The LuLac Edition #2164, August 18th, 2012

Former Pittston Area and convicted felon, Ross Scarentoni. 

SEND HIM BACK!!!! 

WBRE TV’s Joe Holden revealed this week that former Pittston Area Superintendent Ross Scarantino has been playing an active role in Pittston Area School Board affairs. This is even after Scarantino was jailed on bribery charges. WBRE reported that Scarantoni pressured board members to adopt an educational module developed by The Step By Step organization. The news report says that Scarantino phoned a Pittston Area Administrator, Dr. Janet Donovan more than thirty times try to persuade her to adopt the program. When she refused, the Pittston Area School Board demoted her. (Of course they attributed it to funding cuts but in today’s Citizen’s Voice she seemed to confirm that). It was also revealed that Scarantino might have had input into the selection of his successor’s successor at the other night’s meeting. (Scarantino was succeeded by George Cosgrove. Cosgrove was in turn succeeded by Michael Garzella). Some of my sources say that Scarantino was asked to be a consultant and that all he was doing was offering his opinion. You offer your opinion once or twice. When you call someone thirty times, that’s lobbying. The fact that Scarantino is arrogant enough to think that people in this area are going to buy this line just shows that he is the same wheeler dealer and operator that was sent up the river. I don’t know the terms of Scarantino’s release from jail. But I do know this. When you get out of jail, you are to avoid situations and people that got you there in the first place. I don’t begrudge anyone making a living. But this is not Mark Ciavarella riding shotgun with Bob Kadluboski doing menial paint jobs. (Which I give the former Judge a lot of credit for). This is the same power king using his old connections to stay in the same game he forfeited by his bad behavior. My God, Greg Skrepenak (the former Luzerne County Commissioner) had an impromptu lunch with some cronies at a West Pittston restaurant and his early release was revoked. A few weeks ago, a friend and I saw him at an Edwardsville eatery. We both took some time to think whether we should engage him in conversation for fear that we might be messing up his situation. Skrep had lunch, Scarantino, according to Holden’s story, you get the impression that he  has played an active “Godfather” like role in the current operations of the Pittston Area School Board. The sad part is that the board seems to think they need his advice and help. If that’s the case, then maybe the entire school board should resign if they are incapable of thinking for themselves. And someone should look into Scarantino’s release agreement. In the newspapers today, it was reported that the feds are keeping on eye on this. Donavan mentioned today the reason why she turned down the offer was because of Scarantino’s relentless sales pitch. In my humble opinion, he should be sent back to jail for attempting to influence and control the very entity and institution he shamed with his actions. I know his pension has been denied and I should feel for him. People tell me so. But with his huge salaries over the years does he need to go back to the same well? The well of public money? If a convicted drug dealer comes within an eyelash of his old stomping grounds, he goes back to the slammer. That’s a no brainer. If it’s good enough for the druggie, it should be good enough for “The Doctor”!