The Lu Lac Political Letter: The LuLac Edition #4,020, March 3rd, 2019

TOOMEY-JONES BILL WOULD CURB FENTANYL IMPORTS

DA Stefanie Salavantis, Senator Pat Toomey and Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tony George with law enforcement officers Friday. (Photo: Citizens Voice-Mark Moran)

As many of you know I have not been a big fan of Senator Pat Toomey through the years. But once in a while he does something I can get behind. Toomey is sponsoring a bill with Alabama Senator Doug Jones to cut down on fentanyl imports. Toomey was in Luzerne County Friday to announce the plans with area leaders. Luzerne County has been one of the highest areas with opioid overdose deaths.
Called The Blocking Deadly Fentanyl Imports Act, the bill would make foreign aid contingent with cooperation from foreign governments in stopping or reducing the imports.
DA Stefanie Salavantis told the Citizen’s Voice,
For the past five years, Luzerne County has seen a steady increase in the number of fatal overdoses — with 169 last year and 17 already this year, said District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis, whose drug task force has seized 842 grams of fentanyl and 2,412 grams of fentanyl mixed with heroin since 2016.
“Imagine how many people that could have killed in Luzerne County if we weren’t able to take it off the streets,” Salavantis said. “Limiting the amount of fentanyl being brought into our nation is hopefully going to result in less fatalities.”
Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tony George said the crisis has been severe in the city as well. In the past several years, city police and firefighters have administered “well over” 1,000 doses of Narcan, which counteracts the effects of a fentanyl overdose.
“If they weren’t given those doses, we’d have 1,000 more people — just from the City of Wilkes-Barre — in the grave,” George said. “I firmly believe in the old theory of supply and demand. We can’t get rid of the demand because it’s been there. We have the drug courts and we have the counseling, and they still keep coming back. So the simple thing would be to stop the supply. This is Sen. Toomey’s bill.
Let’s hope the bill gets bi partisan support in D.C. (LuLac, Citizens Voice)

AUTHENTIC FRENCH REVIVED AGAIN IN WILKES BARRE

It was great to see Rob Friedman take over the Le Manhattan Bistro. Friedman and I go way back as members of the Wilkes-Barre Kiwanis Club. As a matter of fact it was Friedman who got members of that club to have a meet and greet with then Vice President George Bush.
When I was in advertising sales, it was m pleasure to work with his late sister Ann Glauber. His business savvy comes from knowing what customers want and how to do things the right way from the start. We wish hi luck and success in this new endeavor where I am supremely confident that he will succeed. The restaurant will be open for dinner Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 5–9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5-10 p.m., as well as for brunch on Sundays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Wilkes Barre Mayor Tony George was on hand with other officials and friends to see Friedman cut the ribbon on his new venture.

Here's a shot of the new owner. (Photo: Times Leader)

LUZERNE COUNTY GOP LINCOLN DAY BREAKFAST

The last time the Republican Party of Luzerne County had a Lincoln Day Breakfast was on a icy cold Saturday morning in February of 2016. At that time their main speaker Congressman Lou Barletta said he was going to take a look at all of the Republican candidates running for President before he even thought about making an endorsement. A few weeks later, Barletta dove into the Trump pool
A lot has happened in those three years including two leadership changes in the party hierarchy in the County. But like the tasty and tightly scrambled eggs served up at Genetti’s on Saturday, the other constant is the belief by local Republicans that their party is the right one for the middle class.
5th District Chair P.J. Pribula kicked it off with his welcome of both Republicans and Democrats to the event saying that Washington can learn some lessons by the cooperation between Republicans and Democrats here in The Lu. .
Newly installed 9th District Congressman Dan Meuser spoke of being in the Cabinet Room with both the President and the Vice President on a meeting regarding trade. Meuser said that in his estimation the President was at the top of his game and said the President inquired about how things were going in Pennsylvania.
Former Governor Mark Schweiker was the main speaker and oh my what a job he did. Meuser introduced Schweiker and referred to the rescue of the 9 miners in Somerset County late in the Governor’s tenure. Schweiker expounded on that saying that the mine rescue saved all the men who were trapped, which apparently is something that hadn’t happened before.
But the main deal with Schweiker’s speech was his take on business, industry and jobs. He told the audience that we are in the midst of a 4th Industrial Revolution. The first three, Steam and Heat, Electricity, and Computers changed the map and lifestyle of America. The fourth was automation. Schweiker said that jobs were changing and the onus was on his party to get ahead of this revolution telling workers that the jobs they have now may be changed more rapidly than in previous years.
The ex Guv referenced the exit of Bimbo Bakery from Hazleton as an example. Schweiker said that the responsibility of all leaders is to prepare workers and students with new opportunities that can dovetail with the new technologies. The former Governor said that Guidance Counselors should realize that not everyone needed to go to college.
He wrapped up talking about safer neighborhoods and how a political party should of course be concerned about votes but also craft a message that keeps them in step with the changing technologies.
Schweiker got a standing ovation and more than a few in the crowd, myself included, told him he should run for Governor in his own right in 2022. He was flattered and said “His time had gone”.
Well not so fast there, Pennsylvania sometimes has no set mindset of having people either defeated previously like the late Bob Casey Senior or Arlen Specter. It is not out of the realm of possibility that maybe the state GOP might someday ask Mark Schweiker to once more return to public service in the Commonwealth. Time will tell on that one.
In the meantime, the breakfast was quite a success for the new leadership[ of the Luzerne County GOP.