APRIL 17 - APRIL 23, 1999
APRIL 23, 1999
Someone's rotten kid.....
wishes a nice lady a Happy Birthday. Good morning. It is 6:06 A.M. It is damp
outside and it is 48.4 degrees.
A very important woman in my life has a birthday today. Used to be she just
might call to remind me. You see, I always thought her birthday was the 25th instead of
the 23rd. This year was no different except instead of phoning, she has joined the rest of
us cyber nuts and e-mailed me.
Her name is Edna. She lives in Buffalo. She never married but that does not
mean she was never loved. Many people have loved this wonderful woman during her years.
She has touched many lives way beyond mine. My children call her Aunt Edna. She was more
of an Aunt to my son Geoff, than any of the aunts he may have had.
While she never had children of her own, she adopted me. Hence, the rotten kid
status. That's what she calls me - her rotten kid - and once, with her proper lady
friends, it even raised a few eyebrows.
Edna is a writer. She tutored me in the art of writing. We always imagined me
writing novels and here I am doing the news and championing causes. Figure that one, but I
am writing. It is because of her.
She is a woman with class. She loves a good gin martini and is an excellent
cook. She loves to entertain and is without a doubt, the perfect hostess.
Wish you were here today, you F.O.B.! We all love you and we all miss you. The
dining room is done. We can eat and then fight about the point of view in this column.
Happy Birthday Edna.
You would love Edna, just like my family does. Anyway..........Last night we had a
public forum for the eight candidates for three jobs as County Commissioner. Only five of
us showed up!
Missing were Bill Kilmer - he heard Bill Belitskus was coming so he probably decided to
stay home; Jim McKean - probably figured his name was enough to get him elected; and
Edward Harrington - he is still deciding whether he lives in Eldred or Port Allegany.
Present were Martin Causer, Al Pingie, Larry Stratton, Jim Weaver, and myself. The
following is the text of the speech I gave at the beginning.
"I am McKean County Commissioner Harold Beck. I'm the guy who causes all the
trouble.
"My horoscope this morning was pretty interesting. It's one of the few reliable
columns in The Bradford Era lately. I guess it was kind of a warning for me coming here
tonight.
"Try not to say anything you might regret a moment afterward; however remain true
to your own heart and your feelings, but keep your criticisms delicate."
"Those are good words to live by.
"It is a pleasure to be here. Four years ago I was here as a candidate seeking to
turn the direction in which McKean County was going totally around. The County
Commissioners at that time had run the county right to the brink of bankruptcy.
"I took office in 1996 with Larry Stratton and Jim Weaver. The three of us, even
before being sworn in, met and made plans for our administration. We hit the ground
running and over a period of time, our unique talents all surfaced.
"Immediately I showed an interest and talent for writing budgets. We set aside the
budget the former board had passed and took bold, revolutionary steps to bring us out of
the hole. The county had literally been starved for previous five years. The budget we
passed in February, 1996 opened up the pocketbook and allowed the county to breathe.
"We knew we had a 1.6 million dollar deficit and looked to gradually work our way
out of it. That first year we cut it in half and in the second year, eliminated it
altogether. The county is now solvent and we operate with a balanced budget. Instead of
worrying about where we are getting money to operate, we now worry about when it will
arrive. Cash flow is the word of the day and we have managed to build up a million dollar
reserve to take us through lean times.
"On Monday at the Republican Women's Candidate Night I said: "If it ain't
broke, don't fix it." County finances are not broken and county finances have been my
special area of expertise. True, it has been a combined effort, but I have done the pencil
pushing and the grinding of numbers and the counting of all the beans in the jar just to
bring the budget to the point where the three of us can make an educated and rational
decision. That was something that had been missing from county government for a very long
time. Fiscal Responsibility is what we gave back to the taxpayers.
"We worked hard. We did a countywide reassessment. Bradford, in particular, was
way over assessed when we started. The school district had gone crazy with taxes and many
people could not afford to live in their homes. We worked day and night. We strove to give
everyone the fairest shake possible. Anyone could come before us and make their case. In
90% of those cases we came to an understanding and the taxpayers walked away happy. As a
result of our efforts County taxes did not increase. We were able to do that even though
Property tax revenues decreased from 3.85 million dollars in 1997 to 3.45 million dollars
in 1998.
