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1 SCRANTON CITY COUNCIL MEETING
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5 HELD:
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7 Tuesday, April 28, 2009
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9 LOCATION:
10 Council Chambers
11 Scranton City Hall
12 340 North Washington Avenue
13 Scranton, Pennsylvania
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CATHENE S. NARDOZZI, RPR - OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
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2 CITY OF SCRANTON COUNCIL:
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MR. ROBERT MCGOFF, PRESIDENT
5 (Not present)
6 MS. JUDY GATELLI, VICE-PRESIDENT
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MS. JANET E. EVANS
8 (Not present)
9 MS. SHERRY FANUCCI
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MR. WILLIAM COURTRIGHT
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12 MS. KAY GARVEY, CITY CLERK
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MR. NEIL COOLICAN, ASSISTANT CITY CLERK
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15 MR. AMIL MINORA, SOLICITOR
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1 (Pledge of Allegiance recited and moment of reflection
observed.)
2
3 MS. GATELLI: Roll call.
4 MR. COOLICAN: Mrs. Evans.
5 (Mrs. Evans not present.)
6 MR. COOLICAN: Mrs. Gatelli.
7 MS. GATELLI: Here.
8 MR. COOLICAN: Ms. Fanucci.
9 MS. FANUCCI: Here.
10 MR. COOLICAN: Mr. Courtright.
11 MR. COURTRIGHT: Here.
12 MR. COOLICAN: Mr. McGoff.
13 (Mr. McGoff not present.)
14 MS. GATELLI: Dispense with the
15 reading of the minutes.
16 MS. GARVEY: THIRD ORDER. 3-A.
17 APPLICATIONS AND DECISIONS RENDERED BY THE
18 ZONING HEARING BOARD MEETING HELD ON APRIL
19 8, 2009.
20 MS. GATELLI: Are there any comments?
21 If not, received and filed.
22 MS. GARVEY: 3-B. TAX COLLECTION
23 COMPARISON REPORT RECEIVED IN THE SINGLE TAX
24 OFFICE ON APRIL 13, 2009.
25 MS. GATELLI: Are there any comments?
4
1 If not, received and filed.
2 MS. GARVEY: 3-C. MINUTES OF THE
3 FIREMEN'S PENSION COMMISSION MEETING HELD ON
4 MARCH 25, 2009.
5 MS. GATELLI: Are there any comments?
6 If not, received and filed.
7 MS. GARVEY: 3-D. MINUTES OF THE
8 POLICE PENSION MEETING HELD ON MARCH 25,
9 2009.
10 MS. GATELLI: Are any comments? If
11 not, received and filed.
12 MS. GARVEY: 3-E. MINUTES OF THE
13 COMPOSITE PENSION BOARD MEETING HELD ON
14 MARCH 25, 2009.
15 MS. GATELLI: Are there any
16 comments? If not, received and filed.
17 MS. GARVEY: 3-F. MINUTES OF THE
18 NON-UNIFORM MUNICIPAL PENSION BOARD MEETING
19 HELD ON MARCH 25, 2009.
20 MS. GATELLI: Are there any comments?
21 If not, received and filed.
22 MS. GARVEY: 3-G. AGENDA FOR THE
23 NON-UNIFORM PENSION BOARD MEETING HELD ON
24 APRIL 22, 2009.
25 MS. GATELLI: Are there any comments?
5
1 If not, received and filed.
2 MS. GARVEY: 3-H. CONTROLLER'S REPORT
3 FOR THE MONTH ENDING MARCH 2009.
4 MS. GATELLI: Are there any comments?
5 If not, received and filed.
6 MS. GARVEY: That's it to Third
7 Order.
8 MS. GATELLI: Before we get onto
9 citizens' participation I would just like to
10 announce that Mr. McGoff was released from
11 the hospital on Saturday and he is still
12 recuperating, that's why he is absent this
13 evening, and Mrs. Evans is out again. She
14 hurt her back, so I would just like to have
15 you keep them in your prayers and hope that
16 they both get well soon.
17 I would also like to comment on the
18 large fire that we had this afternoon. I
19 heard about it at work today and we put the
20 news on. It was a devastating fire with
21 three houses involved. Thank God no one got
22 hurt, and hats off to the firemen who did a
23 wonderful job and I think that some of them
24 were called in, Mr. Schreiber, weren't they?
25 MR. SCHREIBER: Some.
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1 MS. GATELLI: And also we got some
2 help from our neighboring communities who we
3 also I understand help when they need us for
4 their fires that are very large, so it's
5 nice to have that relationship with the
6 other communities that we help each other
7 when need be and that's the way it should be
8 and it's wonderful to see that type of
9 cooperation.
10 This Wednesday and Thursday at St.
11 Lucy's Church this West Side there is
12 spaghetti dinner from 5 to 8, takeouts are
13 from 3 to 5. West Scranton High School is
14 having it's yearly play, the West Scranton
15 Players, that will next Friday and Saturday,
16 May 7 and 8 at 7:00 and Sunday, May 9, at
17 2:00 and that's $5.
18 We got a letter from Mr. Rankosky,
19 the vice president of the West Scranton
20 Neighborhood Association supporting the
21 rehabilitation of Fellows Park in West Side.
22 The city is putting forth the application
23 for funding for this project and he said in
24 his sorely needed upgrading the playground
25 equipment and consider this letter in
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1 support of the project for the neighborhood
2 children, and I thank Wally for sending that
3 letter in.
4 The "No Parking" signs on Moosic
5 Street, I got a letter back from Jeff
6 Brazil, and he said that they did not remove
7 the signs and he doesn't believe that the
8 city has jurisdiction because that's a state
9 road. So, Mrs. Garvey, if we can send that
10 letter along to PennDOT maybe they can help
11 us with that and he also said that he is
12 going to patch the road near the Lackawanna
13 Little League, but he plans on paving that
14 this summer, so that road will be paved.
15 This Thursday there will be a
16 meeting at the county to discuss the next
17 step concerning the Single Tax Office. The
18 meeting is going to take place in the
19 commissioner's office and if Bob can't make
20 it Mrs. Fanucci has offered to go in his
21 place. And I think that's all I have.
22 Anyone else?
23 MR. COURTRIGHT: Just one thing, I
24 just would like it read this letter from the
25 Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Excuse me, I've
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1 got allergies bothering me today. "This
2 letter is to introduce Angie Tulovich as a
3 volunteer of Northeastern, PA Chapter of the
4 Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. She is
5 collecting donations for "Our Great Strides
6 Walk" taking place on Saturday, May 16,
7 2007, 10:00 a.m. at the Kirby Park in
8 Wilkes-Barre. Proceeds from this event will
9 fund the CF foundation's efforts to assure
10 development of the means to secure and
11 control CF and to improve the quality of
12 life with those with the disease.
13 CF is the number one genetic disease
14 in the United States. During the past
15 decade, the average life expectancy of
16 someone with CF has increased from 14 years
17 of age to 35 years of age, but we still lose
18 too many children to this devastating
19 disease. We are grateful to you and Angie
20 and all other dedicated volunteers who so
21 generously donate their time and efforts to
22 help money for the CF foundation.
23 Thank you for consideration of this
24 request and we help you are able to support
25 Angie on her efforts on behalf of the 30,000
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1 children and young adults battling CF."
2 And that's from Tiffany Granter,
3 director of special events. Thank you.
4 MS. GATELLI: Mrs. Fanucci,
5 anything?
6 MS. FANUCCI: No, I have nothing.
7 MS. GATELLI: First speaker is
8 Mr. Sbaraglia. Also, before he start today
9 I would like to welcome a class from the
10 University of Scranton who are with us this
11 evening, they are up in the balcony. Thanks
12 for being here.
13 MR. SBARAGLIA: Andy Sbaraglia,
14 citizen of Scranton. Fellow Scrantonians,
15 well, two meetings ago I heard that "W" word
16 mentioned many times, and I'm appalled even
17 though somebody did it anonymously, I'm
18 still appalled that somebody would call
19 another person by that name, but I'm even
20 more appalled that when the police chief
21 called his female employees that word and
22 yous --the three of yous, women that are
23 sitting there, didn't call for his firing is
24 beyond me. That's more appalling. Yous
25 don't stick up for each other. Apparently,
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1 you don't want people being called that
2 word.
3 I find it offensive and I'm sorry
4 that you use it feel it is more offensive as
5 me. If you did I guess this argument would
6 never happen again, but it was done. It was
7 done, so he took a slap on the wrist. I
8 guess he is ball player and as long as he is
9 on the team that's all they're going to get
10 is slaps on the wrist.
11 I heard the debt mentioned. True,
12 you are not responsible for most of that
13 debt. Before you sat there the council
14 borrowed, it was actually the first council
15 after the mayor was elected, voted for a
16 $72 million loan. They also voted to sell
17 the golf course. They also voted for that
18 DPW site agreement and they also voted for
19 the South Side Complex being sold and they
20 were Councilman Pocius and Councilman
21 Hazzouri. They sat there, I fought with
22 them on it many times, but then they were
23 given a pension. Was it for their voting
24 record or was it they were just good old
25 boys and they were team players and that's
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1 the reason they got the pension? They went
2 to Court and it was really something. Our
3 local Court said you are not entitled to a
4 pension and they were quite explicit if you
5 are sitting up there now you will not get a
6 pension or maybe you will get a pension, but
7 anyway, the Court said you would not get a
8 pension.
9 And then it went on it was appealed
10 and went on and it was thrown out there what
11 amounted to they use the wrong colored paper
12 when they submitted their argument, and this
13 is the truth, so it was semantics, not the
14 issue was never debated that they were or
15 weren't, but they were -- I wish I could
16 have remembered to keep that little piece of
17 paper, it was only this big, but it was
18 semantics. They should have did this, they
19 said they should have submitted this in
20 instead of that, and that's why they
21 dismissed it and the merits were never even
22 discussed. So that's the bad part about it.
23 So now we got two councilmen that have
24 pensions for the rest of their life and we
25 are stuck. I don't know why they were
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1 voted. I still don't know. Nobody could
2 have been forced to sign that paper. You
3 are all independent. No matter what, you
4 didn't have to do what was done and I'm not
5 here to name names because there is no sense
6 to it.
