FEBRUARY 12 - FEBRUARY 18, 2000
FEBRUARY 18, 2K
The Politics of the Bradford Hotel
Good morning. It is 24.1 degrees at 6:13 A.M.
I was down at the Bradford Hotel last night. The main subject of conversation was Stan
Pecora being ousted as Sanitary Authority Chairman and member.
"What do you think about it, Bud?" Grant Nichols, Publisher of The
Bradford Journal and Miner asked me.
"Grant," I said. "You know that over the years I have never been any
kind of fan of Stan Pecora. If you remember, when I ran for office and was asked the first
thing I would do, I always replied that I would fire Stan as County Solicitor."
That drew a laugh. Everyone remembered that was exactly what happened.
"But," I said, not even making it appear that I might have been hedging.
"When faced with taking sides between Stan and the big mouth Doynow, I'm with Stan.
He knows what was and is going on. Doynow doesn't have a clue."
Everyone began to grumble. Welfare Wes grumbled more than most.
"I never liked him. I hated the way he strutted around like he was so much better
than the rest of us."
"What lawyer doesn't?" Billy Peckham, the great Irish tenor and finest Chief
of Police in the history of this part of Pennsylvania, except for my father, asked.
That drew a laugh.
"What shocked me was that Michelle Corignani went along with it. Stan supported
her in her run against Connie. I thought you reward your supporters," Mattress Margie
said.
"Like she rewarded Greg Henry?" Sheffer asked.
No one touched that. Everyone took notice of the fact that Henry was her staunchest
supporter. He literally ran her campaign and she made no effort to make him City
Solicitor. Instead, Mark Hollenbeck remains and that dates back to 1992 when Jeff (Charlie
the Tuna) Duke became DA and Hollenbeck inherited it because Stanley was already County
Solicitor. Most have forgotten the firm of Pecora, Duke, and Hollenbeck.
"It looks to me like Dick McDowell and Mike Shuler called the shots on Stanley
going down the road," Peckham said. "Pitt and Zippo and now in control of the
city and Doynow and Corignani say and do what they are told. "
"More than that," Welfare Wes said. "It's the Bradford Area Alliance
that is calling the shots with McDowell and Shuler telling them what they want. We're
looking at the old days back like they were twenty years ago."
Everyone agreed on that.
Then the subject changed to the Main Street Manager.
"Why did John Yale resign?" Welfare Wes asked.
"He didn't exactly resign," I said. "He was given the opportunity to
resign."
"And who was behind that?" Sheffer asked.
"Linda Devlin and Ray McMahon," I said. "At least that's the information
that I have."
"Isn't Devlin's husband some big shot at Zippo?" Toothless Tim asked.
"Yes," I answered.
"Why did they want him gone?" he asked.
"Power, and I think Devlin wanted the job and the money. If not that, she wanted
the Main Street Manager to answer to her, and Yale wouldn't answer to any woman."
That drew another laugh. Everyone had seen him out drinking it up in the local bars.
Everyone had heard him brag about how he was equal in power to Ray McMahon. The word was
that McMahon didn't like that one bit. He got in touch with Guelfi and Hemserd and along
with Devlin, they were laying for him.
"It was the Cellular One deal that he wanted to bring in on Main Street,"
Sheffer said. "It would have competed with Maria and the "bosses" killed
it."
"Yes," Peckham said. "And the area sperm bank, too."
"Sperm bank?" Welfare Wes asked.
I nodded in agreement with Peckham. I had heard that, too. I had heard it, but couldn't
verify it. One of the largest companies that specializes in sale of human sperm wanted to
open an office and donor center on Main Street.
"There were going to be problems with various organizations," I said.
"The Main Street location posed a problem. It was in the heart of the Hysterical
District and the churches were surely going to protest. Yale was passing it off as a
Medical Center; but I think the whole idea offended Dick McDowell's sensibilities. Mike
Shuler, obviously not concerned about sperm donations, along with John Satterwhite who
shared Shuler's thoughts identically on the subject, got in line behind McDowell and sent
the message down to Yale that there would be no Sperm Bank on Main Street.
