RE: Jefferson Pointe - Hey ScranBerry (Scranton, Wilkes-Barre: neighborhood, salary, live)

[weluvpa]

May..I believe. This is not about us running for office as much as its about the seemingly blind support that you and your friends have towards a man that has buried this city so far under debt that my grandchildren will be paying for it.

Honestly we are hundreds of millions in debt just from the last 7 years, can you honestly tell me that the city and its projects that have supposedly restored the pride are worth the enormous price tag that is attached?

Do you honestly think that the city of Scranton can afford to continue to pay $16,000,000 PER YEAR in debt service payments?


How long do you think we can keep that up till it bankrupts the city?

Do you honestly think that even know business's are leaving left and right, as well as residents, that the city is prospering?

[scrantonluna]

It was a gamble. The city was built up so much over the past 7 years that it received national attention in relation to the TV show the Office, and two of the biggest names in the political world were suddenly touting their Scranton backgrounds. Lots of other things happened, I'm sure Paul could rattle them off easier than I could, but I know off the top of my head we were also hearlded as having a population increase, safe neighborhoods, and affordable real estate.

We got our attention, but unfortunely, it seems as though the bottom has dropped out on a national level, and the momentum is undoubtedly going to fade. Have there been some failures in the past two terms? Some things that didn't look too well? Sure, but you're going to have that with anybody.

The contracts are another thing, and I won't go into that. There are reasons for the infighting. Neither side is innocent of abuses.

[John From Scranton]

Well its just another day at the office, for our mayor!! If everyone would get on the same page, the insult of mayor doherty using "Thank you for restoring the park" signs and commercials as a campaign to get re-elected goes deep. And where is Ray hayes, in all of this, public safety director?? Where,.... in god's name is Mr. Scopeletti and the pool manager, Ryan Mcgowan? Resignations across the board are more than justified, and thats's being gracious. Getting fired is too good for these so-called servants of people. $65,000,00 a year for hayes and $50,000,00 a year for scopeletti.. For what????? And both of them are still looking for more..

[ScranBarre]

Dan, to be fair, I vehemently support plans to skyrocket the mayoral salary to $90,000 because maybe then (and ONLY then) will we finally get some VISIONARY mayoral candidates to put their hats into the ring who have professional business expertise, preferably an accounting background or CPA (or at least the ability to balance a checkbook and BUDGET), and someone who knows how to cater and pander to the needs and concerns of all, not just the elite and/or select few friends. As of right now who would abandon a well-paying job in the private sector to run for mayor of the Electric City when it would mean the addition of stress/public scrutiny as well as a drastic pay cut? This is why all we can get are a nice (yet wishy-washy) insurance salesman from West Side and a self-serving Cruela DeVil look-alike who happens to be the incumbent mayor's neighbor to run against Mayor Doherty. I'd consider the current salary to be INSULTING when so many other cities of similar size (or even smaller) are paying their mayors much more.

Wilkes-Barre has a mayor who has done great things for the Diamond City in just a brief few years with very few missteps along the way and with much less criticism. His approval rating is generally positive because people see that the city is starting to come alive again after decades of deep despair and decline. He also earns a commensurate salary of $80,000. Scranton's mayor earns barely more than half that to manage a city with 30,000 MORE residents. Doesn't that seem unfair to you? I don't "hate" the mayor, Dan. Chris Doherty started off with great vision, and I really appreciated that he saw potential where others just saw a sinking ship. He just executed his "game plan" poorly because he was never taught to "live within one's means" (hence why our posterity will be repaying this debt for many years to come). I'm all for spending money to make money, as people WILL invest privately in a city that they see is obviously investing in itself, but at some point you need to reign in the purse strings a bit. If you could have transplanted Mayor Doherty's visions of revitalization into the head of a fiscal conservative community activist, you'd have a halfway decent mayor, no?

To me doubling the mayor's salary is WORTH IT if it yields greater results from a better range of mayoral candidates enticed by it. If I were a 45-year-old CPA, I'd probably be earning in the neighborhood of $80,000 annually in our area after climbing the private sector corporate ladder. I would love to serve this city and her people in an elected capacity, but why would I take a 50% pay-cut? I'm sure there are others out there who are feeling the same way "I wish I could run to help make a difference, but the salary just isn't worth it."

[weluvpa]

Originally Posted by scrantonluna

The city was built up so much over the past 7 years that it received national attention in relation to the TV show the Office, and two of the biggest names in the political world were suddenly touting their Scranton backgrounds.

BUILT UP? Sure but its all EMPTY! and it will continue to be empty as long as we have the mercantile and wage taxes where they are.

The TV show HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH DOHERTY OR THE CITY, it would have been Scranton regardless of who was in office....Yeh ok Biden and Billary, where are the cameras now? National attention? Positive was it? Not from what I saw...The city was the laughing stock of the nation for weeks. Thanks SNL.