7 But these things are going on
8 throughout the city. A lot of laws are
9 being broken, overlooked, not utilized, but,
10 you know, if a person walks around and
11 should throw something on the sidewalk he
12 could be arrested, but politicians could
13 break any kind of law they want to and
14 nothing is done. The district attorney
15 closes his eyes up there and I don't know
16 why.
17 The tax office is in disarray. Now,
18 I didn't like -- I like Flynn, but I didn't
19 like her telling Mr. Courtright it was none
20 of his business. That to me was offensive.
21 She should have never done that, if he was
22 running for that office or not. She should
23 have never been in the county, and the other
24 comment that was made was it a forensic
25 audit. Now, the man who said that is a
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1 lawyer and a CPA. He knew it was a not a
2 forensic audit, but why he let you believe
3 it I don't know and this is a sad point.
4 You cannot mislead the public on any issue
5 and expect to get away it. Not in today's
6 day and age. Something is drastically wrong
7 with the Single Tax Office and I hope they
8 do something about it. Thank you.
9 MS. GATELLI: Mr. Quinn.
10 MR. QUINN: Ozzie Quinn, Taxpayers'
11 Association. First, I would like to note
12 that we had mayor interviews last week and
13 they are going to be shown on ECTV, Channel
14 61, Wednesday, tomorrow night, at 6:30 p.m.,
15 Thursday, 10 a.m, and Friday, 2:30 p.m. If
16 we can get more on it I'll try to get more
17 on it. Appreciate it very much.
18 Secondly, you know, the Taxpayers'
19 Association for the last year has been
20 listening to this tax office thing, okay,
21 and we would be very remiss if we didn't get
22 involved, and0 the fact is that I'm going to
23 give you a letter here, okay, from the
24 Taxpayers' Association in my name where I'm
25 requesting the District Attorney to do an
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1 investigation and if he doesn't do it then
2 the Attorney General can do it, okay? And
3 it's because of the fact that we cannot
4 account for over $2 million, it's
5 disturbing, and the fact that the office is
6 commingling funds and using them for
7 whatever appear to be unauthorized
8 expenditures in our opinion, at the very
9 least malfeasance, so I'd appreciate if you
10 people support us and bring the -- ask the
11 District Attorney or the Attorney General to
12 come in and investigate. That's a lot of
13 money for a city our size of taxpayers
14 $2 million. Thank you.
15 Third, last thing, you know, I got
16 this flyer, and I'm sure mostly all of
17 Democrats in the City of Scranton got this
18 flyer and it's glossy, printed up flyer,
19 very expensive, and I looked at it and it's
20 from -- well, actually, it's crazy Chris
21 Doherty, and I looked up and it says, "Paid
22 for and authorized by the Pennsylvania
23 Democrat State Committee," and then
24 Harrisburg, PA. Is that an endorsement?
25 MS. GATELLI: Mr. Quinn, please
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1 refrain from talking about politics.
2 MR. QUINN: Oh, I can talk about
3 whatever I want to.
4 MS. GATELLI: No, Attorney Minora
5 said that you can't.
6 MR. MINORA: No, you can't advocate
7 one side or another from that forum. You
8 can go down to the courthouse and advocate
9 anything you want, but not from that forum.
10 MR. QUINN: Well, I just want to let
11 you know that I did call Harrisburg and they
12 said they did not endorse Mr. Doherty, that
13 is bulk male they paid for.
14 MR. MINORA: This is exactly what
15 you are not supposed to talk about up there.
16 MR. QUINN: Gag rules are in order
17 now that election is around.
18 MR. MINORA: The rules have always
19 been the same, Mr. Quinn, you just don't
20 always like them.
21 MR. QUINN: That's correct, not when
22 they come from you. I'll tell you
23 something --
24 MS. GATELLI: Please. Please.
25 MR. QUINN: I read the resolution
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1 today, resolutions on different park and
2 murals everything, you know, somebody
3 getting money. Well, you know, it's
4 election time again, all right? I took the
5 corner at Gibson Street and North Washington
6 Avenue and guess what the 1900 electric
7 trolly rail is sticking up out of the road.
8 Now, what are we doing here? Parks and yet.
9 You know, you can't even fix roads? Come
10 and. Let's go. This is terrible. You
11 people should be ashamed of yourself.
12 Mrs. Gatelli, Mrs. Fanucci, Mr. McGoff, you
13 are just a waste of time up there. Thank
14 you.
15 MS. GATELLI: Mr. Jackowitz.
16 MR. JACKOWITZ: Good evening,
17 Council. Bill Jackowitz, an embarrassed
18 South Scranton resident. All taxes have
19 been paid in full, two parking tickets paid
20 within 24 hours of issuance. Toastmasters
21 International, rules: The person at the
22 podium is a speaker. Everybody else are the
23 listeners. We herd sheep, we drive cattle,
24 we lead people. Lead meaning following or
25 get out of my way.
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1 Two week ago meeting -- two weeks
2 ago the meeting was a total embarrassment
3 for the City of Scranton or should I say it
4 ws Tuesday night at the fights.
5 What did you do today for freedom.
6 Today at the front he or she died. Today
7 what did you do? Next time you see a list
8 of dead and wounded ask yourself, what have
9 I done today for freedom? What can I do
10 tomorrow that will save the lives of men and
11 woman like this and help them win the war or
12 provide for my safety? This statement
13 applies to all military members, police
14 officers and firefighters who risk their
15 lives on a daily basis and some die and some
16 are disabled for the remainder of their
17 lives then they are forgotten by the same
18 politicians who put them in harm's way.
19 If the City of Scranton continues on
20 the path of distress that it has been on for
21 the past 17 years there will no longer be a
22 city of Scranton, but more importantly, the
23 financial irresponsibility has lead this
24 city right into unpayable debt. The public
25 must become involved, we pay the bills. It
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1 is our safety that is in question. You
2 never put money before the safety of your
3 citizens. Just imagine a police officer or
4 a firefighter responding to an emergency
5 their shift ends, they turn their police
6 cruiser or fire engine around and say, "Oh
7 well, my shift is over, next shift can
8 respond to the fire, the robbery, or the
9 shooting in South Scranton."
10 Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? 21
11 April, 2009, newspaper, mayor, "City on an
12 upswing." I felt like I was at a city
13 council meeting. The same rhetoric, no
14 specifics or solutions. Everything that the
15 mayor mentioned has been paid for by the
16 taxpayers, public money, no private money.
17 Kildare's restaurant was built with nonunion
18 labor out of towners. We overpaid for the
19 dog park, treehouse and bridge to no where.
20 Boy Scouts camping out does not justify
21 $1 million taxpayers' dollars. It still
22 leads it no where.
23 The 500-block of Lackawanna Avenue,
24 taxpayers' money. Parking garage,
25 taxpayers' money. Connell building and
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1 garage, taxpayers' money. Hilton and
2 Radison, taxpayers' money. In Scranton the
3 mayor is proud of the fact that he has
4 reduced public safety by reducing 23 police
5 officers, eight firefighters and 48 fewer
6 clerical workers. He failed to mention the
7 50 plus Doherty supporters he hired and the
8 fact that the city payroll has increased not
9 decreased since Doherty has been mayor.
10 Scranton Sewer Authority, how many
11 new jobs created by the mayor for the
12 supporters. How about the 100 city employee
13 forced into early retirement by Mayor
14 Doherty? Each budget has been higher with
15 the exception of 2009 budget. The debt has
16 grown from 35 million to $150 million
17 short-term, 400 million long-term debt.
18 More businesses have left the downtown than
19 moved into downtown. Steamtown Mall has
20 lost more tenants than they have gained.
21 14 percent vacancy rate currently. How many
22 conventions have been held in the Hilton?
23 People working in Scranton, not
24 accurate. The Scranton metropolitan area
25 has the highest unemployment rate in the
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1 state, 8.7 percent currently. On a monthly
2 basis I provide council with facts. The
3 Scranton metropolitan area is the either the
4 highest or second highest employment every
5 month, low wages, high unemployment and
6 misrepresentation by our elected officials
7 and Chamber of Commerce. Tell the truth.
8 People can handle it.
9 Regular speakers such as myself, the
10 ten of us, must sit in the audience week
11 after week and listen to lies. Council
12 members at least have the opportunity to
13 interrupt and speak over the speakers using
14 up to the speaker's time. Scranton ten do
15 not have that opportunity. We are ruled out
16 of order in violation of the council rules.
17 I do not tell lies. If I cannot back it up,
18 I will not say it.
19 As far as voting, yes, all the time
20 shows me that you are not an independent
21 thinker, have no leadership skills or
22 ability to make your own decisions. You
23 must rely upon someone else, the mayor or
24 someone in the administration to tell you
25 how to vote. The distressed city of
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1 Scranton needs leaders not puppets or rubber
2 stampers, otherwise we will remain a
3 distressed city.
4 Where are the private investors that
5 mayor Doherty speaks about? May I finish?
6 MS. GATELLI: Yes. Go ahead.
7 MR. JACKOWITZ: Mayor Doherty speaks
8 about. By the way, where is the mayor
9 besides being on television telling stories.
10 No private money is being invested in
11 Scranton. Alexander's Salon and Spa,
12 $11,984.90 federal tax lien, but yet we gave
13 them a $250,000 loan. This is not the first
14 tax lien against them.
15 MS. GATELLI: Thank you.
16 MR. JACKOWITZ: Medical school, state
17 project, not a city project.
18 MS. GATELLI: Just for the record,
19 Alexander's is current on their loan with
20 the city as I did investigate that when I
21 saw the tax lien in the paper. Mr. Bolus.
22 MR. BOLUS: Good evening, Council,
23 Bob Bolus, Scranton. Just a couple of quick
24 things I think tonight. One, I'm very
25 disappointed what's happening with the
22
1 school for the deaf. It's been here, people
2 have to go there and actually see what these
3 people have accomplished and what they have
4 done and to see that it's being turntabled,
5 it's just very disappointing that we can't
6 get this stopped and really tell the
7 governor what we want to keep in our city
8 and to deprive these people of a facility
9 like that, you know, I mean, it's just sad
10 that now we are abusing the deaf people in
11 the City of Scranton and we want to build a
12 medical school.
