Latest news with #ScrantonCityCouncil
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
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Chris Kelly Opinion: Bolus kicks off Pride Month with foot in mouth
I gave up on Bob Bolus years ago. From the late '90s to the early aughts, we were friendly adversaries who appreciated each other's opinionated natures and willingness to say things no one wanted to hear. Bob was wrong about everything, but his ignorance and arrogance were unquestionably authentic. He was a bellicose showboat with a cracked hull, but he disrupted local government meetings with a pigheaded glee I found adorable. It was fun. For a while. Bob was a handy foil for mocking whatever crackpot cause he was hawking at the moment, and he loved the ink and attention his tedious tirades generated. He was cartoonishly obnoxious, but rarely sniped at anyone who wasn't an elected official, a candidate for office, or me. That changed in 2018, when Clarks Summit native Adam Rippon became the first openly gay athlete to qualify for the U.S. Winter Olympics Team. Rippon won a bronze medal in men's figure skating and brought positive international attention to Northeast Pennsylvania. Bob was not on board. Seated next to me on a panel discussion of politics in the Trump era at Keystone College (my alma mater), he said 'no one would care' about Rippon 'if he wasn't gay.' He said 'real Americans' don't want to be 'represented by a gay.' Homophobia was a new part of Bob's act. There was nothing funny about it. Loony, loud and ludicrous were replaced with unhinged, hissy and hateful. The next year, Bob debuted his new material on televised Scranton City Council meetings. The region's most cringeworthy 'Cro-MAGA Man' waged a quixotic campaign against Jessica Rothchild, then a candidate for council. As I opined at the time, Rothchild became the first openly gay member of council thanks in large part to the bigoted bilge Bob spewed from the public podium. The married mother of two is now serving her second term. She was on the dais Tuesday when Bob came to share his rancid thoughts on Pride Month and trash a young woman for daring to make a veiled reference to a truth about himself Bob refuses to accept. Here it is, for the umpteenth time: A past felony conviction disqualifies Bob from holding public office. If by some inconceivable quirk of the universe a majority of Scranton voters said, 'To hell with everything' and elected him mayor, he would be ineligible to serve. Bob has railed against this reality for years, but it remains resolute. Bob claimed he was triggered by Angel Ramone, who recently moved to Scranton and routinely advocates for marginalized minorities at the public podium. She didn't say his name, but noted the futility of 'a candidate' who isn't eligible to serve. Bob was also triggered by the sight of a Pride flag flying over City Hall. (If it was a pro-Trump or 'Bleep Joe Biden' banner, he'd salute it 24 hours a day with a lump in his throat and reverent tears streaming down his cheeks.) He also slandered the Pride flag as an affront to military veterans, as if no LGBTQ+ patriots have sacrificed life and limb in defense of Our Republic. That's an ugly, obvious lie, which Bob ironically capped by saying, 'Respect is earned, not demanded. They (LGBTQ+) didn't earn the respect they demand.' Bob earned no respect as he deliberately misgendered Ramone several times, called her 'sweetheart' and threatened legal retribution if she continued to trigger him by telling the truth in a public forum. I loathe giving Bob the ink and attention he craves, but he delivered an encore performance at Wednesday's Lackawanna County commissioners' meeting and our LGBTQ+ neighbors deserve to be heard and defended. Neighbors like Jessica McGuigan, 40, a mental health therapist who works primarily with the transgender community. Watching Bob's rant, she was most disappointed by council President Gerald Smurl's failure to step in and stop the nasty personal attack. 'Listen, I think people deserve the right to speak and to be heard,' McGuigan said. 'That's what these forums exist for, as long as it doesn't get to a place where it's inciting hatred, violence or hurt towards marginalized people.' Council's rules for public comment, created in response to blowhards like Bob, are not vague: 'No person, including members of council, shall use their time during Citizens' Participation to personally insult or attack any individual. Name-calling, profanity, racial or ethnic slurs, discriminatory remarks based on race, color, religion, national origin … sex, gender identity, sexual orientation … shall not be permitted.' Those who violate the rules 'shall be ruled out of order' and 'may be removed' by a police officer at the president's request. Bob clearly violated the rules and was rightly condemned by members of council and sane, decent citizens who followed him at the podium. Smurl chose not to intervene while Bob trolled one of the city's most vulnerable constituencies and made a mockery of productive public participation in government. 