I’m not opposed to the concept of home rule, I’m only opposed to any proposed charter that would make things worse instead of better. And the currently proposed “home rule” charter would be guaranteed to create more problems than it would solve.
Early drafts of this charter clearly spelled out that the “county executive” was actually the administrative branch of Lancaster County government, and specifically used the term “checks and balances” to describe their role. If the county administrator were to have duties similar to the current county administrator, there would be nothing to complain about; however, this proposed charter greatly expands the county administrator’s duties, while significantly reducing the responsibilities of the county commissioners.
This is why I oppose this proposed charter; a “county administrator” with such extensive duties must be elected, not appointed.
I also believe “county commissioners” should be chosen by district, not “at large”.
And the “citizen initiative” in the current proposal is nothing more than an empty promise.
