By Robert Field
I won’t apologize for getting old. Nor do I allow myself to feel sorry for myself because reaching the age of eighty and still having a window on family, friends and the world is a privilege. But I no longer can vigorously pursue the goals of NewsLanc apart from publishing the important columns of Slava Tsukerman which are shared with world wide media; and on occasion publishing an item from Bill Keisling. (And from time I am likely to produce an article of my own.)
But I have two NewsLanc tasks left to which I am devoted and will be followed through, with or without my presence.
The first is pursuing NewsLanc’s right to obtain the files pertaining to the $9 million CRIZ award for the Marriott Hotel expansion. The State agreed we were entitled to the information and told the City to hand over the files. The City is using taxpayer money to appeal the state’s decision through the court system and thus conceal the actions of Mayor Richard Gray and his administration. NewsLanc will absorb the costs, from $10,000 to $20,000, to pursue our rights and the rights of the citizenry to know what has been going on behind the scenes.
The second is the book being written by Bill Keisling on why Pennsylvania is considered one of the most corrupt states in the Union and how the interplay among business, government officials, and a complicit media has contributed to the abuse. No place has this been more apparent than here in Lancaster.
These days I can often be encountered sitting on a bench on the west side of New York’s Central Park. Recently two youngsters asked if the statute behind the bench was of me! I was surprised but blurted out that it was actually of my older brother. When I later looked, there was Giuseppe Mazzini, the ‘father’ of modern Italy, circa 1830. His beard and mustache were identical to mine but, then again, we both had an Italian barber.
I still spend time on business and philanthropic interests. When I was fighting for drug policy reform, many took note because they or a loved one were being prosecuted (and persecuted in many cases.) Efforts towards harm reduction via syringe exchanges go largely unnoticed because those and their loved ones who did not contract HIV / AIDS or other diseases as a result of our efforts never know about it.
As for NewsLanc… Frankly, most of the public don’t give a ‘tinker’s dam’ because they do not directly experience how they are being exploited by businesses, government officials, and LNP. Their attention is focused on their personal aspirations and travails, which is understandable albeit lamentable.
I thank you for visiting NewsLanc, and especially let me express my gratitude to those who have come on a repeat basis and who also speak out on behalf of the public.
Glad to read that you will continue with the right to know request regarding criz. This site has been a wealth of factual information over the years, especially regarding downtown development. Much more than so than our supposed newspaper. Your efforts to inform and challenge will be sincerely missed, and i wish the very best blessings to you.
Relax Sheeples. Mr. Field has announced his retirement multiple times before in this space. Each time elicits words of reverence calls for him to continue, which ultimately feeds his unquenchable ego. He’s not going anywhere.
EDITOR: We are flattered, considering from whom the above message came. Although we would love to identify the sender, we won’t stray from our commitment to anonymity.