"Find another location on East Main Street," he was told.
"Yes," I told them all. "It was the Sperm Bank and the rumors about him
being a lesbian. That's the real story on why he resigned."
The crowd mumbled through the rest of the night. Everyone agreed that Stanley and John
Yale had gotten a raw deal. They agreed, but like most other controversial subjects in
Bradford or the county at large, after a few drinks of a few days, they are quickly
forgotten.
Your comments are welcome at rdhedbud@penn.com.
FEBRUARY 17, 2K
What's really going on at ARG?
Good morning. It is 16.2 degrees at 5:51 A.M.
For those of you who do not live around here, ARG is American Refining Group.
When Witco sold the Kendall Oil name to Sun Oil and closed the refinery, the Halloran
brothers: Tom, Dick, and Harry, millionaires in their own right, bought the place, locks,
stocks, and barrels for one dollar. That was in 1997.
Back then there was the promise of a continued future for the employees whose
livelihoods were threatened by the closing. They took pay and benefit cuts to save their
jobs. They allowed themselves to be treated as newly hired trainees so that the Hallorans
could take advantage of State Funding for job training that paid half of the trainees
wages for up to 18 months. And the refinery and the work force began on a road to
recovery. Or so we believed.
Recently we have been treated to news stories that indicate that all is not well. We
are told of an effort to unionize and that certain employees feel they are being treated
as "slaves." Beyond that, the usual shoddy reporting did little beyond
scratching the surface and failed to tell us what it is all about. Here is what some of
the employees have to say about the company and the management team that was named
Business of the Year on February 17, 1998. This may be why they are turning to the
International Union of Operating Engineers to organize. Decide for yourself.
Mountain Laurel Review February 9, 2000
Managing Editor
P. O. Box 28
Custer City, PA 16725
Merry Christmas 1999 at American Refining Group?
When Witco owned the refinery in the Tuna Valley in Bradford the
employees were promised by the management that as long as they did not unionize they would
never have to worry about being laid off and they never were. Instead, they were
terminated. Some were given the option to work for American Refining Group. Harry Halloran
and his two brothers bought the refinery. The employees at ARG are now going into their
fifth year without a raise. The last raises received were implemented under Witco in
January, 1995 for salaried employees and June, 1995 for hourly workers. The previous year
under Witco, employees received bonuses instead of raises. Bonuses are not perpetual.
Customarily, companies that sincerely try to do something for their employees give bonuses
as extra incentives after already implementing cost of living raises. As ARG employees, on
March 1, of 1997, all took from 9% to 15% pay cuts and they were required to sign "employment
at will" agreements. ARG did not restore wages until October of 1998. In
addition, ARG does not provide a pension plan. Employees whose seniority entitled them to
five weeks of vacation lost one week as employees of ARG. With the loss of the pension,
vacation, along with the pay cut and unrealized raises compounded, ARG employees are now
behind over 20%. The Witco 401k was self-directed while ARG’s is not.
Harry Halloran was at the Bradford Refinery just before the 1999
Christmas Holiday at which time mandatory employee meetings were held. During the meetings
Harry told employees that the bonus contingent on profitability that was promised
retroactive to October 1st, 1999, was out of the question. Mr. Halloran
primarily believes in giving bonuses. When and if profits dictate, then and only then will
some employees receive raises. He said the refinery lost 2.5 million dollars. At one of
these meetings, Halloran divulged that he and his two absentee investor brothers Tom
and Dick, drew salaries totaling three million dollars! What this really means is that
if the employees had received help they needed to have an employee owned company, they
would presently be operating at ½ million dollars in the black. Halloran was also asked
by employees why the company could not go public and while not being able to give the
employees annual raises, give them shares of ARG stock instead. Halloran replied,
"the way things are, you would not want to be stockholders".
