Mayor Panto with wife and former Councilwoman Pam Panto
Posted by: Noel JonesI'll say it again--what is going on here? How on Earth do the mayor and City Council not see the appointment of the mayor's wife to a paid position on the Zoning Board as potentially upsetting to the people of Easton as flagrant nepotism, without opening up the field and at least advertising the desire to find someone not related to the presiding mayor? Are they so confident after years of voter apathy that they don't even have to pretend to care?
Secondly, how can they not see it as a breach of Home Rule Charter when the charter expressly forbids appointment to a paid position within one year of ending a term? The entire City Council voted in favor of the appointment of the mayor's wife, without discussion, according to the Express Times article below,"Council had no questions or comments about the appointment." It's not hard to see why, considering this means that each and every one of the remaining council members will be able to look forward to the same favoritism and breach of the charter, since they've now established a precedent.
Thirdly--or should I say Firstly--how is it that this community allowed the mayor and council to appoint the mayor's wife in the first place? As City Council president she did the appropriate thing and agreed not to run while her husband was running for office. So if it was deemed inappropriate for the wife of a mayorial candidate to sit on Council, why then was it not deemed inappropriate that same wife of the mayor sit on Council once he won?
Express Times Article (no journalist listed) on Pam Panto's Appointment to Zoning Board
It is also of note that this article was printed in the Express Times' "Print Headlines" category and not also on the online forum where citizens would be able to comment--so post your comments here!
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26 comments:
From my experience, our solicitor has never found language in our new charter that couldn't be "interpreted" in a way that benefits the status quo. What exactly then was the point of passing the charter if, on every occassion when it's "intent" is questioned, the result is to err on the side of the one's benefitting from these positions? I must be clear at the outset that it is the public perception of fair and open processes that is at question here...not her integrity to serve.
As I said earlier today in a private email in response to this same issue...
I think, based on the past public history with Pam Panto and the various accommodations that have been made (or perceived by the public to have been made) on her account over the years, along with the fact that she is the mayor's wife, that there should have been a very open, public call for filling any Zoning Board vacancies before she was handed another position.
Whether or not the Solicitor's opinion is correct about interpreting the Charter's intent, the fact remains that she is the mayor's wife and is easily perceived by the public both as a person that could be influenced by the administration on zoning issues and as receiving perks because of her relationship to the mayor.
I think its another bad precedent. The Charter should be clarified on these points about relatives being handed positions and ammended as such...this is not a personal issue with me but one of civic forthrightness.
DRL
Eloquently put, Dennis. I will now translate into Alaskan:
What the heck is going on? This is the wrong!
I heard through the grapevine that councilwoman Elinor Warnar was named as the mayor's vice
(no pun intended. Isn't the position of vice mayor a paid position also????
please correct me if i'm misinformed.
There seems to be a LOT of foolishness going on in our local government. Seems like they are doing all they can to make sure the same ole blood circulates through our city. We need some fresh faces who aren't afraid of change. Not the same ole faces with the same ole agendas. We need an outcry from residents. They will continue doing the same old crap if they keep getting away with it. IT's time they find out that we will no longer stand for it!
Sal Panto says:
Wow, wher are all of you when we try to fill positions? Noel I have asked you at least twice. Dennis accepted an appointment to the Planning Commission. We are constantly asking for volunteers -- but you must be current on all your financial obligations to the city and a full-time resident.
Now, Pam was on the ZHB for three years PRIOR to being on City Council. The position does have a stipend, $25.00 a month, not a salary. Her tenure on the ZHB was marked by her professionlism and her ability to protect the interests of our residents. She now brings 3 years of ZHB experience and 6 years of council experience to this quasi-judicial position where we need individuals that will stop rental conversions of single family homes.
She is an independent indivdual and thinker. Not to appoint her is discrimination. She is also a female -- your thoughts tell me that she should be treated as a second class citizen because she is a spouse.
BOTTOM LINE -- where are all of you whio challenge such appointments but won't stepo up to volunteer yourself. You say you want to make your neighborhood better -- it's not a spectator sport - you have to get involved!
Now to the Charter -- the Charter is concerned about someone using their council position to gain a full-time position with the city. That is blantantly wrong. In the late 80's when I served on the DRJTBC we enacted the same policy.
