OCTOBER 9 - OCTOBER 15, 1999
OCTOBER 15, 1999
Living out here
Good morning. It is 32 degrees at 6 A.M.
I can’t get on the net again. Two mornings in a row! These people at Penn Com had
better get their act together. They may not have realized it, but I do have a long time
relationship with America On Line, and I just might move the whole works to them. I
suppose these early morning hours are their times of lowest customer usage, but it is the
meat of my writing day. I just can’t go on like this. One lousy thunderstorm and they
go down and stay down. What is going to happen at 12:01 A.M. on January 1, 2000?
Would this have happened if we lived in a big city instead of out here in rural
Pennsylvania, rural America? Probably not. But when I think about it, other things, bad
things that we don’t have (at least to the extent that they happen in big cities)
aren’t out here either.
The bright side is my computer was still here when I got up in this morning!
I listened to a tax assessment appeal yesterday. Actually, I listened to many appeals
yesterday. Very few people received any kind of reduction, even though it is three weeks
until the election. (Larry, Jim, and I have done a decent job of equalizing things and
fixing what the professionals fouled up when we did the reassessment.) However, one tax
payer was particularly upset with us and aside from him not wanting to pay his Bradford
Area School Taxes, (Who does?) it was big city versus living out here.
Since the eighties this man traveled from Arlington, VA to Lafayette Township,
Westline, specifically, and worked on a camp that was to become his retirement home. Now
obviously when you look at a picture of this camp that evolved into a 4400 square foot
palace in the woods, you can see the care and the workmanship that went into it. His
argument was aimed at the Westline Inn, a fine restaurant that is his neighbor.
"The Westline," he argued; "is a commercial property that makes
thousands of dollars serving alcohol and food." He pointed out that they have more
land and also have rooms for rent. (I hope Westline appreciates this free plug I am giving
them across the world! What do you think Linda Devlin will say about this? Am I treading
on her territory?) The Westline was valued lower than his home and he thought that was
wrong.
We pointed out that he was comparing apples and oranges. Actually, he was comparing
Pavarotti to the singing rats - and that is not intended to make any reflection on the
Westline Inn, I have been there and have only seen the kind of rat that turns in his
friends to keep themselves out of jail - Sean Bacha and Bobby Guzan get around!
But he would not hear it. He had no use for the schools and could not understand why he
had to pay $2700 in school taxes. Who can!
In the end, we left his taxes where they were - in the $130,000 area, and, in all
fairness, we could have and really should have taken the property back to $243,000 where
it was with the original reassessment. But we didn’t and what he didn’t realize,
we in fact could have.
I am sure that he paid a whole lot less in taxes when he was living in Arlington, VA.
They have a few more businesses and residences to draw their property tax base from and I
am sure they are able to distribute it out a whole lot farther. Sure he had city sewage
and street lights and a cop on every corner. He saw that as the reason for paying his
taxes in the first place. But he didn’t want that once he retired. He wanted
something else. He wanted something that he built to his specifications, something he was
proud of, and someplace where he wouldn’t hear police sirens every other minute.
But with all that good that he envisioned for himself, there is another side. That is
the taxes that come with where we live.
For three years I have been listening to people complain about their school taxes. Not
the County Taxes and not the local taxes. Only the school taxes. The reality is that when
you have a school district that is in the top 5% of expenses per capita in the state, your
taxes will be in the top 5% also. But this man didn’t care. He held up my ad that ran
in The Era yesterday and read it to me. It became my fault that the school
superintendent is paid more than the school superintendent in Pittsburgh. He left angry.
Living out here has it’s draw backs. The taxes are a major one. But, when I was
upset with the placement of my ad, I called poor Sue, a very nice lady, to complain.
I got her and other nice people who cared that I was upset. I got people who talked to me
and convinced me that I was wrong. And obviously I was. That guy found it!
I would not have been able to get the same satisfaction and the same personal attention
had I lived where he moved from and was forced to call The Washington Post. No.
