Growth Business Development has earned approximately $600,000.00 for pre-sales marketing and advertising. What exactly has this group accomplished?? There has not been one stone turned over for construction.

This meeting tonight was interesting in that about 200 people attended. Public officials, hoteliers and members of the public with experience in convention style business dealings were there and were vocal.

The newly elected mayor and three city council members were there as well as Commissioners Shellenberger and Henderson. Comments were largely against this project with proponents such as the mayor and Councilman Urdaneta speaking out for the project.

What was really disturbing is that the four city appointed board members refused to show. Several persons who spoke commented that this was the first meeting that they've had an opportunity to question the LCCCA (well, three of their members).

The finances of this project desperately need to be investigated. I understand that Mayor Gray wholeheartedly supports this project. While I respect his position, I am in earnest asking you, Mayor Gray, to sincerely investigate the financial shenanigans of this project. Council President Julianne Dickson spoke last night of not "rubberstamping" anything. This should also include the hotel/convention center. The previous administration did just that (except Luis Mendoza).

Tonight's question and answer session was videotaped and will be shown tomorrow, January 5 at 7:00pm on Comcast Channel 66.

The three board members did an excellent job of controlling the meeting. They also videotaped the meeting in order to "preserve and carefully review each person's comments."

Thank you Laura Douglas, Deb Hall and Jack Craven for having this meeting and for intently listening to and answering questions of the public.

There is a link to email questions but I keep getting "Internal Error" when I try to post that link.

Sorry

The LCCCA meeting of Jan 4 revealed a lot about the new mayor. On a night when he could have come as healer, he did more to divide the community than a bushel full of cancelled board meetings. Opponents of the project should be grateful the rude and contemptuous mayor showed himself so early in his tenure. Now we truly know who we're dealing with.

Wouldn't the ideal solution to this issue be to put it up as a ballot referendum? I'm not sure what the procedure for this is in PA, and it should have been done long ago, but I am sure you will never see this. If the people of Lancaster city voted on this it would fail. I believe this issue was the primary reason for Smithgall's lopsided defeat. Now Gray ignores this mandate and shows himself to be just another one of the boys. Oddly this issue is a lot like the Dover school board case. A few individuals take it upon themselves to obligate the tax payers to a huge financial burden to accomplish their own selfish goals. Perhaps what Lancaster(and all cities like it) needs is a mayor who is not part of the wealthy elite. Of course such a person would not have the means to successfully run, nor would they be likely to gain party endorsement. I still believe the CC has a serious funds shortage problem and may not be built. If it is it will be the signature disaster in Lancaster's history. As to the PR firms fees, I thought the CC already had a PR firm, LNP.

I was at the meeting. One of the new City Council members spoke and said that none of the Democrat council candidates hid that fact that they are all for the convention center. And that the 3 board members who called the meeting should see that as an election victory FOR the convention center.

What he failed to point out was that there was NO anti-convention center candidate on the ballot! We voters weren't given a choice. If any conclusion can be drawn from the election, it is as Glad2bgone said, and that the city voters wanted change; change in leadership style, and a change in the way Lancaster spends tax dollars to revitalize downtown. After listening to our new leaders, I'm afraid we got neither.

Mayor Gray said some true things, but I was disappointed that he chose to accuse meeting attendees of trying to kill the project by delaying it and raising its cost. He said that we then complain about the project's delays and costs. Well, it's been a long time since any one of us has had any say over schedule or cost.

It could have been argued that last night's meeting was illegitimate, because it wasn't officially advertised or called by the chairman. Having the Mayor and some of City Council speak at that meeting, I believe, was a mistake on their part. It added legitimacy to the meeting, for better or worse. It was a poor start to the Gray administration.