Lancaster, Pennsylvania
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By the time Mayor Dick Scott took office in 1974, it was obvious that the Urban Renewal project in downtown Lancaster was a total and complete failure. Suburban shopping malls were the wave of the future, and Park City had already guaranteed that the many shops destroyed in the name of "economic development" would never be replaced. Dick Scott led Lancaster well, doing what he could to soften the terrible blow of Urban Renewal, actually convincing several major local companies to tear down part of the concrete monstrosity on North Queen Street and construct modern office buildings there. But unlike Rick Gray, Dick Scott had to deal with a City Council that fought with him at every turn. He did win re-election, but when Governor Dick Thornburgh offered him the position of State Adjutant General, Dick Scott gratefully took the offer. Mayor Rick Gray has many opportunities ahead. Like Dick Scott, Rick Gray will need to pick up the pieces left by a previous administration; he has already demonstrated that he is up to the task. Except perhaps in one area. As candidate for Mayor, Rick Gray left decidedly mixed signals regarding his position on the proposed publicly funded hotel and convention center project. Here are a few quotes: Sunday News, April 2nd 2005: Gray, the Democratic mayoral candidate, said he supports the convention center and hotel, but he agreed that council needs to get legal advice to ensure it knows exactly what it’s getting taxpayers into. His concern isn’t that the convention center and hotel might “tank,” but “What happens if [the hotel] does 10 percent a year, and it’s taxable?” Lancaster New Era, October 13th 2005: If elected mayor, Rick Gray would immediately meet with his top advisers to evaluate the viability of the downtown hotel and convention center. "Keeping the county commissioners' concerns in mind," he told the Lancaster Rotary Club Wednesday, if he and his advisers decide it is not what the city needs, Gray said he'd "pull the plug" on the $134 million project. The report of that committee has never been made public, if it was ever actually completed. Lancaster New Era, December 9th 2005: After learning that a consulting firm backed away from its approval of a proposed convention center and hotel in Lancaster City, elected officials —including incoming city mayor Rick Gray — are now questioning the project’s foundations. “It’s upsetting because a large number of people were basing their opinions on this Pricewaterhouse-Coopers study,” Gray said. “We’re taking a good look at the project right now with the idea of whether we can move it ahead or not,” Gray said, speaking of himself and his soon-to-be mayoral advisers. … While Gray did not know if another study is required, he did say it was “upsetting to learn” after deals had been signed that the consultant had backed off. “You’d like to know these things when you make decisions,” Gray said. Sunday News, December 10th 2005: Lancaster city’s mayor-elect Rick Gray, also in favor of the project, said his administration’s focus will be on building the project “where it’s supposed to be.” Gray, who will assume office in January, said if the bids come in too high in February, “there will still be opportunity to review how the money can be spent.” Lancaster New Era, January 5th 2006: A rare departure from the near unanimous opposition to the project came from new Mayor Rick Gray. Gray immediately dashed the hopes of some that City Hall would back off its support of the project. For seven years, it had been championed by his predecessor, Mayor Charlie Smithgall. … The new mayor, who took office 24 hours earlier, was booed when he said recent demands for a feasibility study were just another attempt at delay. Lancaster New Era, January 11th 2006: New Lancaster City Mayor Rick Gray played a game of high-stakes poker this morning at the Lancaster County Commissioners’ weekly meeting. If two Lancaster County commissioners want a new feasibility study of the proposed downtown convention center/hotel project, he said, they should order one and pay for it. And, if the study should reflect positively on the proposed project, commissioners Dick Shellenberger and Molly Henderson should drop their lawsuits and remove any obstacles to construction. If the study should show the project will not be feasible, Gray said he would end his support for the $137 million downtown revitalization initiative. “I would welcome the opportunity to talk to commissioners about other uses for that building,” Gray said. Lancaster New Era, January 13th 2006: Lancaster County Commissioners Chairman Dick Shellenberger this morning accepted, under certain conditions, a recent proposal to help fund a feasibility study for a proposed hotel and convention center in Lancaster. At Wednesday’s commissioners meeting, new Lancaster Mayor Rick Gray challenged the board of commissioners to fund the new study or stop objecting to the $137.8 million project. Intelligencer Journal, January 14th 2006: "Wasteful," "disingenuous," "inappropriate" and "unnecessary." That's how Lancaster Mayor Rick Gray and developers of a proposed $137.8 million hotel and convention center are describing Lancaster County Commissioner Dick Shellenberger's conditions for re-evaluating the downtown project. Shellenberger, in a letter to Gray, urged the mayor Friday to choose a consulting firm other than PricewaterhouseCoopers to perform a new study of the project's feasibility. Lancaster New Era, January 14th 2006: County conditions on a proposal to study the financial feasibility of a downtown hotel and convention center “smack of obfuscation and delay,” Lancaster Mayor Rick Gray said Friday. Earlier this week, Gray went to a public meeting of the Lancaster County Commissioners and told them to either pay for a feasibility study of the proposed project or stop throwing obstacles in its path. Mayor Gray, you opened the door to negotiations with the County Commissioners. When they attempted to negotiate, your response indicated that you had no intention of negotiating your own proposal. I would like to remind you of the following quote: Intelligencer Journal, January 13th 2006: Gray said he is determined to bring civility to the public debate over the project and move forward. “This has degenerated into ‘My way or the highway,’” he said. “It’s not a discussion anymore." Unfortunately, Mayor Rick Gray has not provided a single piece of evidence as to why he supports the project. Rick Gray speaks of "economic development", yet is unwilling or unable to explain where it will come from, or what form it will take. He hasn't addressed the immense tax liability for the hotel that Lancaster City residents will be burdened with. He hasn't even made public the report of his committee he appointed to review the project. Exactly what DID they say, Mayor Gray? I would like to leave you with the following comment from local columnist Jeff Hawkes: Intelligencer Journal, January 6th 2006: But supporters boycotted the event. Only Mayor Rick Gray, a day after being sworn in, rose to the challenge. ... Gray's final message was symbolic. By his presence, the new mayor granted the forum legitimacy. He offered the critics the respect they deserve. Link to original article: http://lookingatlancaster.blogspot.com/2006/01/shades-of-gray.html |
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