that Mt. Lebanon plans to appeal if I win on April 11, which means that they are taking it to Commonwealth Court!
Mr. Steve "It is free" Silverman thinks that this litigation is not costing Mt. Lebanon taxpayers any additional money, but wait till the retainer fee goes up next year with how they are keeping our solicitor busy this year.
I guess my gofund me will be staying up longer than I expected. Mt. Lebanon sure is sticking it to me.
15 comments:
One step at a time, Elaine. Just focus on the Common Pleas court hearing now. Of course the municipality will appeal to Commonwealth Court if it loses the first round. Everything is in your favor.
If and when an appeal comes your way, ask the lawyer to do it for free or at a very drastic reduced cost as they are now doing for you.
I don't know your bird source, Elaine, but remember that intimidation is the first chapter in the book of Mt Lebanon Government.
Just remember Elaine, if you win in the end, and that may very well be the case, they know they'll need to divulge this information next year and every year, unless they want to keep fighting in court..
Your win would throw a huge wrench into their plans. Some property owners won't allow hunting if they know their names will be public information. Sure, there are some, the ones with signs in their yard, but this would still be a huge victory for you.
Ah, well, the Commisses keep spending the taxpayer's money so they can be, "Right". It makes no common sense. They just keep making fools of themselves. They all née to resign. Sigh.
They all need to resign.
But 9:18, when questioned about spending $1100 + prizes on a taxpayer funded pancake breakfast Mr. McGill said it was about appreciation not a waste of taxpayer money. 90 employees attended, total compensation paid to those employees was a bit more than $5.3 million which averages out to about $59,000 per person, many of whom are being paid well over $100,000. Mr. McGill himself was paid close to $106,000 in 2015, drives around in a taxpayer funded vehicle and has his cell phone paid for by the taxpayers in addition to other misc benefits. The really sad part about all of this is that as a public servant with all that taxpayer compensation, Mr. McGill saw nothing wrong with it and felt no obligation to pay a lousy $12 for his breakfast. Another sad part is that this mentality is running rampant throughout our administration.
I was told that the commissioners did approve it, so yes, the commissioners are responsible.
Did I mention that manager McGill also attended the beautifully catered holiday party in December? Just more appreciation I guess.
Nick M.
Ahhh, that is why the cops have to cite jaywalkers. It's to pay for all the municipal partying.
What a shame, Elaine. It really is about intimidation because they know they can outspend you. I give you a lot of credit for hanging in there. I hope everyone who can support your campaign is doing so. Take care.
Elaine---I don't know how many of those pro-kill signs are still in residents' yards. I have one on my street and will send you a photo of it. He has proudly displayed it since August 2014. There was no killing in his yard. (However, he claims that a deer once tried to kill his dog---a very large lab. Liar, liar, pants on fire.)
My sense is that the variety of pro-kill signs went up as not-so-sharpshooting ended. I'm not sure what those people are/were trying to say at that point, but I do not think that those pro-kill signs were in the yards of residents who "donated" their yards for killing fields.
2:31 PM: The problem with the suggestion of Elaine's law firm continuing their representation "at a very drastic reduced cost" is that even the present "reduced cost" is still some serious money. Elaine has not received donations enough to cover this Round I event (not to mention the rest of her skin in the game) and she has to wonder about Round II? It kind of reminds me of the pig and the chicken discussing the breakfast menu. There's a huge difference between making an offering (eggs) and making a sacrifice (sausage). As I've said before, Elaine and Amy have been in very similar situations: a win by either is a win for all of us; a loss for either would be a loss for her, alone. I admire their grit; their determination; their commitment; and their raw courage. We all owe them a huge debt of gratitude!
Barbara S.:
Are you saying that Elaine should not have to contribute at all to her defense? You say that she has not received donations to cover round I. Should other people pay for her entire defense? I think she has received enormous financial support from her gofundme effort. People are getting tired of her constant demands for money.
As far as I know, Amy Castor did not have a gofundme and did not ask anyone for money. I think she spent thousands out of her own pocket.
Elaine CHOSE to pursue this case against the municipality. Amy was dragged into it. Either way, people need to take responsibility for their own actions.
I wish Elaine well and am grateful for her efforts. But she needs to stop laying the financial burden (which you concede is at a very drastic reduced cost) on others.
If people want to contribute to Amy's financial recovery, maybe they could send her a check via her lawyer.
Respectively, Castor CHOSE to pursue HER case downtown. This isn't a competition 8:26. Both women need assistance. Have you contributed to their *financial recovery* ?
8:26 PM, I have been sending updates on my gofundme, as recommended by the gofundme site. If people are getting tired of my "constant demands for money," please email me at EGillen476@aol.com and I will remove your address from the email list.
I am asking for help. I am thankful for the financial help I have received so far. I too, have spent thousands with ongoing RTKs, as well as legal fees through the years. As 9:47 PM wrote, this is not a competition.
I have not broken any laws. I am not being tried and there will be no guilty or not guilty pleas. I appealed to the PA Office of Open Records, but was forced to hire an attorney to fight Mt. Lebanon's unwillingness to comply with transparency laws.
I apologize for my "constant demands for money." I wish money was no object, but sometimes life doesn't always go as planned. Again, send your "opt out" requests to me and I will remove your name from the list. I will continue to have my fund posted on the blog. I am sorry if that offends you or anyone else, 8:26 PM.
Elaine
I just read these posts. I maintain that everyone is entitled to an opinion. I think that is Elaine's primary reason to have this blog. Let's not get mean, though. It's unnecessary and just provides more evidence that we are a very flawed species. We get enough of that from the pro-kill people.
MEANTIME,it's time to talk college hoops. My team is going to the Final Four this weekend and I am counting the minutes until the game starts tomorrow night.
Reply to 8:26 PM
I'm not sure you understand just how much skin Elaine has maintained in the game. As she already said in her response, she has been calling the municipality to account (for better than a decade, I believe), encountering increasingly fortified walls being put up against transparency. It is not normative for the Office of Open Records to rule in favor of the party requesting information through the Right to Know laws, and they have ruled in favor of Elaine, not once but twice! They have found that Mt. Lebanon has no legal justification for denying the disclosure of the information being sought, but Mt. Lebanon has chosen to "stonewall" Elaine, once again. Elaine has a strong legal position; Mt. Lebanon is blowing smoke in front of mirrors. To my recollection, this is the first and only time Elaine has not assumed full financial responsibility for her battles with Mt. Lebanon, and , this is some serious money involved. Remember the difference between the pig and the chicken over the breakfast menu discussion? She has not strong-armed anyone, shamed anyone, or made anyone feel less-than for not participating in donating: she has simply reached out to a group of people who have said that this matter concerns all of us and has given us a chance to make contributions to the cause. We can donate eggs like the chicken; she has had the stress, sleepless nights, and the thousand questions of the pig thinking about sausage. She has not published a list of contributors; has not shunned anyone for having made meager gifts or none at all; or treated anyone with favorism or with distain over responses to the Go Fund Me. This is a chance for people to show more than the support that comes with posting comments--it's a chance to come alongside of someone who has sacrificed time, energy, emotion, and a great deal of her own money to keep all of us informed of the things the municipality would just as soon sweep or keep under the rug. We owe Elaine a great deal more than money can ever repay, and it is sad, really sad, if all you can see is dollar signs. Maybe you should opt-out of the list. You might be happier that way.
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