Mike Smeltzer has formally announced a challenge to 19th District Congressman Todd Platts in the May 18th Republican Primary.

Smeltzer is the executive director of the Manufacturers Association of South Central Pennsylvania and is running on a platform that includes fiscal responsibility, job creation and a reduction in the size of government.

He's pledged to serve only four terms in Washington and will step down from Congress after eight years.

Interviewed on WHP Radio about his candidacy, Smeltzer said that the politicians in Washington "just don't get it."

The Smeltzer candidacy has a nice sound to it for grassroots conservatives and tea party activists, but incumbent politicians also leave nothing to chance in protecting their seats.

We'll hope that Smeltzer isn't a weak token candidate put up to help re-elect Congressman Platts or part of a strategy to undercut another conservative candidate yet to emerge or just split votes in a race involving some three or more candidates.

Todd Platts has an increasingly liberal record according to issues tracking done by national organizations.

In his first term, the pro-life National Right To Life Committee gave Platts a 94 percent positive rating. In the 2007-2008 period last reported Platts rating dropped to 57 percent.

The American Conservative Union gave Platts an 80 percent rating in 2001 and a 68 percent rating in 2008.

The "fair tax" Americans For Fair Taxation Group gave Platts a 0 rating in 2008 for not supporting a "fair tax." In 2008, the National Taxpayers Union gave Platts a C rating.

The Club For Growth gave Platts a 57 percent positive rating in 2008.

The record of Congressman Platts recorded by the various national groups reveals a less than solid conservative record.

State Representative Eugene DePasquale (D-95th District), who represents York City in the legislature, is throwing his support behind legislation that would mandate a state takeover of the York City School District in two years.

The legislature is working on the updated law for compliance with the federal No Child Left Behind law. The proposed new law would mandate a state reform commission taking control of any school district where standards have not been met for eight years.

The law would mean an immediate state takeover of the Harrisburg School District and a takeover of the York City School District in two years.

School districts taken over by the "reform commission" would be under state control for at least five years.

Reform measures under the law include removal of existing elected school boards, conversions to charter schools and longer school days and years.

DePasquale says people are leaving the city because they don't trust the schools and the city cannot move forward unless the school system is good.

York's liberal political insiders and many other observers know that the new radical racial faction dominating the school board will make the bad situation in York City's schools even worse.

This legislation seems like the Democrat political insiders way of trying to fight back against the radicals and dealing with the "bleeding" that is dead ahead for the city school district.

Central York's school board president Eric Wolfgang thinks incumbent Republican State Representative Keith Gillespie of the 47th District deserves a challenger. So Wolfgang is planning to be the Democrat candidate for the seat this year.

Mr. Wolfgang is currently laid off from his job as quality assurance manager at Engel Machinery. He speaks of bringing "change" to Harrisburg and wants to deal with taxation to fund schools. Wolfgang describes creating new taxes to pay for public education as as revamping or elimination of the current property tax system.

Eric Wolfgang was the right hand of the now retired Central superintendent Dr. Linda Estep, pushing the building of the controvesial new high school, its swimming pool addition and other Estep agenda items including the politically charged "diversity" program and more recently the elimination of valedictorian and salutatorian honors for Central's graduatates.

Wolfgang and current superintendent Dr. Michael Snell were forced to return to allowing the honors last year amid protests from parents that reached a national television audience.

Incumbent Republican Keith Gillespie touts among his accomplishments legislation to allow children in sexual abuse cases to testify against the accused by video monitor instead of facing them in court. He also cites helping to increase the income limits for the PACE and PACENET programs that help senior citizens pay for prescription drugs.

The Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation considers Gillsepie to be Pro-Life and Gillespie has been supported by the left-leaning Pennsylvania State Education Association teachers union. That's apparently because Gillespie has stated his opposition to providing taxpayer support for children to attend non-public schools.

York City's Business Manager Michael O'Rourke says city government is headed for a financial crisis.

O'Rourke spoke before the Pennsylvania Economy League and York County Chamber of Commerce.

York Mayor Kim Bracey says she has pleaded with state legislators for new tax options, ranging from taxation of tax exempt properties in the city to an alcoholic drink tax, an additonal sales tax and an income tax that would have people who work in the city but don't live there paying to fund city government.

Bracey says she doesn't want the city to go into Act 47 financial distress status and will do her best to avoid that.

O'Rourke made the pitch that York is not just the city but a region. This parallels the York Counts agenda to create a supergovernment merging suburbs with the city.

Chamber of Commerce president Tom Donley urged business leaders to join the call for legislative action to allow the city new tax options. The "York Daily Record" quotes him as saying: "We're all in it together."

O'Rourke noted that employee pay and benefits take up 60 percent of the city's budget.

Instead of looking for new ways to tax it is way past time for the city to find a way to cut costs, especially in the pay and benefits for all city employees including those in the police and fire departments. These are tough times for taxpayers and police and fire employees should not be above everyone when it comes to belt tightening measures.

Beyond that, the path to where the city is today took many years but its decline is linked in the timeline to matters from the creation of welfare programs to those of race and violence starting with integration of schools in the 1950's to the rioting of 1969. Both residents and businesses took flight in the wake of these events.

Is the city's present state a legacy of the Great Society and Civil Rights? Can the blame be dropped at the feet of liberalism?

Who wants to spend more and who wants to spend less?

When it comes to the Dallastown School Board, the answers are becoming clear after last fall's election.

The board voted 5-3 to spend over 900-thousand dollars to build a corridor between the middle and high schools.

Voting YES to the spending were Frederick Botterbusch, Earl Miller, Mary Shoemaker, Kenneth "Butch" Potter and Lauren Rock. Voting NO were Margaret Ibex, Donald Jasmann and Carroll Tignall Jr.

Potter, Rock, Ibex and Jasmann were all elected last fall.

One should expect this pattern to be repeated when the new budget and higher property taxes are approved later this spring.

How concerned taxpayers will respond to the continued tax and spend mentality of Dallastown School District Superintendent Stewart Weinberg and the school board majority remains to be seen?

"The York Dispatch" is reporting that police records show much larger numbers of arrests in York City schools than the school district reported to the state.

In the 2007-2008 year, 19 arrests were made in the city schools according to the school district while police records show about 50. For the 2008-2009 school year only one arrest was made according to the district while the police reports show more than three dozen arrests.

There is a state law requiring school districts to report violent incidents and arrests to the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

York City School District Superintendent Sharon Miller says the district limits its reporting to 'serious incident' arrests. A spokesman for the Department of Education said that school districts should reports all arrests.

Meanwhile, York City School Board president Samuel Beard claims the district is following the state's requirements. Beard says the district has security measures. He says one of his jobs is to change how the city schools are seen.

Lets get it clear. Mr. Beard is in denial about violence and crime in city schools. His adamant opposition to increased police presence, Guardian Angel presence in the schools and even allowing security guards to use handcuffs, pepper spray and other measures is well known.

Parents have come to school board meetings to demand better security, but they have gotten no meaningful action from the Mr. Beard and his sympathizers on the board. These racially motivated radicals are more worried about the image of the schools than the safety of students and staff.

Meanwhile, a police officer who works at William Penn High School says that so far this school year there have been nine arrests there. Lets keep a close eye on what's really going on with safety, security and arrests in York City schools.

The Pennsylvania Superior Court has overturned York County Common Pleas Court Judge Richard Renn's 2008 ruling that removed Steve Rambler as mayor of Wrightsville.

Then York County District Attorney Stan Rebert sought Rambler's removal from office because of his 1996 guilty plea to a federal felony extortion charge. Rambler was accused of soliciting nude pictures of people in "swingers" magazines, then extorting money under threat of publicizing the photos.

Judge Renn ruled that Rambler's guilty plea made him ineligible under state law to hold public office.

Rambler, who is an ordained minister and now serves as pastor of Heritage Cathedral in York, welcomed the decision although it doesn't mean he can return to office as mayor. Rambler told "The York Dispatch" : "I love people, I love seving people. We'll see where it will go from this point.

Steve Rambler is now eligible to run for public office again, but new York County District Attorney Tom Kearney is planning an appeal of the Superior Court ruling to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

Testifying before a committee of Democrat party leaders from the State House of Representatives, Mayor Kim Bracey said that cities like York need new ways to raise revenue.

Bracey suggested that the legislature give cities options like sales taxes, alcohol taxes and an earned income tax that would be split between where a person lives and where they work.

She also called for tax exempt properties like county government and churches to be forced to make payments in lieu of taxes to the city.

The split income tax would definitely mean county residents paying the cost of city government and forcing the county to pay the city for its properties there would also help to raise county taxes. Her whole agenda would pass on de-facto taxes to non-city residents by forcing payments from all tax-exmept institutons in the city.

The State House Majority Policy Committee held its hearing at Yorks Soverign Bank Stadium and heard from other mayors of third class cities besides York. Lancaster Mayor Rick Gray, Harrisburg Mayor Linda Thompson and Reading Mayor Thomas McMahon were among others who appeared before the committee.

The York 912 Patriots Group that formed up last year participated in a Grassroots Camapign School in Spring Grove this weekend.

Their partners for the event were the GOP insider connected York County ACTION group that is a subsidiary of Lancaster County ACTION.

The campaign school was aimed at training potential candidates for the primary election this spring. Guest speaker for the campaign school was Michael Geer of the Pennsylvania Family Institute.

Both ACTION and the Pennsylvania Family Institute have wealthy donors and sponsors connected to the moderate leadership of the Republican Party in the state. One could argue that ACTION and PFI are tied to the insider GOP 'political machine.'

It is my hope that sincere conservatives and patriots are not being infiltrated and undermined by political insiders who will stop at nothing to protect their re-election and or incumbency.

It appears that the 912 Patriots in York are onto the increasingly liberal voting record of Congressman Todd Platts, who may face a challenge from local business leader Mike Smeltzer in May's Republican primary.

I have my doubts about the sincerity of the Smeltzer candidacy and hope it is not tied to the powerful and influential people who want to see Todd Platts re-elected. Two possible manipulation scenarios are a weak Smeltzer candidacy to re-elect Platts or a Smeltzer campaign dividing votes of another anti-Platts candidate who may be an authentic conservative.

The 'stimulus plan' from Washington, paid for by the tax dollars and debt of Americans, includes over 4 billion dollars in spending for Race To The Top, a program designed to improve academic acheivement in failing schools. The York City School District wants some of the money and is applying for it in conjunction with other school districts in Pennsylvania.

School districts applying for the money need a memorandum of agreement involving the district, school board and union to apply.

The York City Education Association teachers union, part of the Pennsylvania State Education Association, has agreed to participate in the memorandum. Union agreement was needed because removal of failing teachers from failing schools is part of the Race To The Top program.

Union agreement may mean "removal" of failing teachers and principals but note the word "firing" is not used. The school district says there are worker protections in the plan so don't be misled into believing that Race To The Top is going to terminate bad teachers or principals.

They will be "reassigned" or given opportunity to find a job in some other school without the new school knowing they were "removed" for "failure."

The Pennsylvania State Education Association union that supported Barack Obama for president is not getting an education spending plan from him that hurts their members.

Word has come out of York City Schools security director William Fenton's resignation. Fenton left his post two weeks ago (Monday December 21st).

Fenton's departure came a few weeks after the school board's refusal to allow security officers to have pepper spray, tasers and handcuffs to subdue unruly students.

Fenton had also clashed with the school board over police providing security at football games earlier last year.

Mr. Fenton told "The York Daily Record":..."it just feels like the board had nowhere near the objectives I had."

With a more radical and racially motivated school board, the concerns of parents about security in York City schools will remain high. Removing their children from public schools in the city may be the only action that will give them peace of mind.

Acts of violence may get worse, particularly at William Penn High School, with the potential for injury to students and or staff.

On Christmas Eve, Moody's Investors Service pulled its credit rating on the City of York. Moody's said it lacked current financial information on the city government.

The previous Moody's credit rating for York was low or Baa2. That rating was issued in January of 2006. Its the second lowest of the ten ratings Moody's gives out. Moody's does its ratings to give lenders and investors in municipal bonds an idea of the local government's ability to pay them back.

The lack of a bond rating could mean serious consequences like an inability to raise capital or trigger bond holders to demand early payments or increase bond interest rates.

Outgoing York Mayor John Brenner says an audit of city finances is not complete because the audit for the year 2008 is not complete yet.

Brenner tells the "York Daily Record": "Our hope is that it will not affect the city's bond rating in any way, shape or form."

But the truth is that York City has no bond rating right now and one wonders what this means as the new administration of Kim Bracey moves in next week.

Back in October, Spring Garden Township's tax collector/treasurer Melissa Arnold appointed township manager Gregory Maust as deputy treasurer. Maust then took over her duties as tax collector. It was a mystery as to why this happened.

Now the "York Dispatch" has reported that Pennsylvania State Police searched her home and office after bank officials became suspicious about deposits by Arnold of township checks into personal accounts. Search warrant-related documents revealed a 'substantial' amount of money was withdrawn from at least one personal account after the deposits.

The investigation started in October by state police has now been turned over to the FBI. A state police spokesman says "the nature of the allegation meets the jurisdictional requirements that the FBI investigates."

This story deserves more attention but all we get right now is this limited information plus speculation including comments posted online about a 'gambling problem' being related to the case.

Early in the week before Christmas, there was news of the possible candidacy of Mike Smeltzer for the 19th District House seat currently held by Representative Todd Platts.

Platts has applied for a job in Washington as comptroller general of the General Accounting Office. But even if he doesn't get the job one must consider the possibility that some primary challenge may occur in 2010. Mike Smeltzer is executive director of the Manufacturers Association of South Central Pennsylvania. This group has a tradition of political involvement and ties to the Republican Party.

