Hold the Shredders

So what happed to those mysterious Credit Card Statements that only the average Joe could locate?

This is the question that is now keeping me and likely many City Hall Officials up at night.

Well if we are to believe the Mayor, they could have been misplaced along with the Fire Truck Bids that nobody can locate. After all Folks we do buy so many hammers that we seem to lose track of everything!

But my money is on “intentional and unauthorized destruction of public recorders”. In other words they got rid of them.

Problems:

• The law states that the city MUST retain Bank Statements for 7 years.
• After 7 years, there must be a resolution from City Council to destroy to destroy them.
• The resolution MUST be specific as to what is being destroyed.
• It should then appear in the minutes of City Council meetings.

Don’t take my word for it folks I urge you to click here for: Pennsylvania State Municipal Records Manual. Something City Hall REALLY needs to read!

Page 40:

• FN-9 Bank Statements and Reconciliations

Prepared by banks, records indicates date, municipal deposits and withdrawals, and account totals.

Retain 7 years

Wake Up Wilkes Barre

They do exist

For months now city resident Joe Wielgoz tried telling City Officials that several missing credit card statements did in fact exist, but instead of investigating the residents complaint the City for some unknown reason decided to accept a generic bank letter that stated “the remaining requested statements are unavailable” when God only knows what was requested.  

It just seems odd that the credit card owner would request statements, and the bank say they are unavailable, but when Joe asks the same bank for them POOF!!! Really Folks?

Let’s get past the important questions

• Why were so many statements missing in the first place?
• Isn’t the city required to maintain their own records?
• Why would they ever need to involve Bank of America?
• Who paid those bills?
• The city knew they existed, or should have known based on payment records, or don't we keep those either?
• This is not nor should it have ever been the banks place to produce city records.

The fact that the city has no idea what bills come in or go out seems irrelevant.

• Never mind the fact that we didn’t keep credit card statements.
• Never mind the fact that we didn’t keep fire truck bids.
• Never mind the fact that we didn’t keep LAG records.

The Mayor stated: “They could have been attached to something else by mistake,” he said. “We get thousands of vouchers ranging from paving streets to buying a hammer or a shovel.”

• Really hammers, and shovels? Did you also pay $5000 for a toilet seat?

This blogger does have a solution for you Mr. Mayor

• It’s called a Filing Cabinet! 
• You open it place file folders inside, labeled with the credit card holders name on it, you then (& this is the important part) put the statements inside each corresponding folder as they come in from the bank.
• Once a year grab all 12 statements for each person staple them together so each year is together, and after 7 years you may discard ONLY the 7 year old statements.
• Should you have any issues implementing the new process I’ve outlined please feel free to contact me, and I will be happy to offer a free training seminar! “Sorry City Council the seminar will be held at City Hall, & not in The Sun Shine State.”

Wake Up Wilkes Barre

Click links below for Newspaper articles:

• W-B resident uncovers city's phantom credit card statements
• Resident: Official lied about records
• Man plans to file perjury charges against Wilkes-Barre official in credit card flap

Did our Illustrious City Administrator Commit Perjury?

Take a look at the sworn statement made by our illustrious city administrator claiming the credit card statements we have all been asking for simply do not exist. 

I mean come on folks we even have a Generic Bank of America letter claiming that whatever they “The City” asked for could not be retrieved, and a sworn affidavit from our illustrious city administrator attesting to the list of statements they "The City" asked Bank of America for. 


Alleging that what we "The Citizens" asked The City for, and what they "The City" asked Bank of America for is one in the same. Thank god they cleared that one up for me!!

Now I call your attention to the highlighted sections of the documents below. Look at where our illustrious city administrator Swore subject to Penalties under 18 Pa. C.S. Sect 4904 that the November 2005 statement of JJ Murphy was unavailable. I have also included the November 2005 statement of JJ Murphy that as we all know DOES NOT exist, per the aforementioned illustrious city administrator's sworn affidavit. 


WOW like you I’m shocked, NOT…. I have been saying it all along folks "Liar Liar Pants on Fire!" What else are they lying about? Could it be that what I have been saying all along is TRUE? The remaining statements do exist! OMG!

Not only do these statements exist, they are initialed my the aforementioned illustrious city administrator, just under the new balance, circled. Now folks I ask you, How could our illustrious city administrator not have know about the existence of statements she initialed? 

Now the question weighing on my mind is did our illustrious city administrator commit perjury, and if so why? Again what are they hiding on those credit cards that would be worth perjuring yourself over? I am just guessing that the city credit cards are looking more and more like the county debit card debacle.

