SEPTEMBER 26 - OCTOBER 2, 1998
OCTOBER 2, 1998
The Big Story and others
The big story was Governor Tom Ridge was in town for a fifteen dollar a plate
"Salute to Betty Comes." It was a lovely fall day. The cold front swept through
early in the morning bringing us rain and wind; but by lunch time we had a bright blue sky
dotted only by small cumulus clouds coming out of the north and rolling past us.
The affair was well attended. The "Who's Who" of the powerful McKean County
Republican Party, which was out in force. There must have been three hundred or so present
to pay respect to the "grandmother of the grand old party" here in
the county. Tom Ridge likened her to "a soldier fighting for our way of life as they
stormed the beaches in the Invasion of Normandy." Myself, picturing Betty riding a
horse, would have likened her to storming San Juan Hill with Teddy Roosevelt, but then,
Teddy was a Democrat and Betty certainly wouldn't have anything to do with any Democrat,
would she?
Answering my own question, former liberal Democrat, now a born again and baptized
personally by Russ Johnson, the converted Conservative View Republican State Senator Bill
(Sludge King) Slocum was the Master of Ceremonies. He was there proudly proclaiming
he had earned an invitation to dinner at Betty's house.
The staff at the Penn Hills Club did an excellent job serving that large of a crowd and
the affair was an overwhelming success. Governor Ridge left McKean County and headed over
to Warren County for a $1000 a plate fund raiser. It looks like we got off cheap.
In other news, first covered by radio station WESB of Bradford, KISS-FM of Port
Allegany, WLMI of Kane, and The Olean Times Herald; but oddly ignored by The Bradford Era,
was a letter I wrote to District Attorney Michele Alfieri on September 30, 1998. It read:
"On behalf of the taxpayers of McKean County, I would like a formal accounting of
the cost to the County in the recently concluded "Matis Vehicular Homicide
Case." Furthermore, on behalf of the taxpayers, I would like an explanation of your
conduct in this matter.
"While I was not present for the case, I did have observers report to me on the
progress. One thing was reported time and time again: your lack of preparedness in
presenting your case. The fact that you have been absent from trying a reasonable amount
of cases since you have become District Attorney becomes very apparent to even the most
uninformed whey they evaluate your performance in this matter. With a full day to
consider your cross examination of Defense Witness and accident reconstruction expert
William Wetzel, you chose to open the door to him to reinforce his prior testimony. That,
in my estimation, was not only amateurish, but foolish considering he took his testimony
to heights that the defense had not under direct examination.
"You lost this burdensome and expensive case. It was your choice to either take
this to trial or to plea bargain for the eventual result, a "Guilty verdict on
DUI." Your actions wasted precious tax dollars on a case that was mishandled going
back to your predecessor and former boss, Charles Jeffrey Duke and continued by your own
incompetence and mismanagement of your office. I need not remind you that you are the
second highest paid county employee, only to Judge Cleland. The taxpayers deserve much
more from you and your office than this shabby result."
The Matis Case goes back to December, 1992. Two people died following a head on
automobile accident on snow covered roads that would become complicated when a third
automobile would collide into the crash scene. Inexperienced State Troopers would arrive
at hasty conclusions and with the District Attorney (Jeff Duke) fail to preserve evidence
in the case. Duke, the newly elected self appointed temperance crusading DA, charged
Matis with two counts of Vehicular Homicide.
Duke was a lazy District Attorney who seemed to have a problem telling the truth.
Problems were always someone else's fault and he never had a way to solve them. Every
problem became a major impasse for him. When he did not bring Matis to trial on a speedy
basis, Defense Attorney, "sockless" Joe Morasco, filed a motion to have the case
dismissed. John M. Cleland dismissed the case and freed Matis. Duke claimed his key
witness was not available and appealed Cleland's decision. It was reversed by the
higher court and dealt Cleland's prestige a blow. The case was reinstated and Cleland
scheduled it for trial with himself sitting in judgement.