Anyone who reads or is a part of this blog is more than welcome to apply for our ABC's - Authorities, Boards and Commissions. Let's see how many do.
Sal Panto says:
Nikkita your comments are so laughable I really don't think you know what's going on in your city. You need to get involved and come to meetings and visit your city hall. Is it by chance that for the first time in many years we have a balanced budget with no increase in Taxes or Fees? That we have wiped out the $4 million deficit we inferited within two years and ended both 2008 and 2009 with a small surplus. Do you know that this year there willbe 63 police officers and in 2008 there was only 52? Do you know that we received more than $12 million in grants to help our community? City-wide street cleaning, additional code officers, and a lot more.
I ask that you read the State of the City Report when it comes out in February and look at it as a glass half full, not half - empty. You may be surprised.
Not to say its all positive. We have a lot of challenge4s ahead. But there are new and different things taking place.
I am always availiable to meet or chat to update you or more importantly hear your ideas of how you think the city should be doing.
Hmmmm. In a corporate setting, spouses and family members have to work in separate, unrelated departments. But that's not Easton, of course. There are also plenty of folks who have volunteered, but haven't fit the political bill and haven't even had a return phone call. And I'm pretty sure Nikkita has attended meetings. Easton needs a new political DNA.
That is a very important point to focus on, Couples are NOT allowed to work together in a corporate environment! This is because people rarely have the ability to separate their personal relationship with their business one. There are people who have made it possible but it's not easy and they are usually people who have started businesses together.
I'm guessing the mayor hasn't been in a corporate work environment in a while and isn't in the know.
Just to make things clear, I've been to many meetings and know that there have been a few things that have been put to action from those meetings like the street cleaner and police BUT that doesn't really mean there is any change. It's laughable for people to think that just because they throw you a few bones, that you should keep your mouth shut and just accept what is done behind closed doors. Those tokens don't buy you our silence! Some change is better than no change but SERIOUS change is what we're after!
Besides attending city meetings when I can, I am also involved in the following:
-Admin on this blog
-Editorial staff of the WestWord
-Canton Rep for Canton 7/8 (which was the catalyst to getting anything positive done at the Getty Mart)
-Being a Canton Rep means that I'm on the WWNP steering committee
- on a YWCA women's committee
- Creator of the SPTC and SingleParentsofEaston
So to your ignorance I'm actually VERY involved for being a single mom of a 13 year old honor student.
Sal Panto says
Nikkita I know you are very involved in oyur neighborhood. We are talking about a city commission, directly rleated to the inner workings of City government. It's great to be involved and appreciated but we have a difficult time filling city ABC's and that's what you challenged with Pam't appointment.
as for couples working in the same department in corporate that shows your lack of understanding of the zoning board, The Mayor has absolutely no invovlement, nor does City council other than the appointment -- they are a quasi-jusicial board that operates as a lower court. Their decisions can only be appealed to the county court of common pleas - not council nor the mayor.
I am glad when residents get involved in their community. I have stated that over and over. It is exectly how I got involved in city government. However, we shouldn't throw stones.
It is also so interesting to see that when someone wants something like a job they have no problem calling for support, support that was given freely, but then they come on these blogs and attack the same people they want help from. It is a very interesting situation. But the facts remain that Pam is not only the most qualified of any applicant, she is the only one.
BY THE WAY, I BELIEVE, BUT I AM NOT SURE AND WILL CHECK ON MONDAY, BUT I BELIEVE THERE IS STILL ANOTHER VACANCY ON THE ZHB.......I am putting it out there, any takers?????? And on monday I will even go so far as post all of the vacancies on this blog. Let's see how many respond.
Now that's what I'm taking about. Posting vacancies on the blog is a great start in getting the residents involved in the process. We all lead busy lives and may not know the ins and outs of vacancies, what it takes to apply, etc. If our local government will work with us to help share the information then you may indeed get more people willing to apply for these spots.
A lot of reasons why jobs aren't filled is because no one knows they exist, until after the fact. How are you getting the word out there to make the neighbors aware? I personally rely on this blog for my information, so if your not on here, I'm in the dark.
Hopefully with the hiring of the new director of WWNP we will have someone who is better at getting the word out and getting more residents involved. More more neighbors know, the more they feel like they can make a difference... the more willing they will be about getting involved.