One wonders if the potential Smeltzer candidacy is a ploy to tie down a potential conservative candidate in a GOP primary. Smeltzer could split outsider votes to enable the incumbent Platts to win or Smeltzer could split outsider votes to enable another insider to win a primary to replace Platts.

One political insider who's considering replacing Todd Platts in Congress is 92nd District State Representative Scott Perry. Perry is a longtime GOP moderate leader in northern York County who got himself elected in 2006 to the state house running as a "Patriot" candidate.

I'm still waiting for an authentic conservative candidate to emerge as a replacement for Todd Platts in Congress.

The West York School District has announced a new three year contract with the West York Area Education Association teachers union. There are pay increases totalling 9.5 percent in the contract that expires in June of 2012.

A news release from the school district says teachers are taking this year's 2.5 percent pay hike in December. For the next two years of the contract, pay hikes will be 3.5 percent.

The school district says the new contract will include additional teacher obligations after school and increased contributions to the medical benefit plan.

The news release from the school district spoke of the contract talks being "particularly challenging this time in light of the current economy." Needless to say, any pay increase in these tough economic times is bad news for taxpayers. Pay and benefits make up the bulk of school district expenses paid for by taxpayers.

While some 40-thousand dollars more in teacher contributions to health benefits are expected, that's only around 6 percent more than before. And when its all said and done, it appears that each West York teacher will only pay several hundred dollars per year in the next three years towards their medical benefits which may cost 10-thousand or more dollars per teacher per year.

Governor Ed Rendell is promising strong support with state taxpayer dollars for public schools and property taxes will still rise in the coming years to cover the pay hikes.

The York County Commissioners approved the 2010 budget that will cut spending by 10 percent, keep property taxes at the same rate and raise fines and fees. Some 59 jobs in the county government are eliminated for next year.

When talk of the new budget began earlier this year, there were suggestions from commissioners of a pay freeze in county government, but unions representing employees rebuffed the idea.

When the final budget was approved, there were pay raises of two percent for 51 supervisors in the county government. Democrat Commissioner Doug Hoke expressed his disagreement with the raises in tough economic times. Is this a sign of political campaigning for 2011?

Meanwhile, Republican President Commissioner Steve Chronister defended the raises on the basis of 'wage compression.' That's about the non-union supervisors needing to be paid more than the unionized employees who are getting their contracted increases next year.

WITH THE MILLIONS COMING IN FROM THE NEW FINES AND FEES LEVIED IN ADDITION TO SPENDING CUTS, IT APPEARS THAT THE 2010 YORK COUNTY BUDGET IS TRYING TO MAKE UP FOR A 10 PERCENT PLUS SHORTFALL IN PROPERTY TAX REVENUE RESULTING FROM THE SLUMPING ECONOMY.

There's a new director to tackle the difficult and sometimes controversial work at York County Children and Youth Services.

Deb Chronister, not related to Commissioner Steve Chronister and former head of ACCESS York, has been named the director after serving as interim director for much of this year.

That followed the sudden and unexpected departure of the agency's former director Jerry Anderson in July. It was an event that went unreported at the time.

CYS has had many shakeups over the years and controversies over the quality and nature of its work.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett has announced charges against former Democrat State Representative Steve Stetler. Stetler is charged on six counts involving the use of public employees and resources for political campaigns.

The charges are the result of a grand jury investigation. Stetler resigned as Pennsylvania Revenue Secretary hours before the charges were announced.

One legislative staffer who worked for Stetler says he spent time helping the 2005 election campaign of York City Mayor John Brenner. Brenner faced a primary challenge from Jeff Kirkland.

John Paul Jones testified to the grand jury that he came to Stetler's York offfice to do the campaign work. The indictment also mentions legislative staffer Cameron Texter, who will soon be leaving office as a member of York City Council.

Both Texter and Brenner decided against running for re-election this year and one can draw a connection between their decisions and the ongoing Bonusgate corruption investigation.

John Paul Jones also has been working on the campaign of Kim Bracey, now mayor-elect. Jones did work for Bracey's campaign this year as an employee of the Harrisburg-based WS Group.

Democrats have attacked Attorney General Corbett's Bonusgate investigation as politically motivated. That's because Corbett is a Republican candidate for governor next year. Corbett's work so far has produced indictments of both Republicans and Democrats.

Two charter school plans are before the new York City School Board.

York Counts international baccalaureate school idea was presented to the board by Dennis Baughman and Sue Krebs. The school would be located on a tract of land next to the railroad tracks west of Sovereign Bank Stadium.

Joel Sears of the York County Taxpayers group spoke against the York Counts plan saying students not participating in the school would be shortchanged by the diversion of funds away from existing public schools.

Another proposal for a charter school came from Aiko Malynda Maurer of Altoona. She represents the HOPE For All Charter School.

The HOPE program is designed to make troubled students independent learners and give those students practical job skills using a student run cafe.

The York City School Board has until February 27th to make a decision about the two charter school proposals.

Meanwhile, the board is delaying action on plans to renovate schools and close the Phineas Davis Elementary School. It was felt that newly elected board members need time to study the proposal before a decision is made.

The board is also delaying a vote on the district's preliminary budget for the 2010-2011 year. That's because it wants to know more about the city government's desire to take part of the tax revenue from the real estate transfer tax.

The new board voted 6-3 to approve the hiring of a new hall monitor to work at William Penn High School, where there are security concerns. Racial faction members were in the majority with board president Sam Beard saying the vote would enable quick hiring if a new monitor is needed. Four existing William Penn monitors have been joined by two elementary school monitors to help deal with the security situation.

The York City School District is also trying to bring together the administration, teachers union and school board on seeking special federal funding that's supposed to improve failing test scores.

York City is seeking the money that comes with strings attached to help the McKinley Elementary School and William Penn High School.

A school board dominated by pro-charter school members will hear the pitch from the York Counts group Monday night for an International Baccalaureate charter school that would draw students from the Central, York City and York Suburban school districts.

The Central and York Suburban school boards held separate hearings last Monday with members of both boards expressing support for the idea, but planning to visit the issue again for final decisions next year.

York City officials have expressed concern that York Counts is leaving them out of the loop and committing the district to the IB charter school without their consent.

In other parts of the country, IB curriculum proposals have been opposed on grounds that IB is part of a left wing agenda that some say is a promotion of One World Government or a "New World Order."

But the only visible opposition to IB as reported in the local newspapers so far comes from the York County Taxpayers group. Their leader, Joel Sears, notes that charter schools take hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars away from existing public schools.

Sears has been very active in expressing concern over property taxation and promoting other methods of taxation to fund public schools. But Sears has been less critical of spending in public education.

I get the sense that Sears and his group front for the Republican Party and or the real estate industry which is directly affected by property taxes.

If we could focus our attention on cutting spending in public schools by dealing with employee pay and benefits that consume some two-thirds of public school budgets, property tax relief would happen in Pennsylvania.

One final note, the new radical racial York City School Board is a wild card. It will be interesting to see how they respond to the York Counts charter school plan that comes from primarily leftist-liberal white people.

The new school board majority officialy took power this last week in the City of York.

Samuel Beard is the new board president and Beverly Atwater is the new board vice-president. Beard and Atwater come from the radical racial faction.

Beard said "changes" are coming to "improve education" in the district and that a "new spirit of cooperation" is needed to implement them.

The board sent a message about its new direction by rebuffing a request from the school district's security chief, William Fenton.

Fenton wanted district security officers to have the options of using handcuffs, pepper spray and tasers to deal with unruly students.

Beard says he does not want those methods used for security in city schools. The "York Daily Record" quoted new board president Beard as saying: "I refuse to allow chemical spray to be used on our children."

The reasons for using tasers, pepper spray and handcuffs include the prevention of injury to students, staff and or security officers by violent students. This action to prevent those methods can only send a chilling message to those who see an increasingly unsafe environment in city schools.

Any violence related injuries in the months ahead should be linked to the action of Mr. Beard and the new school board majority to ban the security measures.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education is investigating two dozen school districts to see if they undereported violent incidents according to the "Harrisburg Patriot News."

The move comes after the latest statistics showed declines for the 2008-09 school year in arrests at York County schools, with only one arrest being reported in the York City School District.

Incidents reported increased in York County schools but again in York City there was a decline reported.

State Senator Jeffrey Piccola, who chairs the Pennsylvania Senate Education Committee, told the "York Daily Record" that "the activities in our schools must be tranparent."

Those declines in incidents and arrests in York City schools come as parents there continue to express deep concern about safety. Radical racial members of the school board have been highly critical of police presence in the city schools and want security handled "internally." They are accused by opponents of pressuring administration to go easy on punishing disruptive students.

The unionized taxpaying workers at York's Harley-Davidson plant overwhelmingly approved a new seven-year contract Wednesday.

The number of union employees at the plant will be cut from nearly two thousand to some seven to eight hundred.

There's a pay freeze in the contract and higher costs for medical insurance coverage.

Harley says the new contract means it will keep the York operation going under a "restructuring" instead of moving the factory to a new location.

The company is getting a partial bailout for its restructuring costs to the tune of 15 million dollars from Pennsylvania's taxpayers. Governor Ed Rendell was hailed by the company for his "support."

Also expressing support for the taxpayer bailout of the company was Republican State Represenative Keith Gillespie of the 47th District where the plant is located.

I sure hope Gillespie doesn't want to go to Washington to replace Todd Platts. Businesses were not meant to be bailed out by taxpayers after labor union demands and government regulations crushed their ability to survive.

The government policies of spending wildly and backing unsustainable loans including home mortgages have led to our economic difficulties.

Above all it should be government that cuts back in the present circumstances.

Declining tax revenues are obvious here in York County with next year's county budget spending more than 10 percent less with the same property tax rate and increases in fees.

The economic mess that has engulfed Harley-Davidson and the nation is a wake up call for government to cut back and spend less.

When will the state workforce in Harrisburg be cut in half?

When will public school districts in York County have employee pay freezes instead of the existing contracts that give everyone from superintendents on down pay increases that average around four percent a year?

Taxpayers, there are plenty of tea parties to be held here in Pennsylvania from Harrisburg to the hundreds of local school districts.

Pennsylvania Secretary of Revenue and former State Representative Steve Stetler has received a letter that 'invites' him to testify before a grand jury.

The grand jury is part of the Bonusgate probe by Pennsylvania's Attorney General Tom Corbett. The letter Stetler received is similar to those sent to people who have been charged with corruption in the scandal involving illegal use of taxpayer money for political campaigns.

Earlier this year as Stetler's name came up in the investigation, it was shrugged off as meaning nothing.

The announcement of Stetler's 'invitation' was made by a spokesman for Governor Ed Rendell. Stetler would not comment when asked by the media about testifying before the grand jury.

Corbett's probe has led to charges against both Republicans and Democrats for spending taxpayer dollars to fund legislative political campaigns.

Democrat Steve Stetler suddenly resigned from the legislature in 2006 in the mddle of his re-election campaign. He was serving as state representative for York County's 95th District which includes the City of York and some surrounding areas.

Stetler voted for the controversial legislative pay raise in 2005 and did not return the pay raise after it was rescinded by the legislature.

Since Stetler left the legislature, it appears that political insiders have been "taking care" of him with jobs. Stetler started out working for the Pennsylvania Economy League before Governor Rendell appointed him to the Secretary of Revenue post.

A declining economy means declining tax revenue and York County's budget for next year is proposed to be 361.7 million dollars instead of this year's 405 million dollars. The property tax rate remains the same while court, document and inspection fees have been raised with a combined cost in the millions of dollars to help raise revenue.

The York County commissioners announced the 2010 budget on Wednesday. The new budget cuts 44 county government jobs, most of them positions that weren't filled this year when they became vacant.

Commissioners Steve Chronister, Chris Reilly and Doug Hoke will not take a cost of living pay raise in 2010.

Spending will be reduced in county departments including the sheriff's office, district attorney's office and the courts as well. A retiring common pleas court judge will not be replaced next year.

The commissioners will take final action on the budget around Christmas.

It appears that the current board of commissioners have responded in a decisive way to the serious tax revenue shortfalls caused by the deep economic recession. This is something that could not have been expected of the previous commissioner board controlled by Lori Mitrick and Doug Kilgore.

The 2010 budget for Springettsbury Township is on the table with no property tax hike but a big jack up in the local services tax (occupational privilege tax) from 10 to 52 dollars.

The 12.4 million dollar spending plan keeps property taxes at .87 mill (87 dollars per 100,000 in real estate value) but the 520 percent hike in the tax for having a job in the township is expected to bring in 500-thousand more dollars next year.

The township's four million dollar plus surplus is expected to go down by two million dollars next year.

The supervisors voted 4-1 to advertise the budget with Supervisor George Dvoryak being the only NO vote. Dvoryak ran for state representative in 2002 and is believed to have political ambitions.

Township manager John Holman says its likely that a new police station will be built attached to the municipal building. Cost is expected to be in the millions of dollars.

The budget is set for a vote at the supervisors meeting on Thursday December 10th.

Word came out this week that four York City School Board members will travel to a national school boards conference in Chicago next year. The cost for taxpayers will be in the thousands of dollars.

A trip by board members to this year's conference led to a controversy over reimbursement for the board members meals and other expenses at the event.

The four members going next year are part of the board's racial radical faction including new member Margie Orr, along with Beverly Atwater, Samuel Beard and James Morgan.

The release of the information about the trip just ahead of the changeover to a new school board next month may be a salvo in an emerging political war over control of the York City School District.

