20%????????????????????

Today marks Election Day in Pennsylvania and most parts of the country.  Unfortunately, less than 20% of registered voters will exercise their right to cast a ballot.


Vote!!!!!


It makes me sad as a citizen to see this happen and it only seems to get worse by the year.  Although, this is not a presidential election or for members of Congress, there are many contested school board, municipal and county elections.


Vote!!!!


Long ago, our forefathers gave us the First Amendment of free speech.  We the people have a say!



Vote!!!!


Women have only had this right less than 100 years.


Vote!!!!!


Always remember, whether you agree or don't agree with the current condition, you have a right to be a citizen.  Think of all those soldiers, protesters, movers and shakers who made this possible in your lives.


Vote!!!!!

Be Careful When They Say You Are Doing a Good Job

Steve Reiner Director of Public Safety was fired on Tuesday by the Northumberland County Commissioners. 

Reiner was lauded by the commisioners just two months ago for efforts during the flooding of September.  Reiner was second person in this position in 2011.

Others that have terminated in recent years after they were doing a "good job" include a planning director and chief clerk. 

Who else is doing a "good job" in Northumberland County?????

Incumbents Sawicki and Clausi Decide to Run in 2011

Democrats Frank Sawicki and Vinni Clausi have announced their plans to run for reelection for the Northumberland County Board of Commissioners.

With their announcement the race is now up to four with the two Democrats joining Republicans Richard Schoch of Sunbury and Tom Aber of Miltion.

The News-Item reports about the possibility of more entrants.

Northumberland County Controller Chuck Erdman Moving On

Northumberland County Controller Chuck Erdman has decided to resign effective February 13th to take a job in Governor Tom Corbett's administration.

Deputy Controller Tony Phillips will be acting controller until Governor Tom Corbett names a replacement.

Erdman won his first term as controller in 1997 and has been the controller for the past 13 years.  Always giving honest assessments of county finances, Erdman as controller was used by Democrat Vinni Clausi in a campaign ad back in 2007 drawing the ire of incumbent commissioners Sam Deitrick and Kurt Masser.  All of that seems like ancient history now.

The Voice hinted of this move back in November.  We wish Erdman well as he moves on to his future endeavor.

Vinni Clausi Goes Rogue in 2011

Once again Northumberland County Commissioner Vinni Clausi has decided to run for reelection and also with out a running mate in the May Democratic primary.

Vinni's friend and Coal Township commissioner Gene Welsh is pondering a run but has yet to formally announce his candidacy.  It will be interesting to see who would be the two survivors in a Welsh, Clausi and Sawicki race. Also, the domain name is still available for www.vinnitellsthetruth.com according to godaddy.com. 

In other county business:

Non-union employees granted 3% raises.  Although there was a circus in voting on these raises,  The raises which total to 69,000 dollars amount to less than .1% of the counties 69.4 million dollar budget.  In other words, .1% is 1 dollar for every 1000.  The raise will affect 136 employees. However, the war on labor continues throughout the land.

Richard J. Schoch announces candidacy in the GOP primary for commissioner. 

Former Northumberland County Commissioner Allen J. Cwalina takes up new residence.

On a 2-1 Vote, Northumberland County Passes 2011 Budget

Let the fireworks begin.  All three commissioners seats will be up for reelection in 2011.  Let this serve notice as the first shots fired during the election season.  All three can claim they didn't raise taxes until after November.

While Clausi goes on about a rant and rave about the union contracts, the big bite is the 25% increase in health care premiums. Does walking into a doctor's office cost 25% more on January 1st? 

While Clausi threw Masser under the bus just after the November election, Vinni is longing for the days that Masser was a county commissioner taken from the News-Item.

While it is possible to re-open the budget in the new year and consider layoffs and spending cuts, Clausi is convinced it will never happen since he is the minority opinion despite being in the majority party. It requires a majority vote to do this.

He promised Sawicki and Phillips to remind them of their votes when they are struggling to stay within the budget.

"I miss Commissioner Masser today," said Clausi as the budget discussion ended, referring to former Commissioner Kurt Masser who resigned in November after he won the legislative seat in the 107th district.

Shell Game Continues Northumberland County

Northumberland County commissioners plan to adopt a $69.4 million dollar budget with no tax increase at their meeting today. Commissioner Vinni Clausi calls the budget "phony" and plans to vote note.

Once again Clausi doesn't hesitate to throw a commissioner under the bus, hop in, and run over him:

Clausi added, "In my opinion, Mr. Sawicki doesn't care about the taxpayers because next year is an election year for the commissioners and he doesn't want to offend anyone by making cuts. He's agreed to give more money to the unions, while I've fought against union raises. I promise the people of Northumberland County that we will face a $3 million deficit in 2012 because Mr. Sawicki won't sacrifice and do what's right this year."

This big stat caught my eye.  80k has been budgeted for attorney fees.  Last year is was great to be a member of the bar and work for Northumberland County.  In 2010, attorneys netted over 500K.  There is an ongoing case against two fired sheriff's deputies in 2011.