"While we were receiving $400,000 a year less from our taxpayers, we managed to
give them more. In our first three years in office we were able to bring 17 million
dollars in new money to our county government. We initiated new programs, opened three new
family centers and saved the one in Bradford. We began direct funding of our six Senior
Centers and took the lead role in seeing that the Department of Aging approved funding for
the new Bradford Senior Center. Never before in the history of McKean County have the
Senior Centers had it as well as they do today.
"At the same time, because the taxpayers are on the hook for a bond debt in excess
of 15 million dollars, we have demanded that the Solid Waste Authority finally exert the
same fiscal restrain and responsibility that we have in the county.
"Anywhere you look, things have never been better. If you look a bit closer, you
will also find that the job has just begun. There are more jobs in McKean County now than
at any time in the past fifteen years. McKean County got the lions share of Keystone
Opportunity Zones for Northwest Pennsylvania. There is more new construction taking place
now than at any time since the last building boom in the 70's. Sena Kean Manor has become
a fine operation and finally returns to the taxpayers a well deserved profit. We have
turned the corner on our Airport and we are on the way back. We have built two new hangers
and are beginning to construct a parallel taxiway next to our primary runway. We have the
finest facility in the area. .
"In an election year everyone is for everything ranging from tourism to Senior
Centers to children and even small dogs. You know me. You know what I stand for and you
know why. You may not always like me. You may not like what I have to say. Still, you know
I am a genuine article. I represent and fight for the people of this county each and every
day that I hold office.
"Being County Commissioner is not an easy job. Slogans don't mean you are
qualified to do the job or perform the duties. With things as good as they are there
really is no reason to change anything. I have delivered and I will continue to do the
job."
Larry, Jim, and I each spoke as incumbents. We each took our area of expertise
and expanded on it. Pingie and Causer, as I pointed out were for everything. They have to
be because there are no issues.
They try to make the land fill an issue. It is not. They believe that the
County owns the land fill. It does not. The Solid Waste Authority owns the land fill. The
County owns their debt - all $15 million dollars of it.
I pointed out that the land fill is the least of any issue that the people of the
county even care about. I pointed out that as long as their garbage gets picked up and
taken away, they don't care where it goes. We don't take visitors out there and proudly
point to the land fill that our county owns when no other county owns one!
What would these people do if there were real issues?
Had you been there you would have seen Jim, Larry, and I, all confident and together as
the team we have been for the past three and a half years. We know what we are talking
about and we are running the county in a steady and responsible direction.
In the meantime, a few of your letters came in:
"Rambling while baking pies for a school fundraiser
"Dear Mr. Beck,
"On April Fool's Day, a "joke" in the Round the Square column of the
Bradford Era made a reference to an administrator in the Bradford School District getting
a bullet-proof limousine from the school board. It's been three weeks, and I am still
hardly able to believe that even one person on the staff of that paper found that idea
funny. It sickens me.
"That same day, I read a magazine article describing the horror of families who
have lost loved ones in the recent cases of school violence. This included a picture of a
man and his small son. He will be raising this child without a mother. She was a teacher
who threw herself in front of a child who was about to be shot. The child lived, she
didn't.
"And now there is another town living with the same horror.
I called Marty Wilder a couple of times at the Era, but she wasn't in. Then I decided she
really wasn't someone I wanted to talk to anyway. And what would be the point? She thinks
the bullet-proof limo was funny. I don't. I read Round the Square 30 years ago when I was
in junior high and highschool. I wonder how many students read it on April 1st and thought
it was funny.
"I know I'm stuck and there will probably be no good local paper to come along and
save me from having to buy a Bradford Era every day. The spelling, grammar and word
omissions are funny sometimes. The news that is fabricated or deliberately left out is
not. Nor are the obituaries that are going to be giving misinformation to future
genealogists, unless they happen to catch the corrections hidden in a later issue. (If you
printed an obituary column every morning I would cancel my subscription to the Era.) The
Kane Republican reads like somebody's Christmas card newsletter, so that is not an option.
