SURELY, YOU AND ALL OF FAYETTE COUNTY SAW

AND YOU WANT TO COMMISSHERATE ABOUT IT, RIGHT.

THE BIG DEFENSE OF, BY, AND FOR FAY-PENN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL:



DISCLAIMER: ANY GRAMMATICAL ERRORS OR POOR CHOICE OF WORDING AND INAPPROPRIATE USE OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN THE FOLLOWING IS NOTICEABLY THE FAULT OF WHOMEVER SENT THE FOLLOWING LETTER-TO-THE-EDITOR TO THE HERALD-STANDARD AND IT'S THE HERALD-STANDARD'S FAULT, TOO



HERE IT IS, WORD FOR WORD, THE DEFENSE SPEAKS:


Published in the Herald-Standard, Sunday, July 18, 1999 an editorialized advertisement to:
Michael C. Ellis, Editor
Herald-Standard
8-18 East Church St
Uniontown, PA 15401
Dear Mr. Ellis,
Collectively, as businessmen and women and concerned citizens with a genuine interest in Fayette County, we would like to set the record straight regarding the goals, achievements and oversight of the economic development activities of Fay-Penn Economic Development Council. In a County, which has experienced the devastating effects of a lost industrial base and inadequate infrastructure development, Fay-Penn has been at the forefront of a cooperative and professional approach to industrial development and job creation in the County. In fact, no other organization, either governmental or privately based, has approached the success rate of Fay-Penn in this regard.

Certainly the local critics who espouse vague and, in most cases, blatantly false accusations concerning Fay-Penn have no track record in demonstrating the ability to attract and retain viable businesses and employers for our economically depressed region.


ADDITIONALLY,

we would assert that the accusation that Fay-Penn is strictly a political tool of the alleged power brokers in the County is, in our opinion, a paranoid delusion. This grandstanding is meant to advance the political aspirations of individuals who have contributed nothing toward the betterment of the citizens of this County. This confrontational approach of these critics has been extremely detrimental to the image of our community.


The Board of Directors of Fay-Penn is made up of a broadly diversified group of forty individuals from multiple segments of society. Membership includes representatives from industry, labor, business, education, tourism, the media, government, utilities, agriculture and professionals. Its collective goal is to attract new industries to the area, support expansion of existing businesses, and to create more jobs in a County that continues to demonstrate a higher unemployment rate than other counties in southwestern Pennsylvania.


DO NOT BE MISLED

by the unsubstantiated and misleading attacks on Fay-Penn and its efforts to move Fayette County forward into the future. Just look at the tangible results of its efforts. Fay-Penn has worked with over 90 companies in the past seven years and created/retained more than 3,000 jobs in the process. It is clear that while the critics are creating a lot of "hot air," Fay-Penn is creating real jobs for the residents of our community. If any individual or group can demonstrate comparable or superior results, we would applaud the effort. However, with the expectation that is unlikey to occur, Fay-Penn fully intends to continue with its ethical and productive approach to economic development now and into the future.

Sincerely,


44 COMMUNITY LEBDERS SIGN IT
THOUGH FAY-PENN ADMITS ONLY 40 AS BOARD MEMBERS

AND WHAT SIGNATURES SOME OF THEM HAVE AS AN ANONYMOUS HANDWRITING ANALYST ASSERTS
WE ARE FORTUNATE


that when the group known as Fay-Penn in this county acknowledges that its Membership includes representatives from GOVERNMENT, elected county, state, and federal public servants, we, the people, have every right in this county, in this state, in this country to assert that we, the people have the right to the full accountability of those government representatives and their appointees and designees.

And that's what many and most of us are doing. We're asking what these elected public servants are sending Fay-Penn's way. We're asking for accountability of all so-called government monies given to Fay-Penn.
All.


Every dime, every nickel, every penny.

Fay-Penn is not the issue. The issue is that Fay-Penn has on its board local state representatives who are to serve ALL the people.
The issue is that Fay-Penn has on its revolving loan review board, local officials who were elected to be county commissioners, representatives of all of the people of the county, not representatives of just a few. These newly elected county commissioners, in 1995, shortly after taking their oaths of office during one of their very first business meetings, voted unanimously to turn over the full amount of $500,000 to Fay-Penn for what would then be called the "Commissioners' Revolving Loan Fund."


