Latest news with #Pittston-based
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Candidate for Scranton City Council remains in race despite conflict claims
An attorney from Pittston-based law firm Joyce, Carmody & Moran last month sent a letter to NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania asking if its employee Todd Pousley would resign from his job if he won election to Scranton City Council, because the nonprofit receives funding from the city. The attorney, Brendan Fitzgerald, who also copied the March 5 letter to Scranton City Council and the Lackawanna County Board of Elections, claims Pousley's candidacy in the May 20 Democratic primary election for council 'presents a clear conflict of interest.' During council's meeting Tuesday, council President Gerald Smurl announced that council received the letter Friday and pointedly noted he believes it was meant to 'intimidate' the nonprofit NeighborWorks NEPA to force Pousley to withdraw from the primary. In an interview Wednesday, Pousley said he started a leave of absence March 27 from his job with NeighborWorks because of the concerns raised about a potential conflict of interest, but he remains a candidate in the Democratic primary for council. If elected, he acknowledged he would have a conflict of interest on any matter directly involving NeighborWorks, but the remedy to that would be for him to recuse himself from any such matter, discussion or vote, he said. * A March 5, 2025 letter from attorney Brendan Fitzgerald of the Joyce, Carmody & Moran law firm to NeighborWorks NEPA regarding the candidacy of NeighborWorks' employee Todd Pousley in the May 20 Democratic primary election for a omination to Scranton City Council. The letter, provided by Scranton City Council President Gerald Smurl, was copied to council. (Submitted) * A March 5, 2025 letter from attorney Brendan Fitzgerald of the Joyce, Carmody & Moran law firm to NeighborWorks NEPA regarding the candidacy of NeighborWorks' employee Todd Pousley in the May 20 Democratic primary election for a omination to Scranton City Council. The letter, provided by Scranton City Council President Gerald Smurl, was copied to council. (Submitted) Show Caption 1 of 2 A March 5, 2025 letter from attorney Brendan Fitzgerald of the Joyce, Carmody & Moran law firm to NeighborWorks NEPA regarding the candidacy of NeighborWorks' employee Todd Pousley in the May 20 Democratic primary election for a omination to Scranton City Council. The letter, provided by Scranton City Council President Gerald Smurl, was copied to council. (Submitted) Expand 'It's pretty clear the intent (of Fitzgerald's letter) is to get me to drop out of the race,' Pousley said. 'I've gotten a good lesson in politics the past few weeks and it's motivated me even more to run for city council, because I don't agree with those kinds of tactics.' During Tuesday's council meeting, Smurl said he believes that Fitzgerald does not live in Scranton and does not claim in the letter to represent any Scranton voter or client regarding his concerns about Pousley's candidacy. Smurl noted that Joyce, Carmody & Moran law firm partner Joseph Joyce is the vice chairman of the board of NeighborWorks. 'To make it even more interesting, attorney Larry Moran Jr., another partner in the same law firm, to my knowledge is and has been very involved with the Lackawanna County Democratic Committee in various leadership positions,' Smurl said. Smurl continued, 'So, one could view that this letter is an effort to intimidate the board of directors of NeighborWorks into forcing Mr. Pousley to withdraw from the Democratic primary race for Scranton City Council. I would hope this clearly is not the case.' Efforts to reach Fitzgerald, Joyce and Moran on Wednesday were unsuccessful. Smurl said he will have council ask NeighborWorks to do an internal investigation on the potential of a conflict of interest of Pousley serving on city council and suggested the nonprofit also should contact the Pennsylvania State Ethics Commission for an opinion. Smurl also will have council Solicitor Tom Gilbride do the same and review the city's ethics code, and then render an opinion to council. Pousley said, 'There's obviously concern from my employer, my CEO and board of directors about the letter that was sent.' In an interview Wednesday, NeighborWorks' board President Teddy Michel said Pousley is on a leave of absence at least until the primary election. If Pousley were to win a nomination, NeighborWorks then would have to decide whether to extend the leave of absence. 'That'll be a decision how to navigate the next segment,' to the general election in November, Michel said. Asked whether the board found the letter intimidating, Michel said he did not want to comment on that or speak for the entire board, adding, 'I think the letter is the letter. The board will continue to do what it does best — be prudent and gather and assess facts.' Fitzgerald's letter said in part: 'Public officials should not be in positions where their personal or financial interests could compromise their decision-making. Ethical governance is essential for maintaining citizens' trust in their government. … If elected, he (Pousley) would be in a position to influence the allocation of city funds, including those directed to NeighborWorks. This dual role raises significant ethical concerns and the appearance of impropriety, which could compromise both his duties on the City Council and his responsibilities within your organization.' Pousley and five other candidates are vying in the primary for three Democratic nominations to appear on the Nov. 4 general election ballot, including incumbent Councilman Tom Schuster, Virgil Argenta, Patrick Flynn, Frankie Malacaria and Sean McAndrew. During public comment at recent weekly council meetings, Argenta has raised as an issue a potential conflict of interest of Pousley running for council. City funding to NeighborWorks for its Beautiful Blocks program in recent years was budgeted at $30,000 in each of 2022 and 2023, $40,000 in 2024 and $100,000 in 2025, according to the city's 2025 Operating Budget. Regarding Fitzgerald sending the letter to the county Board of Elections, county spokesman Pat McKenna said via email that the board 'does not consider ethics issues regarding individual races, but deals with election administration.'
