Click here to subscribe today or Login.
By JENNIFER LEARN jlearn@leader.net
Monday, January 31, 2000 Page: 3A
WILKES-BARRE TWP. – The daughter of a man who lost his bid for mayor in
November recently was fired from her job in a township camp.
But the man who defeated her father says Molly Ambrose lost her job
because he found someone who was better qualified, not because of politics.
The township administration sent a letter to Ambrose stating she was no
longer needed as co-director of the Wilkes-Barre Township Settlement Camp. She
is the daughter of Ben Ambrose, who lost his mayoral bid to Carl Kuren.
Also fired was Danielle Griffith, who worked as the other camp co-director.
Each post was a part-time, non-insured position.
“We will deeply miss the hugs, smiles and tears of our campers. The
memories that we have and have helped create will never fade,” the women
wrote in a letter recently sent to the parents of campers.
Kuren said he appointed the person he believes is most qualified to head
the camp, longtime Coughlin High School boys basketball coach John Quinn, who
is also a teacher.
Quinn has plans for several new youth programs, and Kuren said he can’t
think of anyone who has more experience dealing with children. Kuren said he
has hired Quinn as head of the camp and head of playgrounds. Two assistants
also will be hired, but Kuren said he cannot name them yet.
Kuren said he believes Griffith and Ambrose “did a fine job,” but he
wanted employees who would work to expand youth programs.
“I’m just going with people who I feel will move the town in a better
direction than it was,” Kuren said. “The biggest complaint I’ve heard as
mayor is that we’re mismanaging the playgrounds and camp, so I have to make a
move to change that.”
The township-owned camp is more than 200 acres with cabins and trails
around Mountain Lake. For decades the camp has been open to township residents
for hiking, biking, boating and camping. There also is an organized camp for
township children that runs two or three weeks. The children’s camp fee is $65
to $75 a week, and township tax dollars fund some camp expenses, such as
utilities.
Griffith said the dismissals were political, noting that she and Ambrose
have used their experience to develop camp programs and activities that allow
them to connect to children.
Griffith, 38, said she works full-time managing a day-care center, and she
has worked through the ranks at the camp for more than a decade. Ambrose, 25,
works as a teacher. She could not be reached for comment.
“I’m running a day care. I don’t know how much more qualified I could
be,” Griffith said. “If we were doing something wrong, I would have no
problem with this, but we weren’t.”
Griffith also said it was thoughtless for Kuren to fire her through the
mail. The camp job runs several weeks in April and July. Griffith said she
attended the camp as a child and always dreamed of working there.
“To tell you the truth, the love of this camp is what we did the job for.
That camp is the closest part of heaven on earth,” she said.
Call Learn at 831-7333.