ARG will apparently continue to borrow money from the bank to pay
operational expenses and corporate overhead [corporate overhead = the three
million to Tom, Dick & Harry plus two million for interest and the costs of the
Conshohocken office] but cost of living raises for employees is out of the question.
In fact Halloran stated that he did not expect to give any raises at all until the
hydro-treater project was completed, on line, and the company was profitable. Halloran
explained that if it were not for their million dollar per year salaries, he and his
brothers would not have gotten involved with the refinery at all.
Halloran's ramblings at the meetings became arrogant as the questions
from employees tested his double talk and obvious evasive answers. He ranted about how
there would be profit sharing. When asked questions about the possibility of a pension he
stated that he did not believe people should retire.
Also at these meetings, Halloran addressed the out come of a poll sent
to 174 participants of ARG’s 401k. Of the questionnaires distributed, 51.7% voted for
a self-directed plan, 42% preferred trustee-directed and 6.3% did not respond. The
consensus among Halloran and the trustees was that despite what the majority of employees
wanted, no clear mandate for change was established??? The ARG plan matches 25 cents on
the dollar for employees who are allowed to designate up to15% of their income for the
plan. Employees who became vocal over this outcome were told that they had three choices,
(1) they could take their money out of the plan, (2) leave their money in the plan and
keep their mouths shut or (3) Zippo was now hiring.
Accompanying this letter the reader will find numerous "business
update" memos from Harvey Golubock to Harry Halloran. When the price paid per barrel
of crude was low didn’t Harvey Golubock tell employees that a profit was not
attainable because our crude inventory was bought at a higher price? Now with the price of
crude up isn’t Harvey saying we cannot make a profit because of the high cost of raw
material? Doesn't Mr. Harvey always have a story? Is it perceivable that having a captive
skilled work force and being able to stifle their wages indefinitely is an answer to Mr.
Golubock's wildest dream? Remember when it was rumored that the Bradford Refinery was for
sale by Witco? Harvey, then the Witco V.P. in charge of the refinery, told the media "that
was malarkey". Two weeks later the refinery was for sale. Does Harvey Golubock
know what a lie is? SeeAttached Golubock Memo dated 10/26/99: A
wise man once said,"the harder I work the luckier I get"! Or, is it the
harder the ARG employees work the luckier Golubock, the ARG elite and the Halloran
Brothers get?
The day before the 1999 Christmas Holiday, did Harvey Golubock come
around to shake the hand of each employee and make small talk? While doing so did he look
at the floor, peer up at the ceiling but would not look employees straight in the eye?
After Mr. Golubock returned to his office, did he then have the personnel office
distribute to the employees pamphlets explaining that the company was increasing the cost
of their medical and dental insurance premiums? Merry Christmas. Don’t health
insurance increases constitute pay cuts? How big is the salary Harvey receives from Tom,
Dick, and Harry? Is this more corporate overhead? Does Mr. Golubock continually preach to
employees to do as much as they can for the community? Is that why Mr. Golubock resides
and commutes from Holliday Valley each day?
The employees at the once renowned Kendall Refinery are hard working
people. Witco sold the name that generations of Kendall employees worked so hard to create
and at the same time they sold out the very people that worked so hard to keep Witco's
chemical divisions afloat through the 70’s and 80’s. The majority of them were
ten years or less away from retirement. Now that they are working to keep Harvey
Golubock,
the Halloran brothers and the select elite of the enriched ARG management, these same
employees can forget about any hopes of keeping up with inflation or moreover, earning
enough money to have a decent retirement.
Most sincerely, American Refining
Group, Inc. Employees
You decide. What does it sound like to you. I am interested in what you
have to say because I have a complete packet of information on the promises that have not
been kept to date. And, ARG seems to continue to be on the receiving end of favorable
taxing, as well as Government sponsored programs and give aways to enhance its operation
and profitability. If the Hallorans are draining out all the profits for their own gain
and then stand there with their hand out for Government and taxpayer dollars, that raises
questions, in my mind at least. How about you?
