__________________________________________________________________________________
    __________________________________________________________________________________

    Why the backlog, Al?
    Ambro forget work didn't get done with
    3 funded solicitors?

    RAVES of concern here today for Commissioner Al Ambrosini. After hearing
    comments he made publicly yesterday at a pow wow of Connellsville area officials
    gathered to discuss finances in Connellsville, it's time for a most somber chat,
    readers.

    Seriously, the man needs our prayers.

    For instance, in today's Trib article, "Connellsville finances discussed," the
    commissioner made comments that clearly demonstrate his lack of insight into daily
    county business and seriously cause reason to doubt his ramblings are intentional
    lies, at this point in time.

    During a discussion of a backlog of distributing $1 million in tax claim sale revenue,
    the commissioner actually said this, as confirmed by someone in attendance and, of
    course, the paper's text:

    "Ambrosini said he's aware of the issue and had hired a third county solicitor to
    get a bulk of the petitions through and then take on the petitions in a timely
    manner. However, the solicitor's position was eliminated by the other two
    commissioners, he added."



    Truth of the matter -- that seemed to be lost, except for just one in attendance -- is
    that the funding for a third solicitor was just recently terminated, when the 2015
    budget was adopted one month ago.

    Funding for that third solicitor position, indeed, was funded from way back when
    through 12/31/14.

    Why, o, why then did the work not get done? Why the backlog? Does Fayette
    seriously need even a 4th solicitor, or did 1-2-3 solicitors not do the work, period?




    From the time that Ambrosini hired his political campaign contributor
    Ken Burkley as interim solicitor in 2012 and Burkley left, and the time a
    third local attorney was funded through the last of 2014, the county
    consistently had 3 solicitors.

    As the backlog of paperwork to release the $1 million in revenue to
    revenue-strapped municipalities and other entities turned into a
    mountain of backlog paperwork, Fayette had funding available for 3
    solicitors.  


    The simple and undeniable truth of the matter is that the work that could have got
    done under Ambrosini's leadership did not get done. His comments yesterday were
    inaccurate to the elected leaders from Connellsville's City Council and the state
    senate and house of representatives. Because what it seems to be only one present
    with the real insight into what really happened, nobody else present knew better to
    question his truthfulness.



    It's much easier -- especially in a large group of Republicans and Democrats as
    Ambrosini was yesterday -- just to pass the buck of blame and absolve himself from
    having any role in the backlog and delay of the release of the money. Ambrosini was
    negligently absent for most budget meetings for the past two years. Period.



    Please, please, readers, pray -- say a rosary, light a candle, mention him at Sunday's
    mass as needing divine intervention -- for the man who cannot seem to state reality
    as truthful fact.  

    Nobody likes embarrassing someone for being absent minded or oblivious to reality,
    so, instead, lets just pray for him.

    For goodness sake, isn't there one person who genuinely loves and cares for the
    man? Take his car keys away from him, do whatever is necessary, to keep him from
    embarrassing himself like this again and others from being embarrassed for him
    when they learn the truth.

    It's too late to benefit from a course in county government leadership. And his issue
    goes well beyond lying. (30 Jan 15)

    _________________________________________________________________________________

                                       "Quotes Of The Day"

    "Since their selection, Astorino has made good progress.”
    Commissioner Angela Zimmerlink, from this afternoon's release, "Commissioners
    move forward with prison expansion project" on heraldstandard.com, commenting on
    the county prison project architect's steady movement, in an article largely laced with
    negative statements from the 1 nay voting commissioner on the prison expansion
    project (29 Jan 15)

    "On Thursday, there were 13 inmates housed in out-of-county prisons, according to
    prison administrators."
    Quote from the above referenced news article about the number of out of county
    prison cage rentals as of today


    "Warden Brian Miller stated...the out of county rentals are 28 male inmates in Greene
    County, and 19 in Bedford County for a total of 47 out of county male inmates."
    Population Report for September 2014, Fayette County Prison Board Meeting
    Minutes, the most current monthly meeting minutes published on the county's website


    "47 minus 13 is 34 less out of county cage rentals today than were 4 months ago."
    Moi, shaking my head, not understanding why the paper or the 1 naysayer
    commissioner say that "It is unclear how the county now plans to address the
    overcrowding."
    __________________________________________________________________

    Fayette had 47 out of county
    inmates 4 months ago and today
    has 13.

    Are the Day Reporting Center and
    all the special courts created to
    divert jail incarcerations and treat
    affected persons starting to take
    effect?

    Or is Fayette just temporarily a
    little more better off?

    __________________________________________________________________

    Airport Authority to hold special
    Monday 12 noon meeting


    A special meeting of the Fayette County Airport Authority will be held at the
    airport, at 12 noon, on Monday, February 2.

    As per the unsigned legal notice in the paper today, the meeting is called to
    "discuss the new hangar project and any other business that comes before
    the Authority's Board of Directors."

    While a state representative said today that there is no requirement for the
    public meeting notice to include a signature of a director, secretary or board
    president, all meeting notices for special and regular meetings must be
    properly advertised.



    The Authority's solicitor today confirmed that a public notice for regular 2015
    meetings was properly advertised for the Authority's regular 2015 meetings
    in mid-January, prior to the regular meeting on January 21, and that a
    reorganizational meeting was also held 8 days ago.

    A public notice, however, was not placed in the paper stating that a re-
    organizational or special reorganizational meeting was scheduled or that a
    reorganizational meeting would precede the regular January meeting.




    Is a re-organizational meeting really a formal process that must be advertised
    as a special meeting or be included in the annual meeting list ?

    Or is that just what municipal authorities and public funded boards typically
    do out of courtesy or their board's individual bylaws  to inform the public that
    there may be changes with a formal reorganization?

    The Authority solicitor has been asked for clarification.  (29 Jan 15)
    __________________________________________________________________________________



    Once again...
    Ambrosini goes unprepared to
    county business meeting


    Commissioner Al Ambrosini came unprepared, without bid numbers or
    names of contractors, to today's county meeting and made a failed motion to
    accept lowest bids for the CYS building addition project. (Please see 3:58 in
    video of today's meeting).

    What's worse, Ambrosini appeared to have been oblivious to a
    communication yesterday from the county solicitor, stating that he was still
    reviewing information and was not prepared yet to render a legal opinion on
    the bids and project.



    As per meeting discussion, Ambrosini, the solicitor and engineer Rob
    Sleighter met 2 days ago to review the bids. Readers recall that some of the
    bids that were not appropriately marked and sealed were not opened last
    week for review and consideration.

    John Cupp, county lead solicitor, today noted that the day after meeting with
    Ambrosini and Sleighter, that he found that a state recommendations manual
    for the project had changed. Cupp said he still has that matter to review and
    will render a legal opinion soon.

    Was this change a factor that a project engineer accepting project bids
    should have known? Commissioners have been asked for clarification.



    Five days ago, Commissioner Vincent Zapotosky stated in email to his fellow
    commissioners that he was in favor of terminating Sleighter's contract with
    the county for the CYS project. The 3 bids that Ambrosini wanted approved
    today resulted from a second necessary advertisement for bids opened 6
    days ago.

    No move to remove Sleighter from that role was made today.

    In other business, commissioners agreed to advertise for alternate human
    resource services and to post a human resource director position. Nobody
    from Felice and Associates, the county's current contracted HR provider,
    appeared at today's meeting. (28 Jan 15)

    (Once again, thanks to Chuck U. Farley for taking time to volunteer to
    record this meeting for the public.)


    __________________________________________________________________________________


    Will county boot Felice?

    Some of the few special items on tomorrow's county meeting agenda, other
    than routine business, include considering options for human resources
    services. Commissioners are set to discuss advertising for county human
    resource services and posting a human resource director position.

    Currently, Felice and Associates of Greensburg is contracted to direct and
    manage the county's human resource department. The county previously
    had entered into a 3-year contract with Felice to provide human resource
    services for a whopping sum of $367,200.

