Pulling a decent pint is a fine attribute for any Scranton mayor. Pulling a fast one on taxpayers is more in tune, though, with the characteristics of a city boss.
Independent mayoral candidate Paige Cognetti’s ability to pour the perfect draft is admirable. But good citizens are more impressed with her vow to disrupt city monkey business as usual.
Former Democratic Mayor Bill Courtright is likely headed to prison after pleading guilty to three federal felonies related to his shameful public disservice.
The city political party he led pleads ignorance about his criminality that put huge rolls of cash in the pockets of a patronage pool of political bloodsuckers. Instead, city and county Democratic Party hustlers are supporting the anointed candidate who’s better suited to serve as a dull pencil-pusher than the city champion in a faithless, tainted town fighting its way out of a deep financial and moral crisis.
Almost-a-mayor Wayne Evans has thus far shown himself to be useless, a timid clerk rather than the gutsy leader we need to help us reclaim our integrity. In a city drowning in mismanagement and lawlessness, Evans awarded raises to select city workers instead of showing responsible fiscal austerity.
To make matters worse, under his watch a city gasoline credit card scandal is mounting and warrants a federal or state criminal investigation.
Did Evans call the cops?
No.
Evans allowed the city fire chief to audit himself after lying about not using a city credit card for gas while using a city vehicle dented during a vacation at the New Jersey shore.
The FBI or the state attorney general should open an inquiry or convene a criminal grand jury into what clearly looks like theft. Passing around gas cards like basket-of-cheer tickets at an Irish wake really is not that much to ask.
Cognetti promises to clean house.
That’s why I’m with her.
She should win the Nov. 5 special election because she dares fight the system and the devolved Democratic Party that hurts us all – at least most of us who lack shady political connections to go to the shore, get jobs for our kids and grandkids or pull in big cash reserves even if you’re a lousy lawyer.
And, I’m speaking as a longtime Democrat.
Fighting our way out of a Scranton political cesspool hurts. But think how we’ll progress once Cognetti requires accountability from all scofflaw city workers as well as those crafty lawyers and slick vendors. As a Scranton resident, senior citizen and taxpayer, I’m concerned about honest public service.
For example, not everybody in Scranton pays their garbage bills. A few years ago I spent a lot of time on my radio show talking about city cops and firefighters who pulled down exorbitant salaries from public coffers yet didn’t pay their garbage bills in years.
Nobody cared.
Courtright didn’t care. The fire chief didn’t care. The police chief didn’t care. They refused to take action to collect the money and make sure first responders – some who pull down almost a hundred grand a year – didn’t pull such a stunt again in the future.
Courtright served as city tax collector, city council member and mayor during this debacle that continues under the stewardship of Evans, a professional realtor who doesn’t even talk a good game. Evans is way over his head in his own hometown, still playing footsie with the fire chief.
People should vote for the candidate who will go to war with sharks and sharpies, political fixers who laugh at those of us who pay our bills.
Who among the mayoral candidates will best restore the public trust?
Not only will Cognetti serve us best, she can sure pour a beer.
As an added bonus, Cognetti will bring a bundle of joy with her into City Hall.
It’s called good government.