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Wednesday, July 28, 2010

At-large voting in Wilkes-Barre: Why?

With no due respect to Ray Arellano, another referendum?

“What we need is a referendum to go back to the City Mgr. type of governance, and get away from the Mayor being the last word on everything?”

Puke on my keyboard, I will.

First it was a referendum to reduce the size of council. Then it was electing council people by districts. And now, the mayoral form of governance needs to be changed, too?

How many times are we going to reinvent the wheel to stroke our latest bout of self-important whimsy?

And how many times are we going to change the rules to meet the newest needs of the perennially losing team, of the political patsies?

Let us not forget that the blind rush to reduce the size of council and the simultaneously push to elect them by districts was not the will of people inasmuch as it was the will of the Greens, Libertarians and Republicans that have yet to capture a single elected or appointed seat in this city.

They told us that this self-serving claptrap would amount to city residents being better represented, which was and is as much balderdash as it was and still is needless.

They, the reforming Katsocks of the world told us we would all be better off if we became their political enablers by joining the Referendum of the Month Club. And last time I checked the Page 1 stories, but days ago, the Katsocks were “unavailable for comment” after hiring the disgraced former school director’s kid.

A city council person is only a phone call or an email away. It matters not whether or not they reside within walking distance of each and every one of their constituents. And don’t try to tell me otherwise. If I chose to do as much tomorrow morning, I could fill the ear of each of our five council types.

As for City Council, perhaps you folks need to refresh your hazy memories as far as the state’s Sunshine Laws are concerned.

And perhaps your attendance should be perfect considering how very few meetings you need to attend so as to collect your yearly $15,000 stipends and the overly generous pensions that await you after as little as 20 years picking and choosing if and when you can make an appearance.

A 3-0 vote? Really? Why were two council members curiously absent when the emergency agenda included changing how we elect our representatives? In my swirling mind, if you cannot or will not show up a meager 24 days per year, you ought not collect your insidiously generous salaries. This is bunkum already.

And why even go down this road? And why now? Why give the Referendum of the Month Club crazies a reason to start their clueless nonsense all over again? Excuse my missive, but in a word preceded by a quasi vulgarity serving as a synergistic pre-exclamation, I am effing miffed.

I am no better or no more poorly served by having a neighborhood council person. I would be no better served by switching back to the “at-large” voting system. And I would be no better served by having the knee-jerk referendum crazies getting their phlegm up all over again.

Why now, council? With the Greens, Libertarians, Republicans and whatever other political stripe suit’s the would-be reformers completely shut out of power in this city, why stir up all of this needless rancor all over again?

You need to attend 24 meetings a year, half of which you are unavailable for. You are compensated well above and beyond what would be considered fair compensation for the mere pittance that is your workload. But when a few of you do bother to show up, it’s to further benefit yourselves.

I have never run for or served on city council.

But if I did so, I would not try to pass off a yoke-stained scowl as a straight face.

And on a brief but terse aside, I would be totally remiss if I did not make at least a passing mention of the possible consolidation of our three high schools. Effing miffed again, I am.

Let me get this imbecilic sophistry of thought straight.

We would close all three of our aging high schools, build a new super duper, high-tech high school sure to be plagued by enormous cost overruns despite the unquestioned prowess (?) of the usual politically-connected engineering and construction firms, but the new Wilkes-Barre Area High School would not even be built within the city limits?

You’re serious?

Hold on a second. I'm gonna go punch another dent into the side of the refrigerator. Be right back.

Okay, I'm much better now.

Dump the bundles of ill begotten cash out of your brown paper bags, hold those bags over your noses and mouths and breathe. Breathe!

And then think!!!

Ah, screw it. If assh*les could punch and kick, this place that time obviously forgot would be the dojo du jour. Screw it! For starters, Plains Township or Wilkes-Barre Township could probably use all of those wage taxes more than the City of Wilkes-Barre can.

Wilkes-Barre Area High School...at Plains?

It must be me.

Later

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