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Thread: Who will be the new Council President?

  1. #31
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    It is time to get serious about the upcoming elections. From my perspective the citizens of Lackawanna need to to make some truly serious decisions on whom we want to represent us. Who will do the best job for Lackawanna? What is their vision of Lackawanna? What is expected from the Mayor and Council President? With the tightening of Federal and State money some hard decisions will have to be made in the near future. Who do you think will make the best decisions for the citizens of Lackawanna?

    From what I have observed over the past few months some of those running have not come to grips with the situation and are still plagued by petty politics, old school pay to play and name calling. Some want to deflect their lack of leadership skills by pitting our citizens aganst each other. This is the old party tactics that were used successfully in the past to get marginally or non-gualified people elected. A walk around Lackawanna will give you the results of poor political candidates and their sophomoric planning and execution.

    This is an important election that will determine the future of Lackawanna. If you can't lead then follow or more importantly get out of the way. We can no longer tolerate politicans that pit ethnic groups against each other or fuel their hatred. These political groups marginalize women, age, color, wealth and ethnic groups to try and gain leverage within their political sphere. They are more concerned that a candidiate works two jobs and not if she or he is the best person for that position. Playing the stupid games that this city is well known for will doom the future of this proud city. The back room games that all politicans are known for can no longer be tolerated. I don't believe that we can afford to drag the poor management of family and friends into the future. We need to drag Lackawanna into the 21st century. It will probably have to come kicking and screaming but it must be accomplished. Some of the trash of the past must go in order to clean up the mess.

    WE NEED A PLAN FOR THE 21ST CENTURY AND WE DESERVE THE BEST FOR THIS CITY. Time clean out the past and move into the future. Hopefully the politians will understand it is not personnal just business. We don't need higher taxes we need private sector growth. More importantly we need people that can grow the private sector. We need a robust private sector in order to have a viable public sector, without this you can kiss your public sector jobs goodbye.

  2. #32
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    Ditto!

  3. #33
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    I agree 100%. It seems that the incumbants are strutting around like peacocks, bragging about all the wonderful things they plan to do once elected as mayor, and patting themselves on the back for all their "accomplishments" while in office. Reading through the past City Council meeting minutes, there is a lot of trivial resolutions and real estate transactions, etc. going on. How do these resolutions and ordinances get communicated to the citizens of the city? On one hand, every time a councilman writes a resolution opposing the sale or closure of some Catholic Diosese or federal government building, one of the "pet" arguments used is "...our AGING population..." or "...the INCONVENIENCE..." However, there are no big grocery stores or farmer's markets or "convenient" FedEx's for our citizens within the city. Our citizens have to "travel outside the city" to buy groceries, don't they?

    In a resolution about M&T bank, for example, the council said that they "contemplated removing all city accounts from M&T bank" as some kind of threat, as though just the very idea would cause the bank executives to quake in terror!

    As far as city-owned property, there are many times that citizens have put in bids for property below the assessment value and have been denied. Example: June 14, 2010, a property owner offered to pay $500 for a parcel of land to combine with his current property. It was assessed at $1,000. The Council would not sell him the property for less than the assessed value. Then on that same date, the Council sold assessed property worth $5,200 to Habitat for Humanity for ONE DOLLAR. At the January 4, 2011 council meeting, assessed property at $6,600 was sold for $3,500 to someone wanting to build a storage shed and small office.
    Last edited by Caz5; August 6th, 2011 at 10:01 AM.

  4. #34
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    I guess what I'm trying to point out is that there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to how the city council sells city-owned property, how they look out for the best interests of the residents who voted them into office, or how they address problems facing taxpayers. DO WE NEED TO REWARD THESE COUNCILMEN BY VOTING THEM INTO THE MAYORAL SEAT????

  5. #35
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    "Family and Friends" come First and then if they like you, if not......weasel-time!

    The selective City property sales were high on my platform when I got into office because I watched them wheel-and-deal the properties for many many years. "Friends and Family" members always had VIP buying power!