Wake Up People: The truth always finds its way out no matter how hard you try to hide it!

WAKE UP WILKES BARRE: Instead of criticizing those who are digging up the bodies why not interrogate those who buried them in the first place.

Click here to read the Citizens Voice article "Dispute over city credit card records heads to county court"


Click to see previous Blog post on Credit Card Proof

Too Stupid for Distance Learning

If you’ve read the Time Leader this morning then you have a pretty good idea of just how the Mayor, City Administrators, Officials, and even City Council members with the exception of one Mike Merritt are wasting taxpayers’ funds jet setting around the nation soaking up the SUN, oh sorry I mean Valuable Information, that can only be obtained at these conferences, and never online, RIGHT?

If you missed the Times Leader Click the Links below

• Travel costs since ’04 stun activists
• Poll: W-B travel fees very high
• 2 took trip with month left in office

 Now let’s take a closer look at the spin city officials put on this in their own defense.

What they said (Black) VS What they meant (Red):

• Said:

Council Chairman Mike Merritt has never taken any trips, but said he believes the conferences are worthwhile. Council members have brought back information that has saved the city money, he said. But Merritt said he understands concerns that are being raised, and suggested it may be time for council to revisit how many people should attend.

• Meant:

Although I wouldn’t do it, I can’t say it’s wrong if others do it, because I still haven’t opened, and installed my gift from Santa. 

• Said:

“I’m not saying cut it altogether, but does it need to be three? Maybe two is the number. Times are tough. We need to watch spending where we can,” Merritt said.

• Meant:

Please don’t ask me for my opinion until I have had the opportunity to get it from my fellow council members. 

• Said:

Barrett said he also understands the concerns, but he thinks it would be a mistake to eliminate the conferences

• Meant:

We wouldn’t have an excuse for FREE vacations.

• Said:

“A lot of people picture these as if we are going on some sort of vacation. It is not like that,” Barrett said.

• Meant:

It is exactly like that.

• Said:

Told of the policies of other cities, Barrett said that’s their prerogative. He remains convinced that Wilkes-Barre is getting its value out its membership to the National League of Cities and the conferences the organization sponsors.
“There are lots of cities that don’t belong (to the NLC). I think they are missing something,” Barrett said.

• Meant:

They are missing FREE vacations! How Stupid are they?

• Said:

“I can understand why it would be questioned, but to not take advantage of these opportunities, I think we would be remiss. The alternative is to stay in Wilkes-Barre, don’t belong to organizations, don’t learn anything new or bring anything back and stay stagnant,” Barrett said.

• Meant:

This is Wilkes Barre City our Officials are just too Stupid to navigate that internet "that is just a phase BTW", use Go to Meeting, and utilize Distance Learning. You expect us to learn something without the benefit of a free vacation, where’s the fun in that?

• Said:

Thomas defended his decision to attend the convention. Although he’s no longer on council, he continues to live in the city and plans to volunteer his time to help council members and other city officials in any way he can, he said.

Thomas said he brought back valuable information on several important issues, including towing contracts, centralizing police department records and alternative fuel sources for city vehicles.

“The information I brought back (from the convention) and the knowledge I have, I can share with new council members. It’s not like I’m a ghost. I’m not leaving.”

• Meant:

I moved out of The City while still serving, and collecting a paycheck, and now you expect me to share the Sunrays you paid for! HA Get a Clue will Ya!!!

Wake Up Wilkes Barre

Keep celebrating folks

So it’s true we have more to celebrate then just the One Million Dollars, for Fire Trucks. Apparently we also got a Quarter of A Million Dollars back in 2004 that helped re-roof the Police Station, and that also went without celebration. What gives?

So what does Kids for the Kingdom and the City of Wilkes Barre have in common you might be asking yourself. Well I will tell you. I could find only one local person with ties to both, and that is Mr. John Plucenik.

Up until a week ago Mr. John Plucenik, and Kids for the Kingdom were Face Book Friends, but me, and my bigmouth ruined that internet relationship. But trust me folks it's much more than just A Face Book friendship. 

IRS reports show that from 2004 – 2010 Kids for the Kingdom gave money to both The City of Wilkes Barre, and/or local charities run or affiliated with Mr. Plucenik “His Resting Place, a maternity home for pregnant women”, and “The Ark Family Ministries a Religious Institutions “

Just look at the links below folks. I'm not making this crap up folks, infact I don’t think even JJ Abrams could make up anything with this many twists and turns. 

