What are your thoughts? Were no-parking signs political payback to Scott? Former District Judge Wally Scott resigned effective Dec. 31. He announced his candidacy for mayor on Saturday, Jan. 3. During his speech, Scott unveiled his plans for the various city departments, including criticism of the Reading Area Water Authority. Whether Scott knew it or not, RAWA Chairman Ernie Schlegel was standing in front and heard everything he said. The following Monday, Jan. 5, Scott found temporary parking restriction signs tied over three parking meters in front of his new campaign office and two adjoining storefronts. No Parking after 7 a.m. Water Dept., the signs read. Scott assumed it was just his bad luck that RAWA would have to dig up the street in front of his campaign office the day it opens. But when a week went by and no RAWA work crews had appeared, Scott called me and asked: What gives? I immediately suspected political shenanigans. I was kicking the topic around with my editors Tuesday when veteran City Hall reporter Don Spatz joined the discussion. Spatz said he was going to a RAWA board meeting that afternoon and would tell Schlegel that Scott suspected he put up the parking signs in retaliation for his speech. Spatz went up and took a picture of the signs on the parking meters and called the newsroom. The signs say water department, but the city hasnt had a water department for 20 years, he said. The plot thickened. Spatz then went to the RAWA board meeting and reported the following: RAWA Executive Director Dean Miller said the authority does not have No Parking signs. He said when crews schedule a project they get the police or parking authority to put up the temporary signs. Absolutely not, Schlegel said when Spatz asked him if he had anything to do with the signs. I followed up with Schlegel on Wednesday and he said that after further checking he learned that RAWA kept the old water department no parking signs, but that he and Miller didnt know that. He also said that one of Scotts neighbors was delinquent in a water bill and that a crew had been assigned to go out and shut the water off. He said they had to block three parking spaces because a truck has to tow a compressor out to shut-offs. He said that over time debris builds up in the pipe so the air compressor is needed to blow that debris out before the valve can be accessed. Luis Fabian Negron, whose family owns the building next to Scotts office, said Schlegels explanation doesnt make sense to him. Were late all the time and theyve shut our water off before, Negron said. Negron admitted he was late with the water bill two weeks ago, so Schlegels story about a shut-off being ordered rang true. We got a notice that week that we were late and we went right over to the office and paid the bill and they never shut us off, he said. Schlegel agreed the water was never shut off to Negrons building because the bill was paid. But the story about needing to block three spaces didnt pass muster with Negron. When they have shut us off before, a guy comes out in a little white car, gets out, takes the cap off, and turns the water off, Negron said. The whole process takes about 10 minutes. And why were the signs left up for 10 days if the bill had been paid? Schlegel said he doesnt get that far down in the weeds in the daily operations of the authority. I didnt know we still used the signs, he said. We have a yard boss; we go by what he tells us. I went by Scotts office Thursday morning and told him what I had learned. He shook his head and walked back inside. In Kellys Korner, Dan Kelly writes about the people and personalities that make Berks County special. Contact him 610-371-5040 or dkelly@ readingeagle.
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 05:42:56 +0000
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