    Also, tomorrow commissioners will also consider ratifying the extension of
    or rejecting proposals for the downtown jail project. The twice previously
    scheduled and cancelled meeting tomorrow starts at 10 AM. (27 Jan 15)  
    __________________________________________________________________



    "If I die before I wake, please, God, cancel my county board
    seats and appointments. Amen."

    Neither a RANT nor a RAVE, but another morning of head shaking while
    reading the local paper. Seems that all 3 county commissioners voted earlier
    this month to re-appoint a board member who passed away 2 years ago to
    one of the county boards.

    What's even worse is that the board reportedly was declared inactive a few
    years ago by federal legislation.

    Since all 3 unanimously approved the re-appointment, nobody is exempt
    from responsibility for the embarrassing move. While we can't require our
    elected officials be psychic and just naturally know these things, they should
    have known, somehow.





    Board members whose terms are ending should be required to submit a
    written statement that he or she wishes to serve on a board or a county
    authority for an additional term. If that's already a requirement, then the
    policy needs to be implemented as best practice.

    More importantly, though, all commissioners should be present at work and
    available to meet for board interviews as well.

    "This is an embarrassment to the county. I could not imagine that this would
    have happened if Warren were still running the show for the
    commissioners," one courthouse staff said Saturday morning, referring to
    Warren Hughes, the former chief county clerk, who retired in 2012.  

    Perhaps the source, usually empathetic to the camp of Commissioner Al
    Ambrosini, was trying to deflect all commissioner error. Ambrosini failed to
    respond to invitations to interview board candidates and was not present at
    the courthouse in December or January for board applicant interviews. When
    contacted by the referenced source, that source was reminded of these
    things.




    Reminiscent of the embarrassment experienced when a county staff billed
    Medicaid on several different past occasions for services provided to
    deceased clients, re-appointing a dead man to a county board should not
    have ever happened.

    Stupid things such as this, however, do happen, when persons paid to work
    for the county don't give a rat's ass to carry their fair share of the work load.
    (26 Jan 15)  
    ____________________________________________________________

    It's time for work!
    Divine intervention: a key, under-
    estimated
    Fayette political tool  

    No doubt about it, the most prayed for person in Fayette County in 2014,
    hands down, across the board, was Commissioner Vincent Zapotosky.

    No doubt about it. It was a great deal more, too, than just the jail decision at
    stake. We collectively felt his pain.

    And no doubt about it, nobody has stopped praying for him, either.



    It's just at this time, however, a collective prayer and positive Karma request
    should also include Commissioner Angela Zimmerlink.

    No doubt about it, her job right now could and should be made a lot easier.




    If both her fellow commissioners went to work regularly and all shared ideas
    and worked cooperatively on county problems and business, Zimmerlink's
    job probably would be easier. At least, we hope it would be.  

    While nobody here would exclude Commissioner Al Ambrosini from any
    collective prayer or positive Karma request his-a-way, I realize that for some,
    that might be too much to ask. Do it anyway.

    Sometimes, no matter how much positive vibe we send, it bounces off -- or
    at least that's how it appears to have been so far. Maybe one day it will stick.  
    Please do it anyway, even if you think it's a hopeless cause.



    Zapotosky, however, seems to be moving more and more in a better
    direction with his thinking. At this time, he still needs to step it up more
    because, well, there's really no other alternative. It's time for work.


    Zimmerlink needs fellow commissioners who are present or accessible for
    consultations and want to talk budgets and solve problems. Period.  

    To get the downtown jail project from the planning phase to an operational
    end, Zapotosky needs to lead or make Zimmerlink the county chair and be
    accessible for signatures and opinions on county business.




    Should Zimmerlink continue to be the only commissioner who goes to work
    regularly, we here hope that she opts finally to hire an assistant. While she
    has not had an assistant for a very long time by choice, she shouldn't feel
    that the expense is a frivolous or unneeded one.


    Sure, we know, she more likely would rather have fellow commissioners
    who went to work regularly and were present to help resolve issues and
    conduct county business.

    So may that soon happen, with or with out divine intervention. (26 Jan 15)



    __________________________________________________________________

    What if Al answered just these 2
    questions?

    RAVES if this would happen. Come on, please indulge a lady writer an
    opportunity, just once, to ask a particular set of questions without feeling as
    though the task at hand is pulling teeth.


    What if Commissioner Al Ambrosini agreed to meet publicly, to answer just
    these 2 questions to the best of his ability? Sure there are other questions
    that need to be answered, but imagine how he would impress a frustrated
    group of citizens if he honestly answered even these 2 questions?

    It would be a good place to start, no?




    These questions need to be answered and answered to the best of his
    ability. Either that, or he could even have someone else, ahead of time, write
    his answers for him to read later publicly at a meeting.



    If he answered these 2 simple questions honestly, citizens would not be so
    angry with him:

  • How will Fayette County survive financially if a large court settlement from
    the Munshinski case is ordered in 2015?

  • Why does Ambrosini continue not to show documentation -- as he has been
    asked to do a few times -- to support his claims that out of county jail rental
    costs total $200,000 per month, each month. This is a gross exaggeration of
    the true cost? (26 Jan 15)
    ____________________________________________________________________________________________

                                    "Quotes Of The Day"

    "It says -- and I quote --  'things like this are not happening at county
    commissioner meetings in neighboring counties. And it’s no secret that all of
    those counties are doing much better economically than Fayette County. Is
    that the only reason?'
    Pete, today at the diner, reading aloud an editorial in the local paper critical of
    citizens attending a county commissioner meeting for speaking out of turn
    and commissioners for not vacating the room after a citizen spoke out of turn
    and brought out the matter of the meeting not being advertised...

    "He's right to an extent. Things aren't happening like this elsewhere. Those
    counties remember to advertise their meetings. They didn't engage in 18
    months of private meetings violating Sunshine Act as Ambrosini's little jail
    group did. The other counties would never have let a big ticket project like
    the Dunbar jail go out for bid illegally in the building trades without a second
    commissioner signature and controller's approval, as Al Ambrosini did here.  
    Other counties would not have moved to spend $1.25 million on land without
    proper bids being advertised as Fayette did. Other counties have media that
    exposes all of those things, too, lets not forget!"
    Dave, in follow up

    "Apparently, the editor didn't watch the whole video of the meeting, as there
    instances where a commissioner intervened to stop a citizen from
    interrupting Ambrosini. The video shows times when a commissioner
    interacted in meaningful dialogue with Ambrosini, stressing how important
    his input is and Ambrosini being mute or near mute in a room so quiet at
    times that you could hear a pin drop waiting for him to speak."
    Pete, mentioning how unfair and biased the editorial today was in
    Ambrosini's favor, while ignoring things he has done in private deals to
    undermine the county's integrity and worsen its reputation as a hotbed of
    corruption and back room kick back deals... and what should -- at least ideally
    -- be a natural reaction of disgust from its citizens

    "Oh, I sense that people like Terry, Gerry and Marybeth will be blamed in a
    future edition for global warming, too."
    Dave's wife, adding, "The paper misses the point that some to most of the
    outspoken critics at one time were people who actively campaigned 4 years
    ago for Ambrosini or contributed to his first campaign. It's not as though
    these citizens were not in support of him once upon a time. He misused their
    trust and they're calling him on it. Plain and simple... I would hope citizens in
    other counties would not stand back and quietly let that happen there, either."

    "The editor made it clear recently (in a different editorial from 1-18-15) that
    people at his paper don't get paid enough to ask for the truth. The paper
    might be comfortable with hearing Ambrosini go on and on without fact
    checking, but that void, that absence of truth, leaves the real watchdogs of
    the county government having to volunteer their time or pay for legal
    intervention to demand accountability."
    Pete
    _________________________________________________________________
      

    Zap confirms he wants new CYS project
    engineer

    Commissioner Vincent Zapotosky confirmed that he yesterday withdrew his
    support to have Sleighter Engineering serve as engineer and project
    manager of the current CYS building expansion project.

    "How do you pay when they messed up from start?" he asked today of the
    firm that had to rebid the construction bids a second time due to engineer
    error with the first set of bids last month.