In other news, rumor on the street according to the Daily-Item print edition is that Gene Welsh of Coal Township and current commissioner of Coal is pondering a run at a county commissioner opening. Welsh has until April 18th to get on a primary ballot.  An interesting Democratic would pit Welsh, Clausi and Frank Sawicki on one ticket. Welsh also serves on an advisory board to bring the Northumberland County OHV Park to fruition. Welsh does have a past business relationship with Clausi.

Let the fireworks begin.

Is Vinny Clausi Off to Elba?

Recent election results in Northumberland County have sent Republican Kurt Masser off to Harrisburg with a 2-1 margin of victory.  Does the 2-1 margin, set Masser up as being the Northumberland County's next powerbroker?

In the latest series of developments already since the Tuesday victory,  current Northumberland County Commissioner Vinny Clausi has seem to put himself on an island. On Thursday, DCNR gave the county a $400K check for the proposed OHV Park for which Masser still serves on the Steering Committee.  But Masser said the decision is up to the county now.

Clausi has now declared was on the union that represents the Transportation and Weatherization departments in the county.  Read this account in the Daily-Item. In News-Item account of the same story, this little piece caught my eye:

Clausi, who is very upset about the union's rejection of the county's contract offer, added, "Under the Sam Deitrick, Kurt Masser and Frank Sawicki administration in 2007, they gave the kitchen sink away to the union for three years." 

In 2011, all three commissioner seats will be up for election.  Will Masser use his new found machine to swing the election to a 2-1 Republican majority.  Governor-elect Tom Corbett campaigned on lower taxes, lower spending and less government.  Does he want to give away 5 million away for the park to make, Clausi and Sawicki look good?  Or was a promise made to Masser who sits on the OHV committee?

If your keeping score at home, since Tuesday, Clausi has thrown Masser under the bus once, while Masser has punted on the OHV issue once. 2011 promises to be big drama on the local county scene.

Both have a way out.  Masser through Corbett could simply say the state can't afford the grant at this time.  Is Clausi's way out through ballot referendum on the OHV Park and leave it up to the voters?

Want to follow the money, big business (drillers) funded the Corbett campaign.  To paraphrase NCFE the least of our brothers (Matthew 25:45), look for funding for human services to be slashed big time.

With Clausi's war on the county worker and the new Masser machine, Clausi's 2011 election prediction come next November could indeed come to pass.

Football in Northumberland County Park

Last night Northumberland County and the DCNR of PA decided to play their own little game of football last night. DCNR presented a 400K check to Northumberland County for the proposed Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area.

According to accounts in the Daily-Item and News-Item, further funding may need to be "creative."  DCNR punted the ball to Northumberland County.  Newly elected 107th state rep, Kurt Masser punted:

County Commissioner Kurt Masser is a proponent of the park and views it as providing a potential economic boost to the region, but said the decision on how to proceed will be up to Clausi and board Chairman Frank Sawicki because he's resigning this month to take a seat in the state 107th Legislative District

Northumberland County officials Vinny Clausi and Frank Sawicki decided to defer action until more money is available for the project. 

The project by some estimates could bring in 30000 visitors and generate revenue of 3 million dollars.

In a strange irony, Masser may have to step up to the plate early in his term on this one.  Masser who last week campaigned with Tom Corbett at the Southern-Mount Carmel football game is on record to reduce spending and cut taxes. 

The reduction in spending not yet named by Corbett, could cause future holes in local government budgets including counties, municipalities and school districts.

The first order of business for county may be looking for sponsor to name the park as one source.  For the record, I am for the project but the county is wise to table the project until funding arrives.

Major Leaguer Coming to Northumberland County????

In a story that really didn't get much play when it happened last week, Northumberland County agreed to end non-coal leases on county owned coal lands.  At first Habitat for Wildlife president Dave Kaleta thought it was retribution for questions he had about a proposed OHV Park.

County officials said they couldn't release any details, but claimed it involves a "major league player." Mack said the potential deal is not connected to the OHV park.

The site in question is very close to the industrial park that contains Reinhart Food Service.  There have been several promises of further development in the industrial park, but so far Reinhart is the only tennant.

A Step in the Right Direction

The Norco County Commissioners came to an agreement with Pennwind on a new lease of county land yesterday. The new agreement calls for Pennwind to pay the county a 6% royalty on a kilowatt produced versus 3% in the original contract. The acreage from the lease was reduced from 900 to 75 acres.

Pennwind still has deed and title issues to settle with a California-based company on the 30 million dollar project.

Like I indicated before, once the project is completed the cost to produce a kilowatt should relatively remain stable of the life of the 29-year lease.

It's Nice to Play with the House Money

In the latest case, of the Northumberland County Court suing the Northumberland County Commissioners, both sides have spent of to 50,000 in the case according to the Daily-Item. There seems to be a rift between Chairman Sawicki and Commissioners Clausi and Masser.

Something on the Horizon in Northumberland County???

In Sunday's Daily-Item, an article talks about a raise for 100 non-union employees being delayed until a judges lawsuit is heard. The board of commissioners and the president judge are about $600,000 apart in their respective budget.