By now Duke was out of office and in the timber business with a man that he tried for
Timber Theft and lost. His former full time assistant was now the DA. You would have
thought that in light of the higher Court making a fool out of Cleland, Michele
Alfieri would have asked Cleland to remove himself from the case. Even at that, if
Alfieri, who was Cleland's former law clerk, did not want to embarrass either of her
former bosses, you would have thought that with proper preparation she would have realized
that she had a loser and would have tried to plea bargain on lesser charges. She didn't.
Heading up the largest and most expensive District Attorney's Office in McKean County
history, Alfieri took the case to trial. She lost. She lost miserably and foolishly. I
want to know why!
The combination of the Court System, the Office of District Attorney, and the Office of
the Public Defender cost the taxpayers of McKean County 89 CENTS of every DOLLAR they pay
in County Taxes. When he was District Attorney, Jeff Duke ran a Grand Jury on Timber
Theft that lasted nearly two years and cost the county over $200,000. The only person ever
tried, Sean Bacha, defended himself and beat Duke in open court. Now Bacha and Duke are
partners in the timber business. I cannot sit back and allow Alfieri squander County
resources in the same self serving manner as her former boss Duke.
I want an explanation and I believe that the tax payers do, too.
OCTOBER 1, 1998
Ideas and awesome kids
Yesterday afternoon I had the pleasure to be in the presence of some teens who are
everything that you never read about in the news. They were good kids.
The County Commissioners recently commended the Teen Council of the Port Allegany
Family Center for activities they have initiated on their own for the betterment of their
community. We recognized that their actions were beyond the scope of normal
involvement in our Family Centers. For that reason we acknowledged them at our weekly
Commissioners' Meeting and sent along to them a testimonial to their good works.
Privately, I asked Sue Howard, the County Family Centers Director, to give me a date when
I could do a little something for them. Yesterday was that day.
Last week I was bombarded with ideas from the adults who supervise the Teen Council.
While I envisioned a private and a quiet Pizza Party with the kids, they kept trying to
make it some sort of media event. "No radio! No newspaper!" I insisted. They
showed me who I was - we had all of that and then some.
My buddy George was there covering the party that turned into an event. We had the
entire program video taped. There were photographers and even the radio station. We gave
out individual certificates of recognition. In all we must have had fifty kids from Port
Allegany, and four more who were brought along as guests from Kane. I must have
bought a dozen or so pizza trays and they disappeared in fifteen minutes. (I forgot how
much kids eat!) Then they started on a cake. In an hour the long awaited event was winding
down and I was saying my good-byes to a group of young people who could serve as an
inspiration anywhere in this entire nation. As I left, I reflected on what had happened.
I had forgotten what it meant to kids, especially teens, when persons of any type of
imagined importance, like a County Commissioner, paid attention to them.
One young man who was wearing a pink sport coat and a tie introduced himself to me.
"I have been looking forward to this for a long time, sir," he said. "I
think you are awesome."
The young man's words put me back on my heels. Me, awesome? That was beyond my
imagination. What was awesome was what they had done and what they were doing!
The same young man was part of a band. They composed and performed the Port Allegany
Family Center Alma Mater. It was great! It was awesome.
One pretty young girl, in a very adult manner, introduced herself to me when I sat at a
table with her and several others. She informed me that she intended to become a lawyer
and asked if I was one. In my usual manner I told her I was not a lawyer - I was an honest
man. My humor was lost and then I had to do some back peddling just so I didn't look and
sound like a complete idiot. What you can get away with in dealing with adults is
much different than what you can do with these inquiring minds. They not only expect
answers, they demand them!
One teen asked me what I felt was my greatest accomplishment was since I was elected
County Commissioner. At that moment, and at every other moment from that time on, the
answer is and will be very simple. Family Centers are my greatest accomplishments.
When they asked me to say a few words I told them that someone had called me
"awesome." I told them that I was not awesome. I told them that they were. I
told them they were awesome because they took it upon themselves to create a mentoring
program for themselves (The A and B students helping those among themselves who were in
trouble) and the entire group helping the younger children with their homework. That is
awesome!