"Good luck in the election. You have my vote."
and;
"Unfortunately in the eyes of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the Pennsylvania
Fish & Boat Commission, and the U.S. Forest Service you are guilty until proven
innocent. If you are fishing, hunting, or in the National Forest you are doing something
wrong. Someone needs to hand them a copy of the United States Constitution and the Bill of
Rights."
Comment at rdhedbud@penn.com.
APRIL 22, 1999
Tourism and respect
Good morning. It is raining at 4:44 A.M. and it is 45.0 degrees outside. Denny
Colman turned 50 yesterday. I am sure his head will hurt when he finally wakes up today.
Happy day after, DC!
I received a notice of a tourism meeting to be held sometime in the next week
or so at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. It is an opportunity to meet
the new director of one of the many tourist organizations in the county. This one is
Seneca Highlands Tourist Association, also known as Allegheny National Forest Vacation
Association I think. Then there is the Route 6 Association and we also have the Kinzua
Bridge Association, and I think we have the Kinzua Valley Association, and if I am
not mistaken, we have the Alleghenies Visitors Association, along with Rural Pennsylvania
Tourist Association.
The first one, the one with the two names and the privately funded director, is holding
the meeting. Dick McDowell, the millionaire President of UPB, is really the sponsor of
that group. They wrested control of it away from a group of well meaning working people
who did not run in the same social circles as Mr. McDowell. That's all well and good.
When you really came right down to it, Jerry Clark was an embarrassment at the Bradford
Club in his painter's overalls. Charlie was an embarrassment, too. He had a tendency to
stutter and really didn't fit in well when there were pictures to be taken. His head is
pointed at an odd angle. That in itself would take away from such a svelte team as the one
assembled by the esteemed University President.
It really does make sense to have the tourism association to be centered in and around
a University. They will know how to spell all the words on the brochures, use proper
grammar and punctuation, and know the right color combinations to use. They of
course will have access to all the latest computers and will probably even know how to
access the internet without incurring long distance charges. It all makes perfect sense to
me. Afterall, any visitor to the northern woods of McKean County would much rather be
drawn in by the intellectual elite, rather than common working people.
Then again, who visits this neck of the woods, anyway? What do they come here
for? And when they get here, what do they find?
Months ago, when I was attempting to make sense out of tourism in this county, I made a
mistake by suggesting that we capitalize on our own people. I pointed out that events were
poorly planned in the sense that they conflicted with one another. The Italian Festival
was on the same day as the Swedish Festival in another part of the county. It made sense
to me that if they could be on different weekends, then they might draw twice as many
local people and we could be our own tourists. It made sense to me but no one else thought
much of the idea. The Italian Festival had always conflicted with the Swedish Festival and
that was the way it had to be. Take your choice!
Beyond that, I made another big mistake by suggesting that we look upon tourists and
people who used the forest for recreation as assets instead of revenue sources for law
enforcement. That was a bad idea, too. The law is the law. If you break it, or stumble
over one of the many rules which no one really knows, including the enforcement officers,
you must pay.
Case in Point: M.R. (Fat) Alexander, a retired police officer went fishing last
Saturday. On April 11,1990, he purchased a lifetime resident fishing
license. The reason why he purchased it was he is a Senior Citizen and he did not see the
reasoning in buying one every year when he could buy one once and have it out of the way
for the rest of his years as a fisherman.
While he was fishing with a group of his friends, the fish warden came upon them. Now
keep in mind that Fat, as he is known, is a lifelong resident of this area. He knows and
respects what we have here. He, as well as any University President, understands the value
of visitors and what they mean to local businesses. The last thing Fat would have done was
intentionally break any laws.
Was the Fish Warden courteous? Did he greet the fishermen and treat them with respect?
Did he go out of his way to make them feel welcome on the land that we all, as taxpayers,
actually own? Did he do that, or did he act like our own version of the SS? Was he
friendly or did he act like he was a Nazi storm trooper rounding up the usual suspects?
You be the judge.
Fat was given a citation for "fishing in trout waters without the required trout
stamp." The cost of the citation was $35.00 and Fat attempted to tell the officer
that he did not need a trout stamp. He tried, but the officer was not buying Fat's story,
even though Fat knew the law and the officer, now bear with me because his handwriting
is horrible, it looks like Charles Burnette, but I may be wrong because his scrawl is
bad, but his badge number is 320, did not. Fat still got the citation. The citation number
is 228713 from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission.
