The Koch Party

Is Boehner really a “Koch Party” member and not a Republican? Maybe the new Tea Party Congressmen aren't really Republicans, maybe they're Koch Party Congressmen, the very first wholly corporate owned and operated political party.  "The Koch Brothers

People & Power asks if the tycoon duo's fortune could put the radical right into the White House. People and Power Last Modified: 27 Oct 2011 14:33

By People & Power reporter Bob Abeshouse

Charles and David Koch are each worth about $25bn, which makes them the fourth richest Americans. When you combine their fortunes, they are the third wealthiest people in the world. Radical libertarians who use their money to oppose government and virtually all regulation as interference with the free market, the Kochs are in a class of their own as players on the American political stage. Their web of influence in the US stretches from state capitals to the halls of congress in Washington DC,"

MORE AT:

 http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/peopleandpower/2011/10/2011102683719370179.html

SNOW DATE Halloween Parade Coatesville SUNDAY

Layoff Police and Fireman?

Our new Coatesville City Manager Mr. Rawlings wants Coatesville to go back to 20 police officers; the days the "Young Guns" controlled Coatesville. Those days when "Open air drug bazaars" blocked traffic from moving on some Coatesville Streets.

More recently in 2006 Matthews and Walker laid off police and fireman in an effort to reflect the ethnic makeup of Coatesville; gunshots were an everyday thing and a large chunk of Coatesville burned down. We had to sleep downstairs to get out quickly and keep away from outside walls, the walls we regularly dug bullets out of. 

Where did they get this guy?

Staffing cuts eyed in Coatesville

Thursday, October 27, 2011

By ERIC S. SMITH
esmith@dailylocal.com

Progressing from 2006/2010 Cronyism & Race

In the City of Coatesville with some exceptions the 4 year period between 2006 and 2010 was a time of near total change in the city administration office staff, police staff and fireman staff.

I think the Coatesville City Council that came in January of 2006 began a purge of City employees that with some exemptions changed City staff using a formula of cronyism 1^st and race 2nd. I believe that fitness, training and qualifications for the job were for the most part not considered. And the result was 4 years of chaotic mismanagement that had no equal in Chester County.

I believe a firing and hiring policy based primarily cronyism and somewhat on race resulted in amazing financial unaccountability that among other things resulted in lost grants and financial known unknowns and financial unknown, unknowns. We began a forensic audit under District Attorney Joe Carroll done by Manny Dechter but Mr.Dechter was tossed out by City Council before his audit was complete. I guess the forensic audit made some people with political pull uncomfortable.

On the public safety side, in the years between 2006 and 2010 the City of Coatesville experienced a new crime wave and unprecedented arson fires.

The City Council that Coatesville now in place is for the most part a disaster cleanup crew cleaning up 2006 thru 2010. Our present Council may have made some wrong turns, but after coming to so many Coatesville City Council meetings everyone at the head table seems like family and I like all of them. You may disagree with them at times, but all of the people at the table try to do what is best for Coatesville.

Our police and fire departments need some work but they are coming around. Several development projects proposed more than a decade ago are finally in the ground or in progress. There may be fits and starts but I think the City of Coatesville finally has a bright future. 

PINTO VS. CITY OF COATESVILLE

This video of Kareem Johnson plays a part in this lawsuit:

SPECIAL REPORTS

WALKING WHILE BLACK

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/special_packages/inquirer/walkingwhileblack.html

Councilman Kareem Johnson discusses the situation in Coatesville, Pa.

DIRECT LINK TO INQUIRER VIDEO:

Councilman Kareem Johnson

BELOW ARE SELECTED PAGES FROM PINTO VS. CITY OF COATESVILLE

 To see the entire document and follow the case, go to:

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA

OFFICE OF THE CLERK OF COURT ELECTRONIC FILING (ECF)

https://ecf.paed.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/ShowIndex.pl

If you are not already registered, register for a PACER Login. Documents are $.08 per page.

This letter from Coatesville Chief Matthews to District Attorney Joe Carroll on May 18, 2007 is also revealing:

 For more information try Matthews in “GOOGLE Search this blog” on the right.

“Building One Pennsylvania Public Meeting: Advancing an Agenda for Regional Change”

Update, bus available-below

 “Martin Luther King Jr. writing from Birmingham Jail said, "We live in inescapable networks of mutuality."

Well, we have spent a long time in active disregard for that observation. We have assumed we could be saved by one more shopping mall, one last office park, one less multi-family apartment building.