    So Spring of 2006 I started asking and we had a meeting as per the Charter/Code to discuss/deem which City lots should be available for PUBLIC SALE which soon after we voted on and the rest should be up to Development, Mayor, Chamber, ect. to market. (I believe all of us should be an Ambassador for Lackawanna though!)
    The Assessor, Mayor, and Council were present and we went page by page throughout the City discussing each parcel at length.

    I kept insisting on what can we do to make ALL sales fair to EVERY Citizen who applies for land. The Assessor told me, the property selling price formula is:

    66 2/3 % of ASSESSED property value for a frontage of 60 feet or > which is considered a "BUILDABLE LOT"
    33 1/3 % of assessed property value for a frontage of < 60 feet which is considered "UNBUILDABLE PROPERTY"

    When I questioned why we were not selling some property off Abbott Rd., the Assesser did not know and said hmmmmmmm------and the Mayor said, "Remember who hires you Frank"........

    This formula was stuck to until the fall of 2008 I believe, when Geoff wanted to sell a lot for a deal---which I personally do not have a problem with if the "DEALS" go acrross the board and are given to EVERY Citizen to always make it fair when lots are sold.

    After this time City property sales have gone pretty much into a free for all again and it is out of control as you all already know.

  6. #36
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    While searching the candidates for Council President, I came across this http://www.ahmed4realchange.com/

  7. #37
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    Quote Originally Posted by gibbsgal View Post
    While searching the candidates for Council President, I came across this http://www.ahmed4realchange.com/

    That looks like there are qualifications there. Do the other candidates have web sites?

  8. #38
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  9. #39
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    Quote Originally Posted by gibbsgal View Post
    While searching the candidates for Council President, I came across this http://www.ahmed4realchange.com/
    I checked out the website to see Ahmed who and no where did it say his last name. Any idea?

  11. #41
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    Quote Originally Posted by Same Old, Same Old View Post
    I checked out the website to see Ahmed who and no where did it say his last name. Any idea?
    I have served the public on many fronts, dedicating my life to serving youth and families in Lackawanna for more than a decade. Our city deserves a change from the status quo. I am committed to do what is best for Lackawanna and nothing less. There is no personal agenda, just a strong will to serve the people of Lackawanna. I ask that you join me in my mission to change Lackawanna, a real change. On September 13, I ask you to please vote for Idreas “AJ” Ahmed, City Council President

    I copied this from his website. His last name is Ahmed.

  12. #42
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    Quote Originally Posted by andreahaxton View Post
    Platform---Splatform! Boy do you all need a reality check! Nice writing, but......Did you ever attend Council Meetings-State of the City-or any Work Sessions to see how off base any 5-Point plan is to reality?
    All this rhetoric tells us is that anyone directly or indirectly connected in any way to the Lackawanna "family and friends club" should not even be considered as a viable candidate in any current or upcoming elections! Because it is the same old same old pre-election articles and when they get "in"---NOTHING EVER CHANGES!

    The next Council President must be a very independent leader who will be able to take the hits from all directions when hard decisions/legislation are made. Regardless of their own feelings they must have the ability to take a stand alone when no one else is standing up for the right thing!
    Lackawanna needs to completely clean house and get rid of the cobwebs and self-serving good ole' boy mind-set that has held any progress back at our City-Line! Why we have been getting rid of the "blight" since 1983 and 28 years later it is worse than ever! Can you imagine the millions+ spent over the years that have been the 5-10-1000 Point Plan and here we continue to sit, beat-in down, crippled, and broken!

    The only immediate/future plan we need is for people to stop talk-in and start walk-in the walk. Sincere Candidates should have dedicated in any way over the past years volunteering in the First or Second Wards, wherever, for any community activities, in other words "You Will Know Them By Their Fruits".
    Well how does 2 failed businesses and saying they were picking on your businesses alone due to trying to do right for our city...that is Bull...Bells and Quality had to follow the same rules...every business did..you just ignored it until you could make it into a pity party for yourself....smh

  13. #43
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    Post ?????????