13 Then I'd like to know who is really
14 going to get the building when it goes? Is
15 it going to go to the medical school? Is it
16 going to go to Marywood? You know, who is
17 putting it up for grabs another tax free
18 facility, something else at our expense.
19 I would really like to know who is
20 really responsible for bringing the med
21 school here. Was it Mellow? Is it Doherty?
22 You know, is it the bishop? I don't know
23 who brought it here, but everybody seems to
24 want to take credit for it, and I really
25 like to know once and for all who is
23
1 responsible for bringing it here. You know,
2 it's tax free. We are not getting the
3 benefit out of it. The taxpayers aren't,
4 maybe some businesses will do well, but I
5 don't think they are going to share their
6 profits with us or allow us to stay in their
7 vacation homes wherever they have them. I
8 know it's not the taxpayers and that's
9 what's wrong in the city.
10 I'm going to get into Genesis is
11 what I gave you there. This Beatrice
12 Heveran, she is an attorney, she was at some
13 point, she was suspended at one point. She
14 was cited for horse manure in the streams.
15 She tried to tell the Food and Drug
16 Administration what we should do with cows.
17 You know, she even came down when she was
18 suspended she had to go to the high court to
19 get reinstated because she didn't keep up
20 her credits, but yet she could tell us how
21 to live in the city. She turned around, she
22 put an application in where she wanted to
23 work up at the zoo or the Genesis as a
24 volunteer. I stopped up there not last
25 Sunday, the Sunday before the zoo was closed
24
1 down, or the park was closed down or the
2 farm or whatever we want to call it, and
3 listened to little children hysterically
4 crying because they couldn't feed the
5 animals anymore. She want standing there,
6 she didn't hear it. She does not even live
7 in our city. She is a transplant from
8 another area, she has no idea what
9 Scrantonians are about, but ironically
10 enough she just recently married the dean of
11 the medical school, that's her new husband,
12 but on her application when she wasn't even
13 married yet she put him down as a husband.
14 As an attorney I think she should she know
15 right from wrong, who is a husband who
16 isn't.
17 I'd like to know what's going to
18 happen with the old zoo now? Is it going to
19 turn into a restaurant, an attraction, pay
20 to see the empty zoo. You going to turn it
21 into it a horse barn? Maybe she has
22 something to do with the mayor. Maybe she
23 wants to put a stable there. We kicked out
24 the equestrians that we had here before and
25 the city had them, the Haverites in the
25
1 park. And, you know, the other interesting
2 park if your research Nay Aug you will find
3 the roads in there are bridle paths so any
4 one of us that feel like taking our horses
5 you can go up and ride now because they
6 can't stop us, especially the parks and
7 recreation because that's what it was deeded
8 for. That's what it's intent was.
9 MS. FANUCCI: Bob, you are not
10 suggesting people do that though?
11 MR. BOLUS: Absolutely, I am.
12 MS. FANUCCI: Oh, you are then?
13 MR. BOLUS: Absolutely.
14 MS. FANUCCI: That's what you think
15 you should do.
16 MR. BOLUS: It's out park.
17 MS. FANUCCI: I just wanted to
18 clarify it. Okay.
19 MR. BOLUS: It's our park, Sherry.
20 MS. FANUCCI: Okay, I just wanted to
21 --
22 MR. BOLUS: I suggest people should
23 ride horses up there, if you can't walk in
24 the park -- we paid for it, we paid millions
25 and we've kicked everything out of there so
26
1 let's go horseback riding.
2 MS. FANUCCI: Okay.
3 MR. BOLUS: Take your buggy up. Take
4 your girlfriend for a nice ride in the buggy
5 around the house paths. Put some romance in
6 the city, do something.
7 You know, I'd like to know what the
8 mayor has promised Beatrice to go through
9 all of the efforts she did. You know, I
10 think she should just stay in her own
11 community in Waverly, clean up the mess up
12 there, maybe get the taxes reduced up there,
13 you know, really start worrying about what's
14 going on out there, but I would greatly
15 appreciate it she keeps her nose out of
16 Scranton. When the South Side complex was
17 sold, when we had issues going on down here,
18 how about her going for fees on nonprofits.
19 She is an attorney, she a genius, she knows
20 how to get the job done presumably, let here
21 get fees on the medical school, the
22 University, then she can maybe come and say
23 I'm champion the cause of the taxpayers in
24 Scranton. Other than that, stay out of
25 Scranton, we really don't need her type.
27
1 MS. GATELLI: Thank you, Bob.
2 Mr. Miller.
3 MR. MILLER: Good evening, Council,
4 Doug Miller, Scranton. I'd like to bring up
5 Genesis as well, it's an issue we have heard
6 the last few weeks. As we know, Margie left
7 the facility recently, took her animals back
8 to her facility in the Poconos and now it's
9 safe to say that this Beatrice Heveran is
10 getting ready to take over this facility and
11 from what we heard, as I did say several
12 weeks back, that we had reason to believe
13 there was a plan in place and we do and we
14 have reason to believe that allegedly
15 Mrs. Heveran is planning on putting in a
16 restaurant, but according to --
17 MS. FANUCCI: That is totally
18 inaccurate. I will tell you that's not
19 true. You can say that you believe that,
20 but that is not even close to reality.
21 MR. MILLER: Oh, I understand.
22 MS. FANUCCI: I just want to make you
23 aware of that.
24 MR. MILLER: I don't think any of us
25 know because if we did we would know by now,
28
1 so have reason to believe that we got it
2 from a good source and regardless of whether
3 you --
4 MS. FANUCCI: Who is your source,
5 Doug?
6 MR. MILLER: Regardless of whether
7 she is putting a restaurant in --
8 MS. FANUCCI: Can I ask you who your
9 source is? I'd like to know.
10 MS. MILLER: That's my time now if
11 you don't mind.
12 MS. FANUCCI: No. Okay, stop the
13 clock. I'd like to know do you have a
14 source.
15 MR. MILLER: But allegedly in the
16 deed --
17 MS. FANUCCI: Thank you, Doug.
18 MS. MILLER: -- it states that a
19 business is not allowed to go into that
20 facility. And, yes, we do have reason to
21 believe that a restaurant is going in there
22 whether your want to believe it or not, if
23 you know something else, please, fell free
24 to let me know.
25 MS. FANUCCI: I know that you can't
29
1 put a restaurant up there.
2 MR. MILLER: And, you know, to see
3 the students up there crying because they
4 couldn't feed the animals in this
5 administration and council could care less,
6 but let me move on.
7 I want to talk about the School for
8 the Deaf. You know, today we heard that
9 Mellow is trying to come up with a plan to
10 make this school just a day program rather
11 than residential, but my question would be
12 to these students from outside of the area
13 that are housed at this facility what's
14 going to happen with them if this is what we
15 do, make it a day program, are we going to
16 kick them out? You know, I would like to
17 ask council tonight to send a letter to
18 Senator Mellow, the governor, Representative
19 Murphy and anyone else involved to get a
20 real answer of what the future is. We have
21 heard a lot that the medical school wants to
22 take it over for dormitories, Marywood wants
23 to take it over, so if we could just get an
24 answer once and for all what the future is
25 so we know where we are at.
30
1 Tonight on the agenda we have grants
2 for parks. As I have stated before, I think
3 these grants would be better served in the
4 neighborhoods, as I have said, curbs,
5 sidewalks, and paved city streets, but yet
6 we continue to ignore that, and so I would
7 like to ask in the future that on our
8 agendas we look into grants to invest in our
9 neighborhoods.
10 Just recently, we heard of a few
11 shootings over in South Side and this is
12 just an example of the lack of police
13 protection we had the neighborhoods, lack of
14 beat patrol, I believe we have one in each
15 neighborhood and I would like to ask council
16 if we could send a letter to the mayor, Ray
17 Hayes, requesting that they assign more than
18 one beat officer in our neighborhoods. You
19 know, we all want to run around here and
20 advocate that there is no crime in the city,
21 well, whether you want to believe it or not
22 there is crime. Some of us want to live in
23 a fantasy world yet we ignore what's going
24 on in the real world. Thank you.
25 MS. GATELLI: Lee Morgan.
31
1 MR. MORGAN: Good evening, Council.
2 You know, I was going to bring some
3 documents for you today, but I forgot them,
4 I left at the last minute, but I will bring
5 them for you next week. I'll just briefly
6 touch on this issue and say that, you know,
7 I think Andy said people hold public
8 officials responsible, and I would like to
9 say I whole wholeheartedly disagree with
10 that. I don't think Scrantonians have ever
11 held their politicians to any standard of
12 responsibility for their actions and that's
13 why this city is the way it is. Everybody
14 tries to pretend like they are representing
15 somebody.
16 And with that said, I would like to
17 say that council has passed in my opinion a
18 series of laws that are illegal, and I would
19 like to cite one of them today, the junk and
20 abandoned vehicle law. Now, recently, I had
21 the Scranton Police Department come to my
22 property and remove a vehicle that I owned
23 from my driveway. I proceeded to go to the
24 first floor of this building and talk to the
25 inspector who told me that the city's
32
1 ordinance give them the authority to do what
2 they wanted to do. So I didn't want to be
3 disrespectful and argue with this woman and
4 I just said, well, thank you, and now when I
5 decide to proceed on I'll know who to look
6 for.
7 From there I proceeded to the tower.
8 The tower told me that he had a piece of
9 paper from the state and that he could do as
10 he pleased because this was all legal, and I
11 told him the best course of action for him
12 to take was to put my vehicle back on his
13 rollback and put it back in my yard or my
14 driveway, and he told me he towed 500 of
15 them and he is going to do what he wants to
16 do. And, well, I told him I'm just a
17 regular person, but I think you are
18 seriously mistaken and it would benefit you
19 to put it back.
20 So I went to talk to the officer who
21 decided that it was a junked and illegal
22 vehicle and he said he could do whatever he
23 wanted to, too. Then, of course, I talked
24 to Chief Klee a day later after I filed
25 charges against the state and the tower, and
33
1 he decided that lo and behold everybody made
2 a mistake. The city paid to put the vehicle
3 back in my driveway, everybody apologized,
4 and I'm just saying that you know what,
5 council needs to do it's job.