The jig appears to be up. The nations unmistakable demographic movement toward a non-white majority makes escape from the network impossible except for the very rich and undesirable as it relates to our most cherished ideals.

We're running out of land and natural recourses to run to or to use up.

The gating of our communities has only cost us more. We can no longer afford ourselves. 


We can't do it alone. We have little choice but to do it together and I believe we can."

David Trout, Professor of Law and Justice, Rutgers University

“There's an old saying that there's not a Republican way to clean the streets or Democratic way to clean the snow and I think the same is true for the kinds of problems that confront our state. 


Pennsylvania has; and this is going to sound harsh,  for too long been a reform backwater.  Too long we have followed too many states and too many communities in making the kinds of fundamental change that will improve the lives of our citizens. 


And so the challenge is, you can do it; do you have the energy, the enthusiasm and the commitment to make the changes that matter?" 

Dr. Terry Madonna, Franklin and Marshal College, Center for Politics and Public Affairs.

Coatesville Assistant City Manager Kirby Hudson at Monday October 24th City Council Meeting announcing that a bus will stop at Coatesville to take Coatesville residents to the Building One Pennsylvania Meeting:

Coatesville will DEFINITELY have a new train station.

Over $18 Million of funding has been programmed on the region’s Transportation Improvement Program for the construction of the Coatesville station project. See the document below:

By comparison Parkesburg and Downingtown only have funding for planning.

PennDOT will have a press release concerning the Coatesville Station soon.

Construction of the station is targeted during the next 2 to 4 years – barring any unforeseen setbacks.

I was told the County is working closely with the Coatesville City and Redevelopment Authority staff and partnering with PennDOT on this station project. It has a very high priority. 

“What is happening in Coatesville needs to stop; what is happening there is the corruption of the city council.”

The title above dates from 2006. It’s Christopher Gerber’s opening statement in the Pre Trial Hearing below.  It seems that things don’t change much in Coatesville. It's Déjà vu all over again.

Coatesville lets go 3d city official asking for reform

By Kathleen Brady Shea

INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Pre trial hearing 

United States district court For the eastern district of Pennsylvania Siana, Bellwoar & McAndrew, llp: civil action 

Vs. 

City of Coatesville, et al.: No. 06-4512

December 15, 2006 

At 11:00 am

Before the honorable Eduardo C. Robreno In Courtroom 11a 

As part of his opening statement Christopher Gerber, Esq. made this statement:
“What is happening in Coatesville needs to stop; what is happening there is the corruption of the city council.” 

Judge Robreno, “Is this a political?”

Christopher Gerber, “It is a Constitutional issue”. 

Taken from Blackberry notes at the hearing by Jim Pitcherella 

Mr. Gerber’s opening statement never made it to the newspapers because the Daily Local Reporter was arrived 5 minutes after the hearing began.

Public Corruption 

It’s our top priority among criminal investigations—and for good reason. 

Public corruption poses a fundamental threat to our national security and way of life. It impacts everything from how well our borders are secured and our neighborhoods protected…to verdicts handed down in courts…to the quality of our roads, schools, and other government services. And it takes a significant toll on our pocketbooks, wasting billions in tax dollars every year. 

The FBI is singularly situated to combat this corruption, with the skills and capabilities to run complex undercover operations and surveillance.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2011

Grilling of Coatesville Finance Director and the GL Specialist who suddenly skipped off to India.

A long time city employee, a GL Specialist (General Ledger Specialist) with access to cash and the ability to delete finance files abruptly leaves for India when there is at least $168,000 unaccounted for. Not even a whimper about it from City Hall.  

Some Coatesville residents paid their trash bills and other bills in cash and one of the people who took that cash in payment was, you guessed it, the GL Specialist Dharmesh “Raj” Kalaria.

There is nothing from 2 members of the Coatesville City Council but a grilling of the finance director. That same finance director who discovered the missing $168,000 and that same finance director who discovered the delinquent trash bills of 3 city council members and that the city overpaid sick pay and vacation pay to another city council member when he had a part time job with the city.

We all know that whistle blowers usually are fired. Ms. Bjorhus is probably checking her LinkedIn right now.  Guess you have to be very careful just who you blow the whistle on in Coatesville.

This is sections of the Finance Report of the City of Coatesville Finance Director Stacy Bjorhus at the Coatesville City Council meeting on Monday September 26, 2011.

