The LuLac Edition #1804, October 20th, 2011

Former County Commissioner and Luzerne County Council candidate Edd Brominski.

PARTY SINS

Running as a third party candidate is tough enough to having a party philosophy thrown around your neck like a dead weight can sometimes confuse the voters. If you are considering voting for a Third Party candidate, be it Libertarian or American Independent, please understand that when a person chooses a party, they don’t necessarily agree with some basic tenants. Charlie Hatcho, aka Bible Buck is running on the American Independent Party ticket. That party was the banner that the late George Wallace ran under when he ran for President in 1968. The party’s platform talked about a stop to progress in civil rights. Shall Charlie Hatcko be saddled with that philosophy in his run for County Council? The answer is NO. The Libertarian party talks about a very loose policy regarding drug use and punishment of that crime. Does that mean Betsy Summers, Tim Mullen or any other Libertarian candidate be saddled with that belief? Are Mullen and Summers endorsing the legalization of drugs? OF COURSE NOT. Voters need to think about what the candidates are going to do in the job they are running for. They don’t need to be confused by comments from major party candidates who are saying that these local candidates will go in lockstep with the third party philosophy they are running on. It’s time for voters to keep their eye on the ball and vote for the person, not the party.

BROMINSKI COMMENTS

Ed Brominski sent me a letter the other day regarding the remarks made by current Commissioner Steve Urban at Monday night’s Council Forum at Wilkes College. Brominski pulled no punches in his disagreement with Urban. In his remarks Urban spoke about what the county has done in the last year but it should be voted he was and is an opponent of Home Rule. Dissenting voices are alright but many people are afraid that obstructionism might not be the way to go in the formation of this new Count government. Here Brominski’s comments and Mr. Urban is welcome to respond fully on this site:
Dear Editor:
I sat in complete dismay at the arrogance this evening of Steve Urban in his address to the Downtown Resident’s Association. He said the charter was the worst he has ever seen, worked against it, will not follow it and yet, he is running to gain a seat on the commission that will oversee the actions prescribed by the charter and the other council members attempts to have our new government succeed. He said he is stepping backward to run for a council seat.
BACKWARDS !!!! What a slap in the face to the other people running for the same office. He cited getting monies to help Barnes and Noble open a store at the mall, and bragged about starting a levee fee, which he says protected 18,000 homes during Irene. Lets get some facts into this equation. Who protected those in the flood zone that did not and will not pay the fee? Why were the gauges a failure at telling the river depth? There is a fee to see that the safety of the community is looked after, why was it not used? Why did the gates leak? They were not properly maintained and the rubber bushing were corroded (levee fee not used). Steve thanked the public for his past 12 years as a commissioner. Here is what he did not discussed. The borrowing of $13 million in 2006 and 2007 to balance the budget,$23 million more in 2008 to do the same. Allowing the building of a “Kid’s For Cash Prison “ at a cost of $20 million over initial estimates. A credit card fiasco which put a sitting commissioner in Federal Prison, a failed re-assessment program that cost $2 million more than we were told it would cost. Then, upon completion of the re-assessment , raised our taxes in 2009 by 10% and again in 2010 by 15% in order to meet budgetary needs , and this year we are faced with a $23 million short fall in our budget When in God’s name will the public stand up and say ENOUGH ALREADY !!! Let us hope that will be on Nov. 8th of this year when we vote for the new council and EXCLUDE Steve Urban,Sr. and Jr., from dragging us further down the path of destruction. The old saying goes,” when you are in a hole , stop digging”. We are there, stop voting for any Urban.
God Bless America and Luzerne County.
Edwad A. Brominski
Luzerne County Commissioner..1980-1983
Luzerne County Council Candidate...2011
PS: Steve : “the water is at 38.89 feet and steady !!!! I am optimistic “.
Sound familiar ??? Tell them in Duryea not to worry.

WALTER’S PICKS

Luzerne County Controller penned a letter to the editor and gave residents his picks for Luzerne County Council. Walter who never got any support from his party in his Controller run (in the primary the GOP brain trust ran about 5 candidates against him) is urging an open mind and a bipartisan ballot. Here’s what he said:
Editor:
Residents of Luzerne County, I am asking for your help in making the County of Luzerne a better government by voting on Nov. 8. The voters of Luzerne County have a very important decision to make on Nov. 8 with regard to the government in our county.
There are 28 candidates that are on the ballot for Luzerne County Council and seven judicial candidates for the Luzerne County Court. These positions are vital to the accountability and creditability of our county, and the election should be decided very carefully to be sure we are moving in the direction of fixing our problems and not making them worse.
There are several candidates that I would like to recommend to the voters for your consideration on Nov. 8 to make our county a better place to live and work. The following 11 candidates are my choice for Luzerne County Council which I believe would make a difference in the way our county is governed and also make reasonable and rational decisions that would justify the decision for home rule government as the right choice.
Eugene Kelleher (R)
Charlie "Bible Buck" Hatchko ( I )
Kathleen Dobash (R)
Steven J. Urban (R)
Tim Mullen ( I )
Gina Nevangloski (R)
Joyce Dombroski-Gebhardt (R)
William Bill James (R)
Harry Haas ( R )
Michael Lacey ( I )
Steven A. Urban (D)
Straight party voting should be avoided in this election if we hope to elect the most qualified people. We need to elect people who will make a difference in our county, in part by selecting the first county manager under the home rule charter who will act as the chief executive of our county.
(Judicial race comments edited).
Voters of Luzerne County have decisions to make which will impact Luzerne County for many years, and we must take the time to choose these people very carefully. Please do not vote straight party this November. Your county government deserves better than that from the people responsible for its very existence. Please use your votes wisely.
Walter L. Griffith Luzerne County Controller
I can understand Kelleher who was Walter’s campaign manager, Jones, Dobash and Nevenglosky, who have been political supporters for a long time as well as a few Independents. But I’m stunned he did not include Rick Williams or Blythe Evans on his list.