6 Now, that's the second instance.
7 The first time the city came on my property
8 and cut the top off my convertible, not the
9 convertible top, the car cover I had on it
10 and proceeded to tow my vehicle out of my
11 yard. I went to the tower. He said, "Lee,
12 look it, I'm only doing what they tell me to
13 do. You want the car back in your yard,
14 I'll go put it back in the yard." And he
15 did. He didn't charge me, he just put it on
16 his rollback and put it back.
17 Then I proceed to follow the
18 building appeals board which council cited
19 was the avenue of approach for this. Well,
20 I waited eight months for my hearing.
21 Attorney Hickey and his assistant argued
22 their side of the case and they lost because
23 the building appeals board said they had no
24 right to hear this case and they wanted
25 nothing to do with it, and what I'm saying
34
1 to this council is it's time to vacate that
2 law because it will not stand up because
3 it's not reasonable, and I think this city
4 has been towing a lot of people's vehicles
5 off their property in direct violation of
6 law, and what I'm saying to this council is,
7 when are you guys going to get it right? Do
8 you have any understanding what private
9 property laws are? Do you even care?
10 I know that -- you know, it's just
11 so pathetic, okay, to sit up there and swear
12 you are doing something for people when you
13 are violating every single right they
14 possess, and it's not just one day, it's
15 every day, and to present yourself as
16 saviors of this city in any fashion
17 whatsoever in my opinion is a crime. It
18 really is. You manipulate the courts, you
19 manipulate council, I mean, it's just -- and
20 the sad part is we are getting ready to go
21 into an election and I don't see how not
22 just -- I'm not going to single out --
23 Mrs. Gatelli, I'm not going to single you
24 out. I'm not going to single you out, Mrs.
25 Fanucci, because you are up for election,
35
1 all five of you do you do any research on
2 anything you do? Do you or does just the
3 mayor send it up to you and you say, well,
4 okay. I mean, I heard Andy Sbaraglia talk
5 about pensions here. They were illegal,
6 too.
7 MS. GATELLI: Mr. Stucker?
8 MR. STUCKER: We got a lot of
9 problems where people are parking their cars
10 on the sidewalks again. I was over on Oak
11 Street the other day with my buddy and some
12 van is parked on the sidewalk. People can't
13 walk on the sidewalk.
14 MR. COURTRIGHT: Okay, Jim. We'll'
15 take care of it for you.
16 MR. STUCKER: And the lights on
17 Mulberry, all the red lights by -- over by
18 the courthouse, there is a red light out
19 there, the lights are out, the red ones are
20 out.
21 MR. COURTRIGHT: Okay. We'll take
22 care of it, Jim.
23 MR. STUCKER: And we had the cops up
24 the other day at our building, I don't know
25 for why. So I went today to see the fire
36
1 and it's ashame. It's ashame. It's ashame
2 that people -- had to be something, had to
3 be cigarette, and I hope Janet Evans gets
4 better. I give her flowers today.
5 MR. COURTRIGHT: That was nice, Jim.
6 MR. STUCKER: Yeah. Yeah. Yes. I
7 hope McGoff and Janet gets better. Yep.
8 Okay.
9 MR. COURTRIGHT: Okay, Jim.
10 MS. GATELLI: Thank you.
11 MR. STUCKER: What about that
12 library, they said they were going to put it
13 in South Side. There is nothing wrong with
14 that library, there is nothing wrong with
15 it. It's a nice place that library on --
16 where it is. That library there is nothing
17 wrong with it. Why do they want to put a
18 library in South Side? Why don't you make
19 that place up there on -- up on Market
20 Street there, that building they have that
21 used to be the old school, why don't they
22 make that for handicapped, for the deaf
23 people, for the deaf people. If people
24 can't hear, they should put them up there.
25 There is nothing wrong with putting them up
37
1 there.
2 MR. COURTRIGHT: Okay, Jim. Thanks,
3 Buddy.
4 MS. GATELLI: Mike Dudek.
5 MR. DUDEK: My name is Mike Dudek,
6 608 Depot Street, Scranton, PA. That's
7 where I live, it's in the Plot. I'm going
8 to render the first 15 or so seconds of my
9 time for us to meditate and to thank the
10 Lord for the safe return of our firefighters
11 and our police from that very devastating
12 fire that they fought today very safely.
13 It seems about half the time I come
14 up here to speak, it's usually in defense of
15 our fire department and our police officers.
16 I have been here fighting long and hard for
17 both the police and the fire to get what is
18 their due, their need, their right in terms
19 of proper compensation. I think I nearly
20 put a hole low the roof of my living room
21 when I opened up the very same glossy flyer
22 that one ever the previous speakers showed
23 up here and the mayor talking about he is
24 going to be fighting to make Scranton a safe
25 place again. Well, I would agree with the
38
1 mayor on this, Scranton is not as safe as it
2 was four years ago or maybe even six years
3 ago or eight years ago, and when I think who
4 was mayor four years ago and six years ago
5 it was Chris Doherty, so I have to agree
6 with him, the city is not as safe as it was
7 four or six years ago because he has let it
8 deteriorate to that point and how he could
9 claim that is he going to be one to fix it
10 heaven only knows, but I see some kind of an
11 irony in the fact that this piece of
12 literature came to my house.
13 As a matter of fire safety, I also
14 have to wonder with all of the fire
15 equipment and apparatus at work today I
16 really would like to see a survey done to
17 see whether or not the city was sufficiently
18 protected in other parts of the city had
19 another emergency broken out. I know that
20 we have an accordion effect, in other words,
21 half the fire department from Throop will
22 come in to cover, a half from Olyphant, a
23 portion from Throop and Olyphant, there is a
24 coordinated system working both north and
25 south end to help protect our city and it's
39
1 a wonderful arrangement, it really does
2 help, but I do have to wonder, and I think
3 that a survey ought to be taken for what
4 happened today as to see whether or not
5 there was adequate protection for all
6 sections of the city once this fire had to
7 be fought.
8 One thing I do want to point out,
9 also, as to two things that looked to me
10 like sink holes, I'd like the city to take a
11 good look behind the Guild Studios. There
12 is a crack in the pavement. When you look
13 through the crack you can look 15 to 20 feet
14 down inside of it. That should not be.
15 Another one that worries me is on Boulevard
16 Avenue. Now, over the years, over the last
17 four years, and I was here twice before
18 about Boulevard Avenue, and twice before
19 Councilman Courtright was able to take my
20 concern and have it addressed. This is a
21 third hole on Boulevard Avenue. It is north
22 of the 81 Bypass and about 200 feet south of
23 the Throop line on Boulevard Avenue. I was
24 so concerned when I saw it I called 911
25 about it, that night a Throop police officer
40
1 called me, apparently 911 had Throop take a
2 look at it because that sink hole was really
3 very close to the Throop police office where
4 the police are. He looked at it and he
5 said, "You got a point and I'm going to call
6 the city and tell them they should do
7 something about it," and nothing has been
8 done in the last two months since I reported
9 that sink hole.
10 It is big enough to take the tire
11 not off a car, but it will take a tire right
12 off a fire truck. This hole is about 2 to
13 3 feet long, almost a foot wide and probably
14 20 feet deep. I would please take a good
15 look at it. The last time I saw something
16 this big was at the corner of Nay Aug Avenue
17 and Albright Street and we all know what
18 happened had to be done over there. It was
19 a huge project that had to be done over
20 there to fill what was under there, so I'm
21 really concerned that there may be some
22 problems underneath Boulevard Avenue and I'd
23 like those to be looked and addressed. The
24 only thing that is across that sink hole is
25 half of a sawhorse and that is not
41
1 sufficient. Thank you.
2 MS. GATELLI: Ms. Gawel.
3 MS. GAWEL: Hi, Council. How are you
4 tonight? Enjoying the nice weather? All
5 right, I got to kind of go all over this.
6 We kind of missed a week and my thoughts
7 aren't quite -- I'm going to start with the
8 high unemployment rate that was in the paper
9 this morning. What does Austin Burke do for
10 the city? I mean, I know he is supposed to
11 be in charge of the Chamber of Commerce, but
12 they don't ever seem to do much for the city
13 as far as I can tell and what I have been
14 told, and maybe it's time we get somebody
15 new in there or something that, you know,
16 with brighter ideas.
17 Onto some of the stuff that went on
18 last week. I do agree with you, if people
19 have issues with you they should just come
20 in and talk to yous. You don't bite. You
21 might snarl every once in awhile, but, you
22 know, we are being cute over in the corner,
23 too, but for the most part I learned you are
24 not as mean as I thought you might be.
25 I'd like to know, I agree with some
42
1 of the other speakers when they were talking
2 about some of the foolish spending, I mean,
3 I don't understand the purposes of murals
4 and stuff like that when we have bigger
5 issues to fix in the city. I mean, it's
6 just -- it seems to me we could be patching
7 the streets or paving the streets, you know,
8 I know the mayor likes to get credit for a
9 lot of streets, but usually the state has
10 done them or the utilities have done them,
11 not the city itself.
12 MS. FANUCCI: Can I just ask one
13 question, you're referring to the art mural
14 project.
15 MS. GATELLI: Yes.
16 MS. FANUCCI: Maybe when I read this
17 to you, you will understand a little bit
18 better about it, because I actually was
19 worried about what it was, but this is
20 really for children and a park program, so I
21 think you might actually change your mind a
22 little bit, okay?
23 MS. GAWEL: Okay. Excellent.
24 Believe it or not, not all of us go to the
25 website. If I turn my computer on once a
43
1 month you are lucky and it's usually just to
2 delete the mail. I wouldn't even now to get
3 there. I don't want to know. I stay away
4 from it so I can form my own opinions on
5 things.
6 And again, I agree with Mrs. Gatelli
7 and I know we went through it with you last
8 year I believe it was, leave the family out
9 of it, leave the kids out it, they have
10 nothing do with this. It is strictly adults
11 to adults as far as I'm concerned, but I do
12 have tell you one thing, Mrs. Fanucci, I
13 have totally been accused of I will hug a
14 mailbox. I'm a hugger. I just hug. So, I
15 have been told by my significant other that
16 I've been known to hug a mailbox.
17 And to be honest with you, I wasn't
18 thrilled with the tax increase, but again,
19 it wasn't as bad as what the school district
20 does or the county does, but the thing is we
21 didn't get any services for it. We still
22 have nothing to show for that 25 percent.