Make sure you listen to the recording below. The tone of the voices is important.

MORE AT:

http://coatesvilledems.blogspot.com/2011/09/grilling-of-coatesville-finance.html

Also See:

CHESTER COUNTY INBOX

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2011

Is Coatesville upswing reversing - again?

Coatesville, which has struggled for more than 40 years to recover from the decline of its lucrative steel industry, appears to be repeating a pattern of making progress and then backsliding.

Posted by kathleen brady shea @ 10:35 AM

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2011

Can the FBI, in India, interview people that worked in the USA?

 

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2011

MATT BAKER RESIGNS FROM COATESVILLE RDA

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2011

Concerning threats to City of Coatesville workers

SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2011

Were there were physical altercations between a city employee and Forensic Auditor Manny Dechter?

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2011

Jarrell Brazzle received benefits as a part time City of Coatesville employee. Allegedly, he was not entitled to those benefits.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2011

In 2007 the PA Commonwealth Court ordered landlord Amrit Lal to pay the City of Coatesville $110,000. It never happened.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 9, 2011

IS THE MISSING $160.000 THE STICKING POINT ON APPROVING CITY OF COATESVILLE FINANCE REPORTS?

MONDAY, AUGUST 22, 2011

Be sure and read Karl Markings “Goodbye and Thanks”

About the train station we were once going to have here in Coatesville

People have been asking me why there are articles in the Daily Local News about rebuilding Amtrak Stations in Chester County mention Paoli, Exton, Downingtown and Parkesburg but not Coatesville. I found out why this morning.

My source is someone who should have accurate information. It's my hope that he does not. 

It’s my understanding that the funding for the rail improvements is a Federal grant of $66M and is administered through the DVRPC (Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission) and directed by the Chester County Planning Commission. And that the Chester County Planning Commission has allegedly determined that the City of Coatesville is not far enough along in their plans. 

However, Downingtown and Parkesburg have just begun their planning. Coatesville began their planning last year.

I think it’s that same old story:

Coatesville is the transportation, wholesale and retail hub for illegal drugs in Chester County.

West Chester University is a part of the economy of the Borough of West Chester but the illegal drug business is the life blood of the Borough of West Chester. Without the illegal drug business there would be no reason for building a “Chester County Justice Center” and most of the restaurants would be out of business.

Yea, we get stuff like a $6M Section 8 apartment house from the County. The $6M Roymar Hall remodeling project was a complete surprise to the Coatesville City Council. I don’t believe any drug dealers have moved back into Roymar Hall yet.

I firmly believe that here in Coatesville we just have to learn that if the County has anything to do with it nothing will happen here that makes the drug business go away, such as revitalizing Coatesville. Sure they’ll arrest people and bring them down to West Chester; but that is West Chester’s “business plan”.  

For anything that would actually move the drug business out of Coatesville don’t ask West Chester for help, it’s just not in West Chester’s best interest.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2010

Coatesville Train Station planning begins in Coatesville

TUESDAY, MAY 31, 2011

"PENNDOT plans to have the train station open 2015" Next Coatesville RDA meeting June 1st

Plan the Keystone Coatesville Station Area Planning Work in Progress Presentation

Daily Local News

Transportation improvements coming down the tracks

Published: Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Marijuana Legalization 50% Support in New Poll

Marijuana Legalization Receives 50 Percent Support In New Poll

Stop the violence

LAW ENFORCEMENT AGAINST PROHIBITION

CELEBRATE COATESVILLE DAY

How Richard Legree went from " Biggest drug pusher in Chester County"to CCRC Area 14 Chair

I re-read my blog post " Short history of the CCRC" and realized I gave it the wrong title.

Sometime in 2006 I told my uncle John, who at the time was registered as a Republican, "You know the Chair of Area 14 of the Chester County Republican Committee is Richard Legree", he said, "That can't be he's a drug dealer." Let's be clear I don't think that Richard Legree was a "drug dealer" but that is the impression that many, many people had of him.

I think the blog post below should have been named "How Richard Legree went from 'Biggest drug pusher in Chester County' to CCRC Area 14 Chair.'

Brief history of the CCRC:

  Quasi organized crime CCRCchair/trash hauler (put the money in the drawer) Teddy Rubino convicted of     extortion and dies just before entering prison

  Period of Reform-Independent Republicans

  Now the CCRC appears to be morphing into an extremist organization, great.