They would have laughed at me and told me to go somewhere else.
The same holds true about everything else we have here. We have fewer people who pay
more taxes but we have people who care about one another. That was evidenced on August 20th
when we had the Great Bradford Flood and it is evidenced over and over, every single time
we have a disaster or some hardship befalls one of us.
I can’t say enough good things about Bradford Regional Medical Center. They are
wonderful people who care! Sure it isn’t Chicago Hope, but that is television and we
are laboring under false delusions that you can get better somewhere else. You can’t!
It’s here and I am glad that it is. I’m glad that I am.
I wish the man from Westline would have been with me at the Fire Fighter of the Year
Award Dinner. Jon Dawley, his hand crippled up and his body tired and weary from the years
of service that he has given his friends and neighbors was honored by the Rotary Club.
Everywhere I looked that night I saw people who were far better and far greater than me,
yet I was seated at the head table. They all should have been at the head table and I
should have been their audience. Maybe then the man from Westline might have understood
the price we pay to live here.
And it is not just at BRMC, The Era, or in our Volunteer Fire Departments. It is
every where we go. Shop at Man’s World in Bradford and see how nice they are to you.
Go to the Downbeat or Beefeaters and see if they don’t bend over backwards to give
you service. Go anywhere in our county. Go see Charlie Dach at Singer’s Country
Store. Everywhere you go you find friendly people who care. That is why the man moved here
from Arlington, VA and that is why I brought my family home from Texas. Even with the
lousy internet service, it’s a better place to be!
And, incidently, today is Jon Dawley Day in McKean County by proclamation of the County
Commissioners. Have a nice day, Jon. Thank you for the years of service.
Your comments are welcome at rdhedbud@penn.com.
if it ever gets back up.
Note: Service came back on at 8:50 A.M. That's living in the woods for you!
OCTOBER 14, 1999
Singing rats, your internet provider, and Y2K
Good morning. It is 35.1 degrees at 6:35 A.M.
No. I didn’t sleep in. I’ve been up since 3:30 and I have been writing - the
only problem is I can’t log on line. It seems my provider won’t accept my
password.
Is my bill paid? That’s the first logical question.
Yes, it is. I went through this once before. I used to pay quarterly and being a
computer company they billed me over the e-mail. I erased it without reading what it was.
I thought it was the usual crap that we all get. On a Saturday I couldn’t log on
because they hadn’t been paid. That was when I gave them my credit card and told them
to automatically bill me every month.
Now, you might ask, what if you can’t log on, how do you access your e-mail
records?
That’s easy. Never, never, never, depend on your provider to save your e-mail. Get
an external program and keep your own records. I use Eudora light. I am glad, too. Because
of that, I went into my records and there it was. I have the e-mail receipt for my payment
for October. So what gives?
I am hoping that it is nothing to do with me. I am hoping that they haven’t made a
mistake and inadvertently shut me off. (That will irritate me to no end!) I am hoping that
this is storm related. (We had thunderstorms go through last night about 7:30 and they
gave us a great show - except for the strike of lightning down the road that took out a
telephone pole and shut down the power temporarily.) Yes. I am hoping that it is something
like that, but then I will automatically ask the next question:
If you are Y2K compliant, then why don’t you have the necessary backup systems to
offset these kind of problems?
Millions for Y2K, but not one penny for thunderstorms! That doesn’t make sense to
me. No. Not one bit. It actually makes about as much sense as the singing rat they are
selling for Halloween and Christmas. A singing rat? Are they serious?
Aren’t these the guys who carried the flea that caused the Black Death and the
great plagues of Europe that just about wiped out Western Civilization? Aren’t these
the guys who if they find them in a restaurant the Health Department comes in and shuts
you down? Isn’t this what they call people who turn in their friends to save their
own skins? A singing rat seems to be a little too extreme for me.
What would it sing, anyway?
All I want for Christmas are two new friends to roll over on? Or, If you
loved me it the 14th Century, You will really love me now?
