Shady Scenes in Clifton Heights?

I am quite curious about this so called "Clifton Heights Economic Corp" after reading the below Daily Times piece. Questions surround grant in Clifton Heights By: Dawn Mitchell, Times Correspondent 07/26/2008 CLIFTON HEIGHTS - Residents and some council members questioned the transfer of $825,000 in grant money to the Clifton Heights Economic Corp., a nonprofit entity that council has no control over, at a recent council meeting. "I don't know how we authorized this corporation when we never got papers on this corporation," said Councilman Mario Alpini. A listing for the corporation at nonprofit compendium Guidestar.org could not be found. Council President Anthony Casadei, answering a question from the audience, revealed state Rep. Nicholas Micozzie, R-163, of Upper Darby, "took care of allowing money to go to the corporation," but said he did not know who established the corporation or who is in it.

 According to a document disclosed at the meeting - which one council member insisted each member of council had received during a caucus meeting the previous Thursday - former council president James Salmon is listed as president of the nonprofit. Salmon was running for another term on council last year, but was forced to step down for violating the federal Hatch Act because of his employment with the Department of Defense. Under the act, federal employees cannot hold elected office. Other nonprofit board members include: Clifton Heights Business Association President Rich Angelucci, owner of Full Cycle Ink Jet; Vice President Joe Lombardo, owner of M.F. Williams Funeral Home; and Financial Secretary Russ Jirik, owner of Family Matters Adult Day Care, according to that document. Also on the Clifton Heights Economic Corp. board is retired Clifton Heights police chief Ronald Berry, whose wife, Betsy, is a Clifton Heights council member. He is currently deputy director of the county Juvenile Detention Center in Lima. Angelucci and Jirik each made contributions totaling $300 to Micozzie in 2005 and 2006, while Lombardo has contributed at least $850 to Micozzie and $2,500 to the Delaware County Republican Finance Committee between 2002 and 2006, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State.

"Ron and Betsy Berry" have also contributed at least $795 to Micozzie since 2000, according to state records. In late June, council voted 5-3 to return $300,000 and $525,000 in grants issued last spring by the Pennsylvania Department of Economic Development. Alpini and fellow council members Robert Penjuke and Harris Resnick opposed the motion. But minutes at the meeting show council instead voted to redirect the funds to the private entity, which was formed June 16. Some council members now allege minutes were interpreted wrong, altered or even deleted.

 The grants were to facilitate the purchase of the adjacent Mac and Sam property and to redevelop borough hall. They were not set to expire until 2010 and 2011, respectively. According to Casadei, criteria specified in the grants were problematic and would have cost taxpayers $7 million to $8 million. Penjuke disagreed in a phone interview Thursday, saying the plan was to purchase property in stages, as money became available. He had anticipated having a community center. "We were originally told it wouldn't cost the borough anything for the revitalization project," said Penjuke. "Micozzie didn't think we had a good enough plan ... that we were not moving fast enough." "Personally, I'm not ready to give up $825,000," said Alpini, who opposed returning the funds since it was first discussed in May. "It's too much money and too hard to get to walk away that quickly." Penjuke also questioned the Clifton Heights Economic Corp.'s handling the borough's money.

 "We have no control over the corporation," he said. "As council, we're going to still be held accountable because we started the ball rolling. I just want to improve things in Clifton Heights and build it back up to a cute little town." Staff Writer Alex Rose contributed to this report. ©DelcoTimes 2008 So who runs it? Who are the officers? Why the secrecy? And why would our local committee people (including my own) authorize the transferring of funds (grants) to them? I do not know Dawn Mitchell but I do know Alex Rose. I am certain that more of this will unfold before November, when me (as in a resident of Clifton Heights)will get to vote.

  Cheers.

The Next President - Ron Paul

Ron Paul is the Man who I will be voting for come this November.Obama? McCain? Please. Take a listen of just what he has to say. If you disagree? Feel free to comment.