Oh yeh I forgot we have the mayor that openly cired and threw a fit like a baby because of Hillary and went against his party to support McCain....DEMOCRATS FOR McCAIN......

The contracts have been settled in court how many times???? How much has the mayor cost the taxpayers because he doesn't like to lose?

This issue should have been settled after the first loss in court for Doherty, at this point its embarrasing.

[John From Scranton]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

Dan, to be fair, I vehemently support plans to skyrocket the mayoral salary to $90,000 because maybe then (and ONLY then) will we finally get some VISIONARY mayoral candidates to put their hats into the ring who have professional business expertise, preferably an accounting background or CPA (or at least the ability to balance a checkbook and BUDGET), and someone who knows how to cater and pander to the needs and concerns of all, not just the elite and/or select few friends. As of right now who would abandon a well-paying job in the private sector to run for mayor of the Electric City when it would mean the addition of stress/public scrutiny as well as a drastic pay cut? This is why all we can get are a nice (yet wishy-washy) insurance salesman from West Side and a self-serving Cruela DeVil look-alike who happens to be the incumbent mayor's neighbor to run against Mayor Doherty. I'd consider the current salary to be INSULTING when so many other cities of similar size (or even smaller) are paying their mayors much more.

Wilkes-Barre has a mayor who has done great things for the Diamond City in just a brief few years with very few missteps along the way and with much less criticism. His approval rating is generally positive because people see that the city is starting to come alive again after decades of deep despair and decline. He also earns a commensurate salary of $80,000. Scranton's mayor earns barely more than half that to manage a city with 30,000 MORE residents. Doesn't that seem unfair to you? I don't "hate" the mayor, Dan. Chris Doherty started off with great vision, and I really appreciated that he saw potential where others just saw a sinking ship. He just executed his "game plan" poorly because he was never taught to "live within one's means" (hence why our posterity will be repaying this debt for many years to come). I'm all for spending money to make money, as people WILL invest privately in a city that they see is obviously investing in itself, but at some point you need to reign in the purse strings a bit. If you could have transplanted Mayor Doherty's visions of revitalization into the head of a fiscal conservative community activist, you'd have a halfway decent mayor, no?

To me doubling the mayor's salary is WORTH IT if it yields greater results from a better range of mayoral candidates enticed by it. If I were a 45-year-old CPA, I'd probably be earning in the neighborhood of $80,000 annually in our area after climbing the private sector corporate ladder. I would love to serve this city and her people in an elected capacity, but why would I take a 50% pay-cut? I'm sure there are others out there who are feeling the same way "I wish I could run to help make a difference, but the salary just isn't worth it."

Paul, what are you saying?? Place an add in the news paper?? "Scranton needs a Mayor-Starting salary 100,000,00" Apply at the court house?? So we can get out-of-towners to run the city??

[weluvpa]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

Dan, to be fair, I vehemently support plans to skyrocket the mayoral salary to $90,000 because maybe then (and ONLY then) will we finally get some VISIONARY mayoral candidates to put their hats into the ring who have professional business expertise, preferably an accounting background or CPA (or at least the ability to balance a checkbook and BUDGET), and someone who knows how to cater and pander to the needs and concerns of all, not just the elite and/or select few friends.

I thought that was what Doherty was?

Its not the right time to do it Paul. The police and fire depts are much more important to the very fabric of the city then the mayor is...These guys are always here and will continue to be here while the mayor is a revolving seat. I do not disagree with a raise, but definitely NOT $90,000. Thats almost double and its too much. Council does not deserve anything nor does the controller.

The city needs to be run like a city, we have had enough of someone running it like a business...WHICH IS WHAT DOHERTY CAMPAIGNED ON and where are we now?

[go phillies]

When I look back on Doherty's promise to run the city like a business, I always think of Enron....

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by John From Scranton

Paul, what are you saying?? Place an add in the news paper?? "Scranton needs a Mayor-Starting salary 100,000,00" Apply at the court house?? So we can get out-of-towners to run the city??

Not out-of-towners, John. Just real Scranton residents who really DO care about the city, have the knowledge and capacity to take the job, AND would be willing to run for a fair salary. My biggest fear with an Evans vs. Doherty Fall 2009 election is that most people will see Evans as merely being an atagonist who can't compromise or work well with others if she can't get her own way, and they'll re-elect Doherty in a landslide. This is honestly how I view her. She has a "my way or the highway" sort of attitude, and that's not going to sit very well with the future council, especially if the incumbent council members retain their seats. They'll be a constant thorn in her side, and vice-versa.

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by go phillies

When I look back on Doherty's promise to run the city like a business, I always think of Enron....

...or AIG, Arthur-Andersen, General Motors, Chrysler, Ford, Merrill Lynch, Bank of America, Lehman Brothers, Adelphia, Tyco, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac...