The $25,919 assessed against the City of Wilkes-Barre by the state Department of Revenue for its failure to account for 67,000 gallons of tax-exempt gasoline might appear a small matter in a city with a $44 million annual budget.
But when one considers the actual cost of the fuel that's gone missing - more than $230,000 at current prices - Gasgate takes on a larger significance.
And the scandal is about more than money. It's just one more example of the cavalier attitude Mayor Tom Leighton and his allies take when spending the cash-strapped city's money. Remember that taxpayer-funded security system installed in Leighton's home and the summer jobs with city agencies that went to his children and those of his political allies?

 The Leighton administration claims poor record-keeping, not theft, is to blame for the missing gas and maintains all of the fuel was used for city services such as trash pick-up or snow removal as required by the state Liquid Fuels Program, which waives state fuel taxes for municipal users.
But the administration was unable to back its assertions with documentation acceptable to the Department of Revenue, which noted it had reminded the city of its duty to track its use of tax-free fuel in 2007.
The administration's reaction to Gasgate has been disappointing from beginning to end.
The mayor himself admitted to failing to report filling the tank of his personal vehicle from the city pumps, but maintained the gas had been used solely on city business.

 The city acknowledged it had an electronic system on its gas pumps that, if utilized, would have required users to punch in codes before filling up and tracked usage, but it was abandoned in favor of a logbook because it was too "burdensome." Apparently even the logbook proved too burdensome for some users, including Leighton.

 A year into the scandal, the Leighton administration has yet to implement a promised new system to electronically monitor all fuel use through the use of key cards and city spokesman Drew McLaughlin says he is not aware of any disciplinary action taken against city employees in the case.
Now that the Department of Revenue has definitively ruled that more than $200,000 worth of gas is unaccounted for, the onus falls on the Luzerne County District Attorney's Office, which has investigated for a nearly a year but has yet to decide if there is criminal wrongdoing involved. District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis plans to meet this week with county detectives to determine if charges will be filed.
If Salavantis has any proof, she should pursue prosecution aggressively.

 Until now, the only ones paying any price for Gasgate have been the taxpayers.
Someone at City Hall needs to be held accountable.