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By P. DOUGLAS FILAROSKI; Times Leader Staff Writer
Thursday, November 17, 1994 Page: 1A
WILKES-BARRE — When it comes to city blight, Mayor Lee Namey says he’s
more concerned about remarks by City Council members than the homeless people
they have criticized.
Last week, council criticized local homeless people while scrutinizing city
support of programs they claimed often amount to handouts and drawing cards
for transients.
On Wednesday, Namey defended local agencies and denounced the
characterizations of the homeless as baseless.
“This is inherently City Council at work again — attack first, ask
questions later,” Namey said. “I think council members would do better to keep
their mouths shut until they have the facts.
“We’re turning out to be the bigot center of Northeastern United States
with these statements,” he said.
Even though council eventually supported funding, one member went on to
characterize homeless people as “stumblebums.” Another member said they are
not trying hard enough to land jobs.
It was nearly a year ago that council member Al Boris caused an uproar when
he responded to reports of homosexuals engaging in sex in city parks by
saying: “You should shoot half of them anyway.”
Reactions from the community prompted wide media coverage, including a
nationally circulated story by the Associated Press.
This time, council member Thomas Leighton took the lead, proposing that the
city withhold its sponsorship of a $33,000 portion of a federal grant to help
fund VISION homeless shelter.
However, a VISION representative convinced council members at their meeting
Thursday that the program does work to get homeless people off the streets.
The council agreed to support the grant, then turned its scrutiny on the
local St. Vincent dePaul Soup Kitchen, which they assumed received similar
federal funding through the city.
In fact, the kitchen does not receive federal funding through the city. It
received only $100 from the city’s general fund last year, an amount Namey
proposed cutting next year.
Namey defended the proposed cuts in his 1995 budget, saying the group did
not request the funding, as it had in past years.
But council member Thomas McGroarty responded Wednesday by proposing $500
be reinserted in the budget for the kitchen. The council is reviewing next
year’s spending plan and can make changes before giving final approval.
McGroarty would like the donation to be made in memory of late former
council member Edward White, a longtime supporter of the kitchen.
Neither Leighton nor council chairman Phil Latinski — who criticized
people he said he knew held jobs for using the soup kitchen — could be
reached for comment on the proposal.
“I don’t want to make a big deal out of this thing. I just think that these
programs generally do a pretty good job,” McGroarty said.
Namey and McGroarty, who is considering a mayoral run ne