23 We didn't even lower the deficit. So, I
24 mean, that's the complaint behind it. What
25 are we getting for our 25 percent tax hike?
44
1 All right, that's that.
2 I noticed that, you know, all of a
3 sudden we are coming up with, you know, what
4 Dave Gervasi and some of other guys have
5 said aren't true and, oh, gee, we have the
6 facts all of a sudden and the figures, well,
7 why didn't we have them not six months ago
8 when Dave was talking about why is it at
9 election time we now have the figures that
10 we didn't have all of this time? I mean, it
11 just sounds silly to me.
12 I would like to know how the mayor
13 gets investment people in here because I
14 don't see any new jobs. I mean, you know
15 the people that come in are usually local
16 and stuff like that. But, I mean, he is
17 still running his business out of Maryland
18 where he doesn't have to pay taxes or
19 Delaware, I don't know remember which state
20 it is, but we all know it's out there and we
21 know he doesn't really run it from Scranton.
22 So how does he even justify trying to bring
23 somebody in if he doesn't run his own
24 business from here.
25 And I noticed the commissioners are
45
1 backing him, but I figured that's because
2 O'Brien wants Kanjorski's job and Doherty
3 originally wanted Kanjorski's job, so they
4 figure if they keep Doherty mayor then
5 O'Brien has got a better shot I guess.
6 And like everybody else I saw the
7 flyer stating that it's a safe and secure
8 city, I live in South Side and it's not a
9 safe and secure city. I've had what, four
10 shootings in the last two and a half weeks,
11 maybe more. I can't even keep track. You
12 are there, Judy, you know, it's not a safe
13 and secure city.
14 And as I was coming in tonight and I
15 was coming over Jefferson getting ready to
16 turn down Mulberry and I noticed the "Don't
17 Walk" sign, there isn't one if you are
18 coming from Jefferson and going across
19 Mulberry. They have them both facing
20 Mulberry, and don't have one facing
21 Jefferson. Right there by the big white
22 house, you know --
23 MS. FANUCCI: So if you are facing
24 Jefferson there is not on there?
25 MS. GAWEL: No, I mean, there is one
46
1 there, but it's on the poles facing the
2 wrong direction, okay? And that's it for
3 tonight. Have a nice night.
4 MS. GATELLI: Mr. Spindler.
5 MR. SPINDLER: Good evening, Council.
6 Les Spindler, taxpayer, city resident.
7 First of all, I would like to say I saw
8 Mrs. Evans last Friday and I don't know how
9 she was moving around. She was in terrible
10 pain, and I asked her about her mother and
11 she said her mother is not doing well, so I
12 help everyone will say a prayer for Mrs.
13 Evans and her mother.
14 Now, on the wildlife center, shame
15 on Chris Doherty. He brought the wildlife
16 center in, he asked Mrs. Miller to bring it
17 in six, seven years ago and now he throws
18 her out because he doesn't need her now. I
19 don't know what he is going to use the zoo
20 for, but he never gave the $50,000 a year
21 which was promised, that was another one of
22 his lies, so it's ashame that that was a
23 good teaching tool for students, the Cub
24 Scouts used to go up there and Girl Scouts
25 and now there is nothing.
47
1 And shame on Mrs. Gatelli and
2 Mrs. Fanucci. The way you two acted two
3 weeks ago as elected officials you should be
4 ashamed of yourself. The two of you looked
5 like -- sounded like two desperate people
6 and, Mrs. Fanucci, for what you said
7 accusing some male for not having -- for
8 lacking something, a -- I mean, that was
9 totally uncalled for and you should resign.
10 An elected official should not speak like
11 that.
12 MS. FANUCCI: I said meatballs.
13 MR. SPINDLER: To talk about some
14 things that were in the Doherty newsletter
15 last week, "Students spend just not in
16 downtown Scranton."
17 And it goes onto say that except for
18 the mall that there is nothing to spend
19 money on downtown contrary to what
20 Mrs. Fanucci and Chris Doherty said. That
21 comes right out of Chris Doherty's
22 newspaper.
23 Next thing, last Tuesday, "Scranton
24 on the upswing." Well, painting this city
25 as a growing city and headed toward a bright
48
1 future. Headed toward a bright future,
2 that's why Country Club Men's Shop is moving
3 out after 26 years and their owner said it
4 hasn't grown in the last 20 years. If it's
5 on the upswing, why are we still a
6 distressed city? Let's get rid of PEL, get
7 rid of our distressed status if we are on
8 the upswing.
9 It says, "We set out specific goals
10 and we achieve them."
11 What did he achieve? He didn't
12 achieve lowering our wage tax, he didn't do
13 a thing with our unions. The roads are in
14 horrendous shape, and I'd like to know what
15 he has achieved. People are fleeing the
16 city like crazy.
17 Next thing, he pointed to cost
18 cutting measures, 23 few police officers,
19 eight fewer firefighters and 48 fewer
20 clerical staff, and this is a good thing?
21 Cutting firefighters and police is a good
22 thing? What is wrong with this man? We are
23 getting -- there was a huge fire today, I
24 was born and raised a half block from that
25 fire and cutting police and fire, we have
49
1 shootings in South Side and he thinks
2 cutting firemen and policemen are a good
3 thing? Something is wrong with this
4 picture.
5 Lastly, it says, "I am not closing
6 any fire stations any time in the near
7 future."
8 Well, last year he said he was
9 closing them, he is quoted as saying that.
10 I got a letter a few weeks ago saying he
11 definitely wasn't closing engine companies,
12 now, he is saying he is not closing any in
13 the near future? Well, which is it? We
14 can't believe anything that comes out of
15 this man's mouth. Every time he opens his
16 mouth he says something different. It's
17 just unbelievable.
18 Next: Two weeks ago, Mrs. Gatelli,
19 I asked about 4.2 million for the Goodwill,
20 the North Scranton Junior High School, and
21 Neil gave me a letter, you said the letter
22 explains, this letter says nothing about
23 where the 4.2 million dollars went. It says
24 about this repaired and this and that, but
25 it doesn't answer my question where the 4.2
50
1 million dollars that Governor Rendell gave
2 to Chris Doherty. I would like to know
3 where that 4.2 million dollars is. Maybe
4 the FBI should be up here investing that.
5 MS. GATELLI: I'll ask for you.
6 MR. SPINDLER: I mean, the two
7 corrupt judges only took $2.6 million down
8 there, this is 4.2 million, where is it?
9 MS. GATELLI: We'll find out for you,
10 Mr. Spindler.
11 MR. SPINDLER: Well, I might have to
12 put a call into the FBI and ask them that
13 question, too.
14 MS. FANUCCI: You should. Good idea.
15 MR. SPINDLER: Okay. I brought this
16 up last summer about the wood burning, well,
17 the other night it was real hot, I opened my
18 windows and the wood was burning again.
19 MS. GATELLI: Did you call the fire
20 department and tell them?
21 MR. SPINDLER: No, I don't know who I
22 should call.
23 MS. GATELLI: Call the fire
24 inspector.
25 MR. SPINDLER: What's the fire
51
1 inspector's number?
2 MS. GATELLI: They have jurisdiction
3 over that. We talked about that last year.
4 MR. SPINDLER: Could you get me a
5 number to call?
6 MS. FANUCCI: Sure.
7 MR. SPINDLER: And, Mr. Courtright,
8 you even said last year you were going to
9 let the police officers know about that.
10 Could I get a copy of that ordinance, Mrs.
11 Gatelli?
12 MS. GATELLI: Yes, we have it
13 somewhere.
14 MR. MINORA: The ordinances are all
15 on-line.
16 MS. GATELLI: They are all on-line.
17 MR. SPINDLER: The gentleman that
18 does this burning he said he has an
19 ordinance and he put it in the one police
20 officer's face the one day and said, "I'm
21 allowed to burn, the chief said I could
22 burn."
23 MS. GATELLI: No, not if it bothers
24 someone he can't.
25 MR. SPINDLER: We can't open our
52
1 windows. It was Saturday night it was
2 burning. It's two blocks away from me.
3 MS. FANUCCI: That's terrible.
4 MR. SPINDLER: And we can't open our
5 windows and we have the whole summer.
6 MS. GATELLI: They are not allowed to
7 do that, Mr. Spindler.
8 MR. SPINDLER: I don't think so.
9 Thank you.
10 MS. SCHUMACHER: Good evening. I
11 don't know about anybody else, but I've
12 about had it for summer, I'm ready for some
13 snow.
14 MS. GATELLI: We can use some in
15 here tonight.
16 MS. SCHUMACHER: I was going to
17 continue with my lies, lies, lies, but I'm
18 putting that off for a week or so, and I was
19 also going to speak to the tremendous
20 savings of the firemen's overtime account,
21 but while I was out digging out dandelions,
22 you know, I just started thinking about
23 council and I start thinking about what Mrs.
24 Krake said awhile back about discrimination
25 and, you know, she is absolutely right. I
53
1 don't know which is a bigger slap in the
2 face to the taxpayers, we penalize to the
3 hilt property taxowners who are delinquent,
4 but we let business people owe us money for
5 years and years and years and not pay such
6 as the Ice Box. We don't really follow-up
7 on the Single Tax Office, $2 million just
8 doesn't disappear.
9 And I attended that Scranton School
10 Board meeting I believe it was a year ago
11 March where they, oh, by the way, opened a
12 drawer and found a bank statement that had
13 $12 million in it and, oh, lo and behold.
14 Well, you know, the more I have been
15 thinking about it I have a couple of friends
16 who are not -- have not been as blessed
17 financially as I have and once in awhile I
18 buy things them because I belong to a
19 discount store and they give me checks, and
20 if I'm ahead at the end of the month I put
21 the checks in a drawer and I never cash
22 them. I hear, "Would you please cash, your
23 are ruining by bank statement, I can't
24 balance it," but aside from that I think
25 there must be a drawer down in the Single
54
1 Tax Office that has $2 million worth of
2 checks in it that nobody has deposited yet.
3 That is the only thing that makes sense, and
4 I believe that you people need to ask for an
5 investigation. You need to go to the
6 District Attorney and you need to ask him to
7 investigate this $2 million debacle and
8 maybe do a fiscal inventory. Maybe they can
9 find the checks.
