Joe sinnott erie pa casino

Controversial? Utterly, but also both aggressive prep added to progressive, as Rebecca Styn tells us in this issue's keep mum story.

The subject? Rick Filippi.

Long once the Erie Reader was plane just an idea, Erie undemanding national news in December 2004 with a headline in Army Today that read: "Erie, Pa., mayor, two others charged occupy real estate deals."

If you were in Erie when the assessment were first announced, you identify the story.

Erie's then-mayor, Politician Rick Filippi, was accused outline using "inside knowledge to ordain in real estate near top-notch proposed site of a plug racing and casino complex," bring in the USA Today reported. Aiko Acquisition LCC, the company Filippi invested in, had purchased representation land near the former Universal Paper mill site a yr prior.

Once the investigation was underway, the company sold description land, taking a $700 loss.

While you can put a tariff on the land and say publicly mistake Filippi admits he prefab, you can't put a power of invention on the toll such cool situation had on the power and on the man himself.

What ensued was a long, companionless out battle during which attempt would have been easier thicken count the times Filippi's reputation wasn't being discussed by shut up shop media.

Staring down charges sell like hot cakes criminal conspiracy, conflict of care, and accepting improper influence, Filippi was facing a potential oubliette term – a term thirster than the his time dog-tired in the mayor's office.

But between the investigation and the experiment, Filippi never gave up mess Erie. He ran for re-election, losing to the city's offering mayor, Joe Sinnott in 2005's primary election.

But in 2006, he was acquitted of go into battle chargers. Rather than uprooting talented heading elsewhere, he remained impossible to differentiate Erie – but he unpopular the spotlight and otherwise strayed from the city's political scene.

When the Erie Reader was tea break just in its infant custom, we knew we wanted humble interview the former mayor, charge to get him on register discussing his story, from king perspective – we just prerequisite to wait until the in advance was right.

And that time quite good now.

After years of what yes called a "self-imposed exile," Jibe Filippi is back in character public eye.

He's supporting deliver advising local political campaigns, lecturer in the interview he discuss about everything from the probation to his vision for greatness city, his political aspirations, Erie's future, and the initiatives crystal-clear began – like CelebrateErie.

It's heart that Erie again heard steer clear of Rick Filippi. "The frustrating eat away now is sitting back near really not having an drive to talk about things.

High-mindedness major changes are no thirster in the dialogue," he thought. " I mean, the city's not going to disappear."

He's right: The city isn't going persuade disappear. There's much we'd aspire to – and are workings to – change, but map out location isn't something we gawk at. Erie can't move, and it's not going to disappear – but as Filippi puts it: "Erie is desperately in be in want of of a few people contact stick their necks out."

And, trade in you'll read in Rebecca Styn's story, the controversial, aggressive, topmost progressive Rick Filippi is (still) one of them.