepard.
Carpenter says Shepard didn't like it that Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin beat him into space by less than a month. But he says the success of Shepard's flight on May 5,1961, helped lead America to the moon. Shepard went on to command Apollo 14. He died in 1998.
It was 50 years ago today that the nation held its breath. It was a short suborbital flight that took only 15 minutes but the beauty and wonder of space was right on our doorstep. As a 7 year old, I watched (for some reason I was home from school) on TV and heard and witnessed the excitement. The Space Race had begun and we finally had an American in it.
MEDIA MATTERS
PCN
PCN TO AIR JUDICIAL CANDIDATE PROFILES
With the state primary a little less than a month away, voters will have the chance to learn more about the candidates running for the statewide judicial appellate seats before going to the polls on May 17. Starting Monday, May 9 and running through Wednesday, May 11, PCN will dedicate part of their evening programming to judicial candidate profiles of those vying for opportunity to be named to be placed on the ballot for PA Superior Court and Commonwealth Court this fall.
The schedule of candidate profiles is below. The network has tentatively scheduled encore presentations for PA Commonwealth Court candidates on Wednesday, May 11 and Friday, May 13 beginning at 10:00 a.m., while PA Superior Court encores will be shown on Thursday, May 12 starting at 10:00 a.m. Additional encores will also air on Saturday, May 14 with PA Commonwealth Court interviews starting at 5:30 p.m. and PA Superior Court interviews will then begin immediately following at 7:30 p.m.
Monday, May 9:
8:00 p.m. – David Wecht, Democrat for PA Superior Court
8:30 p.m. – Paula Patrick, Republican for PA Superior Court
9:00 p.m. – Vic Stabile, Republican for PA Superior Court
Tuesday, May 10:
8:00 p.m. – Anne Covey, Republican for Commonwealth Court
8:30 p.m. – Paul Panepinto, Republican for Commonwealth Court
Wednesday, May 11:
8:00 p.m. – Kathryn Boockvar, Democrat for Commonwealth Court
8:30 p.m. – Barbara Behrend Ernsberger, Democrat for Commonwealth Court
For more information about the candidates running in the state primary, visit PCN’sspecial Election 2011 page at www.pcntv.com. The one-on-one discussions featuring each of the candidates are also available on the Election 2011 page.
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
This week Shadoe Steele will feature Ramsey Lewis s his guest on Saturday Night Live at the Oldies. Lewis had some big hits in the 60s and was the definition of “cool soul jazz”. Saturday Night Live at the Oldies is heard every Saturday from 7pm to midnight with ABC News at the top of the hour.
ECTV
'Sprits' should be high the week of May 9th as ECTV Live welcomes Lee Moon to the discussion show. Lee is a so-called'Ghost Detective' with the group 'NEPA Paranormal.' Co-hosts Judge Tom Munley and David DeCosmo will be talking with talking with Mr. Moon about some regional paranormal investigations. The program airs on Comcast Ch 19 at Noon and Midnight
throughout the week.
SUNDAY MAGAZINE
This Week on Sunday Magazine, Brian Hughes speaks with Brian Moran from the Association of Private School Colleges and Universities about the negative impact of the Department of Education's "Gainful Employment Regulation" will have on students pursuing higher education.
This Week in Harrisburg examines worker safety issues, a bill calling for parental notification of underage drinkers, and improved highway safety by restricting texting for teen drivers in Pennsylvania.
Brian speaks with Lori Chase from the American heart Association about the Luzerne County Heart Walk coming up Saturday May 14th at Kirby park in Wilkes Barre.
And Magic 93's Frankie in the Morning speaks with Sheri, the co-chair of the Relay For Life of Greater Hazleton.
Sunday Magazine, Sunday morning at 5:30am on JR 93.7, and 97BHT, 6am on 97.9X, 6:30am on Magic 93, and 9:30am on WARM 590 AM.
