It is 2008 and hope springs eternal.
I would like to wish the best in health, and happiness to each and every one of our readers. Thank you for being a part of this blog.
Our newly elected county leaders will be taking office in a few days. Please support them and encourage them to cooperate with each other. We all pray they will have the wisdom to help move this county forward.
Happy New Year and keep writing!
If you scroll down the page a little, you will see a post which is titled ” Should Susquehanna County’s Economic Development Department Continue to be Outsourced?“ You may find this and the various replies interesting. Please feel free to log in and comment. You have to be registered to comment.
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At the risk (does anyone in this area really care) of offending someone by not necessarily being politically correct, I would offer the hope that the readers of this blog had a safe and joyous Christmas AND remembered the real reason we celebrate Christmas.
Now that Christmas is past, it is time to move on and face the New Year. This is the time to start again, with a clean slate. With any luck, we kept Christmas in an appropriate and dignified manner, not over indulging in food, drink or succumbing to advertising to spend money we didn’t have on things we didn’t need. Of course, I hope everyone shopped locally when possible.
Now, with all that said, I offer the following:
Although we live in a county with about 42,000, which is declining slightly according to the Census Bureau, there are virtually an infinite number of subjects which can be discussed. I am looking for your suggestions. It’s not that I have run out of topics - far from that, believe me; it’s your opportunity to raise issues which can be discussed.
Depending on the responses (or lack thereof), I may modify this post to include your suggestions as well possibly offer a few of my own.
So, we are coming up on the New Year, time for a clean slate, time for your suggestions. Please respond below. Thank you.
Just as it isn’t written in stone that the biggest vote-getter will be the Chairman of the Commissioners, it also isn’t written in stone that the County Solicitor needs to reside (or even do business) in Susquehanna County. Wouldn’t it be interesting if the incoming majority Commissioners decide (or realize) that they will not be able to hire a local attorney?
The comment made by SmartGurl to the 12-7-2007 question of the day - Who will be the next solicitor probably summed it up best. “…But honestly, this could be a tall order to find an attorney with the moxie, brains, and wit to serve as County Solicitor for the minimal remuneration at maximum cost to personal reputation - not to mention sanity.”
My bet is that based on the universe of the local legal community, as well as local politics, as well as the above comment, there is a better than even chance the next solicitor will come from outside the county. Your thoughts?
In response to a request by midnightrose for something different and a comment that Sylvia Beamer should be retained as Chief Clerk as she is a good worker, independent, etc. the following is offered:
There are well over 100 employees of Susquehanna County, the vast majority are a credit to their position as well as being good people. Lets hear about them. Lord knows they don’t get overpaid or recognized very often. Let’s hear good things about the good, dedicated employees of Susquehanna County. This should include department heads if appropriate. No matter how good a job they do, they work at the will and pleasure of the commissioners. One difference of opinion could mean that a valuable employee (department head) could be sent down the road. The hourly folks are protected (somewhat) by the union.
In any event, let’s see your thoughts. If you want to be negative, this is not the post to do that. Save it. You will have your opportunity later. I doubt that they will be a lot of action on that post though.
For those who don’t know, the two outgoing commissioners (Kelly (R) and Loomis (R) ) voted to terminate Justin Taylor (D), the popular and effective head of the Economic Development Department in Susquehanna County. Freshman (now returning) Commissioner Warren (D) stating at the time that she was not going to be a part of the “Old Boy Network” voted against the termination. The department was taken over for a short time by Elizabeth Janoski, who was Taylor’s secretary. After her departure, the commissioners decided to employ the Central Bradford Progress Authority.
As the name implies, the Central Bradford Progress Authority is not based in Susquehanna County. It has its offices in Towanda, very near Senator Roger Madigan’s (R) office. Currently, the contract with Susquehanna County ends around December 31, 2007. The outgoing commissioners extended the initial term of the contract to coincide with their term in office. The executive director of this organization is Anthony Ventello who does not reside in Susquehanna County, nor does he have any allegiance to this county other than his paycheck as the results of his tenure show. Recently, there was another photo-op which indicated a nice sized grant for Susquehanna County. Make no mistake, this was to pay a portion of Central Bradford’s expenses, rather than Susquehanna County.
Oh yes, earlier this year, the Economic Development office, which was located at 31 Public Avenue in Montrose was CLOSED. Thus, if you want to discuss economic development with someone, you need to call a toll free number to reach the Central Bradford Progress Authority in Towanda. It would be interesting to note whether it was the commissioners’ decision and/or Mr. Ventello of Central Bradford for this ridiculous event to occur. It certainly does not seem that the present (outgoing) commissioners actually support economic development in this county despite 4 years of glad-handing and photo-ops to the contrary.
In any event, the incoming commissioners Warren (D), Allen (D) and Giangrieco (R) are now faced with the decision to continue with the outsourcing of the economic future of this county or take the initiative bring this department back to Susquehanna County and find a staff who actually cares about more about the future of this county rather than a paycheck.
To be fair, it is noted here that Mr. Taylor, at the time of his departure was Mayor elect of Carbondale. A mostly ceremonial position at the time which paid about $1,800 per year. Mr. Taylor used his expertise and has obtained grant after grant to further the City. If he had not been terminated, would he have done the same thing here? Although we will never know the definitive answer to that question, common sense says that Economic Development would be a whole lot further ahead had he remained, even for another year.