The previous board of county commissioners, just before leaving office, unanimously, Fred Lebder, Susanne Teslovich, and Bob Jones, made one of their last formal actions turning over $200,000 of the county revolving loan fund to Fay-Penn. That total fund of $500,000 is WHOSE money?

OUR MONEY. THE TAXPAYERS OF THE STATE AND ONCE GIVEN TO THE COUNTY, THE COUNTY'S BUSINESS. THEREFORE, WHOSE BUSINESS? THE PEOPLE'S BUSINESS.


Board of Fayette County commissioners elected to office in 1995:

  • Vincent Vicites
  • Harry Albert
  • Sean Cavanagh

    All three met privately with Fay-Penn officials it was reported before voting on the county revolving loan fund transfer OF THE FULL AMOUNT OF $500,000.

    All three are whom many Fayette Countians are holding accountable for that one action nearly four years later. This time-table of accountability changes as Fayette County moves ahead into the future. Where else the county would move other than the future is left for real-thinkers to determine.
    Initially, all three became ex-officio board members of Fay-Penn upon taking office in 1995.

    You Dare to detect :Follow the money trail into the future

    The point is further that Fay-Penn receives many millions in state grants for economic development activities. These monies are the taxpayers of the state's hard-earned dollars. The transfer of these monies is being scrutinized solely because state legislators expect a lot of credit for supporting so-called economic development activities with WHOSE money? OUR MONEY.


    Many Fayette Countians are keeping track of the roundabout way our tax dollars are being given to any agencies, groups, organizations, non-profits, etc. not specifically designed to be PUBLIC service agencies.

    OVER 3-MINUTES


    This is all a little longer than the 3-minutes permitted at the county commissioners' business meetings, (now being held only once a month while the second meeting of the month is sleight-of-handly being canceled) but at least you get it all in one fell swoop if you want to read along into the future.

    It is interesting that Fay-Penn doesn't even pretend to include in its membership listing those who ARE real people. How about little people? The little, real people of Fayette County. Are they among the top 40?
    We, the people, should demand the full listing of all the real jobs Fay-Penn has created.

    Giving state taxpayers' hard earned dollars to existing or new businesses is supposed to be considered creating real jobs. How many jobs have been RETAINED IN THIS WAY? This is versus how many new jobs have been created, not jobs that have merely been recycled.


    It is furthermore interesting that in the above Fay-Penn defense of, by, and for Fay-Penn, the 44 who signed admit this:
    "Certainly the local critics who espouse vague and, in most cases, blatantly false accusations concerning Fay-Penn..."!
    This phrasing leaves the opening for other cases wherein the local critics are not espousing blatantly false accusations concerning Fay-Penn.

    Maybe Fay-Penn could write a letter-to-the-editor (handwritten on un-lined paper, please) to Truth On-Line laying out the blatantly false accusations of local critics, and the accusations that were not blatantly false, the accusations that were the truth.



    Those millions of dollars from the governor and the state legislators, aren't Fay-Penn's money. THOSE MILLIONS ARE TAKEN FROM THE TAXPAYERS OF THE COUNTY AND SENT TO HARRISBURG. We, the people were obligated to turn our hard earned money over to our state legislators, or suffer the penalties such as fines and possible imprisonment. The Harrisburg legislators turn around and the governor of the state turns around and hands out our money to Fay-Penn, then Fay-Penn gives our money to whom?

    We don't always know. And that's what we're watching.

    We see the company names for a couple of years, then whoosh, whoops, the company is GONE. Gone where? Who knows? But then more money comes to Fay-Penn from Harrisburg to distribute to more companies that are not in any way obligated to stay in Fayette County like FOREVER.

    Name an industry Fay-Penn has helped to become an established member of the community? Though, we, the people, would applaud the effort, the expectation is that is unlikely to occur.

    Just a little doubt here, if Fay-Penn has had 9 years to move Fayette County forward, why is Fayette County now proud to have obtained designation as a federal enterprise community?

    Why are more and more state monies coming to Fayette for economic development if Fay-Penn's track record of creating or retaining more than 3,000 jobs is so great?





    SINCERELY SIGNATURES ON THE LINE


    Those signatures, you have to study them. Get a book on handwriting analysis, graphology, whatever. And ask for more samples to be published in the future. That would be even more so fun. Surprisingly, not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six politicians have signed his, or her, name to the roster of Sincerely. Wonder why? Cause we, the people, might pick up a book and analyze them.


