Arrogant Former State Rep Indicted

It looks as if the taxpayers may have the last laugh on arrogant former State Rep. Linda Bebko- Jones, who yesterday was indicted on multiple counts including forgery, criminal conspiracy, tampering with public records, false swearing, committing false signatures and statements to nominating petitions, and fraudulent filing of nomination petitions.

Bebko-Jones was caught up in the voter backlash against the Legislature massive pay raise and chose to withdraw her name from consideration for re-election when she fell short of the necessary 300 signatures needed to challenge for the Democrat nomination.

Many dimwitted Erie Dems confused Bebko-Jones arrogance for her alleged independent streak. Even is the face of huge voter outrage and the attendant media backlash against the early morning pay grab vote, she continued to stand for the huge increase to the bitter end. Many in attendance at the annual Erie Club Picnic saw her do a little pirouette as she loudly proclaimed "this is may pay raise outfit!" for all to hear.

Attorney General Tom Corbett brought the charges against Bebko-Jones based on the finding of a statewide grand jury. While Corbett is seeking second term as A. G. he has made a name for himself fighting Harrisburg corruption and trying to clean up state government. He clearly is an early front runner for the Republican nomination for Governor if he wants the job come 2010.

The topper in this story is Bebko-Jones son, Bryan Jones told her and staffers that they could sign his name to the alleged forged petitions as being the person who gathered the signatures, only later to testify against his Mom in exchange for immunity from prosecution. One of the alleged signers was said to have died back in 2000!

If convicted Bebko-Jones could face years behind bars and may have to forfeit her state pension including the healthy bump she received for accepting the pay raise!

GE Shareholders Meeting Reality Check

I’ve been amazed at what has been written around the Erie blogosphere about the General Electric annual shareholders meeting, set for the Bayfront Convention Center, April 23. An awful lot has been written about “putting our best foot forward” and “what a great opportunity” this meeting presents for the community.

Many of the bloggers/commenters have talked about what a godsend the Bayfront Convention Center is and how we would not have been able to host this event without that facility and how it will showcase what a progressive, developing community Erie is to the many big investors who will visit.

Here’s a little reality check: the last time GE had a shareholder meeting in Erie, the pre-revamp Warner Theatre was utilized, and it worked just fine. Now it seems, we have to have a $100+ (and growing) taxpayer funded facility to just be worthy of this ONE day meeting. That’s right, IT'S ONE DAY! It's not a convention and it's not a public event. I'd be curious to see how many of the big investors are jetting in and out the same day.

HOLD YOUR WATER...YES it is a big deal and I’m thrilled they’re coming if only for the fact that GE Transportation deserves to be in the spotlight. They are at the absolute forefront of manufacturing technology and engineering. They are what all manufacturers locally and internationally should aspire to be. CEO John Dineen’s vision is what all industrial leaders should aim for.

As far as showing them what a progressive community Erie is. Sorry, but if the best we have to offer is a spiffy convention center funded by taxpayer dollars, then we fall majestically short of the mark! What we should be showing these investors and GE leadership is a community that has made investing in it, a worthwhile venture. Highlighting low taxes, a strong education system, and a skilled work force would mean a whole lot more to investors than a pretty building financed by taxpayers.

Taxpayers, meaning them! GE and their employees pay a ton of taxes in this community and what do we do with it? We spend it on convention centers, and the Ridge visitor/environmental center! Hardly what I’d label progressive.

The Erie Times News editorial board recently waxed poetically about what a great opportunity this meeting presents; I wonder are the planning to put out a flowery good news edition on April 23? No news of the cities fouled up financial state, County Executive Marky D's dim wittedness, City and County Council's antics, Cops stealing dope, etc etc.

I'm thrilled they are coming...but the bottom line is you can't fool these people with pretty, gift wrapping, which is what the Convention Center amounts to. We have a mess on our hands that has been created over a long period of time. State and local taxes are way out of whack, getting worse, and with no end in site. We really don’t have a very good story to tell potential business investors.

The time is long past that we as taxpayers and voters wake up to this reality and do something to redress the major issues facing this community. It won’t happen if we continue to elect and re-elect the same political hacks time and time again. We need real leadership willing to not follow the herd and once and awhile say NO to boondoggles like the Convention Center.

Yes, please clean up the cigarette butts, polish the windows, put up welcome signs, show city pride roll out any and all welcome mats, but remain realistic about this meeting and what will follow. The really incredible story is General Electric Transportation’s to tell and not that of the Erie community.

Erie Officially Juiced

In what had to have been one of the biggest forgone conclusions in our history, The Quinn Law Firm has informed the city of Erie and the Enterprise Development Fund of Erie County Inc. that no money can be recovered from Juice King/scam master Herb Fiss or his shell company IFP North America and that the firm is closing it’s investigation.

You may remember that the geniuses on City Council accepted a worthless “juice contract” as collateral for a $295,000 “loan” it gave to Fiss on the promise that he would bring his one-of-a-kind juice making process to the city and build a juice manufacturing facility. Not to be left out the Enterprise Development Fund chipped in another $100,000 to the project.

According to the Erie Times News, both the city and the Enterprise Development Fund have now written off the loans as uncollectable. Larry Bossolt, president of the Enterprise Development Fund told the Times, "It was a calculated risk, one in the early stages we felt would bring a lot of jobs to the city. In time, it did not prove itself. In retrospect, our collateral was not strong enough."

Ya think?

The collateral was said to be a Chinese juice contact valued at $400,000, but with no viable way to produce the juice it wasn’t worth the paper it was printed on!

Of course we should remember that neither group would have even heard of Mr. Fiss without the able assistance of our beloved Governor Fast Eddie Rendell, who is responsible for pawning off the Juice King on the city. While I’m no fan of legal action, maybe both groups should look into suing the Governor and his Economic Development Action Team for not doing any due diligence or investigation of Fiss.

Even a basic web search of this scam artist will reveal a number of cities, and businesses that this guy either fleeced or tried to! The bottom line in all this is not only the loss of $395,000 plus interest, but that once again NO ONE in government will be held responsible for what was clearly an avoidable screw up.