Robert Field had lived in Lancaster for 45 years but his business and political activists interests were mainly national and international. It took the Convention Center issue to attract his attention and, to his horror, the realization that what had once been one of the fairest and most democratic counties had fallen under the control of a few predators and their many dupes.
The question he mulled was how to find a way to educate and mobilize public opinion in its own best interest. His answer was NewsLanc.com, and what started almost five years ago with handing out pamphlets in front of 8 W. Kings Street (the Lancaster Newspapers Inc.’s office building) became a way of communicating with an average of five-thousand readers a week via the Internet and newsletters.
Now, some five years later, Lancaster County has returned to the reasonably fair community which Field had experienced when he first arrived. There is little to report that is not covered by the reformed and chastised local media (although they still demur from offending establishment interests.) Therefore, in the future the NewsLanc newsletter will be published irregularly and only when there is a need for another view to be heard or neglected stories to be reported.
What follows is a partial list of expose’s from 200 prior newsletters:
1) The Convention Center and Hotel Project, misrepresented from beginning to end for the benefit of the very few, and a corrupting and divisive influence on the community
2) The Lancaster newspapers often slanted, misleading, and arguably conspiratorial coverage of Convention Center project.
3) District Attorney Donald Totaro unrelenting and unethical ‘witch trial’ of the county commissioners which came out empty on all accounts yet bludgeoned a plea bargain to a minor indiscretion that may not have ever taken place.
4) S. Dale High, leader of The High companies and the Convention Center – Hotel Project, whose firms collected millions in development fees, tens of millions in construction fees, became equitable half owners of the largely taxpayer funded and financed Marriott Hotel, and were the recipients of benefits from unusually one-sided management contracts with the Convention Center Authority, the City, and the Redevelopment Authority.
5) John Fry, former president of Franklin & Marshall College, who did some good things but in the worse possible ways, and who used the F & M Security Force as his personal guard and to ‘mug’ a reporter, and who abused the legal ‘no trespassing’ process to retaliate against real and imagined critics.
6) The proposed streetcar project which was accompanied by phony reports of success in other cities, blindness to the impact on traffic and pedestrian safety on the already congested downtown streets, and disregard to the failure of the current faux street cars to generate significant revenues.
7) The School District of Lancaster’s dysfunctional athletic program which had been incompetently administered with the results of abysmal records in most sports, including football.
8) Electronic voting machines with no capacity for a recount or authentication.
9) Inept downtown snow removal in the winter of 2008 / 2009
10) Exorbitant health care charges of the Amish and others who pay directly by Lancaster General Hospital
11) Lancaster General Hospital as a Public Charity failure to provide a fair measure of support to local charities and public health efforts.
12) Lancaster General Hospital’s refusal to help fund the Urban League’s offer to provide an expanded syringe exchange to promote public health and reduce HIV / AIDS.
13) The bloated and bureaucratic Library System that diverted funding from the individual libraries.
14) The 2008 tragic last minute thwarting of the Lancaster Public Library project through board members’ ignorance, incompetence and likely mean spirited motives
15) Paul Ware’s ruinous and conflicted leadership as the board chair of the Pennsylvania Academy of Music and his family Ferree Foundation seemingly vindictive and aggressive extraction of ‘an ounce of flesh’ as part of the foreclosure process.
16) The extravagant price paid by Millersville State to relieve Ware and the Ferree Foundation from many millions of dollars of debt guarantees. (“Alms for the rich.”)
17) The original plan for expansion of Amtrak Station parking that reduced, rather than increased, passenger parking spaces
18) New Era’s mid-day election reports and salacious reporting
19) The so called School Lane Hills Homeowners Association that misdirected the energy of the community from resisting the Norfolk & Southern rail yard relocation
20) The Thomas W. Bucher estate litigation which court records suggest was a posthumous continuation of a dysfunctional family relations rather than a justifiable claim to estate assets
21) The Lancaster Democratic Party that slept through the November bi-election and thus greatly contributed to the U. S. Senate seat loss of Joe Sestak.
Future visitors may find NewsLanc.com more interesting than ever, since there will be more time to explore and link to exceptional articles dealing with a broad spectrum of state, national and world wide importance. It will continue to provide some local commentary, an occasional scoop, and a forum for comment and discussion by its readers. Furthermore, the Watchdog will feel more at liberty to share his readings, to opine, and to reminisce.
We wish to express our gratitude to Cathy Reinhold (Friday mornings) and Laura Sefershayan (Saturday mornings) who conscientiously and cheerfully handed out the newsletters at the Central Market and elsewhere in fair weather and foul. Hopefully their services will continue to be available when needed.
Lastly, we thank the thousands of our fellow county citizens who visit with NewsLanc . We hope that many will remain with us in the future and share their knowledge and views through letters and comments.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU AS WELL!~
As an avid and respectful reader, I commend you for the time and effort you have taken to educate the Lancaster public on what was taking place “behind closed doors” by introducing NewsLanc to your public. In a region such as we live in, too few take the stand to speak out against the “establishment” in such a direct and knowledgeable manner.
We thank the Watchdog for such enlightening exposure to the blatant and abusive behavior of some of those who perhaps abused their power to benefit their own instead of contributing their efforts to the more needy in our community.
Your tireless efforts have served us well and I agree that it’s time to let the old dog rest and relax a little. But I’m sure we haven’t heard the last from you should you uncover a misdeed that needs to be brought to the public eye!
Kudos to you Mr. Field.
I do not share your views that anything has been changed or as you say “reformed” within the local monopoly print media but you have done more than enough. It is rare to see someone really put their money where their mouth is in matters that transcend personal benefit. For this, you have my utmost respect and gratitude.
I have enjoyed reading Newslanc and while I have not always agreed with you, I have always respected your efforts.
EDITOR: Thank you very much. The web site remains and, with the active participation of visitors such as you in the form of comments and letters, can become better than ever.
A job well done! Thank you for being what the best of journalism has always been most proud of; to be nothing less than a guardian and champion of our wonderful American freedoms and democratic ideals.
At this particular moment our celebration of Christmas focuses upon “a light in the darkness” and honest journalism is a very real and necessary part of that tradition of enlightenment. A “Watchdog” is as good a way to say it as I can think of, and especially so when reviewing the record of the last five years.
You have served this community well with your enormous energy, selflessness, intelligence, and integrity. Hope to meet you sometime.
Thanks again
EDITOR: Thank you for the kind words! Just suggest some times to get together.
Dear Mr. Field…allow me to express my appreciation to you for the efforts you have made in the past to be a true ‘WatchDog’ as it pertains tothe ‘establishment’ here in Lancaster County. I have not always agreed with your political views (but that is the privilege we share in this great country), but I have appreciated that you have not been a ‘hard-liner’ in the way you have expressed your opinions.
I have greatly appreciated the work that you have done in investigating issues that affect Lancaster Countians that the local media have failed to pursue. You have honestly presently a ton of information that we could not have found anywhere else. Blessings to you in your future endeavors!!
EDITOR: Thank you for your kind words. NewsLanc continues full blast on the web and the Watchdog will be able to devote more time and space to state, national and international issues. News letters will be published only when a local situation needs additional public attention.