If the readers of this blog have any concern about the economic future of this county, you should be letting the incoming commissioners know that this crucial department should be returned to Susquehanna County, not handed off to an adjoining county who is competing for the same dollars and clients.
Suggestions as to who could best fill that post are completely open for discussion, although one person stated that even the Scranton Chamber of Commerce would do a better job than the Central Bradford Progress Authority.
And one final note on this subject, the entire economic development board should be replaced. They are a puppet board who have no real sense of direction. Not only are they accomplishing nothing, they are standing in the way (possibly deliberately) of meaningful progress. You should attend a meeting to see this for yourself.
As we consider the various departments throughout our fair county, the office of Voter Registrar sticks out like a sore thumb. Although there are some who think this is a “nothing” job, this is not the case. We have been spoiled by the quiet effeciency of Linda Hollenbeck, who operated that office for a very long time. If the job is done correctly, you don’t think about it unless you move or change party affiliation. As noted in a previous post, after the recent election, there should be at least a couple of changes.
It is understood that Voter Registrar department head, Gary Wilder has an ongoing suit against the County. If memory serves, the suit is based on discriminatory hiring practices. Although Mr. Wilder was subsequently hired, he has continued the suit. Why he persists and whether or not the suit has merit is another issue. The fact that he did sue and apparently continues the action, probably does not put him high on the list of “At Will” employees to retain. Additionally, although they don’t ned to, look for the incoming commissioners to find every single significant error to bolster their position of replacement. There have been some.
Several have suggested that the Deputy Registrar would be the likely replacement. Apparently the Deputy has received the training necessary to assume the roll of her boss. If this is the case, it will be one more problem solved for the county. Although there is still that lawsuit out there.
If the Deputy Registrar does assume the position, that still leaves a vacancy. It will be interesting to see who will fill it, almost as interesting as Mr. Wilder’s reaction. In the end, Susquehanna County needs to move on…. Your thoughts?
At first glance, this seems like a no brainer. The current solicitor Raymond Davis is well liked by the current administration as he does pretty much exactly as he is told. This was a complete change from the previous solicitor, Commissioner Elect Michael Giangrieco, Esq. who, it has been alleged by some, acted as the Fourth Commissioner during the current administration of Kelly, Loomis and Warren.
One prominent member of the Democratic party made the comment that of course they would want to keep Raymond Davis on board, even if he is a Republican. This person also suggested that there may be no good Democratic attorneys in Susquehanna County!
The chances of Raymond Davis agreeing to stay on as solicitor are probably extremely slim to none. One rather significant reason is that although Raymond gets along with almost everyone, there may be a notable exception when it comes to Michael.
As in the previous discussion about the Chief Clerk, one would hope that qualifications would win out over either gender or party affiliation.
Are there any practicing Democratic attorneys in Susquehanna County who would be interested in the position?
The position of solicitor, like the Chief Clerk is one which may not be something most people would want to tackle. Never mind the pay. Generally, it is tough enough to have one boss. How about three!! And what happens, as in the outgoing administration where there is a running battle between two of the three (you pick which two) for virtually the entire time. Neither the solicitor nor the Clerk’s position is something which would appeal to most people.
Anyway, the question remains - will the incoming commissioners prevail on Raymond Davis? Will he agree if they do ask? If not, who?
Let’s hope that they choose wisely. We need a solicitor who knows the Law, understands his or her position - as a county employee, not a quasi commissioner - and can get along with all 3 commissioners, not being intimidated by anyone of them.
Now that we are assured there will be a Democratic majority in the Susquehanna County Commissioners’ offices, who will be the next chief clerk? Once again, enquiring minds want to know and maybe would like to have a little fun speculating about this very important office.
If history is any gauge of what could happen, Chief Clerk Sylvia Beamer probably should already have her resume updated. This leads to the speculation of who is owed a political favor, who is best qualified and who could do the most good/harm in this potentially powerful, but tenuous office.
First, the assumption is that the next Chief Clerk will be a Democrat. This almost goes without saying, but stranger things have happened.
Second, will the next Clerk be male or female? In the now distant past, the office was run like a Swiss watch by Evan Price. He held the position for many years. Although not everyone appreciated Evan, under his tutalage the office was run efficently.
The other end of the scale was Joan Kamansky. While not casting aspersions toward her directly, it was on her watch that the rank and file county employees unionized. This probably wouldn’t have happened if the office had been run a little differently at that time.
Somewhere in the middle, leaning toward the upper end of the scale was Phil O’Malley. Unfortunately, the untimely demise of Phil left a void which was difficult to fill.
Then we had Suzanne Brainard. Although it appeared she did everything she reasonably could to conduct her office properly, things just didn’t work out. Of course Suzanne has landed on her feet, being the District Magisterial Judge Elect (replacing the retiring Gene Franklin) in the Southern District of our fair county.
So, as you can see, we have had the run of the scale in the Chief Clerk’s office. The next chief clerk will almost certainly be a Democrat, have some managerial experience, probably have an “in” with at least one Majority Commissioner Elect and more. Who could that person be?
Of course we won’t know until January, 2008, but if the next Chief Clerk happens to be from the New Milford area, possibly has prior (and maybe current) experience of being an “advisor” to a commissioner in addition to the qualifications above, don’t be surprised.