Clifton Heights Cooler Caper

Last night someone had the nerve (to put it lightly) to come up on our patio and proceed to steal our cooler that was full of Bud Light Lime and Pepsi. I had just gone to bed a few minutes earlier and my wife and her girlfriend were in the house with the front door wide open. This "Scumbag" did realize that I installed infrared security cameras and tried to hide his face after he spotted it. Our neighbor across the street on the Upper Darby side of Clifton had beer stolen out of his cooler the night before, as did we. To the crook, I have a good feeling of who you are. I want my cooler back plus a full case of Bud Light Lime, a 12 pack of Pepsi, and a Bottle of Tequila Rose. Just put it out on the patio, and I promise I will not do what I have planned for you. Cheers. P.S. I have a much more detailed AVI file on my PC.

In Loving Memory of Kyle F. Fish

Today I went to my friend George's Son's viewing and funeral Mass at Saint Charles Church in Drexel Hill. Kyle was 14 years old, full of life, a happy go lucky kid who thrived to please anyone around him. I met Kyle years ago, and my younger Son Nicky and Kyle were buds. As a Dad, I can only imagine the thoughts and feelings going on in Kyle's families' heads right about now. My heart goes out to them and the outpouring of love and caring today from hundreds of people was beautiful and righteous.

You never said I'm leaving. You never said Goodbye. You were gone before we knew it, and and God knows only why. A million times we needed you, a million times we've cried. If love alone could have saved you, you never would have died. In life we loved you dearly, in death we love you still. In our hearts you hold a special place no one can ever fill. It broke our hearts to lose you, but you didn't go alone. For a part of us went with you the day God called you home.
To George, Doreen, Brittany, Breahanna, George II, family & friends, my heart and the hearts of hundreds of others go out to you.
RIP Kyle

Can some one help me understand

OK, so the DNC rule committee met this weekend (yawn)..... Some let me see if I understand this, it is ok to break the rules and not expect any repercussions? Even when you know clearly that you are breaking the rules..... MI and FL Or how about not being responsible for you commitment to remove your name from the ballot and then claiming you won the state - HRC Somehow I am having a little deja vu and see that the DEMS can lose another one!

ACDC - Let The Cat Out Of The Bag!

