H.S. SOCCER: Sites, times announced for states opening round

web1_PA-Lottery-logo.jpg

Lottery Numbers for Sunday, Nov. 8.

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Tom Leighton has less than two months left in his reign as mayor of the city.</p><p>Tony George will soon be sworn in to become the city&#8217;s new mayor. He will appoint his staff. We wonder if he will choose the most qualified candidates, or will he give these mostly high-paying positions to people he probably knows very well.</p><p>And then the games will begin.</p><p>What should we expect from the new mayor? Should we expect him to continue to bring the city forward? Can we expect new economic development projects? Can we expect cleaner and safer neighborhoods? Can we expect the unexpected?</p><p>There will also be three brand spanking new council members &#8212; Mike Belusko, Beth Gilbert and Tony Brooks.</p><p>Can we expect these three to change the culture at City Council meetings? Can we expect pleasant exchanges between the council and the general taxpaying public? Can we expect independent thinking, with decisions based on what is best for the city and its people?</p><p>Will it be easier to get public documents from City Hall, or should we expect to have to wait 30 days after we submit those Right To Know requests?</p><p>I pose all of these questions because it is time that the city &#8212; its residents and its leadership &#8212; work together. It&#8217;s time for more tolerance for criticism, more acceptance of diverse opinions, more consideration for genuine interest in the city.</p><p>It&#8217;s time to purge the pettiness of the past.</p><p>Then, perhaps, the city can move forward. Then, maybe, we will see a positive image of the city.</p><p>Why, even Mayor-elect George has uttered comments that would send the wrong message to anybody looking to reside in the city, or open a business, or even visit the city for dinner or a movie or a show &#8212; especially after sundown.</p><p>Mayor-elect George has said that the city is unsafe; that he, as mayor, will do what it takes to make the city safe. He said he will rid the city of its &#8220;crumminess.&#8221; He said everything else for the city depends on it.</p><p>Perhaps the best way to market the city, especially the downtown, is not by striking fear in the hearts of, well, everybody.</p><p>The city should be rolling out a giant welcome mat, with signs on either side extolling all the good things the city has to offer. We shouldn&#8217;t advertise that the city is unsafe, or crummy.</p><p>Granted, the city has seen an uptick in violent crime. So have a lot of other municipalities in Luzerne County. Most of that violent crime is drug-related. Many crimes are committed by people seeking money to feed drug habits. Many other crimes are committed between druggies and/or gang members.</p><p>Crime is a real problem in 2015 and it will probably continue to escalate in 2016 even if Mayor Tony George sits in a police cruiser outside of a drug dealer&#8217;s house.</p><p>Real problems exist. Real solutions are needed. We can&#8217;t mask the reality of violent crime; we must address it by bringing all the stakeholders together. Law enforcement needs help. More funding is needed. We can&#8217;t add cops by holding a bake sale. Our state and federal governments must contribute.</p><p>And, Mayor George, don&#8217;t even think about raising taxes. That will only guarantee you will not be re-elected.</p><p>Can you see the problem here? We have a city that has been growing over the last 12 years. It has improved dramatically, that cannot be denied. Aesthetically, the city offers much more than ever before.</p><p>But there is a growing market for drugs &#8212; all sorts of the illegal kind.</p><p>But we do have a River Common, a movie theater complex, a Barnes and Noble, new restaurants of various ethnic cuisine, the F.M. Kirby Center, a gorgeous, yet under-utilized Public Square, two colleges with thousands of students, paid police and fire departments, a municipal golf course and a river running through it.</p><p>Yet we have holes &#8212; gaps in our economic development smile, as Larry Newman of the Diamond City Partnership would say. The vacant lot at River and Market streets where the Hotel Sterling once stood awaits a developer.</p><p>The other gap in the smile, down on the first block of South Main Street, will soon be filled with the recent announcement of a $28 million, 10-story hotel/conference center. That project is being privately financed.</p><p>That shows a great faith in the city. Let&#8217;s hope the city is worthy of such faith.</p><p>Mayor George must be sure to address the needs of the city. He has to go into the neighborhoods &#8212; East End, Parsons, Miners Mills, North End, the Heights, Mayflower, Rolling Mill Hill, center city, South Wilkes-Barre &#8212; and do what needs to be done. Get rid of the blight, a favorite term of Mayor Leighton&#8217;s, insist that property owners keep their properties clean, check out the names on leases and the number of people living in those buildings owned by absentee landlords.</p><p>And address that drug problem.</p><p>Mayor George needs to make sure all of those 300 or so city employees are earning their salaries. He needs to make sure they are out there doing their jobs and filing reports.</p><p>Sure it would be great to have a clutter cleanup. Put that on your list, Mr. Mayor-elect.</p><p>You ran on a law-and-order platform. You got elected. Choose your staff wisely. Leave patronage at the door.</p><p>Make sure everybody does their job.</p><p>Especially you.</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_Oboyle_Bill-2-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">In Focus Bill O&#8217;Boyle </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_Oboyle_Bill-2-3.jpg</photo0><caption0>In Focus Bill O&#8217;Boyle </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_TTL102215Tony-George11.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">George </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_TTL102215Tony-George11.jpg</photo1><caption1>George </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_TTL110915infocuscitylife21.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">New downtown apartments and shops on Northampton and South Main streets in Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_TTL110915infocuscitylife21.jpg</photo2><caption2>New downtown apartments and shops on Northampton and South Main streets in Wilkes-Barre. </caption2><photoCredit2>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_TTL110915infocuscitylife11.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Wilkes- Barre&#8217;s Public Square. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_TTL110915infocuscitylife11.jpg</photo3><caption3>Wilkes- Barre&#8217;s Public Square. </caption3><photoCredit3>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>What can we expect,Mister Mayor-elect?</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

In Focus: It’s unclear how Wilkes-Barre’s government will change with new mayor and 3 new council members