With the recent discussion about closing the Phineas Davis Elementary School to avoid a tax increase next year, it looks like the new controlling faction is being put on the spot over spending and taxes right away by the insider faction.

The news of the trip to the conference next year at taxpayer expense makes one wonder what the priorities of these board members are. No word yet on school board members from other York County school districts who may be attending the national school board conference.

Supervisors in Springettsbury Township have approved a big increase in the Occupational Privilege Tax that's now called the Local Services Tax.

The tax will rise from 10 to 52 dollars next year.

The 3-2 margin at Wednesday's supervisors meeting reflected the same margin as the first vote on the issue last month. Supervisors Nick Guerreri and George Dvoryak voted no.

Supervisors Don Bishop, Mike Bowman and Bill Schenck voted for the tax hike then.

Township Manager John Holman speaks of 500-thousand dollars in new revenue that will be used for "captial projects" with the police station being mentioned as one.

When the township decided to participate in the York Area United Fire and Rescue scheme and get rid of its own fire department, part of the consolidation plan that was supposed to 'save money' involved the construction of a new 3 million dollar fire station in Spring Garden Township.

Taxpayers in Springettsbury Township could face more heartbreak in the future if the police consolidation study leads to the township participating in a consolidated Metro York Police Department. That would mean Springettsbury Township taxpayers being saddled with York City's budget burden for its police pensions.

When Mayor John Brenner rolled out York City's 2010 budget plan it was pointed out there will be no property tax hike. But to finance the budget which totals over 97 million dollars, there will be borrowing from reserve funds for sewer improvements, plus fee increases for sewer and trash collection.

There will also be a doubling of fines for some parking violations.

Ten positions are cut in the budget, six for police, two for fire and two in public works. All but one public works job are currently vacant.

The costs of salaries and benefits are driving the police budget up by almost 1 million dollars next year to 16.4 million dollars. "Public safety" is the biggest drain on the city budget right now involving 68.5 percent of the general fund budget.

As I've noted before, all this talk of needing a consolidated police force involving the city and suburbs is all about the suburbs picking up the tab for city police costs. Suburban residents should get on their commissioners and supervisors to have nothing to do with such a scheme.

Meanwhile, both Mayor Brenner and the city's business manager Michael O'Rourke acknowledge the city is showing signs of financial distress. O'Rourke would like to see one part of the state's Act 47 law for distressed cities implemented permanently.

O'Rourke would like to see people who live in the city and those who work in the city subjected to a permanent income tax immediately.

Watch out taxpayers!!!!!!

There's going to be a new York City School Board next month. They will face a declining enrollment driven by the creation of new charter schools. The district is being forced to make decisions about use of its existing buildings.

At this last week's school board meeting, the current board vice-president Tom Foust said closure of the Phineas Davis Elementary school would be needed to prevent a property tax hike next year.

The board voted 6-3 to put off a decision to close the school. One reason behind the closure is fewer students are attending the public school system, opting for the numerous public charter schools that have emerged in recent years. The board did vote, however, to relocate fifth grade students to the middle school buildings to use more of the empty space there.

Some parents who spoke at the board meeting are sending their children to charter schools because of the unsafe environment in the city schools.

A new application was filed on November 13th for the HOPE for All Charter School to involve 180 students grades 10-12 in the city.

The racial faction that is expected to have sway over the school board starting next month is opposed to using police or Guardian Angels to provide security in schools and is skeptical about disclipine of unruly students.

The "York Daily Record" published comments from an e-mail by interim board member Gerry Turner. "There is no question that York City schools are looked upon as failures by parents....even our own elected board members appear to mistrust the current administration and staff to (educate students) adequately......If charter schools continue to pop up, the district's established schools will suffer...."

.....

Perhaps the comments by Foust and Turner are really a way for political insiders to stake their claim for retaking the school board from the racial radicals. The new school board could lose politically when they decide on closing existing schools or supporting charter schools.

But amidst the lack of security and dysfunctional behavior involving everyone from students to radical school board members, the city schools are falling into a more desperate situation with every new year.

The bottom line is that test scores are low in reading and math and have no propsects of improving. That is very sad, indeed.

York's Mayor-elect Kim Bracey has created a community advisory review team that she says will fulfill the public's desire to have more input into the city government.

Chairman of the effort is loyal Democrat and York City Controller Robert Lambert. The vice-chair is Joanne Borders.

There are three parts to the advisory board, one for budget and operations, one for public safety and one for community revitalization.

Among the individual members are community activists with racial agendas like Mary Tribue and Diane Brown and known Democrat activists like Joe Stein.

Also on the board is Bryan Tate, who's been chief of staff to Congressman Todd Platts and his campaign manager. Tate is the vice-president for community investment with the York County Community Foundation.

When one looks over this list of advisors to Kim Bracey, one sees political operatives and representatives of "groups" based on race, ethnicity and sexual orientation. Its what you would expect from a Democrat business as usual politician.

There's word that Dallastown School District Superintendent Stewart Weinberg used the district's phone message system to talk to parents about the school board election.

In a call said to have been made on October 20th, Weinberg is heard speaking of an "ad hoc group of parents" hving developed a questionaire for school board candidates. The call directed parents to the district website to see the candidates response and said that elementary school children were bringing copies of the candidates responses home.

Weinberg said in the call "it is extremely important for everyone to vote on November 3rd in order to maintain our excellent educational programs."

An additional call mentioning this was reportedly made by the superintendent on the district's phone message system on November 2nd, the day before the election.

There can be no doubt from this recording that Weinberg was butting into the election and trying to influence its outcome by helping to elect business as usual tax and spend candidates like Lauren Rock in Region 1 and Brian Larson in Region 3. School board candidate Don Jasmann, who was elected in Region 2, noted that the school district tries to play parents against taxpayers in promoting more spending and higher taxes.

Lets hope that Mr. Jasmann and Margaret Ibex, who will now sit on the board, go right to work and publicly rebuke Weinberg about his working with the "ad-hoc group of parents" to create fear in the school board election and influence its outcome.

Larry Wolfe, who lost to Lauren Rock by 36 votes in Region 1, should continue his efforts to control school district spending by attending board meetings and speaking out.

To hear the Weinberg call of October 20th as posted online, try this address.... http://c3.mine.nu/t/Dtown102009.wav

The Roman Catholic Bishop of Harrisburg, Kevin Rhoades, is being reassigned starting January 13th next year.

On Saturday, the Vatican announced that Rhoades is moving to the Fort Wayne-South Bend Diocese in Indiana.

That's the diocese where Notre Dame University is located. There was a major controversy there this year when President Barack Obama appeared as a commencement speaker. Pro-Life activists within the Roman Catholic Church, along with dozens of bishops including Bishop Rhoades, protested the honor being given to a Pro-Abortion president.

Bishop Kevin Rhoades has been upfront with the Pro-Life view of the church. He has led special Pro-Life masses and processions for prayer at abortion clinics. At least twice, Rhoades has led prayer outside of York's Planned Parenthood on South Beaver Street where abortions are performed.

State Representative Stan Saylor (R-94th District) says he's had a strained relationship with former Speaker of the Pennsylvania House John Perzel.

Perzel was indicted along with nine others Friday for using taxpayer dollars to support political campaigns.

Saylor says he once supported a candidate for Republican leadership in opposition to Perzel. Saylor says that meant they weren't friends and he told the "York Daily Record" that Perzel kept secrets and that "a lot of members didn't know what was going on."

Perzel is said to have taken taxpayer dollars to the tune of some ten million dollars to fund a computer program to help Republcan legislative candidates from 2000 to 2007.

Attorney General Tom Corbett has gotten indictments against Democrats on similar charges and faced criticism for not going after Republicans in the legislature for corruption.

Also charged among the ten is Elmer "Al" Bowman of Red Lion. Bowman is a former Republican aide in the legislature. Representative Saylor claims not to have known Bowman well.

No doubt all politicians are running for the high grass and trying to distance themselves from business as usual politics. But when it comes to York County's Republicans, they are far from "tea party" activists. Their political careers are filled with attempts to call themsleves things like "mainstream conservatives" and efforts to placate both sides of the political spectrum to win big majorities come election time.

York County's legislative delegation is in need of cleaning, starting with State Senator Mike Waugh (R-28th District). Waugh, who voted for the new state budget that raises taxes, is not conservative fiscally and has told the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation that he believes abortion should be legal in the first three months of pregnancy. Most abortions occur in the first three months and the federation has consistently listed Waugh as "Pro-Abortion" in its voter guides.

Waugh is up for re-election next year....

Congressman Todd Platts (R-19th District) is one of 17 candidates for the position of Comptroller General in the General Accounting Office.

The GAO is an arm of Congress that does oversight of spending.

Platts has support from over 100 members of Congress including Democrats like Barney Frank of Massachusetts and John Murtha of Pennsylvania.

Congressman Platts is coming under increasing conservative scrutiny after almost 10 years in Washington and being perceived more and more as a Republican In Name Only.

That may be one reason that he is seeking another job.

A commission of members of Congress will evaluate Platts and other candidates making recommendation of at least three final candidates for the comptroller general post to the President. The President selects a candidate who will then be subject to Senate approval.

In the face of declining tax revenue and a poor economy, York County commissioners are struggling to balance next year's budget without a property tax increase.

A few months ago, the Recorder of Deeds office announced a 500 percent increase in fees to raise 800-thousand dollars.

Now there's word from the commissioners that inspection fees will be imposed on weights and measures in York County. That includes everything from scales in grocery stores to gasoline pumps.

The county inspects the devices annually at a cost of around 90-thousand dollars. The fees are designed to pay for the cost of the inspections.

Inspection costs may range from 10 dollars for scales to 45 or more dollars for gasoline pumps depending on how many grades of gas they dispense.

Business owners say cost of the inspection fees will be passed onto consumers, so one will have to call this a hidden tax increase.

ONE NOTE HERE, THE FORMER COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MITRICK AND KILGORE ARE HOPING TO MAKE A COMEBACK IN 2011 BUT THEIR RECORD OF MISMANAGEMENT DOES NOT GIVE THEM OR THEIR SUPPORTERS THE RIGHT TO BLAST THE CURRENT COMMISSIONERS WHO CAME IN TO FIX UP THE MESS LEFT BEHIND BY THEM.

Pro-Taxpayer candidate Larry Wolfe had the advantage of being on both Republican and Democrat lines in the general election after he won both primaries in Region 1 of the Dallastown School Board.

But he lost by 36 votes to public school employee Lauren Rock running as an Independent. Rock was backed by the tax and spend business as usual public school forces including Dallastown's teachers union.

Rock says she shares the values of the other candidate elected in Region 1, Kenneth Potter. If that's true, expect Potter also to be on the side of taxes and spending in Dallastown. And if Potter votes to keep on raising taxes, us taxpayers from every school district can send him a message by not buying Martin's Potato Chips. Kenneth Potter is the president of that business.

In other Dallastown school board races, Republican primary winner Don Jasmann defeated Democrat primary winner Sue Hiestand in Region 2. Jasmann wanted new school board members to have a say in the teacher contract suddenly announced a few months ago. The current board members and the union apparently acted to preempt pro-taxpayer candidates joining the board from having a say.

In Region 3 Margaret Ibex, the Republican candidate who spoke out against the new 60 million dollar school being constructed in Springfield Township, won. She defeated Libertarian candidate Brian Larson in a close race that suggests Larson may have been backed by the liberal tax and spend forces.

Republicans Harry Ness and Chuck Patterson were big winners over Democrats Kathleen Prendergast and Sandra Thompson in the General Election for two Common Pleas Court judicial seats..

The margins of victory gave top Republican vote getter Ness a more than 2 to 1 margin over Prendergast. Patterson came in second with a more than 2 to 1 advantage in votes over Thompson.

The Democrats tried to attack Harry Ness over his 1983 drug arrest and Chuck Patterson over his work as a deputy prosecutor but there was dirt on the Democrats. Word came out in the week before the election that Kathleen Prendergast owed 24-thousand dollars in federal income taxes and that Sandra Thompson had missed mortgage payments on her home.

The media took note that Patterson will be the first black judge in York County.

Springettsbury Township supervisors have voted 3-2 to impose a 52 dollar municipal service tax on all people who work in the township and make more than 12-thousand dollars a year. The tax will replace the current 10 dollar per year occupational privilege tax. Township manager John Holman told "The York Dispatch" the new tax could fund improvements to township buildings including police and fire facilities and fund future pension costs.

In opposing the new tax, Supervisor Nick Guerreri said the township has a four million dollar surplus and that should be used first. Supervisor George Dvyorak agreed and also voted against. He says "this is a bad time for any additional tax burden."

Supervisors Don Bowman, William Schenck and Mike Bowman supported the tax hike.

Springettsbury Township has moved in recent years to combine its fire department with Spring Garden Township in a move to supposedly save money. Supervisors have also moved to support a study pushed by YorkCounts that will be favorable to consolidating police protection.

The political direction appears to be bad in Springettsbury Township these days with 3 of 5 Republican supervisors on the bad side.

Final action on the tax hike to take effect next year is set for November 18th.

Supervisor George Dvoryak who voted against the tax hike is up for re-election. Another seat is open because a supervisor who voted for the tax increase is retiring from the board.

In the primary election, newcomer candidate Julie Landis won spots on both the Democrat and Republican ballots for supervisor. Michael Papa is also on the ballot as a Democrat while Dvoryak is on the ballot as a Republican.

Taxpayers are waking up in the Dallastown Area School District amid controversy over a new intermediate school being built in Springfield Township.

Two years ago Caroll Tignall Jr. was elected to the school board on a platform of supporting taxpayer concerns.