    Two days ago, at the long-awaited second opening of bids, legal opinion was
    sought in regard to some bids not being properly marked or open. A few bids
    Thursday were not opened as a result of having differing bid numbers or not
    properly sealed shut. It is unknown at this time whether the project will have
    to go out to bid a third time.



    Following the December snafu, when the engineer reportedly misinformed
    contractors at a pre-bid conference that the time was extended to submit
    bids, when it was not extended, Commissioner Angela Zimmerlink said that
    she would not agree to pay Sleighter for costs associated with that second
    then necessary bill to re-advertise for bids.

    Sleighter, of course, also was the engineer for the now abandoned new jail
    project in Dunbar Township. Sleighter also was recently chosen by the
    Airport Authority to replace long-time aeronautic engineer Michael Baker for
    an upcoming hanger addition project there. (24 Jan 15)
    __________________________________________________________

    Zap wants engineer removed from CYS project
    CYS building project might need put
    out to bid a 3rd time?

    After the second scheduled opening of construction bids for the CYS building
    project yesterday, one source said confusion thick in the air may require that
    the project be put out to bid a third time.

    With the latest controversy involving numbers on bid packets in comparison
    to documented bid numbers, the decision rested on solicitor opinion to open
    only the bids that were appropriately marked and sealed.  



    Commissioners are asked to comment on whether this confusion resulted
    because the contractors misunderstood the bid process, or if Sleighter
    Engineering, the CYS building project manager and architect, provided
    misinformation on the bidding process.


    Bids originally were to be opened on December 4 for the project, but were
    rejected after engineer Rob Sleighter reportedly told contractors gathered at
    a pre-bid conference that the time to submit bids was extended but was not.






    During attempts to confirm this information about yesterday's bid opening,
    another trusted source confirmed that some bids were not opened and that
    the commission chairman reportedly stated today that he wants Sleighter
    removed from the county building addition project.

    Commission Chairman Vince Zapotosky was asked to comment on why he
    said that he wants a new architect and project manager for the CYS building
    expansion project.  (23 Jan 15)

    __________________________________________________________

    And what's up with the $1M gift?
    Airport Authority: what's up with the
    loan?

    Neither a RANT nor a RAVE, but a question wondered aloud in some homes,
    offices, businesses and far more than one diner today...

    Why is the airport authority borrowing money to start the $2 million dollar
    hanger expansion project, when a private citizen offered a $1 million gift 7
    months ago to take care of the authority's needed $1 million match for the $2
    million dollar project?

    Hasn't the former county commish chair been busy brokering the sweet $1
    million dollar deal to get the gift? Did he blow the deal for the airport on
    multiple occasions, by publicly blaming the gift-giver and a current fellow
    commissioner for jail over crowding? Opinion seems to believe this is a
    fairly strong possibility.




    Time will tell, of course.

    For now, it appears that those guiding airport authority opinion must not feel
    very confident that the $1 million gift will be given any time soon.

    If they're poised to begin borrowing money, surely, one would think that the
    charismatic broker easily could get the gift in the bank to save the authority
    from losing money to pay for loan interest.






    It is the sincere hope of this column, editor and probably all whose lives
    touch ours here, daily or somewhat regularly, that the airport continues to
    prosper.  


    Maybe, in part, it was hearing its history -- especially hearing former airport
    authority member Myrna Giannopoulos last year talk about how her mother
    worked at the airport half a century ago and being able to imagine what it was
    like then.

    Naturally, though, in larger part, being taken aback over the years on
    occasion at it's  breathtaking view always makes one want to return and see
    it once more. It's a peacefully quiet, sometimes seemingly deserted, out of
    the way place with a breathtaking view and nice, little, modern terminal.



    That all said, it's easy to imagine why some of the area's elected officials
    joined at the hip with some politically appointed to government boards and
    other positions, who are not pilots and do not fly in or out of the airport, like
    to meet socially at the highly private airport.  







    No matter who operates the airport and no matter who sits and votes on its
    board, we know who rules it.

    Then, we know who else might have blown a $1 million dollar gift or,
    somehow, possibly misled the gift-giver to think grant stipulations for
    funding and spending allowances were not as strictly written in stone and
    specific as the grant so mandates.



    Nobody wants to be negative about it. Really.

    It's just that when someone so consistently wrong as Ambrosini starts talking
    about getting a loan for a $1 million dollar hanger expansion where there's no
    sewage to cover costs until and if a $1 million gift 8 months in the making
    does make it into airport accounts, people start to get nervous.

    That is, people who genuinely love the airport, as well as those who have
    never seen and gasped at its view and never been in awe of it, but don't want
    to see all the public money that has gone into it over the years to be lost.





    Although Ambrosini would over use the photo op moment if and when the $1
    million dollar gift is given, RAVES of hope goes out that the $1 million gift
    wasn't taken off the table completely by Ambrosini's frequent criticism in
    recent months of the gift-giver's past record in political office, for not building
    a new jail from 2004.

    It would be a sincere shame if the authority one day would lose the airport
    and property because it couldn't make a loan payment. It would be an
    inexcusably, bigger shame if Ambrosini's repeated public slaps at the gift-
    giver over the jail issue stopped the gift giving, or if Ambrosini possibly
    provided misinformation 8 months ago, to the gift-giver, about how loosely
    project grant purpose requirements could be interpreted when they can't.




    Something happened to cause the ones who rule the airport to opt for the
    loan route.

    We can only hope that the $1 million gift hits the bank before loan papers are
    inked... and hope for nothing more. (23 Jan 15)

    __________________________________________________________


    Airport Authority: reorganizational meeting
    held without being properly advertised?

    RANTS that the Fayette County Airport Authority seems to have met
    yesterday for a reorganization and formal monthly meeting, without  public
    notice being given in advertisement or publication in the paper .

    Sources confirm that no public notice for the reorganization was placed in the
    papers prior to the authority reorganizing.

    Yesterday's first regular monthly meeting and reorganization meeting was
    preceded by a special meeting early in the month, called to change airport
    engineers. (22 Jan 15)

    ___________________________________________________________


                                 
                                     "Quote Of The Day"

    "I see that Daddy Warbucks has not finalized his $1 million dollar gift yet to the
    airport authority."
    Dave, this morning at the diner, reading the paper about yesterday's airport
    authority meeting, during which the authority finally reorganized and voted to
    get a short-term loan to tie them over, for an expansion grant match program, till
    the millionaire's "gift" or match is received

    "If Al Ambrosini were bashing me as much as he has the rich, former
    commissioner gift-giver for not building a jail when he was in office, I wouldn't
    give him a million dollars, either."
    Pete, still not believing that the $1 million dollar gift will ever be deposited into
    the airport's account... Ambrosini, of course, took full credit 6 months ago for
    securing the "gift" for the airport's on-again, off-again hanger expansion project.
    He also has spent much of the last 6 months since bashing the gift giver just to
    bash the current minority commissioner, who once served in office with the
    millionaire former commissioner.


    __________________________________________________________


    Oh, no!
    Legal opinion: Ambro may have violated
    zero tolerance for campaigning on the
    public's thin dime


    Commissioner Al Ambrosini may have violated election laws
    banning the misuse of public property and position to be
    used for political campaign, as per an out of the area
    county solicitor who reads here.


    "What on earth is that man thinking, to take a reporter in
    his county courthouse office, during a meeting with paid
    county government employees, to talk about his political
    future and the next election!" the guest opinion giver
    exclaimed.

    "I read in the Trib that Ambrosini met in his office with
    the writer and said he's confident voters will oust your 2
    other commissioners and elect 2 leaders who will join him in
    building that new jail.

    The story that he referred to, "Fayette County leader looks
    to election for help on prison project," was published 5
    days ago in the Trib.





    "How unfortunate that he told the paper, in that forum, that
    he's seeking re-election," the lawyer said of his unwavering
    opinion that Ambrosini likely was politicking from his desk
    in the county courthouse.

    Not only did the commissioner appear to be
    campaigning on public work time, he appeared to the
    reader in contact also to be trying to jump start
    political careers of other new candidates on the
    election scene.

    In other words, Ambrosini, in the laywer's opinion,
    was really pushing the envelope, for turning the
    scheduled jail meeting into a political campaign
    soap-box moment.





