In a decisive 9-1 vote, the Lancaster County Government Study Commission voted, Tuesday afternoon, to reject member Sam Mecum’s proposal for each of the five Commissioners to be elected from one of five geographic districts.
The districts would have been roughly equal in population size (about 94,000) and the district plan would have eliminated the requirement that one of the five Commissioners be from the minority party, since one of the five proposed districts was roughly coterminous with the City of Lancaster.
This was the most significant of the issues the Commission considered. The number of proposed Commissioners remains at five and the proposed position of County Administrator remains an appointed one.
Commission member Jim Huber, who is also a former County Commissioner himself, dissented from the idea that Commissioners should be elected from districts.
“I feel very strongly that County government is about representing the interests of the whole County, not just one particular geographical area,” he said.
Commission member Jim Miller was one of the first in the discussion to raise the difficulty in ensuring that districts are drawn neatly and fairly.
“If there’s a meeting in Quarryville, does that mean that the other four [Commissioners] don’t go or don’t listen to the residents?” asked Commission member Mary Clinton.
Sam Mecum, the proponent of the districting measure, argued that he was merely being responsive to the concerns of citizens from whom he’s heard.
Also, last week’s Intelligencer Journal poll indicated that 75% of respondents favored Commissioner election by district, and 25% opposed the idea.
But, as the Commission noted, e-mails had been circulating asking people to vote in favor of the proposal and, even without that, user-initiated telephone polls are not random samples.
Brian Adams, of Lancaster, reacted to the idea that Commissioners elected by district would view issues too narrowly, saying “Any one Commissioner who has a parochial interest has to get the support of two more [Commissioners in order to pass a resolution].”
Mecum replied to this criticism as well, saying, “With respect, five districts are not that small.”
While a few of the Commissioners, including John Smucker and Jim Miller, seemed willing to entertain the idea of districts, member Mary Clinton seemed to encapsulate well the feeling of the group when she asked, “Is this an issue to die on the hill for [if it means the difference between the Charter being passed and the Charter not being passed due to concerns about districting]?”
To that, Jim Bednar, who was in the minority voting against Home Rule, responded, “We were elected by the voters of Lancaster County to do what’s best for the County… not to massage it [the Charter] so that it passes.”
On the subject of citizen initiative, the Commission voted to reduce the number of signatures required under “Limited Initiative” from 1,000 to 500.
“Limited Initiative” allows citizens to place a resolution before the County Commissioners for a vote by collecting the signatures of 500 registered voters. If the Commissioners vote against the measure, the matter is considered settled for a period of one year.
“Full Initiative” is when signatures equaling “at least ten percent of the number of voters in the County voting for the County candidate receiving the highest number of votes in the most recent Countywide municipal, general election” are collected. In this case, if the Commissioners vote against the resolution, it will automatically be placed on the ballot for a vote.
In all instances, citizen initiatives are limited to certain subjects – they may not impact the current year’s budget or capital program or alter the compensation of any employees included under a collective bargaining agreement.
The Government Study Commission conducted their session in front of a full courtroom, Tuesday – some fifty people attended. That number generally dwindled toward the end of the Commission’s four hour meeting.
The Government Study Commission’s next meeting is scheduled for August 5th. Additional information, including the full text of the revised Home Rule Charter, is available on the Commission’s website at www.homeruleinfo.com