This year, new candidates who support taxpayer concerns have emerged and the business as usual crowd is on the defensive. The teacher contract set to expire in 2013 was extended for three years in anticipation of a new more fiscally responsible school board being in place after the election.

In Dallastown Region 1 two school board members are being elected. In the primary this spring Larry Wolfe and Kenneth Potter emerged as the winners on both parties tickets. Wolfe ran a pro-taxpayer campaign calling for cutting expenses in the district including consideration of having students pay part of the cost of their extra curricular activities like sports. Meanwhile Potter appears to be a business as usual tax and spend school board member.

But fear of Larry Wolfe being elected triggered an independent candidate to emerge in the fall election.

Lauren Rock works in the Dallastown Area School District and speaks of herself as sharing the same ideas as Potter. Rock is clearly sending a message she is a liberal business as usual school board candidate. She works in a Dallastown school as a teachers aide officially employed by Lincoln Intermediate Unit 12 that provides special education services. She is also active in a PTO in the district. Public school employees should not be members of school boards because it is a conflict of interest.

In Dallastown Region 2 one school board member will be elected. Sue Hiestand is the Democrat candidate and Don Jasmann is the Republican candidate. Jasmann wanted the incoming school board members to have a say on the new teacher contract extension that was suddenly approved a few months ago.

In Dallastown Region 3 pro-taxpayer candiate Margaret Ibex won both the Democrat and Republican primaries. She faces Libertarian Brian Larson in the general election.

Three incumbent business as usual school board members were re-elected in a contested primary election this spring for Central York's school board. Robert Weikert, Michael Wagner and Michael Snyder. All three won slots on both parties ballots. That leaves incumbent Karl Peckmann on the Republican side facing Janice Liao-Tabatabai on the Democrat side for the general election.

Liao-Tabatabai entered the school board race because of the district policy against valedictorians and salutatorians in graduating classes. District policy was changed quickly when the controversy became a national news story this summer.

Incumbent Peckmann also claims he is in favor of valedictorians and salutatorians at graduation. Meanwhile, Peckmann has a conflict of interest situation. His wife is a teacher and union member in the Central York School District.

The City of York has a powerful Democrat political machine led by City Councilwoman Toni Smith with an assist from the Pittsburgh-bred State Representative Eugene DePasquale. They are the insiders that control City Hall, City Council and the 95th District State House seat.

Its a machine that raises tens of thousand of dollars from fundraising that involves gifts from inside York and outside York. The Wolf, Appell and Kinsley names figure in the giving to York's Democrat candidate for mayor Kim Bracey. She also had a fundraiser in Harrisburg earlier this year where people from outside York County made contributions. What do they expect in return?????

Bracey is expected to be elected as the city's first black mayor on Tuesday.

There is token opposition from Republican Wendell Banks and write-in candidate Stephen Young.

For York City Council, Democrats Renee Nelson and Henry Nixon have the upper hand in the contest for two seats over Republicans Nina Aimable and Jay Andrzejczyk. But then there's the explosive contest for six seats on the York City School Board where the Democrat political machine is falling to pieces in the face of black activism that began some years ago with a group called the "African-American Political Roundtable." The racist radcials who call for improving education while limiting security measures in schools are expected to take control of the school board.

First, there's the contest for four seats this year that normally are elected. In the Democrat primary election this year incumbents not associated with the racial faction were swept out.

The four Democrat candidates for the school board seats are Gary Calhoun, Margie Orr, Sandie Walker and Beverly Atwater.

Incumbent Barbara Krier of the non racial faction stands alone as the only alternative on the Republican side of the ballot.

There's a special election to fill out the remaining two years of two other York City School Board member's terms. One member resigned (Elmira Sexton) and the other (Hiawatha Powell) was removed from the board.

Both political parties were given the opportunity to pick candidates for the seats but only Democrats picked candidates. Incumbent member Tom Foust, defeated in the spring primary, was picked along with York College political science professor Julio Aguayo.

Angry that she was not picked by Democats while Foust was, a write-in candidate apparently aligned with the racial faction is also in the contest. Diane Brown has entered the contest as a write-in candidate.

On November 3rd, York County voters will choose two new judges on the Court Of Common Pleas. The four candidates are Republicans Harry Ness and Chuck Patterson and Democrats Kathleen Prendergast and Sandra Thompson.

With a well-known family name in York County and political connections, Harry Ness was a strong candidate from the beginning for Common Pleas Court judge in York County. He had the potential to win on both parties tickets in the cross filed primary election.

In addition, Chuck Patterson, an assistant to York County's DA Stan Rebert was running again after coming close to winning the last time. Patterson had the support of York County Republican insiders and he was drawing some support on the Democrat side as well because of his race.

In order to blunt Democrat efforts behind female candidates, some Republican women had entered the primary race and appeared to be dividing female votes giving Republican men a chance to win both parties tickets.

The Democrat Party put out word just before the primary that they were endorsing Prendergast and Thompson. They won the Democrat primary to face Ness and Patterson in the fall. While Democrats trash Ness for his drug conviction over 30 years ago and associate Patterson with problems at the DA's office, there are questions about Prendergast and Thompson.

The "York Sunday News" is reporting that Prendergast owes 24-thousand dollars in federal income taxes. She has been in negotiation with the Internal Revenue Service for those unpaid taxes from 2003 and 2004. Prendergast says she will pay when the negotiations end.

As I reported this spring, Kathleen Prendergast is a longtime committed York County Democrat who has run for office before including state representative. At that time she revealed her Pro-Abortion position. Prendergast is a former teacher and member of the liberal Pennsylvania State Education Association union. The PSEA has endorsed her election as a judge this year.

Meanwhile, Sandra Thompson, the other Democrat judicial candidate is facing a foreclosure action against her home in Springettsbury Township. She has failed to make mortgage payments since May according to the complaint filed by Wells Fargo Bank.

Thompson told the newspaper she is now current with her payments after falling behind earlier this year and is shocked at the filing against her.

There is also a York County Tax Claim that Thompson has failed to pay county, city and school property taxes of 3,500 dollars on her East Princess Street law office as of October 2nd.

Thompson also claims to have paid those bills as well.

Thompson gained notoriety for promoting a gun buyback program in York City some year ago and I suspect the presence of Chuck Patterson in the race for judicial posts this year helped Democrats to decide to throw their support behind her. The Democrats needed a black candidate to counter the black Republican candidate.

In a political climate in York where many cry "racism" what better way to quiet the critics?

When conservative Republican John D'Ottavio died, his seat on the Manchester Township Board of Supervisors was filled by a vote of the other supervisors, all Republicans.

They chose Democrat Edward Dankanich over the Rita D'Ottavio, John's widow.

This year voters are getting to decide who will serve out the remainder of his six-year term. In the primary this spring, Rita D'Ottavio won the Republican nomination and Edward Dankanich won the Democrat nomination.

D'Ottavio says many support her and her husband urged her to join the board before he passed away. Dankanich says he is a better fit for the board because of his business services position at Penn State Harrisburg.

Rita D'Ottavio served as the township's tax collector for four years.

John D'Ottavio was a principled conservative and pro-lifer. When he ran for state representative in 2000 and lost to Keith Gillespie in the GOP primary, D'Ottavo was targeted by the left-leaning Pennsylvania State Education Association teacher union.

I hope voters in Manchester Township do the right thing and elect Rita to fill his seat on the board.

"They wanted to get him......they wanted to get a n***er." Those were comments from a black woman I heard in the aftermath of the arrest of 19-year old Joshua Minor following a fatal accident on Parkway Boulevard in York on October 7th. She was of the opinion that the police should not have been chasing Minor for driving a stolen car.

Minor's car collided broadside with one driven by Angel Blanco-Hernandez. Blanco-Hernandez, 35, was killed. Minor was arrested for receiving stolen property.

Pennsylvania State Police are investigating the accident and say a York City police officer was in "active pursuit" of Minor before the crash. The officer matched the license plate of the car Minor was driving with a reported stolen vehicle.

At the York City Council meeting this week Councilwoman Toni Smith presented Ramona Lopez, widow of the man killed, with a check saying she has been raising money for the family. This isn't the first time that York's leading political manipulator has raised money on the back of a tragedy and promoted herself. But Smith also took time to criticize police by saying "A chase is not worth it for a stolen car." It looks like Smith may be trying to appease the radical racial opinion on the street I quoted above.

The fact that radical racial candidates dominated the Democrat school board primary this year may have her fearing for her own political future.

In the York City School Board contest, not only are four regular seats being contested, but two vacant seats will be filled for the final two years of their terms.

The racial faction believes that black students are being shortchanged in the city and they often promote charter schools because they say the York City School District is failing students.

A meeting was held in the last week at Crispus Attucks where parents said their children were being shortchanged. Low test scores were blasted and attendees wanted teachers to challenge students.

Many of the critics don't want police in schools to make the learning environment safer for students. Their perception of police is the one of police being "racist" as expressed in the comment at the top of this story. The racial faction supporters and school board members have wanted to keep police presence down in the schools and at school events.

Some students and parents are of the opinion that increased security is needed in schools to promote learning even as the critics who see "racism" everywhere oppose it.

The meeting at Crispus Attucks also included criticism of the Democrat Party for picking school board incumbent Tom Foust as a candidate for one of the two year vacated seats.

Foust attended the meeting but did not speak. He told a reporter for the "York Daily Record" he didn't realize that a meeting to discuss school district issues would become a "political campaign."

The anti-police and anti-security attitude of the racial faction in York City is something to be concerned about.

Attacking police and Guardian Angel presence in city schools along with the police pursuit of a stolen car makes one wonder how much more crime plagued York City will become if the racial politicians come to dominate the city.

The field hockey team at Red Lion High School was found to have played an ineligible player, causing the team to forfeit seven games and lose a chance at post-season play.

Earlier this year Red Lion Athletic Director Katy Grenewalt was fired in part because of an ineligible basketball player being used during the last season leading to the forfeiting of games and loss of post season play.

The school district's superintendent, Frank Herron, says a computer programming error is behind the failure to notice the student was not taking enough credits to be eligible to play in a sport.

But concerned parents see a principal, who has to review eligibility for athletes, as being the person responsible in this situation.

The mother of one of the field hockey players, Jody Taylor, told the "York Dispatch that "Ultimately somebody needs to take responsibility."

The father of another player, Jim Dennes, told the "Dispatch": "That's the oldest trick in the book. They didn't double check. They know the rules."

There's a lot of hiding and protecting of people in public education with some getting away from wrongdoing and others being scapegoats like many believe Katy Grenewalt was. Are there any write-in alternatives for voters in the school board elections coming up on November 3rd?

The vaccine for H1N1 flu has already arrived in places like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, said by government officials to have needed it first because of flu cases, but there are plenty of cases in York County right now.

Local health officials and those from school districts that will be distributing the vaccine when it gets here met Thursday.

Officials think recent spikes in doctor's office visits and school absenteeism like the 20 percent plus rates in the Central York School District last week are because of flu.

There's limited testing going on and it takes time for test results to come back, but according to health officials, there were 85 confirmed cases of swine flu in York County as of Wednesday.

On Monday, word came out that a temporary understanding was reached between the West Shore School District and a student over the wearing of clothing with pro-life and religious messages. (SEE STORY FROM OCTOBER 18TH DIRECTLY BELOW THIS ONE)

The understanding came with lawyers for both sides involved and approval of US District Judge Christopher Conner. It followed the filing of a First Amendment lawsuit against the school district.

The student will be allowed to wear such clothing pending a permanent agreeement to be negotiated later. The child's father says its a victory while the school district can still ban clothing if it causes "disruption" or "distraction" in the school.

It will be interesting to see what happens in the long run. The desire by the school district to back down (at least temporarily) could be linked to the fact that school board election day is less than two weeks away.

Both sides have until January 15th of next year to come to a permanent agreement. If one is not reached, the lawsuit could go to trial.

A male student at the West Shore School District's Crossroads Middle School was ordered to not wear a t-shirt stating "Abortion Is Not Healthcare" on September 8th, the day President Obama spoke to students in a nationwide address. Principal Robert Savidge told the student the shirt was "inappropriate." A teacher sent the student to the principal's office to see if the shirt was "appropriate." The student ended up turning the shirt inside out.

The Alliance Defense Fund filed suit against the West Shore School District on October 5th, saying that the school district allows a wide variety of views to be displayed on clothing. ADF Senior Counsel David Cortman says: "Pro-life students shouldn't be censored for their views.

The lawsuit says that school district policies on expression are unconstitutional. According to Cortman the policies demonstrate a "widepread need for schools to be educated about the First Amendment."

The 14 year old students father, William Boyer, is a plantiff in the lawsuit. Boyer says the school discriminated against his son because of his pro-life views.

The school was supposedly banning the shirt because of the potential for someone to be offended by it, not someone actually being offended.

It does appear that there is selective enforcment of school rules here. I feel bad that it has to come a lawsuit, but taxpayers should make shure that they elect school boards who will tell superintendents to bug off from harrassing students and staff who have politically incorrect views.

We have too many school boards that are basically rubber stamps for many bad policies particularly those that increase taxes and spending.

That's the story at Central York High School amid concerns and fears about the H1N1 "Swine Flu." The school district put out spin Tuesday concerning a student Facebook posting and students plotting to stay out of school.

But, by the end of Tuesday it was being said among school district employees that well over 500 students (one-third of the student body) were out sick. Dozens of them showed up the school nurse's office Tuesday prompting extra chairs to be placed outside the door. Dozens of teachers and other staff at the Central York High School have called off sick.

One parent put it this way: "My son came to me on Monday asking about school being closed if a lot of students were sick. That must have had something to do about the Facebook posting. But he was not feeling well with fever and a sore throat. A friend had texted him about a trip to the emergency room because he was sick. Its really disgusting how the school district is trying to cover up what's really going on here."