    It is what it is.

    He was wearing the hat of an on-duty commissioner
    and was meeting with the media to say he's running
    again and wants to be re-elected.





    "He doesn't realize what he did? I understand why commentary
    here often has you asking if he's delusional, lying or just
    stupid.



    "I'm surprised that the paper ignored that your commissioner
    was campaigning on the public's dime," the amazed controller
    from another area dropped by to say. About an hour later, he
    sent a P.S.





    On second thought, he said that he really was not surprised
    that media ignored Ambrosini's re-election campaign pitch
    made on the public dime.

    What he said, as he campaigned while working in official
    capacity as an elected county official, during a meeting
    which he formally called himself, in recruiting email that
    morning to county employees and jail team members... is one
    of the most incredibly bold and stupid things that a current-
    day, elected official could do.  



    "I agree, too, that Ambrosini should take a course," he said.

    "Sooner or later, someone is going to care, even if he might
    be just stupid!" (21 Jan 15)




    __________________________________________________________

    Farley posts meeting video

    RAVES, once again, to Chuck U. Farley, for caring enough to capture
    the "almost meeting" of the county commissioners yesterday on video.
    While both newspapers mentioned the time spent largely arguing, the
    video also captures some meaningful, quiet dialogue between
    commissioners.

    That the meeting was not a formal meeting and not recorded by the
    county, Farley's video becomes more valuable as a means to track
    Fayette government.

    RAVES to the young man performing a public service. He's someone
    who might want to consider setting up a PayPal account.  (21 Jan 15)
    ___________________________________________________________



    Ad placed today for wrong meeting day
    Friday Commish meeting: cancelled

    The rescheduled county commissioners' meeting, set to be held on Friday,
    January 23, also has been cancelled, due to an insufficient advance notice
    period.

    There will be a notice in the paper cancelling Friday's meeting. It was
    unstated whether there was time to cancel the notice announcing a Friday
    meeting from publication in tomorrow's paper.

    "The notice that she (Chief County Clerk Amy Revak) placed in the
    (Herald Standard) today is not sufficient notice.  Accordingly, there will
    be a notice cancelling Friday’s meeting," Commissioner Angela
    Zimmerlink said today.




    As per the commissioner, yesterday, the county solicitor instructed the
    chief county clerk to review a memorandum that he provided her 8
    months ago for guidelines to placing public notices for an annual listing
    of meeting dates and times.

    The memorandum from the solicitor 8 months ago stated that publication
    notice for an annual meeting list notice must be published at least 3 days
    before the first meeting.

    Should the ad run tomorrow in the paper, then the earliest the meeting
    can be held is Wednesday, January 28.  (21 Jan 15)
    ___________________________________________________________



                                 "Quotes Of The Day"

    "The difference is Rants&Raves would write something if toye heard
    Ambrosini or Mahoney say he was told months ahead which contractor was
    selected prior to the jail project going out for bids."
    Pete, today at the diner, being a gentleman and defending the honor of this
    absent editor, referring to this column's occasional RANT because media has
    amazingly ignored Commissioner Vince Zapotosky's statement that he was
    told prior to the bid process the jail contractor's name...

    "Your lunch is on Pete!"
    Waitress, later,  to me, picking up take out

    "I lost the bet we made.  You bet the airport board and solicitor would forget
    to reorganize in 2015 and wouldn't place the public meeting notice the proper
    way without Mrs. G reminding them what to do."
    Pete, in email later, saying also that he wonders if the airport board solicitor
    will know how to continue when that authority board reconvenes and meets
    today at the airport... The airport authority board is poised this early evening
    to proceed with plans to replace long-time airport project aeronautics
    engineer with a local engineer.

    Lets hope the airport public meeting notice was placed in the paper properly
    with signature, with that kind of a controversial deal possibly being finalized
    today. (21 Jan 15)





    __________________________________________________________


    Would chief clerk have stopped meeting?
    What if Homistek had not asked about
    the public notice ad?

    Neither a RANT nor a RAVE, but a question worth asking, following
    yesterday's monthly county meeting being cancelled because the public
    notice wasn't advertised in the newspapers.

    What if citizen Marybeth Homistek had not inquired about the publication in
    newspapers of the meeting notice yesterday?

    While the chief county clerk quickly answered commissioners that no, the ad
    was not placed, would the chief clerk have stopped the meeting herself to
    make such a declaration, if Homistek had not been there to ask?




    If a copy of the ignored email that the clerk said she sent to the
    commissioners last week is not provided today, a Right To Know request will
    be sent to obtain it.




    Did the chief clerk say in the email last week that the ad was not placed? Was
    it an SOS email that stated the ad was not ever placed in the papers and that
    it needed to be placed?

    Or did she simply send an email inquiring about the location of May and
    November meetings, due to election scheduling of the regular meeting room
    in the public service building?




    While it is disappointing that the meeting was not advertised, it is more
    disappointing that it appeared that the business meeting likely would
    have continued if a citizen had not asked about it. The chief clerk also
    quickly answered yesterday that the public agenda meeting last week
    that was held also was not advertised.

    That the commissioners did not appear to know this information until
    yesterday's "almost meeting" is appalling.




    With ongoing contracts being approved and decisions made at public
    meetings, it is more upsetting that the meeting even started in the first place
    and that it appears likely would have been held -- as the agenda meeting last
    week was allowed to be held -- had Homistek not inquired about the ad.



    Commissioners should be ready to react with appropriate disciplinary
    action -- including a few day of unpaid suspension for themselves --
    depending on what the email shows.

    Did the chief clerk last week advise them that the public notice ad for
    last week's agenda meeting, yesterday's meeting and all 2015 meetings
    never ran yet?

    That's the real story here. (21 Jan 15)

    ________________________________________________________________________________

    PCH operator complains of cut county mental
    health services to her site

    RAVES to the administrator from an area personal care home, who spoke at
    the county meeting about a frustrating break-down of community mental
    health services provided to her formally dubbed "enhanced" personal care
    home site.

    In exchange for offering housing and care services for some of the county's
    most difficult psychiatric patients discharged from state hospitals, the home
    received in home special services to help monitor the after care and health
    of the former patients. As per the woman today, those services have stopped.

    Those special "enhanced" services came to a handful of local personal care
    homes, as part of a Community Hospital Integration (CHIP) fund created
    when Somerset State Hospital closed in the mid-1990s.

    Some of those few, special "enhanced" personal care homes also received
    former state hospital patients so involved that they were first discharged to a
    locked down Fay mental health facility in Grindstone.



    RANTS that this woman's appearance today at the county meeting, to ask
    what happened to the special services she got for the difficult population she
    keeps, tells all that she seems unaware that the CHIP money for mentally ill
    adults long ago ran out.

    Her appearance seems to confirm that the county's managed behavioral
    health care budgets let some of the original CHIP stake holders fall through
    the cracks.  




    The once dubbed "enhanced" personal care homes have saved the county a
    ton of inpatient Medicaid behavioral health money over the years, by
    managing difficult mentally ill people outpatient. The former state hospital
    patients discharged to the enhanced personal care homes saved the county
    another ton of money over the years as well.

    It should also be noted that some of the enhanced homes also saved the
    county some money by keeping the former patients from the state hospital
    out of trouble and out of the county jail.



    The woman who spoke today has been doing this for 14 years. It should be
    noted, too, that these folks were not paid more money to take care of former
    state hospital psych patients than they were for the sweet, cooperative lady
    who needs to recuperate from surgery before she can return home.




    RANTS that the services from a state hospital closure, from funds given
    directly to counties to divert re-hospitalizations, have become so watered-
    down that someone, a stake holder from the early CHIP days, feels
    discouraged and abandoned enough to speak out about it. (20 Jan 15)


    Related Reading:

    Community Mental Health Service Meltdown: 85 Possibly Missing
    The Animal Menagerie & Its Stink All The Way To The Courthouse

    ___________________________________________________________


    "You know you need an intervention when you say
    something stupid as this Quote Of The Day"

    "Clarify something for me, Commissioner Zimmerlink, first of all, if there was
    a real intent to solve this prison problem, then why did you not accept my
    invitation in July of 2012 to become part of this team?"
    Commissioner Al Ambrosini, grinning, today, at the "almost commissioners'
    meeting," asking the minority commish why she did not participate in his
    unadvertised monthly jail ad hoc work group meetings from late 2012 on.

