W-b Twp. Mulls Options After Judge Returns Tax Case 
Municipality Sought To Have The Arena Board's Suit Over The Amusement Tax
Moved To Federal Court.

Anne Molitoris 
December 23, 1999

By TONI COLEMAN Times Leader Staff Writer
 Tuesday, December 28, 1999 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1A 





WILKES-BARRE - In an effort to salvage a deal to bring 350 jobs downtown,
the president of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry
said the chamber will approach the city's Parking Authority for help. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Stephen Barrouk said the authority should have handled the parking proposal
in the first place. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Barrouk said he wants the Parking Authority - a five-member board charged
with providing downtown parking - to divulge how many spaces it has available
so the Chamber doesn't find itself in a similar bind again: selling a company
on a city that cannot deliver parking. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But pulling an end-around on Mayor Tom McGroarty is a foreign and foolhardy
concept, Parking Authority members say. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``If we were to just go ahead without the mayor ... we've never done
anything like that,'' said Parking Authority Chairman James Conahan. ``It
would not be a very pleasant trip. It would cause more problems.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``It's a possibility'' for the Authority to create enough parking for the
unnamed company, Conahan said, hesitantly. ``But if you look at the setup, I
don't think it would be a wise thing to do.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``We wouldn't go around the mayor. No. That would be stupid,'' Parking
Authority member Paul Maher said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But Chamber officials won't defer to McGroarty. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``There's no logic here. The mayor has personalized this. He's venting his
personal venom on Mr. (Alan) Finlay for personal reasons at the detriment of
the city,'' Barrouk said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Officials say the company, whose identity remains secret, wants to bring
350 jobs that pay $30,000 or more to the Wilkes-Barre Center near Public
Square, but first needs a guarantee that there will be enough parking spaces. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 McGroarty said the city will provide the parking only if it receives a
grant from the state to build a garage. But the building's owner, Alan J.
Finlay, director of Humford Equities, and Chamber officials said McGroarty is
reneging on a promise that the city would provide parking. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The issue over parking should have been handled with the Parking Authority
in the first place and not with a mayor who insists on making every decision
himself, Barrouk said, echoing a sentiment expressed by Robert Finlay last
week. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Robert Finlay, president of Humford Equities and a member of the Parking
Authority, said he explained to fellow authority members at a meeting last
week his company's dilemma. Robert Finlay is Alan Finlay's son. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Conahan said board members each have one vote and he didn't think Robert
Finlay's seat on the authority is a conflict of interest. Conahan and Maher
said Finlay would have to abstain on a vote to provide the 350 spaces for the
project. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Conahan wants the authority's solicitor, Don McFadden, to make a decision
on whether Finlay would be allowed to vote. It takes a simple majority of
votes for a decision to go through. Finlay was unavailable for comment. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Parking Authority, established in the early 1960s, builds and manages
city owned parking lots. But the semi-independent board relies on the city to
guarantee the bonds that pay for the construction of new parking lots. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``It's with the city's bond rating with which we're able to do things. You
have to have all kinds of cooperation when that goes on,'' Conahan said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Conahan didn't know how many spaces are available downtown, but thought
there were enough to accommodate the unnamed company that wants to relocate
downtown. He'd prefer that the two sides sit down and work out a solution
before approaching the authority. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Maher said he didn't think the authority could come up with enough spaces
without the city's cooperation. The authority owned garages are crammed, while
surface lots with available parking are owned by the city. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Maher said he told Robert Finlay at last week's meeting, ``The city owns
those lots. If the city says no, it's no.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Chamber To Take Parking Issue To Authority Move Seen Crucial To Effort To Bring 350 Jobs To Center City.