Amid criticism from students and parents, the district changed its message late Wednesday with spokesperson Julie Randall Romig continuing to insist there was no way of knowing if students were out because of the flu or the posting about staying home from school.

Romig is now saying that the district believes that "most" of the students out at the middle and high schools were sick. Romig also acknowleged that more teachers than usual were absent in the school district.

Health officials are urging that sick children be kept home from school, but I suspect that all this hubub over a "conspiracy" to skip school on Tuesday may have prompted some parents to send sick children to school anyway, where they could have spread the illness.

An official with with Wellspan Health in York, Dr. Charles Chodoroff (CORRECTED NAME), says there was a marked increase in the number of patients with flu-like symptoms showing up at medical facilities last week.

There's also talk coming from the Lemoyne Middle School in Cumberland County where five H1N1 flu cases were reported last week. The story there is that there are now 45 such flu cases at that school.

York Counts is selling its proposed charter school as a multi-school district effort involving the Central York, York Suburban and York City school districts.

But while the first two school districts are coming on board for the York Area Regional Charter School idea, the York City School Board has its reservations.

When York Counts representative Dennis Baughman, the former Northeastern School District superintendent, made his pitch at Wednesday night's school board meeting, there were questions and criticism.

The most financially conscious members of the board, interim member Gerry Turner and board vice-president Tom Foust, both expressed their concern that the school would drain money from York City's schools.

Turner asked how could proponents of the International Baccalaureate curriculum for the new school say it would produce better students than existing city schools. Foust said he liked the schools plan to bring different "cultures" (read races here) together but that would come at a price that could bankrupt city schools.

York Counts has pushed the idea of school consolidation but that issue is out of its hands and all our hands at this point. Governor Ed Rendell has ordered the Pennsylvania Department of Education to come up with a plan to consolidate the more than 500 school districts in the state.

The legislature will be getting a plan for consideration as Rendell leaves office in the next few years. The idea is to consolidate existing school districts into some 200 or so new ones.

Ironically, this connection of the Central York, York Suburban and York City school districts for a charter school may turn out to be the actual plan coming out of Harrisburg for big new school districts in the future.

When two vacancies came up on the York City School Board this year, the law about electing people to serve out the remainder of the members terms came into play.

Both the major political parties were given the opportunity to name candidates for the General Election in November to fill out the last two years of the board members terms.

While the Republicans declined to name candidates, Democrats named Julio Aguayo and Tom Foust as their candidates. Aguayo is a political science professor at York College, while Foust is an incumbent member who serves as the board's vice-president. Foust was defeated for re-election in this spring's primary.

When the Democrats asked for prospective candidates to apply for the jobs, Diane Brown stepped forward. She wasn't selected, but now says she is a write-in candidate for one of the seats.

Brown says it is wrong for the Democrat Party to have selected Foust to be a candidate since he was rejected by Democrat voters in the primary. She is co-president of the group called Parent Advocates for Children that coordinates school district events in the community.

Four other York City School Board seats are on the ballot in the November 3rd General Election.

The school board election this year has been marked by conflict between insider board members and more radical black elements that see racism underlying many issues in the school district.

The new 27.8 billion dollar budget for Pennsylvania has been signed by Governor Rendell after tax increases were approved as part of the budget plan.

The Pennsylvania State Senate voted 35-14 for the higher taxes with most Republican senators actually supporting the tax increases. Among them was State Senator Mike Waugh, a Republican senate leader who represents most of York County.

The tax plan will impose a stock and franchise tax on business that was supposed to end this year, a 5.9 percent tax on managed care plans, 25 cents more tax on a pack of cigarettes plus tax small cigars at the rate cigarettes are.

Also voting for the tax hikes was Republican State Senator Jeff Piccola, whose 15th District also includes the Goldsboro area of York County and Republican State Senator Pat Vance whose district includes portions of northern York County.

Newly elected Republican state senators Rich Alloway of the 33rd District that includes the Dover area and Lloyd Smucker of the 13th District that runs through eastern York County including Hellam, Wrightsville and Springettsbury Township voted against the new taxes.

The political pattern in Harrisburg that has marked past tax increases and the double digit pay increase of 2005 was in full view here. Longtime legislators were voting for taxes and spending while newly elected ones or those from the most conservative districts put themselves in the no column.

Senator Mike Waugh has now certainly come "out of the closet" to show himself as a liberal RINO Republican on fiscal matters. This goes along with his stated belief that abortion should be legal during the first three months of pregnancy. His answer to that question on a questionaire has always meant him being labeled Pro-Abortion by the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation.

Senator Waugh is up for re-election next year. Will a real conservative step up to the plate to oppose him in the GOP primary? Will a fake candidate to cover his re-election appear in the primary? Will there be three primary candidates with the third candidate deliberately inserted so opposition to the liberal Waugh will be split?

Will the political insiders at the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation come to Waugh's defense claiming he is pro-life like they did with the pro-abortion state senators who designed the pay raise of 2005?

95th District Democrat State Representative Eugene DePasquale was also upfront for more taxes and spending in his voting in Harrisburg last week.

DePasquale has often portrayed himself as a reformer and put on media shows promoting ideas like putting legislation online or leasing his car from the state fleet of cars instead of private car dealers.

His liberal tax and spend record plus liberal advocacy that includes the suggestion that lawmakers vote in secret on issues like abortion tells a much different story.

A camera hogging politician who follows in the tradition of a Pittsburgh political family is the true picture of Eugene DePasquale. His massive campaign piggy bank needs a thorough investigation for connections between political contributions and his actions as a legislator.

Republican State Representatives from the York County area have issued a joint statement saying they are happy that programs for human services will be funded now that there is a budget.

The statement by Representatives Keith Gillespie (47th District), Ron Miller (93rd District), Stan Saylor (94th District), Will Tallman (193rd District) and Seth Grove (196th District) expressed their concerns about taxes and spending in the budget. A weak economy means less taxes are being collected and even with new taxes of 800 million dollars and a billion and a half dollars of reserve funds, the legislators fear a large defecit by the middle of next year.

Saylor said he would have preferred a new budget with no tax increases.

But in my heart, I really wonder about the sincerity of the Republicans. They were pressured to approve the budget by local governments including the school districts. Many of the GOP legislators are supported by pro tax and spend interests like the Pennsylvania State Education Association.

I think that in the end politics prevailed with GOP state senators stepping up for higher taxes while the House members voted No to appease the conservatives. Like all slick politicians, Republicans are trying to keep both sides happy.

In the end there can be no doubt that Republicans enabled Pennsylvania's tax and spend budget for the 2009-2010 year. If the York area GOP State House members have any real convictions for lower taxes or less spending, they would denounce the Republican senators who voted tax and spend. They would also oppose Mike Waugh's re-election next year.

But their silence speaks volumes about how politics as usual works in Harrisburg and many other places....

Bishop Kevin Rhoades of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg came to York Friday to celebrate a pro-life mass at a church and pray the Rosary outside of Planned Parenthood. Bishop Rhoades also led prayer for the protection of innocent human life and a change from the current culture of death.

The "York Daily Record" reported that about 100 people participated in the prayer outside of the abortion clinic. The prayer came after mass at Immaculate Conception BVM Church and a procession to the South Beaver Street clinic.

A dozen pro-abortionist "escorts" stood guard at the doors of Planned Parenthood. A policeman was also at the scene.

Earlier some 20 members of the the St. Peter and St. Paul Catholic Mission stood outside Planned Parenthood for their regular Friday witness there. They are there to show women there are alternatives to abortion.

Planned Parenthood's Abby Sherwood accused pro-life protestors of using racial slurs and harrassing patients and staff members.

It was a peaceful scene outside the abortion clinic on Friday, but in the last year abortionist Dr. George Tiller was shot and killed at a Wichita Kansas church and just last month pro-life protestor Jim Poullion was shot and killed outside a high school in Owosso, Michigan.

The man who shot Poullion, Harlan Drake, was declared incompetent to stand trial by a Michigan judge last Wednesday. Drake will undergo treatment at a mental health facility where he is expected to become competent to face charges.

October is Respect Life Month and many pro-life events are scheduled for this month.

A 40 day campaign of prayer is underway to end abortion in countries around the world.

The Central York School Board now says it will consider the application for an International Baccalaureate regional charter school. The York Academy Charter School would be located in York City.

The application comes from the education committee of YorkCounts, the group seeking to create bigger government structures in York County.

The York Suburban School Board has also agreed to consider the application, but York City School Board members feel they are out of the loop.

YorkCounts spoke as if city participation was a foregone conclusion. The city school board gets to hear YorkCounts pitch on September 14th.

It will be interesting to see what reaction will come from the York board, which has approved a number of charter schools in the city.

The radical outsider elements that will certainly control the board after the election may not be conducive to the YorkCounts pitch from political insiders.

Based on an op-ed piece written by David Rusk, who's report launched the YorkCounts bigger government movement in York County, the need to mix students of different racial backgrounds to improve their education drives the charter school plan.

The concept may have a racist smell to it in the minds of the radical elements as it certainly does to me.

Longtime morning host Kelly West and her current co-host Bobby Quinn did their last show for WARM 103.3 radio on Friday September 11th. Their contracts were not renewed.

News of their disapperance from the station's website appeared on Monday September 14th on a media newsblog, but now the "York Daily Record" has put out details.

General Manager Todd Toerper said the station will play more music in the morning with a new host, Traci Taylor, who was hosting mid-day's on the station.

Cumulus Media, which owns WARM and three other York radio stations, is having tough times with a bad economy driving down advertising revenue. There are also new media out there like internet radio offering more music and more music variety for listeners.

Letting personalities like West and Quinn go will probably save Cumulus over a hundred thousand dollars a year.

Large media companies are thinning out the ranks of live local radio hosts all over the country and often replacing them with satellite delivered shows and "voice-tracking" from hosts at other company owned stations.

Kelly West says she leaves the station amicably and invites listeners to keep up with her on Facebook.

In this day of town hall meetings and tea parties the "trickle down" effect appears to have reached York County's Spring Grove School District.

Last Monday night some taxpayers were on hand at Spring Grove's school board meeting. Among other things, they asked how the board could have approved a five year contract with teachers that guarantees nearly 4 percent a year in pay increases every year.

Ray Lawson reminded board members that they are "spending other people's money" according to the "York Dispatch."

Taxpayers cited economic troubles in the area and the reality that people who don't work for public school districts like Spring Grove can't expect those kind of pay raises.

In defense, school board member Eric Cable said board membeers are taxpayers and according to the "York Dispatch" defended school district spending this way: "You are penalizing our number one natural resource if they do without. They (the students) are our future."

Mr. Cable is entitled to his opinion, but I an certainly fed up with children being used as excuses for higher taxes and spending that mostly go to give teachers and administration generous pay raises and benefits. That spending does not directly benefit the students.

Taxpayers who protested the new contract noted they were speaking late (after the fact) but maybe it isn't too late to send this school board a message.

Concerned citizens can have a Spring Grove Tea Party by putting up four of their number as pro-taxpayer write-in candidates for school board this November.

Outside of Dallastown, I'm not aware of any pro-taxpayer candidates on the ballot in York County's school districts. So maybe we should get some write-in pro-taxpayer candidates running everywhere else for school board.

A knife found at William Penn High School last Tuesday and a gun found at Hannah Penn Middle School the week before. These are the stories of what's happening in York City's schools.

The news is released going into the weekends and appears in small print in York's newspapers.

Amid all the hostility to police and or Guardian Angels having a presence in the school come these real stories of threats to students and staff of the schools.

And then there's the false alarm story, too.

At around 8:15 last Tuesday morning a man was observed by a passerby walking several hundred feet away from the Goode Elementary School near the old York County Prison. Timothy Dean Henderson was carrying a BB gun to shoot at cats that were attacking his pet pigeons.

A lockdown of the school resulted and there was a full scale law enforcement response with dozens of officers converging on the scene. Frightened parents by the dozens also rushed to the school.

Henderson, who is the caretaker of the old prison, was charged under a city ordinance banning air rifles. Police took his rifle as they searched his apartment in a way Henderson thought was excessive.

He told the "York Daily Record" he was hunting on the side of the prison away from the school and that he "made no threats" and didn't point the BB gun at anyone. Henderson also described the whole matter as a waste of time and taxpayer money.

City police defended their actions as being in the interests of the children's safety.

York City Police Captain Ron Camacho said the incident is "all the more reason to have more police officers in school."

The bitter racially motivated citizens and school board members in York City should be thinking about what Camacho had to say. Their continued anti-police attitude could end up hurting students and they need to get their heads out of the sand.

In a surprise move, the Dallastown School Board and the union representing teachers have agreed to a new contract for three years starting on July 1st, 2010.

The early and unexpected agreement between the school district and the Dallastown Education Association prevents new school board members who favor less spending from voting up or down on a contract.

After the November election, four new members will take seats on the Dallastown board.

The vote to approve the contract was 6-2 with one abstension. Board member Fred Botterbusch did not vote because his wife works for the school district and is covered by the contract.

Before the vote was taken board member Carroll Tignall Jr. said four current board members will not be serving next year and the contract vote should have been postponed until new members were seated after the November election.

Board candidate Don Jasmann agreed with Tignall and another candidate, Larry Wolfe, said the four departing members should have abstained from voting on the contract.

DETAILS OF THE CONTRACT AS RELEASED TO THE MEDIA POINT TO THE OLD MEDICAL PLAN BEING REPLACED BY A TWO-OPTION (LOW AND HIGH DEDUCTIBLE) PPO PLAN THAT WOULD IN THEORY SAVE MONEY. PAY INCREASES ARE SAID TO AVERAGE 2.67 PERCENT A YEAR UNDER THIS CONTRACT.