I told them how good I felt to see the hard work that most of the time was
unappreciated, come to fruition. I said that fighting with the Department of Welfare for
enough money to have four family centers instead of just maintaining the one in Bradford
was now worth the aggravation and all the people I made mad at me. I said it and I meant
it. I would do it all over again just to see those young people in that room celebrating
themselves and the excellent job they have done for their community.
As my buddy George wrote down my every word, I told him that this was not about me. I
told him it was about the kids and the great work they have done. We need news about good
kid and their good deeds - and them writing and performing their own Alma Mater. We don't
need news about wind bag politicians giving speeches at Family Centers. That wasn't what
it was for.
No, it was about recognizing some kids who did good. They did good because they were
given the chance to do good. It started with an idea in a bull headed person who wanted
our county to get what the big counties got. Many people joined in that idea and because
of their interest and their involvement, we have these awesome kids who will someday
become awesome adults.
SEPTEMBER 30, 1998
Where I live
I talk about the e-mail I get. Contrary to what I may have led you to believe, not all
are political in nature. Many of the messages come from people who wonder more about this
place than the people I write about. The people speak for themselves in the stories I
write. The places need no one to speak for them as long as you have seen them. For those
who have not, it is difficult to describe the peace of the forest on a chilly morning like
this one. It is more than millions of trees cluttering hills and valleys. It is more than
a place where so many animals live. The Forest is alive and has a entity unto itself. It
is there, and it is magnificent.
A lady wrote and said: "I looked the Allegheny National Forest up on a road atlas.
I was under the impression you were in eastern Pennsylvania. It was to my surprise that
you are where you are and the forest which you write so lovingly about is as large as it
actually is. I have not been to Pennsylvania since I was a small girl and we drove through
it on the Pennsylvania Turnpike on our way to New York. Is that, what I remember seeing,
representative of the state?"
Another lady who said she was from Arizona asked: "What is different between your
Allegheny National Forest and our Coconino National Forest?" She also has not been to
Pennsylvania.
I have been to the Coconino National Forest. It has a charm of its own and I
enjoyed it. However, it is vastly different from the Allegheny National Forest immediately
just by the types of trees that make up the forest. In the fall Coconino will turn yellow.
It will be a sea of yellow leaves. Our trees are turning and we have a variety of colors
that are just like the pictures on the post cards. Very few places in the world have such
a display.
To the lady who looked up the Allegheny National Forest in the road atlas, the
Pennsylvania Turnpike is representative of the state. It follows the railroad Andrew
Carnegie was building to compete with the old Pennsylvania Railroad. It winds through the
heart of Pennsylvania. The Allegheny National Forest and its watersheds comprise the soul
of the state.
People think of cities like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Pennsylvania is more than
cities. It has the largest rural population in the United States. The Allegheny National
Forest and its 500,000 plus acres spans four counties: Elk, Forest, Warren, and McKean.
Less than 110,000 people live in those four counties. You will find that across the state
with nearly two thirds of the counties being classified as rural in nature.
Bisecting the Allegheny National Forest from east to west is US 6, The Grand Army of
the Republic Highway. Route 6 begins on Cape Cod and ends only miles from the Pacific
Ocean in California. The 410 miles that are in Pennsylvania are some of the most wonderful
in the entire nation. The part that winds through the forest is especially beautiful.
Fall, in particular, gives patient travelers a wealth of lovely and serene sights as
they travel a two lane highway through forests and picturesque towns.
I can go on and on over the places to visit and sights to see. There is the Kinzua
Bridge, located just outside of Mt. Jewett. It was once one of the seven manmade wonders
of the world. It is a steel railroad bridge (originally wood and the highest in the world
at that time) standing 301 feet high, and was constructed in 1882 in just over 90 days.
The Knox, Kane, and Kinzua Railroad still crosses the bridge daily giving a breathtaking
view of the valley below.
