A man can sleep around, no questions asked, but if a woman makes nineteen or twenty mistakes she's a tramp.--Joan Rivers
And then there’s:
Just because a girl is walking down the street doesn't mean there's prostitution. Prostitution is an exchange of money for sex.--Chief George
I had a short work day today. It’s a welcome change of pace now and again. At 2:23 p.m. the scanner lit up with a call from Donna Kowalczyk. If you recall, Donna was a member of the citizens assembled and demanding some proactive policing of their neighborhood yesterday. As I had passed along to all of you, some of those people were worried about retribution coming their way from the numerous miscreants in their slipping neighborhood. Well, it seems that this afternoon Donna was the recipient of some terroristic threats from a “code 16” type. That would be a prostitute to us stupid, ugly and ignorant and often complaining residents.
Neither the mayor nor the chiefie felt that they should attend last night’s gathering to possibly reassure the residents that they are being heard loud and clear and the problem in that neighborhood is at the top of their policing agenda. That would have made too much sense and would have been the professional thing to do. That would also mean they would have to admit there actually is a problem. The mayor was elsewhere, busily teaching the paving professionals how to pave streets and the chief claimed he had to help his daughter out with a downed automobile. Someone should approach him about joining an auto club. Whatever.
Residents pay their bloated salaries and then when the residents feel their concerns are not being addressed, the mayor and the chief are nowhere to be found. It sure does suggest that the complaints of the residents are completely justified in the first place if you ask me. They gave those residents the ultimate cold shoulder yesterday and today Donna is being threatened by a walking sperm bank. I think the mayor had better get this everything is politics nonsense out of his swirling mind already and start protecting those residents like right now. This isn’t election year fun & games, or election year grandstanding. Those folks are genuinely worried and the mayor is our commander-in-chief if you will. Their ultimate safety is in his hands. If I were them, I’d be armed to the teeth before I’d count on him for much. It’s all fun games to him. “It’s all politics” until the residents start getting whacked.
Last night the mayor claimed that there’s all sorts of stealthy policing going on, but he has failed to do a good job of making them aware of what is going on. Yeah right! And rusty fire trucks can fly! This is the guy that called a press conference to announce that the city’s plows were ready for winter. This is the same guy that held three press conferences calling attention to the bridge that will never re-open, the Scott St. Bridge. He held a press conference to announce WPUU, which I’m sure you had all forgotten about. IF the city received a federal grant for free lead pencils, this guy would be sending faxes to all of the local media outlets. BUT! BUT! He forgot to tell us about his aggressive, new approach to law enforcement. I’m buying into that one. He tells us he’s full-time, all the time. That one I’ll agree with. He’s reactive full-time, all the time.
I’m posting the Downtown Residents Watch Group’s suspicious activity log from one night in this Wilkes-Barre neighborhood, July 20, 2002. Click on the links one by one and see if any of the descriptions of the car’s or the people ring a bell. Where were you that night? Is the police chief going to make the claim that these girls were just walking down the street that night?
A couple more pics from yesterday’s affair.
For those of you looking to rabble rouse and re-visit the sixties to whatever degree, you can contact a willing organizer at hosechick32@msn.com. Now who was it that suggested on the BLOG that the hose chicks were all talk? Probably the same person that is one chromosome short of joining the gene pool and questioned my punciaitationicals.
If you were considering peeing on any election yard signs, think again. The expensive private investigators are lurking out there. Politics can get nuts in a hurry. Just wait!
Let’s do some e-mails. Haven’t done many lately.
******If you get a chance, drive down Elizabeth Street in South Wilkes-Barre. What a statement the homeowners on that street are making about their neighbor, Rick Gazenski who is running for W-B City Council. Very few homes, if any, don't have a "Rick Gazenski for City Council" sign in their yards. What an amazing sign of support ! This speaks volumes of the type of respect and admiration this neighborhood has for Rick who has lived there for several years. You can't help but say to yourself, "WOW" when you drive through and see this overwhelming endorsement.******
I dropped by there today and it is wild. The entire street is lined from beginning to end with Gazenski yard signs. I’ve never seen anything like it. If you’re anywhere nearby, take a spin down that street. I took a pic, but it doesn’t do it any justice.
Another e-mail:
******Hey Mark,
I see that you have unraveled the mystery about our ESU truck. I was going to write to you about it, but have been kinda busy. Today, I noticed that vehicle #141, formerly the prisoner transport unit, that's been out of service for several months with a bad transmission, has now been relettered. It's now our official, brand spanking new, according to the world according to McG, animal enforcement vehicle.
That makes 6 police vehicles converted for other uses. Granted, we have received 6 new impalas since 2001, oh yeah, and 1 taken from the weed & seed folks. 2 of those impalas are used by supervisors leaving 5 for patrol. Those cars run OK, but the problem is the rest of our fleet. 7 - 1995 Fords and 1 - 1996, all on their last leg, 4 - 1998 Fords, rapidly aging, 4 - Jeep Cherokees, 3 which are not dependable, 1 - Lumina, electrical problems, 1 - Taurus, electrical problems (bought from Elias' Used Cars), 1 - 1990 Chevy that has long out lived it's usefulness and finally a vintage repainted 1989 Chevy that starts only with jumper cables. See we actually have alot of cars, it's just MOST are unreliable.