I guess it could create a whole new wave of songs. Rap is out, rat is in! I guess you
know you are getting old when you can’t understand things like singing rats.
I wonder. I just wonder if this is not some conspiracy against me and my daily column?
Could it be that my enemies got access to the provider’s records and erased my
password from the files? Is Judge Cleland behind this? He is a Judge. He can issue court
orders. Did he do this?
And then, maybe its because I am a red head. That is my e-mail address. Red Head Bud
converted to rdhedbud@penn.com. What about
it? Do they have a thing against red heads like everyone else does? I am getting sick of
being discriminated against just because I am a red head. And, it has been like this for
years.
Way back when, back in the sixties, I tried to join the black movement. I figured I had
as much a case as they did. They wanted black power and I wanted red power. Black and red
power made a whole lot of sense to me. Even though there are more red heads in the United
States than blacks (we comprise 13.9% of the population at one time or another depending
on how good the business is at Beauty Salons nationwide) and they are only 11%, I thought
it was a perfect marriage. In fact, some blacks even have red hair! I tried pointing that
out but it just didn’t work. They not only saw red, they saw white, too. The red
power movement fell flat right there.
Anyway, we have laws now. There had better not be any conspiracy against red heads.
Looking at it like that, I guess even singing rats have rights, too. Myself, I prefer
shooting rats - the vermin type, even though the other type perhaps deserve the same. But
I guess I can change. I will tolerate singing rats as long as they can get along with red
heads. This discrimination thing has to be a two way street. The law isn’t written
that way, but it should be.
In the meantime, I am going to get to the bottom of this password thing. If I ever get
back on line, comments are welcome at rdhedbud@penn.com.
Note: The column was finally posted at 8:30.
OCTOBER 13, 1999
I'm with you Frank!
Good morning. It is 50 degrees at 6 A.M.
Last night Lewis Run Borough Council President Frank Langianese spoke out against an
interconnect between the Lewis Run Water System and the Bradford City Water Authority. The
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has deemed, because one of three wells
that serve the borough is polluted, they must hook on to the authority's system.
This is quite the topic of conversation down in Lewis Run.
No one ever wanted any part of the Bradford City Water Authority. Years ago money
was made available to hook up with the "Big Brother" from down the valley. The
money was turned down.
"Our water has always been better than theirs," one resident told me last
night.
Another claims that ".....this is nothing more than a great conspiracy to get us
in. They ran the water line up to the Federal Prison back in 1989 and since then they have
been pressuring us. Shields especially. He's been on our backs and hasn't let up. They
spent that money to run through here and they want the revenue to pay it off. They are
giving the prison a break. They need us to make it up. It's killed them that we've
remained independent and apart from them."
Shields is Larry Shields, CEO of Control Chief; and, ironically, the top man at the
Bradford City Water Authority. Control Chief is the corporate offender who is responsible
for one of the borough's three wells being contaminated with toxic chemicals.
Specifically: in August test results showed that the water contained 8.4
parts per billion of tetrachloroethylene, known by the acronym PCE. State drinking water
standards set a maximum safe level of 5 parts per billion of that chemical.
Still another person involved in the conversation pointed out the financial facts that
affect the borough.
"We've spent over the last couple of years around $350,000. That was to extend the
water system to include the new Keystone Powdered Metal plant. And we had to build a large
water tank that
provides extra pressure for the entire system. In addition to that, we are still working
to pay back about $1 million in debt associated with the water system. The borough will
lose the income from water customers if the city took over the system. Are they going to
assume our debt? How about Control Chief and Larry Shields? Are they going to pay off our
bills?"
A nearby person who was listening to us added: "They should! They are the ones who
did the damage!"
How about it? How liable is Control Chief? Are they responsible for the lost income to
the water system which will still have on going responsibility after the system goes on
with the Bradford Water Authority? Maybe if they were faced with that possibility, then
maybe, just maybe they would be working to get the well cleaned up and making it
operational again.