DiGiorgio elected Republican county chairman Saturday  

Published: Sunday, October 09, 2011 

By JIM CALLAHAN 

jcallahan@dailylocal.com

OK, it was not a complete transition away from the Rubino era. After all, Richard Legree became a big wheel in the CCRC and chair of Area14 of the Chester County Republican Party.

For a very brief history see below:

Reading Eagle June 23, 1977 

Mystery Still Prevails-Informant's Death Probed 

Daniel Joseph was a witness in the prosecution of Lawrence Palmer and Gordon Roberts two Reading based agents with the PA Bureau of DrugControl. More importantly Daniel Joseph was a witness in the prosecution of many of the drug suspects arrested in the Drug raid of April 1976.

Richard Legree was one of the people arrested in April of1976.

“Daily Local News  

Pusher called "danger to community',  

Friday, September 10, 1976 

By BRUCE MOWDAY (Of the Local News Staff)  

Richard "Stretch" Legree of Coatesville, named as the number one drug pusher in Chester County by District AttorneyWilliam H. Lamb, was convicted last night of selling 145 bags of heroin to an undercover agent in January.”

Richard Legree had a new trial and was released from prison after serving a year and a few months. Later in life he became the Chairman ofArea 14 of the Chester County Republican Committee. 

SEE:

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2009

Some previous actions of Coatesville Police Chief Matthews and Coatesville City Manager Harry G. Walker:

All of this was back in the "French Connection" days. President Carter ordered a special investigation of the FBI in the Delaware Valley area. 

MATT BAKER RESIGNS FROM COATESVILLE RDA

Matt did more for the RDA and Coatesville than any RDA member since John Pawlowski and Paul Givler. 

I would much rather have seen the resignation of Coatesville City Manager Gary Rawlings than see Karl Marking and Matt Baker go.

I warned them that I thought Rawlings was not tough enough for Coatesville. I know what name Karl has for Gary Rawlings.

Raj (Dharmesh Kalaria) resigned and left for India on the same day. Will Niki Oxendine, who was also involved in the City Finance Department resign too?

The Codes Department is actually much better than during the Walker Administration. Back then we had Coatesville Codes officer and crack cocaine dealer John Tinson patrolling the streets of Coatesville. SEE:

The Daily Local (dailylocal.com), Serving Chester County, PA 

News 

Probation for legislative aide involved in illegal drug transaction 

Coatesville leaders seek leniency for Lisa Johnson 

Tuesday, November 23, 2010 

By MICHAEL P. RELLAHAN, Staff Writer 

WEST CHESTER — A former legislative aide to state Rep. Tim Hennessey and member of a well-known Coatesville political family was sentenced to five years' probation Monday for her role in a drug-related transaction involving her former live-in boyfriend...When the informant visited the house, Tinson was away. So Johnson took the $3,000 from him but the informant did not ask for any drugs and was given none. Later, when Tinson delivered the drugs to the informant, Tinson said Johnson would have given him the half-ounces if he had asked.

The Daily Local (dailylocal.com), Serving Chester County, PA 

News 

Coatesville official resigns in dismay 

Redevelopment Authority member Matthew Baker says he simply ran out of time and energy 

Tuesday, October 11, 2011 

By ERIC S. SMITH, esmith@dailylocal.com 

COATESVILE — City officials Monday night accepted a Redevelopment Authority member's resignation.
Matthew Baker's departure from both the authority and the city's vacant property review committee comes less than two months after the resignation of former City Council President Karl Marking.
Baker said he submitted his letter of resignation about two weeks ago and cited reasons similar to what Marking had expressed when he resigned.

SEE:

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2011

Grilling of Coatesville Finance Director and the GL Specialist who suddenly skipped off to India.

A long time city employee, a GL Specialist (General Ledger Specialist) with access to cash and the ability to delete finance files abruptly leaves for India when there is at least $168,000 unaccounted for. Not even a whimper about it from City Hall. 

SEE:

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29, 2011

How will Coatesville City Manager Gray Rawlings deal with the “Too Big to Fail” Drug Business in Chester County”?

...I think that Gary Rawlings might be trying to “read the water” in that Machiavellian drug dealing world just under the surface of the Chester County waters right now.

There is still a lot of very hard work ahead and Mr. Rawlings needs a lot of help.

Lots of people will offer their help. He just needs to be able to sort from among those “helpers” the people that benefit from the “Too Big to Fail” drug business, from the ones who don’t.

