JUNE 15 - 21, 1998
JUNE 20-21
There are no new articles on these dates.
JUNE 19, 1998
The Bridge, Bill, and a Bunch of BS
I received a phone call last night. It was Grant Nichols, Publisher
and Editor of The Bradford Journal and Miner. He told me he received a copy of
the letter I sent to the Auditor General about the Kasson Bridge and asked me to verify
that the letter was indeed sent by me. He said that the letter was nothing like the
account that he read in The Bradford Era. I said I wasn't surprised.
"It makes sense," he said to me; "Now that I have read your
letter."
I thought it made sense, too. I thought it made sense and I also
believed that it was my job to oversee how public funds are being spent. That is why I
asked the Auditor General to look at what is going on. My God! The bridge is built
cockeyed and doesn't line up with the roadway. Now Bill Kilmer, a township supervisor, and
Penny Eddy, the administrator of Community Development Block Grant funds, are preparing to
spend more money, more of taxpayers' money, to fix the road after the bridge was built
wrong. Why?
Bill Kilmer talks a good game. The Bradford Era sucked it up.
It made me out to be a bad guy by asking that an impartial person look at the entire
project. It made it sound like because I asked questions, the bridge might never open.
Keep track of what Bill Kilmer said on Monday. Take my word for it, it will all change and
he will say he never said it. He made himself out to be an injured party when in fact it
is the taxpayers and his fellow supervisor, Bill Speedy.
Mr. Kilmer accused me of not asking questions first before acting. The
advertisement was in the paper asking for bids on the road when I wrote the letter. What
was to ask? The bridge was wrong and he and Penny were going to spend more money to fix
it.
On being fired as Roadmaster in Hamlin Township, Bill Speedy wrote to me:
"...they surprised me with a list of alleged complaints. This list amounted to mostly
questions that could be easily answered and had never been discussed with me up to this
point. We met May 11, the list was dated May 13. If these were serious enough of a problem
to remove the Roadmaster, why weren't they discussed before this special meeting?
That is a good question, Mr. Speedy. Why did they wait another two
weeks, never mention any of this to you, and then surprise you and fire you? Why didn't
Mr. Kilmer take his own advise and get the facts first? Isn't that the same thing he
accuses me of doing?
Mr. Speedy, in his letter to me, alleges many violations of the Sunshine Act by
Bill Kilmer. It certainly does appear to me, other interested parties, and many
others in Hamlin Township that Mr. Kilmer's way of doing business is to do it and tell
everyone else later. Discussion goes out the window when a subject hits the floor. It has
already been decided. That is not open government.
Bill Speedy was fired because he was speaking up about the bridge. Kilmer
didn't want any discussion. He wanted it done and out of the way even if it was never
inspected as to its safety or compliance with the specs. Kilmer didn't care!
When it was done wrong, Kilmer was going to throw more money at it. Heck,
that sounds just like the Defense Department in Washington, D.C.! Was Kilmer a General in
the Vietnam War?
Mr. Speedy cast light on the building of the bridge in his letter. "I
have complain about the Kasson Bridge positioning and alignment since the first abutment
wall was poured. The April minutes and the Roadmaster's Report will document my concern.
The first story given by Kilmer to myself and others was that the bridge had to be built
exactly as the one being replaced. I can't imagine FEMA wanting us to build a crooked
bridge."
"Also, the first pour is way out into Marvin Creek and serves to change
the course of the stream. Chairman Kilmer was to discuss my concerns with Wayne
Brown way back then and claims he did. Why would Mr. Brown now say he didn't know I was
concerned? The April Roadmaster's Report expresses my concern as Roadmaster and as the
applicant's agent. It expressed concern about spending Federal Money on this
project."
"Mr. Brown does business under at least two names. He uses Echo
Bridge and Decker, Inc. The bridge was designed by Echo Bridge before the bidding. Then,
Decker, Inc. was the low construction bidder. I have a concern that I have voiced about a
conflict with and a violation of Section 3109 of the Township Code."
There it is, Grant. That is why I wrote the Auditor General. Kilmer
claims all is well. Penny Eddy claims all is well. Mr. Speedy was fired. Why? Why was it
done in secret? Why does Mr. Kilmer say he talked to the contractor and the contractor
says he didn't. There are alot of unanswered questions surrounding this bridge. Rather
than try to answer them myself, I asked Mr. Casey to do it. That is my job. I take it
seriously and I do it in the open, not in secret.