But under the set of circumstance as I understand them, there is no reason for them to
do that. Look at what is happening.
Either way, Control Chief, in the consent order was responsible. However, the consent
order and agreement issued to Control Chief last week by the DEP offers only one solution,
and that is connecting with the city water system. Who is being punished? Larry Shields?
He's getting what he's wanted since 1989 and before - the expansion of his empire. It is
Lewis Run who is being punished for the deeds of Larry Shield's company.
Dan Hartle, Borough Solicitor, was right about one thing. He was right about the
political pressure that needs to be applied to the DEP. That is where Dan and I part
company.
Lewis Run needs to apply more than political pressure. Now is the time to fight and I
mean in Court.
Go outside and get an attorney who has the intestinal fortitude to take on the DEP and
the Water Authority. Fight to stop the interconnect between the two systems. Sue Control
Chief. Cause more trouble than they are prepared to deal with and then maybe, just maybe,
people will begin to see things your way, instead of what is politically expedient and
what is best for Larry Shield's Bradford Water Authority.
This is not the time to roll over and die for them. This is also not the time to follow
blindly the legal advice of an attorney who is friends with all the parties involved. I
raise my eye everytime I think about how they all decide what is and is not going to
happen over a few drinks down at their club. Then they come out, all of them, and tell us
what is in our best interest.
In the words of Harry Truman: "How many times do you need to be hit on the head
before you realize who is hitting you?"
I'm with you, Frank. Go for it. Don't roll over and die for them. Save the Lewis Run
Water System Today!
Your comments are welcome at rdhedbud@penn.com.
OCTOBER 12, 1999
The Uncomfortable Inn: Part II The Unfriendly Inn
Good morning. It is 28.6 degrees up here on the hill at 6:12 A.M. I have been reading Talk
about Bradford which is found at: www.bradford-online
and The Bradford Era, located at: www.bradfordera.com.
I'm not in the first, but my buddy The Jerk (Bernie Moore) is playing the name
game, or some version of it. I find it interesting.
I am in the paper. I am in the secondary front page story behind the murder trial in
the one "Commissioner candidate questions county solicitor" By JIM BUCK. In it,
Jim accurately gives the running account of an old idiot and his libelous letter writing
abilities and my reaction to him. If anyone is doubting what "horse sh-- is, e-mail
me and I will explain.
That got my day started along with Stratton and Weaver opposing the formation of an
exploratory committee (at no cost to the taxpayers, either - maybe that's why they opposed
it) allowing my motion to pass a resolution to do so, fail for lack of a second which
would have brought it to a vote. Slick! The last time that happened was when Michele
Corignani wanted to do much the same thing to look into joining the Airport Authority. Oh
well!
And, I got my usual little snipes from Larry Stratton, who still hasn't submitted his
expense account for the year, even though he has failed to do his own since, I am told,
last January. Larry is keeping track of how much time I spent in the court house last
week. Hello! I got out of a cardiac unit twelve days ago. I wasn't supposed to even be at
work yet I managed to attend all the meetings that were vital to county operation. I guess
our Chairman wants a note from my doctor.
Anyway, yesterday afternoon was the hearing on the tax appeal for Howard Johnson's
Motor Inn. They are contending that their tax assessment of a fair market value of
$3,111,500 should be reduced because of the planned opening of a new Comfort Inn across
the street from them. I am on the Tax Assessment Board along with Larry and Jim, but I
recused myself because of a long term business relationship with Howard Johnson's and my
friendship with their attorney, Greg Henry. For that reason, I feel it is proper for me to
give my opinion here.
When we did the reassessment, Twentieth Century Appraisal Service didn't have a clue of
what commercial properties were really worth in our county. They appraised them at big
city prices and made comparisons with going concerns where the tax impact at such values
were 50% less. What do I mean by that?