Anon 8:01,
Yes, El Warner was named Vice Mayor. All City Councilmen and women are paid. According to the Charter, they are part-time employees to the City, and for the work that they put into our local government, they deserve the pay they are making.
Most of the Mayors comments make alot of sense and he is doing a good job. But how can he have objectivity when it comes to Pam (now) Panto and her professionalism.
Having volunteered and gone to many meetings at City Hall with Weed and Seed NPQ during the previous administration, I and many can report that time after time, meeting after meeting we came to the agenda item "Vacant Properties List" and were told that we can not move forward due to Pam Panto not making time to meet with us. The years past...I was a citizen who showed up. I regret that time spent. It was a waste of my time. (And thats probably just fine with Pam Panto.) But when the Mayor asks "where are all of you?" - well, mulitply my tale by a couple dozen and you will have the answer. Unfortunately the Mayor may not be able to hear this answer objectively.
Mayor Panto, while potentially flattering to be offered a position on a commission, I am sincere enough in my commitment to the community not to think myself the best candidate to preside over a Zoning Board, especially when I know so many more qualified residents than myself. And I'm sure that you don't mean to suggest that I am not involved in this community.
To be upset that the process of selection was not well advertised to encourage maximum applicants is not the same thing as thinking that I should be on the board. The time to announce the opening on the blog (and in all forms of media possible) was before appointing your wife, not after. It is not about the money, it is about nepotism, breach of Home Rule Charter, and the disturbing knowledge that one couple would have that much control in a City. We the People have a right to be upset with your actions, your wife's actions, and City Council for not challenging but rather being complicit in those actions. The idea that it would slide through with no discussion at all on Council is deeply disturbing, and damages resident trust in the integrity of each and every member of Council.
Quite frankly, the idea that ANY judgment is made without discussion of Council is shocking, because that is what they are hired to do--to discuss, debate, and after considering all sides to an issue, to make a judgment call. Too many decisions slide through Council with no debate at all, and it is a great shame to our City. This issue only makes this failure all the more flagrant.
Best practice for persons in positions subsized by public monies is to not just avoid conflicts of interest (that is a matter of law) but to "protect the public trust" by avoiding even the appearance of a conflict of interest thus sparing individuals, organizations and the public the agony of discussion and scutiny and to allow the public's business to proceed efficiently and smoothly.
Remember Riverwalk, a project strongly pitched by Mayor Mitman. In such cases, reviewing authorities (Planning, Zoning) need to be independent in their judgments and they need to appear to be independent. This is best practice. A discerning public is to be commended for demanding this from their public officials.
Nikkita,
Thank you for expressing your concerns. They have value and I find no comic relief in them.‘I get you’ as the kids like to say. I voted for the new charter with the belief it would address historic and systemic problems with the politics of Easton including nepotism and cronyism. It is a reasonable expectation for any registered voter to push back with this issue.
Your comment and the responses it provokes point to a growing disconnect between city legislators and the average, hard working Joes of our great city, who pay most of the taxes and invest time, energy and money into improving our neighborhoods—with little recognition or thanks.
Politicians cut from the same old familiar mold, the kind Martin Luther King to President Obama spoke out against, display predictable patterns when criticized. It begins with defensiveness, then a dismissal of the critique, shifting blame to the antagonist or others then diverts it by boasting in a list of accomplishments then finally hammered home with an invitation to ‘be a part of the team,’ underscored by an unspoken rule to pull the company line.
They rarely admit they’ve done anything wrong or accept personal responsibility for error and cannot concede to failure. Rather than pouring out power to empower others they draw it to themselves. Instead of conceding a point and perhaps even apologizing, they exonerate themselves for fear of damaging their public image. They stand on ceremony and self aggrandizement while conveniently sidestepping their failures or weaknesses.
I know this to be true for my pride and ego has blinded me in leadership roles. I needed people like you and others to show me things about myself I was unwilling to see. I still do and still have to work on it every day. One of the reasons why I opted not to throw out a list of failures on the part of city council for it would be as petty as feeling the need to put all my trophies on display.
You have an opinion and deserve to be heard. Those in leadership with a healthy sense of humility will see, even though they disagree with you, truth in your protest. They will seek to sympathize with your opinion and find value in it. They will invite criticism rather than respond with an adversarial posture and will carve out the time to meet with you, in your sand box not theirs, ready with an attentive ear rather than a war chest filled with rebuttals and key messages.
