News & Notes

There wasn't any parking available Tuesday so I missed the Commissioners meeting.  I saw on the agenda that a resolution to rescind the $625,000 allocated for the Riverplace amphitheater is already on the agenda for a vote tomorrow.  It didn't take long for the new Board to destroy this riverfront development project.  The odds of state funding being available later is slim and Christian Leinbach and Mark Scott seem dead set against the project.  Kevin barnhardt also indicated he will vote to rescind the funds.

There seemed to be some dissension about these monies not being included in the County budget and some mystery as to where they would come from but with an $83 million surplus projected by the end of this year and Scott's unwillingness to cut taxes in accordance with that surplus it seems to me the money is available.

I was at the Democratic state committee last Friday and Saturday and covered it for my main blog.  There are a number of articles there including information on the four candidates now running for the 6th Congressional District nomination.

I also got the new statewide voter registration database while in Harrisburg last week and, as of January 2nd, Judge Jeffrey Schmehl is still a Republican.  Hmm, someone still owes a rather serious apology about that.

There was a workshop Friday morning about campaign finance law and some of what we've discussed on this blog about county committee filings was discussed.  The lawyer said there were no problems with having financial secretaries and checks and balances on funds.  Hmmmm.  They also reiterated that when paid employees do significant work for campaigns that needs to be reported as in-kind contributions.  The other interesting item which caught my ear was the prohibition on labor unions contributing.  I see one particular local union contributions popping up regularly in local campaign finance reports.  Hmmmm....  Are people just not reporting correctly or are they taking union money in addition to corporate contributions?

Comments

[DC 93]

I did a little check on figures. If even the budget surplus reaches $80 million for the county by fiscal year's end, the cost of the $625,000 for the project for the county amounts to 0.781% of $80 million and even less of a percentage of the total if the surplus pans out as projected. So, yes, it does make me go hmm... given what the RE reported the other day on this subject and what 69 News was presenting from the mouthes of these babes, our commissioners.

I mean I'm a bit shocked at Barnhardt's stance on this, unless he maybe got wooed by the other 2 or figured that it was pointless to vote for it, who knows. However, I'm even more stunned at the notion that perhaps the god-fearing and religious commissioner Mr. Leinbach would be so disingenuous to pull funding from one project and then not realize that such a hefty surplus is just sitting around collecting interest somewhere. I thought his campaign billboard assault was cut taxes, reduce crime! So far I'm not convinced.

As to union contributions, I hope it is not a union that I belong to, b/c I'll be taking that up with my reps quickly, if I find evidence of them doing this sort of illegal thing.

[DC 93]

Actually, let me correct something there in my last comment. Leinbach's billboards read:

Stop Raising Taxes!
Start Reducing Crime!

I'm sure someone here might bring out the petty hammer and try to make hay over my misstatement of his campaign slogans.

Of course, it does make one wonder the inferred meaning of stop raising taxes (doesn't mean he wants to cut them perhaps?) Of course crime reduction is a very popular and well-supported campaign promise piece.

[John Morgan]

Mr. Leinbach made quite a bit of political hay about the surplus. He pounded that issue hard saying it's too high. Interestingly then when Tom Gajewski proposed a tax cut to bring it into line Mark Scott voted against the action.

Christian Leinbach thinks the amphitheater will compete with the bandshell.

[DC 93]

Last I checked, when they have run concerts at the bandshell, parking, traffic, and other elements about it are to say the least a serious drawback to why I'd want to try and attend such an event at the bandshell. Now, could those issues be addressed, yes, to the extent that they will be ameliorated enough to make it really a draw, I don't know and I doubt it right now.

At the river spot, you'd have not only more open marketing and obvious attention by those who frequent that end of town coming into and out of town, but also from the by-pass area and the parking situation and traffic flow to such a place would be much more amicable and manageable to those who'd want to use it.

As you noted in a post on PA Progressive, the state has come to its senses about when to fold their cards on old buildings that don't get the job done, but I think that lesson needs to make it here to our commissioners, IMNSHO.