JUNE 18, 1998
Was It Abuse of Discretion or Stupidity?
When Judge John Cleland refused to allow expert testimony to be given
to defend the methodology of computing Clean and Green use values, he set in motion a
process that was calculated, devious, and destructive to economy of McKean County. He did
it deliberately and with malicious intent. It was a vindictive action designed to be a
payback that is rooted in the days when a fuzzy faced lawyer that had never tried a case
in court sought to run for public office. John Cleland's payback could ultimately cause
the elderly and the working poor to pay more in taxes while his rich friends once more get
a deal. If it does, that still remains to be seen because this is far from over.
Clean and Green values are a special deal for people who own ten or
more acres of land that is not designated for industrial or commercial use. Instead of
using the fair market value (what it will sell for), the use value is established using
U.S. Department of Agriculture soil tables for productivity. What that means is how many
board feet of timber will the land produce; or, how many bushels of corn can it produce.
The result is the rich people who own all the cherry trees have historically paid an
assessed value of about 33 cents an acre while the rest of us have paid ten to a hundred
times as much. The dispute arose when the taxable rate doubled to 66 cents an acre.
Attorney Jay Paul Kahle was less than diligent as he approached the
appeal process. He was casual with time limits and trusted in the fairness of the court.
At the same time, Cleland ignored the rules established by county ordinance for the
assessment and appeals process. Cleland, stating that there were time restraints on his
schedule, insisted on an unreasonably short discovery process and ignored requirements for
professional appraisals. He cleared the way for his rich friends while Kahle, once more,
was expecting the system to be fair. Kahle was living under a mushroom if he expected
fairness out of Cleland's court.
In 1991 John Cleland threw out a case of his when he filed a criminal
complaint sixty three days late. Consider that the Attorney General took 128 days to
file the criminal complaint in my case involving $370 in campaign contributions. Also,
consider that the Judge did not throw that out, even when we cited Cleland's action
seven years ago. Considering that, one can only conclude that Cleland's actions in 1991
were purposely designed to embarrass Kahle on the eve of the election for District
Attorney. That embarrassment, handed down the Friday before the election, and
printed in the paper the Saturday before the election, would help Kahle lose to the man
Cleland wanted, Charles (the tuna) Duke.
"Given the choice of screwing you, or screwing me, Cleland will
take you every time," I repeatedly told Mr. Kahle. "He blames you for me and he
still is trying to get you back for beating him for District Attorney and then running
against him for Judge. I'm small potatoes compared to you," I said. Cleland's actions
on Tuesday proved me correct. Now Jay Paul finally believes me.
Cleland's actions Tuesday, have a strong odor about them. Everything
was too pat. Everything was too automatic. Cleland, in essence, as I have seen him do
before, seemed to help the other side at our expense. Is that fairness? Is it fairness or
is it abuse of discretion? Maybe it was stupid.
A dilemma now exists and it just might backfire on everyone except the
people Cleland appears to want to embarrass and damage. If we were wrong in setting the
Clean and Green values at 66 cents an acre and other counties around us have higher and
more expensive values that have held up under court challenges, then what are we to use?
We have an obligation to be fair in setting values. We were prohibited by Judge Cleland
from proving that we were fair. Because of a technicality, because we did not follow his
local rule, because of that, the values are still up in the air. What then are we to use?
There is an answer and that answer is the only logical one unless John Cleland believes he
knows more than the government experts and unless he is prepared to re-write Pennsylvania
assessment law.
We must now use the values set forth in the government soil tables as
proscribed by law.
How does that impact the people who appealed to the Court of Common
Pleas?
We used a value of around $2.64 an acre. The government tables are as
high as $5.00 an acre. The impact is that if we use the government soil tables, the people
who appealed will pay more than what we originally assessed them. That was something John
Cleland did not figure in his scheme of paybacks and vindictiveness. What will happen now?
John Cleland has a real problem. Will he side with his rich friends
and say that the government soil tables are wrong? Will he do that and establish his own
values and in doing so re-write Pennsylvania assessment law? Does he dare? Does he feel
that omnipotent? Does he believe himself a god, or at the very least, an expert on tax
assessment? I guess we will see what we will see, but this case is far from over.
