The LuLac Edition #1591, May 13th, 2011

PHOTO INDEX: "13 QUESTIONS" LOGO.


13 QUESTIONS

1. How do you think the County Council race in Luzerne County will ultimately shake out?

We are in uncharted territory but a winner might just be able to garner a seat with maybe less than 2,000 votes. And if the turnout is low, that base number might be lower. We’ll have a full breakdown on Sunday.

2. Did you hear the Mike Blazick for radio ads this week? It sounds like they are the same ones from 2009. Any thoughts?

Ads are ads. If the message is good, which Blazick’s is when they were made should not matter. One of the ads talks about contributions from Attorneys to Judicial campaigns. The same message is not the preferred method in commercial advertising but if a political message is good, it’s timeless.

3. What do you think of the feud between Pittston City Councilman Danny Argo and the former Mayor Mike Lombardo?

Lombardo is offended personally and professionally by some of Argo’s statements. If they are true, he should be. But Argo is going for a third term and has been a player in Pittston politics despite his comments. That said though, sometimes the shelf life on that type of politico wears off.

4. Will the killing of Bin Laden help or hurt President Obama’s 2012 campaign?

It won’t hurt because he did keep a big campaign promise. But the ultimate judgement of a President is how well he responds to the economy. The biggest pratfall for the President will be how people are doing economically. The gas prices are going to be a big indicator. If Obama takes a tough stance on the oil companies, that will help too. But in the ends, Obama and his people should remember that George Bush 41 had a 91% approval rate after the first Gulf War. And he was beat by a faltering, not even a bad economy.

5. Do you think there will be more bullet voting in this election?

Yes, people may not be able to pick the entire 11 so they’ll pick the first 6 or 7. Then there will be candidates who will just ask voters to vote for them and no one else. It will be a very fragmented ballot.

6. Will there be any dual nominations coming out of the Judge race in Luzerne County? And who has the best chance?

There will be. Last time Bill Amesbury won on the Democratic and Republican ticket. Not to jinx them but I think this time around Dick Hughes has a shot at a double because he is so well known as well as Mike Vough who has been everywhere it seems. Because Jennifer Rogers finished in the top 8 on both tickets last year and you have 6 slots, she might grab one dual too. But there are a lot of variables like ballot position, bullet voting and even turnout.

7. I was curious about this. A few candidates that ran for Luzerne County Judge last time aren’t in it this year. What is your opinion on this?

It is a grind both personally and financially. I give anyone credit for trying for office. And when you lose, especially when your favored or you spend a ton of money (and especially if it’s your own) you need to regroup despite the temptation to get back in it. The general public forgets sometimes that candidates are real people too. Once the cheering dies down, they have to lug their clothes to the dry cleaner, get someone to fix the roof when it leaks, educate their kids and provide for their families. So it is a tough occupation.

8. I thought Steve Urban lived in Parsons yet he’s listed at a South Wilkes Barre (Willow Street) address. What’s going on?

George Avenue in Parsons is part of Marty Kane’s Magisterial District. Urban most likely used Willow Street to qualify as living in the south Wilkes Barre District. His multiple campaign strategy is to run for numerous offices. He’s running for County Council as well as Magistrate in District 11 01 01 which was Bill Amesbury’s old seat.

9. Do you think there is a covert move to have the County Council stacked with people who will obstruct change?

Well I know there are certain row officers that wouldn’t be sad if they were re-appointed to the old jobs under the guise of a new department. So you have all types of factions pulling and prodding. But I think this ballot is so unwieldy on the Democratic side, 33 people running that any organised effort will be tough to well coordinate. But yeah there are certain people who will want to cling to the status quo. We’ll have to find out who gets the council seats, whether they can elect a leader or majority and more importantly if they stay true to the intent of the charter. That’s why a mix is so important. You need the old pros like Wil Toole, Ed Brominski, and Eileen Sorakas. You also need the new blood of Attorney Harry Skene, Casey Evans, Michelle Bednar, Elaine Maddon Curry and Mario Fiorucci. Bruce Simpson’s and Steve Urban’s Federal government experience cannot be overlooked either. Plus you need the people who have actually been attending the Charter meetings from day one, those being Rick Morelli, Jim Bobeck and Mike Giamber. You need all these people to get along and govern. And there are a lot of knives out but the problem is no one knows who precisely to go after for the kill. But yeah there are people worried.

10. Did you find any evidence that the FBI has credited Vito DeLuca with actually ridding the Courthouse of corruption?

If he did they (the FBI) aren’t talking about it. But he sure is in his media.

11. Why no political forums this timer around for LuLac?

I tried to put a few things together but I wanted to expand them. Unfortunately the media partners I was working with and I had philosophical differences about how to present it and put it together. I then thought of a Council and Mayor’s forum for Wilkes Barre but I ran into some major commitments with my “Weather Or Knot” project. Plus my fall in March has really put me in more pain that I realized. So it was a combination of things but we’ll try again. We’re not going away.

12. Do you think your LuLac poll will yield any surprises when you release the results on the Wilkes Barre Mayor’s race and Judge’s race?

Oh yeah.

13. Arnold and Maria. Thoughts?

25 years and then they separate. I mean what’s the point. Suck it up and stay. Unless they are throwing knives at each other, hang in there.