    C. Edward DeMuth III. This is classic. Find out by analyzing the signature. Which apparently is so revealing that it reveals too much for distribution here.


    H. Donald Stone, Jr. Couldn't tell who he is or where he'll be in the future from the signature.



    Michele M. Martin. Michele, be careful about those Ms in the future. Two out of three are the same, but one M is so different from the others that well, someone might think someone else wrote it. Did you write that?



    Jeffrey M. Strauch. This is a communal missive, Jeff, you weren't supposed to go too high and too low that day. Did you need a siesta, perhaps?



    Larry Frankhouser. Friendly every day, Larry?



    Darin G. Agostini. A difficult one.



    Robert E. Eberly. Learned. No doubt at all about it. But a fetish with the past? Stuck there, possibly. Reliving the glory days? The t swings back, the e swings back. That l, no loop at all. Love that o, just so revealing. Send us a letter-to-the-editor, handwritten, please.



    H. Donald. It's like you are just not there among the rest of the community. Can't tell who you are from your signature. That's the revealing part.



    Jack Hughes. Interesting, very. Simple and legible. Wants we, the people to know him, but trails in the end. Hmmm?



    Richard Ellsworth. Take a few penmanship lessons with Robert E. Eberly and company. Maybe the state will let you write that off as a business expense. If we, the people can't tell who you are from your signature, we are unlikely to buy anything from you, do business with you. You get the handwriting on the wall idea, right?



    Fred L. Lebder. Practiced that over the years, Fred? Or is that signature one of those stamps left over from your county commish days? Those ls are just indistinguishable from one another except for the slightly larger l. Very, very hard to do.



    Stephen G. Peters. That t-cross is classic. Look out we, the people. He's financially inclined, oh, yes! That capital s will make it exactly like that into the future cause Steven is just stubborn enough to keep it.



    Raymond N. Chess. Please get a checkup. A little tired of the communal living, maybe?



    R.B. Mechling, Jr. If we, the people didn't see it in print we wouldn't know who you were or that you'd even signed this Sincerely.



    William B. Kania. Now how do you expect a handwriting analyst to render a proper decision with three totally different formations of the letter a in your signature?



    Patricia H. Miller. Those l's are just the same. How did you do that? Those dots are progressively higher and higher. Tells us a lot.



    Henry J. Oppermann. Well, we, the people just can't tell what you're all about, Henry, again, take lessons from Robert E. Eberly, and now that I'm looking more closely at some of the other signatures, James R. Foutz could help you out.



    G. Markle Thompson Jr. Another long one. No mistaking you at the polls when you sign in to vote. Love to see you write your full name with whatever the G stands for.



    Jim Dunn Jr. Loving this one. It's a challenge. Meet for lunch with Jeffrey, Lynn, Larry, Henry, Darin, Richard, Frank, R.B., and Stephen anytime soon, let me know? I'd love to be there.



    William S. Jackson. Make sure you take that pen to the next General Election. Pass it around. Expecially give it to Darin. His signature is so short and sweet he wouldn't need a lot of ink, either.



    Richard Ellsworth. A STAR WARS fan, perhaps? Do you and H. Donald Stone, Jr. ever get together for lunch? Please, please invite me.



    Leo T. Krantz. Andrea McNichol would likely dub you akin to Ronald, Barry, Dick, and Jimmy. Status and stature, a little stubborn, too.



    Joanne Burns. Three samples of the letter n. Was the pen cheap, or expensive? Are you right, or left-handed?



    Richard H. Krieger. Didn't think I'd pass on this one, did you? Sandwiched between Henry and Henry like that and it's hard to tell just who you are today. Maybe everyday. Send your signature, please. The analysis is totally free.



    Lynn Lehman. Take this to the salary board, and the Election Board need never worry about your signature since only you know what your given first name actually is and all of those flourishes are difficult to duplicate. Do you and Leo ever meet for lunch. Please, please invite me.

    Send us samples of any odd voters' handwriting.

    Send more samples and more dirt here.

    Citizen Watch :Follow the money trail


    Fay-Penn inquiry :People want to know, but Commishes running for re-election never completed the inquiry

    Odd Voters :People want to know who they really are



    Check back :More DIRT