Was this Rick Gray’s and Randy Patterson’s big secret?

An Intelligencer Journal New Era article “Smucker drafts redevelopment plan for Lancaster city” reports:

“[State Senator Lloyd] Smucker’s proposal to create Community Revitalization and Improvement Zones would allow Lancaster officials to designate an area under the law, issue bonds to fund construction and rehabilitation incentives within the area and repay those bonds with state tax revenue generated within the zone.

“The intent of the measure is to give cities a flexible program to spur private-sector development and bring private-sector jobs to locations with vacant, blighted or abandoned properties. Only commercial projects would be eligible for incentives…”

We note that the press conference took place “in Lancaster Square.”

Apparently officials, including those from the City, do appreciate the need to redevelop Lancaster Square East and the proposed legislation would facilitate the acquisition and sale to developers of the area occupied by the Brunswick Hotel, the Brunswick Annex, and the former Hess Department Store / Bulova Building.

This may also be an effort to obtain Commonwealth tax payer money to bail out the Convention Center, to which there is a guarded reference in the article.

If a purpose of City Planner Randy Patterson’s refusal to meet with the publisher of NewsLanc was to avoid premature publication of the initiative, he might be surprised to know that NewsLanc was advised of it at least two weeks earlier.  When journalists speak with officials and others ‘off the record’ as is often the case, it remains ‘off the record.’

Realreport.org / Newslanc.com purpose is to further the interests of the public, not to compete for scoops with local media.

Mayor Rick Gray, Chief of Staff Pat Brogan, and Patterson should work with others towards the common good, rather than spurning a medium read by over 5,000 individuals last week and  turning their backs on someone of considerable experience in urban development who seeks to be of aid.