Who Is Joining the Sinking Ship?

Who is Joining the Sinking Ship?

By Judi Panasik
March 7, 2008

Recently South Strabane Supervisor Tony Zelenka announced he was resigning from his position. Zelenka’s position is up for election in 2009. He has served on the board for over 11 years as a supervisor. The question is who will take his place?

With Lou DePretis and now Zelenka gone from the board Supervisor Bob Hollick could be left to bully alone.
And will DePretis throw his hat in the ring again after losing all of his runs for office and after the infamous controversy where Zelenka, Hollick and Chuck Kosey put DePretis in Billy Bell’s supervisor position over the clearly more qualified Don Trautman?

As a side note one resident remarked after hearing that Zelenka was leaving the area that it was ironic that he and Kosey, two of the biggest supporters of the TIF (Tax increment financing) in South Strabane are or will no longer be residents of this township. This after Zelenka declared that the TIF was going to bring much needed jobs and that’s one of the reasons he voted for it.

What, retail wasn’t good enough for you to support a family on? And with all of the development in South Strabane Kosey moved to a neighboring township immediately after assuring DePretis be given Bell’s position.

What or who is up their sleeve next? Rumor has it that Tom Flickinger has been sniffing around for the position. A position that has yet to be advertised for and was announced a little over a week ago.
Flickinger is an ex-Trinity School Board Member and a supporter of the TIF and LERTA. Both tax breaks are in support of big (mainly retail) business.
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According to the rumors Flickinger has already started contacting supervisors and trying to have discussions with people whose support he is looking for that hold influence in the township one way or another.

But is this someone residents would want? They have shown through the voting process they are looking for people who aren’t going to give tax money away.

I would like to know after all of these years what the LERTA has done for the community? From current and ex school board members I have spoken with the answer has been nothing.

And why does he want it? Unlike Trautman who shows up to every supervisor meeting and is still on the Planning Commission and the Vacancy Board Chairman, what has Flickinger done?

Has he been coming to township meetings and getting involved?

Sherry Blackburn, although she didn’t campaign, ran for supervisor against Tom Moore in the last election pulling relatively strong numbers.

Blackburn also occasionally shows up for meetings and keeps up with what is going on in the township.

There are several residents that have been very involved over the last several years who regularly attend meetings. Some have been coming for decades. Where has Flickinger been, and again why now?

Could this supporter of big business know something is coming down the road? Has he caught wind that the TIF may need to be voted on again if one of the law suits against it by local residents is victorious. Tanger just gave Trinity $5,000, why?
Rumor also has it that Flickinger is a friend of Hollick’s and could be using this position as a stepping stone.

You have to question anyone that puts their hat in the ring for a position that entails knowledge and involvement of their community and they haven’t been coming to meetings or been involved. Someone who gives away or believes in giving away taxpayer money. Someone trying to solicit support behind the scenes before the position has been open to the other residents.

As for Zelenka I’d like to say thanks. Thanks for the TIF. Thanks for putting DePretis on the board to carry out your agenda. Thanks for helping to make this township look like Monroeville. Thanks for being involved in getting us an unnecessary park that Consol Energy was going to build anyway, but instead you took the land for free and now millions in resident tax dollars are going to be used to build the park for Consol’s future development.

Maybe that’s why Flickinger wants on. Maybe he sees the blinding light called Consol?

But back to Zelenka, thanks for the unwanted and unneeded over $300,000 ball-field. Thanks for insulting residents at meetings.

The sad thing is your weren’t always horrible. There were times when you did seem to care about some resident issues. You just weren’t consistent.

However as my mother always says to me, “The Devil you know.” Whoever replaces you could be worse.