Wows & Scowls
Wow: McMillen Engineering Inc. is offering to provide 16 hours of free training to the new director of the Fayette County Office of Planning, Zoning and Community Development. The training will come from Tammy Stenson, the former director of that office who recently took a job with McMillen. Given the importance of the job, it’s a good move to have an experienced hand guide the newcomer. In an age when if seems everyone wants paid to do anything, McMillen and Stenson should be thanked for making the offer. Wow: If youth will be served, there’s no finer example than Casey Durdines, who was elected mayor of California Borough at age 20 – and held that job prior to graduating with a bachelor’s degree in political science. We need more young people to get involved in politics, and Durdines is a role model for such participation. Don’t just vote. Run.
Wow: William G. Chadwick, the lawyer brought in as an internal investigator at a payment of $25,000 per month, is finally talking about his work on behalf of the Pennsylvania House Democratic caucus. In addition to helping cooperate with an investigation by Attorney General Tom Corbett, Chadwick is reviewing caucus operations and advising members on ethics issues. Chadwick says 90 percent of his time is spent dealing with the Corbett probe, which should give you some idea of the seriousness of that matter. We should know what he’s doing to earn his money.
Scowl: Pennsylvania has done a poor job overseeing $200 million in federal homeland security grants, according to three reports. Among the findings: state officials who approve money for local requests cannot say whether equipment has been purchased or where it is, and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency was ill-prepared to manage the cash. So much for efficient government.
Wow: Pennsylvania casinos held four of the top five East Coast spots for money grossed per slot machine in fall 2007, according to a new report. The numbers ranged between $403 and $322 per machine per day — above the industry target of $250 to $300 per machine. In 2007, Pennsylvania’s six parlors generated $353.3 million for property tax relief, which makes plausible Gov. Ed Rendell’s prediction that all 14 casinos, once opened, will generate $1 billion annually for that purpose.
Scowl: You have to be pretty low-down heartless to steal a wheelchair belonging to an elementary school student afflicted with spina bifida. But that’s what somebody did to Isaiah Kiss by entering the garage of his Uniontown residence. His mother Traci Kiss says the specialized wheelchair, which cost thousands of dollars, is vital to her son’s ability to get around. Anyone who has information on the theft should do a good public service and call police at 724-430-2929.
Scowl: Gov. Ed Rendell sees no need for a special legislative session to deal with government reform, as called for by a half-dozen government reform activists. Given the legislature’s inability to even pass open records reform all of last year, do you really think anything will get done soon on limiting campaign contributions, ending lame-duck legislative sessions, or banning gifts to lawmakers from lobbyists, without some sort of outside pressure? Given the legislature’s track record of watering things down, maybe even a special session wouldn’t accomplish those goals. But it’s certainly worth Rendell – the only person who can convene a special session – giving it a try.