The Kinzua Dam and the Allegheny Reservoir (the largest man made body of water east of
the Mississippi) are on Route 59 which runs from Route 6 in Smethport to Route 6 in
Warren. There is a place called Hearts Content. It is in the forest and is back in the
woods, the original woods, dating back to a fire that ravished the original forest about
1626. The trees in Hearts Content have somehow survived the years of uncontrolled cutting
and remain for our enjoyment and scientific study. They are unique to the forest as they
are hemlocks and white pines, the original trees. The forest now consists of maple, oak,
and black cherry; the successor trees since the end of the last devastating major
uncontrolled cut in the twenties and thirties.
If you want to just meander through the forest, there is the Longhouse National Scenic
Byway. It is a 29 mile drive through the forest on paved roads. If you travel it at the
right time of the day you may see some of the many inhabitants which include the white
tail deer, black bears, turkey, grouse, and maybe even a flat lander from down state or
from over in Ohio.
If you do come to the forest, be sure to stop your car and get out. Driving across the
Pennsylvania Turnpike will show you mountains and trees. Stopping in the Allegheny
National Forest will give you something that you just cannot see. It will be something you
feel.
And in writing these words telling you about the place in which I live, if I write
100,000 more, I will never be able to describe for you how you will feel as you stand in
the hills and the trees. I will never be able to describe to you what it is like off the
road back in the woods sitting on a rock and just looking. Probably you will be like me if
you would do that. Probably you would lose track of time. Probably you would lose your
feeling of importance as you lose yourself in the grandness of all that surrounds you at
that moment. That is what happened to me and that is why I live here.
SEPTEMBER 29, 1998
Reduce Stress with Humor
"Why doesn't Jim Buck smile?" I asked Jay Paul Kahle.
"Maybe because you said he looked like a ferret," he answered.
"True!" I said.
The conversation never took place, but it could have. Jim is so serious. He never
smiles except in the "ferret picture" and maybe therein lies the explanation.
Lighten up, Jim! Things could be worse; you could look like me instead of a ferret! Think
about that! Every where you would go around town people would be telling you what a great
job you were doing and wanting to buy you a drink. Granted, not many attorneys would talk
to you, but that has its advantages, too. Humor, Jim. That's the secret. Don't be so damn
serious.
The boyz on the radio have had a great time with "my distinctive voice." Then
there was the "bud - wise - er." I loved it! I flat loved it. And Tony, I
listened last week and you weren't stupid - that time.
Maureen Murray of Humor Associates in Pittsburgh recently gave a presentation at the
statewide County Commissioners' Convention. Her copyrighted "Ten Commandments for
Using Humor to Reduce Stress" have become a daily part of my life. I want to share
them with you.
She told us to Slow down and search for humor; collect and share it. You know, the
ferret picture. Once I get my hands on it, I am going to enclose it in plastic and keep it
with me all the time so I can have a laugh anywhere.
Seek the company of cheerful companions. That kind of speaks for itself. I would much
rather go to lunch with Kate Sager of The Olean Times Herald than most of the staff of The
Era. She knows how to laugh. Except for Marty, the newsroom is really humorless. Losing
Suzanne English was really a blow and even their shot at humor with the bat headline left
a bit to be desired.
Compare your situation to something outrageously worse. Hey Jim, you really could look
like me!
Play daily, especially when you think you don't have time. Exactly what do you think
this is?
If you think you'll laugh about it later, decide to laugh now. Laughing feels good and
never put off something as good as a laugh and sometimes it becomes contagious. The Era
should practice that. The boyz on the radio do and it really shows. And Tony, you weren't
stupid - that time.
Remember that good humor always laughs with, not at. Opps! Sorry kids in the newsroom.
Sorry Jim. Tony, I'm not sorry, you weren't stupid - that time.
Decorate your surroundings with things that make you smile. Anyone who has ever been to
my office in the Courthouse has probably seen my autographed picture of Che' Guevarra. I
have the one of him and Evita at home. He gave them to me when I helped capture him when I
served with Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders back in my mercenary days.
