“The fact that former LCCCA chairman Ted Darcus maintained such an impenetrable shield of secrecy over an issue where there was apparently nothing to hide is proof positive of the paranoia and ineptitude which characterized the creation and implementation of the hotel and convention center project.
“It now seems that Darcus had no reason to keep the truth secret, yet he allowed the rumors about Stevens & Lee’s billing to run wild. Darcus had the power to set the record straight, but he refused. Is it possible that this long-time civic leader and public servant (former City Council president) could be that incompetent? Or, was he only following orders given by someone else, whoever is the real power behind this project? Either situation does not bode well for the people of Lancaster.
“None of this changes the fact that the agreements negotiated by Stevens & Lee between the LCCCA and the Penn Square Partners require taxpayers to assume an unusually large portion of the hotel’s expenses and operating costs. Stevens & Lee was paid large sums of taxpayer dollars by the LCCCA to promote the taxpayer’s interests, yet the agreements negotiated by Stevens & Lee show a definite bias against taxpayers. There are clear conflicts of interest here: at the same time that Stevens & Lee was negotiating with the Penn Square Partners, Stevens & Lee was representing at least one of the Penn Square Partners in a number of other issues.
“Reading the agreements which govern the hotel and convention center raises a very important question: exactly whose interests was Stevens & Lee looking out for when they negotiated these agreements?”