Funny, Officer bad handwriting should have read the rules before he went out protecting
our trout from those who would take them without the proper stamp. Had he read the Summary
of Fishing Laws and Regulations, 1999 Edition, Officer bad handwriting would have known
that: "Persons who posses a RESIDENT SENIOR LIFETIME license dated
prior to January 1, 1991 are required to purchase only one valid trout/salmon permit
for a lifetime of trout/salmon fishing."
Officer bad handwriting called Fat on Sunday and finally asked what was the date on his
license. When he realized it was dated before January 1, 1991 he told Fat to tear up
Citation number 228713. Is that legal? Can he just tell you to tear it up and pretend it
never happened after he went to all that time to do diligently fill it out so everything
except his name could be read clearly? I don't know about that, but I do know about a few
other things.
Fat was cited at 7:45 A.M. on Saturday morning. The first day of trout season has
religious, if not ethnic and historical significance to anyone who has ever walked these
hills. Fat was embarrassed and made to appear as an old fool in front of not only his
friends, but people who did not even know him. His entire day ended right then and there
at 7:45 A.M. Fishing was over! Fat was a law breaker according to Officer bad handwriting
and was not allowed to fish until the fine was paid and the proper stamp secured. Fat was
made to feel bad!
So what's my point? Fat was in the right. Fat can fish again. So what if he was
inconvenienced for one day? So what if he was treated poorly by someone paid to serve us
as taxpayers? So what!
So what, my foot! Officer bad handwriting never even bothered to apologize for
making a mistake. He never told Fat he was sorry for the misunderstanding. He didn't care
enough to say anything like that. He told Fat to tear it up and was off to apprehend
the next law breaker - with any luck the next guy's lifetime license will be dated on
January 1, 1999 and he will have a live one then!
Unfortunately, this is a poor commentary on our area. What if Fat was from Pittsburgh
and this was the first time he ever was fishing here? Do you think he would ever come
back? Whether Officer bad handwriting realizes it or not, he is an ambassador for this
area. He is the person who gives the first impression and that first impression is a whole
lot more important than all the citations he will ever write in his career as a Fish and
Boat Officer.
Beyond that, think about something else. While Officer bad handwriting was berating Fat
for being a "stupid old fool" and not knowing he needed a new stamp (which he
didn't), what if Fat would have had a heart attack from the stress he placed him under?
Did our young storm trooper think of that? What if? Even if he would have said he was
sorry then, what would it have mattered?
With kids killing kids in Colorado and everywhere else in this county; and a
kid killing a police officer right here in McKean County, something is horribly wrong. A
new tourism director can't fix it unless she is going to teach people respect for one
another real fast. And, considering the way McDowell's kids ran off the old stalwarts and
made tourism upscale, I don't believe that they are the ones to teach anyone about
respect.
No, they haven't anymore a clue about tourism than they have about respect. Our
society has lost it. It lost it back about 1960 when the first little woman with a New
York accent screamed at a sales clerk to get her way. When we saw how she got attention
the rest of us followed suit. It was only a matter of time until our children imitated us.
Are we surprised that they have no respect for teachers? Why would they?
Have all the tourism meetings you want. Talk, talk, talk, talk yourselves to death.
Until Officer bad handwriting changes his attitude, no one will want to come here. Until
we can entertain ourselves, how can we hope to attract anyone else?
Comment on this article at rdhedbud@penn.com.
APRIL 21, 1999
The bears are back
Good morning. It is 6:11 A.M. and 37.6 degrees outside.
In the midst of the political campaign here in Northwest Pennsylvania some of
our old friends (?) are back. The bears woke up a week ago and are out and on the prowl.
This morning about a half an hour ago a mother and her two cubs went through the front
yard of my house. She was coming from the Rainbow Inn and had probably spent some time in
the dumpster. My dogs, even Willie, the 17 year old retriever, were not at all happy with
that prospect.
Willie, who will barely move when you need to get by her, sprang into action and became
the protector of the manor once more. She did not want those bears anywhere around here.