JUNE 17, 1998
Is it a dumb idea or a stroke of genius?
Congressman John Peterson is coming to Bradford on June 30. He has a
busy schedule that day. He will be visiting the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford,
speaking at a luncheon, visiting the refinery and Keystone Powdered Metals, and finishing
up the day with Mayor Cavallaro and Ray McMahon to discuss a 1.65 million dollar
renovation of old city hall. They will discuss the funding for a possible conversion of
the building that was once the target of a mad bomber to a telecommunications center.
A telecommunications center in Bradford? Yep! You read it right. Ray
and Connie want a telecommunications center in Bradford. I must admit that it is a novel
idea. It is not a new one, but novel just the same.
Las Vegas, Nevada is the telecommunications center of the world.
Nearly twenty-five thousand people are employed there doing just that. They are employed
by various companies and slick con artists who do telephone solicitations for
thousands of products and schemes and even go as far as manning the 900 area code numbers
for phone sex.
Niagara Falls, New York has recently opened a center that employs 500.
What they sell, I couldn't say; but I did detect a Buffalo twang on a lady the other night
who was trying to sell me something from the Burpee Seed Company. In that respect, I would
agree with Ray and Connie, a job is a job. Someone has to be able to afford to pay the
school taxes.
In the meantime, I must ask a few questions about this endeavor. Why
the old city hall? You have to admit, it does make a great sanctuary for pigeons. Now that
volunteers have cleaned the place up and gotten all the mouse droppings off the floor, I
am sure the pigeons are very appreciative.
What happened to my idea about the Bed and Breakfast? Couldn't we
interest the Comfort Inn people into picking up the franchisee? Granted, there is no
parking; but that hasn't bothered them or the zoning office at the other location. They
could just choose to ignore their own rules once more and if anyone complains, they can go
to John Cleland who will ignore the law. Seems to me that my idea could go alot farther
than trying to compete with Las Vegas and Niagara Falls for an industry that for the most
part (except for the phone sex) irritates the hell out of people.
Ray's Roost had possibilities, too. Think of it, a classy lounge and
restaurant that looked down on The Bradford Club. Common people like me could go up there
and feel superior, even if it was only for a moment, to the people Jim Buck called
"The Captains of Industry."
We also have to consider the plight of the poor pigeons. What will
happen to them? A little known fact is that the Tuna valley was once native habitat
to millions of pigeons. This area had the greatest concentration of pigeons on the entire
North American continent. Those that we see today are their descendants. Like the Indians,
the poor pigeons are rapidly disappearing or inter-breeding with crows and turkey
buzzards. Soon, they will be like the Hawaiians with none of them being of pure blood
line. That is truly sad.
Where will the pigeons go? What will happen to them? Will they have to
migrate to Erie, Toronto, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, or even worse, New York City? How will
the rural pigeons fare with those violent city pigeons? How would we feel if we were the
pigeons? Maybe we should ask John Peterson.
This is a stupid idea! If John Peterson doesn't laugh in their faces,
then he is a pigeon and should move right in on the top floor. Old city hall is a pink
elephant and several of our fine city leaders lost their minds or demonstrated their
absolute stupidity when they bought it back for more than they sold it for in the first
place.
Bringing phone sex operators to Bradford will not bring us the
prosperity that Ray McMahon has been chasing. It will not save a third class city that has
no new ideas other than selling a pink elephant, then buying it back, and in doing so,
giving a man who would have lost it to taxes anyway, a profit. It is good that this is
Congressman Peterson's last stop of the day. They should take him next door to the club
and buy him a drink. He'll need one.
JUNE 16, 1998
They Just Don't Get It
You don't even have to read the paper or turn on the radio. The School
Board undoubtedly passed the budget and the ten percent tax increase last night. No one
protested, so why would they care? They just don't get it.
The sixties were fun for my generation. We caught the system by
surprise and rose up and tried to cast off all the old values. We succeeded. We changed
things. Remember the words to the old song? "We can change the world!" We did,
and in doing so, we weren't so sure we liked the result. We didn't exactly understand. It
was a hard thing to get. Change isn't always for the better.
People feel helpless when they deal with governmental bodies. They
assume a posture when dealing with elected officials that places them at a disadvantage.
They ask themselves, what's the use? They are used to not having government listen to
them. They are used to not getting justice from their courts. Out of frustration, they
ignore it all.
