Eachus Tries To Fool People About MinSec

There is one sure thing about an election year. So much posturing goes on that one needs to separate out fact from fiction.

In a report filed by Kelly Monitz of the Standard Speaker today Todd Eachus trie to stake claim for changes purportedly coming to the MinSec facility located in downtown Hazleton. The headline is fitting "Change coming to MinSec". Yeah right just like Obama promised change. It happened it wasn't the change the people expected or wanted.

Here's what hockey puck looks like. The state Department of Corrections agreed to make changes at a halfway house in Hazleton's downtown following House Majority Leader Todd Eachus' call for the state to terminate its contract with MinSec Companies earlier this month.

Pre-release cases will no longer be placed at the facility, Eachus said. Those on pre-release are finishing the remainder of their sentences in a halfway house, rather than in prison

Now here is the fact from an April 14, 2010 article written by the same reporter. Barletta, who questioned the facility, met with officials from the state Department of Corrections, Probation and Parole and MinSec last week to discuss problems and crimes in the community.

The DOC did give the city some reassurances regarding other issues at the facility, and promised changes would be made, Barletta said.

Some of those changes include not allowing MinSec to develop the last floor in the historical Altamont Building at 145 W. Broad St., and discontinuing the practice of sending pre-release cases to the facility, the mayor said.

MinSec had accepted men on parole and in pre-release program, in which an inmate finishes out the last of his state sentence in the halfway house, instead of prison. Pre-releases will be phased out, Barletta said.

The company will also be stricter on giving out passes to go into the community, limit personal time and change the curfew from 10 p.m. to 7 p.m., except for those men who work second or third shift, he said.

But these are issues between the Department of Corrections and MinSec, Barletta said. The city's issue remains zoning, he said. It was Barletta, not Eachus, who secured the assurances for the City. How Eachus could try to hoodwink the public when the documentation states otherwise speaks to his real character.

There is another problem that Eachus fails to address over MinSec's operation. MinSec hired a public relations person, Kate Philips, who had served as Gov. Ed Rendell's press secretary, earlier this month. She could not be reached for comment for this story.

According to this article from Monitz in February Pennsylvania taxpayers will be paying for that public relations person. The facility, which is contracted by the state Department of Corrections to provide community corrections services,

Also in that article it chronicles the crime spree that occured over a period of time from MinSec occupants.

MinSec came into the limelight, though, after a series of burglaries in the area were linked to residents who walked off from the facility or returned to crime after their release. In addition, a resident was picked up in Hazleton then murdered in Lackawanna County last summer by gang members from Scranton.


One former resident blamed the facility's lax security and poor rehabilitation services for his relapse into drugs and crime following 16 years in prison.

According to this article written once again by Monitz back in October, 2009 Eachus wrote a letter to the Department of Corrections with his concerns. The big question for Eachus is why he didn't scream and holler while these crimes were being committed since that letter was written.

The latest article on Eachus and MinSec seem to gloriy him.  Maybe bias isn't only part of the Wilkes Barre media.

Has Liberalism Infested The Editorial Room?

What do all the front pages of these newspapers have that is missing from the front page of the Times Leader? The Tea Party movement.

When The Media Just Gets It Plain Wrong

In a Standard Speaker article yesterday Mia Light wrote an analysis of the last week's City Council meeting. Mayor Barletta and Council members clashed over the budget.

Towards the end of the article she analyzed the potential impact of a property tax, earned income tax and garbage fee increases on city residents. Unfortunately her figures for property tax were off by a factor of 10.

City property owners will see a 0.98-mill increase in the real estate tax from the current 1.40 mills to 2.38 mills.

For the owner of a property valued at $90,000 - which the Census Bureau says is the median home value in the city - the current real estate tax of 1.40 mills renders an annual property tax bill of $1,260. With the proposed 0.98 mill increase to 2.38 mills, the owner of that $90,000 home will pay $2,142 - or an additional $882 - in real estate taxes in 2010.

According to the proposed budget, cost increases don't stop at the earned income tax and real estate tax for residents of Hazleton. Whether renter or a homeowner, the price of garbage collection and disposal is slated for a $32 increase from $208 to $240 next year.

Currently, the average citizen with a median income of $34,000 and a home valued at $90,000 pays a combined total of $2,114 in real estate tax, earned income tax and garbage fees. That would increase to $3,147 under the proposed 2010 budget.

Do the math. She multiplied by the wrong decimal point. Using her example 1.4 mills is represented by .0014 not .014. If you multiply $90,000 times .0014 you get $126.00, not $1260.00. Likewise a 0.98 mill increase means $98.00 for every $100,000.00 in assessed valuation.

Mary Ellen Leib, Acting City Administrator, laid out that fact on November 3, 2009 in an article written by Steve Mocarsky, Times Leader.

Light's figures regarding a person earning $34,000.00 is totally off base.
The proposed property tax increase would amount to an additional $88.20 per year on a $90,000.00 home.

The increase in the Act 205 assessment was caused by legislation authored by Todd Eachus. Her example amounts to $119.00 increase. The garbage increase would amount to $32.00.

To sum up the error the actual total increase would amount to $239.20. The total tax liability for a person living and working in Hazleton would go from $984.00 to $1223.20, not $3,147.00 as written by Light.

That mistake is worthy of a page one correction. Let's see where the Standard Speaker stands on fair and balanced reporting.

Open Response To The Standard Speaker Editorial Department

Editors- Who Is In Charge Of These Editorials? I want to comment on this editorial that appeared in today's paper. It is titled "Move would help shift away from taxing property."

Folks, you can read it for yourselves. The question I have centers on the premise for the article. If you want to replace one tax for the other, why aren't you asking the legislature to reduce its size so that no matter what tax it won't be such a burden on the taxpayers? Pensions, healthcare premiums, car payments, per diem, office space rentals, light, heat, office staff...ohhh I could go on and on. Get them off our backs first before asking us to pay a tax...Sheeezzze... Any lightbulbs needed down there????

Rendell's proposal doesn't make sense when he refuses to address the problems inherent with our government in Harrisburg. Before he asks for more money from us why doesn't he reduce the money he needs, again, from us???