'The other thing that really pushed every button that I have was at the end, when the council member (Smurl) thanked him for his remarks,' McGuigan said. 'And then, after he gets off of the microphone, (Bob) proceeds to continue yelling hateful things … 'We're all a part of this community, and we deserve to feel safe in public places. And it particularly hits differently during Pride Month, which is a month that's all about the journey that we've had to get to a place where we have visibility. So for this person to go to a city council meeting and express their views is one thing, but I also feel like it's important to emphasize that there are opinions that can cause harm and could potentially incite violence.' I didn't call Smurl to ask him why he didn't gavel down Bob's diatribe and have him removed if he refused to relent. I don't care why. Smurl had a duty to direct the meeting in compliance with the standards set by council and the higher code of common decency. He failed. Smurl should learn from the experience and do better next time. And there will be a next time. Bob will be back. At the podium and, regrettably, in this column. Sometimes, ignoring him is not an acceptable option. It will pain him to read it, but this isn't about Bob. It's about a once entirely marginalized community who refuses to go back 'into the closet' because bigots are triggered by their mere existence. I stumbled my way through high school in the Reagan '80s. There were no openly gay or transgender students in my class, and no support or advocacy groups for any minority more at risk than the Dungeons and Dragons Club. There was no Pride Month, no rainbow flags flying over government buildings and no safe space for human beings whose chief demand is to be treated like human beings. The LGBTQ+ community and society at large have come a long way since 'gay' was used as a synonym for 'weird' or 'lame' or worse. 'Queer' is no longer an epithet. Words once used as weapons are now signifiers of pride. 'It mirrors a little bit of what people in the brown and Black communities did,' McGuigan said. 'We're reclaiming words and terms that have been hurled and used as vitriol towards us.' Bob gave up on learning anything new years ago. As a show of respect, I used to call him before mocking whatever crackpot cause he was hawking at the moment. We'd trade insults and swear at each other, but hang up peaceably. I didn't bother reaching out this time. I've heard it all before, and nothing he might say could add redeeming context to his dehumanization of people who dare demand to be accepted for who they are. I accept Bob for who he is — a bitter, petty old crank who's mad at a world he won't even try to understand and who will say anything to get attention. Bob would (and likely will) say the same about me, but, as he demonstrates any time he's near a microphone, Bob is wrong about everything. CHRIS KELLY, the Times-Tribune columnist, wishes you and yours a happy, peaceful Pride Month. Contact the writer: ckelly@ @cjkink on X; Chris Kelly, The Times-Tribune on Facebook.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
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Lackawanna County eyes grant for countywide stormwater management study
Lackawanna County hopes to enlist all 40 of its municipalities to back an application for a state grant to study the possibility of creating a countywide stormwater management plan. So far, nine municipalities — Vandling, Carbondale, Mayfield, Jermyn, Elmhurst Twp., Olyphant, Dickson City, South Abington Twp. and Ransom Twp.— each recently approved a 'memorandum of agreement' to participate in the development of such a regional approach to stormwater management; and two more — Scranton and Old Forge — might be next, said county Regional Planning Manager Jessica Edwards. The county aims to apply later this month for a state Department of Environmental Protection grant to fund a 'Phase 1 Scope of Study' to start the development of managing stormwater on a countywide basis, she said. 'It is signing on that they will take part if we get the grant,' Edwards said. 