Luzerne County desperately seeking a Republican to serve on election board

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So-Cal style for your four-legged friend: grooming with Kingston-by-way-of-California dog groomer Kristen Daly at The Paw Spa in Dallas

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; The rumors have been circulating for months and Mayor Tony George said they remain just that &#8212; rumors.</p><p>George dispelled those rumors Friday and said former mayor Tom McGroarty will not be part of the new administration at City Hall.</p><p>&#8220;He doesn&#8217;t have intentions of coming back,&#8221; George said.</p><p>McGroarty, too, said there is no truth to rumors. &#8220;I&#8217;m not interested nor am I going to do anything with the city,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Since he left office in 2004 after serving two terms as the Democratic mayor of Wilkes-Barre, McGroarty, 53, has worked for the state Department of Health and holds the position of public health preparedness coordinator for the Northeast district. The department&#8217;s Bureau of Public Health Preparedness coordinates training, response planning and recovery with local, state and federal agencies and private organizations such as hospitals and healthcare organizations in the event of natural or man-made disasters and emergencies.</p><p>McGroarty and George are friends and their relationship goes back years when George was police chief while McGroarty was mayor.</p><p>&#8220;I talk to him a lot,&#8221; George said.</p><p>George, who took office in January and replaced Mayor Tom Leighton, said he recently asked McGroarty to join him at the Department of Public Works garage to discuss the city&#8217;s fleet of vehicles with state Sen. John Yudichak, D-Plymouth Township, and Yudichak&#8217;s father, Joe. George said the senator was included to see what he could do to help the city get access to used heavy equipment, a subject familiar to the senator&#8217;s father, who formerly headed the Regional Equipment Center in Newport Township.</p><p>The get-together came up during the public comment period at Thursday night&#8217;s meeting of the city council, fueling the rumor mill about McGroarty&#8217;s return.</p><p>City resident Bob Kadluboski made reference to the DPW meeting and demanded answers on whether there is a move underway to replace Butch Frati, director of operations, with McGroarty. Frati, who sat and listened, did not respond. Kadluboski further criticized McGroarty&#8217;s administration, saying he left the city $10 million in debt.</p><p>&#8220;We don&#8217;t need him around,&#8221; Kadluboski said and called for banning McGroarty from the public works property.</p><p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t want him on city property. He&#8217;s creating a hostile work environment,&#8221; Kadluboski said. &#8220;He has no business up there telling anybody what to do or criticizing anybody. He has nothing to do with the city.&#8221;</p><p>That&#8217;s true, McGroarty acknowledged.</p><p>&#8220;What is the threat of me being around the city of Wilkes-Barre?&#8221; he asked.</p><p>McGroarty said he&#8217;s got experience and expertise and connections to other people, all benefits to the city.</p><p>&#8220;I think people know I have some background in things,&#8221; he said.</p><p>McGroarty said he took those attributes with him when he attended the DPW meeting on his own time to talk about the fleet. &#8220;I took some leave from work one day,&#8221; he said.</p><p>He said he asked Joe Yudichak to attend because of his knowledge about heavy equipment.</p><p>&#8220;Joe knows it better than anybody,&#8221; McGroarty said.</p><p>The elder Yudichak, who currently serves as a supervisor in Plymouth Township, corroborated the accounts of the meeting by George and McGroarty. Yudichak said McGroarty contacted him to look at the fleet and he informed the group the state has a surplus property program the city could use to offset the cost of purchasing new equipment.</p><p>&#8220;Tommy&#8217;s an eager beaver. All he&#8217;s trying to do is help the city,&#8221; Yudichak said of McGroarty.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">During a visit to Wilkes-Barre on Feb. 16, 1996, to tour flood-damaged areas, President Bill Clinton, center, shared a laugh with, from left, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, Mayor Tom McGroarty, Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa.; Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski, D-Pa.; and Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., on the banks of the Laurel Run Creek. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_AP96021602539-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>During a visit to Wilkes-Barre on Feb. 16, 1996, to tour flood-damaged areas, President Bill Clinton, center, shared a laugh with, from left, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, Mayor Tom McGroarty, Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa.; Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski, D-Pa.; and Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., on the banks of the Laurel Run Creek. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_mardigras_3-1.jpeg">
<div class="neCaption">McGroarty </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_mardigras_3-1.jpeg</photo1><caption1>McGroarty </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jerry Lynott</p><p>jlynott@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLJerryLynott</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Former Wilkes-Barre mayor Tom McGroarty says he’s happy to help out city, but only as a private citizen