Wows & Scowls
Wow: Businessman John Howard has donated more than 300 pairs of used roller skates and related equipment to Greene County, which plans to reopen a rink at Mon View Park. Howard’s stash is from his own roller rink that closed last year. At $110 per pair for new skates, the donation saved the county thousands of dollars in potential skate purchases. Scowl: All of the hullabaloo over Fayette County controller candidate Sean Lally’s nominating petitions turns out to be much ado about nothing, as he gets to stay on the primary election ballot because he ended up with more than the required number of signatures on his nominating petitions. Everyone in politics knows that not all signatures are going to be valid; that’s why most savvy candidates obtain way more than the bare minimum. The big winners are the voters, who will get to choose between Lally and incumbent Mark Roberts.
Wow: Whether you agree with their position or not, give credit to the Citizens Advisory Committee for collecting 810 signatures on a petition to put a referendum question on the May ballot, asking voters if they approve of continuation of the Uniontown Area School District’s high school renovation project. More citizens and taxpayers need to get – and stay – involved in how their government operates. It will be interesting to see if the referendum is actually approved for the May 15 primary.
Wow: The state House has voted to ban taxpayer-funded nonprofit corporations, like the one controlled by ousted state Rep. Mike Veon of Beaver County. It’s about time. Why should any legislator be able to help funnel $10 million of your tax money into something like Veon’s Beaver Initiative for Growth? If it’s such a good idea, every legislator should have a nonprofit and they should all be funded equally. But it’s a bad idea whose end should be universally welcomed.
Wow: In another bit of good news emanating from Harrisburg, lobbyists seeking to influence state government must register for the first time since 2002, under a law that went into effect Jan. 1. Reports on how much they’ve spent trying to sway legislators and the executive branch must be filed with the State Ethics Commission by April 30. Best of all, lobbyists’ registration statements and expense reports must be posted on a publicly accessible Internet site. Now you’ll be able to see how much your state government’s for sale.
Wow: Kudos to Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, for sponsoring a three-day conference to highlight the significance of African-Americans to the region’s coal mining culture. African-Americans played a key part in the ethnic diversity of area during the heyday of booming coal fields. Their contributions are worth noting.
Wow: To the University of Pittsburgh basketball team, for a fine showing in the NCAA basketball tournament. Just making it to the Sweet 16 is a major achievement. It’s a tough tournament but the Panthers have proved they belong among the best teams in the country.