Valuing Howard Johnson's at $3,111,500 may be all well and good if you are in
Pittsburgh. County taxes, applied at their current rate, with the spread of diverse
and many more businesses to help support the tax base would have HoJo's paying exactly
half of what they have to pay in McKean County. Think about it. We have three major
hotel/motel complexes in Bradford. How many does Pittsburgh have? How many does Allegheny
County have? We have to get more money from our taxpayers because we have fewer businesses
to pay the tax. That is the catch that Howard Johnson's is in.
Is Howard Johnson's worth $3,111,500? If it were in Pittsburgh it would be; but, here
in McKean County, in Bradford, PA, I would guess it is closer to what they paid for it in
1981 - $1,372,500. Ironically, that is about the value that Howard Johnson's has asked be
given to them. And they make a very compelling case.
They are full only 12 nights a year. The other hotels in the area have much the same
plight. In spite of a daunting effort to bring tourism to Bradford, and in spite of claims
that they are succeeding, it somehow isn't reaching the front counter of Howard Johnson's.
Is there something wrong with the facility? Is the food bad? Is the bartender a shrew?
No! Everything is fine. The place is great. The rooms are in fine shape and very
comfortable to anyone who needs to stay in the area. That's the catch.
Fewer and fewer people are traveling to Bradford. Salesmen don't come because there
isn't much business left to call on. The major client for HoJo's was FEMA after the flood
of August 20th. Even with their prolonged stay, they are still 900 room days down from
last year.
Comfort Inn, which is nearing completion, (and have you seen the construction? Is there
any metal in that building? I hope it is a non-smoking hotel because with all that soft
pine, the place might really go up fast - and, who is seeing that local codes and fire
codes are being enforced for public safety?) says they will take 38 rooms a night away
from Howard Johnson's.
Now I believe in the market economy and free business. Comfort Inn has every right to
do that. At fifty dollars a room a night, that's $1900 a night Howard Johnson's stands to
lose if the boast is correct. And, considering in December when the average occupancy at
Howard Johnson's is around 19 a night, does that mean that they will be 19 in the hole? It
sure sounds like that!
Have you ever seen a place like Howard Johnson's when the owners throw in the towel,
lay off the help, board up the windows, turn off the heat, and leave town? I have. I have
and it is not a pretty sight. I hate seeing abandoned businesses with large For Sale signs
on the front door.
If Howard Johnson's loses 38 rooms a night, that will be the legacy the Connie
Cavallaro Administration will have left Bradford. There will be another empty store front
in Bradford and all the tax free zones in the world, all the LERTA's, all the little deals
the OECD can cook up, will not change the inevitable fact of life that they have killed
the goose who laid the egg.
No. It isn't any golden egg. It is just an egg. You know the kind we eat, or the kind
we nurture to get another goose. That's the egg I am talking about. I'm not talking about
property. I am talking about survival. And our survival is linked directly to the survival
of Howard Johnson's and the forty or so jobs they provide. Hello! Is there anyone
listening?
Evidently not. Larry Stratton, as he is known to do at meetings from time to time,
dozed during the presentation. Then he rushed out to get to a Land Fill meeting cutting
closing statements short. Granted, they were allotted just over an hour; but when ARG
wanted to appeal their taxes, they got the better part of a morning. ARG may have been a
bigger fish to us, but certainly Howard Johnson's deserved the same consideration.
Unfortunately, it didn't work like that.
Howard Johnson's has a compelling case. We have three major hotels. Them and the two
DeSoto's. Look around. In a year or even less, one of the three will close. Bradford will
not support the three of them and the new Unfriendly Inn. Twelve sell out nights a year is
just not enough. That leaves 353 other days to make the money to keep the doors open. Just
won't happen.
Your comments are welcome at rdhedbud@penn.com.
OCTOBER 11, 1999
The fairness of it all
Good morning. It is 6:00 and the temperature is 50.2 degrees.
I had an e-mail from my buddy Bernie Moore, AKA. The Jerk. He said to say hello to
everyone and had a few comments just to me. Good to hear from you, Bernie.