'We're trying to get one (a memo of agreement) from every municipality' by June 13. The effort comes under state Act 167, which 'requires counties to prepare stormwater management plans and municipalities to adopt ordinances to regulate land development in a manner with the county's plan,' according to legislation on the matter pending before Scranton City Council The developments are the latest in the ongoing issue of how best to handle stormwater management. The matter came to the forefront nearly a decade ago, when the Scranton Sewer Authority in 2016 sold the sewer authority serving the city and Dunmore to Pennsylvania American Water. Before the sewer sale, the SSA owned all of the sewer-system infrastructure, including lines that convey only sewage wastewater, portions that combine sewage and stormwater, and parts that carry only stormwater. The city was, and remained, responsible for the portion of stormwater-only lines, called the municipal separate stormwater system, or MS4. Previously, both the city and sewer authority had a hand in maintaining this stormwater segment. The city fully inherited the stormwater segment, as PAW bought only the first two portions of sanitary sewer and combined sewer overflows. In 2019, a consultant for the city determined a regional authority would be preferable, but if that's not possible, the city would have to create its own stormwater management authority. By the fall of 2023, the city was still advancing a regional concept, possibly with an eight-member regional startup model. It did not occur. Flash flooding that has periodically erupted throughout the county in recent years also has highlighted stormwater management issues. Last Tuesday, Scranton City Council introduced a resolution from the administration of Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti to approve an 'intergovernmental agreement of cooperation' and memorandum of understanding between the city and county for a countywide stormwater management plan. Speaking during that meeting, Scranton resident Joan Hodowanitz wondered if the resolution means the county would assume the responsibility for a regional stormwater management authority, according to an Electric City Television simulcast and video posted on YouTube. 'Long, long ago in a galaxy far away, we were talking about who's going to form a stormwater management authority and I never saw the shoe drop,' Hodowanitz said. 'The stormwater management plan is long overdue and hopefully it'll take off like a bat out of hell. We need it.' This resolution is on Scranton council's agenda for a vote on adoption during the regular weekly meeting for Tuesday,at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall. Meanwhile, Old Forge issued a public notice in The Times-Tribune on May 31 for a special meeting of the borough council on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Borough Building to enter into a memorandum of agreement with the county for a countywide stormwater management plan. 'We try to stay on board with Lackawanna County. We don't want to be left alone by ourselves,' Old Forge Borough Manager MaryLynn Bartoletti said. 'I think everybody's trying their hardest to come up with some kind of plan.'
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Write-in votes in Lackawanna County add candidates in general election
Write-in votes cast in the May 20 primary throughout Lackawanna County will likely add several candidates to ballots for various offices in the Nov. 4 general election, county elections Director Beth Hopkins said Thursday. The Lackawanna County Department of Elections and Voter Registration recently completed a count of the 22,669 write-in votes cast in the primary. According to the department, the minimum numbers of write-in votes needed to produce a winning candidate were: 250 for a countywide office; 100 for a Scranton or Carbondale city office; 10 for a borough or township office; 10 for a municipal judge of elections post; and five for a municipal inspector of elections. More than one person might meet or exceed the write-in threshold for any given office, but only the top write-in vote-getter in a race wins the write-in nomination, Hopkins said. Having 22,669 write-in votes is a relatively large amount, but not necessarily unusual in an election with nominations for municipal judge of election and inspector of election posts up for grabs throughout the county, Hopkins said. Many of those getting written in for these elections posts already work at polling places and likely would accept the write-in nominations, she said. Candidates in other races scoring sizable numbers of write-in votes also did not occur by happenstance. 'It seems like they were actively running a write-in campaign,' and probably would accept their nominations, Hopkins said of some candidates. Some of the results of write-in voting include: Lackawanna County sheriff: Glenn Capman received 1,122 Republican write-in votes to win the GOP nomination. He now could challenge incumbent Democratic Sheriff Mark McAndrew, who ran uncontested in his party primary. This sets up a rematch of 2021, when Capman ran unsuccessfully for sheriff as a Republican against McAndrew. Meanwhile, McAndrew received 808 Republican write-in votes in the May 20 primary, meaning he came in second and thus did not win a GOP nomination. There also were 316 other 'scattered' write-ins for sheriff. Lackawanna County register of wills: Vanessa Lienert received 1,183 Republican write-in votes to win the GOP nomination. She now could challenge in the general election