Probably like you I long for the day a city legislator will step down from his or her elevated position and sit in the cheap seats instead of the pin-cushioned ones. Someone who will be a voice for the growing number of registered voters and simply hard working folks who feel they have become voiceless—-particularly our youth. Someone who is willing to become weak so others can be strong, who is willing to take it on the chin yet respond with grace and who is willing to admit that perhaps, they may be the one who needs to change, not the one they are pointing the finger at while three others are point back at them.
In the mean time it is best to pray for our leaders. While I ask God to give them wisdom and thank Him for their work, I also pray for their hearts to be broken for the broken and for God to remove the scales of pride from their eyes...as I do for myself every day.
Obama Yea thats someone to look up to.This sounds like the Obama administration and the Democrats take 2.
Sal Panto says:
Here is the current list of vacancies for the city's ABC's. I didn't say people on this blog were not involved in their community. Of course they are. What I said was that they were not involved in their local government and the decision making process that is often criticized without involvement.
Easton Parking Authority
Civil Service Board, Health
Civil Service Board, Technical
Easton City Board of Health
Easton Human Relations Commission
Easton Redevelopment Authority
For more information about these positions and anyone interested in applying should send a request to me at spanto@easton-pa.gov or call 610.250.6610.
All candidates must be current on all finances with the city prior to approval by Easton City Council.
why "celtic warrior" if so "born and bred"?
The orginal Tea Party was a revolt against a corportion - the British East India Company. If you are so worried about keeping your "rights" you should inform yourself as to what is the real source of the threat to them - its the multnational corporations, not the government.
p.s. to Mayor Panto~
As always, I appreciate your interaction with residents on the blog, so thank you for that. I will create a new post tomorrow highlighting the positions you've mentioned so that this request gets maximum attention and hopefully you will get some good applicants.
Thanks Darkesthour,
In one short paragraph you have hit on the crux of the problem in this country;
We are being diverted from REAL issues that will destroy us - poor transportation and land use policy, water privatization and natural resource waste, deterioration of workers rights and non-representative local government - by those who would instead have us inthralled in jingoistic outrage against the "lesser others" and "alien invaders". Scapegoating of the current immigrant class for all our problems has a history as long as the country's...didn't stop any of these former groups from building the country and contributing greatly to it's survival (so far).
Our government may be complicit in perpetuating these distractionary hot button topics but they aren't generating them. It is the corporate state's unending mission to divide and conquer We The People by any means necessary. The longer they keep us at each other's throats the easier it is to collect the riches and move on.
Those who wring hands over the flood of foreigners into America must ask themselves why others come here. It is because corporate pirates have sacked and looted the Third World for so long there is no longer an honest opportunity to survive - economically or politically - there. Without complicit actions (militarily and otherwise) by our government and others to assist corporations in such behavior, peasant classes will continue to look to the USA for salvation.
We may not be able to provide that salvation much longer for any group, but that dilemma has less to do with immigration and more to do with an economic model based on constant unsustainable growth - that growth itself based on an unrealistic expectation of continuous, cheap energy supplies...a scientific impossibility.
Like all empires before it, the USA will fall unless it begins to curb it's hubris and show some contrition and genuine modesty.Everyone now needs to think about how they can personally disengage from the global corporate teet and relocalize their decison making processes at every level...from where they get their food to how they conduct trade, move around the landscape and all things in between.
Thanks for the moment of clariity.
DRL
Well "darkesthour"I think they also wanted to tax Americans for a war.Just like Democrats want to do for the two wars we have now.And I just cant see were governments not the problem.You must not be listening to the same radio and tv shows I do.The Tea-Party has a higher rating than Dems.or Republicans.
Is it not government that protects these corporations.And corporations that fund millions to both parties of government.
The members of the Tea - Party that I talk with are just tired of seeing there taxes wasted.And that congress makes special deals behind closed doors.Just like whats going on here.
So I hope to see you at city council to get the mayor to ask his wife to step down.And uphold the rules that were put in place.
Please see this conversation continued in a more recent post (above on this home page) with corrections:
http://neighborsofeaston.blogspot.com/2010/01/open-positions-on-city-commissions.html
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