Pennsylvania: Land of tumult
It would seem as though Pennsylvania is kind of tough place to be a entrenched and corrupt public official these days. The so-called “wave” that took out Santorum also netted the Democrats the state legislature for the first time in 12 years. Which all happened like a year after a bunch of long-standing Republican state reps all lost their primaries. And do the Keystone State, in keeping with its Dutch heritage, is in house-cleaning mode.
Next in the sights: Luzerne County Judge Ann Lokuta. Why do we care about some nobody judge? Because she’s totally batshit insane. More after the jump.
From the Northern Pennsylvania Times-Leader:
For years, attorneys and courthouse insiders have accused Luzerne County Judge Ann Lokuta of being rude, crude and verbally abusive. On Monday, state investigators agreed, and added wide-ranging allegations that could remove her from the bench.
Here are some tidbits from the official complaint:
• Made an employee clean her home, shovel snow and scrub her floor by hand on county time.
• Slept until noon, causing a major delay in hearings.
• Arrived to work with unkempt, greasy hair and wore the same clothes, stained, day after day.
• Lokuta developed a relationship with her current secretary, Maureen Gushanas, that “has resulted in disruption to the orderly functioning of” Lokuta’s office and created an “atmosphere characterized by yelling, screaming, and crude outbursts of inappropriate language and commentary.” The two have allegedly teamed up to bully others, but have also argued with each other.
For instance, the charges say Lokuta would often call and yell at Gushanas and then hang up. Once, Gushanas held the phone out so former secretary Susan Weber could allegedly hear Lokuta calling Gushanas a “fat pig whore” and “low life.”
Actually, this woman acts just like I think I would, were I a judge. The problem here is not with her berhavior. The problem here is that the Penn. Judicial Conduct Board lacks vision. They fail to recognize that Judge Lokuta, who denies these charges as being “ludicrous,” would make a fantastic host of a reality TV show. It could be like the Apprentice meets Judge Judy where contestants would be forced to work for her, and the one who survives the longest doesn’t go to jail. All the others could be tried by Lokuta and a jury of their peers. If you’re interested, give her office a call and suggest it. The number is (570) 825-1613.
I’ll be watching this one closely. Lokuta 08, everybody.
Holly Golightly - Walk a Mile - In honor of Judge Lokuta, who bares the weight of the world on her shoulders.
