The fix is in

If you reside in this county, or if you follow our many disturbing travails, you already know we need a new commissioner appointed by tonight. Or was it by yesterday?

Either way, our judiciary will interview the following gaggle of applicants, and then vote in secret and behind closed doors no less.

Below is the list of prospective commissioners as compiled by the Times Leader:

Here’s a list of the 67 applicants for the commissioner seat, in no particular order: Clif Madrak, Plymouth; Justin McCarthy, Wilkes-Barre; Nicholas Volpetti, Kingston; Lawrence DeFluri, Hazle Township; Michael Szustak, Kingston; Rob Reddington, Hanover Township; Edward Palka, Kingston Township; John Pitcavage, Swoyersville; Charlene Aben, Swoyersville; Joseph J. Carey Sr., Hanover Township; Kenneth M. Phillips, Mountain Top; Terrence E. “Terry” Siple, Wilkes-Barre; Charles G. Blewitt, Kingston; Wilfred E. Toole, Dupont; Allan J. Mago, Wilkes-Barre Township; Mahesh (Mike) Trivedi, Butler Township; Eileen M. Sorokas, Wilkes-Barre; Joseph Gill, Hanover Township; Alfred Akulonis Jr., Duryea; Allison Walzer, Jackson Township; Michael S. Giamber, Ross Township; Joseph Morren, White Haven; Bonnie Lini Markowski, Plains Township; James Hassel, Wilkes-Barre; David Owen Roberts, Bear Creek Township; John J. Brennan, Kingston; John (Jack) Legins, Nanticoke; Curtis Muffley, Pittston; Amer Haobsh, Swoyersville; Adam Bender, Hanover Township; Thomas F. Connell, Plains Township; Marylee Brennan Ferrell, Wilkes-Barre; John F. Bednar Jr., Wilkes-Barre; Gerald D. Bau, Shickshinny; Joseph J. Gombeda, Hazle Township; James A. Casey III, Wilkes-Barre; Michael McGlynn, Duryea; Frank J. Trinisewski Jr., Mountain Top; Bob Morgan, Mountain Top; Richard Shermanski, Mountain Top; Jon Trosky, Butler Township; Thomas P. Cooney, Jenkins Township; Lillian Thomas, Kingston; Gary Zingaretti, Bear Creek Township; Darren G. Snyder, Wilkes-Barre; Brian E. McHugh, Kingston; James G. Zoller, Nanticoke; Steven Dommes, Duryea; William Andrews, White Haven; Adam Ruderman, West Pittston; Ronald Tirko Jr., Courtdale; Timothy McGinley, Kingston; Cynthia Smith, Plymouth; Gordon Snow, Mountain Top; William Balchune, Pittston; Michael Hrinko Jr., Nanticoke; John T. Banks, Wilkes-Barre; Thomas Dombroski, Kingston Township; Phillip Knobel, Exeter; Joseph A. Naperkowski, Wilkes-Barre; Antonio J. Rodriquez, Hazleton; Robert L. Shainline Sr., Pittston; Gary R. Shupp, Mountain Top; Beth Ann Wenner, Freeland; Sam Pennartz, Wyoming; Gary Reese, Kingston; and Greg Gulick, Mountain Top.

The way I see it, here’s the scoop. We’ll never know the details, so what follows is speculation on my part.

Despite the fact that Greg Skrepenak is feigning ignorance, I figure he knew his goose was cooked many moons ago. And if that’s true, it only stands to reason that he could have resigned weeks ago, perhaps even months ago.

But, with the county’s budget hanging in the balance, and with a much-needed Tax Anticipation Note hanging in the balance, and with the cutbacks/tax increase ratio hanging in the balance, he chose to resign just a fortnight before the 2010 budget had to be hammered out, finalized and approved.

Therefore, I am of the opinion that his chosen resignation date was a ruse perpetrated by some unseen body for the purposes of creating a purposely crafted budgetary emergency. And because of that cleverly crafted emergency, it’s already been said that this newly appointed commissioner must be familiar with the budgetary process and all that’s associated with such a process. In other words, we need a blast from the past. We need one of them good old boys from within the dwindling (not yet indicted) ranks of the party of corruption in Luzerne County.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, in my opinion…the fix is in.

The smart money is on former commissioner Frank Trinisewski.

Will our judiciary further muddy it's already thoroughly soiled reputation?

Methinks it will.

Later