10 I also -- again, Mrs. Gatelli, maybe
11 during motions you can tell me again on the
12 Ice Box what's going on there or maybe
13 Mr. Minora can tell us what he has found
14 out. Also, it was reported two weeks ago in
15 the Times-Tribune that the tax office said
16 they were going to hire a controller, but
17 can they hire a controller and create a new
18 position without getting your approval and
19 can't this council put a cap on how much
20 they can continue charging this out-of-town
21 person to do a job between now and the time
22 they say -- until they hire a controller?
23 And then I'd like to know what
24 responsibility this council has to oversee
25 the authorities? You were the elected
55
1 people, the authorities are only appointed
2 people. For instance, did the Recreation
3 Authority approve bringing the Genesis
4 Wildlife Center to Nay Aug in the beginning
5 or did council approve that move or is that
6 something that the mayor did unilaterally?
7 Also, did the Rec Authority decide
8 to send the Genesis Wildlife Center packing
9 or did the mayor act unilaterally? Whose
10 park is Nay Aug? Is it the people's park or
11 is it Chris Doherty's private playground?
12 The audit, people have questioned
13 tonight on whether you read things that you
14 get, page 32 of the latest audit, that's
15 being for 2007, says that the city approves
16 the rates for the Scranton Sewer Authority
17 yet we had a 50 some percent increase and I
18 don't recall, and I have checked that, I
19 don't recall you approving it, so which is
20 incorrect and did any of you tell if that's
21 incorrect? Did any of you bother to
22 question the auditor and say, "We don't
23 approve."
24 I'd like to know why you don't
25 approve?
56
1 MS. GATELLI: We said that.
2 MS. FANUCCI: We did say that last
3 week.
4 MS. GATELLI: We did say that,
5 Mrs. Schumacher.
6 MS. SCHUMACHER: I've got more next
7 time, lots.
8 MS. GATELLI: The lease agreement
9 expired and that's why we don't have any
10 control over the rates anymore and we said
11 that.
12 MS. SCHUMACHER: Well, then did you
13 advise the auditor that his report was
14 incorrect.
15 MS. GATELLI: No.
16 MS. SCHUMACHER: No.
17 MS. GATELLI: We'll have to do that,
18 Mrs. Garvey, send that, please. Mr. McCloe.
19 MR. MCGOFF: Good evening. My name
20 is Brett McCloe. I'm a homeowner and
21 Scranton taxpayer. I don't have a lot to
22 say today, but I just want to say to the
23 folks who -- to those of who lost your homes
24 in today's fire, terrible fires, I'm deeply
25 sorry for your loss as well as I'm quite
57
1 sure the whole city is deeply sorry for your
2 losses. And I also want to say to the
3 firefighters and those officers that were
4 there that you did a good job and that's why
5 we need you there. And I also want to say
6 to those who don't understand the importance
7 of a well-staffed, well-equipped fire and
8 police department, I want them to forget
9 about the events of today, I want them to
10 forget about the shootings in South Side, I
11 want them to put on their rose-colored
12 sunglasses, go grab a latte, go sit on the
13 swings up the Nay Aug Park because this
14 stuff is real and it might be a little bit
15 too real for some of you who see something
16 other.
17 One of the things that constantly
18 keeps on going through my mind is how much
19 these people have lost, and a phrase from
20 the Bible always comes into my head, "There
21 before the grace of God go I," and I think
22 we all need to look at these folks and try
23 to do whatever we can to help them out.
24 Thank you very much.
25 MS. GATELLI: Mr. Dobson.
58
1 MR. DOBSON: Good evening, Council,
2 Dave Dobson, member of the taxpayers',
3 videographer of the taxpayers'. So I would
4 like to reannounce the mayoral interviews,
5 Wednesday this week at 6:30; Thursday, 10
6 a.m.; Friday, 2:30 p.m.; 5:00 p.m. on
7 Saturday; 3 a.m. on Sunday; 11 a.m. on
8 Monday; and 8 a.m. on Wednesday, but that's
9 a revised list.
10 Now, I received word about something
11 I spoke about in the past on trees, the oak
12 trees at Nay Aug and the gypsy moth blight.
13 According to this source, Mr. Santolli said
14 that the trees have been sprayed this year
15 for gypsy moth, so hopefully we won't be
16 seeing all of the damage because some of the
17 trees were afflicted last year that were
18 part of the treehouse, and there is a lot of
19 money spent there and efforts, so it would
20 nice to have it around 10 years instead of
21 the trees falling down.
22 On this tax office business, you
23 know, it's ashame because they seem like
24 nice people that are there right now, but to
25 continue making the same mistake putting
59
1 that money all in one account for another 18
2 months or whatever, it's really ashame.
3 That money needs to be sorted back out. We
4 could have tax money reimbursed in
5 somebody's deductions from Blakely Borough
6 or something and it's -- there is no way
7 attracting the money whereas Blakey Borough
8 if an employer from Scranton did not turn
9 over the tax money that was deducted, you
10 would -- Blakely Borough can get on their
11 backs and make them wise up. Here nothing
12 is being done about it and that's where I
13 kind of think the money might be missing.
14 And on tonight's agenda, this free
15 swim at Nay Aug Park, I mean, we are
16 spending all kinds of money to paint murals
17 and so forth, and that's a good thing, I
18 mean, it's a small amount of change for what
19 the city's budget is, but it would be nice
20 to see a few free swim days at Nay Aug Park,
21 two free swim days because there really
22 isn't a free swim day, it's mostly done by
23 Mr. Jackowitz, and last year I operated the
24 camera solely to bring the money and stuff,
25 if I hadn't done than we wouldn't have had
60
1 the money coming in, so that was a help, I
2 didn't participate much during the actual
3 events, but it would be nice to see
4 something done with Nay Aug where we could
5 get the kids back up there and let them swim
6 because I walked back along the tracks and
7 stuff on the D & L line and that step down
8 is a pretty dangerous place to be swimming.
9 I stay away from it. I looked over the edge
10 from two feet away or three feet away, but I
11 don't get anywhere near the step down, it's
12 a long way down and so it would be awful
13 nice if somewhere along the line at least
14 some of the days we could let people in the
15 park for free, not every day, but some days
16 it would be just a wonderful thing.
17 And finally, I would like to
18 compliment the firefighters this afternoon
19 and urge the city to do whatever they can to
20 settle the contracts. It's gone on too long
21 and it's really ashame because, you know,
22 people have a right to change their minds
23 and if they have the people involved with
24 all of the disputes then just say so and who
25 knows maybe they pick up a couple of extra
61
1 votes this fall and just I changed my mind.
2 I got new information. I change my mind
3 about things all the time, you know, so it
4 would be nice to see politicians say the
5 same thing, I just changed my mind, and it's
6 not feasible and they are not going to do
7 it. Thank you and have a good night.
8 MS. GATELLI: Mr. Newcomb.
9 MR. NEWCOMB: Good evening, Council.
10 I'd just like to thank everybody that sent
11 cards and can to the funeral for our
12 family's recent loss. It was really
13 appreciated. I'd just like to make a few
14 comments. I have Republican signs, I have
15 Democratic signs I put in my yard when I
16 have to, I vote for the person who I think
17 can do the job, not just what your party is,
18 but I'm a very fiscal conservative person.
19 I am proud to say that I did not
20 vote, I'm one of the 52 million people that
21 did not vote for our current president of
22 the United States because I believe he has
23 spent more money than George Washington or
24 George Bush in less than 100 days, that's my
25 opinion.
62
1 I just -- it was said, and I want to
2 give some union information here to some --
3 I'd like the people to know what they are
4 paying for and what the city is not getting
5 or what the city is getting. It was said
6 here about the unions they are working off
7 of their own contract. I have a little bit
8 of labor underneath up my experience, I just
9 want everybody out there to know that under
10 the labor law you do have to work underneath
11 the old contract, and I believe the fire
12 contract was from January 1st of 1996 to
13 December 31st of 2002, that's the one that
14 they were working under, so for those people
15 for seven and a half years inflation would
16 diminish your buying power which means you
17 worked under the old contract and you kept
18 everything as it was.
19 And from my experience with people
20 that get longevity, the pay is 1 percent
21 every two years starting on the third year
22 of your employment. If you did not have
23 longevity pay a 30-year veteran would make
24 the same amount of money as a new hired
25 recruit. The police, the clerical and the
63
1 fire and DPW also receive longevity and that
2 is common and part of pay scales in almost
3 every other city and just so the taxpayers
4 out there know that longevity was taken away
5 in January of 2003 and the statistics that I
6 have, and like I said, I'm very fiscal and I
7 don't think we should be wasting money on
8 things that we don't need, but it is a fact
9 that our firefighters make an average of
10 $15,000 less than firefighters in the rest
11 of the state and our policemen make about
12 between $12,000 and $13,000 less. We do
13 have some policemen that went to other
14 places in Lackawanna County and started for
15 like $10,000 more than they make here.
16 And I believe the unions are still
17 in litigation because they are claiming the
18 city is in contempt of the Court for not
19 following the Commonwealth's decision. If
20 you -- I'm going to use $40,000 as a base,
21 if you received $40,000 in 2002 plus your
22 longevity and your own overtime your pay
23 hasn't changed because even with the two of
24 them together your base pay has never
25 changed, it's never increased.
64
1 I want to get a little bit into the
2 city administration so people know about
3 raises and what pay. Our business
4 administrator under Mayor Connors was Brian
5 Nixon, his salary was $76,000 per year with
6 health care and etcetera. Now, under Mayor
7 Doherty it's Stu Renda. The position pays
8 $85,000 a year, a raise of $9,000. Stu
9 Renda received about -- receives about
10 $46,000 more than he made in his last
11 position. I'm going to give you a six-year
12 scenario. In a six-year scenario the raise
13 cost the taxpayers $54,000 which means for
14 six years this position costs the taxpayers
15 from under $76,000, 456,000 and now with the
16 new salary for a six-year salary it would be
17 $510,000 which is $85,000. And I also
18 believe that Mrs. Moran got a $10,000 raise,
19 so let's go to the six-year scenario that
20 costs the taxpayers now $60,000.
