W-b Area Finishes Probe Into Teacher/ Allegations Have Been Made Versus
Teacher. School District Will Announce Results After Holidays

Additional Drug Raid Nets Cash, Silver Coins/ As Part Of Operation Cold Start,
Police Serve A Warrant At A Second West Hazleton Home.

By JON FOX jfox@leader.net
 Friday, December 23, 2005 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 3A 





WILKES-BARRE - The director of the Bureau of Elections is out, the school
board member may be in, and the county clerk of courts is 95 percent sure he
will enter the fray. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 With the soon-to-be-vacant seat of state Rep. Kevin Blaum, D-Wilkes-Barre,
the Democratic field in the heavily Democratic 121st Legislative district
seems to be solidifying. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; News of Blaum's intention to step down at the end of 2006 leaked out over
the weekend, followed by Monday's official announcement. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Early in the week, Leonard Piazza, director of the Luzerne County Bureau of
Elections, sent out political feelers. By Thursday, he had called off a
possible run. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I'm opting out," he said. "I don't think it's the right thing right now." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 While Piazza will unabashedly say he aspires to public office someday, now
was not the right time to resign his county job to make a go. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "When you start putting those feelers out, you expect the phone to ring,"
he said. "The calls from the financial backers just weren't there." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Brian O'Donnell, an optometrist and a two-year member of Wilkes-Barre Area
School Board, hasn't definitively cast his lot, but is leaning toward a run. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I have a strong interest in it, and I think I have a lot to offer the
district," he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Clerk of Courts Bob Reilly said he's "95 percent" sure he's going to run in
the Democratic primary in May 2006. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Other Democrats who have expressed interest in the seat include Kathy Kane,
a six-year veteran of Wilkes-Barre city council, William Vinsko, the city's
assistant solicitor, and Jim Williamson, a 21-year-old college student. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Kevin Greenberg, a public relations professional, is also looking at a run,
according to Ed Mitchell, a Kingston-based political consultant. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Crowded primary fields in areas that consistently favor one party are par
for the course, said G. Terry Madonna, a professor of public affairs at
Franklin and Marshall College and political commentator. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We've got to remember that legislative elections are devoid of
competition," he said. "Once you win the job one time, you probably have it
for the duration of your life if you want it." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 During the 1990s, the re-election rate for state legislators hovered around
98 percent, he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That means "the real deal," the real competition, occurs when a seat is
vacated, Madonna said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In instances when there is no clear heir apparent from the departing
lawmaker's staff - or the local political party apparatus isn't strong enough
that an endorsement ensures a primary victory for the chosen candidate - the
May election can become a free-for-all, Madonna said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "In one-party areas, the general election is kind of an afterthought," he
said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Blaum's district, which includes Ashley, Wilkes-Barre, Wilkes-Barre
Township, parts of Hanover Township and Plains Township consistently votes
Democratic. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Republican Christine Katsock, who lost to Blaum in 2004, plans to run for
the seat again. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Dems Line Up For Blaum's Seat/ While Bureau Of Elections Boss Len Piazza Says He's Out, W-b Area Board's Brian O'donnell May Be In.