I think that new Mayor is going to have to find some way to dedicate about $900,000.00 in the first year just to keep emergency services operating. That's $300,000.00 for police cars (that oughta get about 15 fully equipped) and $300,000.00 each for 2 fire engines. Thanks McG!!!!!!!!!!******
I’m sure that’ll be considered in Mayor Leighton’s first budget. Fully equipped police cars? Does that mean they’d have lights on top like all those dinky borough cars do? How about cages? And tires that aren’t bald or flat? Don’t tease us.
Again:
******No paving of Chapel Street YET. Project started in the fall of 2002. Each intersection has an opening that allows water to destroy the base.
Let's see now....... how many intersections?
Scott, New Hancock, Weston, New Grant, Mahally, Penn, and New Sherman. I guess McG is waiting for a home to lose it's basement so he gets a better headline!!!!
City Council continues allowing him to start new projects!!!!!!!!!!!!
p.s. Speaking of Mahally alley, the residents of New Grant Street whose properties abut Mahally were sent a letter stating it would be paved by the end of the year. The letter was written and dated on July 30, 1990. It was signed by Councilman Tom McGroarty.
Still keeping promises.....................................******
Yeah but, he paved the middle of Coal Street. LOFL
Again:
******Dear Marc,
I am increasingly amazed that Virgil As*genta believes that HE has the answers to what plagues Wilkes-Barre. I have seen first hand that as long as you are on his side he is all smiles but oppose him and you risk his rath. We need someone on Council who can listen and understand the frustrations of our residents. Virgil is on 24 months probation due to an incident in a restaurant. He also painted graffiti on the side of his building on the corner of Wyoming and Beaumont Streets depicting a life long resident of North End who opposed him at a Zoning Board Hearing. Is this really what Wilkes-Barre needs or wants? Have we become so frustrated by what our city has become that we will resort to this type of arrogance and ignorance? I really, truly believe that this city has a lot of dignity and pride left. Hopefully, enough so to see through to the REAL As*genta.
DON'T BE FOOLED, WILKES-BARRE!!!!!******
Graffiti? The mayor doesn’t look too kindly on graffiti. What we need on council are the best and the brightest available and hopefully a fully rounded bunch. I’ve touched on this before. Leighton is a real estate dude. Gazenski is an insurance dude. Barrett is a law enforcement dude. Kane is an education dudette and she hangs around with a well-respected magistrate. And on and on we can go. The question we have to ask ourselves before we pull the levers on election day is ‘what particular expertise does this candidate have to offer to the residents of this city?’ Heyna?
Rutro! Private Sector Dude again:
******Man, oh man. Hizonner has got to be quaking in his boots. Chief Boy George is probably quaking in his boots too, that is, if hizonner says it's okay to do so. Hope hired grunt Virgil "The T****" Argenta goes down with the ship as well. His antics and veiled threats deserve to be squashed.
Can't wait to hear hizonner's response to the citizen meeting yesterday. Good turn out of folks too. I think it will probably go something like "Well, we've done a good job cleaning up that area-it's never been better. If council would have acted sooner...if the Governor wasn't such a...doing more with less...and recycling at the curb...crime statistics are way down...saved three million ya know...those aren't hookers...what drugs...what gangs...graffiti...isn't my wife gorgeous...I care about our elderly...hey, did you see the square, nice and smooth...vote for me and I promise I'll... Good Lord, please deliver us from this knucklehead !!! (Sorry, I slipped in Baptist Minister mode).
Sounds to me like the citizens are getting out and about. Perhaps someone could come up with one consolidated list of broken promises and failures of our illustrious, blusterous, filibusterous mayor, and print them out. I'm willing to chip in with some funds for making photocopies. We could then distribute them to each citizen, post them in store windows, etc. And I know there are many of you with family members that either live in or work at our many senior centers. Get the message out. Print out any one of the many photos Mark has on this site. Show people-tell people. Educate them. They need to know there is more to this city than living within four walls and walking to the curb. Time to put this thing into overdrive and drive hizonner squealing like a stuck pig, into the night, for good!
Well, at least hizonner can jump up and down and shout, "I won, I won-see I won!" Never mind the fact that he won worst Mayor in Pa. Now, he should move into the national race. That's the ticket! We should get out the word-"Mayor McGroarty for worst Mayor in the United States." I know what my picket sign will be. (o:
One question I have is where the heck is all this money for the paving coming from? And for all the OT. Now, I'm not holding the DPW guys hostage here, it seems to me they are getting their @sses whipped by command and control, and there are probably a lot of them that like the OT-hell I would, especially if I wanted some time off over the summer. But the funds have got to come from somewhere and I have yet to hear anyone in the press ask this question. We can't fix street lights that are falling apart, but we can pave over roads that don't need it? Hizonner's reckless spending to try and secure votes is disgraceful. It once again shows his all out lack of caring. How is that he thinks he can just abuse his power. This paving effort IS his CAMPAIGN.