21 And one more thing here, a few years
22 back we did give two raises to our police
23 and fire chief, which I said I don't
24 begrudge anybody raises, but I just want
25 people to know how things work, and the way
65
1 our contracts read is also anybody in that
2 rank would get half, so from what I
3 understand we have a five of them that are
4 still alive and that cost an additional
5 $32,500 a year. Altogether, that is $58,500
6 per year which is $26,000 because we gave
7 two 13's and the additional ones for the
8 retirees which is $32,500. Over the
9 course of six years it's a total of
10 $351,000. This is without their salaries,
11 because their salaries are in the 60's, the
12 cost is $351,000 for two $13,000 raises and
13 also from what I understand the fire chief
14 and the police chief also do receive
15 longevity.
16 And one more thing if I could, if we
17 are paying $500,00 to $700,000 in overtime,
18 which is a lot of money, I think then we
19 have to do is we have to look at we don't
20 have enough people or bodies to do the work
21 to cut down on the overtime. Thanks.
22 MS. GATELLI: Phyllis.
23 MS. HUMPHRIES: Good evening.
24 Patcha, salaam aleikum, shalom. Peace to
25 all of the people here, Mrs. Evans and I
66
1 hope Mr. McGoff get healthy and come back
2 here. Do you know a guy by the name of --
3 Mrs. Gatelli, do you know a man by the name
4 of John that has a burgundy car that lives
5 in South Side.
6 MS. GATELLI: No.
7 MS. HUMPHRIES: He goes, "Hey, my
8 name is Johnny. Come on, come on, get in
9 the car. Come on, come on, get in the car."
10 Well, Johnny, JB-1932, you are going
11 to be arrested. That's number one. What
12 happened is at the newspaper they had a
13 beautiful picture there of Monsignor Quinn
14 and Sister Adrian and congratulations to the
15 both of them. The second and third picture
16 was of me where they did an aerial shot at
17 the courthouse, which was beautiful. I'm a
18 survivor. I was at "Take Back the Night."
19 It is so sad. I had such an enjoyable time
20 with the University of Scranton kids, I
21 never went to college, but my daughter went
22 there, and I kind of marched and strolled,
23 but then when I heard the stories, the
24 stories should have been covered by the
25 newspaper. Where is that newspaper man?
67
1 Could he stand up or is he gone? Well, he
2 only puts what he puts.
3 They say Bishop Martino is the
4 dictator, but, no, I'm the dictator, I'd
5 like to dictate and this is what I want to
6 say. To all of the people in the United
7 States, all of the people in the world, all
8 of the people that are being abused, forced
9 into sex when they don't want to, even
10 including the Middle East, I feel sorry for
11 you and we hope that you have freedom and
12 democracy.
13 I'm fighting and University students
14 that was around is fighting for democracy,
15 so many of them were pushed underneath, the
16 police didn't go forward with their rapes
17 and their attacks and this is ashame. We
18 need a lot of women on the streets,
19 motorcycles, you name it. This is wrong.
20 Mayor Doherty, you had a beautiful shot of
21 the way the courthouse is, it was really
22 beautiful, I will not deny it, but I think
23 the story should have been covered. The
24 story should have been covered, why they
25 won't cover it is this and, number one,
68
1 which I was not aware of, a crime is against
2 the state and the city. They are trying to
3 cover up the crime here. If you come here
4 you better have a lot of mace, take Judo and
5 put lights all the way around you that you
6 can flood everybody away that is going to
7 hurt you.
8 There is hole on the street on
9 Wyoming Avenue where the Abe's Delicatessen
10 was pulled down. They are going to have
11 check that in which there is hole in the
12 back of the Mulberry Towers.
13 Now, the other thing I have to say
14 is I got this on because remember that joke
15 the butt, the bone is a curse and see what
16 happened there. It's back with the swine
17 they don't know where it originated the
18 swine flu, so I'm like kind of like ready
19 for anything. I even bought a bunch for you
20 girls.
21 But what I have to say is last
22 weekend I mentioned something about Mulberry
23 Tower and they were kind of upset. There is
24 the good, the bad and the ugly in every
25 place, but I'm putting my foot down. There
69
1 is elderly people there and people's places
2 haven't been painted since I'm living there
3 nine years. There is a lot of things, rugs
4 20 years on the floor. There is a lot of
5 bad things and there is a lot of good
6 things. I have to say there is also a lot
7 of good things, it's just we got and now I
8 got these bugs floating in my house and I'm
9 waiting until they get a little bit bigger
10 and I won't have to worry about the, this
11 disability thing it will roll me from here
12 all the way over to the city council. So
13 much for the cockroaches. No, they are not
14 cockroaches they are water bugs, but they
15 got to check --
16 MR. COURTRIGHT: Phyllis, could you
17 talk a little quieter?
18 MS. HUMPHRIES: You know what it is?
19 MR. COURTRIGHT: Could you talk a
20 little quieter, please.
21 MS. HUMPHRIES: I think I'm talking
22 louder because of that deaf school. I think
23 we should try to keep this for these
24 children, these animals got to come back,
25 stop taking away from the children. It's
70
1 time that we do what we have to do and now
2 one more thing that I want to wrap this up.
3 About the World Trade Center I tried to
4 figure it all out from Connors all the way
5 up they didn't do anything, and I'm not
6 drunk, I don't drink and I don't do drugs,
7 but you know what that really had to do
8 with, not only about the watching terrorists
9 it had to do with construction. That's why
10 everybody sat back and let it happen and
11 that's the truth because other people wrote
12 it. It's about construction and jobs and
13 it's a damn shame. God bless, I love ya and
14 hasta la vista, baby.
15 MS. GATELLI: Is there any other
16 speakers?
17 MR. COURTRIGHT: She said was there
18 any other speakers?
19 MS. KRAKE: Good evening, Council.
20 My name is Nancy Krake. I have three
21 different topics, the first is there were
22 campaign advertisements that came to my home
23 in the past few days, they were for the
24 mayor and they were pictures of his family
25 and that part was very nice, but there was a
71
1 part that I found very disagreeable. It
2 seemed to me we were lead to believe that
3 the statement paid for and authorized by the
4 Pennsylvania Democratic State Committee,
5 means perhaps to some folks that they have
6 endorsed the mayor. This is simply not
7 true. The Democratic endorsed candidate is
8 Gary DiBileo. Other people --
9 MS. MINORA: You're not --
10 MS. GATELLI: You're not allowed to
11 talk about the candidates.
12 MS. KRAKE: Well, I'm not talking
13 about them, I'm talking abut a mailing.
14 MS. GATELLI: Mr. Minora, would you
15 make a ruling?
16 MR. MINORA: Yeah, the same thing
17 with Mr. Quinn, we weren't talking about
18 campaign documents and who endorsed who, you
19 got policy things you want to talk about
20 before city council you are absolutely
21 entitled to. Once you get to advocating a
22 candidate one way or the other or suggesting
23 an advocacy you have stepped outside of the
24 bounds.
25 MS. KRAKE: And I beg to differ that
72
1 I did not do that, but I respectfully abide
2 by what you say.
3 MR. MINORA: Thank you.
4 MS. KRAKE: My point, which was
5 simply the next sentence after I was stating
6 facts, is that Mr. Rendell, let's see if I
7 can do this factually, has a very big stake
8 in whoever is mayor of the city. That is
9 because he holds us in distressed status and
10 we have been keeping his friends, the
11 Pennsylvania Economy League, the
12 consultants, employed for 17 distressed
13 years. Some things are false, some things
14 are true, that is true.
15 I'd also like to say that the 48
16 clerical jobs that the mayor claimed were
17 savings simply were not. It caused an
18 increase, $800,000 plus in double pensions
19 for at least the next 20 years, and he also
20 took the clerk's salaries and used them in a
21 budget to justify administrative jobs and
22 raises.
23 I also have another statement about
24 Mrs. Evans, just so you know. Ms. Evans is
25 suffering serious back injuries involving
73
1 her discs, and at the same time her mother
2 remains hospitalized. I know Mrs. Gatelli
3 mentioned that. Please keep her mom in your
4 prayers. Mrs. Evans has worked tirelessly
5 for the people for close to six years. If
6 she could have been here I'm sure she would
7 have. She has never taken her
8 responsibilities lightly nor has she taken
9 the people of Scranton for granted. We know
10 Mrs. Evans will be back as soon as possible
11 and she has earned and deserved our support
12 so I hope we keep her working for us. Thank
13 you.
14 MS. KNIGHT: Good evening, Council.
15 Gerry Knight, resident. I'm home sitting
16 watching my TV watching you three smirk, but
17 you three and the other thing that sits in
18 the middle all holler at us out here when we
19 smirk or snicker about something that you
20 have done.
21 Now, I'm going to take up you,
22 Mr. Courtright, in the last three years when
23 have you received a diploma in taxes?
24 MR. COURTRIGHT: I haven't.
25 MS. KNIGHT: You haven't. Okay, but
74
1 you have a business in karate.
2 MR. COURTRIGHT: Yes, I do.
3 MS. KNIGHT: Yes, you do. Now, you
4 have rules in your karate.
5 MR. COURTRIGHT: Yes, I do.
6 MS. KNIGHT: Yes, you do. It's a
7 sir. You are a sir to your pupils, am I
8 right or wrong?
9 MR. COURTRIGHT: Yes.
10 MS. KNIGHT: To some degree.
11 MR. COURTRIGHT: Yes.
12 MS. KNIGHT: I know a little bit
13 about karate.
14 MR. COURTRIGHT: Um-hum.
15 MS. KNIGHT: And you do want
16 respect, you demand it in a way, the way you
17 teach your class.
18 MR. COURTRIGHT: Yes.
19 MS. KNIGHT: Oh, yes, you do. Okay,
20 then why in God's name do you want to get
21 into the tax office? Is it for the reason
22 you don't want to do your business anymore
23 or is it the $80,000 a year job?
24 MR. COURTRIGHT: I wish it paid
25 $80,000 a year, it doesn't.
75
1 MS. KNIGHT: Oh, it doesn't. No.
2 How about 60 or 70.
3 MR. COURTRIGHT: Not even about 40.
4 MS. KNIGHT: I'm sorry, I hate to --
5 MR. COURTRIGHT: That's okay.
6 MS. KNIGHT: That --
7 MR. COURTRIGHT: Maybe if I win you
8 can give me a raise.
