Since we have no live broadcast from ECTV, we would like to try to bring you up to speed on as much as possible in regards to our Scranton City Council meetings. The following is intended to do so.

Landlords Beware

Block Grants

Andy Sbaraglia has brought attention to several key questions we would like to know as well. I will be following up on his questions to city council, as they are very in depth and I would need a whole research department to investigate thoroughly.

McCain and Palin Rallies Scranton Officials a No-Show

Bob Bolus, Scranton resident, has raised his personal concerns regarding ECTV on whether the firm is being held accountable, and by whom.

He also shows concern over the Scranton Police and Scranton Fire Department contracts, with no settlement in sight.

The following is an excerpt of his statement: "My displeasure with our officials is that you represent all of us, not Democrats, Republicans, Independents, those that don’t vote. When you people ran, you ran at the pleasure of the people to serve at the pleasure of the people, not the other way around, and that’s not happening here. And I find it embarrassing that when people who are running for the highest office in this country, none of our officials show up, only for a selected group. You are supposed to represent all of us."

Bolus went on further to say, "I went there because I wanted to learn, to hear them, and to thank them personally for coming to Scranton as a businessman and more importantly as an American, as a resident here. I believe everybody here should do that. You represent us."

In his closing statements, he addressed Council members, "To just say thank you, you don’t have to endorse, we are not asking you to endorse, I just want you to show the courtesy of the friendly city that we used to be, that built Scranton, is to say thank you to people once and for all."

Council did respond with a statement that can be found on the Scranton City Government website at www.scrantonpa.gov.

Scranton Junior Council – Gone for good?

Doug Miller, president and founder of the Scranton Junior Council, seems quite dismayed to see Scranton will not be continuing this program.

As several other towns have formed junior councils, following Scranton’s lead, it is ironic to see Scranton abolish theirs.

Mr. Miller was encouraging council members to reconsider. Council responded with this "We have asked at our respective schools and have had no-one interested. It is not because council does not want it, there was just no-one interested in it at the time."

We at the Scranton Post would encourage local schools to respond to this. Is there really no one interested? Can it be?

Scranton Debt

Ozzie Quinn, president and founder of the Scranton-Lackawanna County Taxpayers Association states, "I just want to bring it to your attention, it has never been published in the Scranton Times-Tribune, but we have a tremendous debt in the city of Scranton."

 He goes on to state his concerns about these debts, and how the borrowing continues. Pleading with Council members, he states:

"When you look at this budget this year try to take into consideration the people in the City of Scranton, you know, even though it was 72,000 there is, I don’t know how many taxpayers there are, and it’s not very many and I’m pretty sure that that $22.4 million the county owes the greatest percentage of that is going to come from the City of Scranton because it’s a central business district and the number of homes in the City of Scranton, so it’s a heck of a burden to be carrying on the taxpayers’ back, so I’d appreciate it if someone would take the lead here because there is nobody, and I’m saying nobody taking the lead for the people in the City of Scranton. They are just doing their own little political thing."

To read more about this organization or to become a member please visit the Scranton post.com website, we will provide you with a link, or visit them directly at www.scrantontaxpayers.org.

And the answer is…

Bill Jackowitz, a South Scranton resident and member of the Scranton Taxpayers Association, asks two questions week after week with no answer in return nor in sight. All city residents should be questioning this as well. Jackowitz poses the first question "Who is responsible for the City of Scranton being distressed for 16 years?" He answers himself by saying, "Mayor Dougherty, Mayor Connors and every city council since then including the Pennsylvania Governors are responsible for this city being distressed for 16 years. I would like to have councils answer to that." The 2^nd question he asked is, "When will the wage tax be reduced from the 3.4% the mayor promised us back in 2002 that he was going to reduce 1/10^th of a percent each year, he has yet to have reduced it. When is it going to be reduced? We have the 3^rd highest in the state." Council did not respond to his second question (however the answer appears at the end of this article). As to the first question I guess we’ll have to wait.

Trees and more trees

Marie Schumacher, an East Mountain resident and member of the Scranton Taxpayers Association addressed several questions and concerns also at the city council meeting. Ms. Schumacher stated that she, and members of the Scranton Taxpayers Association, went on a tour with city forester Tony Santolli. They claim to have witnessed some of the many dangerous trees that need to be removed in order to avert potential damage, public harm and possible property damage to residents. Ms. Schumacher stated, "Mr. Santolli has been performing this service for several years at no cost to the taxpayers." She suggested that council ask the Mayor to provide enough of the UDAG miscellaneous funds to allow the top 10 most dangerous trees to be removed. Ms. Schumacher further suggested that Scranton City Council Members should contact Mr. Santolli directly and ask him for a tour so that they may "see these trees with their own eyes." Council did respond to this favorably, asking the mayor’s office to appropriate some UDAG funds for the tree removal. The Post contacted Mr. Santolli and he has assured us, in conjunction with the mayor’s office, that these trees are going to be taken care of promptly. He further added that the Mayor is absolutely behind this effort and wishes no citizens to be in danger or harms way. According to Mr. Santolli there are at least 150 trees that need immediate attention, scattered throughout the Scranton area. "It is an incredible job to keep up with almost 240 miles of city roads, almost 400 miles of trees if you double back!" stated Mr. Santolli. "I truly hope these rotted trees will be removed before the winter weather hits." There are at least a dozen locations –we will keep you updated. On a brighter note, Mr. Santolli also relayed that the mayor has authorized the planting of 238 new trees throughout the city’s South Scranton section. Hopefully the new trees will breathe a little life into this seemingly sad situation.