Who is John Plucenik:

• Greater Valley Independent Business Alliance
• Ark
• His Resting Place aids moms, babies
• Man sues agencies over child’s adoption
• Claims officials interfered with his attempts to prove he was child’s father so they could place infant.

Does Mr. John Plucenik have a relationship with any City contractors?

• Petroleum Service Company??? 

Kids for the Kingdom Tax Forms:

• 2004
• 2005
• 2006
• 2007
• 2008
• 2009
• 2010

Source:

• Charity also helped city renovate police station

Stay tuned folks, as we all know this is Wilkes Barre, and this story has more turns then the Crazy Mouse @ Hershey Park….

Wake Up Wilkes Barre

It was “Specific Patented Items” I Tell You

Both City Newspapers The Citizens Voice, and The Times Leader quoted our assistant city attorney Bill Vinsko at the last council meeting saying the city charter allowed Wilkes-Barre to circumvent the public bidding process because the trucks included "specific patented items."

But according to the Pennsylvania Governor’s Center for Local Government Service, Solicitor’s Handbook

Page 70, Patented and Manufactured Items:

• Where particular types, models, pieces of new equipment, articles, apparatus, appliances and vehicles are patented and manufactured, the purchase of the item need not be competitively bid or quoted. To qualify under this exception, however, the type or class of article sought by the municipality must be manufactured by only one company under patent or copyright protection, and there can be no competitor manufacturing the same type of class of article.

Help me out folks is KME-Kovatch Organization the only company that produces this type of Fire Engine using the same “patented items"???

I would highly recommend our FINE City Attorneys read the fallowing links before making any further statements that may cause their pants to burst into flames. Come on Guys haven’t our Fire Fighters been through enough without having to worry about dousing your pants every 5 minuets.  

Links

• Solicitor’s Handbook 
• Purchasing Handbook
• Municipal Procurement

Coleman v. Stevenson, 72 Pa. D. & C.2d 499

In Knapp v. Miller, 34 D. & C. 2d 380 (1963), affirmed 415 Pa. 575(1964), the court had occasion to interpret the application of an identical exception to the advertising and bidding requirement in The Borough Code of May 4, 1927, 53 P.S. § 46402(d)(3). There, the borough council contracted for the purchase of 177 new parking meters without advertising for bids. The court held:

"that the 'patented and manufactured or copyrighted' exemption to the public bidding requirement applies only when the type or class of article sought by the municipality is manufactured only by one manufacturer under patent or copyright protection, and where there is absolutely no competitor manufacturing the same type or class of article.": Id. page 385;

Certainly, the purchase of a police-type vehicle in the instant case could have been obtained from any one of the major car manufacturers. In fact, as indicated above, a price was obtained from a Ford dealer. Thus, it appears clear that there is competition in the manufacturing in the same class of article, and competitive bidding should have been secured.

The fact that such an automobile consists of at least some patented parts should not automatically bring the purchase within subsection (h)(3). As so aptly pointed out in Knapp v. Miller, supra, scarcely a manufactured product is made which does not contain a patented part: The critical inquiry in determining the applicability of subsection (h)(3) is not whether the product desired contains a component part which is patented but whether the product is so patented as to eliminate competition in its manufacture and thus render advertising for bids futile.

Finally, there is some testimony in the record that the county desired the type of car employed by the State Police which were then Plymouths and that a heavy duty suspension and battery were preferred. However, as was pointed out in Knapp v. Miller, supra, page 385, where no monopoly in the manufacture of this type or generic class, if specific features or characteristics are found appealing, the solution is to indicate these characteristics in the specifications for bidding, not to eliminate the bidding altogether.

Therefore, we find that the exemption created by subsection 1802(h)(3) was inapplicable to the purchase of this vehicle and that 16 P.S. § 1802 required the public advertising for bids.

Wake Up Wilkes Barre

Million Dollar Questions?

• Who did Donate, Bribe, Gift, or Whatever were calling it today, that One Million Dollars to the City, and WHY?

• Did they get any favors from the City in return for that One Million Dollar Check?

• Is that One Million Dollar Check the only Donation, Bribe, Gift, the City got?

• Why can’t we see the One Million Dollar Check from a charity called Kids for the Kingdom that should have been helping children in Third World Countries?

• Did that Charity violate their own charter by allowing some mystery person to launder money through their Non-Profit?

• Should K4K lose its 501c (3) IRS status?

