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| Businesses tied to Gov. Tom Wolf, top Pa. senator close after questions about how they qualified as ‘life-sustaining' |
| 2020-03-29 |
| [Post-Gazette] Thousands of businesses in Pennsylvania have closed under Gov. Tom Wolf’s unprecedented statewide shutdown to help slow the spread of COVID-19, but not the company that the Democratic governor once owned, or the business now owned by the Senate’s most powerful member. Until now. On Thursday, Mr. Wolf’s office said it had rescinded a waiver that had been issued to the governor’s former business, a kitchen and bath cabinet supply company in Central Pennsylvania, after Spotlight PA and PA Post inquired about how it qualified as "life-sustaining." Likewise, The Dan Smith Candy Company, owned by Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson ‐ which makes and sells candies, chocolates and other specialty items at stores in the northern part of the state ‐ also closed its doors after inquiries from the news organizations. The ability for both companies to remain open amid a crisis of unparalleled proportions in Pennsylvania ‐ one that has already taken a severe toll on businesses large and small, as well as their workers ‐ underscores the opaque and chaotic process that has unfolded since Mr. Wolf first began shutting down the state last week. Since that time, Mr. Wolf has twice expanded the list of industries that are exempt, allowed gun shops to reopen on a limited basis, and issued waivers to thousands of more businesses, allowing them to reopen their physical locations. Many described that process as random, inconsistent and frustratingly slow. "It doesn't seem like there is any consistency," said Robert Kleckner, owner of Linfield National Golf Club in Montgomery County, who has twice applied for a state waiver and has not heard back from the Department of Community and Economic Development, which is in charge of the process. There are few safeguards in place to ensure the waiver process has been fair and equitable. The administration has declined to release the exact criteria and process for approvals and denials, and it also has declined to release a list of businesses that were allowed to reopen and those that were not. As of Wednesday, the Department of Community and Economic Development said it had received a staggering 24,877 waiver requests. Of those, 4,003 had been approved and 4,439 had been denied. At a news conference that day, Mr. Wolf said he was not personally signing off on any of the waiver decisions. |
| Posted by:Frank G |
| #4 All politicians are crooks. Trump is not a politician, just a skilled businessman. |
| Posted by: Boss Dingle7996 2020-03-29 11:24 |
| #3 Failed The Electric Koolaid Acid Test. |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2020-03-29 09:41 |
| #2 I didn't have any trouble recalling the technical name of this type of thing: Self dealing. |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2020-03-29 08:57 |
| #1 The Dan Smith Candy Company, owned by Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson ‐ which makes and sells candies, chocolates and other specialty items Chocolates ARE life saving |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2020-03-29 08:14 |