Star, the younger (9 years old), also had very little time for bears even casually
passing through. She threw herself at the fence in an effort to get to the other side and
run off the unwanted visitors.
The mother bear was not to be disturbed. She had already determined that the path was
safe from the noisy dogs. She knew they could not get to her and the three of them passed
on their way.
As she begins her daily ritual, a large male bear is visiting at night, just
after sundown.
Now he is the large one I wrote about last year. He is one of the largest bears that I
have seen around here in years and he has little fear of humans. Reports of this bear come
from as far away as 20 miles. It is not uncommon for a bear to cover large areas as that
in search for food, and one this size need a whole lot of food - believe me on that!
He has been around for awhile. They don't get that large overnight. He's also a smart
one. He knows to look both ways when he crosses the highway.
It is just another sign of the seasons changing here in the mountains.
Yesterday I saw eight deer in a clearing grazing on grasses. They were a dark brown and
they blended in with the background of trees and grasses. They blended in so well, I
nearly missed them even though they were just off the road. As I slowed down to look at
them they took a long look at me. I hope they were saying to one another to stay where
they were and keep off the road. Hitting a deer can be not only dangerous, but very
inconvenient. It is a real pain waiting for your car to be repaired.
These are signs of the times up here. The flowers are up and ready to bloom.
You can see the trees take on a reddish color as they begin to get their buds. In a month
the new leaves will be coming out.
No matter what is going on in the outside world - War in Yugoslavia or High School
Murders in Littleton, Colorado, nature continues on its cycle. It doesn't matter to the
bears if 850,000 are killed because they are the wrong religion and the deer don't care
about kids killing kids for no real reason. The same even holds true in our own lives. The
bears and the deer really don't care. They are part of a scheme and they know what
is expected of them.
We go about our daily lives. We fight our little battles. We see everything that is
around us but we really don't see it. We live but we don't. Why? We are part of the same
scheme as the bears and the deer. It's a shame that we, as intelligent creatures, haven't
figured out what is expected of us.
Comment on this article at rdhedbud@penn.com.
APRIL 20, 1999
Wild rides
Good morning. It is 36.0 degrees at 6:07 A.M. It is still rainy outside.
"April showers bring May flowers!"
The water is welcome - especially when you are on a well.
I was in the midst of writing a two minute speech for the Republican women's'
meet the candidates night when I was told we did not have water in the house. That, as I
was also watching the stock market rise 245 points and then drop 350, all in a few hours.
It's interesting to observe as long as you don't take the gains and then the losses
seriously. If you do, stay away from high, open windows.
Water however is my pet peeve.
Last year we replaced the well pump. $1200 after complications. Then it was the water
softener and pressure tank -$2800. Finally, a new hot water tank - $150. Of course with
all the stained fixtures in the bathroom from the red water they had to be replaced, too.
So you finally think all is well - pardon the pun!
First two loads of wash are done for Aunt Rose and then my son shows up with two weeks
of wash and does them on the heavy load cycle (Two big tubs of water for each load - four
more loads of equivalency!) Why would there be any water left? Heck! Even the hot
water tank was drained and the heating elements were literally steaming!
I shut everything down and dropped back into punt formation. I could only hope that the
pump in the well had not burned out - like last year - and the water heater was still
okay. Still angry, I went back to my two minute speech: writing, re-writing, timing it,
and making revisions.
Aunt Rose was coming with me. Sharyn was getting her hair done. It was a long standing
appointment and I didn't want her to have to reschedule. We went out to dinner and it was
lousy! Then we went to the Candidates Night where I discovered that the facilities were
not handicapped accessible.
Aunt Rose is 94. She broke her hip last May 2nd. and needs a walker to maneuver on her
own and my help otherwise. We have a wheelchair (which I brought along) that was useless
when faced with seven to ten steps to get down into the basement of the church where the
candidates were all going to talk at one another.
Why it wasn't held in a large, easily accessible, public auditorium is a real
question. That should be asked at the same time someone gives Betty Comes lessons on how
not to be rude while invited guests are speaking. Actually, she doesn't need lessons. The
rudeness was so blatant, it was as if it was planned.
