Intervention by Feds Forces Makeover for Kids-for-Cash Court

A makeover for Pa.'s notorious kids-for-cash court
The Associated Press by MICHAEL RUBINKAM - May 16, 2009

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - For the first time since a jaw-dropping scandal involving crooked judges and troubled kids, voters in northeast Pennsylvania are getting a chance to assert themselves at the ballot box , and, perhaps, to start fixing the problems that have turned this former hub of coal mining into a hothouse of corruption. On Tuesday, residents of Wilkes-Barre and the surrounding area will choose among 17 candidates running for two open spots on the short-handed Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas, where two judges recently pleaded guilty to taking kickbacks, a third was kicked out for misconduct in a separate case, and the FBI has been looking into allegations of case fixing.

All of the judicial candidates say they want to restore trust and confidence in the court system. But they're fighting strong currents of voter cynicism; the widespread belief here is that politicians treat local government as a spoils system for friends, family and supporters. "When you go out there (on the campaign trail), the absolutely overpowering message is they've completely lost trust," said candidate Michael Blazick, 35, who has won the endorsement of both daily newspapers in Wilkes-Barre. "There's been a meltdown in the public's confidence in the judicial system. They think all judges are corrupt, and anyone seeking a judgeship must have ulterior motives." While the attitude is frustrating, Blazick said, "you can't fault the public for feeling that way." Indeed, Luzerne County has endured one political scandal after another. First came "kids for cash," a story that reverberated nationwide as a pair of judges, Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan, were charged in January with taking $2.6 million in kickbacks to stock private detention centers with young offenders. They pleaded guilty to fraud and face seven years in prison. Then a top court official admitted he embezzled tens of thousands of dollars, and another pleaded guilty to tampering with court files. Then came an FBI appeal for the public's help in rooting out corruption in the hiring of public school teachers , followed by charges against two Luzerne County school officials.

More public officials are expected to go down before the FBI and federal prosecutors end their probe in Luzerne County, about 100 miles north of Philadelphia. "Somebody's always on the take," complained Jim Bussacco, 84, one recent Saturday while in his back yard near Wilkes-Barre. "Greed is the motivating factor. Everybody wants the buck. Politicians have too many family members working in county jobs, school jobs." Beyond selecting candidates for judge, voters Tuesday also will decide whether they want to take a first tentative step toward scrapping the county's current form of government , which reformers say has bred decades of corruption , in favor of a home rule charter designed to reduce the opportunities for graft. The ballot measure is being pushed by a group of young reformers, who have spent weeks going door-to-door to build support. A similar effort failed in 2003 after opponents of home rule mounted a furious campaign against it. But P.J. Best, a 24-year-old law student and former candidate for state representative who is behind the latest campaign, said a shake-up is desperately needed after the recent spate of corruption. "It's a 'good old boys' network where all these politically connected people get together and start working the system. And none of them turn on each other," Best said. "Unless you have a system that is more open, transparent and accessible to the people, (corruption) can go under the radar for quite some time."