Your comments are welcome at rdhedbud@penn.com.
FEBRUARY 16, 2K
The Convention Center
Good morning. It is 32.5 degrees at 6:14 A.M.
I got hooked up with Tom and Jerry Clark last night. They dragged me down to the
Bradford Hotel. When I walked in the great Irish tenor and finest Chief of Police in the
history of Bradford, PA, Billy Peckham, and Dave Sheffer were involved in quite a heated
discussion. And as usual, because there was controversy, my name came up.
"Beck's doing it on purpose," Sheffer said.
"He is not," Sheffer insisted.
"You don't have a clue about what you are saying," Sheffer shot back.
"I do," Peckham stubbornly told him. "Beck's not that smart."
"What?" I asked. "What do you mean I am not that smart? Smart
about what?" I demanded.
They both stopped their squabbling when they realized I was there.
"What am I not that smart about?" I asked Peckham.
"We're talking about the new Convention Center," Peckham said. "Dave
thinks you are buying up Main Street because you have inside information from the
Governor's Office or some place else down in Harrisburg about where it is going to be
located. He thinks that it is going to be put on Main Street."
I looked at Tom and shrugged my shoulders. I looked at Jerry and asked if he knew what
they were talking about? Jerry was as much in the dark as I was.
"What Convention Center?" I asked.
Sheffer wasn't buying that I knew nothing about it. "Don't give us that,
Beck," he insisted. "You know all about the proposed Convention Center for
Bradford. Don't play dumb with us. We drink with you. There shouldn't be secrets between
drinking buddies. Especially if you have information that can help us. Information that
affect the Bradford Hotel directly.
"If it is placed strategically, the Hotel could make a roaring come back. I need
to know so I can plan ahead now. I may need to renovate two or three of the larger rooms
to accommodate the visitors the Convention Center would bring to the area. Don't you
understand this is the single most important piece of information that we have had in
years. And there you are sitting on it, buying up Main Street, purposely driving down
property values with rumors of Nude Clubs, and all the while being a profiteer. That is
outrageous."
I was dumbfounded. I don't believe I have ever heard Sheffer speak so much at the same
time in the twelve or thirteen years I have known him. And who ever would have believed
that he could have drawn enough breath all at once to get it all out? He had made quite a
few allegations that I felt compelled to answer. And, he had brought to my attention that
perhaps a Convention Center was planned for Main Street and that certain people (not me
for sure) were in the know and perhaps, just perhaps, that was the source of the
opposition to the development of 9 Main Street.
"Dave," I said, hoping to reassure him. "I know nothing about any
Convention Center for Bradford. That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Why
would anyone come to Bradford for a convention?"
"They come for the Zippo Swap Meet," he said.
He had me there. They indeed did. A Convention Center could house the swap meet, but
that was only one weekend every two years. Would they build a Convention Center just for
that? I didn't know.
"And I bought the building on Main Street because it was a good deal. Heck,"
I joked. "I haven't driven down property values any more than all the lawyers have
done by having offices on Main Street. Heck," I said again. "A nude club would
be more preferable to a lot of people than another lawyer moving in."
Peckham quickly agreed with that statement. Tom and Jerry Clark agreed, too. Even
Sheffer thought about it and was forced to agree.
"What would you rather have in the Hysterical District: pretty girls or more
lawyers?"
In unison everyone said: "Pretty girls!"
"And I am not buying up Main Street. I've looked at a couple of other properties.
I'm waiting for the people to get back to me. And where did all this talk come from about
the Convention Center anyway? Who started this?"
Peckham looked at Sheffer. When he did, so did the rest of us. Sheffer realized he was
on the spot.
"Well?" I asked. "Who told you?"
