Yes, They Can 
**see For The Record 1/08/97 
Cold Doesn't Stop Aluminum Recyclers

40-lb Head At Jitterbugs 
Classic/modern-rock Act 40-lb Head Will Perform On Saturday At Jitterbugs In 
The Narrows Shopping Center, State Route 11, Edwardsville. Showtime Is 10 P.m.

By MELISSA M. DONOVAN; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Saturday, January 03, 1998 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 2A 





KINGSTON- On his last weekday in office, Mayor Gary Reese left council
chambers for a few minutes to make photocopies. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 When he returned, workers were rearranging the furniture to prepare for Jim
Haggerty's new Republican administration. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Reese was relaxed enough to laugh. Then he spread out financial statements
that he said proved he saved Kingston from financial ruin and the "gangsters"
on town council. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 His last move as mayor was to defend his administration. Reese stood by his
record, speculated about higher office and urged residents to get more
involved in government after Haggerty is sworn in Monday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Haggerty, a lawyer, defeated Reese in a bitter race, but Reese said he
won't have a hard time handing over the keys. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I've been relaxed since November the fourth," he said. "It's a big
burden." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 His term as mayor was difficult for Reese, a 52-year-old part-time driver
for Luzerne County, and his wife and two grown daughters. "I was attacked from
all angles," he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "In the past there were a lot of things said and a lot of things that were
misleading and untruthful." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Haggerty accused Reese of exaggerating the financial crisis he inherited
and his role in overcoming it. Reese said Kingston was $4.5 million in debt
when his term began. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Kingston ended 1997 with $648,851 in the general fund and all the big bills
paid, Reese said. When state and federal revenue, such as community
development money, is added, Kingston has a surplus of $990,060, he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We came in with really nothing and now we have the balance in this fund,"
he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Reached later, Haggerty said it is "totally false" to say there is a
surplus. Kingston won't know its financial status until an audit is done in
the spring, he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In addition to defending his record against Haggerty's charges, Reese
lashed out at council. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Reese, who often clashed with the council, said council members were "no
better than a group of gangsters at times." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Council President Sally Teller Lottick, who ran against Reese in the
Democratic primary, countered by saying it was "very frustrating" to work with
him. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I'm hoping we are at the beginning of a new, more cooperative era," she
said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Reese will be watching the start of that new era Monday. He'll attend the
council meeting at the request of Charles W. Pompey, a car dealer whose family
was the leading contributor to Reese's re-election campaign. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Council is expected to vote on Pompey's bid to buy a parking lot Kingston
owns at Ridge Avenue and Hoyt Street. Pompey bid $225,000 for the land, which
was appraised at $186,000. Pompey has accused Haggerty of opposing the sale to
punish him for supporting Reese. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "That's political nonsense," Haggerty said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 While he'll be at Monday's meeting as a private citizen, R

Ex-mayor Reese Vows Not To Fade Away 
The Outgoing Official Says He Ended Kingston's Financial Crisis, But His 
Successor Calls Such Statements Premature

Ex-mayor Reese Vows Not To Fade Away The Outgoing Official Says He Ended Kingston's Financial Crisis, But His Successor Calls Such Statements Premature