    Quote Originally Posted by Lackcitizen View Post
    Well how does 2 failed businesses and saying they were picking on your businesses alone due to trying to do right for our city...that is Bull...Bells and Quality had to follow the same rules...every business did..you just ignored it until you could make it into a pity party for yourself....smh

    If I was open for 9 1/2 yrs ( March 2, 1998- October 31, 2007 ) at my store on Ridge Road and had to close my little collectible shop on South Park, after 15 months because I could not be in two places at once.........how did I "fail"?

    Have you ever opened a business, LackCitizen? What have YOU done to try to help Lackawanna....the Citizens with?

    If I did not follow "the rules" I would have been out of business a lot sooner wouldn't I have?!? I bought the building from a retired Fireman---the City inspected it at the time, and within five years I was all over the TV. Do you really think I trashed my own building, forced those men to live there, and didn't "follow the rules" to make my business go under?!?

    No pity party for me.......it all made me a stronger and much more savvy Business Woman who knows how to watch for wolves in sheep's clothing even better now!

    You still did NOT answer my question regarding the statement YOU said, ......." created the mess we are in " . What did " I " help to create in Lackawanna?

  14. #44
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lackcitizen View Post
    Well how does 2 failed businesses and saying they were picking on your businesses alone due to trying to do right for our city...that is Bull...Bells and Quality had to follow the same rules...every business did..you just ignored it until you could make it into a pity party for yourself....smh
    Excuse me!!!! After reading these blogs over the last year seems to me that Andrea Haxton is a strong women with no hidden past and no personal agenda for wanting to serve on the council, even though the bashing continues. She fights dam hard for herself and this city. Thats more than I can say for the present council. When Sue Bokan Staniszewski was running she hid behind John M. When Lisa Friend & Maureen Gambino were running for school board their agenda was to get hubby & daughter jobs. It was accomplished and now they cower in the background, and voters you voted for them. Voters rethink your candidate on election day seems to me Hank & Geoff have quite the agenda list.

  15. #45
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    Post By The Way........

    BTW......
    Did you or anyone ever stop to really analyze the "mess" Lackawanna is in? What is the difference between how Lackawanna government is, and say......Amherst?

    It is simply the professionalism of the politicians and degree of transparency of the government under their control. I am sure we can all agree that the way Lackawanna conducts a Council meeting and the way Amherst does are like day and night! Much, much more public input on ALL issues in Amherst than Lackawanna their politicians actually listen and take notes. Why they fight about a new Walmart and we get a slaughter-house hid from the public and shoved on us! A hidden Windmill contract done in 2005 that left the School and County out of getting in the money, and the $100,000/yr that the City does get, gets absorbed into the General Fund and no one sees it!

    You see, if you approach the political arena in Lackawanna with open eyes....... you would see that it is the caliber of the people elected to lead Lackawanna---everyone is always joined at the hip to the Democrat Party aka Lackawanna Family and Friends club. It is their self-serving day to day business decisions, year after year that has caused the "mess" Lackawanna is in. NOT Andrea Haxton....how could it be?!?

    I recently came across a fly-er sent out by Mayor Kathy (with her own money) stating how the Council undid everything she was trying to do to make Lackawanna into a home town that takes care of the people and the City overall. She even questioned if it is because she is a , "woman" ,that they undermined everything she was trying to do.
    Lackawanna political mind-set is to beat on you personally if you do not go along with what they say, period. I know you have to play ball to a point but why does it always have to be with their ball? Because "they" have the money and power.........to just keep buying balls.

    Our City is a mess all right........because people knowingly or unknowingly keep putting people in control of Lackawanna who don't know how to do the right thing even if it costs them a vote! Once they get in and get a taste of sliding by to get a paycheck ....they want more, and more. To do the job right some hard core decisions have to be made for the good of the City, and the People----NOT for the guy buying you lunch!

    The land deal on Ridge and Wasson is a prime example.......Martin Road folly is another, Friendship House cover-up, sadly, the list goes on and on.

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