I guess Betty feels some sort of special privilege to justify standing next to people
as they spoke to the audience - all the time rustling papers and making herself a means of
distraction to both the audience and the speaker. At times she walked back and forth
across the stage in front of speakers as they spoke and would even throw in her two cents
from time to time, just to make herself heard, as if anyone cared.
We were not there for Betty Comes. We were there for ourselves and to be heard. Betty
went out of her way to see some were heard and others were not. I was not in any category.
Not even Betty can shut me up and when faced with her special rules, ones she
made up on the spot that threw all the candidates, except for the ones she tipped off
before hand, people were forced to change direction mid-stream.
I junked my prepared statement. It was a good one. It acknowledged Aunt Rose as
the oldest life long Republican in the room. It acknowledge my grandfather and my father
as life long Republicans. It also would have pointed out how the Republican Party has
stopped doing the bidding of the people and has expected the people to do its bidding
instead. Had I given that speech I could have used Betty Comes as the poster child!
Instead, I turned to what the other candidates had said.
- Everyone was for tourism but no one had a plan.
- Everyone wanted to support Senior Centers. We already, finally were.
- Everyone wanted to keep Sena Kean Manor. We did that four years ago and turned
it into a profit maker in the process.
- No one wanted to sell the land fill. That is a dead issue.
- Everyone supports kids and jobs. Who doesn't?
No one said anything! I said, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" And,
it ain't broke.
Highlights of the night:
- Tom Riel running against Barbara Boser in Bradford Township actually had a good idea
about District Magistrates doing their jobs and saving the taxpayers money. He showed more
insight than any of the other candidates when he spoke about John Cleland's constant
complaining about enormous case loads. He also understood the impact of a second judge on
county taxes. Amazing!
- Michelle Corignani running against Connie Cavallaro who is offering fresh new
ideas instead of the old ones that Ray and Peggy want her to have. Zoning, according to
Michelle, is a weapon that the people who refuse to accept change and progress use against
us. Mayor Cavallaro is perfectly happy with the status quo and sees not reason to change
the antiquated zoning code.
- The fourth candidate in the District Justice race in Bradford City, Anthony something.
(Doriguzzi) He wasn't as polished as Jay Paul Kahle, or as pretty as Chrissy
Hauser, and he wasn't as confident as Dick Cavallero; but he had a message. He talked
about a peoples court where people judged people. What a concept when you remove
the imperialism of the Lawyers' Club from the situation! While I would rate him a real
longshot - next to impossible odds - he was refreshing. Besides, he seemed like a nice
guy, too.
- Doug Barhight when he promised not to vote to raise school taxes and the
Homestead Act was not a joke like Cheri said. What a breath of fresh air! Cheri and her
fellow shopping power women must just hate this guy!
- Dale Phillips who is an honest guy who wants to do the job in Foster Township.
He puts a good foot forward and is very sincere. It is time to break from the standard we
have always had and put in someone who really cares.
Finally, I it was over and I went home.
The water pressure was back up and as it stands right now I have hot water.
Looking back, the Meet the Candidates Night was a waste of time and an opportunity for a
rude old woman to strut her stuff and impose herself on us once more. Why do we
allow such things?
Comment on this article at rdhedbud@penn.com.
APRIL 19, 1999
Not everyone loves, or believes Cheri
Good morning at 6:06 A.M. It is 36.3 degrees outside. A new week begins. What
do you think I am going to talk about this week?
"Dear Mr. Beck,
"Thank God my children go to Smethport Schools and not Bradford High...However I
happen to work with a parent of a Bradford High Student... She has been very worried about
the whole situation at Bradford High since the beginning... You see her daughter has been
ill since the beginning of last summer. She is a student at Bradford High and has been
attending on a regular basis since the school year started... She has been told numerous
times that there is no danger to her daughter or any of the other children attending
Bradford High... I find this hard to believe... I just finished looking at the pictures in
the latest MLR...
"Even before seeing these I had no doubts that the school and especially Mrs.
