Taxpayers get gaming shaft
Well, the gold mine of gaming is already bringing benefits to taxpayers. We’ve already gotten the shaft to the tune of $24 million, before the licenses were even awarded. We already have several high-paying jobs. The executive director receives $180,000, plus expenses. Several other board members are in the vicinity of $150,000 (give or take a few thousand). They’re doing wonders for some local car dealers and resorts, as well as restaurants. They do at least pass most of the money around in the state where they make their money, except for a few instances, like trips to Phoenix, Vegas and Vancouver where they stayed in high-end resorts. But that doesn’t matter, because soon, we will be rolling in so much dough that $25 million will look like chump-change.
That’s just as well, because Gov. Ed Rendell has added an executive director to the LCB to the tune of $150,000 dollars because the person who had been running it profitably for about eight years was starting to lose his edge. He hadn’t lost money for the state, he just wasn’t making quite as much as he had been. He is still in charge, now he just has a highly paid ex-senator watching him. At least it is a bipartisan appointment as the CEO is Republican Joe Conti of Bucks County. The previous director, Jonathan Newman, had won national acclaim for turning Pennsylvania’s LCB into a profitable organization.
So much for transparency in government.
Locally we find that the Fayette County commissioners are going to reduce the millage a little and Commissioner Vince Vicites is quick to claim credit for that, saying he has always been fiscally prudent. Excuse me, Vince, but who was chair of the commissioners when they borrowed from Peter to pay Paul? Who was the chair when the commissioners did this creative financing stunt for several years in a row and caused the taxes to have to be raised? It wasn’t Joe Hardy, it wasn’t Angela Zimmerlink, it was the other commissioner.
I do want to thank the Herald-Standard editorial board for endorsing mostly Democrats. That removes all doubt about bias in the local media.
I will say one favorable thing for one politician: if Angela Zimmerlink ever runs for governor, she’s got my vote, but the Herald-Standard probably wouldn’t endorse her.
John Catlett
Smithfield