The same is true about taxes. That was why no one went to the School
Board meetings and demanded that things change. They knew it would be to no avail. They
knew that the increase in taxes was inevitable. They knew that the possibility did exist
that they might even be labeled a dissident or a kook by the media, like they do to me.
Not everyone can stand up to that.
What's more, standing up against the School Board can be risky. With
an attack dog like Fred Gallup as their solicitor, the chance does exist that you could be
singled out like Doug Barhight or Carol Gulnac. Your name could be dragged in the mud and
your reputation could be challenged and your name ruined even though you may have done
nothing wrong. The wrong doing could be entirely on the side of the school district, yet
you become the fall guy. Who wants that?
People are tired of fighting. Especially with my generation, many
really believe what our parents used to say: "You can't fight City Hall." Many
of us are tired of fighting what seems to be a losing battle. Many of us realize that the
cure can be more of a problem than the problem we were attacking in the first place. That
is why there is apathy. That is why it seems that no one cares.
However, that necessarily is not true. I might have believed it if I
had not written The Mountain Laurel Review. I might have believed it if I was not
tracking the increased popularity of this web site. I might have even believed it if I
buried myself in an office and did not circulate among the people every afternoon and talk
to them. People do care and they care allot.
That is what the School District does not understand. That is also
what certain writers don't understand as they attempt to influence how people think. They
have missed the point. They have missed the frustration. They have missed the anger. They
don't understand the increasing violence we see every day.
How can they when they don't understand what people are thinking? How
can they when they ignore the fact that they are forcing people to decide if they
are going to eat or pay their school taxes this year? Have they thought about that as they
casually mention that the new contract will call for a 5% pay increase every year? Have
they compared their salaries to the people they serve? When is enough, enough? When does
it stop?
It is unlikely that they ever will get the idea of what they are supposed to do
for us. We do not even enter into the equation. Once they levy their 77 mills of
taxes they have forgotten us. It is true with all taxing bodies and all governmental
units. It never changes. They spend. We pay. They get it. It is us, the over taxed public
at large, that just doesn't get it.
JUNE 15, 1998
The Greatest Threat is on the Horizon
As McKean County attempts to battle drugs and alcohol in our schools,
an old nemesis is raising its head. Local authorities have kept a rein on the flow of
crack cocaine. They have done well and have dried up many sources that originate in New
York and Buffalo. Now, however, another drug just as deadly, is making a strong comeback.
Methamphetamine, crystal meth, or just plain crank, is here. It is
speed. It produces hallucinations. It is dangerous and is a killer. It was popular in the
sixties when cocaine was expensive and not so plentiful. It is a manufactured substance
and is a compound that can be cooked up in a matter of hours by anyone with a basic
understanding of high school chemistry. That is what is exactly happening today.
Cocaine enters McKean County from the north. Crank
comes from the south. When I say the south, I do not mean Dixie. I mean as close as
Clarion. It is manufactured, delivered, sold, and used within 24 to 48 hours and the
process repeats itself over and over, week after week.
For five or ten dollars any teenager can buy crank. It makes
them aggressive. It makes them paranoid. They cannot sleep and do not want to eat.
Initially, they will appear agitated. Ultimately, they will be violent and dangerous to
not only themselves, but their families and friends, also. Like so many drugs, it isolates
them from those who love them. It turns them against the help that they so desperately
need.
Crank is easily concealed and is immune to the drug sniffing dogs used
in the recent sweeps of an area high school. Unofficial reports indicate that crank may
have been present and overlooked because of the inability of the animals to detect it. As
the crack down on other drugs continues, crank will make its presence known more and more.
While parents and teachers understand heroin, marijuana, and cocaine, little
is known about crank. It is a forgotten drug and has not been given the media attention
that the big three have received. There is no organized attempt crossing international
borders going on related to the distribution of crank.
It is one lab at a time. It is simple manufacturing and selling. It is
a kid dealing with a kid. It is much more difficult to attack. All that is needed is a
batch of chemicals and a kitchen stove. It is happening right now!
Crank is here! More of our children will be exposed to the product
coming in from the Clarion area each day this summer. There is little we can do to stop
it. The emphasis is still one the other, more prominent drugs. There is definitely a new
and different threat on the horizon and it will be very prevalent by summer's end.
JUNE 15
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