The last paragraph of the article was strange. To quote:

Refusing to cite a specific department, board Chairman Frank Sawicki said unexpected expenses “on the horizon” are keeping the board from voting on the pay raises.

Blowing in the Wind Part 2

As reported in today's edition of the Daily-Item, two different administrations were advised against renewing the lease with Pennwind.

The big concern to taxpayers would be how long Pennwind or any affiliation with Pennwind could control county(public) land without developing it. Also, it was learned Pennwind is marketing it's interest in the lease to an outside company from California.

Commissioner Kurt Masser received $1200 in campaign contributions from three Pennwind representatives in the 2007 election.

Whatever the shortcomings of the current deal, this is still a worthwhile project to pursue. After an initial start up cost of environmental and site studies plus the cost of the farm itself, the wind will be a constant source of energy and power generation.

Beginning on January 1st, rate caps have been removed on electricity generation. Both parties stand to benefit from rising electricity rates in the future.

Northumberland County Blowin In The Wind

Northumberland County's effort to partner with a private firm for a proposed wind farm south of Shamokin may be blowin' in the wind very soon. Commissioner Vinny Clausi was not on the board when the original deal was signed back in 2007 by the previous board.

The sticking point seems to be the flat fee of 56,000 per year the county will see over a 20-year period. Pennwind want to sell it's lease to a California company. Pennwind have leased the land since 2007 for a grand total of $3.

Sawicki becomes annoyed. Why isn't there solid figures on the acreage???

If the meeting becomes public with Pennwind the question to ask is how much of the cost of electricity generation by a wind farm will be fixed over the life of the lease. You put up an wind farm and it's done?

Thanks to our Pennsylvania legislators having no balls, the rate caps for electricity have expired. While the $56,000 flat fee royalty seems promising in the first few years, would it be more prudent for the county to look for a percentage?

Why was the first lease given away so cheaply?

Grinch comes early to Northumberland County workers

To offset a 1.2 million dollar increase in the county insurance premiums, 115 employees will see their monthly share increase to up to $100 per pay reported by the Daily-Item.

This is while the county is cutting projecting cutting taxes. Workers have gone a few years without a raise and now this will be a big negative in the take home.

Neither the Daily-Item nor the News-Item reported by what percentage did the premium increase.

Once again you have the viscious cycle of insurance carries raising premiums because they can. The cost being passed on the worker. No one does a damn thing to change the system.

12 Thousand vs 30 Million in Northumberland County

Last week a former department was charged with corruption in Northumberland County. The PA AG office did the investigation after being referred the case by the District Attorney through the Controller's Office.

All this to uncover 12K.

I wonder where 30 million went?

Healthcare bails out Northumberland County?

Two top headlines dominated lower Northumberland County yesterday. First was the sale of the Mountain View Manor (county owned) to it's operation manager for 16.5 million and the townhall meething by Congressman Carney in Sunbury.

"The Deal"

Carney on the Fence

Carney agrees that pre-existing conditions and portability should be key. He is not sure on the public option.

Surprisingly 70% of the audience were for some kind of healthcare reform.

The rumblings I heard from current Manor and county employees yesterday is what will happen to my healthcare. On the hotseat is Northumberland County Commissioner Vinni Clausi who promised that he would never sell the Manor when he met with employees when first elected.

The way the debate is going on healthcare will be something similar to car insurance if passed. It will be manadatory to purchase. This is why a public option is needed. If 48 million subcribers are delivered to the insurance industry where will the competition lie???

Death and Taxes

One of the greatest quarterbacks ever to wear the Red and White of Mount Carmel passed away on April 26th. His career and season records stood until they were broken by Mike Higgins (1995) and Dave Shinskie (2003). Here is the rest of what was in the today's News-Item.

When I read Mr. Bushinski's guestbook there were many posts by student athletes he had met and coached over 20 years ago. The Coal Region's loss was Florida's gain. Now both are at loss. God Bless the Buchinski family.

Taxes

Could a county sales tax be on the way???? Northumberland County Commissioner talks about the preliminary idea thrown around by the state for property tax relief.

The Ax is grinding in Northumberland County

The hammer falls this time on county human services director.

Boot Hill for the county employees now up to seven.

ODE TO B-DAWK

Brian Dawkins career as a Philadelphia Eagle ended this past Saturday when he signed a two-year deal with the Denver Broncos over the weekend. I got a chance to interview Dawkins in Shamokin about 10 years ago when he was in town for a charity basketball game. He was a great interview and brought a lot of intensity to a pick up basketball game. Athletically, though early in his career I thought there was great potential. At 5-11, he could reverse slam a basketball.

David Jones of the Patriot News puts it best about the end of Dawkins in Philadelphia.

I had to remind myself, are the Eagle owned by Jeffrey Laurie or Bill Bidwell or Vito Corleone. Can you hear in the back of your head, "It's not personal Brian, it's business."

Thanks for memories Brian, see you on your return trip in the fall.