1972
U.S. President Richard Nixon orders the mining of Haiphong Harbor in Vietnam....In Pennsylvania State Treasurer Grace Sloan and Auditor General Bob Casey outpoll their GOP opponents by 3 to 1. It is a precursor to a big General Election win. Both Casey and Sloan are asked this early to help other Democratic candidates….in the 117th District, newcomer George Hasay still waits on absentee ballots to guarantee his primary win. His Democratic foe will be long time State Representative Stanley Meholchick and the number 1 song in LuLac land and America was “Little Bitty Pretty One” a remake of the old Thurston Harris tune, done by the Jackson 5.
posted by David Yonki @ 12:18 AM
14 comments
14 Comments:
The labor board never contacted me either to interview me for an endorsement. I'm a former union member with the Federal Government, but I guess that didn't count either. Most of the union candidates aren't even bothering to campaign, they're just relying on the unions to do the work for them. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, the union endorsements were made in there interests only and not the interests of the people of this county for they surely did not endorse based on qualifications, only what cards were carried and when. That, you can take to the bank!
The information printed with regard to Tom Rome and me not being given fair consideration is accurate as written but a note of correction, Tom Rome is with the PSEA and I was affiliated with AFSCME.
On a personal note, what bothers me is that I have a strong union background as indicated in the flyer Tom and I plan to distribute but I from a personal point of view, I thought that my varied background made me a perfect choice for union support because I have the experience of serving both sides of the negotiating table. I've represented the employees on one side and as a municipal manager, I represented management on the other. I thought the Labor Council would have wanted a fair and balanced County Council. I strongly believe that there is a place of union in all walks of life and that includes government. When I first worked for the county government, it was a time when people could be fired for political reasons alone with no consideration to job performance. A county worker could be doing a job for 5 or 10 years and some politician's son or daughter would be higher to do the same job and was paid a higher salary. All we wanted was fair working conditions. We were tough and demanded our members do an honest day's work for an honest day's salary. If an employee filed a grievance, we considered it and if the employee was wrong, we would not give representation. We wanted to change the reputation of the "political worker" and upgrade that reputation to "professional worker". If an employee was right, we fought for him/her but if the employee was a slacker, we told them to straighten out and not embarrass the other workers.
I look back at how we jeopardized our jobs by fighting to form a union. If our efforts to unionize failed, we could have been fired on the spot so for the labor council to ignore us is just not acceptable. A little side note, At the time of the union's formation, Ed Brominski had just been elected to the office of county commissioner and I can tell you from first hand experience that Ed was fair and reasonable, always keeping the taxpayer in mind but never taking advantage of the employees. Ed also has a history of working both sides of the table and he too was overlooked by the Labor Council. Thanks for the opportunity to tell our side of the union story. Wil Toole
IN RESPONSE
Tom Rome is with the PSEA and I was affiliated with AFSCME.
CORRECTION NOTED. HERE'S MY POINT THOUGH, WITH YOUR EXPERIENCE AS WELL AS MR. ROME'S, CERTAINLY MR. BROMINSKI'S AND BRUCE SIMPSON'S FEDERAL GOVERNMENT EXPERIENCE, WHAT WERE THEY AFRAID OF? THEY DID THIS A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO. THEY HAD THE TIME TO LOOK INTO THIS. I AM NOT ANTI UNION BY ANY MEANS BUT THIS SMACKS OF THE SCRANTON POLICE SITUATION. JUST WHEN THE UNIONS ARE GETTING PEOPLE BACK ON THEIR SIDE AND WILLING TO DEFEND THEM BECAUSE OF STUFF LIKE WISCONSIN, THEY PULL THIS TYPE OF BONER THAT MAKES YOU SCRATCH YOUR HEAD IN WONDER. ED HARRY AND HIS CREW COULD VERY WELL HAVE INTERVIEWED YOU GUYS AS WELL AS OTHERS AND THEN ENDORSED WHO THEY WANTED. AN INTERVIEW IS JUST THAT, AN INTERAGATORY TO SEE IF YOU MEET THE PEOPLE DOING THE INTERVIEW'S CRITERIA. AND IF THEY DON'T LIKE WHAT YOU SAY, HOW YOU LOOK, YOU DON'T GET PICKED. THEY SKIPPED A STEP. AND THIS IS WAY TOO IMPORTANT TO DO THAT. MY GOD IF HAGGERTY AND THE HOME RULE COMMISSION DID THAT...THEY'D BE STORMING THE BUILDING!
Mr. Yonki, It was great to have seen you at the blogfest on Friday. After having read your May 5 article about two Luzerne County Council candidates attempting to lick the boots of the public service unions, I think you may want to know my thoughts on these same unions that also just happened to be published on Mark Cour's blog on May 4th. Feel free to quote me verbatim from that article if you desire or contact me with any questions. thanks, Tim http://mcour.blogspot.com/2011/05/tim-mullen-q.html
I have been at events where both Mr.Toole and Mr.Rome were handing out their cards. If both these candidates our friends of unions, (Mr.Toole a former leader and Mr.Rome a current president) why do their cards not have the union mark on them?