"I can't say," he told us. "It would be betraying a confidence. I
promised I wouldn't say."
"Since when does anyone keep a secret in Bradford?" I demanded. "Think
about how absurd you sound, Dave," I insisted.
Billy Peckham quickly agreed with me. "He's right, Dave. That is a stupid thing to
say. Especially stupid seeing how you are blaming Bud for being in the center of all of
this. He deserves to know."
I could see Dave agreed.
"Someone on the Drug Task Force told me."
"The Drug Task Force?" I asked. "How would they have information on a
Convention Center?"
"Wire taps," he said. "Wire taps of someone high up who they suspect of
dealing and the conversation of where and when the Convention Center was going to be built
came up. That's how they knew. And your name came up in the conversation, too. They said
you owned property right smack dab in the center of where it was going to be built. That's
why they have the churches and the people on you so hard."
I was shocked. I genuinely was shocked. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
"Who's phone was it?" I asked now that my curiosity was lit.
"He wouldn't say," Dave told us. "If he did, I might have been too drunk
to remember. We were drinking pretty hard that night. He was really loaded. I knew he was
telling the truth."
The conversation changed. I had a whole lot to think about. I wondered how much of it
was true. I realized I had to do a little investigating on my own. A Convention Center?
Could it be true?
Your comments are welcome at rdhedbud@penn.com.
FEBRUARY 15, 2K
Asking the obvious question
Good morning. It is 19.0 degrees at 6 A.M. sharp.
I just logged on to the Error and read a story written by that slimy little
coward Jim Buck.
"Leaking roof at Sena-Kean Manor could cost county $250,000."
In the article, Al Pingie was quoted as saying that a new roof could cost "big
bucks." I had to laugh. "Sure Al," I said to myself. "Big bucks if you
have anything to do with it. Big bucks if you send the business to your buddies and get
the usual that you are so accustomed to." And it begins already.
The question of the capital reserve fund came up. Three weeks ago when it came up in
the news once before and Jim Weaver incorrectly quoted me as saying that I said it was
legal to use the funds for temporary measures, I delivered to the Error a letter
I had written to the other two commissioners in which I opposed raiding the fund. At that
time they were siphoning off $750,000.
According to Tom Ball, $514,000 has yet to be paid back.
"Why?" should be the obvious question even though I know the answer.
Why didn't the little coward ask the question? He would have of me.
I am suspect of the Error and the motives it has had since the tax increase
was first announced. No where did it ever come out and oppose it even though the financial
impact on the people who pay the taxes and any one who would even consider in the midst of
a bad dream to locate a business in such a clearly anti-business environment has yet to be
felt. It is almost like they approve of the tax increases all around - County and School
District.
More over, why didn't the taxpayer's coalition ask the question?
To begin with, Tom Ball admitting that the money being used for a purpose other than
what it was clearly earmarked for, is a violation of some law some where, otherwise, we
would not have had to jump through so many hoops and answer so many questions when we took
out the bond. In my late June letter, which is in the hands of the Error, I also
point out that what they were doing was illegal.
The Commissioners borrowed $3.5 million as a tax anticipation loan at the beginning of
the year. Why wasn't the Capital Reserve Fund replenished at that time? An IOU to the
Capital Reserve Fund signed by the three commissioners is not legal. The cash has to be in
the bank. Why isn't it and what has the $3.5 million been used for?
The weakness of the budget that was passed by a 2 to 1 vote shows right here. And this
is just the beginning.
The fact that $514,000 is absent should be sending up red flags everywhere to everyone.
For some reason it is passed over and soon to become yesterday's old news. What was the
tax anticipation loan used for if not to replace that money and pay bills that were
carried over in 2000? Is it possible that for the very first time $3.5 million was not
enough?
I don't know. I can't say one way or another. However, it does seem to me that the
obvious questions by the media are not being asked. And when that happens, all I can so is
ask why.
Comments are welcome at rdhedbud@penn.com.