SEE:

coatesville dems

SATURDAY, MARCH 19, 2011

An excellent comment was made in regards to: The first duty of a new City Manager is to make the streets safe

 We have major problems in the Codes Department but I think the court system and not the Codes Department is the primary problem with Codes Enforcement and that has always been the case. 

Brief History of the CCRC

Brief history of the CCRC:

 Quasi organized crime CCRCchair/trash hauler (put the money in the drawer) Teddy Rubino convicted of  extortion and dies just before entering prison

  Periodof Reform-Independent Republicans

  Now the CCRC appears to be morphing intoan extremist organization, great.

DiGiorgioelected Republican county chairman Saturday  

Published: Sunday, October 09, 2011 

By JIM CALLAHAN 

jcallahan@dailylocal.com

OK, it was not a complete transition away from the Rubinoera. After all, Richard Legree became a big wheel in the CCRC and chair of Area14 of the Chester County Republican Party.

For a very brief history see below:

Reading Eagle June 23, 1977 

MysteryStill Prevails-Informant's Death Probed 

Daniel Joseph was a witness in the prosecution of LawrencePalmer and Gordon Roberts two Reading based agents with the PA Bureau of DrugControl. More importantly Daniel Joseph was a witness in the prosecution ofmany of the drug suspects arrested in the Drug raid of April 1976.

Richard Legree was one of the people arrested in April of1976.

“Daily Local News  

Pusher called "danger to community',  

Friday, September 10, 1976 

By BRUCE MOWDAY (Of the Local News Staff)  

Richard "Stretch" Legree of Coatesville,named as the number one drug pusher in Chester County by District AttorneyWilliam H. Lamb, was convicted last night of selling 145 bags of heroin to anundercover agent in January.”

Richard Legree had a new trial and was released from prisonafter serving a year and a few months. Later in life he became the Chairman ofArea 14 of the Chester County Republican Committee. 

SEE:

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2009

Some previous actions of Coatesville Police Chief Matthews and Coatesville City Manager Harry G. Walker:

All of this was back in the "French Connection" days. President Carter ordered a special investigation of the FBI in the Delaware Valley area. 

IBG-YBG I’ll Be Gone –You’ll Be Gone Tom Friedman

Politically, supporting science and promoting renewable energy is a slam dunk. When people understand, even Republicans fully understand the catastrophic consequences of Global Warming there will be general panic across the board.

People, all people, will be looking not just for someone to blame; they will be looking for vengeance.  

THOMAS FRIEDMAN: 

“I would argue that 2008, a year that we think that’s just about the Subprime Crisis, was more than that. 2008 was the year that both the market and Mother Nature got together and issued up a warning; You are growing in an unsustainable way, environmentally and economically. Turn back now. This is your warning heart attack. 

This was not just faulty accounting. There was also behind it a breakdown in values. The whole credit bubble was built on the twin principles of IBG and YBG; I’ll Be Gone or You’ll Be Gone when things go bad. 

We’ve been practicing the same IBG/YBG principles in Nature; which is why the World Wildlife Fund’s in 2008 ‘Living Planet Report’ concluded, 'We are operating 25% above the planet’s biological capacity to support life on earth.’ 

No problem. ‘I’ll Be Gone’ 

 As WWF’s Director General observed, ‘The world is currently struggling with the consequences of over valuing it’s financial assets but a more fundamental crisis looms ahead an ecological credit crunch caused by undervaluing the environmental assets that are the basis of all life and prosperity. 

But then what do we care; WBG, We’ll Be Gone."

Are these guys the original Teabaggers?

 

Pat Sellers and Kurt Schenk at the 2005 Polls in Coatesville.

Also SEE:

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2009

Was Pat Sellers a tea bag hat trend setter?

"OPERATION BREADWINNER"

October 6, 2011

Attorney General Kelly announces criminal charges in "Operation Bread Winner;" $100,000 per month suburban Philly crack cocaine ring

HARRISBURG - Attorney General Linda Kelly today announced that agents from the Attorney General's Bureau of Narcotics Investigation along with local police have filed criminal charges against 20 people accused of participating in a $100,000 per month crack cocaine distribution ring allegedly operating from three locations in Coatesville, Chester County.

Kelly said the investigation, known as "Operation Bread Winner," focused on the activities of Lester Womack, age 33, of 311 Poplar St., Darby, Delaware County.

MORE AT:

http://www.attorneygeneral.gov/press.aspx?id=6231