Wow. Someone is going to have some answering to do.
Former Erie Mayor Rick Filippi, who left office harassed by rumors of corruption related to a casino deal, was found not guilty of the charges. (Registration required.)
Filippi is a very young fellow, and will presumably rebound. But he might have some legitimate gripes about the way this played out.
I once saw a documentary that said the unofficial state motto of Arkansas was "Thank God for Mississippi." Because no matter how weird things got in Little Rock, people could always count on the people in Jackson to do something even weirder. Kind of takes the pressure off.
Maybe Pittsburgh ought to think of something similar: "Thank God for Erie." Yeah, our casino situation is a mess. But just take a look at Erie. Man, oh man.
I don't think this was the kind of transformative effect that legalized gambling was supposed to have.
Hey, I really like your blog, and thanks for writing about Pittsburgh. Keep up the good work.
Posted by: Michael | March 27, 2006 at 07:54 PM