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Northeast Pennsylvania ranks in top 10 in U.S. for economic development
Northeast Pennsylvania is once again being recognized as a top region in the United States for economic development, continuing a five-year streak. The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metro area ranked top 10 across three categories in Site Selection Magazine's Governor's Cup Awards, according to a news release from Penn's Northeast, a Pittston-based collective aiming to promote new investments, jobs and business opportunities by promoting Northeast Pennsylvania. Penn's Northeast played a key role in compiling and submitting a comprehensive list of qualifying projects to Site Selection Magazine, contributing to the local recognition. 'We participate every year and hope for the best,' Penn's Northeast President and CEO John Augustine said in a phone interview Wednesday. 'Working with our regional economic development partners, we gather the projects that have set up shop in Northeastern Pennsylvania and the investments that they've made, and submit (the projects) to the rankings.' Those rankings for 2024 were: Ninth place: Top metro by projects in the United States. Sixth place: Top metro by projects in the Northeast U.S. Eighth place: Top metro per capita in the U.S. Site Selection Magazine describes itself on its website as an award-winning magazine recognized as the leading publication in corporate real estate, facility planning, location analysis and foreign direct investment. The annual Governor's Cup Awards are the industry standard when it comes to state and regional rankings, with a ranking system that companies look at to track where other firms are moving throughout the United States, Augustine said. Penn's Northeast began submitting information for the awards seven years ago, though the region didn't secure any awards in the first two years, he said. In recent years, Northeast Pennsylvania has established itself as a hotbed for development in the warehousing and logistics industry as e-commerce giants like Amazon and Chewy increasingly expand their footprints in the region with sprawling warehouses that tap into the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area's close proximity to major interstates. A large piece of undeveloped land slated for nearly 1.4 million square feet of warehouse space is seen at the top of Rushbrook Street on the east side of the Casey Highway in Archbald on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024.(Times-Tribune File)Rows of forklifts are seen at the Amazon AVP9 fulfillment center in Jessup on Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021. (TIMES-TRIBUNE FILE) The Governor's Cup Awards show Northeast Pennsylvania is undergoing strong, continued economic growth throughout the region, Augustine said. 'The capital investment of more than 20 companies last year locating into Northeastern Pennsylvania is over $1 billion and over 1,000 employees across the board,' he said, noting that the region also brought in manufacturing jobs. 'It's great for the local economy.' When companies decide on site locations, they look at regions of growth that have economic stability, reliable infrastructure, employee availability and the location, which is one of the area's strong selling points, Augustine said. 'We're in ongoing conversations with site selectors and developers all the time, and they recognize the rankings,' he said. 'They have mentioned many times that this is a growing place, this is top on our radar.' Because of Northeast Pennsylvania's close proximity to major highways, Augustine said companies are able to reach one-third of the United States and half of Canada in one day's drive. The region also has strong economic development partners in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties, including the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce's industrial development arm, SLIBCO, and the Hazleton area's CAN DO, Augustine said. CAN DO is a private, nonprofit industrial/economic development corporation serving Greater Hazleton, according to its website. By consistently landing in the top 10 of Governor's Cup Awards, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area shows that 'this is a place where companies want to set up shop, and it puts us on a national scale,' Augustine said. In a statement Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan, R-8, Dallas Twp., lauded Northeast Pennsylvania as 'home to a strong, skilled workforce who make this region the hub of economic development that it is.' 'Earning a spot in the top 10 is a testament to the dedication of NEPA's businesses, community leaders, and workforce. NEPA's vast interstate highway systems, natural resource availability, and access to nearby metropolitan areas allow our economy to flourish,' Bresnahan said. 'It is thanks to a commitment to growth and innovation that our region continues to prosper and foster long-term economic vitality, and I look forward to continued investments in NEPA for years to come.'
