City Confidential Archives - Scranton Citizen
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City Confidential / 01.03.2019

The Scranton Times-Tribune has been on a hot streak since we last wrote.  Borys Krawczeniuk conducted an exhaustive examination of the campaign finance reports of Democratic Mayor Bill Courtright and picked through years of Republican State Representative candidate Frank Scavo's Facebook posts to unearth racist and bigoted posts against Muslims. Lackawanna County politics as a pay to play culture - where contractors and professionals contribute campaign money in exchange for government work - comes as no surprise to seasoned observers.  Where Krawczeniuk scored big is laying out the breadth and depth of a corrosive system that benefits both Democrats and Republicans.  Courtright raised $114,048...

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City Confidential / 15.02.2019

Lackawanna County Commissioner Pat O'Malley knows how to throw a party.  The place was packed Wednesday as he debuted his new running mate Debra "Debbi" Domenick.  Domenick is an attractive candidate.  She is smart, young, and comes with a personal story that women voters may be drawn to.  What appeared to be a Democratic Civil War may end up as a minor, if memorable, skirmish.  In the last few weeks, O'Malley launched his re-election with a professional campaign video, tapped a capable running mate, and most importantly, is sitting on a war chest somewhere in the ballpark of $250,000. That's not...

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City Confidential / 09.02.2019

Does money buy love or votes?  This week, Democratic County Commissioner Jerry Notarianni officially kicked off his campaign for re-election.  He's bringing former Lackawanna County Director of Economic Development George Kelly along for the ride.  The two will face Notarianni's nemesis Patrick O'Malley and an as of yet unnamed running mate in this May's primary election.  There are more than a few Democratic up and comers angry at O'Malley's decision to switch sides and play ball with Republican Laureen Cummings. Some speculate that this will be an epic fight to the political death.  We disagree.  O'Malley saw this coming and has...

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City Confidential / 25.01.2019

It has been weeks since the FBI raided City Hall and the West Mountain residence of Mayor Bill Courtright.  On the surface, there doesn't seem to be much doing.  A recap of what we know: FBI agents executed search warrants and conducted a raid of City Hall and the Mayor’s West Mountain home on Wednesday, January 9th The agents removed documents and computer devices The Mayor has engaged attorney Paul Walker to represent him both legally and, apparently, to the public Walker’s fees will be paid by the Mayor and not city taxpayers Walker issued a press release denying any wrongdoing on the part...

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City Confidential / 19.01.2019

Political insiders were abuzz this week as calculations were made and some bets taken on the future viability of Mayor William L. Courtright.  There were frantic phone calls last weekend that the Old Man was going to throw in the towel. "He'll do the honorable thing," said one Lackawanna County Democrat.  Courtright was going to resign. By Sunday night, the Mayor made clear through the press and his intermediaries: he is innocent and he is not going anywhere. Here is what we know: FBI agents executed search warrants and conducted a raid of City Hall and the Mayor's West Mountain home on Wednesday,...

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City Confidential / 12.01.2019

Before City Confidential went on our holiday sabbatical we joked that no one should get raided or arrested in our absence.  Seriously, we were not joking. This week's column was going to examine whether U.S. Senator Bob Casey makes a formidable candidate for President or Vice President.  That was before Mayor Bill Courtright went and got himself raided. All kidding aside.  The last thing we want to do is put out bad information.  We have received plenty of calls since Wednesday and many of the assertions have already proven to be untrue.  Here is what we know: On Wednesday, FBI agents were seen raiding City Hall.  The...

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City Confidential / 21.12.2018

For those following the antics of the Scranton School Board, this week they did not disappoint. Wednesday's meeting saw the majority directors slam through a 3.6% tax increase and a rushed appointment to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Paige Gebhardt Cognetti.  The increase comes from a $5 million revenue shortfall that needed to be made up if the district was going to balance its $166 million in expenses.  Directors divided along expected lines and the motion won passage in a 5-3 vote with Robert Casey, Barbara Dixon, Bob Lesh (BL!), Greg Popil, and Paul Duffy in favor and Kate Gilmartin, Mark...

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City Confidential / 14.12.2018

Well, that was fast.  Twenty-four months and five days after being appointed to the Scranton School Board Director Paige Gebhardt Cognetti tendered her resignation.  Cognetti announced her decision this week in a public Facebook post.  She's also accepted a job working for Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, who like Cognetti, has doggedly pursued matters of financial malpractice within the Scranton School District. We don't blame the reform minded Ivy League graduate for wanting out.  During her two-year tenure, she took on entrenched interests and was the brunt of jokes, name calling, and misogynistic treatment by her colleagues. The knock on Cognetti has been that...

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City Confidential / 07.12.2018

Who needs cable when Scrantonians can attend Scranton School Board meetings?  This week your favorite cast returned for the premiere of their new season.  They never fail to deliver the high drama, laughs, and controversy avid viewers have come to expect. The directors, minus Greg Popil (more on that later), met Monday night for their annual re-organization meeting.  Almost immediately, chaos ensued.  Directors shouted over one another as five different members - Paige Gebhardt Cognetti, Barbara Dixon, Katie Gilmartin, and Tom Schuster - were nominated for President.  Gilmartin was defeated in a 5-4 vote, with Robert Casey, Dixon, Paul Duffy, Bob Lesh (BL!), and Popil voting...

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City Confidential / 23.11.2018

State law enforcement officials raided the Administration Office of the Scranton School District this week.  Media reports indicate that they removed documents and computers from the board secretary and the transportation director's offices.  The other shoe is dropping.  We bet there are lots of nervous former bus drivers in Scranton this weekend. Mayor Bill Courtright introduced his 2019 budget this week.  No increases in city taxes but the $300 garbage fee remains in place.  If approved by City Council, the Mayor's budget will represent the third consecutive year without hikes in taxes.  This is Scranton and that's no small feat.  Critics of the Mayor will...

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