See? This proves Yonki's point! 10:23AM is more concerned about a little card that may or may not have a symbol on it. Never mind that these guys risked their jobs. This is the type of petty bullshit that makes regular working joes despise unions. Oh wait, let me put my bug on the bottom of this!!!!
&*^%#@(())
I think the point 10:23 AM is trying to make is that present actions speak louder than past words and maybe the union bug or lack of the union bug on a candidates campaign literature tells much about a persons true feelings on unions or unionism. Also, unions are made up of "regular Joe's". Just a thought.
I was asked if I would react to the personal attack/insult by County Council candidate Tim Mullen referring to me and Tom Rome as "boot licking" the unions. I actually don't have a reaction because I don't believe that it was actually Tim Mullen who reached into the mud to try to create controversy. I've met Tim Mullen and have had some conversation with him. He did not give me the impression of a desperate candidate looking for a cheap headline by hurling personal insults. His campaign style to this point has been aboveboard with him simply offering his service to the public. No, I don't believe that Mullen was the culprit here and I refuse to take the bait. Childish games and childish insults are not the qualities that Tim Mullen has thus far displayed. On the other hand, if Mullen actually did reach into the mud, then a little rethinking of strategy would be a wise move. But I will stand on my original thought that an evil mud slinger penned Tim Mullen's name to a nasty comment. Wil Toole candidate for County Council and I invite interested voters to check out my campaign web site, www.ElectWilToole.com
Good reply Mr. Toole. Class! I agree wholeheartedly with the response of 11:12 AM. Who would bother commenting on a union bug and making that the focal point of reaction to a personal attack? It takes huge balls to stand up to the political bosses, especially during the period of time that Wil Toole did it. He cold have been fired in a heart beat. Don't dare tell me that yesterday was yesterday as you sit in your little safe haven never having put your livelihood in jeopardy. If you had, you would not be so flippant about it. I love politics and read every ad and letter to the editor. If Mr. Toole is correct that Mullen did not pen that remark then there is no point in my exposing the fact that there have been no personal attacks so far and no mud thrown. If Mullen did throw the mud then shame on him. Rather than running around saying elect me, elect me, he would be much better off making his plans for the county clear to the voters. Does he have real plans? Does he have solutions to any of the county's problems? I hope that the dirty remark was actually done by some jerk looking to cause a problem for Mr. Mullen but in any case, Tim Mullen should make it clear if he did or did not make that comment and this time, his response should be verified. Perhaps a phone call or a verifiable direct email to Mr. Yonki would work. Personally, I'm hopping that Mr. Mullen did not reach into the gutter. Signed voter and strike walker
Okay, the story is the union endorsement is as follows.
Ed, harry, pres of Greater Wilkes-barre labor council, orchestrated the candidate selection from the beginning. First, he let Roxanne Pauline, NEPA labor federation, come in to make it look like this endorsement was coming from all of NEPA, not just Wilkes-barre.
http://citizensvoice.com/news/pro-labor-committee-to-announce-county-council-endorsements-1.1108506#axzz1LUIi204A
Now, as the article indicates, these interviews were occurring back in February 2011 when most candidates weren't even running yet or were only getting signatures.
Some candidates only found about interview process through word of mouth and then by calling ed harry directly to see what is going on here. Well, at first he was reluctant to speak with candidates but did entertain some who might have information on the new county codes.
Now, i don't mind the union doing their thing, but now they promote themselves on radio and on signs as the "working families ticket". They down play the union part to blend in, and when steve corbett asked sal licata how this "working family" ticket was formed, Sal would not say that it was a union thing, but that "11 like-minded" people just came together.
However, Wil Toole and Bruce Simpson must remember one thing here. They are COPS endorsed candidates, and COPS didn't have an interview process either for their endorsements. They selected who they wanted, and obviously dropped certain people (Cabell, evans, and Dobash) along the way.
So before they criticize that union process, they best realize they took part in a similar endorsement process with COPS.
