GAS GATE: Someone must pay

Citizens Voice Sunday Editorial:  http://citizensvoice.com/news/someone-must-pay-for-gasgate-debacle-1.1523500

07/06/12    The district attorney (S Salavantis) on Thursday vowed to look into 18,000 gallons of missing gasoline intended for city vehicles. 

07/06/12    "Honestly, I can't really - I don't know. I don't know why I didn't fill out the log," Leighton said. "I can't answer that question."

Is 18,000 gallons a lot?

Consider you could circle the earth in a car 21 times.

(math nerds:  18,000 gallons times 30 mpg divided by 24,901 = 21.69)

07/06/12    "It was not hidden that I took gas," said Leighton, who defended his action because he filled up his vehicle in lieu of accepting a city-owned car. "Everyone knew I took gas."

07/06/12    Leighton said he and a few other city officials - he could not say how many others are involved or who they are - were authorized by the administration to fill up their private vehicles when used for city business. (Names please?   Just city business?)

07/06/12    "Eighteen thousand gallons sounds like a lot - and believe me, I thought it was a lot - until I found out how big these gas tanks are," Leighton said.

You could go to the moon and back and still have gas left over.

(math nerds:  18,000 times 30 mpg divided by 238,900 = 2.26 ... one "up and back")

07/06/12    City-Wide Towing owner Bob Kadluboski said he was rebuffed by a Wilkes-Barre police officer Thursday when he tried to file a criminal complaint against Mayor Tom Leighton and other city officials for stealing gas paid for by taxpayers. Kadluboski said he spoke with Sgt. William ("I shout... therefore I am) Harden on the phone, and Harden refused to take the complaint because the administration was already investigating the missing gas.

07/06/12    "That should not be the case, no matter how frivolous an officer may think it is," Salavantis said.

Recently a man was arrested for stealing a canister (2-3 gallons) of lawnmower gas from the back of a public works vehicle.

Sanity check # 1

3 gallons is less than 18,000 gallons (.00016).

The man who stole 3 gallons was arrested.

Why has no one been arrested for stealing 18,000?

Just wondering.

Sanity check # 2

Do Leighton’s wife, kids, and kids’ boyfriends/girlfriends count as city workers?

Just wondering.     

Excerpts in this post taken from July 6, 2012  Citizen’s Voice;  Josh Moyer reporting