    He appeared to be foolishly thinking that he might rattle her, but he didn't.  
    (The exchange starts at 34:26 on this video.) Mouths have dropped, not
    believing he was still asking the same question of her again.



    RANTS that Ambrosini still is oblivious to Sunshine Act laws, starting into his
    4th year in office.

    Even after today's "almost meeting," and the lengthy tutorial -- what has to
    be Zimmerlink's umpteenth brave attempt to reach the inner part of
    Ambrosini's brain with a simply stated, insightful explanation of the Sunshine
    Act and its necessary application to county business.  


    RAVES to her calmly spoken, eloguently stated response, well worth
    watching, that ultimately recommended that Ambrosini consult with any of
    the county solicitors or a newspaper PNA attorney (quoted in an article that
    Ambrosini needed to, but refused to advertise the meetings to allow 2
    commissioners to attend without violating Sunshine Act) or, as Zimmerlink
    ultimately recommended today, maybe he "should take a course."


    That he genuinely appears to be hearing all this each time she has said it, as
    though it's always the first time he is hearing it ever said, is most unsettling
    and cause to question his continued ability to be in office making decisions.

    If he's acting stupid, it's time to cut it out,
    roll up his sleeves and act as though he's in an elected role for the next 11
    months, to help run a county that will be hit, sooner than we think, with
    paying out a small fortune for court prosecutorial misconduct.

    If he's acting stupid, he needs to smarten up and help manage a jail problem
    that worsened across the board, during his 3-year period of lead
    mismanagement, denial, and intentional delay in jail over crowding problem
    solving, all to help his cause.  (20 Jan 15)
    __________________________________________________________

    Man who petitioned court 2x to stop her hire now offers support
    Chief County Clerk failed to
    advertise 2015 monthly
    commish meetings

    RAVES to citizens playing the part of government watchdogs, when the
    media isn't paying close enough attention for us.

    Today, it was discovered at the start of the monthly county commissioners
    meeting that the chief county clerk failed to properly advertise the meetings,
    as previously directed to do so. Publication of meeting notices is necessary
    to be compliant of the Sunshine Act.

    As a result, the day to day business of today's meeting was not conducted.



    Ironically, a different citizen, who penned a recent letter to the editor calling
    for a change in command at the jail -- and also is the same man who tried not
    once, but twice, in court to block the hiring of the chief county clerk in 2012 --
    offered support today to the "overwhelmed" clerk.  Go figure!



    The "almost meeting" didn't end, of course, without Commissioner Al
    Ambrosini pathetically trying to defend his continued push for the now
    abandoned plan to build an all-new jail complex in Dunbar Township.   (20 Jan
    15)
    ________________________________________________________________________________

    Editorial makes it to news satire site?
    All have a right to publish whatever they so
    wish

    Certainly, nobody wants to take the paper and an editor's rights to publish
    any news and commentary that they wish to publish. It's, however, no secret
    that the editor dislikes the minority commissioner. Just about anyone who
    knows him will tell you so.

    If she said blue is blue, he would disagree, just for the sake of disagreeing.
    Being it's her saying blue is blue, he would differ to say blue has to be white.
    Bias keeps him from saying blue is blue.


    That said, if the former county commish chair Al Ambrosini said blue is
    green, the paper, by the editor's definition of his role, would have no
    obligation to tell us Commissioner Al Ambrosini is wrong and that blue is, of
    course, blue.



    That all said, by the editor's statement, if the minority commissioner said
    blue is blue in front of the editor, and later Ambrosini said, no, no, she said
    blue is white, the editor would still feel no responsibility -- i.e., again, by his
    own definition of his role --  to say Ambrosini is incorrect.

    By his own definition of his role, the editor feels no role or responsibility to
    clarify blue is frigging blue, just because it is simply the right thing to do.  (18
    Jan 15)
    ___________________________________________________________
     
           "Mouth Dropping Quote Of The Day"

    "Whether it's the truth or not is beyond our pay grade. It's up to you the
    reader to decide if a public official is telling the truth not us.  All we can do is
    report what a public official is saying. Now we do write editorials, giving our
    opinions about issues, but those are clearly different from our news stories,
    where we try very hard to be objective and give both sides of the story."
    Mark O'Keefe, editorial piece, today's Herald Standard, trying very hard
    to rationalize that it's AOK to publish whatever it choses in straight news
    stories... drowning in personal political opinion and bias, blindly missing
    the key point that it's simply wrong and shameful to publish something
    that someone knows is inaccurate, without mentioning that he knows it's
    inaccurate and without mentioning the truth  (18 Jan 15)
    __________________________________________________________


    Almost seems that way
    Al's pal wants warden et al fired?
    Neither a RANT nor a RAVE, but rather a mention of surprise to read a local
    letter to the editor from an Ambrosini supporter calling for "a need for a
    change of command" at the county jail.




    However, the longer it went, he seemed to soften his stand:

    "This incident and a failure to report to the appropriate officials and to not
    have control of the incidents tantamount to incompetence that should be
    addressed appropriately with possible terminations."

    Possible, he said.

    Still, the Ambro supporter going publicly against the current jail
    administration and some staff was quite unexpected... and still a surprise
    reading it a second through with glasses, just to confirm the eyes got it right
    the first time. (18 Jan 15)


             "Quotes Of The Day"
    "Since the media was filming the old city police station this week, I guess we
    soon will be reading about and seeing on tv another Z bashing feature."
    Pete, this morning at the diner

    "We were told last year to hold our questions until Crabtree's reports were
    done. Doesn't anyone understand what common courtesy is? No, instead,
    we'll have to endure county workers loyal to Ambrosini's politics jumping the
    gun, complaining on tv that they may have to walk a block to park (if jail
    addition project is on the current county parking area)."
    Dave, in response, venting that forces are alive to discredit the current jail
    plan or else the media would not be filming what we've already seen in the
    media -- an old, abandoned, small building on prime, downtown real estate

    "If it were me, I would rather bust ass at the gym to get in shape to walk a
    block from the newer parking garage to the court house than I would prefer
    to walk any shorter distance on pyrite."
    Dave's wife, a long-distance walker/runner

    "I've said it before: kickbacks must be really good if they're still pushing for
    the Taj Mahal. Damn good!"
    Pete

    "I guess it really does pay elected officials to hire their family and friends.
    When you're in a bind, you just pull their string to cue them to defend you
    and profess their undying support for whatever insanity you want the public
    to buy."
    Dave

    _________________________________________________________________

    Mount Braddock industrial park floods again...

    RANTS that nearly a year has passed without problem resolution since
    Mt. Braddock business owner Steve Laskey appeared at a public
    county meeting to complain of repeated man-made flooding incidents,
    resulting from poor county land development in the industrial park.

    Today, Laskey said that his restaurant appliance business once again
    recently flooded, resulting in damage to his machines and business
    interior. His business has flooded multiple times just since he brought
    his problem to the county meeting, as shown in these videos. One.
    Two.

    When the county redevelopment authority developed the industrial
    park, the flow of run off water to Gist Run was wrongly disconnected.
    Run off water then was diverted onto Laskey's neighbor's property in
    the industrial park, into what engineers believe is an abandoned mine
    that acts as a sump. When it rains heavily, the run off water fills the
    mine and excess then floods those industrial park pods. As the park
    development continued and run off water increased, flooding started.

    As readers here know, both businesses now have man-made wetlands
    and regular flooding as a result of bad county development errors.
    Readers here also know that Laskey received the former commish
    chair's word, as shown in the video, that problems would be resolved
    when a new jail was built there.




    Now that a new jail is not being built across from Laskey's property,
    and after an attempt to help correct the problem with Act 13 money
    was stopped in 2014 (because of pending legal action Laskey has
    against the county redevelopment authority), Laskey still sits, literally,
    underwater when it rains heavily.