• If all $860,000 did pay for the fire engines why can’t we see the Bill of Sale? That Bill of Sale wouldn’t identify the donor would it?

• If all that was truly left was $140,000 how did it get to Hollenback if it was never in a City account?

• Why would council take the rap for the $140,000 and not launch an investigation, when they have the power to do so?

• Is council afraid of where an investigation may go?

• Does anyone who claims to represent the people actually do anything the people asks of them?

Wake Up Wilkes Barre

Tricky Dick – Shady Tommy

The Million Dollar Mystery story broke just 4 days ago, and yet we have heard more Fiction over Facts!

If that weren’t bad enough the Cities Response flip flops worse than my banks interest rates. “Subject to change daily, In effect from one day to the next, but not guaranteed until the fallowing business day.”

So far this is what we have been told:

• In a Times Leader story that appeared on July 7, 2006, Leighton said the new fire engines replaced vehicles that were 27 years old. He was quoted as saying that $860,000 was used to purchase the new engines with “money coming from multiple sources including grants and city coffers
• There were no bids “we used COSTARS”
• Ok there were Bids
• A sworn affidavit signed by McLaughlin and given to the requestor, Karen Ceppa, attributes the lack of documentation to the fact the engines were purchased with a donation
• Leighton said proper procedures from the receipt of the grant to the purchase of the fire engines were strictly followed.
• “The public was not misled at any time,” he said. “The city made significant improvements in the fire department from 2004 onward which included construction of Hollenback firehouse, equipment upgrades and the purchase of new fire engines and ambulances, which were financed by a variety of sources, including the grant through Kids for the Kingdom.
• The mayor told council the remaining balance of $140,000 of the $1 million donation was spent on completion of the construction of Hollenback Fire House.  
• There was no indication in either set of meeting minutes that council approved the use of the remaining $140,000 of the private donation to fund the fire station's construction.
• Councilman Bill Barrett, who has served since 2004, also said last week he learned about the donation only within the past few weeks and originally thought the money for the fire engines came from a grant
• "It's not who you think it is, trust me," Leighton said, even though a name was not posed to him.

I know that’s a lot to swallow, unless you’re a councilperson in Wilkes Barre or working City Desk at the Times Leader.

For the rest of us, Questions:

• Where was the One Million Dollor Check deposited? We know it wasn’t into the general fund, as Karen Ceppa would have seen that. 
• So was a special account used, and if so do we have those statements?
• Assuming that The City followed some logical banking practice, and set up a special account for the Million, we know a check for $860K should be paid to KME-Kovatch Organization, which built the fire engines, but was the other check for the remaining $140K issued to the general fund to pay for Hollenback or issued to the contractor directly?
• Did City Council then over pay the contractor by $140K?
• Either way find the cashed One Million Dollar GIFT Check, and you will find the account it went into.
• Then audit that account, and you will see where the $140K really went.

To quote King Tommy “Trust Me” follow the Money, and you will find the $140K because it’s not where you think it is "Trust Me”

Wake Up Wilkes Barre

Mystery Money

Who Done It? Bribery 101:

• What’s a Million Bucks?
• Free Fire Engines, Why all the Fuss? Did I mention they were FREE?
• Who would give such a gift, and WHY?

These are the questions that seem to be preoccupying many in The WB! 

So let’s ask ourselves, would we give a no strings attached gift like that, and if so, would we not want folks to know we did so?

Being the awful cynic that we all know I am, I must say this... if someone gives a gift expecting something in return, that something better be worth it. 

• What I mean by that is simple Bribery 101. 
• If you offer a bribe let’s say One Million Dollars then your Re-Payment, or Contract must be Ten Times the Gift for the bribe to be worth your time, and effort.

So applying that logic let’s ask ourselves Who or “What Company” since 2006 has had more than Ten Million Dollars in business from our City? 

• A quick internet search turned up ONE Company doing that much business with our City.

Click on links below for source:

• New Intermodal Center: Cost $28 Million
• Turning five dilapidated buildings into a complex which houses 14-screen movie theater: Cost $30 Million.
• Million Dollar Mystery

Now I’m not saying that’s where the money came from, and there are many more conspiracy theories floating around, but one would argue that all the puzzle pieces seem to fit.

More good questions are: 

• If you have One Million, and spend $860,000 where is the remaining $140,000?
• Did we give it back?
• Did we spend it one something unauthorized as it was earmarked for Only Fire Trucks? As the City said!
• Is it in someone’s Pocket?
• Where is the Paper Trail? 

Wake Up Wilkes Barre