The LCSC, surveillance cameras, and Joe Morales
I’ve known Joe Morales for nearly four years. I’ve seen him in action many times.
Joe is a pawn, nothing more. Joe was hired to direct the LCSC for the exact same reason he was appointed to the LCCCA board by Charlie Smithgall, and was asked to run for City Council by the Lancaster City Democratic Party: because he can be trusted to reliably deliver the goods.
When Joe served on the LCCCA board, he consistently called for everyone to get along together – on terms dictated by the Penn Square Partners. Joe often criticized people who called for accountability, including myself, but he reserved his most scathing criticism for fellow board member Laura Douglas – who went on to work closely with Art Morris and R.B. Campbell to SAVE the convention center project from the inadequate and unworkable construction budget left by former LCCCA chairman Ted Darcus (a budget that Joe had voted to approve).
Many of us remember all too well the day that Laura Douglas loudly complained about having to vote on a thick stack of documents that the LCCCA board members had received only hours before. Joe attacked Laura for asking questions, stating that there was no need to read these documents, because he trusted the LCCCA’s solicitors to do what was best for taxpayers; of course, the LCCCA’s solicitors were from the infamous Stevens & Lee, the very same people who authored the agreements which place the vast majority of the risk of the “private” hotel onto taxpayers.
After the convention center construction bonds were sold, Joe spoke out at an LCCCA board meeting asking everyone to get along together and support the project – telling us to “abandon our demands for accountability”…
I have no problem with Joe Morales as a person; he is actually a really nice guy, and very pleasant to get along with. The reasons I outline above are why I can’t get upset over any potential conflict of interest that Joe may have; it is obvious that Joe’s only power inside the LCSC is to do what he is told, and keep the surveillance cameras operating with a minimum of fuss.
I actually really feel bad for Joe. He was set up to be the fall guy by those who really want the surveillance cameras in Lancaster City. Please don’t be too hard on him, he’s only doing what he is being told to do.
The issue isn’t Joe Morales, and I can say this as a coordinator for the opposition group on the surveillance. It is about those who organized and started this system idea back in the late 90’s. I agree that Joe Morales is a nice man. But I also see him as one who doesn’t see the big picture of what a surveillance society will do to this country.
Why did it take 8 years and a lot of noise to finally get the Mayor to make an official statement? 8 years later we are still talking about safeguards, and procedures to protect the public? While Joe may not be “the man” to hang this mess on, he still encourages it by continuing to be a part of it.
My question is, “Who hired the woman with a past of stalking, and why hasn’t that person been fired also?” Someone needs to be held accountable. It is unfair for this city to continuously find ourselves having to watch what the Coalition does, when we should have our attention on our own crime on our own streets. The LCSC becomes a distraction not a solution
Didn’t the Nuremberg Trials give us guidelines on what to do with those who only do what they are told and not what is right?