Filipping Out!

I was born and grew up in Erie, Pennsylvania. So, every once in a while you’ll see a post on here about my native city. As such, this first post is a particularly sweet one.

Rick Filippi, businessman and first term mayor of the City of Erie, was indicted on 6 counts including criminal conspiracy, conflict of interest, and accepting improper influence. (Note the appalling JetTV website. <sigh>)

Way to go Rick!

For years, I’ve heard of crooked dealings coming out of the Mayor’s office. I know he has (or had) ownership in Sullivan’s, which wasn’t a bad bar to go to on the weekends. He was a personal injury lawyer to boot. Ick.

Erie has been decimated by inept politicians over the past 40 years. Mario Bagnoni and Jim Thompson, for example, have kept Erie shacked in the 1960’s for years. The same revolving door of politicians have inhabited the halls of city and county council, keeping old thinking firmly at the helm of the state’s fourth largest city. Sadly, it was the third largest when I lived there.

The one time a “fresh face” comes out and runs for office, he’s charged with wheeling and dealing to get a gambling facility put in. Phil Friedman, another upstanding area gem, says that Filippi was the victim of a shakedown. Yeah…. right. The Mayor of Erie is just the person I’d try to shakedown for cash. The city, sadly, is one major business closing (GE) away from complete disaster. Think Pittsburgh’s problems are bad? Go hang out in Franklin Terrace for a while.

I’ll be curious to see what happens to this one.