LETTER: Two questions for Gray / Smithgall debate

As an ‘outsider’ (Southern End) looking in at Lancaster….two very important questions were not even asked…..

1) what will either candidate do about a police department that apparently cannot solve 12+ murders – such a statistic does not bode well for the public’s (city and non- city alike) perception of safety when in the Lancaster area; and

2) What will either candidate propose for the financial remedy of the Convention Center, should it continue to struggle as it is currently doing, WITHOUT impacting city/county

Let me offer what I predict their answers will be:

Gray Q1: Overall crime is down and the City is safer under my watch.

Gray Q2: Raise the hotel tax.

Smithgall Q1: The unsolved murders are unacceptable and as Mayor, I will get them solved. (He won’t say exactly how, he will just say that he will solve them).

Smithgall Q2: Raise the hotel tax.

Let’s start with the 2nd question first. Since both are in the rear left hand pocket of Dale High, they will continue to shill for the project and do PSP’s bidding. PSP prefers not to spend another dollar of their own money and don’t want the bad PR of the County assuming more of the debt. Therefore, they want the hotel tax raised. Both, if they were to put forth a plan, would suggest that.

By the way, the actual out-of-pocket cost to PSP in the Martin plan is little to nothing, it is merely a shell game between PSP and Interstate, who work for PSP.

As for the crime question, it is a big embarrassment to Gray and he will do everything he can to avoid the issue. LNP seems to be happy to sweep it under the rug for him.

I doubt Smithgall has any real answers but the politically expedient thing for him to do is to try and raise the issue to knock down his opponent…difficult when the local print monopoly is in the bag for said opponent.