A spirit of fear and anxiety appears to be sweeping the liberal teachers union, liberal school superintendent and their liberal allies on the Dallastown School Board. Not only did they settle early on the contract, they also appeared to be finding ways to make cost increases to taxpayers a little smaller.

This isn't the first time that public school insiders have moved to prevent anti tax and spend candidates from having a say on teacher contracts.

Back in 2001 five outsider candidates swept the primary election for the Central York School Board amid controversy over tens of millions of dollars being spent to build a new high school.

Before the general election in November, a three year extension to a teacher contract set to expire in 2003 was approved by the Central York Education Association and the Central York School Board.

In the end, five York City police officers patrolled at York High's home football game Friday night.

But the path there was filled with conflict as the political battle over control of York City's school board heated up.

The school board decided at Wednesday night's meeting that only three officers would be allowed to patrol the game. Objections were raised that five officers would be an intimidating show of force. The board members objecting said district security people would also be at the game.

The vote to only allow three police officers was supported not just by radical racial members of the board, but members of the "insider" group like Barbara Krier and board vice-president Tom Foust.

The police said five officers were needed and if they couldn't have five officers at the game, there would be none there.

Foust was recently picked by the Democrat Party for an open seat on the board after he lost the Democrat primary in the spring. Krier is still on the ballot for the general election as a Republican candidate even though she lost on the Democrat side in the primary. Their anti-police votes are probably explained by the election campaign where radical racial candidates who are anti-police in schools have the upper hand.

The decision angered York Mayor John Brenner, who told the "York Daily Record" the decision was "appalling." Brenner blasted the school board as "dysfunctional" and the "number one issue" affecting the city's future according to the newspaper. Brenner felt the "experts" should decide on security and not the elected school board.

On Friday morning an emergency meeting was called in the wake of a York High student being shot on Thursday afternoon. The student was not at school when shot but on Wednesday he was detained as part of a lockdown at York High involving a search for a gun.

With the knowledge that two student factions fighting led to the shooting, a decision was made by vice-president of the board Tom Foust and the superintendent Sharon Miller to have five police officers at the game. Foust acted as board president in the absence of Jeanette Torres.

We get the idea here that elected board members can be overruled by school board presidents and superintendents. That is way many school districts are run with the rest of the members left out of the loop in decision making.

But this whole mess has really brought out into the open the kind of conflict that awaits the York City School District if the radicals win control as expected after the November election.

It only rated a few lines in the "York Daily Record" this week, but there's a lot behind the decision by York County's Recorder of Deeds Randi Reisinger to raise a fee from 2 to 10 dollars.

Reisinger said a 1999 law allowed for the 500 percent fee hike, but that the increase was only taking effect now. The hike is expected to generate 800-thousand dollars for York County's government.

All across Pennsylvania and in Harrisburg, governments are looking for ways to bring in more money and or spend less of it.

Commissioners Steve Chronister, Chris Reilly and Doug Hoke have to look forward to the year 2011, when they face re-election.

Any property tax increases between now and then could be used against them in an election.

Ousted commissioners Lori Mitrick and Doug Kilgore seem to want to have another shot at taking back their old seats. In spite of their controversial tenure that included a more than 50 percent rise in property tax bills and the Lauxmont Farms land seizure fiasco, they seem to think they can come back.

York City School Board vice-president Tom Foust lost his Democrat primary bid for re-election this spring to a dominant group of radical-racial candidates.

Now Democrat Party insiders (committee members) have chosen Foust to run in the general election this November to fill the slot vacated by the resignation of Elmira Sexton.

They also chose York College political science professor Julio Aguayo as the candidate for the school board position of Hiawatha Powell, who was ousted earlier this year by other board members.

There are cries of foul over the process with supporters of another candidate who applied to the Democrat Party for a candidate slot suggesting a write-in candidacy. Diane Glover-Brown's supporters are suggesting that possibility.

The Democrat political insiders also passed over former Republican, now Democrat Gerry Turner. Turner had applied to be a school board candidate and was appointed by the board as a temporary member to replace Powell.

The recent resignation of Elmira Sexton raised my eyebrows and the pick of Foust startles me as well. Is something going on here????

The political insiders appear to be developing a strategy to oppose racial radicalism on the school board by trying to put people they see as the strongest candidates onto the board.

A Democrat Party nomination is seen as tantamount to winning a York City election.

At a special Wednesday September 9th meeting, the Red Lion School Board formally fired Athletic Director Katy Grenewalt in a 6-3 vote.

The "finding of fact" document released by the district notes the decision to play a freshman team player on the varsity boys team last year as one of four reasons for her firing.

Grenewalt's supporters say others were also involved in the rule violating decision , but have not been disciplined.

It is believed that the real reason for her firing was indeed that basketball player decision that caused the boys basketball team to forfeit games and lose a chance at post-season play. Her supporters say that she is being made a scapegoat for that decision.

It is noted by the district in its release of information that no disciplinary record existed for Grenewalt until the last school year.

In my opinion, the disciplinary record was quickly created in the aftermath of the disappointing boys basketball season to deliberately target Katy Grenewalt for firing. Sadly, this is the way public school districts operate. Grenewalt's lawyer will be reviewing the "finding of fact" document and consider any future action that may include a lawsuit against the district.

Red Lion School District lawyer Michael King says he is speaking for the school board and has instructed them not to talk with reporters about the decision to fire Grenewalt.

Her attorney, Rick Poulson, says he is considering what the next step is and that may be a lawsuit against the Red Lion School District

.........

All of the schools in the York City School District failed to made "Adequate Yearly Progress" this year in the state tests that measure reading and math skills.

The PSSA test results showed both the public schools and charter schools in the city failing.

The York County School of Technology also failed to meet the standards and individual schools in more than half of York County's school districts failed to meet the standards of 56 percent proficiency in math and 63 percent proficiency in reading.

The test results showed seven York County school districts had all of their schools meeting the federal No Child Left Behind standards (Eastern, York Suburban, Red Lion, Southern, Spring Grove, West York and Hanover). If one is concerned about math and reading proficiency, this year's results may be cause for alarm because there may be distortion.

That's because way the test results can be measured was liberalized this year by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. This made it easier for schools to to show they had actually made progress this year. Failure was easier to hide using the new measuring methods this year.

While the No Child Left Behind Law standard of 100 percent proficiency by 2014 is still in place, Pennsylvania is moving towards a new system of testing to replace the math and reading oriented PSSA's.

In a few years, Pennsylvania students in 11th Grade will be taking "Keystone Exams" involving other various subjects. Students will take ten tests, be able to fail four, and still graduate from high school.

Margie Orr is on the ballot as a Democrat candidate for York City School Board and expected to win the election this fall. But she's now a member of that board.

Orr was appointed to temporarily fill the seat of Elmira Sexton, who resigned from the school board recently.

She was appointed by a unanimous vote, but members Barbara Krier and Sam Beard said the process to appoint a replacement was unfair.

The political parties will have to nominate candidates for the fall ballot for the seat that Sexton resigned, but only Democrats are expected to make a pick.

How this situation plays out in the coming months should be watched closely as a struggle between insider and outsider board members is underway. Are there any tricks in this recent resignation and the appointment of Orr to the seat?

There clearly was some sort of political motivation behind the removal of outsider board member Hiawatha Powell earlier this year.

Officials of the York City School District have been reading in the newspapers about the York Counts plan for an "international bacculaureate" charter school. York Counts has been stating that York City has signed on to participate in the school. But York City officials say they haven't been in touch with York Counts about the plan. Dennis Baughman is the former Northeastern School District Superintendent and head of the York Counts effort for the school. He says that York City "will be helped" by the planned school.

This appears to support the view that the York Counts agenda is to "bail out" the city of York with all its various schemes including consolidation of police departments and other government functions.

An op-ed piece in the "York Sunday News" recently by David Rusk, the out of town consultant brought in to develop the York Counts agenda, talked about racial disparities between students in the York City and York Suburban school districts.

His comment read like the old liberal arguments that non-white children will be helped if they are mixed together with white children in a school. This mentality was behind court orders forty years ago to bus school students between cities and suburbs to achieve a "racial balance."

Mr. Rusk's comments could also be characterized by "racist" since they clearly suggest that black students in the city need to be around white students if their education is to be improved.

Red Lion School District Athletic Director Katy Grenewalt has been suspended since May in a move that appears to be leading to her firing. The school board held hearings earlier this month before making its final decision. The board meeting this last week failed to make a decision about her future with word that some members still needed documents related to Grenewalt's case.

That leaves the board meeting this Thursday September 3rd as the next opportunity to act on her case.

A decision at that time to fire her would bury the news at the time that high school football season kicks off Friday night and the Labor Day weekend begins.

I smell adminstration creating the scenario to fire her at that meeting.

The suspension of Grenewalt in May came after a freshman boys basketball player played varsity basketball leading to Red Lion forfeiting games and losing a shot at postseason play. Grenewalt contends she was not the only one involved in that decision while her detractors place all the blame on her.

York City School Board member Elmira Sexton has resigned.

Sexton was a reliable vote for the insider faction of the York City School Board and an important one. She was the only black member to vote in opposition to the racially based minority faction.

Now the city board will meet to appoint a temporary member while the seat will be on the ballot in the fall election.

Both Democrat and Republican parties will have the opportunity to submit candidates names for the ballot, but its expected that only Democrats will put up a name.

The Democrat Party is again soliciting for applicants to be the candidate, but this time they want all new applicants.

The party is set to name its candidate for the seat formerly held by racial faction member Hiawatha Powell, who was ousted from the board in a 5-4 vote earlier this year.

The two contenders for that Democrat slot involving Powell's seat are York City Business Manager Michael O'Rourke and former Republican Gerry Turner, who was appointed to the seat by the board a few months ago.

It looks like the party intends to name O'Rourke after its first choice, attorney Stanley Silver, backed out when his criminal record involving driving without a license and a hit and run accident surfaced.

It looks like the Democrat Party wants reliable Democrat political figures on the school board to carry the fight against the radical racial faction that's expected to be dominating the board after this fall's election. That leaves Gerry Turner out in the cold as a school board candidate this fall.

After parent criticism of group study in college prep math for high school students, the Southern York School District has responded.

The district says it will set up a committee of parents, teachers and administration to look into the math program.

This kind of set-up translates into continued use of the controversial CPM program.

At the recent school board meeting where this was announced, a number of people just happened to show up to heap praise on the program.

The arrogant school district administration is sandbagging parent concern that group learning is slowing exceptional students down.

The liberal controlled public education system continues dragging America's students down in math and reading.

York County Democrats touted the man they picked as candidate for an open seat on the York City School Board.

Lawyer Stanley Silver looked like a sure winner since Democrats outnumber Republicans in the city and it wasn't even certain the Republican Party would pick a candidate.

Silver was praised for his background in public education as a teacher and administrator and his later legal experience.

But then the "York Daily Record" starting asking about the suspension of Silver's law license last year. Then Silver decided to drop out as the party's school board candidate.

Silver served 60 days in prison in 2006 after he was involved in a hit and run accident. That accident was the tenth time in a row that he had been cited for driving without a license. This led to a legal disciplinary board suspending Silver's law license for six months.

The Democrat executive committee is expected to pick a new choice in the next few weeks. The two other candidates who applied to the party for consideration as candidate are expected to be considered. They are York City Business Manager Michael O'Rourke and Gerry Turner, who was appointed to the vacant seat earlier this year.

Besides the fact that Stanley Silver has some deep personal issues that I could only speculate about at this point, it constantly frustrates me that people with public education backgrounds end up as school board candidates and school board members.

People with non-education backgrounds should be exercising oversight as school board members. People who are current public school employees should be legally barred from serving on school boards. Sadly, we have far too many public school employees currently serving on school boards in York County.

With independent candidate Joe Musso reeling from being thrown off the ballot by Judge Richard Renn last Thursday, a new candidate has emerged.

Musso hasn't decided on whether to be a write-in candidate yet, but now a York businessman says he will be a write-in candidate for mayor.

Steven Young has lived in the city for four years and he says crime is the major problem. Young wants to improve communications and relations between police and the public.

Crime is a major focus of Joe Musso's campaign as well.

Is this new candidate a serious one or another move by Democrat candidate Kim Bracey's campaign to divide any possible opposition to her candidacy?

Lauren Rock is a teacher's aide who wants to be a member of the Dallastown School Board. She's running as an indpendent candidate for one of two Region 1 seats on the Dallastown School Board.

In the primary election, Kenneth Potter and Larry Wolfe took both the Republican and Democrat Party nominations in Region 1. Wolfe ran on a platform of being a watchdog for taxpayers and wanting to cut costs of after school activities like sports by having students pay half the expenses.

Another taxpayer oriented candidate, Margaret Ibex, won both parties nominations for the school board seat in Region 3.

The trend toward taxpayer oriented candidates for the Dallastown School Board began two years ago when Carroll Tignall Jr. won election in Region 3. Tignall ran in opposition to the new 60 million dollar plus intermediate school under construction in Springfield Township.

Rock says she will campaign with Potter because they share the same ideas. Potter and Rock may not be totally honest with voters, but those ideas no doubt include more spending and higher taxes.

Rock's involvement, if any, with the left leaning Pennsylvania State Education Association labor union should also be looked into.

Most of school district spending is about salaries and benefits for school employees like Lauren Rock. It is a total conflict of interest for public school employees to serve on school boards. It should be illegal.

In Region 3 meanwhile, a Libertarian candidate is challenging Margaret Ibex in the general election. Brian Larson will be on the ballot.