    ______________________________________________________

    Thinks his new jail viable, with 2 new commishes
    Ambro bans public from
    meeting

    In follow up to this morning's craziness going on with Commissioner Al
    Ambrosini trying to reconvene his former jail ad hoc committee work
    group, extra RANTS are ordered up for Ambrosini for blocking public
    citizens from attending his little pow wow meeting.

    Initially, sources state that Ambrosini moved the meeting to his office
    when he became aware that private citizens wanted to attend.

    Once held up in his office with the warden and media, Ambrosini
    refused to allow a citizen to enter to monitor the committee meeting or
    participate.

    RAVES, however, as sources state that only one staff heeded the call
    to regroup the ad hoc committee. Don't these people have real work to
    do?  (16 Jan 15)
    ___________________
    Reconvening jail ad hoc work group?
    Ambro: in dire need of
    our prayers, divine
    intervention

    RAVES of hope that someone of influence intervenes. If not humanly
    possible, then perhaps divine intervention is needed to stop
    Commissioner Al Ambrosini's delusional world from trying to halt
    progress in Fayette County.

    As per a courthouse source, Ambrosini's email went out this morning,
    reconvening his former jail ad hoc work group committee to meet
    today to plan his state of the art jail and memorial to himself.

    Please, God, we beg you to help this desperate, delusional man re-
    enter the world of reality and stop jerking the staff and citizens of the
    county around. Amen. (16 Jan 15)



    _____________________
    Latest: past response letter from Baker
    to airport exists
    While impeccable sources state that a response letter from the Baker
    aeronautics engineer firm to the airport authority exists, it is unknown
    whether this letter was mailed or it were sent only via email.


    Another source recently had stated that email was sent to the airport,
    but bounced back to Baker. That source was unable to state that
    either party attempted to contact each other by phone, snail mail, fax,
    courier, or sky writing during the couple-month lack of communication.

    However, today, word was received that a correspondence previously
    was sent to the airport, in response to the airport authority's request
    for information. Six days ago, the authority voted to replace Baker on a
    hanger project and give the contact to a local engineer.

    At the meeting to remove Baker, whose contract was due to expire in 7
    months, airport authority members stated Baker had not responded for
    a few months to the county's request for information.  This letter from
    Baker, as per today's inside source, documents that the firm
    responded.

    Nonetheless, the airport board said no contact was received from
    Baker, necessitating the contract for a hanger upgrade project to be
    pulled from Baker and given to a local company.

    In addition to the hanger project, a significant runway expansion
    project is planned. It will be interesting to see who the lucky engineer
    is for that one. (16 Jan 15)


    ________________________________________________________________________________


    Letter writing season is underway!
    One sign it's re-
    election time
    RANTS that an airport authority board member could not keep from throwing
    political stones in his letter to the heraldstandard.com editor. Seriously, he
    almost got it done, but just couldn't resist.

    While it was amusing to read the pre-mature touting of the horn -- i.e., since a
    $1 million gift needed for airport projects is not in the bank yet and the
    authority is approaching deadlines to hold public hearings and project
    deadlines -- the writer should have left out his personal, political opinions,
    but did not.

    The letter lost any chance of having any sense of class with his added
    personal political opinion:

    "One can only wonder how much further ahead the airport would be if
    more politicians were helpful rather than spending their time throwing
    stones and being obstinate."

    One can only wonder, too, how much further ahead the airport would be if
    some hadn't resisted for so long to relocate out of the line of construction
    and progress to another hanger, too, and if the airport had more active
    tenants who actually fly planes regularly and purchase fuel regularly. (15 Jan
    15)      
    __________________________________________________________________________________
                                                   "Quotes Of The Day"

    "So... it seems everyone, everyone, is lawyering up these days."
    Pete, to Dave, in an almost whisper and slight huddle, today at the diner,
    referring to scuttlebutt county issues that any competent judge should quickly
    dismiss and squash if/when/should the matter appear, out of nowhere, before
    the courts (wink, wink)

    __________________________________________________________________________________

    An unlocked knife in an unlocked jail office?
    He has a what stuck into his desk!

    RANTS to hypocrisy in its purest form, such as demonstrated by a county
    worker in this pathetic instance of negligence and carelessness!

    At the Fayette County prison, where there has been no work release
    program because administrators fear that contraband would become a
    bigger, uncontrollable  problem, we learn a deputy warden received a 5-day
    suspension for keeping a knife stabbed into the surface of his desk in his
    unlocked office.

    RANTS to administrators with no common sense and to the government
    entities that tolerate these repeated instances of stupidity and negligence on
    the public's dime.

    RANTS since the real job world would not tolerate these types of
    shenanigans from such high maintenance staff, too inefficient and too much
    of a liability for a private sector employer to keep. (14 Jan 15)

    __________________________________________________________________________________

    Ambro comically dramatic when abstaining

    RAVES for laughs so early on a Wednesday, winter morning from reading in
    the local paper this morning that Commissioner Al Ambrosini abstained from
    voting on whether or not to advertise to seek human resource contracting
    services.

    Was information withheld from him to prevent him from making an informed
    decision? Of course not. This was a no brainer. Cue the drama king.

    This, after all,  was only a vote to add an agenda item to the next regular
    meeting schedule... and Ambrosini abstained? What kind of leader is that,
    given there were no reports or no information kept from him at the time of
    the vote.

    RAVES that he's so comically dramatic about it. He might command respect
    if he voted a flat out, strong no, if that's how he so feels, rather than play silly
    little kid games. Can 2016 come soon enough? (14 Jan 15)

    __________________________________________________________________________________


    Sources say Baker is at fault
    Not so fast, jt, they say!

    RAVES to readers who respectfully and nicely express a difference of
    opinion or relay information to clarify a situation. To such extent that
    apologies are issued, here goes.

    A source, and then an unrelated or unconnected, different source, both
    offered this situation to consider.

    One admitted that operations at the airport have been as loose, at past times
    -- i.e., such as hanger rent checks getting misplaced and then produced -- but
    said that the airport is running smoothly and that the authority received no
    communication for months from Baker.

    Sources in a few areas outside the airport seem to agree that the engineer
    made no calls, sent no letters, sent no hard copy correspondence and sent
    no faxes to the airport.



    If this is true, then the authority had a right to seek alternate service.

    How the authority went about it, though, just doesn't make sense. If it's not a
    requirement already, bidding engineering services for projects paid for with
    grant money should be required.  (13 Jan 15)
    ______________________________
                   
                    "Quotes Of The Day"
    "So a slew of department heads were recently suspended from Fayette
    County offices. All I can say is, disciplinary action all around seems long
    overdue!"
    Pete, today at the diner, referring to televised news that the county jail
    warden was suspended for 3 days and the deputy warden suspended for 5
    days, for not reporting unspecified issues to the county commissioners, and
    a newspaper account that one commissioner is calling a suspension of other
    department heads as a "witch hunt"

    "In the private sector, most of those people would have been terminated
    long, long ago."
    Dave, in response, and running down from memory various instances when
    different department heads and key staff have been derelict in their duties,
    with incidents on record at public meetings, proving his point is valid

    "And while we're speaking about being derelict in their duties, I want to say
    that I really hope the airport authority doesn't have to have professional
    services out to bid due to the RCAP grant money being involved. How
    embarrassing would that be, so close to the (June) project deadline, if
    nobody there realized it before yanking the hanger project from Baker!"
    Dave's wife, a retired state bureaucrat who once audited grant programs,
    who also said she hopes that no reorganization meeting at the airport board
    was needed, since no such meeting occurred.
    _______________________________

    Airport authority cans aeronautic
    engineer experts for job for local pal
    RANTS that the county airport authority board booted long-time aeronautic
    engineers to the curb for such a controversial local engineer, for such an
    important grant and match expansion project.

    Anyone who didn't see this coming -- i.e., following a 2014 public meeting,
    when a female rep from the engineering firm urged authority members to
    move quickly with an expansion project and was rather rudely treated by
    some there -- was not paying attention.

