MAIL BAG LETTERS FROM READERS

To the residents of Wilkes-Barre City Council District D:

Since the primary election, Linda J. Urban has been actively involved in a negative election campaign for city council. Mrs. Urban recently has resorted to distributing misleading postings and mailings. She claims to have resided in the district “most of my life,” when in fact, after losing the election for mayor and city council in 2007, she put her house up for sale and went to Florida.

Mrs. Urban repeatedly criticizes council benefits, including health care, gas reimbursements, etc. What Mrs. Urban fails to mention is that I have never accepted council-related health care benefits, or any buyout incentives. In addition, she fails to mention that I do not contribute and never have participated in the council pension plan. This was a promise that I made to residents of Wilkes-Barre when first elected, and I will continue to honor that promise.

She continues by saying that “this is not a full-time job.” I couldn’t disagree more. This is much more than a job; it is a commitment to serve the residents of the city, no matter what it takes or how long it takes to accomplish our goals.

As far as qualifications, I also am a veteran (U.S. Army, Vietnam era), attended King’s College, the Pennsylvania State Police MPO Academy and the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va. I have more than 28 years of progressive law enforcement experience with the Wilkes-Barre Police, retiring as chief of police. I am currently employed by an area college as a safety and security director.

Please be assured that in all my years of public service, my honesty and integrity have never been challenged.

Mrs. Urban’s references to “ingrained corruption, nepotism, graft and threats to our Bill of Rights…” in her very negative mailings are blatant attacks and an insult to other veterans, government officials and public servants who are proud of what they do every day and hold their personal integrity in high esteem.

I am humbly requesting your vote for re-election to Wilkes-Barre City Council District D on Nov. 8, which will allow me to continue to represent and serve all the residents of our great city.

Williams will do the county proud

The second most important governing election in Luzerne County history will occur on Nov. 8. The first was last year’s election when county voters adopted a home rule charter that replaces our current, three-commissioner structure with an 11-member council with an appointed county manager. The home rule charter takes full effect on Jan. 2, 2012.

With a new framework in hand for restoring integrity to county governance, it’s the responsibility of voters to populate the council with members who will validate the goals of home rule. I strongly urge voters to review the profiles and credentials of all the council candidates and ask: “Will this candidate be the best choice for implementing the positive changes needed to restore voter confidence in county government?”

Home rule will not achieve the level of government reform that residents deserve if candidates are elected for the wrong reasons or if they intend to corrupt the home-rule process by bringing backward-thinking politics to the table. Our county deserves forward-thinking, independent voices such as Rick Williams, who have no other agenda beyond maximizing the potential of the home rule charter to bring honesty, integrity and fairness back to county government.

Vote Rick Williams and help lock in a new era of government that makes us proud to be Luzerne County residents.

Consider Mullen on Election Day

Libertarian refers to “liberty.” And it is Libertarian candidate Tim Mullen’s mission to liberate taxpayers from the yoke of higher taxes.

Tim Mullen, a candidate for Luzerne County Council, is a decorated combat veteran, but now he wages a different kind of campaign. He aims to show the same valor he showed on the battlefield in combating corruption in the Luzerne County Courthouse.

I know that he is fiercely independent, but also very thoughtful and honest. He’s also quite street smart and sees through baloney. He will be neither deceived nor intimidated if elected.

One of his primary goals is to address the county’s enormous debt before interest rates rise. Libertarian Party members such as Mullen have a firm resolution to support a small, efficient government that allows for maximum liberty. It is this principle that allows them to see through schemes. This means that Mullen will be able to advise the county manager as to which endeavors should be avoided.

But Tim’s defining attribute is his heart; and this is why he can be seen each week at the Farmers Market or at bazaars, handing out his campaign cards and meeting people. I believe that his heart is also what led him to run as a third-party candidate.

Tim isn’t perfect, and he readily admits the he is not the best candidate in every category. But Mullen has all the intangible traits: firm principles, bravery, wits and the dedication necessary to carry out his duties well.

I am grateful that I have a candidate for whom to vote as good as Tim, since they are hard to come by. I encourage all voters to consider him Nov. 8.

Board candidates vow to cut costs

We, as candidates for Wyoming Area School Board, are sensitive to the ongoing economic conditions. We all are experiencing higher grocery bills, increased home heating costs, escalating gas prices, along with the pain, suffering and devastation that the recent flooding has caused. We are aware that these challenging times have put an extra strain on family budgets.

Unfortunately, this situation is compounded by the recent mailings of school taxes, which are due at the end of the year. We know of the challenges you face and, as your elected officials, we too are faced with the daunting challenge of balancing the district budget while being fair to you, the taxpayers.

We see the major issue facing the district as surging health care costs. Family coverage for a district employee (husband, wife and child) costs the district more than $21,000 per year. The district’s yearly cost for employee health care is $2.8 million, with zero contributions from union-represented employees. In addition, state reimbursement under Gov. Tom Corbett’s administration has declined more than $1 million for the fiscal year 2011-12.

We propose to cut expenditures by asking that teachers take part in contributing to their own health care, as we do, and as all other professionals and members of the private sector do. We think that’s fair.

That is why we both voted “no” to increased taxes at the June budget meeting. We believe the answer for our school district is in cutting expenditures, not increasing your taxes.

We recognize that the greatest source of our success as a district lies with its people, our outstanding teachers and dedicated employees. Our pledge to you is that during these difficult economic times, all of our decisions will be made in the best interest of students, always keeping in mind our already overburdened taxpayer, without compromising the quality education that Wyoming Area students and our community expect.

Writer: Duo fails for Wyoming Area

The clich� ‘ignorance is bliss’ must have been coined by people who desired to maintain control without interference from those who were being controlled. This philosophy seemingly has been the motto of the Wyoming Area School Board majority for a good many years and has led to the financial crisis facing the sdistrict today.

Over the past few years, too little has been done by the Wyoming Area board majority to manage expenditures, despite concerns voiced by myself and the business manager. And here is where the problem lies.

We have heard about the $20 million loan that was taken out in 2005 for high school construction and how the new school board majority saved the day by scaling back the construction to save money. Well, since that time, about $1.5 million of that money has been used each year to help balance the budget by paying the interest on loans. As I predicted in a letter to the Sunday Dispatch in 2009, this money will be depleted by the end of 2011. Well, guess what? Yep, it’s 2011.

Because of this practice, over the past few years, the fund balance has dropped from about $4 million in 2003-2004 to less than $1 million in 2011-2012. Unfortunately, the current fund balance could easily be used up to pay for the flood-damage repairs to Montgomery Avenue Elementary if payments are not made available from insurance and/or the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The recent flooding of towns in the Wyoming Area district will result in less local revenue generated from property taxes because some businesses will not be returning and some homes have been condemned. This represents yet another unanticipated blow to the budget.

Not only is revenue going down, but expenditures are going up. Health care costs are projected to increase by 15 percent, the state has indicated that retirement contributions provided by the district will increase, and then there is the usual inflation rate that increase the costs of running a district.

Please be aware that the financial crisis facing Wyoming Area did not happen without the warnings. Much more could have been done over the past few years to soften the blow. But the board majority refused to be proactive!

Wyoming Area taxpayers, ignorance is not bliss. The fiscal crisis at Wyoming Area is a reality, and while it is due in part to the nature of our nation’s economy, it is due in large part to a school board majority that put its interests ahead of yours. Now it is up to you to do your part and vote for candidates who value transparency, accountability, honesty, and intelligence – not the politics as usual for which Toni Valenti and Nick DeAngelo stand.