incumbent Fran Kovaleski, who ran uncontested in the Democratic primary. Meanwhile, Kovaleski received 156 Republican write-in votes, which was not enough to top Lienert for the GOP nod. There also were 264 scattered write-ins for this office. Lackawanna County district attorney: Incumbent Brian Gallagher, who ran uncontested in the Democratic primary, received 1,302 Republican write-in votes to also win the GOP nomination. This means his name will appear on the general election ballot as having secured both Democratic and Republican nominations. Scranton City Council: Virgil Argenta, who lost in the Democratic primary for council, finishing last among six candidates with three nominations available, received 134 Republican write-in votes to win a GOP nomination. Sean McAndrew, who ran as a Democrat for council and won a nomination, coming in second of the six Democratic candidates, also secured a Republican nomination with 131 GOP write-in votes. He will appear on the general election as having both Democratic and Republican nominations. Republican Marc Pane was the lone candidate running for council in the primary and won a GOP nomination. The other two Democrats who won nominations in their party's primary were Patrick Flynn and incumbent Councilman Tom Schuster. The results of the primary and the write-in votes would set up a council contest for three seats in the general election between Flynn, McAndrew, Schuster, Pane and Argenta. The elections department will send letters to winning write-in candidates notifying them of their write-in nominations and giving them a deadline to accept or reject their nomination, Hopkins said. This date likely would be a few days before the Aug. 11 deadline for any candidate to withdraw from the election, she said. Meanwhile, Aug. 1 is the last day for independents to file nomination papers to run for whatever office they seek in the general election. So, the full makeup of the general election ballot won't become clear until around late August, after independents file and survive possible challenges to their paperwork, and after the winning write-in candidates accept their nominations, Hopkins said.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
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Scranton improves its pave-cut rules for better monitoring, oversight
Scranton has revamped its pave-cut rules for better oversight of restoration of utility excavations in roads, the mayor announced Tuesday. Earlier this year, Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti proposed improvements to Scranton City Council in the city's street excavation and openings code, also known as the pave-cut ordinance. Amendments approved by council in April give the city new tools and regulations to improve the condition of roads, the announcement said. Improved standards and third-party accountability have become increasingly necessary as more companies that build infrastructure in Scranton do so by excavating roads to install lines and equipment, she said. For example, internet companies Comcast, Loop and Verizon each are working in the city to deliver fiber optic internet to residents. Since Jan. 1, Scranton has received more than 260 permit requests for street excavations, an average of almost two permits per day. 'I am extremely frustrated by the insufficient repair of Scranton's roads by outside groups this past winter. While we are excited about the high level of infrastructure improvement activity across the city, this work has to be done right. We are pressing these firms to repair our roads quickly and, most important, properly,' Cognetti said in the statement. 'The amendments to the pave-cut ordinance approved last month, plus diligent work by our project management team, help us track street openings through an improved permit process that holds companies responsible for restoring our roads.' Previously, the city used a decentralized paper permit system for street excavations. The city in December approved prior updates to the pave-cut ordinance and a contract with a third-party engineering firm to do pave-cut inspections. Changes under the latest amendment include: • The permit process has been moved online into a system called OpenGov, which provides greater ability to track pave cuts, receive payments and flag problems for repairs. • Pavement restoration must meet the state Department of Transportation standards. • Traffic control, safety personnel and coordination of road closures with the Lackawanna County Emergency Communication Center. • A new, color-coded asphalt tag based on type of utility work performed. • Added inspections occurring before excavation, during the work and after restoration. • Late fees and the ability to issue quality-of-life tickets through Scranton's Code Enforcement Office for violations. • Permits required within 24 hours after emergency work, so the city can track restoration results going forward. Members of the administration also detailed the improvements to council in a council caucus Tuesday. 