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WILKES-BARRE — The city council Thursday night sent a message to outgoing Mayor Tom Leighton — his final two months will have some bumps.
The council voted down the creation of a sewer authority and the five members chosen by the mayor to sit on the panel to establish pass-through fees for other municipalities. However, it did support the sale of city property for a proposed $28 million hotel and conference center and refinancing of $6 million in bonds as a money-saving measure.
Mayor-elect and councilman Tony George received support from residents who attended the combined work session and regularly scheduled council meeting on his request to hold off on the first of two readings of an ordinance to create the municipal sewer authority. George recognized newly elected council member Tony Brooks, Beth Gilbert and Mike Belusko in the audience and said they should have a vote on it.
“I think what we should do this with this sewer authority is wait, table it til January til these people are in office and get input from them who should be on the board,” George said.
He and Leighton went back and forth about the appointees — Richard Muessig, Ann Toole, David Bertrum, Charles McCormick and Frank Kratz — arguing over how they were selected.
“You had the option” of submitting names, Leighton said.
But George polled his four fellow council members asking them if they were consulted. Bill Barrett, George Brown, Maureen Lavelle and Mike Merritt each said they were not.
“It does appear that council has a say in this,” Barrett said referring to the language of the ordinance.
Administration critic Bob Kadluboski urged the council to hold off, saying he’s heard other municipalities would sue the city if the pass-through fees were enacted. “Why don’t we just wait until the new council gets in and try to negotiate with other towns?” Kadluboski asked.
Leighton had success on the property sale, but only after he reassured the council there would be a clause in the agreement stating the property would revert to the city if the project was not completed.
Still residents Sam Troy and Frank Sorick raised concerns about the project.
Troy asked how the $500,000 sale price was arrived at and asked that the resolution put before the council for a vote be tabled until more details were provided.
“There’s just too many question marks, ” Troy said.
“We need an iron-clad contract to protect the city of Wilkes-Barre,” added Sorick. And George recommended the resolution be tabled and taken up in two weeks at the next scheduled meeting with the revert clause included.
“Until we see it in writing I think it would be remiss for us to vote on something that could happen,” George said.
“I think you need to put your trust in the administration that we’re not going to screw this up,” Leighton said.
“I trust you. I don’t know about them,” George replied, referring to the developer Sphere International Corp. of India.
George voted against the sale of the property.
Leighton impressed upon the council the urgency to refinance the bonds and the uncertainty of what could happen under a new administration.
“While we have a good credit rating, it’s an excellent time to take advantage of it. If the credit rating is downgraded, you won’t have the opportunity to do this,” he said.
The mayor stressed state law will not allow the refinancing unless it saves money, adding the specific amount was not available and the bonds have not yet gone out to the market to be purchased.
“This is for the future not the present, so it benefits everybody,” Leighton said.
The remaining agenda item, authorizing Borton-Lawson Engineering to design and oversee the repair of a section of the stone wall along Solomon Creek, had no opposition. The firm will be paid out of a $425,349 Local Share Account grant from gambling revenues from the Mohegan Sun Pocono casino.
The council also heard from a resident of Holland Street, who wanted to thank Department of Public Works employees Ron Romanelli, P.J. Graham and Michael Lewis, for taking a care of a paving problem that caused flooding on her property. “These people are an asset to the city,” said the woman who identified herself only as Irene.
South River Street residents John Chicchetti and his daughter-in-law, Samantha, spoke out about problems they’ve been having with Wilkes University students who live off-campus. The latest occurred early morning Nov.1 when a costumed man wielding a knife came onto their porch and broke a window, they said. They provided the council with a compact disc containing examples of unruly behavior captured by home video surveillance.
“I’m not trying to fight City Hall. I’m asking for help,” John Chicchetti said.
Sorick and resident John Suchoski pleaded with the council to let Jim Walsh speak. Walsh, who regularly addresses the council, did not meet the deadline to submit a form before meeting started. The meeting began after the completion of the work session and ahead of the regularly scheduled 6 p.m. start.
“Get rid of the sign up sheet and let people talk,” Suchoski said. “He’s a World War II veteran. Let the man speak.”
Merritt adhered to the rules, but arranged for Walsh to speak after the meeting was adjourned.
Walsh brought with him a poster board filled with photos of blighted properties in the Rolling Mill Hill section where he lives. He criticized Leighton for failing to deal with the dilapidated and vacant properties in the neighborhoods.
“He’s forever promoting central city,” Walsh said.
As he often does, he decried what he said is the lack of respect for the American flag and it not being displayed on national holidays, noting Veterans Day is Nov. 11.
Leighton asked reporters from the Times Leader and the Citizens’ Voice covering the council meeting to encourage people to display the flag and attend the Wyoming Valley Veteran’s Day Parade on Sunday.