The nominating petitions for political candidates in Pennsylvania involve a lot of "dotted I's" and "crossed T's." In practical terms, it means that legal challenges are easy to mount and that established political forces with deep pockets to spend on legal challenges are at an advantage.

Independent candidate for Mayor of York, Joe Musso, filed petitions with 130 signatures on them. He needed at least a hundred to get on the ballot.

Now three people have stepped forward to challenge his petitions. They are Halman Benson Smith II, a Democrat, Lisa M. Kennedy, a Republican and Jamiel Alexander, an independent.

Supporters of Musso say the three are all friends of Democrat candidate for mayor, Kim Bracey. Bracey's well financed campaign supported by Democrat elected officials and business community leaders can certainly deal with the legal costs of a challenge.

69 of the 130 signatures are being challenged.

In addition the challengers argued that Musso signed petition papers as "Joe Musso" in one case and "Joseph Musso" in another.

In light of the law and the legal challenge, it should come as no surpise that York County Common Pleas Court Judge Richard Renn removed Musso from the ballot after a hearing on Thursday. Renn removed 63 of Musso's 130 signatures.

Musso can appeal the decision to Commonwealth Court or he can run a write-in campaign for mayor this fall.

This whole situation smells like another political insider operation directed against someone running against the political establishment.

When one runs for office one must get the signature thing right and do everything they can to get the signatures the right way. But the process should also be reformed and simplified to make it more difficult for insider politicians to take out opposition with legal challenges.

It was announced Friday that charges of sexually molesting a seven year old girl are being dropped against former Hannah Penn Middle School gym teacher Edward Fullum.

Instead, Fullum plead no contest to charges of intimidating a witness in the case. He was sentenced to five years probation. Fullum has been in the York County Prison for three years.

Prosecutor Christopher Moore says that's the minimum sentence in a child sex abuse case.

Moore says he was concerned about evidence in prosecuting Fullum, not expecting cooperation from witnesses.

There's no doubt in my mind that close family members were involved in this horrible abuse case. And sad to say, they were unwilling to testify.

Fullum's wife, Dr. Joyce Royster-Fullum, who served as an administrator in the Central York and York City School District's in recent years, was also accused of obstruction, intimidation and hindering in the child sex abuse case. Moore says that those charges have been dropped because she was willing to testify if the case had gone to trial.

In July of 2006, Mr. Fullum was acquitted of indecent assault charges coming from former physical education students who said he touched them inappropriately in gym classes.

Dr. Joyce Royster, as she has been known, has a jaded record of her own with controversy accompanying her every position as an administrator in York-area schools.

After Fullum's acquittal in 2006, Royster spoke of racism in York. She has also spoken of writing a book about her experiences.

My thoughts as I try to suppress my anger and emotions are simply this.

Mr. Fullum, who has been convicted of DUI in the past, has some problems and they revolve around alcohol and lust in my humble opinion. Edward Fullum needs to face those issues and treat them like addictions with appropriate involvement in programs to deal with them.

As for Dr. Royster, she needs to get off the "racism" thing and face the "co-dependency" thing. She has lived with a man who appears to be an addict in two areas. Maybe she needs to write a book about that.

Forget racism when it comes to Royster and Fullum.

The addiction issues are the real issues that people of all races need to deal with in their lives.

With opposition coming out in droves to town hall meetings in opposition to the Obama 'health care reform' plan, the president's supporters are mobilizing to pack meetings with their supporters.

One such mobilization materialized at York's Jewish Community Center Wednesday night. News reports said that hundreds showed for two meetings that were supposed to be for people to ask questions.

Organizing the event was State Representative Eugene DePasqaule (D-95th District). There to answer "questions" was a point man for Obama's push in Pennsylvania, State Representative Josh Shapiro of suburban Philadelphia.

Opposition raised its voice at the event and supporters of Obama were present.

A show of hands after the meeting appeared to show those who attended the meetings evenly divided over Obama's agenda.

This event was probably designed to try to create momentum for the Obama plan, but I suspect if Congressman Todd Platts chooses to hold town hall meetings in York County the grassroots opposition will materialize in larger numbers.

I think its safe to say that DePasquale's efforts fell short of showing overwhelming support for the Obama "health care" agenda.

There was a lot of hope and optimism from York City Police and the York City School District administration about hiring more police officers to provide security in city schools.

But the most recent announcement from Washington did not include any money for York to hire more police meaning the plan is dead.

A special York City School Board meeting Wednesday resulted in a vote to hire three security officers immediately and two more later, along with using the two existing police officers who work in city schools.

The lack of funding from Washington is certainly welcome news to the racial faction of the school board which is expected to gain more power after the fall election. That's when more radical members are expected to win election to the school board. The racial faction was adamantly opposed to more police officers in schools.

A speculative question here. Did the radicals influence the decision in Washington not to provide federal police funding for York?

York County Commissioner Chris Reilly is talking about a pay freeze for county employees next year so property taxes will not have to be raised.

President Commissioner Steve Chronister is echoing Reilly, but also talking about other contingencies if pay can't be frozen.

The commissioners will likely have to resort to other options because a key union is already giving a thumbs down to their employees losing a pay raise next year.

Officials of Teamsters Local 776 say there is no way a wage freeze would be OK for their members who work at the county nursing home, prison and other facilities.

Various departments of county government have been told to cut their budgets by five percent for next year.

This pay freeze idea should also be broached in our school districts with taxpayers challenging the school boards and the Pennsylvania State Education Association directly to "give the taxpayers a break."

Costly teacher contracts featuring four percent plus pay raises per year have led to property tax increases generally between two and four percent in York County school districts this year.

Tax revenues for all governments are expected to decline in line with the economic slowdown.

When a freshman student was played on the varsity boys basketball team last season, a Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association rule was broken.

Red Lion was forced to forfeit nine games and post season play.

What followed on May 21st was the suspension without pay of Red Lion School District's Athletic Director Katy Grenewalt. That suspension is now over two months long.

This week Grenewalt faced a disciplinary hearing that she asked be open to the public. The school district administration refused.

Dozens of supporters showed up in the parking lot at the Red Lion administration building Wednesday. They say Grenewalt is unfairly being singled out and that others are responsible for the rule breaking as well.

Tom Sinibaldi, a retired teacher and wrestling coach at Red Lion, told "The York Dispatch" that eligibility decisions for players are made not just by athletic directors, but by coaches, the principal and others.

York Area Regional Police showed up Wednesday to remove protestors from the parking lot outside the disciplinary hearing.

This whole story smells bad like the long term suspension of the custodian in the Central York School District earlier this year.

Its obvious that the Red Lion School District superintendent Frank Herron has imposed this perpetual suspension because he wants to get rid of Katy Grenewalt as the district's athletic director. Here we have more arrogance from a public school administration that deserves to be confronted by the public.

The hearing for Grenewalt is set to continue next Wednesday and she says the district is considering firing her.

After Grenewalt and her lawyer make their case, the school board will vote on whether or not to fire her.

The ruling that the hearing would not be public came from lawyer Michael King of the Stock and Leader law firm. King is solicitor for the Red Lion School District and does legal work for other public school districts in York County.

In June, King acted to cut off citizen questioning of Central York School Board members at a public meeting. He said the board members did not have to respond to questions about the district policy against a valedictorian and salutatorian for the graduating class.

According to the "York Daily Record", a legal advisor to the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association says Grenewalt should be able to open her hearing to the media and public under Pennsylvania's Sunshine Act.

The agenda of YorkCounts is based on the work of a "consultant" named David Rusk. Behind the formality of his work is the reality that YorkCounts proposes a very left of center political agenda. An agenda that seems designed to rescue the City of York from its various problems.

One aspect of Rusk's report on education is that new educational opportunities are needed to bring children out of poverty.

YorkCounts is proposing a regional charter school involving York County's public school districts. The York City School District signed on first and now the York Suburban School Board has voted unanimously to join the proposed York Charter Academy.

The school would teach an "International Baccalaureate" program that involves students learning "what role they play in the community, in the school, in the world."

The IB program has been criticized in other communities where it has been proposed as "leftist", "one world" and "anti-American."

Elected officials love to create "committees" to deal with controversial issues as a way to cover themselves.

It happens in Washington and Harrisburg and now its happening in the Spring Grove School District. That's where a "Citizens Advisory Council" is being formed to deal with a multi-million dollar project to convert a school and to develop "cultural proficiency action plans."

That's code for "diversity" and "diversity" is a code word for political indoctrination about race. We got a taste of that political indoctrination a few days ago when President Barack Obama called police in Massachusetts "stupid" for arresting a black professor friend who became angry at the cops.

The "citizens" picked for the committee will likely be friends of school board members and those committed to a politically biased agenda dealing with "proficiency" in "cultural diversity."

In the Central York School Distict, such an agenda has become official policy in recent years leading to politically charged "diversity training." Its also resulted in a controversial student assembly at Central York High School where the "N" word was used onstage enraging students in the audience. "Diversity" has also meant that teachers are being told to treat students differently because of their different "culture." This could lead to students falling behind in reading and math.

Taxpayers and parents in the Spring Grove School District should be deeply concerned about both issues and not allow "citizens advisory councils" to be used to promote one sided agendas on buildings or "diversity."

York, Lancaster and Harrisburg have the top three per capita rates of crime in Pennsylvania. The crime stats show York third in most serious crimes like murder, rape and robbery and second in less serious crimes.

The rate of crime for both serious and less serious crime was around one-third of the city's rate in the suburbs. This contradicts the story given by the YorkCounts campaign to create a super police department combining city and suburbs. They have claimed "crime is everywhere."

The statistics were described as the past by York's police commissionr Mark Whitman. Whitman pointed to a 14 percent drop in the most serious crimes reported in the first six months of 2009. This drop in crime story was also released to the public just before the primary election in the spring citing stats from the first three months of this year.

The crime statistics for 2008 were released in the middle of the summer when fewer people are paying attention to the news.

Candidates painting a good picture of the city like political insider Kim Bracey, who wants to be York's next mayor, want the statistics to be forgotten and Whitman's spin to be remembered.

But critics are pointing out that crime is a dangerous and deadly problem for city residents who don't live in what are called the "protected areas." Those are places the city police seem to focus special attention on like the stadium and downtown areas.

The issue of crime looms large in the campaign for mayor in York this year.

York City Councilwoman Toni Smith says she won't introduce an ordinance that would punish gunowners if stolen firearms were not reported to police within 72 hours.

Instead, Smith says she will push a resolution and thinks that will send a message to the legislature to pass new gun laws.

Longtime city council president and now independent candidate for Mayor, Joe Musso, was opposed to the ordinance. Democrat candidate for mayor Kim Bracey, whom Smith backs, came out in support of the proposed ordinance earlier this year.

If an ordinance had passed in York like it has in other Pennsylvania cities, a lawsuit from Second Amendment supporters was expected. The suit would have been lost in court, because Pennsylvania law does not allow local communities to pass their own gun laws.

The years of John Brenner as mayor have already produced many costly lawsuits that the city has lost. Another lawsuit in an election year was an idea that York's political insiders decided against by dropping the gun ordinance plan.

Legislative staff in Harrisburg exchanged e-mails with then candidate Eugene DePasquale as they planned a funraiser for him in 2006. That's the year that DePasquale was elected as a state representative in York County's 95th District.

The evidence of illegal activity by the staffers figures in Pennsylvaia Attorney General Tom Corbett's investigation of Bonusgate.

It is alleged that legislative staff were paid illegal bonuses in exchange for doing political campaign work for Democrat candidates during the 2006 campaign when Democrats took control of Pennsylvania's House of Representatives.

DePasquale spoke with WHTM television, which obtained the e-mails and reported on the story. He says he was a "private citizen" as the time..."It was tough for me to know what other people were doing at the time."

Eugene DePasquale had resigned a state job to run for office. DePasquale has portrayed himself as a "reformer."

WHTM got liberal activist Tim Potts of the group Democracy Rising to defend DePasquale. I have my doubts about Potts, a former Democrat party committeeman and "education reform" lobbyist, who emerged as a "reformer" after the pay raise controversy in 2005.

The attorney general's office says DePasquale is not being investigated for wrongdoing in Bonusgate, just that his name came up in the e-mails.

I wonder if this whole story isn't just one planted by DePasquale himself to cover up any suspicion about his "reformer" credentials.

MEANWHILE A STORY ABOUT DEPASQUALE IS UNDER THE RADAR AND NOT GETTING THE INVESTIGATION IT DESERVES. THAT'S THE 250 DOLLAR A PERSON FUNDRAISER HELD IN HARRISBURG ON MONDAY JUNE 29TH. POLITICAL OPERATIVE MIKE MUSSER, WHO DEALS WITH DAUPHIN COUNTY GOVERNMENT, WAS INVOLVED IN THIS EVENT.

WHAT GIVES WITH 'REFORMER' DEPASQUALE AND THIS OUT OF YORK COUNTY FUNDRAISING EVENT. WHAT SPECIAL INTEREST OR INTERESTS ARE 'BUYING' THE REFORMER 'DEPASQUALE" THROUGH THIS EVENT?????????

There's a new 5-year contract for teachers in the Spring Grove Area School District. It was approved in a 6-2 vote by the school board.

In these tough economic times when job losses and pay cuts are common for taxpayers, the teachers are getting an average 4.3 percent pay raise in the first two years and an average 4.25 percent pay raise in the last three years.

Spring Grove teachers agreed to a 12 credit a year cap on college courses that taxpayers pay for them to take. Also included is a switch to a PPO medical program that will cut medical expenses by 3.6 percent.