Recall your funniest memories and laugh again. I'm going to have to think about that
for awhile.
Bring laughter to others and you will lift your own spirits. Many would say that is why
I ran for County Commissioner - to put a smile on the face of Judge Cleland.
Remember that we make but one journey through this life and that a merry heart will
lighten our steps. Life can be fun if we lighten up. Not everything is a serious as we
want to make it. Generally, in the midst of the latest crisis, we should realize that
there is little we can do to fix it except to allow time to take over. Time seems to cure,
or at least dull, most things. Laughing at our plight can generally make it easier to
take.
Maureen Murray is a lovely lady from Pittsburgh and no doubt a devout Steelers fan. She
is an excellent public speaker and is available to speak to groups of all sizes. I
recommend her and if interested, you may reach her at: 225 Outlook Drive, Suite 302;
Pittsburgh, PA. 15228-2162; Phone 412-561-1577; Fax 412-561-1559.
SEPTEMBER 28, 1998
E-mail about bats
Really, it wasn't just about bats. It was about orchids and mussels.
COMMENT: "B.S. Manuero, really! You have to be crazy and I have to be crazy
to be able to actually imagine that conversation taking place. Unfortunately, when the
government passed legislation to protect endangered and threatened species, common sense
was missing. It isn't so much that they are trying to protect a patch of flowers, it is
the way they go about it. A flower, an orchid, could have arrived here any number of ways.
The idea of searching 227,000 acres to find them is the crazy part. How much did that cost
us? And you're right about the mussels. They are attaching themselves to water intake
systems and costing us millions of dollars just trying to get rid of them. Why are we
trying to protect them in a place where they probably don't even belong?"
COMMENT: "I think you exposed the real motive behind finding one bat
in the Allegheny National Forest. Only you are telling the true impact of the bat. When
you say five years, you are not kidding. You have the insight to understand exactly what
has happened. The private land owners are sleeping, too. The Threatened and Endangered
Species Act extends to private lands just like the Wetlands Act. Once they prove, and they
will prove it, that the Indiana Bat it more widespread than they have told us initially,
then we will have real problems."
COMMENT: "You haven't carried the thesis far enough. By eliminating 100
million board feet of cherry production from the Allegheny National Forest, the price of
cherry from private lands will increase significantly thus giving the same people who are
fighting for lower taxes on their Clean and Green property, a huge windfall. Just think
for a minute and ask yourself who has access to the people who might be out there counting
bats to the nearest 70? The foresters and the biologists are one and the same. Some of
them study trees and some of them study plants and some of them study bats. They are all
from Penn State and they all work together. One hand washes the other! Don't discount the
finding of one bat. It will have implications for years to come."
COMMENT: "Mussels, bats, and orchids in the Allegheny National Forest while
we forget why it was really created. It was to save our soils and protect our water. No
Indiana Bats or orchids, or even mussels were living here when the National Forest was
created in the 1920's. It was a wasteland of stumps and oil wells spilling over and
polluting the streams and the rivers. Every time it rained mud filled the water ways and
choked the fish. No one wanted the land. No one was paying taxes on the barren hills and
valleys so the government took them. The only reason the bat even comes here is because of
the way things are today. Leave well enough alone and nature will reward us with more bats
if that is what is in the grand design of things."
Those are typical of the comments I have been receiving. No one wrote to defend
the bat. The mussels and the orchid were a new wrinkle that even I had not counted on. I
touched on the absurdity and it is just about impossible to really sit down and imagine an
all out search of 227,000 acres for a flower.
Think of the man hours and the money something like that must have cost. Imagine
searching streams and waterways for mussels! I wish that was all I had to do with my time.
This is an issue that will not go away. We will hear more about it. We will discuss
this again.
SEPTEMBER 26 - 27, 1998
There are no new articles.
If you have a comment on this article please click here.
[ Top ] [ Home ]
[_private/toc_for_second_level_pages.html]
