the Mayor

[Harlow]

I only have two things to say to your response Bill. Who knows, maybe there will be more when I start writing.

I was the editor for just over 1 1/2 years. I can't go through the 8 years of Mayor Stoner's term.

The eyesore buildings, claim eminent domain. Give them a deadline to fix them or the Borough will take them over.

That is what was done with the building that became the park.

Bill, sometimes we disagree, but there is one thing that still is true. No matter what I wrote or what either of us thought, we are still friends.

Also, congratulations to your Dad for serving the Borough all those years and never wearing a long sleave shirt.

[Blain]

The company Jim runs is no secret so I am not sure what the concern is about his employment.

I have no concern about his employment, just curious about what it is. It appears to have provoked an interesting discussion.

[banksy]

I heard a rumor that the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms was camped outside the place with Molotov cocktail. One agent was spotted with a "WACO YMCA" t-shirt on.

*Note to the politically correct people of the world - Get over it, it's a joke*

[Bill Latchford]

The eyesore buildings, claim eminent domain. Give them a deadline to fix them or the Borough will take them over.

That is what was done with the building that became the park.

John - That would be nice in a lot of cases I am sure. But what is the Boro supposed to do with these buildings once we take them? The YMCA is like $150K plus to tear down. Where might we get money for these issues. There is nothing I would rather do than to rip these eyesores down. I am one for progress for sure.

[Harlow]

Get your Mayor or Borough Manager out asking for grants to start the process.

Mayor Stoner found funding for sidewalks and street lamps, there is money to be found.

[150thBucktailCo.I]

Great point, Harlow. :thumb:

The Boro should get Representative Jerry Stern on it. He's now the Secretary for the GOP caucus in the State House of Reps. in Harrisburg. That's a leadership position, I do believe.

[Bill Latchford]

Working on it as I type

[banksy]

The eyesore buildings, claim eminent domain. Give them a deadline to fix them or the Borough will take them over.

That is what was done with the building that became the park.

John - That would be nice in a lot of cases I am sure. But what is the Boro supposed to do with these buildings once we take them? The YMCA is like $150K plus to tear down. Where might we get money for these issues. There is nothing I would rather do than to rip these eyesores down. I am one for progress for sure.

Give the property away to someone who will put something in and let them pay to tear the building down.

[Bill Latchford]

Can't quite give it away, but it could be sold for cheap I would think. But the owner is responsible for repairs or maintenance of the property or the tearing down of it. In the YMCA's location, I am not quite sure what could go there unless they get all the property like the house and out 2 parking lots. Seems pretty specific to me. Makes it harder to get rid of with such a small footprint. Now personally...I would probably sell the parking lots and such and dump parking meters all together if someone had a great plan for the whole space. Just for the sake of progress. But then you still have the land owner that owns the apartment there. Who knows what they might want for their property. Might just take advantage and want to much if they think the people interested have deep pockets. There you go someone would then loose interest real fast if there are to many hoops. Just my 2 cents on that one.

[Hopewell]

I have no concern about his employment, just curious about what it is. It appears to have provoked an interesting discussion.

Greetings, all. I am a former Tyrone resident, and have registered here only to post this. I'm surprised that Jim Kilmartin was elected mayor when it appears that little is known about him. I don’t know if I can shed any light on this or not, and some of you may not even feel that what I have to say here is relevant, but here it is…

I was part of the whole “J-House” scene in 2000 and 2001 and, like many, I was inspired by what I perceived to be a group of young adults “on fire” for God and “with a heart” for the youth of Tyrone. I was in the strange position that, while I was an active J-House volunteer, I was at the same time an “outsider” because, unlike everybody else there, I was not a member of the Antioch Center in State College. Despite the fact that I loved the “J-House Crew” and genuinely enjoyed their fellowship, I had by late 2001 become disenchanted with what I feel was Jim’s excessive focus on money, fundraising, and his own authority, which he called “covering.” When I broke with Jim and the J-House, Jim was preaching that he was essentially a Biblical “Levite,” and that it was God’s design that Levites be supported by the other eleven tribes of Israel. This meant, said Jim, that through the mandatory “tithes” of others, God gave Jim the right to have a slightly higher standard of living than the rest of us. (Eleven tribes x 10% = 110%, or a standard of living 10% higher than the rest of us.) My understanding was that, at that time, donations funded the J-House, and that Jim was salaried by Perry Babb, head guru at the Antioch Center.

Again, “at the time,” (and I have no reason to believe that this still isn’t the case), Jim got his marching orders (and salary and health insurance) from Babb, who was Jim’s “covering” and “spiritual father.” The Antioch Center had a very authoritarian hierarchy that taught such things as “every believer must have a covering,” someone who is “over you in the Lord,” to be your life authority. If your covering tells you to quit your job, you quit your job; if your covering tells you to sell your house, you sell your house. Etc, etc. Your “covering” is your “middle man” between you and the Lord. This should cause you to question whether, theoretically or theologically, your mayor is Jim Kilmartin or Perry Babb. In the handful of times that I personally interacted with Babb and the attendant group of courtiers and flatterers who seemed to be constantly vying for his attention, it always struck me how impersonal he was. To me, he did not exude peace, love, or the Gospel; he exuded authority, and that always concerned me and cautioned any desire I had to become involved in the Antioch Center.

Anyway, I expressed my concerns (regarding the extraordinary emphasis on money and authority) with other J-Housers and was surprised that, while many at least conceded that I raised some interesting questions, they wouldn’t dare cross Jim’s authority on such matters. (I think that there was this additional complication that some J-Housers were employed by members of the Antioch Center and challenging authority could cost jobs.) So I expressed my concerns directly to Jim, and I even asked to sit down with Jim and Perry to discuss these issues; Jim never responded to my offer. I have little doubt that, even if Jim had wanted to do so, Perry would have never permitted it. Jim basically said, “If you don’t like it, leave,” which is what I did.

I state all of this with some sadness, as Jim and the J-House crew were good to me, and were like family. But when Jim became salaried staff of Antioch, I believe that he ceased to be his own man pursuing his own vision, and merely became an appendage of that organization, for the sake of financial stability. My last contact with Jim was probably around 2003, when I ran into him and a group of J-Housers somewhere around town. The group was warm and friendly, but Jim stood apart… aloof… the holy man in authority who was above being questioned. I have always wondered if those who were friendly towards me that day were chided afterwards for welcoming “the troublemaker.”

Anyway, I don’t know if this answers any more questions than it raises, but for those of you still in Tyrone, hopefully it points you in the right direction for further inquiry.

[smboats]

Joshua House-can you say "CULT"?

[jilt64]

I went back over posts, and felt overall it was a good discussion...however, the last couple seem to be getting into mudslinging...if you start throwing mud, someone is going to get dirty, especially on a public forum like you all are on...didn't really want to respond, as I don't know every particular, but it's a caution...

[150thBucktailCo.I]

Nice post, Hopewell...

Thanks for the insight.

Be interesting to see if a previous mayor is/was a "cover", too?

[Hopewell]

the last couple seem to be getting into mudslinging...if you start throwing mud, someone is going to get dirty, especially on a public forum like you all are on.

An eyewitness in a court trial is not "mudslinging"; he is telling the jury what he saw so that they can draw their own conclusions. The voters of Tyrone are the jury, and it is their job to make an informed decision.

Besides, I don't think that anybody mudslings "with some sadness..."

[Rick]

Please keep the discussion on track, informative, and free of slander or ill-will comments. If you need reminded of our boards' rules and etiquette guidelines, please follow the link in my signature.

Thank You, Rick