ECTV Concerns Many

Ms. Schumacher addressed the council with questions and comments regarding ECTV, the Moosic Street and Front Street traffic signal, an inquiry as to the signed agreement with Pisano, ESBA and the tax exempt non-profit organizations in the city of Scranton.

One in particular is 933 Prescott Avenue where ECTV is headquartered, the Lackawanna Institute, the private foundation of Paul Mansour. Ms. Schumacher states, "This Institute has spent close to $1 million acquiring over a dozen properties. 2008 lost tax revenue on these three properties were almost $15,000. Granted, many of these properties have been acquired in recent years, but when you consider Lackawanna Institute was incorporated in 1997, one can’t help but wonder whether their charitable contributions is but a pittance of this lost – roughly $100,000 of property taxes revenue." Ms. Schumacher concluded, "And, finally, I notice the controller’s report, reports an $11,359,098 – a 15 year-to-date surplus at the end of the September, despite unrealized year-to-date revenues of $25,219,120.82." Council does respond, you can read it directly at www.scrantonpa.gov.

Pick your Fights

Nelson Ancherani, a city employee, voiced his concerns that the City of Scranton will have taken $600 million in revenue up to the end of 2008. Mr. Ancherani stated "the $600 million is the total of the Scranton City budgets from 2002 through 2008, the last seven years of this current city administration. It is also the total with all of the loans taken out by the city between 2002 and 2008, 600 million in revenues and you city council, almost all of the city council approved a loan for 6.1 million two weeks ago I believe. According to some a default of the loan would have been devastating, but I ask again how could we have a 5.5 million loan that was going to be defaulted on when we took in 600 million in revenue?" We are all anxiously waiting for an answer.

Outrageous, Immoral and Unethical?

Nancy Krake a Scranton City Employee, resident and taxpayer directed our and city council’s attention with the following statement. "I would like to start off by saying that I am a taxpayer in the City of Scranton as are all of council people and my tax bill is comprised of the city, the school district, Lackawanna County and library, but of those four entities only the City of Scranton is distressed, nobody else, and it’s the same people that are paying the taxes to all of those four entities. It does not make any sense that only one part can be distressed, and to go further on that, our teachers successfully negotiated with the school district a fair contract and that would have benefited Mrs. Evans and Mrs. Gatelli. I think they would agree, I know most of the membership voted for that. It was very fair with raises and health care and it was brought to an equitable conclusion. How can this contract that is paid for by the same taxpayers that pay my salary and the administration salary who, by the way, had received millions in raises and also the fire and police who have received zero in raises, so it seems to me the only people distressed in Lackawanna County and the City of Scranton are the fire and police. Clerks have had two contracts, DPW has had two contracts, our teachers have, everybody else in Lackawanna County, but fire and police." Mrs. Krake eloquently stated, "If I were a council member, I would be beating down the doors of Gov. Rendell whose decision it is ultimately to release us from this distressed status, which is what the mayor is hiding behind, to not give a contract to the Fire and Police Departments." This leaves me to say "Shouldn’t public safety be on the top of our priorities and agendas?"

The truth shall set you free

Ms. Janet Evans, a Scranton City Council Member, in response to an earlier speaker is quoted as follows: "I just wanted to first respond to questions that were posed a bit earlier by a speaker regarding the wage tax and I tried to keep the mayor’s promise last December, the wage tax could have been reduced in 2008 if my proposed budget had been passed. Now I could suggest that perhaps a portion of the 12.2 million dollars plus interest that sits in the Scranton Tax Office could be used to lower the wage tax or certainly could be used to repay the recent $6.1 million borrowing to prevent years of future interest payments, but ultimately it appears the mayor and a majority of city council can lower a wage tax if it is financially feasible, it has been in the last year or two, it certainly could have been possible I believe in the beginning of this year administration, yet, for their own reasons it has not happened. Their priorities in terms of money in, money out are a very different from the priorities of many of our working families." We agree!

To read more Scranton City Council Meeting minutes, agendas, comments and questions from concerned taxpayers like yourself please go to the www.Scrantonpost.com website and we will provide you with these links, or you can go to www.scrantonpa.gov directly. And our thanks to Cathene S. Nardozzi, RPR, official court reporter.