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Kansas City Chiefs extend Andy Reid, fire general manager

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State Supreme Court: Doctors can’t delegate getting informed consent of patients

<p>I am writing this letter as a very concerned citizen and taxpayer of Luzerne County, as well as a candidate for the office of Luzerne County controller.</p><p>The citizens of this county are being fleeced and mislead by our county officials to believe that the new home rule government is working and is a &#8220;work in progress&#8221; when in fact it is less effective and less transparent.</p><p>I have raised several concerns at our county council meetings, as well as filed several Right-to-Know requests to get information to substantiate my statement.</p><p>The entire council refuses to answer any of my emails. The Budget and Finance Division is not responsive to the people or council. The manager places documents on the county&#8217;s web page that are incomplete or inaccurate, according to the council meeting minutes, and the entire county web page, which is being maintained by a very well-paid department head, is a disgrace.</p><p>The manager is being paid over $120,000 annually. The budget and finance division head is being paid over $90,000, and each of the other five division heads are being paid $85,000 or more. We also pay $90,000 per year for a council of 11, who can&#8217;t even respond to a concerned citizen&#8217;s questions.</p><p>The Luzerne County home rule government was sold to the people as a government that would eliminate the sins of the past and be more transparent, and that the home rule charter would enable the people of Luzerne County to be in control of their government not the state of Pennsylvania.</p><p>The elimination of seven row officers was to save the taxpayers money, and the controller was to be the independent watchdog and overseer of the operation, and we currently have had a tax increase almost every year, lost the Homestead Tax Exemption, and our government spending is out of control.</p><p>The county taxpayers need to start coming to the council meetings and ask questions of council members and elect a controller who is truly independent. The controller is the lynch pin to good government in our home rule charter.</p><p>Then and only then will we have a home rule government that is of the people, by the people and for the people of Luzerne County.</p><p><strong>Walter L Griffith Jr</strong></p><p>Trucksville</p><style>
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Your view: County needs an independent controller