I took notice of this reply and am posting it in the hopes that it will raise awareness about cats being stolen in Delaware County, especially in the Upper Darby area. As far as the Animal Coalition of Delaware County being involved with some sort of "Cat Napping" ring, as the below poster suggests, I would have to say that in my opinion in this lawsuit happy day and age? No Comment other than to say something does smell fishy here. Maybe someone over at the Delaware County Daily Times can investigate this? Read on: Anonymous said... If you can, please post this in the hopes that people will see it. Due to recent reports of missing cats in the Drexel Hill / Havertown area, I wanted to post a warning to neighborhood cat owners about the Animal Coalition of Delaware County, a local organization purportedly concerned with animal welfare and who place cats into foster homes and special sections at local PetSmarts. This is an unsettling story in two parts: (Part One) Our beloved indoor-outdoor cat (a neutered, male, absolutely beautiful orange Main Coon mix who answers to 'Saab,' in case you've seen him) went missing from our Drexel Hill home and the area around it about a month ago. He was about nine years old, perfectly healthy, and a very solid animal capable of holding his own in a fight and finding his way home, so we believed him to be alive somewhere, possibly taken in by a concerned animal lover. We searched for him all over the neighborhood, knocked on doors, and registered a lost report with the Delaware County SPCA, heading there every day or so to check the intake rooms for him. So far, no sign. After weeks of looking for our boy, our family agreed that, since we had always been a multiple-cat household, we wanted to welcome a new kitten or two into our home. While still searching for our cat at the SPCA intake rooms, we kept our eyes open for kittens in the adoption rooms. When we could find no kittens at the SPCA, we reluctantly turned to Pet Smart and were immediately enamored with two little kittens, a brother and sister. We were told that they were adoptable through an organization called the Animal Coalition of Delaware County (AC DC) and that, pending a clean vet record, we'd likely be able to bring them home within the week. Of course, that hasn't happened. Through we put in an application and have a vet record of always spaying, vaccinating, and treating (when necessary) our animals, some of whom lived with us for upwards of 20 years, we have not heard from anyone at the Animal Coalition, save once, when we were informed that the kittens would be carted around to "meet and greets" to ALL of the potential families, whose applications were allowed to pile up before any adoption could be finalized. (Wouldn't you think that, with so many cats in need of homes, one happy, loving home would be as suitable as the next?) We were also told that it would be "impossible" to keep up-to-date online records of animals' statuses... basically, from this phone call, we started to get a bad feeling from this organization of animal activists. (Disclaimer: Now, we respect AC DC for being no-kill and for keeping their animals healthy, but right now, that is beside the point.) (Part Two) So, we are still without kittens and still missing our grown-up male. All of our friends know this and have been keeping their eyes open. One friend in particular, knowing how concerned we were and knowing that we had been looking at PetSmart, called this afternoon to tell us a rather disturbing story: the blocks immediately around her mother's Drexel Hill home have, in the past few weeks, reported FIVE missing cats. Very strange. What's more strange is this: One of those five missing cats was a three-legged, micro chipped cat owned by a local veterinarian. She of course conducted a search, and that veterinarian FOUND her cat, three legs and all, sitting in an ACDC cage in the local PetSmart. A happy reunion? One might think. But the organization WILL NOT turn the cat over to its owner, despite her profession and her cries of, "But that's my cat!" Claiming that they found the cat wandering in a cemetery, the organization says that adoption offers are already pending on this three-legged animal, and they refuse to reunite this veterinarian with her cat. It sounds remarkably shifty, and we, as a family of cat lovers still hoping for a reunion with our missing cat, are extremely concerned. Is this organization, which could be doing so much for so many animals, really plucking calm, peaceful cats out of residential neighborhoods and putting them up for adoption because they are so against cats being outside? (Prospective AC DC parents must swear to keep their cats indoors 24/7, and the organization reserves the right to make "home visits" to make sure that that is happening.) Now, we have no concrete proof of any foul play, since the AC DC volunteers at Pet Smart will swear until they're blue in the face that that cat was found wandering a cemetery and that there's no way it could belong to the Vet in question. But putting the pieces together raises some very alarming questions and suspicions, and bearing that in mind, I at least wanted to call attention to local cat lovers. So, if you have a cat who enjoys the freedom of some time outside, BEWARE. Some people believe that cats shouldn't be able to enjoy their God-given habitat, and it appears to me as though some of those people will sink so far as to snatch your beloved pet right off of the sidewalk in order to put it in a "better home."

Yeah

Just noticed that Blogger is not allowing comments again.

The Great Gasolie

I have just about had it with the OPEC Cartel and the conspiring oil companies jacking up the price of gasoline and diesel. Just last night the Exxon at Providence & Oak went up yet another penny to $3.70 a gallon for regular. Not just in Delco but all across America, Americans are literally being hosed at the pump. Wawa increases their coffee price 6 cents, other companies are being forced to attach a fuel surcharge to their invoices, trucking firms are reduced in size, and our so called "leaders" in Washington do NOTHING! OPEC and the oil barons are the real terrorist attacking us, and something has to be done and done soon about this. To you gasoline station owners I say shame on you all. Don't give me that "I ain't making any money off of this" crap, the fuel in your tanks you paid for is now worth more. and you sell it at a nice profit. In Havertown the Oceanic and Sharro are owned by a guy who lives in nice sunny Florida. Think he cares about the locals up here? Not a chance. Nor does many other station owners. 1973 was the year that they (OPEC) deliberately staged an "oil shortage". The result were long lines, odd and even licence plate sales, fights, and eventually? Much higher fuel prices. Let's hope global warming continues so that we here in the Tri State area may not have to spend our hard earned money this winter. Cheers.

Republican Primary In Pennsylvania Today

Michael P. Boyle Peter J. Manfra David K. Walter Ryan Hodinka Rick Lacey John Savastio Are you a registered Republican in the state of Pennsylvania and reside in Delaware County? Be sure to vote for the above delegates for a real change, a much needed one. The three ponies currently in the MSM spotlight are coddlers to the corporate whores that have been ripping you off for over 90 years.