O'Mara hasn't been totally truthful with the public.... But as usual nothing will be done
about it... Nothing ever is done about 90% of the wrong doing that goes on in McKean
County... Our children are repeatedly put at risk in our schools, and on our streets, even
in our own homes, and usually nothing is done about it.... I'm glad that you are around to
try to make some of these people answer for their actions... But as a result of this I'm
sure that you will be the target of even more bogus investigations yourself... Keep up the
good work...A concerned citizen of McKean Co."
Publisher's Comment: I edited the name of the student and the particular
illness the girl has. It would be a dead give away. And, in light of the next letter,
perhaps everyone should guard what they say.
"Dear Mr. Beck:
"I know what asbestos can do - even casual exposure to asbestos. My father died of
it. Therefore I am very concerned at the more than casual exposure my husband has had. Of
course I trust in your usual confidentiality with names but my husband teaches at the High
School and we are both at our wits end over this whole matter.
"He told me early in the school year that he had concerns about the construction
project. Then it was the wastefulness of the whole thing. Perfectly good kitchen equipment
was taken out and replaced at a cost of over a million dollars when all it needed was to
be cleaned. Then there was asbestos. It was everywhere and the areas were not sealed off
as they are supposed to be.
"He was there early in the morning and he could hear the workers talking about it.
They were afraid for themselves! What about the teachers and the children? Whenever anyone
would bring up the subject, they were told that there was no danger. The entire faculty
was warned and then later threatened to be quiet. Everyone is afraid to talk about it.
Deep down inside they know how dreadfully wrong this is.
"The EPA can prove nothing now. Where were they in August when school began? Where
were they in the next months when the asbestos was just laying around and doing its deadly
damage? What are they supposed to do now that it is over and done with?
"You have shown the people the truth and you are to be commended for it. The
pictures are real! My husband has verified it to me that they are from the High
School. Parents should be worried and they should be angry. Cheri O'Mara has lied to all
of us about what happened. She should be fired and then sued for her part in all of this.
I am angry that my husband, like the kids, has been exposed. Thank you for your time. Wife
of a teacher at BHS."
and about Cheri's comments about me "....not having a good record for
being truthful," in general, this distinguishes me from Cheri and it should explain
something to her. This came yesterday:
"Dear Bud:
"Until you became elected the court house rats walked bold as brass
doing whoever and whatever they wanted. Aside from all that you have accomplished since
you have been in office, the biggest reason the people in this county should keep you as
commissioner is that the powers that be do not like you in "their" court house!
You have made some mistakes but everybody make some mistakes. At least your mistakes have
been visible and for those that were bonafide mistakes on your part, you owned up to them.
"Prior to your election, when the courthouse rats made mistakes or worse yet,
indulged off the backs of the taxpayers, no one was there to POLICE the activity of the
rats. If you are not re-elected, the mistakes of the court house rats will again become
invisible only to be discovered when the county is again broke. You can count on my vote.
I still hold with the idea that if I had my way, there would be a Bud Beck in every court
house. Let the force be with you!!!!!"
Now that dealt more with me in the Court House rather than me and Cheri, but
they carry over. The general perception of me is what that person wrote in that letter.
Whether they be Court House rats or School District rats, people know where I stand.
I stand with them on their side!
This weekend we went to the streets and did our first Mountain Laurel
Review man on the street survey of 1999. The question was simple.
"Do you believe the School District and Cheri O'Mara that our kids
were not exposed to asbestos?"
Here are the results:
Friday, April 16, 1999.
32 asked. 5 YES 27 NO
Saturday, April 17, 1999
25 asked 7 YES 18 NO
Sunday, April 18, 1999
38 asked 12 YES 26 NO
Out of 95 people who were asked if they believed Cheri O'Mara about not exposing
kids to asbestos, only 24 believed her. Of those 24, when asked if they saw the pictures
in The Mountain Laurel Review, 20 of them said they had not. They were given a
copy to take home and read. I wonder if they would change their minds today?
Still, 71 immediately thought that Cheri had lied.
The people do not have much confidence in our Kindergarten Teacher/Power
Woman, do they!
Cheri should have her own survey done. She will find what we say to be
accurate. The people do not believe her. They believe me! Now, Cheri, who has a bad record
on being truthful?
Comment on this article at rdhedbud@penn.com.
APRIL 17 & 18, 1999
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