    RANTS that an authority member spoke unkindly at the meeting this week,
    then in media, about the long-time engineers this week. Even though he said
    he wasn't doing just that, he did still diss the long-time aeronautics engineers.



    Given that the disgarded firm reps had to have wanted to bang their heads
    through the wall on too many occasions, dealing with the procrastinating
    locals, it's perhaps a long shot -- but one possibility that cannot be
    overlooked might be -- that the ball dropped on the part of the locals in this
    situation and nobody there realizes it yet.

    The "sudden" severing of ties with the long-time firm seems suspect. An
    airport authority board member was quoted in the paper as saying they
    needed to move a little faster.

    Given the authority's reputation for dragging its feet and disregarding
    engineering technical advice -- and the personal, quick response always
    received here from the long-time engineering firm when a question was
    asked of them -- how can the move to remove the long-time aeronautic
    specialists not  be suspect?   (11 Jan 15)  
    _______________________________

    Tells Kriss Hell's coming to his back yard
    Al's after meeting comments
    keep speaking volumes

    Fay Penn should be mad as hornets that Fayette County Commissioner Al
    Ambrosini took it upon himself to be that entity's spokesperson, who
    announced what sounds to be a significant land purchase deal and company
    or business operation, moving in the Dunbar Township land once considered
    for a new county jail.

    While Ambrosini, ousted as commish chairman in recent months, usually
    speaks privately to the press after mute or near mute communication from
    him during public meetings, he two days ago turned to a private citizen after
    a pubic meeting to vent thoughts and introduced first-mention of the pending
    relocation of Hell over the hill from Kriss' historic home.  

    From the sounds of it, Ambrosini turned to and approached the private
    citizen to beam and gloat.



    Following Thursday's special meeting to appoint county board and authority
    members, citizen Terry Kriss, owner of the historic Meason House near
    Laurel Mall and opponent of a county jail being built there, said that
    Ambrosini approached him to taunt that something more imaginably worse
    than a prison will now be built there.



    "Al came up to me and said, 'If you didn’t like a prison behind your
    house, there is something even more detrimental to be built there,
    as Fay Penn sold that property for even more than the county's $1.25 million
    offer.”

    While Ambrosini had arranged to purchase the land from Fay Penn without
    bids in meetings largely conducted privately, the former county commish
    chair, of course, did not tell Kriss how he came to know this supposed new
    information.



    Nothing about a land deal or new company moving into the area has been
    mentioned on the organization's website or area newspapers. No new sales
    or transfers of land have been recorded on the county's property
    assessment website.  




    Whether Ambrosini was telling Kriss the truth is unknown. Was he just
    joshing to try to anger Kriss or see if he could get Kriss' blood pressure to
    rise and rival his own?

    Or was Ambrosini simply off again, in Al-la-la-land, babbling on with
    misinformation?




    Nothing about this claim from Ambrosini has been mentioned yet in the
    media. An email was sent to him recently, asking for comment. When
    Hell freezes over, a reply may come.




    I trust the media's lack of coverage of Ambrosini's statement that something
    horrible is coming to Kriss' back yard and the Dunbar Township land means
    that the media has investigated and found Ambrosini's claim to be unfounded.

    Otherwise, we're left hanging not knowing if Ambrosini's thoughts are
    delusions or lies, until someone formally makes an announcement or applies
    for zoning special exceptions or variances.





    Editor's Note:  
    What's sadder or more pathetic about Ambrosini taunting Kriss like this after a
    public meeting is that Ambrosini still doesn't get the fact that all but one Mt.
    Braddock family and business signed the Referendum Group's petitions to
    place a referendum question on the ballot, asking for people to decide whether
    to spend $40 million dollars on a pyrite money pit for a jail.  

    Most importantly, he doesn't get it yet that he has taken Fayette 50 steps
    backward into progress and change with his reckless spending, personality
    indifference, back room meetings and his genuinely goofy logic demonstrated
    on too many occasions to minimize as being understandable or excusable.

    Why is he afraid to speak much at public meetings and, for the most part,
    instead, run his mouth after meetings?

    The better questions to ask might be why is Ambrosini so afraid of rebuttal
    when two other commissioners are seated by him in a public meeting, and
    what personality disorder exists that includes a compulsion to taunt Kriss,
    after a public meeting with a sarcastic news flash that Hell will soon will open
    up behind the Meason House?  (10 Jan 15)  
    _______________________________
    A one-time special feature
    poison pen Letters to the ed
    _______________________________
    Al whines to extend interview period after blowing off Dec interviews
    Anarchist* appointed to airport
    authority

    RAVES to good, smart, wise, honest people such as John Cofchin of
    Uniontown for asking to be placed on a county board. Congratulations to him
    for being named to the county airport authority board.

    Cofchin's appointment to the airport authority was approved by a 2-1 vote.
    Commissioner Al Ambrosini appeared at the early morning meeting to
    appoint new county board members before ditching the county prison board
    special meeting today.

    Ambrosini, a pilot and tenant at the airport, opposed Cofchin's 5-year
    placement at the airport authority. Ambrosini complained he wanted more
    time to interview people, yet, reportedly, did not respond to requests to
    schedule interviews last month.




    At the public meeting this early morning, Ambrosini was unable to state even
    one name of anyone he wanted to interview. He simply said he wanted to
    interview anyone he doesn't already know. Other commissioners were
    expected to be psychic, to have known who he doesn't know. Prior requests
    from the other commissioners and the commission chairman's assistant
    reportedly were sent to Ambrosini and Ambrosini's assistant multiple times
    in late 2014 to schedule interviews.

    Meanwhile, Ambrosini today at the special meeting to appoint board
    members claimed to be unaware of all of those prior written
    correspondences to him. Never saw them, he claimed.






    Would it be an exaggeration to say Cofchin's placement on the airport
    authority distressed Ambrosini? Is that why he opted to go off on an
    unrelated tangent to whine and sing praise to his once-proposed and shelved
    all-new jail in Dunbar Township?

    Cofchin is said to have been the only new person appointed today to any
    county board or authority, with all other openings being filled by the same
    board member wanting reappointed for another term on the various county
    boards.


    RANTS that Ambrosini had to go off on that goofy jail tangent at a meeting to
    appoint board members and then didn't show up for an 11 o'clock prison
    board meeting.  Ambrosini participated in none of the scheduled interviews
    of persons interested in serving on county boards and authorities.

    RAVES that the other 2 commissioners pulled the plug on today's meeting at
    that point. He had no right really to whine at this late date about not
    interviewing potential candidates.  









    Cofchin's appointment today has him replacing departing 10-year airport
    authority member Myrna Giannopoulos. She felt so harassed by her 4 fellow
    board members that her personal attorney accompanied her to the airport to
    conduct regular airport business.


    While two board members berated Giannopoulos and a newspaper reporter
    at one meeting in a disgraceful, formal agenda item, and the airport manager
    once blocked the authority member from entering an office to obtain airport
    business information, those parties recently -- and pretty comically if you ask
    me -- asked Giannopoulos to stay on the board another 5 years.



    RAVES to Giannopoulos for sticking to her personal belief that members
    need limited to serving 2 terms. Last year, she proposed a change in bylaws
    to limit terms, but her proposal died for a lack of a second.

    RAVES, again, to Cofchin for wanting to be part of airport business. RAVES to
    the county for approving him. If the board had to lose Giannopoulos, the
    commissioners were very wise to seat Cofchin in her place. (8 Jan 15)


    *term of endearment coined about Cofchin and others by Jim Killinger, in the 1
    Oct 14 commentary on heraldstandard.com titled, "Studies show new prison is
    best option for everyone."
    ______________________________
    Serious problems with jail staff?
    Ambro ditches work again
    RANTS that Commissioner Al Ambrosini did not attend and participate in the
    special meeting called today for the county prison board. Personnel
    problems called for a lengthy executive session, after which the county
    human resource director stated that no disciplinary action was taken. The
    warden, who sometimes is involved with prison board executive sessions,
    reportedly, was not included in today's private session.

    Neither Ambrosini nor the county district attorney attended today.

