Workers Worried About Jobs

Abraham Azain 
January 10, 1997 
Abraham J. Azain Of Lee Park Towers, Hanover Township, Died Friday At The 
Wilkes-barre General Hospital.

Sunday, January 12, 1997 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 





Republican Party and geography on Stevens' side if he runs &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 County Judge Corry Stevens still hasn't definitely made up his mind about
running for the state Superior Court in the upcoming elections, but he's
acting more and more like a candidate all the timeJust recently Stevens had a
meeting with the Republican State Committee to "test the waters," as they say. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Along with Stevens, the state committee talked to something around eight
potential candidates for the state courts. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Of those interviewed, Stevens and three other judges are being considered
seriously for state committee endorsements for the state Superior Court based
partly on where they're from. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Leading statewide Republicans are said to have decided to try to put
together a four-candidate "geographically balanced" slate for the four
Superior Court seats up for grabs this year. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 This "geographic" slate would be Stevens from the Northeast; Allegheny
County Judge Joan Melvin from that Southwest area; Chester County Judge James
MacElree from the Southeast; and Judge Mike Joyce from Erie County in the
Northwest. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Pat Judge, vice chairman of the Luzerne County Republican Executive
Committee and a member of the Republican State Committee, is sky high on a
Stevens candidacy and is doing all he can for him. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We haven't had representation on the Superior Court from the Northeast
since Judge Peter Paul Olszewski Sr. retired," Judge says. "We would like to
have Corry Stevens on that court so we'll have the representation we deserve." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Between what Stevens is doing on his own and the enthusiasm Pat Judge is
generating for a Stevens candidacy, you'd have to figure Stevens is maybe at
least two-thirds of the way to an official announcement that he'll run. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Now that's only a guess; nothing definite is meant. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 By the way. Any of you lawyers around who just might be eying a county
court seat, keep in mind that Stevens doesn't have to resign to run for the
higher office. He'd do that only if he was to win. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Congrats to area reps &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Congratulations to the area's elected officials who took oaths of office
during the week. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Sworn-in in Harrisburg on Tuesday were first-term Democratic state Rep,
Todd Eachus of the 116th Legislative District; Republican state Rep. George
Hasay of the 117th District; Democratic state Rep. Tom Tigue of the 118th
District; state Rep. Stanley Jarolin of the 119th District; Democratic state
Rep. Phyllis Mundy of the 120th District; and Democratic state Rep. Kevin
Blaum of the 121st District. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Hasay, the senior area state legislator, is starting his 13th straight
two-year term in the state House of Representatives, having first been elected
in 1972. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Tigue and Blaum were first elected in 1980 and Jarolin was first elected in
1982. Mundy is starting her fourth two-year term, having been first elected in
1990. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Other state officeholders who will be sworn in on January 21 are Mike
Fisher of Pittsburgh as state attorney general; Bob Casey Jr. of Scranton as
state auditor general; and Barbara Hafer of Pittsburgh as state treasurer. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Hafer has become a political fixture in Harrisburg. She has already served
eight years as state Auditor General. Likewise Fisher. He was elected to the
state Senate in 1980. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Casey is a newcomer. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Congratulations to those three as well. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 More pats on the back &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Congratulations also are in order today for Wilkes-Barre Councilman Bernie
Mengeringhausen, who was sworn in as the new chairman of the Wilkes-Barre City
Council for 1996, and for Wilkes-Barre Councilman Tom Leighton who took the
oath of office as council vice chairman during a ceremony at City Hall last
Monday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Mengeringhausen succeeds Councilman Phil Latinski, who was chairman last
year. Latinski also previously served a year as council chairman in 1994.
Mengeringhausen was vice chairman last year and Leighton was chairman in 1995. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Augello new chief judge &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 County Judge Joe Augello became the new president judge of the Luzerne
County Court of Common Pleas at a swearing-in last Monday at the courthouse.
Augello succeeds Judge Pat Toole, who called it a day late last year. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Augello had long been regarded as the odds-on favorite to get the court's
top slot even before Toole made his resignation as president judge official. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Augello wasn't a unanimous choice for the job -- the secret ballot vote was
6-2. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The breakdown of that vote wasn't disclosed publicly, but here it is: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Judge Ann Lokuta and Chet Muroski both voted "no" on Augello. The "yes"
votes were from Judges Hugh Mundy, Corry Stevens, Mark Ciavarella, Pat Toole,
Mike Conahan and Augello himself. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 DelSerra on Authority &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Gary DelSerra, chairman of the West Pittston Republican Committee, was
seated last Tuesday night as the new representative from West Pittston on the
Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority board . &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 DelSerra succeeds Ray Crisci, who had represented West Pittston on the
Authority board for many, many years. Crisci also was Authority chairman for
around 10 years. That post now goes to Russ Singer, Swoyersville's
representative on the board. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 By the way, the Authority recently announced that a 1997 budget has been
prepared which keeps the rates for residential users -- that's the basic rate
for homeowners and such -- at $98 a year. The last time the Authority raised
rates was back around 1990. That shows first-rate management by the Authority
board and the folks who run the treatment plant from day-to-day. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Condolences to Mayor Walsh &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Our sympathies go out today to Pittston Mayor Tom Walsh and his family on
the recent death of the mayor's wife, Betty. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Betty was more than Mayor Walsh's wife: She was a political asset to him. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 She always could be counted on to not only work hard for him when he ran
for office, but she also helped all the other Democratic candidates as well. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Betty Walsh will be greatly missed. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 * * * &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If you want to talk to me about politics, or anything else for that matter,
you can get me at the newspaper at 829-7198. If I don't answer, please be sure
to leave a message on my telephone voice mail. You don't have to give your
name, but I'd like to have a phone number to get back to you. Or you can just
leave whatever information you want me to have without giving your name. If
you don't want to do that, you can call me at my house at any time. The number
there is 825-3882. I'm always home at night, but if you have to call during
the day, my wife Margie will talk with you, and you can leave a message with
her. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Thanks very much. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Bill Griffith &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Columnist Bill Griffith's notes on county and city politics appear on
Sunday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Republican Party And Geography On Stevens' Side If He Runs 
County Judge Corry Stevens Still Hasn't Definitely Made Up His Mind About 
Running For The State Superior Court In The Upcoming Elections, But He's 
Acting More And More Like A Candidate All The Time.

Republican Party And Geography On Stevens' Side If He Runs County Judge Corry Stevens Still Hasn't Definitely Made Up His Mind About Running For The State Superior Court In The Upcoming Elections, But He's Acting More And More Like A Candidate All The Time.