There are simply no more excuses, borough records are out of control

Word on the street is that some in Honesdale Borough hall are saying the entire recent episode involving former councilman Nick Slish should just go away because he has resigned.

Their reasoning, rumors say, is he apologized for breaking the law by not sending proper notice to a homeowner before ordering a crew to go in and clear-cut a man’s garden.

What they don’t say, up to today anyway, is that Slish apparently ordered several other properties to be cleaned up and didn’t bother to send proper notice to those landowners, either.

And the taxpayers are footing the bill.

We sent an open records request to the borough asking for details about properties which were deemed blighted and needed to be cleaned up. We wanted copies of the official notices sent to the property owners and copies of the bills sent to those owners after the work was completed.

We got neither.

The reason, according to borough officials, is none were ever sent.

First and foremost, that’s a violation of Pennsylvania law. The law clearly states that proper notices must be sent.

What does that mean?

It would seem that since proper notices weren’t sent, those property owners are off the hook when it comes to any compensation given to the borough. If they weren’t properly notified, why would they have to pay the money?

Another interesting aspect of this, at least when it comes to the property owner whose garden was clear-cut, is in all likelihood any award given by a court stemming from a lawsuit would not be covered by an insurance company. It’s hard to imagine an insurance company coughing up money when the borough itself broke the law in creating the situation.

And that means the taxpayers would again be left holding the bag.

Beyond all of that, there is another question: Who is going to be held accountable and who’s going to make sure that happens?

It’s clear the law has been broken. There’s no question that former councilman Slish broke the law. There’s also no question the other council members let it happen without questioning anything. They admit that much.

From our daily observations, when someone breaks the law, an arrest is made. (Simply look at the court cases, Pennsylvania State Police reports and the Honesdale Borough Police reports.)

In this case, it would appear the district attorney needs to intervene and make that arrest. It’s clearly on record the law has been broken. When someone in law enforcement knows the law has been broken, it is their duty to make the arrest.

In this case, not only are the property owners victims but so is everyone who pays taxes in the borough. Everyone. Even those who don’t live here but pay their taxes for the privilege of working in the borough.

This case just smells of corruption and it would not be out of the question to think this is not some isolated incident. As has been well documented, many of the borough’s problems have come straight out of the planning and zoning office. From missing records to checks not being cashed to “break-ins,” the incidents keep mounting and mounting.

And it is no coincidence.

Another interesting angle in all of this is just how quickly borough officials paid the contractor who did the work. It took just a few days in most cases for the borough to pay the contractor. That’s almost unheard of when it comes to dealing with government.

At the same time, we’re being told the borough is two months behind on billing when it comes to this same work. Aside from the fact the property owners are likely not responsible to pay the bills, how could the borough be two months behind on billing, yet so quick to pay out to the contractor? Where are the priorities? Or maybe even more relevant, what are the personal relationships?

We’re not clear exactly how all of this has happened, or even if it has happened for years and years, but we do know something needs to be done by those elected to office.

Letting a rogue councilman run amok is one thing but then trying to say it should all just be dropped and become history is quite another.

The mere fact there are so many questions hanging over all of this is reason enough that this should not go away anytime soon. The fact the law was broken is huge. In fact, it should be investigated thoroughly and some resolutions need to be made.

It also brings up the matter of the proposed forensic audit of the planning and zoning department. That issue was put on the table several months back and has simply faded away into the sunset.

If this incident isn’t enough to demand an audit happen then maybe those in charge need to step aside and let people who have some fortitude step in and do what’s right.

The citizens of Honesdale are suffering and it must stop. We elected this council to clean up the mess and it’s time they step up to the plate, let the public know in no uncertain terms they mean business and then do the job.

Anything less is a failure.