    We here sincerely hope that the former county commish chairman is not
    feeling under the weather today. He seemed to be in good spirits and health
    on New Years Eve at Nino's. (8 Jan 15)
    _______________________________
    In Fayette, bullies merely 'suggest' what illustrators should draw
    Writers, illustrators slain over religious satire

    RAVES of hope that French authorities swiftly capture two armed cowards,
    who slaughtered a conference room full of satirical writers and illustrators, all
    in the name of God and religion.  

    Perhaps reactions to the nightmare are a sad sign of the times, too. We're
    stunned, thoroughly angered and saddened, yes. The intensity of the anger
    and sadness is still there, but the duration of it seems to pass more quickly.
    It's more than we're just  becoming too used to hearing about mass killings
    for this and all kinds of reasons that we don't embrace and accept.  

    Judging from comments received here and heard and watched in televised
    French interviews, those speaking eloquently and respectfully expressed
    their anger and sadness, but, quickly thereafter changed the subject... almost
    as though they were trying to move on to much needed down time,
    distancing themselves from the what just happened nightmare to one that is
    becoming an all too frequently occurring nightmare.

    Before any lump in the throat here cleared enough to speak, a long-time
    friend commented, in reaction to the Paris killings and video-captured
    escape of the armed men, "That wouldn't happen here."

    Huh?"



    To someone who does not know him, my friend might seem to have the
    utmost faith in homeland security or regional intelligence knowledge of any
    -- if any -- types of cells here. He has no such blind faith. I know this. Thus,
    my "huh?"


    "They would not have escaped alive after an attack in an office building in
    most places in America. So many of us are legally armed.

    "One of us would have shot one or all of them,"  my friend confidently stated,
    looking like someone who would volunteer to aim if the shooters were
    brought before an execution squad. Then he spoke with as great a certainty.


    "More of the people I work with now might want to get and carry a gun for
    protection," he said, continuing in a direction that I didn't expect.


    He figures that his odds of surviving an office killing and the odds of
    witnesses taking out the shooters anywhere in an American office building
    significantly increased today.


    In other words, my friend talked about any and every thing else,
    understandably, all around the subject, to try to forget about Wednesday's
    horror in Paris.  (8 Jan 15)
    ______________________________________________________________

    County to fill board vacancies
    Tomorrow at 11 AM, county commissioners are to meet in the courthouse
    conference room to appoint interested citizens to fill vacancies on various
    county-wide boards and authorities.

    RAVES to those people who submitted letters of interest. Perhaps this time
    around, the most qualified people will have a chance to serve.

    In past years, clearly one man's choices filled past vacancies. Those poor
    choices resulted in some legal actions or zoning foul ups and higher court
    opinions being needed to reverse stupid mistakes of those stacked deck
    boards.  (7 Jan 15)
    _______________________________
    Take 2 redo for engineer  
    CYS project out to bid again

    RAVES that a legal notice was recently published a second time now to seek
    construction bids for the much-needed CYS building expansion project.

    The project was put out for bid a second time after the county's project
    engineer stalled progress unnecessarily by stating incorrectly to contractors
    gathered at a pre-bid conference in recent months that the time to submit a
    bid was extended.


    This time around, a pre-bid conference is scheduled on January 13, at the
    CYS building. Contractors, as per the legal notice, have until 3 PM on January
    22 to respond.

    May this second time around seeking contractor bids go more smoothly and
    professionally. If not, then the county needs to grab a new engineer and
    project manager and not look back. (7 Jan 15)
    _______________________________
             
      "Neuman's Quote Of The
    Day"
    "The whole reason the "Adventures of Alfred and Vincent" came about
    was due to the cartoonish comedic similarities between Alfred Ambrosini
    and Alfred E. Neuman."
    Neuman, satire writer, today -- or so the person claimed to be --
    commenting on his motivation for writing the popular underground
    adventure series, sending these photographs of Ambrosini and the
    MAD cartoon character, to illustrate those cartoonish, comedic
    similarities.



    Thanks, Neuman -- if that's who you really were -- for the contribution of
    quote, photos and visuals at the link above.

    The artsy photo contribution is so appreciated. It somewhat helped ease the
    pain of losing a talented but spineless illustrator, who quickly bowed to
    political pressure on him, by certain county Democrats, not to draw here
    under any name. (6 Jan 14)
    _______________________________

    Al: does he even realize how funny he
    is?
    RAVES, on second thought --  and in a really round-about way, that is, such
    as being an optimist and looking for humor or truth in each passing day, and
    savoring some of those more special moments that often follow to appear
    here, ranted or raved -- that the former county commission chairman does
    speak to the press after his mute or near mute appearances at public
    meetings.

    If getting a kick out of his girlie-looking New Year's Eve bling wasn't enough,
    and wrongly thinking that was the end this week of finding potential Alland
    humor out there... today's Herald Standard provided one of the most warped
    Alland quotes to date, obtained after yesterday's county salary board
    reorganization meeting.

    Of course, only after the meeting, the former commission chairman became
    the pot calling the kettle black, when he explained his voting to the Herald
    Standard, in the piece, "Zapotosky named as salary board chairman."

    He explained that he did not vote for the minority commissioner to be the
    vice-chair of the salary board because "the salary board is very important...  
    (Commissioner Angela Zimmerlink) has often voted for political reasons rather
    than what is good for the county."  


    Lets try not to laugh and spit our hot morning coffee or tea all over each
    other, won't we?



    RAVES -- again, and only in that round-about way of seeking humor and truth
    in each day kind of way --  that Commissioner Al Ambrosini doesn't think
    before he talks to the press.

    Otherwise, a search to find a chuckle this snowy, cold Russian's Christmas
    Eve morning just might have taken a bit longer.  (6 Jan 15)

    _______________________________
    Contest called
    County removed inmate photos to
    fix the online records problem
    Neither a RANT nor a RAVE, but a note that the plug has been pulled on the 3-
    month-long contest to correctly guess when the county's online prisoner
    records would be corrected.

    In September, a random sampling of prisoner online records through the
    county's "Inmate Lookup" system showed a high percentage of incorrect
    photographs on the wrong inmate records.

    In some cases, male photographs were shown incorrectly for female inmates
    and the same man's photograph appeared on multiple files of male and
    female inmates. Commissioners were asked for comment then as to when
    these mistakes would be corrected. Shortly thereafter, the entire "Inmate
    Lookup" system was taken down when the county experienced server
    problems.

    While the "Inmate Lookup" system now is back online, the contest is
    cancelled since the county opted to remove inmate photographs to the
    online system to fix the system.  

    Readers of this website were invited to submit their guesses of a date when
    the photographs would be corrected. Readers submitted guesses of dates
    from early October through January 3, 2015 when they thought the photos
    would be corrected.
    As a result of the photos being removed and the system not being fixed, per
    se, the $50 contest prize will be donated to a local charity. (5 Jan 15)
    _______________________________     
     Happy New Year!             
           _______________________________________________________________________________


    "New Year's Eve Quotes Of The Day"

    "Nowhere in the local paper's top 10 stories do I see Ambrosini attaching the
    controller's name without her knowledge and publishing the bid for
    contractors in the building trades without county approval."
    Pete, this morning at the diner

    "The $1.25 million dollar no-bid land purchase deal for the jail didn't make the
    list, either."
    Dave

    "Nor did the rogue solicitor pursuing the jail land appeals without county
    permission."
    Pete's wife, who listed a few other items, including Judge William Ober's
    decision to overturn the county zoning hearing board's approval of special
    exceptions and variances because the former commission chair applied as a
    private citizen for county zoning exceptions.

    "The ousting of Ambrosini as commission chairman, nope, not on the list,
    either!"
    Dave's wife, adding that the grand jury investigation into fixing a DUI charge
    for a judge's nephew also didn't make the paper's list

    "Happy New Year, everyone! We're heading to the cabin for a family party.
    We'll see you all next year!"
    Dave, helping his wife with her coat, taking off for the top of the mountain for
    their event, which includes babysitting for their 9 grandchildren, all under the
    age of 7. May the force be with them!
    _______________________________________________________________
Yet Ambrosini
contends out
of county
cage rentals
cost $200,000
each month?