`virginia Woolf' More Than Just Misery

Agnes Gorski 
January 27, 1998 
Agnes Gorski, Formerly Of Espy Street, Hanover Section Of Nanticoke, Died 
Tuesday At The Birchwood Nursing Home, Middle Road, Nanticoke.

Thursday, January 29, 1998 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 





What's good for the cops is good for the captains &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Public safety employees should support the tax base that pays their
salaries and more importantly, they should be part of the community where they
are sworn to protect life and property. There are very real public safety
concerns connected to this issueWilkes-Barre Mayor &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Thomas McGroarty &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Dec. 3, 1997 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The mayor was right when he made the above statement last month. He argued
that a labor arbitrator's decision allowing unionized city police to live
outside Wilkes-Barre was unfair to taxpayers and to all other city employees,
who are required to live in the city. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Don't just take our word for it. Police Capt. Thomas Merlie told us this
week that McGroarty is "100 percent right" on the issue. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Then why does McGroarty allow Merlie, a ranking officer who does not belong
to the police union, to live outside the city? Merlie says he's been trying to
sell his home in Avoca and move to the city. Apparently he's not trying hard
enough. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 McGroarty's lack of action in this case smacks of favoritism. And we wonder
why our mayor, usually so aggressive on every front, has allowed this
situation to drag on for two years. He should make Merlie move immediately. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 McGroarty has been consistent, except in the case of Merlie, in arguing
that police officers should live in the city so that they can be called to
work quickly in an emergency. He has threatened a lawsuit to overturn an
arbitrator's ruling that allows unionized officers to live within 10 miles of
the city line. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It's bad enough that the mayor has granted Merlie an exception to the
residency rule that applies to all city employees save police union members. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Merlie is allowed to drive nearly 10 miles to and from work in an unmarked
city police cruiser because he is always "on call." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 So taxpayers have to swallow the fact that Merlie is given special
treatment when it comes to the residency rule, and they have to pay for his
daily commute, too. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 How can McGroarty critici

What's Good For The Cops Is Good For The Captains 
Public Safety Employees Should Support The Tax Base That Pays Their Salaries 
And More Importantly, They Should Be Part Of The Community Where They Are 
Sworn To Protect Life And Property. There Are Very Real Public Safety Concerns 
Connected To This Issue.