FEBRUARY 14, 2K
Happy Valentine's Day
Good morning. It is 30.7 degrees with freezing rain and sleet at 6 P.M. Today we
will hear from our staff cynic, Tom Clark.
Dr. Derangedlove By Tom Clark
Love...an innocent four letter word that sticks to your face. It's
Valentine's Day, that special time when some of us turn our thoughts to the one or ones we
love, while others dream about lining up their
enemies in a parking garage and gunning them down.
There are some rituals of Valentine's Day that I don't understand. Why would a man buy
his woman a one pound box of chocolates that will, inevitably, add eight pounds to her
hips?
The day is symbolized by Cupid, a mythological tyke wearing a Depends diaper and
shooting arrows through people's hearts. Would I be arrested and held for psychological
evaluation if I tried this stunt? And how drunk was the little guy when he shot his first
homosexual?
I've been pretty lucky at love. Hell, I'm 12 and 3, not a bad win
percentage, eh? Many recognize my expertise on the subject of love and I am inundated with
letters asking for advice on relationships and the like. I usually answer each person
confidentially, but in the spirit of Valentine's Day, I decided to share a few letters
with my readers.
Dear Dr. D...I am in love with a beautiful girl and she says that she
loves me right back. We get along great, but I have a feeling that she
is unfaithful to me. Some of my friends say she is out in the bars
playing around at night while I'm working third shift. What should I
do?...Confused in Custer City
Dear Custer...Dump the ho. I know who she is and she has been around the block more
than the mailman. I saw her taping a resume to the window of the proposed Club Bradford.
Find yourself a nice girl that works the same hours that you do, perhaps a 3rd shift
convenience store clerk that has her career on track.
Dear Dr. D...My husband doesn't seem to notice me any more. I will
spend hours primping before he gets home from work, hoping that he will take me in his
arms and make passionate love to me. Instead, he flops on the couch, flips on the TV and
sits there, scratching his
you-know-whats. I don't know what to do... A Lonely Limestoner
Dear Stoner...Bummer. Sucks to be you.
Dear Dr. D...I have a problem of, how should I say this, holding the
mayo. Every time I try to get in the sack with a beautiful girl, it
seems that I am done before she even gets her shoes off. I tried
thinking of baseball, but that doesn't work. This sometimes happens when I am walking down
the street and see a beautiful girl. I try to look away but it is usually too late. I'm
starting to get a reputation as
the Minute Man. What should I do? ...Premature in Port Allegany
Dear Slurpee...There are, of course, medical considerations that you
may want to discuss with your doctor. You could try thinking about other boring or ugly
things like, Green Giant Wax Beans, Cheri O'Mara, First Night in Bradford, the bi-monthly
meeting of Overeaters Anonymous, the Buffalo Sabres power play, Regis and Kathie Lee or
all of the toothless moms at the corner of South Center Street waiting to put their
mutations on the school bus. Good luck and hold on as long as you can. And, next time we
meet on the street, remind me not to shake hands with you
Dear Dr. D...My wife wants to get it on with another woman while I
watch. She even wants me to take pictures. I'm really uncomfortable with all of
this...Miffed in Marshburg
Dear Loser...This is a very touchy situation and I understand your
feelings. I'm here to help. If you can't bring yourself to do this, I
would be more than happy to step in for you and take the pictures.
That's the kind of guy I am. I'll buy ten rolls of film and tell your
wife I'll be over around 9:00 pm. I'll even bring 60 boxes of chocolate pudding, a giant
economy size can of Crisco and some assorted vegetables. Don't worry, pal, I'll help you
get through this trying time.
I hope that each of you has a wonderful Valentine's Day and that love
will rear it's ugly head and bite you right where you live. And, as a
safety reminder, try to stay out of parking garages on Valentine's Day, especially if a
guy named Lefty asks you to meet him there. Til next week...
FEBRUARY 12 & 13, 2K
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