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Geisinger staff donates to Toys for Tots

Letter to the Editor: Veteran dismayed at way Republicans stonewalling

Let this be the last year in which Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s city employees work on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.First observed as a federal holiday in 1986 &#8211; a full 30 years ago &#8211; this day reserved for honoring the civil rights leader and performing community service has been slow to gain acceptance among some key leaders of Luzerne County&#8217;s largest city. But that should soon change.New Mayor Tony George advocated as far back as 2014, when he served as a councilman, for the city to recognize the holiday. In fact, it was immediately after a dustup over the topic between he and then-Mayor Tom Leighton during a mid-summer council meeting that George declared he would seek the mayor&#8217;s job.A prior attempt to grant a paid holiday to city workers on the third Monday of January, recognizing King&#8217;s Jan. 15 birthdate, fizzled, but seemingly not due to any lack of respect among city elected officials for King&#8217;s contributions. Instead, the trouble was pinned on difficulties getting buy-in among all four participating unions.It was never determined if Wilkes-Barre would drop an existing paid holiday, such as Columbus Day, to insert MLK Day to the schedule or instead add it as a 13th recognized holiday. The latter strategy would have cost about $77,000, according to estimates in 2014.The dollar figure certainly makes swapping holidays seem a better option.Interestingly, however, President Ronald Reagan initially opposed the King holiday&#8217;s creation, citing cost concerns, before granting its federal adoption in the mid-1980s. The observance wasn&#8217;t universally embraced. All 50 state governments didn&#8217;t similarly set aside the day until 2000.Among major cities in Northeastern Pennsylvania, Wilkes-Barre remains the big holdout today, according to area advocates for the holiday. Scranton&#8217;s government offices will be closed Monday. So will Hazleton&#8217;s.By contrast, Wilkes-Barre will conduct business as usual, with one exception: A program honoring King&#8217;s legacy will be held beginning at 3 p.m. in council chambers. The area&#8217;s NAACP branch reportedly has encouraged its members to boycott the event. It&#8217;ll be the last time they collectively steer clear of the city&#8217;s observance, provided George sticks to his stated goal of working with union leaders to approve the holiday for 2017.&#8220;Whatever it takes,&#8221; George had said while still a councilman, &#8220;we should do it.&#8221;

Our Opinion: Wilkes-Barre overdue to provide paid holiday on Martin Luther King Jr. Day