Former State Senator Gibson E. Armstrong, along with much of his staff, and current State Senator Lloyd K. Smucker attended the Jan. 27th Lancaster City Council meeting.

Mayor J. Richard Gray presented an official commendation to Armstrong, citing his service to the City of Lancaster, as well as to the rest of Pennsylvania. Specifically noted were Armstrong’s efforts to create and pass “Act 23″, and his work toward improving municipal services.

Mayor Gray described Armstrong as a “steadfast proponent of the City of Lancaster”. Special praise was given to Armstrong’s support of State funding for the hotel and convention center project, Clipper Magazine Stadium, and the Pennsylvania Academy of Music. In response, former Sen. Armstrong called Lancaster “one of the best cities in the United States”, and said “the best days are ahead for us”.

A slide presentation was made by Lancaster City Public Works Director Charlotte Katzenmoyer, describing a number of “Public Space Improvement Projects” which are or will shortly be underway. These include the demolition and renovation of Lancaster Square, which is progressing; the “Streetscape District” improvements, of which phase one out of five has begun; and the rebuilding of the “Historic Quadrant” of Penn Square, which will repave and upgrade the area around Central Market.

Eventually, the northwest section of Penn Square will also be improved, using a stylized motif echoing the lines of the adjoining Griest Building, overlaid with a pattern intended to mimic the meandering Conestoga Creek. Also noted were the ongoing upgrades and renovations to the Central Market, which are funded with State grant money, and will include renovations to the public restrooms.

New business included the first reading of Administration Bill 1 of 2009, which adds stricter accountability and penalties to both the owners and tenants of rental properties, while clarifying numerous existing regulations. Two Lancaster City residents spoke generally in favor of this proposal, while expressing several concerns; a third resident questioned the fairness of rental licensing fees, and how this revenue will be distributed.

This rental property bill will be discussed in detail at the City Council Committee Meetings, which are open to the public, to be held on Monday, Feb. 2 at 6:00 PM in Conference Room # 1 of the Southern Market. A final vote on this proposed ordinance will be taken at a future City Council meeting.

From Jan 27 Press Release:

“Tom Armstrong, former state representative for the 98th District, will discuss the challenges associated with the limited housing options available to convicted sex offenders identified by Megan’s Law at the Lancaster Rotary Club’s meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 28.

“In 2000, Armstrong became a board member of Justice & Mercy, a non-profit, volunteer organization dedicated to decreasing the effects of crime, increasing public safety and ministering to and restoring both crime victims and offenders. Armstrong is also the founder of Barnabas House, a transitional ministry to ex-offenders.

“In August 2008, Armstrong appeared on ABC’s “Good Morning America” to explain why he opened his home to three convicted sex offenders who are now living with him in Marietta. Armstrong defended his decision, saying that he was giving what he called “a well-deserved second chance.”

“Armstrong served as a state representative from 1990 to 2002. He served as a Marietta Borough Councilman from 1985 to 1990.

“The Rotary Club of Lancaster meets every Wednesday at noon in the Farm & Home Center, 1383 Arcadia Road, Lancaster. To learn more about the club, visit our website www.LancasterRotary.org.”

At the LCCCA Finance Committee meeting held on Monday, January 26, 2009, it was announced that the authority during 2008 paid about $334,000 in interest above estimates due to market conditions and Wachovia’s financial troubles. Now that Wells Fargo has taken over Wachovia, the creditworthiness of the bond guarantees will no longer be as much of an issue.

(On the completed facility, all other things being equal, the added financial cost could approach a million dollars annually!)

The LCCCA’s 40 year construction bonds (with over 38 years remaining) are vulnerable to market uncertainties because the current interest rate is determined every seven days, paid monthly. The “interest rate swap” agreement with Wachovia/Wells Fargo only limits a portion of the risk to the LCCCA.

The Finance Committee heard a lengthy presentation by Tom Beckett of G.K. Baum & Company, the authority’s bond counselor, covering ways that the LCCCA could modify its bond agreements to limit the cost of interest to the authority under current conditions. Numerous pointed questions by LCCCA board members revealed that such alternatives would actually cost the authority more money when financial markets return to some semblance of normalcy. Mr. Beckett commented that interest rates on bond sales for other municipal projects are currently in the low double-digits, if money is available at all.

Mr. Beckett pointed out the LCCCA cannot receive a credit rating of its own until the convention center has been in operation for at least two years, with a proven track record of achieving its financial goals, and of the “hotel tax” meeting its income estimates. Once the LCCCA has been proven to be creditworthy, its board could consider refinancing its debt at more advantageous terms. When Mr. Beckett was reminded that the Wachovia/Wells Fargo guarantee expires in just over three years, he avoided a direct answer as to whether this would pressure the authority to refinance its construction bonds before that time.