Well, it seems Colorado is getting dumped on by feet of snow today shutting down parts of the state, and it's a few days from May? Must be all that "Global Warming" going on. Never mind that we were taught about the impending ice age back in 1982, junior year in high school. Never mind that the hottest recorded decade in the US was between 1920-29. Must have been caused by Henry Ford starting up his auto plants. Well, just wait until mid-July when temperatures reach 95 with 90% humidity-just like they do EVERY summer. The reports will be out then. Remember, as of 1980 we all were supposed to be wearing gas masks, our rivers were supposed to be boiling, and our beaches were supposed to be unusable-choked with dying and rotting fish. Well, okay, it was pushed back until 2000, or is it 2010 now, one can never tell with these doom sayers-the dates all change so fast.
We got drugs being sold out of drive through window at a fast food joint again, and once again Bud Brown was all over it stating that the drug ring was broken by a disgruntled, overweight person that went through the drive through and ordered diet coke.
May 20th is circled on the calendar; May 21st looks like a sick day (o:
Keep the faith. Time for some "Jane's Addiction-Nothing's Shocking" very appropriate for W-B.
Private Sector Dude.******
Dude, I got lots of e-mail about nominating McPavemaster for worst Mayor in the United States. He would have to be considered the odds on favorite to win it all, don’t ya’ think?
One more. This time from one of the graduating Kings kids:
******Hey Mark,
Sweet ass bike ya got!! Ya know, you have to name that bike...it's bad luck if ya dont.
Anyways, I got the rates for the U-Haul to take outta Wilkes-Barre. 116 dollars for a 1-way trip to Nutley, NJ. That means after my parents dropped an obscene amount of money for me to get my education in this city...after getting my SUV towed twice...after getting a mind boggling 79 parking tickets (77 of which I didn’t pay)...after listening to the mayors sh*t throwing fit at us college kids numerous times, it will cost me 116 dollars to leave this place for the last and final time. Myself, and many others will patronize one last local business...the U-Haul store...sad sad sad. Graduation is May 18, and the U-Haul, with me driving, and my beloved truck in tow, will be leaving town May 21...the day after I cast my vote for Leighton. I am sticking around for a few days to cast my vote to possibly keep future college kids here from feeling like worthless pieces of sh*t like McGroarty made us feel. Well I just wanted to let you know what was going on here. Talk to ya later!!******
I had to respond to this one. I get lots of e-mail and I don’t have the time to answer them all, but this one needed to be responded to, because I don’t want those college kids badmouthing Wilkes-Barre for the rest of their lives because of one loose cannon.
I'm happy to know that you're well on your way to a happy life, but consider this. Don't move to NJ and say that you just escaped from hell. Tell those folks that you just witnessed a revolution, a phenomenon of sorts and also tell them that Wilkes-Barre is about to become a great place to live in very shortly. I really think this backward county and this backward city have finally turned the corner and put the politicos on notice, once and for all. We have awakened from our long and costly slumber and we are demanding our remonstrance.
A few folks have told me that after McG is run out of town, I'll be like Rush Limbaugh without a Clinton to bash. Think again kiddies. I will remain ever vigilant and this city will rise again and rather quickly. Tom Leighton really is a good man and he only wants the best for the city. The next time you run across this goofball, I'll be sitting in the middle of Public Square, enjoying my amazing grandchildren and marveling at how fu*king busy the downtown is.
I would prefer to see some of you younger folks stay here and ride out the storm, but I understand that there aren't many good jobs here. I think that that may be about to change also. Whatever man. Do me one favor. When you move to NJ and get acclimated to your new environs, send me lots of e-mails highlighting the differences between here and there. You will then be known as New Jersey Dude. And pay close attention to what your local politicos do and say. Do that for yourself.
Good luck and stay in touch,
Mark
He then responded to my e-mail:
******10-4 Mark....by the way, I would love to eventually come back here to the place I called home for the last 4 years. ******
Mayor Tom (Leighton that is), are you hearing this? Give him a bunch of reasons to come back here. He’s a good kid.
One more snippet:
******Hi Mark,
I haven't thanked you properly for the nice things you wrote about me this past week. Thank you so much. I really appreciated your comments on my presentation. I have to say, though, I'm not brave, just pissed. Were the situation less drastic, I wouldn't have touched something like this with a 1,000 ft pole.******
I’m not brave, just pissed. I hear that and you are certainly not alone as we bravely march on towards that fateful and very telling day, May 20, 2003. Wilkes-Barre’s future, dour or bright, will be determined that day. If things don’t turn out the way we’d like them to, at least you’ll know that you tried to the best of your abilities. Most of the residents of this city will not be able to make that claim after the dust settles. You are wrong about one thing though. Staring tyranny down IS a brave and for the most part, a selfless act. Carry on dude.
Three weeks?
TLFM