'I'm thrilled that the amended ordinance … puts more of you involved and there's more tracking and there's more oversight,' Councilman Mark McAndrew said during the caucus. He has noticed inconsistent sealing of pave-cut restorations, with some having been done over a year ago. 'So who's watching that now?' he asked. City Business Administrator Eileen Cipriani said the city also reviews the Pennsylvania One Call system, also known as PA One Call, which requires contractors and homeowners to call 811 at least three business days before starting any digging or excavation project. 'We're going back through the historic 'PA One Calls' and that's how we're identifying who was the utility that was involved. Then we reach out to the utility to have them address this issue,' Cipriani said. Cognetti said her administration also has made strides in collaborating with utilities by continuing monthly meetings and developing stronger communications. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission also is monitoring for mischaracterized emergency work across the state, which adds another layer to Scranton's enforcement, the announcement said.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Scranton council candidates weigh in on preferences for mayor, council
Scranton's city council election this year, with three seats up for grabs, coincides with the mayoral election. The Democratic candidates for council are Virgil Argenta, Patrick Flynn, Frankie Malacaria, Sean McAndrew, Todd Pousley and incumbent Councilman Tom Schuster. Republican Marc Pane also is running in the GOP primary for a nomination for city council. The Democratic ballot for mayor has incumbent Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti challenged by former Scranton School Board President Bob Sheridan. The Republican ballot for mayor has accounting executive Patricia Beynon and business owner Lynn Labrosky each seeking the GOP nomination. The Times-Tribune asked the council candidates who they will vote for mayor and for council, besides themselves. Argenta declined to answer the questions and called them 'borderline election interference.' Virgil Argenta, a candidate in the May 20, 2025 Democratic primary for Scranton City Council. (IMAGE PROVIDED / COURTESY OF VIRGIL ARGENTA) Flynn, on mayoral candidates, said, 'Scranton deserves a City Council member who will work hard and always put our neighborhoods first no matter who's mayor. Council should be a strong check and balance, but also a partner in progress. I'll work with anyone to get results for Scranton, and I'll stand my ground when needed.' Regarding other council candidates, Flynn said, 'If I'm fortunate enough to win, I look forward to working with whoever else is elected to City Council. Progress takes teamwork, and I'm committed to doing what's best for our city in a collaborative manner, no matter the outcome of the other races.' Patrick Flynn, a candidate in the May 20, 2025 Democratic primary election for a nomination to Scranton City Council. (PHOTO PROVIDED / COURTESY OF PATRICK FLYNN) Malacaria said he will vote for Cognetti, calling her 'the best candidate running for mayor at this time,' and adding, 'While we don't always agree, I believe her leadership has set us toward the right direction.' As for other council candidates, Malacaria said he will vote for Pousley. Frankie Malacaria, a candidate in the May 20, 2025 Democratic primary election for a nomination to Scranton City Council. (PHOTO PROVIDED / COURTESY OF FRANKIE MALACARIA) McAndrew said he has 'serious concerns' about Cognetti's priorities. 'I won't be a rubber stamp. I'll stand up for working families and advocate for real solutions. At the same time, I'm committed to working with whomever is elected mayor, because putting our city first means finding common ground.' Regarding other council candidates, McAndrew said, 'I'll work with whomever is elected. Working together is the only way we make progress in our city.' Sean McAndrew, a candidate in the May 20, 2025 Democratic primary election for a nomination to Scranton City Council. (PHOTO PROVIDED / COURTESY OF SEAN McANDREW) Pousley said he will vote to re-elect Cognetti. 