The LCCCA Finance Committee was also informed that a “change order” procedure was being implemented in order to bring a degree of accountability for all “Fixtures, Furnishings, and Equipment” purchases, since quite a few of these items had to be modified due to availability issues.

In an article titled “FBI: No evidence Fumo consultants did any work”, the Inquirer reported:

“An FBI agent testified yesterday in former State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo’s corruption trial that the state Senate was unable to turn up a single example of work done by three consultants paid a total of $637,000 by taxpayers at Fumo’s command.

“The agent, Vicki Humphreys, said federal investigators subpoenaed records for consultants Michael Palermo and Mitchell Rubin, two longtime friends of Fumo’s, and for a younger consultant, Philip Press, and found no evidence that they had produced any written work.”

WATCHDOG: Is this an omen of things to come for Lancaster? Sounds like the bi-weekly investigative series by Jim Sneddon on the Convention Center Authority that NewsLanc will continue to publish bi-weekly over the next few months.

Headlined on Jan. 27 “Humble hero saves boy, 3; Pulls child from burning Solanco home.” Said Jamie Sheetz: “I’m just a hillbilly…I did what a man’s supposed to do.”

WATCHDOG: Sheetz, although only 40, is a throwback to an earlier time before the confusion of gender roles. There were things that women were expected to do and things that were expected of men. He wouldn’t even accept hospital care for his minor injuries.

A wag of the tail to Brett Hambright who wrote the story. Given the angle and the quote, we expect it to be picked up by the national press.

You make good points in this story but it also serves as a great example to the ignorance about the true realities of the financing on this project.

With the exception of a select few at Stevens and Lee, who dreamed up this scam to benefit Penn Square Partners, and the top management at PSP, no one truly understands all of the intricacies of the financing. That includes the County Commissioners, the Mayor, the LCCCA, RACL, the monopoly print media, and our other elected officials.

This is the first time in my writing years that no one will publish an article regarding “divorce” and its bias in many cases.

The following are just a few of the injustices that have been known as fact:

Divorce Master’s are to make a decision within 30 days…some take months, years to make a decision all the while the person pays support and keeps being taken back into court for support until the decision is
made.

Lawyers not willing to make a settlement, even a reasonable one but draws it out for no reason

Lawyers who do not provide their clients with adequate paperwork, consideration

Men who have been accused wrongly of some type of abuse towards their children later to be found innocent but have lost their homes, jobs etc. in effort to survive the situation of court costs.

Men who have lost everything because of a bias unfair judicial system.

I have heard over and over again from lawyers who say the system is archaic and you would have to move a mountain to change it.

I have talked to a few lawyers, financial people to hold a forum on divorce but they all say it would have to be held out of Lancaster because of bias.

There are many preconceived ideas on divorce that it is over in two years…..no way it could go for years

This are just a few of the things which I have become aware of.

Where, who could I find someone of interest to publish an article, to hear the voices of those who have been stripped, and no justice served.

The Jan. 21st editorial is headed “Table games not good bet for Pa.”

WATCHDOG: Let’s remember this and see what they have to say two years from now if the convention center comes a cropper and Dale High and the Lancaster Newspapers make use of the casino license that many think that then Sen. Gibson Armstrong has had set aside for such a contingency, if not likelihood.

The Jan. 22nd editorial “A way to simplify federal tax code” advocates a federal income flat tax of 20% for everyone. “If all or most of the tax deductions were eliminated – including the one for home mortgages (although, we don’t see that happening) – virtually the entire federal tax code could be pitched, according to [Sen. Arlen] Specter.”

WATCHDOG: Talk about “Alms for the rich!”

This would replace a “progressive” income tax, one in which the more a person earns the more on each added dollar is paid, with a “regressive” tax, whereby the poor and the rich pay the same amount out of each dollar earned.

How lovely that would be for those earning in the seven figures who now have to pay 33% on most of their income. (Sixty years ago they would have paid over 80%!)

A large portion of our population who are subsisting on minimal wages, who currently don’t have to pay income tax, would have to fork over 20% of their meager income.

We can tell Specter is wooing conservative Republicans to support him in the 2010 primary election when he wheels out that proposal!

An out-of-state reader of NewsLanc who read about TRRAAC’s investigation of the sources of public funding for the $46 million project to relocate and expand the Norfolk Southern Dillerville Rail Yard emailed me his reaction:

“The F&M and LGH fundraising is a great example of manipulation of state and federal funding mechanisms and of misrepresentation in the process. Probably, only a legal challenge and negative public opinion can halt the process. Rather than corresponding with President Obama’s office, I probably would continue with efforts to get public awareness of the misuse of state and federal funds in this time of economic recession.”