Is the Berks historical society planning to move out of Reading? No one will say no

by Steve Reinbrecht

I wonder if the Historical Society of Berks County is planning to move from its longtime home in Reading to join with the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center at Kutztown University.

I heard that someone has offered a $1 million donation if the merger takes placed.

When I asked the leaders of those organizations if the organizations will merge, my wonder increased.

Sime Bertolet, executive director of the historical society, said talk of such a move is “rumors at this point.”

When I asked him what he meant by “at this point,” he refused to comment further.

I left a message for Patrick Donmoyer, who runs the cultural center, but he didn’t contact me. When I called again, a woman who answered the phone said the center has no comment on my question.

She said others have called to ask the same thing. 

So that’s it.

Because the Reading Eagle has trained local leaders that if they don’t like a story, they can call the newsroom and get it censored, many Berks organizations have never had to learn how to answer tough questions from the public.

“No comment” is never a good answer.

With social media filling in the cracks around the county newspaper’s crumble into journalistic irrelevance, organizations will need to stay on their toes with unexpected public relations.

Reading Mayor Wally Scott has little to show

by Steve Reinbrecht

So Wally Scott has been mayor of Reading for almost five months. The biggest part of the job is finding good people to fill key jobs in the city government.

The poor city needs the best help and leadership it can get to survive a world that is very unkind to small cities, which well-paying employers have fled but poor people fleeing worse places have flocked to.

Wally drove off two apparently very competent if not excellent administrators – the police chief, William Heim, and the city manager, Carole Snyder, and hasn’t been able to hire permanent replacements.

On Tuesday, Cumru Township hired Reading’s acting police chief, Madison Winchester.

Although he never impressed me, Lenin Agudo, the city community development director, left his important job early in the year. Alejandro Palacios is the acting director, but I can find no information about him.

On Friday, Wally fired David Ruyak, ‎operations division manager. In July, Ruyak was given a $6,000 raise because he had taken over the curbside waste program. Wally has proposed a complicated trash hauling program, an old theme of his.

The parking authority appears to be in disarray, with a floundering Wally-appointed executive director and the loss of its longtime finance director Christina Gilfert, who quit after 15 years.

In April, Wally fired Ron Natale, a 13-year City Hall veteran who had run the codes department since 2010.

Several different people have told me Wally seems to be developing Alzheimer’s disease or some sort of dementia.

He certainly didn’t impress this letter writer:

“We hear stories that clearly show that he [Scott] lacks a grasp of fundamental concepts of economic development and city management, which was evident in his comments in last week's Berks Community Foundation program at Albright College. Quoting lines from Cheech and Chong movies, declaring that Mexico should be a U.S. territory and touting his railroad theme and Monopoly board plan as a way to incentivize new business left the audience dumbfounded.”

Scott could shake up the Reading Redevelopment Authority, where apparently two men have worked full time for years, trying to sell a 50-acre plot.

People have also told me about the friendly relationship between Scott and the new City Hall reporter, Dan Kelly. I hope it’s friendly AND professional. Reading needs better journalism.

Would the Reading Eagle publish a call to Allah?

by Steve Reinbrecht

Doesn't our newspaper want to appear inclusive? As if it respects everybody in Berks County? As if it doesn't think heathens in other countries need to be "saved"?

The Reading Eagle, the media monolith in Berks County, published this "daily thought" in its Daily Docket on Sunday.

A Bible verse from an Old Testament prophet:

"Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other." Isaiah 45:22

And the interpretation, by a local preacher:

"From New York to Timbuktu, from Kabul to Santiago people just like you and me can come to Jesus and be saved! So won't you come?" - Rev. Jonathan Peters, Covenant Presbyterian Church, Sinking Spring.

Doesn't Peters know that Timbuktu and Kabul are in Muslim nations? Why would he think anybody there needs to be saved by his religion? Saved from what?

Would the Reading Eagle publish this verse from the Quran?

"When the victory of Allah has come and the conquest, And you see the people entering into the religion of Allah in multitudes, Then exalt [Him] with praise of your Lord and ask forgiveness of Him. Indeed, He is ever Accepting of repentance." Quran 110

It's hard to prove negatives, but I looked through Reading Eagle archives for the past six months and could find no "daily thoughts" from the Quran or from a rabbi.

 
 

 
 

It’s an outrage Reading Eagle hasn’t pursued secret DUI hearing

By Steve Reinbrecht

A letter writer asks why the award-winning Reading Eagle newspaper has completely dropped reporting about a secret DUI court hearing for a lawyer who had contributed to a judge’s election campaign.

The reason is that the Eagle looks like a newspaper but really isn’t.

Real journalists follow important stories to make sure powerful people, like judges, are accountable.

But Berks is run by people used to getting favors. See how that is working out, as the rest of the region passes us by.

The letter is eloquent:

Editor:

In a February Reading Eagle story that raised the issue about a private court proceeding she held, Judge Eleni Dimitriou Geishauser's staff said she would not comment on a pending case. 

That was nearly three months ago, so the case is no longer pending.

What gave Geishauer the right to authorize a secret, back-door hearing for Reading attorney Zachary A. Morey? Anyone else with three times the legal limit drunken driving charge would have had their hearing held in public.

According to the Ballotpedia website, Geishauser ran for judge on a judicial philosophy of unwavering ethics and strict respect for the laws of our land.

It looks like this judge has two judicial systems in her courtroom: one for the average citizen, and another for the well connected.

President Judge Paul Yatron admitted in February that this case was improperly handled, so should I assume he filed a complaint to the Judicial Conduct Board of Pennsylvania?

Both of these judges have an ethical obligation to provide the citizens who voted them into office an explanation.

Being silent shows defiance and an abuse of power.

Many readers posted comments at the time the story happened because it deserves attention.

Michael A. Kouvaros
Spring Township