Letter to the Editor: State Republican lawmakers putting Pennsylvania on path to ‘dismal future’

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FNCB dresses down for Keystone Rescue Mission Alliance

On Feb. 10, I could not believe the elite and arrogant attitude of the members serving on the Luzerne County Recreational Facilities Advisory Board. Two board members apparently used their appointed positions to boldly push forward their self-serving agendas and squeezed out other applicants for Act 13 Marcellus Legacy funds.This seemingly was unfair to all other applicants.I asked to table the actions to award money from the Act 13 legacy fund. County council voted it down.All members of Luzerne County&#8217;s authorities, boards and commissions must follow the Pennsylvania Ethics Code.The county council members also must vote based on following ethics in regards to these matters.Councilman Rick Williams awarded money to two organizations in which Carol Hussa is directly involved. She served as his campaign treasurer.The advisory board&#8217;s review committee recommended recreational projects to receive funding. Council approved that funding; however, Mr. Williams did not abstain from the vote due to the close nature of his relationship with Ms. Hussa. Ms. Hussa is also the vice president of the board of directors for Eckley Miners&#8217; Village. That is a Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission-administered site. It already receives state funding. Act 13 money came from the state and then members turn around and give it back to a state-administered entity. Mr. Williams should have abstained from this vote too.Hussa and Michele Schasberger should not have served on the application review committee knowing they also were going to be applicants. Hussa is on the board at Eckley Miners&#8217; Village and an employee at the Wilkes-Barre YMCA. Both organizations received grant money.Schasberger is involved with Live Well Luzerne and the Riverfront Parks Committee. Their grant applications made it through the process and they were awarded funding.I believe both members should resign. This is cronyism in place within Luzerne County government.I ask all rejected applicants to question the ethics of the process and question the actions of those who did not recognize their own conflicts of interest.Kathy DobashLuzerne County councilwomanHazleton

Letter to the Editor: Recreation grants in Luzerne County clouded by perceived conflict of interest