The LuLac Edition #1836, November 15th, 2011
Confidentiality agreement. 
Luzerne County Prison. (Citizen's Voice photo).
18% APPROVAL RATING
The United States Congress has scored an 18% approval rate. That means that 82% of the American people think they are doing a bad job. This cuts both ways, Democratic and Republican. Is it any wonder that political pundits are begging the President to run again Congress like Harry Truman did in 1948.
NOT PREPARED!!
Rick Perry demonstrated in a debate a few weeks back that he couldn’t even remember the names of the dastardly and despicable agencies he wants to eliminate. Herman Cain, in an editorial board interview with a Milwaukee newspaper was scrambling and scrapping trying to define his own positional differences with President Obama on Libya. The video shows Cain asking for hints, backtracking and just not knowing what he was talking about. It was an embarrassment for a Presidential candidate to not know this stuff. But the process and what we expect our of leaders has been so dumbed down that this is being chocked up to a blip on the radar screen. For the last few years the Times Leader has been putting up interviews of local candidates on its website. Candidates for Judge, County Council, State Representatives and Row Offices took their turn in front of the camera. Some were very good, some were just okay and some left a lot to be desired as far as camera presence was concerned. But even the very worst were better than what I saw Herman Cain do the other day.
THE PICKING STARTS
At the Luzerne County Prison Board meeting the other day, concerns were expressed that the new County Manager might not be able to handle running the prison. Both board members Walter Griffith and Mary Anne Petrilla who have no love lost for each other expressed opinions that may be the Prison should be a separate entity than be under an administrative umbrella under the new form of government. The prison makes up 25% of the county budget and board members fear that with the other 75% the manager has to deal with, the prison might become an after thought. A new manager is not even in place but the second guessing already is in full gear.
COUNCIL DYNAMICS
The Home Rule County Council met on Monday night and decided 15-3 to not release the names of the applicants for the position of County Manager. The consultant said that he deemed 21 out of the 72 applicants to be qualified. The dissenting votes came from Rick Morelli who has been for an open head count from the start and the Steve Urbans. Urban Senior theatrically tore up his confidentiality agreement to pieces during the meeting. The three who refused to sign an agreement will not be given computer discs with the names of the manager candidates. Jim Bobeck wondered if the people who refused to sign the confidentiality agreements would be allowed to sit in on discussions of the applicants. That’s a tough question but I think the concept of majority rules comes into play here. Since there is no thing in politics anymore as a “gentlemen’s agreement”, I say keep them out of the meeting if they can’t abide with the majority decision of confidentiality.
posted by David Yonki @ 2:57 PM
10 comments
10 Comments:
I'd like to know who the 18% who approve are?
Politicians, all of them, are not trusted by the people. It seems even decent men get corrupted. Its not a profession for the good. The Founding Fathers, so frequently referenced, meant for Citizens to serve a term and go back home. Key word, Citizens! People of the People! Professional Politicians serve to ensure themselves power, wealth and continued service with little or no regard for the People!
Since when does a majority have the right to take away the rights of the other elected officials. Yonk, you are wrong on this one!!!
So much for a transparent government. Obviously you are not concerned about the back door deals!
My money is with the 3 people who decided not to vote on it!! Any takers on this bet????
Yonk, good call on the majority rules. There is absolutely NO need for the public to know the names of the applicants. I have said from day 1 that applications with didacted names and addresses were the way to go. By doing so, the public would not know who the applicants are but neither would the Council members. They would be accepting the applications and grading them on the information and credentials and not on who the applicant is or from where. You're right and the 2 are flat out wrong. Rick Morelli has an agenda and we are yet to know what it is. The Urbans are obviously in lock step so we can count them as a single vote. If only these 3 disagree with the policy then I am sure the majority did the right thing. I find it amusing that Walter Griffith wants the prison to be a seperate intity and I'm wondering if he is now in the employment business? If the prison is removed from the Council's jurisdiction then the hiring would under the contro of the prison Baord. Will somebody please pass me the giggle sauce? Griffith has become a joke!
!8%...that is GREAT! It has doubled from 9% than it was.
Obama seems to finally be going on the attack, and given the state of the economy he still pulls even with Romney in the swing states. This is phenomenal.
Don't sell him short. The election will be close, but my take in view of the fact that the economy cannot get any worse and the GOP is on the side of the Wall St. titans is that the people are going to side with the President. After all what is Romney going to promise them, cuts in their Social Security and Medicare???? Hmmm.....if he wins highly populated senior states with that message, then I guess they get what they deserve. I dont see it.
those who failed to sign are committing a far worse sin, which is they are saying the decisions of the majority do not apply to them. That they are not bound by the rules by which this committee chooses to conduct itself.
THat's shame. Right or wrong, it's the majority decision of the group, and it must be followed. To not follow means that no one will follow the rules, not respect any votes, and you'll have political anarchy
Urban has never followed the rules. Look what he did when he ran the pension fund with Steve Flood. They lost millions and that's a fact. The media won't look into it because at the time, Flood fed them stories and now Griffith feeds them stories and Urban has always had a private line to the TL. Bums, each of them . I rank Flood first, Urban second and Griffith third. Griffith may not be as bad but he deals with the TL and the CV from the inside and feeds them stories. All these 3 ever wanted was to see their names glorified.
IN RESPONSE
All these 3 ever wanted was to see their names glorified.
HOLD ON THERE COWBOY. IT MAY BE TRUE THAT ANY POLITICIAN WANTS THEIR NAME IN PRINT. AND URBAN CAN BE ERRATIC JUST BECAUSE HE WANTS TO MESS WITH PEOPLE BUT YOU SHOULD NOT DIMINISH IN ANY WAY THE CALL TO ATTENTION AND DETAIL ALL THREE PROVIDED COUNTY GOVERNMENT. THAT IS A CONTRIBUTION OF GREAT MAGNITUDE IN AND OF ITSELF. I DON'T THINK IF THERE WASN'T AN URBAN, GRIFFITH OR FLOOD, AS IRRITATING AS YOU MAKE THEM OUT TO BE, THE FEDS WOULD EVER HAVE GOTTEN INVOLVED IN THE LUZERNE COUNTY GOVERNMENT PROBLEMS.
Yonk, I wish I knew who 4:24 PM is because I would love to sit and discuss his comments. I do not agree that these guys were the reason the Feds were in town. Apparently there is much you don't know so you take the obvious and think it is the determining figure. Here is a news flash for you. The downfall of the judges was not because of the diligence of the three clowns, it was at the behest of the insurance companies. These guys were giving awards under the authority of the uninsured/under insured that got their attention. The insurance companies could not win a case and the awards were not just the highest in the state but in the entire Eastern United States. Luzerne county courts were corrupt for many reasons and what got the feds attention was the complaints filed by the insurance companies. You don't know what you think you know. Those three egos were little more than a gnat to the Feds but they had the media in their pockets so it made for an easy story. Sooner or later you and I will meet and I'll give you a lesson on the true inside of Luzerne County corruption. I agree 100% that those 3 guys are laughable.
It was JR. Urban that tore up the paper at the homerule meeting not SR. Urban
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