How do you want to see Scranton move forward? (Wilkes-Barre: sales, 2010)

[gm1276]

See title. Simple question, seems like everyone has their ideas for how to pull this mess up from its abysmal status and reorganize. The city has loads of potential, no one denies it. Is it lazy and cheap citizens? Cheap developers? Cronyism? Bad politics? Maybe it's just a curse. I'm interested in hearing what people really think.

[go phillies]

Originally Posted by gm1276

Cronyism? Bad politics?

Bingo.

[Magritte25]

I'm probably jaded but isn't cronyism and bad politics rampant in Small Town USA? Hasn't it always been like this?

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by Magritte25

I'm probably jaded but isn't cronyism and bad politics rampant in Small Town USA? Hasn't it always been like this?

Yes, but the folks in Scranton nail themselves to the cross because they somehow think that THEIR political corruption is "so much worse" than what everyone else has to contend with in their own jurisdictions.

[gm1276]

It's especially bad in Scranton. Just look at the city's finances. So anyone have any ideas? Or should I just let this message turn into another 6 page complaint on Doherty and the city's admin?

[go phillies]

Originally Posted by gm1276

It's especially bad in Scranton. Just look at the city's finances. So anyone have any ideas? Or should I just let this message turn into another 6 page complaint on Doherty and the city's admin?

Its not just Doherty...Doherty did not invent cronyism in Scranton, he's one in a long line of corrupt Scranton politicians. The difference with Doherty is that he's spending money at a record pace and driving us into a debt we may never get out of.

[Magritte25]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

Yes, but the folks in Scranton nail themselves to the cross because they somehow think that THEIR political corruption is "so much worse" than what everyone else has to contend with in their own jurisdictions.

I totally agree. I have friends that live in small towns literally all over the country. And they ALL deal with the same things in regards to nepotism, cronyism and corruption. All of them.

[Magritte25]

In order to stop this kind of thing, a huge grassroots movement is needed from the general public. Sadly, the apathy in both the Scranton and Wilkes-Barre areas makes me dubious of this ever happening.

[ScranBarre]

I'd personally like to see the following:

-Significant reduction of the wage tax AND mercantile tax that would be funded through two new revenue streams---a 1% city sales tax on non-essential purchases less than $10,000 and an amusement tax, both of which would more fairly leverage a financial burden across everyone who patronizes the city, not just burdened homeowners. It would also be financed through deep administrative cuts, the end of "pay-for-play" politics (i.e. no-bid contracts), and other cost-cutting measures (i.e. turning down the heat or A/C and telling people to adjust their attire accordingly, changing incandescent bulbs over to CFLs, investigating replacing bulky city-owned SUVs with Honda Civic hybrids and/or Toyota Corollas, etc.)

-Construction of a new minor-league stadium for the Yankees in or near Downtown Scranton at some point in the 2010s.

-Continued fostering of downtown housing. As the downtown continues to become more attractive and livable, prices will escalate, forcing people who want to live near downtown but are priced out to consider purchasing run-down homes in the Lower Hill, Pinebrook, parts of South Side, and Hyde Park, renovate them, and become productive members of those neighborhoods bordering downtown. The more foot traffic the downtown has, the easier it will be to sustain commerce and to encourage entrepreneurs to come to the city's core.

-Aggressive pursuance of grants to finance new streetscapes along busy corridors, including Main Avenue in Hyde Park, Pittston/Cedar Avenues in South Side, Mulberry Street in The Hill, and Green Ridge Street, along with the Downtown, of course. New concrete sidewalks would be poured, period street lights would be installed with room for hanging baskets, seasonal wreaths, and "Welcome to ______ (insert neighborhood name there) banners (that could be sponsored by businesses to generate more revenue for the city), brick crosswalks, benches, etc. Make the city more attractive for pedestrians, and businesses will benefit.

-Host more annual festivals, especially ones celebrating ethnic heritages, and make them so that alcohol is NOT a priority for a change to encourage family-friendliness.

[go phillies]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

-Host more annual festivals, especially ones celebrating ethnic heritages, and make them so that alcohol is NOT a priority for a change to encourage family-friendliness.

I wish they would do that for the St. Patrick's Day parade.