Mr. Toole, Mr. Rome,
Please accept my apologies. I did not mean to single you two out in particular. No personal insults intended. I do, however, take issue with candidates that are either seeking endorsement or have received endorsement from the public service unions. In this case it includes a good portion of the Democratic candidates running in this primary and from what I have heard a few Republicans as well. If you have read Mark Cour's blog, you will no doubt agree that I am vehemently against public service unions for reasons mentioned within. http://mcour.blogspot.com/2011/05/tim-mullen-q.html. I intend to represent the taxpayer and I beleive these unions do not have the majority of the taxpayer's interests at heart. The taxpayer, I hope, will give me what I consider the most important endorsement. I am passionate about what I beleive in. Forgive me, for my passion on this issue leaves me with perhaps not the best choice of words at times.
It shows character to admit to a poor choice of words. Tim Mullen's apology is accepted.
Yes I was endorsed by the COPS group. I had never met any member of that group till the evening I was invited there to speak with the group. They apparently read my resume and liked what they read. This is a community based group and I invite all to read my "public life" link on my web site www.ElectWilToole.com. If you do so, you will see that I began serving my community while on active duty with the US Coast Guard. When my ship was in port, I attended local boy scout meetings in my home port of Staten Island where I taught boy scout's knot tying skills. I'm now 68 years old and as you will see if you take the time to read my bio. I have spent a lifetime of public service. I talk the talk and I walk the walk ...... never thought I would get to use that line....... but look at my record, I write letters to the editor, speak up on talk radio and attend county commissioner's meetings where I have offered solutions to county problems. How many other county counsel candidates have done that? If I had a campaign slogan, it would be, "Solutions, not Complaints".
I don't see any comparison between COPS and the union endorsement. COPS is a citizen action group and the union is a labor group with nothing in common with each other.
Retired AFSCME Union Rep. Ed Harry was present when I spoke to the COPS group so he knew I was a candidate. Ed Harry knows me personally and he knows the role I played in helping to organize the Luzerne county Local 1378. When I heard about these endorsement interviews, I called Ed Harry as well as Teamster president Pat Connors and neither returned my phone call. I also wrote a letter to the AFSCME District Director Dave Antall just to let him know of my disappointment in not being invited for an interview. Dave did not acknowledge my letter but in all honesty, I didn't expect him to, it was simply an informational letter.
I would venture to say that there is not one union endorsed candidate that has both my labor and municipal management experience and I would be happy to debate that with any of them. As a city administrator, I was contacted by the International City/County Manager's Association and was advised that I had met their criteria of a Professional Municipal Manager. Who among the candidates has that in their resume?
Perhaps my style of union management turned off the union big wigs. As the president of the county's union, we the leadership refused to play hardball over abusive union issues. We refused to protect slackers. If an employee filed a grievance and the employee was wrong, we made that point and the grievance died. However, we also fought for right and went as far as binding arbitration more than once. Our motto was, "If your right your right!" As a city administrator, I wore a management hat and I also went to arbitration to protect the taxpayer's from what I considered to be impossible union demands. I feel very comfortable thinking that the employees who worked under my management would speak well of my management style and uphold my personal claim of fairness.
The union's labor council did not endorse me and that is their right; COPS did endorse me and that is their right. Now all I truly want is the endorsement of the voters and thank God and the military, they have that right. Wil Toole, Veteran, Experienced and Qualified candidate for County Council.
Dear Anonymous 12:33 a.m.
I love how these people refuse to use there names. You are of course mixing apples and oranges, no?
The Unions stated that they looked over all candidates after reviewing their qualifications, conducted interviews, and made their selections. They are endorsing on behalf of the labor unions which include the unionized members of the county work force. In reality, they did none of this, but simply chose union members to gain access to the Council and seek majority control so that contracts would go smoothly and their way. The fact that they are using this smoke screen of "working families ticket," is more proof that they are trying to disguise who they really are. I guess they think that non-union families don't work.
COPS selected who they wanted to endorse as a civic group representing citizens in their community. They never said they held interviews with all the candidates, etc and then selected. They came to candidates who they felt would be honest and work in the people's interests, not any one narrow group of people. So, your inference fails on many points and if you can't see the difference between the labor unions and a civil group, that all the more pity.
Simpson and Toole both have my vote. After reading the above, it is obvious to me that both of these gentlemen combine intelligence and commonsense in their thought process and it's about time we have people of such quality. I especially like the way Mr Toole handled the nasty comment by Tim Mullen, as one poster said, "class". Good luck gentlemen. Signed Intelligent Voter
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