9 MS. KNIGHT: Well, I'll tell you
10 something, I wish when you were sitting in
11 that chair next to Mrs. Evans, to me I have
12 lost a lot of respect for you,
13 Mr. Courtright, because you are a sir and a
14 gentleman sitting in that seat. Between
15 these two you look like an idiot because she
16 writes you notes, and talk about laughing,
17 you have no right to laugh or giggle. You
18 are supposed to be attentive and writing
19 down what these people are asking your
20 questions. Now, Sherry, I'm going to come
21 to you because two weeks ago --
22 MR. COURTRIGHT: You are done with
23 me?
24 MS. KNIGHT: And you because you
25 talked about how the computer was so
76
1 hassling you and putting heads up and
2 chopping heads off.
3 MS. FANUCCI: What? You better
4 clarify that because I can't answer what I
5 don't understand. What are you talking
6 about chopping heads off and putting heads
7 on?
8 MS. KNIGHT: Well, yous were all
9 talking about the computer, that's why you
10 had the cops come and we had to be all
11 searched and --
12 MS. FANUCCI: About the computer?
13 MS. KNIGHT: Yeah, because you were
14 seeing things on the computer that people h
15 were saying about you and your family.
16 MS. FANUCCI: Oh, okay, now -- okay,
17 I didn't understand. It was very difficult
18 to follow.
19 MS. KNIGHT: Now I'm going to come
20 down to your level, Sherry. I'm coming to
21 your level.
22 MS. FANUCCI: Okay.
23 MS. KNIGHT: Okay? Right. You talk
24 about the firemen and their percentage of
25 what they are going to make, I don't know
77
1 how to resolve that because I really didn't
2 understand it, but I will tell you one
3 thing, your job, his job and her job and the
4 guy that is sitting in that corner is not
5 worth your jobs over them.
6 MS. FANUCCI: I agree.
7 MS. KNIGHT: Oh, you do?
8 MS. FANUCCI: Absolutely. Over
9 theirs? Absolutely.
10 MS. KNIGHT: Oh, well, then --
11 MS. FANUCCI: I don't think anybody
12 would take their job --
13 MS. KNIGHT: Well, then why in the
14 heck don't you tell Doherty that he has to
15 keep his men there. I come from New York
16 City, damn it, and there is not even enough
17 people in here -- over here to run this
18 whole area. Like this gentleman said, I
19 don't know where he is now, but you he said
20 if there was a double fire like there was
21 today you wouldn't have enough men.
22 MS. FANUCCI: Well, you know, in New
23 York now they are closing almost 20 I
24 believe fire companies, so thank God we are
25 not doing that so, yeah, I agree.
78
1 MS. KNIGHT: Oh, big deal, but you
2 only have what, 100 guys?
3 MS. FANUCCI: I'm not sure, was it a
4 150 I believe? One fifty.
5 MS. KNIGHT: Big deal, that's not
6 enough. That's not enough.
7 MS. GATELLI: Thank you.
8 MS. KNIGHT: So between it all you
9 wanted to make --
10 MS. GATELLI: All right. Thank you.
11 MS. KNIGHT: No, no, I'm not done.
12 MS. GATELLI: You are done. Your
13 time is up.
14 MS. KNIGHT: I'm not done.
15 MS. GATELLI: Your time is up. Thank
16 you.
17 MS. KNIGHT: Between the both of you
18 don't -- you couldn't make a pair of
19 balls --
20 MS. GATELLI: You are out of order.
21 MS. KNIGHT: -- because the way you
22 acted last week, two weeks ago.
23 MS. WILLIAMS: Good evening, City
24 Council. Joanne Williams, homeowner and
25 taxpayer. I'd like to ask anyone on the
79
1 council if they can answer this question,
2 that's okay, I'm used to it.
3 MS. GATELLI: We are used to it, too,
4 Mrs. Williams. We are used to it, too.
5 MS. WILLIAMS: Who is responsible for
6 placing the red and white yard signs that
7 state "Tell Doherty not to close
8 firehouses."
9 Does anybody know who is -- and no
10 one has spoken up to that to say that they
11 have been putting the signs out?
12 MS. GATELLI: No.
13 MS. WILLIAMS: Well, these signs are
14 nothing but a scare tactic to try to upset
15 Scrantonians. The mayor has said he is not
16 closing firehouses. As for a fact, I was
17 informed that he is adding firemen -- a
18 fireman to every shift. Whoever put these
19 signs up they need to take them down. This
20 is a false political statement. As in the
21 last mayor race, the scare was Mayor Doherty
22 was going to privatize DPW, never happened.
23 He didn't privatize DPW so that was a scare
24 tactic last time.
25 Moving on, I hear tonight, you know,
80
1 people talking about Nay Aug Park,
2 Mr. Quinn, Mr. Spindler, Mr. Jackowitz and
3 they speak about Nay Aug Park and spending
4 and I take it they are not happy about the
5 spending at the park, but I recall a few
6 years ago a playground was built up at Nay
7 Aug by volunteers, and I don't recall not
8 seeing any of yous -- any of yous there to
9 volunteer to put up a playground for
10 children and then you come here and you say,
11 "I don't like this about the park, I don't
12 like that about the park," the park is
13 absolutely beautiful. We have few speakers
14 every week that come up to this podium and
15 state these facts about the park, you know,
16 if you go up there on any given day and talk
17 to people they know what the park means to
18 them.
19 At the last meeting two weeks ago I
20 watched on 61 and I could not get over, and
21 I respect firemen, I better say that because
22 I was taught that as a young child and you
23 are heroes, but I could not get over hearing
24 Mr. Gervasi complain about a $5 copay for
25 prescriptions if I heard him correctly.
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1 Also, this longevity pay, 5,000 to
2 $7,000 longevity pay each year. All I could
3 think about is people, I know people -- I
4 know people that work full-time jobs and
5 don't receive health care at all or
6 longevity pay. We all need to think about
7 what's going on here, and I respect yous,
8 but, you know, you chose to be a
9 firefighter, thank God we have them, and in
10 your job description it's to fight fires.
11 Also, the mural at Nay Aug Park,
12 Mrs. Fanucci, you said they would be painted
13 by children so let's make that perfectly
14 clear here, you know, before we get it all
15 mixed up again, you know.
16 MS. FANUCCI: Right. I will speak
17 about that.
18 MS. WILLIAMS: Because, you know, we
19 spin and we turn things around here all of
20 the time and it's not -- it's not that nice.
21 Mr. Jackowitz spoke about his shirts that
22 they wear, so I think excuse for them now,
23 if the shirt fits -- - if your shirt fits
24 wear it, and you wear it very well. You
25 know, I'm tired it. I'm tired of the
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1 negativity of people complaining about,
2 like, I don't know what they these people
3 would do if they really had a tragedy in
4 their life --
5 MS. KNIGHT: I have.
6 MS. WILLIAMS: Well, that's fine and
7 dandy, but when people get up here and want
8 to have prescriptions and pay not a penny,
9 let's get real. This city has come a long
10 way. The 500 block of Lackawanna County
11 avenue is beautiful, okay?
12 MS. GATELLI: Excuse me.
13 MS. WILLIAMS: Oh, it does. They
14 don't bother me because this is every
15 weekers Tuesday night netted club that does
16 not like Mayor Chris Doherty and that's fine
17 because you think these people represent the
18 city and represent you people? They
19 absolutely do not. They do not. And I
20 don't know who the other man comes in with
21 long hair and talks about his dogs, he told
22 me he doesn't know who I'm speaking to, I
23 speak to a lot of people in the city and
24 they do like what is happening in this city.
25 I just want to close one thing real
83
1 briefly, to all Scrantonians, just look back
2 eight years ago and remember what our city
3 looked like and where it was headed. Our
4 city has made positive changes thanks to
5 Sherry, Judy and Bob and Mayor Doherty.
6 Let's not take another slide back. Let's
7 keep moving forward. We need to keep you
8 guys in office. Thank you.
9 MS. HUMPHRIES: I want to readdress
10 on that. I represent the city, the elderly.
11 MR. COURTRIGHT: Not now, Phyllis.
12 MS. GATELLI: Is there anyone else?
13 MR. JONES: Hi. Bob from Scranton.
14 I would just like to say that I have one of
15 those little red signs in the front yard and
16 I'd like to see the lady try to take it out
17 of my yard. Thank you.
18 MS. GATELLI: Sir, what was your name
19 last name?
20 MR. JONES: Jones.
21 MS. GATELLI: Jones?
22 MR. JONES: Yes, I'm a Jones' boy.
23 MS. ROYCE: I guess whatever
24 everybody else has to say doesn't matter,
25 she walked out of here. Hi, Bernadette
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1 Royce, West Scranton. I guess I'm going to
2 have to go off record a little bit what I
3 wrote since what she just had to say. The
4 Scranton Fire Department and Scranton Police
5 Department have, obviously, once again
6 proven their value to the citizens of
7 Scranton. Once again, off to do their jobs.
8 Time is crucial in response. I would remind
9 you again that you have three minutes to
10 escape -- (Fire sirens going off.) -- once
11 again off to do their jobs to escape a
12 structure fire.
13 Ms. Fanucci, the other week you
14 accused people of scare tactics just as that
15 woman did. Again, I have one of those signs
16 in my yard and try to take it away. You
17 have also said that the motives are strictly
18 financial for Scranton fire department as
19 that woman just did. That it is all
20 financial. I don't work for Scranton Fire
21 Department. I am not married to a
22 firefighter.
23 MS. FANUCCI: You did though; right?
24 MS. ROYCE: No, I've never --
25 MS. FANUCCI: Oh, I thought you said
85
1 were a -- -
2 MS. ROYCE: I am a retired
3 firefighter.
4 MS. FANUCCI: Oh, okay.
5 MS. ROYCE: I was injured. I have
6 never worked for Scranton Fire Department.
7 MS. FANUCCI: Okay, for Scranton.
8 MS. ROYCE: No, I have been accused
9 on the blogs of having been a Scranton
10 firefighter. I worked for a fire department
11 in Florida.
12 MS. FANUCCI: We know you never