The Hot Topics IN LUZERNE COUNTY- LOU BARLETTA is supported!

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The Hot Topics IN LUZERNE COUNTY- LOU BARLETTA is supported!

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Kathy Dobash

Member
Joined: Jul '09
Posts: 931
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Hey All!!
Whats is up with our state House Majority Leader? I do not even want to mention his name. Really! Political muscle and games are working at their best here in Luzerne County!

Kudos to Hazleton City Councilwoman Evelyn Graham for taking out an AWESOME FULL PAGE AD in the Hazleton Standard Speaker today.
http://www.standardspeaker.com/news/graham_ad_challenges_eachus

Mayor LOU Barletta would like to reintroduce
SENATE BILL 961[b]
Eachus calls the Mayor 'recKless".
What are the political motives?
Quotes from the AD:

While Hazleton officials are desperately looking for money to pay employees, Eachus seems to be deliberately trying to sink us.

One wonders why he is pushing for hazleton to be bankrupted while admits he is "facing the largest State deficit since the Great Depression.

Sounds like double-talk to me.

I call upon all citizens to call Majority Leader Eachus at 450-7905
remind him who put him into office.
Ask him to sponsor Senate Bill 961 and
SAVE HAZLETON FROM BANKRUPTCY

Read the Lead story below:
Graham ad challenges Eachus
By MIA LIGHT (Staff Writer)
Published: July 1, 2009

Hazleton City councilwoman Evelyn Graham is putting on her boxing gloves and taking out her wallet.

With the gloves, Graham has issued a challenge to state House Majority Leader Todd Eachus, D-116, to do for Hazleton what he has done for Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg and other cities in the commonwealth, which is push for legislation that would benefit a single municipality - in this case, Hazleton.

With her wallet, Graham has purchased a full-page advertisement, appearing on page 7 of today's edition, that delivers public details of her challenge to Eachus.

The advertisement urges all citizens to call the local legislator and "remind him who put him in office."

"Ask (Eachus) to sponsor Senate Bill 961 and save Hazleton from bankruptcy," the ad states.

"Hazleton is in desperate circumstances and I believe Senate Bill 961 is the perfect place to start," Graham said.

Written specifically for Hazleton in 2007, Senate Bill 961 would allow the city to use a portion of its pension millage to fund health care benefits and life insurance for retired police officers and firefighters.

Actually, the city has been using a portion of its pension tax to pay for retiree benefits since 2002 when Sen. Bob Casey was auditor general and there was no law against the practice. But there was no law that specifically allowed it, either.

When he asked Casey's office in 2002 whether the city could fund retiree benefits with pension tax revenues, Barletta said the official's response was: "We will not issue a pre-audit determination."

"In other words, they told us to roll the dice," Barletta said.

Speaking from Harrisburg where he expects to spend the weekend working on the state budget, Eachus said Barletta's action in 2002 was an understandable gamble. But to continue funding retiree benefits with pension tax revenues after current Auditor General Jack Wagner said the practice was improper in 2007 was "irresponsible."

A recent ruling from the auditor general that the city must re-pay nearly $2.5 million to the pension fund would bankrupt the city, Barletta said. But approval of Senate Bill 961 would save the city from bankruptcy and provide benefits to retired police, firefighters and other employees - all at no cost to taxpayers.

Introduced in 2007 by Sen. John Eichelberger, R-30, of Hollidaysburg, Senate Bill 961 sailed through the state senate on a unanimous 49-0 vote. But the measure died in the state House of Representatives where it never made it out of finance committee.

Eachus said he is willing to help the city find a solution, but said he considers Senate Bill 961 dead ever since it died in the House two years ago.

"That legislation failed. We need to find other alternatives. There are many ways to skin a cat," Eachus said.

Graham said her advertisement is in response to Eachus' refusal to re-introduce the legislation.

"If Senate Bill 961 is dead, it is because Todd Eachus killed it," Graham said. "I believe Todd Eachus is trying to keep us from finding a solution because I believe he is trying to destroy the mayor," Graham said.

She called Eachus' actions "political."

When he learned of Graham's advertisement, Eachus said, "Sounds like a political advertisement."

"Well, he knows what he's talking about, doesn't he?" Graham responded.

Eachus said he is consumed with work on the state budget at the present time, but extended an invitation to Barletta and any other person from Hazleton to visit him in Harrisburg for discussions on Hazleton's predicament.

Barletta chuckled at the invitation.

"That's pitiful. To say he is too busy to work on the city's problems is sad, very sad," Barletta said.

"I smell a rat here somewhere. Why not put this legislation out on the House floor and see how the other members feel about it?" Barletta said. "We don't need another solution. We have a good solution that auditor general supports and every single senator supported."

Eachus said he is committed to the citizens of Hazleton, but it will take some time to find a solution.

"I can't snap my fingers and tell the Legislature what to do. It's not magic," Eachus said. "If a bill fails in the House, it's over. Yes, I'm majority leader, but I need a city administration that will work with me. I did not create this problem. And this is not the only problem I've got. The 14 municipalities I represent sent me here to lead and I'm leading."

Barletta said he believes the councilwoman's sentiments in the ad are accurate and to the point, and that he strongly supports Graham's call for all citizens to phone Eachus and urge support for the legislation.

"There is only one man standing in the way of this legislation and that's Todd Eachus," Barletta said. "He supported legislation for a ballpark in Allentown. He supported legislation for a convention center in Monroeville. Todd should be screaming at the top of his lungs for support of this legislation for Hazleton."

Barletta also blamed politics for the stand-off.

"That is what I hate about politics. We are supposed to put party politics aside and work for the people who elected us. This is a sad display of politics at its worst," Barletta said.

Eachus said he welcomes telephone calls, including those prompted by Graham's advertisement.

"They call me every day. They've been calling me for the last 13 years," Eachus said.

From their opposing corners, Barletta and Eachus both vowed to fight for Hazleton.

"I am willing to put my reputation on the line. I didn't get to be majority leader by being lazy," Eachus said. "I am willing to work with anybody who is willing to work on finding a solution."

According to the mayor, the current stand-off erupted when he asked Eachus for help.

"All I did was ask him for help," Barletta said.

Eachus said a confession of responsibility would go a long way toward finding a solution.

"I would like to hear somebody say, 'OK, what we did was wrong and it created this mess. Now we're asking Representative Eachus to help us find a solution,'" Eachus said.

mlight@standardspeaker.com

Posted 1 year ago #
Kathy Dobash

Member
Joined: Jul '09
Posts: 931
offline

[b]OKAY! I will answer my own questions.
Eachus is trying to make Mayor LOU look bad! That is the only reason...look at his response at the end of the article! This Political tactic hurts the residents of HAZLETON. This is political moves to plan ahead for the next elections. Why attack LOU? I say that Eachus must be tied into other big deals and promises.....I hope the investigations continue to expose the "SWEET DEALS" in Luzerne County. Hey folks..this is how it appears to the public.
It is outrageous here! KIDS FOR CASH scandal is finally exposed and ALL involved will eventually be hung out with the rest of the dirty laundry.

Posted 1 year ago #
lowerluzerne

Member
Joined: Aug '09
Posts: 237
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Hey K D<
Eachus showed you , Graham, and Barletta that there were other ways to get rid of Barletta's mismanagement than SB961!!!!!! do you ever admit you might have been wrong?

Just asking.....

Posted 6 months ago #