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County flood authority seeks support for grants to fund two projects

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Former Pen Tom Sestito set to return to Wilkes-Barre this weekend

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Sam Troy has a strong suspicion other people share his insistence on fiscally sound government.</p><p>And he wants to hear from them.</p><p>Troy said he&#8217;s interested in reviving a short-lived taxpayers&#8217; coalition to focus on Wilkes-Barre, the Wilkes-Barre Area School District and Luzerne County.</p><p>&#8220;They&#8217;re all in precarious financial situations,&#8221; said Troy, who frequently speaks during the public comment periods at the meetings for the city, county and school district.</p><p>Troy had been involved with the Wilkes-Barre Taxpayers&#8217; Association that was led by former resident Frank Sorick, the Republican candidate who lost to Democrat Tony George in the 2015 race for mayor.</p><p>The need for the group &#8220;has never been greater&#8221; as taxpayers are forced to bear the burden of the reckless spending and waste of elected officials, Troy said.</p><p>&#8220;It is becoming increasingly difficult for the average property owner to maintain and keep his or her residence especially if he or she is a senior citizen on a fixed income,&#8221; said Troy.</p><p>There&#8217;s a nucleus of about a half dozen people at the ready, but the 69-year-old retiree and resident of the city&#8217;s Heights neighborhood would like to double that to get the organization up and running. He believes in strength in numbers.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m most concerned about trying to get people to speak and take whatever action necessary to get some relief from officials who&#8217;ve pretty much ignored the concerns of everybody,&#8221; Troy said.</p><p>He was encouraged by the public pushback to the stormwater fee that led officials from the Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority to give some relief as a result.</p><p>He&#8217;d like to get something in place soon so the group can hear from candidates in the May 21 primary.</p><p>&#8220;Anybody who lives in the Greater Wilkes-Barre area can come to a meeting,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We&#8217;re obviously looking for people directly affected by those three entities (the city, the county and the school district).&#8221;</p><p>For more information about the group, contact Troy at 570-235-9280 or by email: SamuelTroy@gmail.com.</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/web1_Troy_Sam_2012_mug-cmyk.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Troy </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/web1_Troy_Sam_2012_mug-cmyk.jpg</photo0><caption0>Troy </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></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>

Fiscal watchdog aims to revive taxpayers’ group in Wilkes-Barre area