'Under her leadership, Scranton shed its distressed status after 30 years and is now on a solid financial footing. Our downtown is vibrant, with a growing residential population, and our neighborhoods are benefiting from park improvements, efforts to clean up blight and support for small businesses. I will work with the mayor, even when we disagree, to continue this positive forward momentum.' Cognetti on April 30 announced her endorsement of Pousley in the council race. He is the only council candidate Cognetti endorsed. Regarding other council candidates, Pousley said, 'There are other good candidates on the Democratic ticket and I'm still deciding who else I will vote for, but I know for certain I will not be voting for the candidates who are running as Democrats but don't actually share the values of the Democratic party. Their words and actions directed at me and other candidates demonstrate they can't be trusted to lead with integrity and work together to achieve results for Scranton residents.' He declined to identify those candidates. Todd Pousley, a candidate in the May 20, 2025 Democratic primary election for a nomination to Scranton City Council. (PHOTO PROVIDED / COURTESY OF TODD POUSLEY) Schuster, regarding mayoral candidates, said, 'I will leave that up to the voters,' and 'I will be happy to work with any of the candidates if elected.' As for other council candidates, Schuster said he believes there are 'serious red flags' regarding two of the other candidates, and he referenced articles in newspapers about one candidate's 'conflict of interest' regarding his 'employment with a non-profit that receives city funding;' and the other candidate's prior runs for Wilkes-Barre City Council. Schuster declined to identify those two candidates by name. Scranton Councilman Tom Schuster,a candidate for re-election in the May 20, 2025 Democratic primary election for a nomination to Scranton City Council. (PHOTO PROVIDED / COURTESY OF TOM SCHUSTER) Argenta is the only candidate for council in this primary who previously ran for a council seat in Wilkes-Barre. Argenta ran unsuccessfully in the 2003 and 2007 Democratic primaries for Wilkes-Barre City Council, and ran unsuccessfully in the 2011 general election as a Republican for Wilkes-Barre City Council, according to archives of The Citizens' Voice newspaper. The Times-Tribune reported last month on Pousley saying he started a leave of absence March 27 from his job with NeighborWorks while he runs for city council because of concerns raised about a potential conflict of interest. If elected, Pousley 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, Pousley had said in that article. In a phone interview Friday, Pousley said of Schuster's 'red flag' comment, 'What I said previously still applies.' Pousley said he has since also sought an advisory opinion from the Pennsylvania State Ethics Commission, and that opinion mirrors his stance. Pane answered the two questions about voting for mayor and council in one reply: 'Privacy in the voting booth allows voters to make decisions based on their own beliefs and preferences without feeling pressured to conform to the views of others. Voters are free to vote honestly and independently when their choices are confidential and it is the cornerstone of our democracy. Such questions would only promote more division in our already fractured community where we should be promoting unity instead. When I first became involved in politics, a good friend told me when someone tells you they will vote for you, you really can't believe them. He told me the only person you can believe 100% is the person who tells you they are not voting for you.' Marc Pane, a candidate in the May 20, 2025 Republican primary election for a nomination to Scranton City Council. (PHOTO PROVIDED / COURTESY OF MARC PANE) The three council seats available are those of Schuster and two held by Bill King and council President Gerald Smurl. King and Smurl are not running in the primary for reelection. Winners of the primary will advance to run in the Nov. 4 general election. The three winners of the general election would join on council the other two members not up for reelection this year: Mark McAndrew and Jessica Rothchild. * Virgil Argenta, a candidate in the May 20, 2025 Democratic primary for Scranton City Council. (IMAGE PROVIDED / COURTESY OF VIRGIL ARGENTA) * Patrick Flynn, a candidate in the May 20, 2025 Democratic primary election for a nomination to Scranton City Council. (PHOTO PROVIDED / COURTESY OF PATRICK FLYNN) * Frankie Malacaria, a candidate in the May 20, 2025 Democratic primary election for a nomination to Scranton City Council. (PHOTO PROVIDED / COURTESY OF FRANKIE MALACARIA) * Sean McAndrew, a candidate in the May 20, 2025 Democratic primary election for a nomination to Scranton City Council. (PHOTO PROVIDED / COURTESY OF SEAN McANDREW) * Todd Pousley, a candidate in the May 20, 2025 Democratic primary election for a nomination to Scranton City Council. (PHOTO PROVIDED / COURTESY OF TODD POUSLEY) * Scranton Councilman Tom Schuster,a candidate for re-election in the May 20, 2025 Democratic primary election for a nomination to Scranton City Council. (PHOTO PROVIDED / COURTESY OF TOM SCHUSTER) * Marc Pane, a candidate in the May 20, 2025 Republican primary election for a nomination to Scranton City Council. (PHOTO PROVIDED / COURTESY OF MARC PANE) Show Caption 1 of 7 Virgil Argenta, a candidate in the May 20, 2025 Democratic primary for Scranton City Council. (IMAGE PROVIDED / COURTESY OF VIRGIL ARGENTA) Expand