I read the account of the arguments of the Williams Trial in The Era on-line
this morning. Already there was a move by the defense attorney to have a mistrial declared
because of an action the judge took. On Thursday of last week, I changed my long standing
position regarding a second judgeship in this county, and in my Press Release (which was
ignored by The Bradford Era) I stated:
"Our county needs a second Judge for several very important
reasons:
"First, and most important, we have a basic fundamental right to be judged by a
resident of Mc Kean County that we elect. Today, our personal rights, our family
rights, and our property rights are being decided by semi-retired, circuit-riding judges
who live outside of our county - - in some cases, far from Mc Kean County. This is wrong
and it must stop!
"Second, a second Judgeship will offer our citizens the benefit of a blend of
judicial philosophies. Accordingly, a second Judgeship will best ensure and promote the
balanced jurisprudence sought by all.
"Third, a second Judgeship is the very best anti-crime program that we could
possibly enact to address the wave of drugs and crime that has swept over our peaceful
county.
"Fourth, if the necessary economies can be made, a second Judgeship will promote
the efficiency and improve the administration of our Justice System. It will, for example,
permit an elected Judge to decide family issues and youth placement issues that are
now decided by others.
"And finally, our county Bar Association and the Judiciary have previously
recognized the need for and the advantages of a second Judgeship.
"I believe that, in cooperation with the Judicial Branch of county government, the
County Commissioners can - - and should - - play a leading role in realizing the vision of
a second Judgeship for Mc Kean County.
"Accordingly, on Monday, October 11, 1999, I shall introduce a resolution calling
for the formation of Blue Ribbon Steering Committee to report, before the end of the year,
on the financial and other measures which are necessary to secure the benefits of a second
Judgeship for our citizens."
That Blue Ribbon Steering Committee is set forth in the resolution I
gave Mr. Stratton and Mr. Weaver last Thursday:
Resolution for Exploratory Committee for Second
Judgeship
RESOLVED: That the Mc Kean County Commissioners meeting this the 11th day of
October, 1999, do hereby resolve that:
Whereas, a second Judgeship for McKean County would insure that basic fundamental
rights, including personal rights, family rights, and property rights of residents would
be upheld. And,
Whereas, a second Judgeship is the best anti-crime program we could possibly enact to
address the wave of drugs and crime that has swept over our county. And,
Whereas, our rights are currently in the hands of a one judge system with semi-retired,
circuit-riding judges from outside our county deciding many important and critical issues.
The Mc Kean County Commissioners do here by resolve to establish a Blue Ribbon Steering
Committee to report, before the end of the year, on the financial and other measures which
are necessary to secure the benefit of a second Judgeship for our citizens. The committee
will be comprised of two members from the community selected by the President Judge, two
members from the community selected by the County Commissioners, one member selected by
the Bar Association, the County Controller, The President Judge, and the Chairman of the
Board of the County Commissioners. The committee will convene no later than October 18,
1999 and will conclude its findings and submit a public report no later than December 6,
1999 so that budget arrangements may be made for calendar year 2000.
In the first day of the trial with the very first witness, the defense
attorney called for a mistrial. The Bradford Era reported the following:
"Although Ford testified at the preliminary hearing he heard that plea for help
while he was walking past the white car, Saturday he said he heard the pleas when he was
crouched in front of his truck. When
Presiding Judge Charles Alexander from Clarion County tried explaining the situation to
the jury, Stretton called for a mistrial because "he overstepped his role" by
interpreting evidence to the jury. During a trial the judge's job is to tell the jury the
law. "Only you are to decide whose telling the truth," Alexander said in his
instructions to the jury.
Has this visiting Judge committed a fatal error that may overturn a guilty
verdict, if and when one is handed down? I don't like living on the difference. John
Cleland stepped aside because he was from Kane and knew officer Jerman. A second Judge
from another part of the county would not have had to. We can't continue to operate a fair
court system without a second elected judge from our county.
Your comments are welcome at rdhedbud@penn.com.
OCTOBER 9 & 10, 1999
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