I find is quite disgusting that all of the local news media (TV, and especially the Daily Times) failed to even mention the Republican Primary that is today, April 22, 2008. In Delaware County and accross the state, Registered Republicans such as myself get to vote on whom they want (delegates) to represent their choice in November. I don't give a hoot about Obama or Hillary, as both to me are lucid and quite frankly full of crap in everything they spew out of their mouths. Same goes for John McCain, but to add to his dementia, he wants nothing more than to invade Iran and eventually Saudi Arabia, all in the name of "Democracy". Want your children to fight in his wars? I don't, and the simpletons who call sound off at the Daily Times and say reinstate the draft most likely are bitter ex Vietnam draftees, well to do stuffy asses with kids in college who will get a deferment, or just plain out liars. Today Delaware County Republicans can vote for the the above delegates, all of whom support Ron Paul. Yeah, the same Ron Paul who is for smaller government, true American Independence and Sovereignty, strongly against meddling in other countries affairs and feeding them billions of your tax dollars, Pro Gun, Pro Life, and most of all? Adhering to the original Constitution of the United States, a document that George W. Bush and William Jefferson Clinton have managed to mangle and rip apart over the last 16 years.

Important links below:

Our local Ron Paul For President Delaware Country chapter Meet up group

Delco For Liberty

Radnor Politics

So is this an example of how politics works in Radnor?

Judge rules in Rogers’ favor in 17th Senate race

Republican candidate gets injunction prohibiting opponent from distributing sample ballots.

By Kathleen Carey kcarey@delcotimes.com

MEDIA — Delaware County Court of Common Pleas President Judge Joseph P. Cronin Jr. granted the Republican candidate for the 17th District Lance Rogers a preliminary injunction prohibiting his contender Lisa Paolino from distributing sample ballots. Cronin made his decision Saturday after a two-hour, 12-minute hearing into the issue that will impact Paolino’s ability to hand out ballots on the primary election Tuesday. “The question will come down to the fact whether he’s the endorsed candidate or not,” Cronin said of Rogers. Rogers, the endorsed Republican candidate, was seeking both a preliminary and mandatory injunction barring Paolino, also a Republican, from distributing ballots and Cronin solely ruled on the preliminary matter, which, in effect, stunted her from distributing sample ballots to voters entering the polls. He said the mandatory ruling would have to be decided at a later unscheduled date. At issue was the similarity in the green ballot that Paolino was distributing and the white and blue ballot circulated by the Delaware County Republican Finance Committee. After the judge made his ruling, Guy Paolino, who was representing Lisa Paolino, said, “We respect what the court says.” Rogers’ attorney, Robert Kerns, said, “Overall, both in Montgomery County and here, it was an attempt to deceive the voters and to turn attention from the endorsed candidate.” Rogers said he was disheartened by Lisa Paolino. “That is the ultimate form of deception,” he said. “We want a level playing field. We just want a fair election.” Lisa Paolino was not present at the proceedings. However, her campaign issued a statement that read, “Taking my campaign to court is just another example of a campaign of harassment Lance Rogers has run against me. “If Lance Rogers is so scared of a piece of paper that doesn’t even have his name on it, what kind of backbone will he have to stand up for us in the state senate?” Much of the hearing was devoted to how the county GOP endorses its candidates. Carol Miller, vice chair/secretary and executive director of the Delaware County Republican Party was questioned about the party’s nominating process. She explained that when a majority of a contender’s district lies in another county, the local GOP concurs with the nomination of the majority county. “Generally, the county that holds the majority of precincts, we go by their endorsement process,” she said. Miller gave the example of state Sen. Dominic Pileggi, R-9, of Chester, whose district lies in parts of Chester and Delaware counties. As the bulk of his geography remains in Delaware County, the local GOP makes their nomination in this position and the other counties acknowledge it. Guy Paolino contested that. “Delaware County has no endorsed candidate for this position,” he said, adding there was no election or meeting in Delaware County held to nominate a candidate for this slot. Kerns said the key was the impact the ballot would have on the process. “The issue becomes what is shown to the voters,” he said. “Is this a ballot that is deceptive … that would prevent a fair election?” Friday, a Montgomery County judge issued a similar order to halt Paolino from distributing sample ballots that allegedly confused voters.