Following on the heels of the very successful Judguary, in which two former president judges of Luzerne County ran afowl with the feds, here’s to a very successful Crooktober in our region.
Let’s hope the feds continue their aggressive plan to shake the tree of skullduggery and find every person who has taken a dime, dollar, or advantage of the good people of this region.
Today on the show, John from Dupont called. He’s been looking for work here for more than a year, and he expressed some trepidation about the future. Can anyone blame him? John’s a guy who discussed what it’s like to be on the floor of a factory, so it doesn’t seem like he’s looking to knock some fancy suit off his high perch. He seemed content to find someone just to say “yes” to him. John said he applied for more than 50 jobs this year and came up empty.
Juxtapose his misfortune with the charmed life of one Barton Weidlich, crony to the chosen ones in Luzerne County government. A Citizens’ Voice story, which could be used as ipecac because it just might induce vomiting in taxpayers, details the escapades of the Pittston businessman in relation to the dingdome. Weidlich, according to Mike Sisak of the CV, was allowed unfettered access to areas of the courthouse that only employees should enjoy. In fact, he and a buddy from the probation department were somehow allowed to use information from the county tax claim office to turn some sweet deals, like buying a house in Hazleton for $915. They later unloaded the property for $45,000 without applying for any permits to do any improvements.
As someone who occasionally dabbles in this real estate stuff, I could spit nails. It’s beyond belief that no one was watching this breach unfold, and no one said boo. I have to ask, who’s watching the kids?
That’s not all. Weidlich did some “maintenance” work at the courthouse, like rearranging and installing desks and painting floors. He billed handsomely for the service, collecting $53,000. Golly gee. How does one not giggle when handing in the receipt. This begs the question: What do the people in maintenance do down there? Maybe they can throw old John some work.
Luzerne County residents know their county commissioners are staring at a 500 million dollar black hole as they prepare the budget. I don’t imagine that those who can read for comprehension are too happy about the shenanigans unfolding before their very eyes.
So, here’s to the feds. Please give us a Crooktober to remember. Send some scoundrels to jail and keep digging.
Corbett
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