EDITORIAL: At times we get very discouraged, but then….

The disposition of Lancaster’s two most important issues, (1) the moving ahead with the Convention Center Project initially without a feasibility study and later despite one, and 2) the recent county commissioner’s approval and praise of the acquisition of the Harrisburg Incinerator, again without a feasibility study, makes us consider throwing in the towel.

Lancaster’s wealth accumulated over generations seemingly has been siphoned off by foolhardy and predatory special interests in the former and by hubris and raw ambiton in the latter.

It isn’t that the citizenry is fooled. When a national survey firm was engaged by Fox 43 to poll opinions concerning proposed government guarantees of the planned convention center project, 78% with an opinion were opposed. We have little doubt that a similar poll concerning the LCSWMA proposed acquisition of the troubled plagued, environmentally challenged Harrisburg incinerator at three times its value (according to the LCSWMA own president) would have a similar result.

The sorry plight of Lancaster Square East is testimony to the profound ignorance and dysfunction of the current city government that refuses to even discuss what could be done.

Despite its shortcomings being an open secret within the medical profession, monopolistic Lancaster General continues to be impervious to outside input and operates in its own financial self-interests, governed by a self-perpetuating, all Caucasian and largely elite board of directors.

But then we pick up the morning newspapers and see two articles that remind us of what has gone right since NewsLanc first began publication about a decade ago.

There is a photo of Pedro Rivera, Superintendent of the School District of Lancaster, informally meeting with parents over coffee at the Prince Street Café. We were in touch with Rivera even before he arrived on the job concerning the sorry plight of the districts athletic program. He put it to right along with many other things.

An article “F & M debates arming security officers” raises an issue we will address in another article this weekend, but it reminds us that the engagement of its president Dan Porterfield re-directed the College from public bully and predator under his predecessor (whom we described as “doing the best possible things in the worst possible ways”) to again being a responsible and constructive member of the Lancaster community.

Also, there are no empty streetcars clogging our streets and endangering pedestrians. This was one of the dumber things that Mayor Rick Gray and City Planner Randy Patterson had proposed. NewsLanc’s research and reporting put to the lie the false claims about success of street cars in other cited cities.

A plan, presented by County Commission Chair Scott Martin in the forefront to salvage the finances of the Lancaster Convention Center, offers some promise to rescue the Center from its dire and formerly predicted financial scrape. Moreover, he is not being savaged for his proposal by The Lancaster Newspaper as they did his predecessors Dick Shellenberger and Molly Henderson who warned against such eventualities.

And while still self-serving and “seeing no evil, hearing no evil, and speaking no evil” where establishment interests are concerned, the Lancaster newspapers tend to inform and bind together the community. Lancaster would be the poorer if they ceased publications as have so many other local newspapers.

Yes, Lancaster is a “village” with its majority, while being looted, acting like “country bumpkins”.

Nevertheless, progress has been made and we have played a constructive role. For that opportunity we are grateful.