The new teacher contract will likely require 3.8 percent annual increases in the school district's budget. When asked about the new contract with the big pay increases by the "York Daily Record," school board member Mary Dolheimer said: "It was a good compromise."

Some years ago a conservative faction had a majority on the Spring Grove' board, but it was ousted in a dispute over use of school fields on Sundays for soccer games.

One of the leaders of the faction that ousted the conservatives and brought tax and spend as usual leadership to the Spring Grove School Board was Skip Clancy, who proposed himself as a Republican candidate for state representative in the 196th District last year.

When the idea of adding more police officers to patrol York City schools was discussed earlier this year at a school board meeting, there was plenty of negative comment from the public.

School board members and political candidates in the city all expressed disagreement with the idea in the pre-primary election atmosphere.

But now the newly appointed head of security for the York City's public schools, William Fenton, says the district is drafting a plan to use four city police officers in schools. Its the same plan discussed before the election in that federal funds will be used to pay the officer's salaries for three years.

Fenton says the officers will have more of an "educational" role in schools and not just a security one.

A special school board meeting is planned for next month to consider the plan for additional city police officers in city schools.

It looks like the School District of the City of York is ignoring public oppposition and using the summer months to ram the unpopular plan through.

When Hiawatha Powell was kicked off the York City School Board last month, it set the state for a special election this fall to pick his successor.

Under the system to replace resigned or removed board members, the Democrat and Republican parties have the opportunity to nominate candidates for their seats.

The Democrats are asking for applicants for the Powell school board seat and the precinct committee members for York City will pick a Democrat candidate for the fall election.

Because of the Democrat registration edge, the candidate picked by Democrats is likely to win the special election this fall.

The scenario now playing out allows political insiders to take Powell's seat away from the radical faction he represented. However, the results of the spring primary show that the Democrat candidates picked for the other four seats lean towards racial radicalism. Their expected election this fall will create a shift in power on the school board.

The sudden move last week by Central York School District to say yes to valedictorian and salutatorian honors at graduation came in the face of a strong negative reaction.

The reaction grew louder when Central's Superintendent Dr. Michael Snell spoke of the honors creating competition that wasn't good. And it got louder when school board president Eric Wolfgang refused comment when asked about the issue by parents at last month's board meeting and got the school district's lawyer to say other board members did not have to comment.

In what appeared to be a move to again cut off the debate and comment about the issue, the district grudgingly announced the honors would return late last week in advance of Monday's board meeting.

The statement was authored by Snell and Wolfgang and filled with praise for the district and the comment that only "a few parents" were concerned about the issue.

The meeting featured praise for the school district from the audience and Dr. Snell having the opportunity to say it was time to put the issue behind and move forward.

But one parent expressed a sentiment shared by many observers in saying he wasn't happy with the statement that dismissed supporters of the honors, saying a whole segment of the community shared those views.

Central's leadership clearly wants to keep away from controversy, but have they really changed their attitude.

I can say they haven't changed because not only did the public statement put down supporters of graduation honors, but Central insiders like its leading school board members were out gossiping a nasty picture of those parents as well in recent days.

The whole exercise from the statement last week to the backbiting comments from Central insiders reminds one of the kind of hardball politics you would expect in Washington D.C.

It has all the stench of a "spin machine" from the White House.

Parents and taxpayers need to start showing up at board meetings and asking questions. Questions like why aren't more detailed minutes provided promptly after board meetings on the district's website?

The meetings of the Central York board need to be recorded and televised on community access television. The district should put the video on their website as well.

Beyond that, mark my words. The arrogance of Dr. Snell and Mr. Wolfgang is becoming clear. This controversy has allowed the public to see the real situation in the Central York School District.

With the prospect of a highly contentious school board meeting Monday night in the middle of a school board election year, the Central York School District has acted to shut down the debate over naming valedictorians and salutatorians for graduating classes.

A short written statement was issued by Central York School District Superintenent Dr. Michael Snell and Central York's school board president Eric Wolfgang Thursday that includes a sentence saying that from now on a valedictorian and salutatorian will be named for graduating classes.

The statement was thick with language claiming Central supports academic excellence and mentioned criticism coming from "local news media and a handful of vocal parents."

The statement placed on the district's website is clearly designed to keep district parents supporting business as usual in the school district.

Concerned parents expressed their pleasure with the school district's decision.

The Central York School District still has plenty of questions to answer.

Why on two occasions this year has Mr. Wolfgang shut down discussion of issues at school board meetings with the district's laywer (solicitor) backing him up? First, in the wrestling coach controversy earlier this year and last month in the valedictorian-salutatorian controversy? Is the school district also committed in its "change in recognition philosophy" mentioned in the statement to the eventual elimination of traditional grading methods for students?

Are taxpayers and parents going to pay more attention at board meetings and ask questions like this?

Parents have questions about the whole direction of the district with math score declines in recent years. They wonder about "group learning" going on in their children's classes. Are "career academies" the right direction to take? Students being directed into careers at high school level is downright Soviet. And they wonder about a very liberal honor roll system?

Its up to Central's parents and taxpayers to carry the ball and ask how their money is being spent?

People are waking up in this nation to demand "common sense."

Central York Superintendent Dr. Michael Snell broke this valedictorian-salutatorian debate wide open with his assertion that the titles would promote too much competition.

What does Snell believe in if he doesn't like the idea of competition?

Snell deserves to be questioned and the board's decision to have someone with such a philosophy as superintendent deserves to be questioned as well.

But the sudden pre-school board meeting announcement that Central would bring the titles back indicates how desperately Dr. Snell and school board president Eric Wolfgang don't want these matters discussed Monday night.

All the more reason for people to show up and ask questions and demand answers from their school board at a public meeting.

State Senator Mike Waugh (R-28th District) says he's not going to change his mind and support Governor Ed Rendell's budget plan for the new fiscal year that includes a 16 percent income tax increase.

The York City School District wrote to Senator Waugh asking him to support Governor Rendell's budget plan that pumps four million dollars more into the district than the Republican version supported by Waugh.

City school officials spoke of the Republican version of school funding as a cut, but Waugh says the GOP plan raises York City school funding by 5.5 million dollars, an 11.5 percent increase.

A budget deal could come in the next few weeks as state workers face loss of their paychecks after July 17th if a new budget plan is not agreed to by Governor Rendell and the legislature.

Gerry Turner has been a candidate for mayor and he regularly attends public meetings including those of the York City School Board.

Now Turner will serve as a school board member. Five members of the board voted to appoint him to replace Hiawatha Powell, who was removed from the school board last month.

Three other members of the racial faction that included Powell abstained from voting. They said Turner should not have been appointed until Powell's legal challenge to his removal was heard.

For now, six less radical members will serve on the board, but after the fall election the balance of power is expected to shift to the more radical racial faction.

Police officers from York City and West Manchester Township mingled together Saturday evening during the concert and fireworks display at the York Expo Center (York Fairgrounds). They had friendly conversation together and perhaps some of York's bigwigs who were at the event dreamed of all the officers being part of some super police department.

But West Manchester Township's police have sent a very clear message they will have nothing to do with the York Counts scheme to consolidate suburban police departments with York City Police.

West Manchester officers are negotiating a labor contract with the township that includes a no-consolidation clause. And township officials support the idea.

Both believe maintaining local police service is best for the township, its officers and its taxpayers.

The "York Sunday News" outlined reasons given for not consolidating by West Manchester Township manager Kelly Keach.

1) Violent crime is at a lower level in West Manchester, meaning regional officers would spend less time in the township

2) A regional force will hire officers to work in other areas that need more officers with West Manchester taxpayers paying the bill

3) A regional department could absorb costs of underfunded police pension plans in other areas (Special Note: York City's police pension fund is a serious financial drain on the city)

4) A regional police force will create a larger bargaining unit with higher salaries and benefits creating higher taxes in West Manchester Township

YorkCounts continues to defend its push for regionalization claiming it will save money and create a better police department.

But for now, the YorkCounts movement appears in many ways to be just a scheme to bail out the financially troubled City of York by creating merged services that will increase taxes in the suburbs to "redistribute wealth" to the city.

Todd Platts came from working class roots and had to fight his way up as a "reformer" and "common man" against Republican boss John Thompson's insider and rich guy club of political leadership.

Now Platts enjoys the "rank" and "privileges" of being a member of the House of Representatives.

That includes wheeling and dealing for 132 million dollars in "earmarks" for his district. Since Democrats control Congress, Platts has to get his pork from committee chairmen like the infammous John Murtha from Johnstown.

On at least one occasion this year, Platts and some other Republican members of Congress from Pennsylvania supported Murtha on a floor vote.

When he was first elected to Congress in 2000, Todd Platts worked hard to convince pro-life leaders in his district that he would be a pro-life member of Congress. Now Platts is slipping in that area with his support of taxpayer dollars for embryonic stem cell research, among other things.

Platts has aligned himself with liberals in the Republican Party in the Republican Main Street Partnership.

Platts also enjoys the support of the leftist National Education Association teachers union.

Then, most recently, Congressman Todd Platts came out in support of "hate crimes" legislation seen as a direct threat to free speech in the United States.

When constituents protested it, Todd Platts sent a letter claiming that clergy would be protected, something that opponents said was not true.

What's interesting is that by omission, Platts admits that everyone other than clergy could be prosecuted for the words they use under the "hate crimes" bill passed by the House.

Todd Platts is obviously too liberal to be serving in Congress. He is not always casting liberal votes and is watching his back right now.

The question is will a real conservative alternative be allowed to emerge or will insider forces (especially those aligned with the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation-National Right To Life) protect him from a real conservative challenger.

When Republican Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey (a darling of National Right To Life, the insider political organization whose general counsel is now a Deputy Republican National Committee Chairman) voted for the "cap and trade" bill recently, conservative activists vowed to defeat him in the next primary.

I think they will find that tough and I think conservatives here in the 19th District of Pennsylvania will find it tough to take on Todd Platts in a primary.

News reports say that State Revenue Secretary Steve Stetler's name is coming up in the Bonusgate investigation of Pennsylvania's Attorney General because of defense lawyers. Specifically, defense lawyers for former State House Democrat Whip Mike Veon are interested in implicating Stetler and others in the illegal bonuses given to Democrat staffers of the State House of Representatives.

This way Veon can argue that he is being singled out for prosecution when others were involved, too.

Steve Stetler is a former Democrat State Representative from York County's 95th District. Stetler was involved in leading Democrat campaign activities for the 2006 elections. That's when staff members did campaign work researching Republican opponents and then got bonuses. Its illegal for staffers to be paid for political campaign work.

Subpoenas from defense lawyers for Veon and other Bonusgate defendants have been reportedly sent to some 100 House members and or staff. Its all part of the defense strategy to implicate others in the illegal activity as a means of exonerating Veon and other defendants from wrongdoing.

"Group learning is difficult for him. Math was his strength and he had A's and B's and now is barely getting a C." The words of parent Jennifer Duffy as quoted by the "York Daily Record" on Everyday Math being taught in the Southern York School District. The program involves students working in groups with minimal teacher involvement.

Judging people in groups should be familar to us who look at how things are working in the world we live in. The "progrssives" and "liberals" thrive on grouping people ("people of color", "Latinos", "LGBT" etc.) and President Barack Obama told us about the need to "redistribute the wealth" during the campaign last year. It looks like these political concepts are showing up more and more in classrooms everywhere and this Southern York math story is an example.

A number of parents and graduates of Southern York spoke about the College Prep Math program that involves group study at this month's school board meeting.

One graduate, Anthony Bongiovano is quoted by the "Daily Record" as saying: "With CPM you're only as strong as your weakest link. You can only do as well as your weakest link and there is not incentive to do better."

And there you have the problem. Instead of promoting individual improvement, group learning drags down everyone to a lower level.

Can the Southern York School Board do something about this????

Harrisburg area Republican activist Lowman Henry has published an online commentary about a Harrisburg fundraiser for York area State Representative Eugene DePasquale (D-95th District).

Henry was disturbed because Dauphin County Republican commissioner Nick DiFrancesco was listed as host for the Monday event that costs 250 dollars per person. Political operative Mike Musser (who has contracts with the Dauphin County goverment) was described as the organizer of the event. DiFrancesco denies any involvement with the fundraiser saying Democrat Commissioner George Hartwick is host, not him. Why is a Harrisburg political operative (Mike Musser) who has government contracts organizing a fundraiser for Mr. DePasquale? DePasquale, who comes from a Pittsburgh political family, tries to portray himself as some kind of "reformer."

By the way this Dauphin County commissioner Hartwick hosted a fundraiser a few months ago for Kim Bracey, the Democrat candidate for mayor in York. Is Mr. Musser involved in that one, too? What will Kim Bracey do if she is elected as mayor to pay back for the fundraising?

Central York School District parent Anne Kahlbaugh appeared on the "Fox and Friends" morning news program last Wednesday to talk about the district's refusal to name a valedictorian and salutatorian for this year's graduating class. Kahlbaugh said the pressure is on the school board to take a position after the recent "no comment" meeting. That's where board president Eric Wolfgang refused to respond when asked to take a stand on the issue by a parent. Then the school district's lawyer Mike King stepped in to say board members did not have to respond to the question.

Kahlbaugh said that the Central York School Board "does not want to discuss it in an adult to adult manner."

Also appearing on Fox News was her daughter Caroline Klidonas. Klidonas, who will be a senior in the coming school year, said the district was reluctant to tell her class ranking when she needed it to participate in the York County Junior Miss program. She also said it is unfair that class rankings are not disclosed. "Why can't we know?" she asked.

Best indications I have is that this student and parent are already under attack by the Central insider crowd, who have resorted to calling them and the Fox News program names.

They deserve the full support of Central parents and taxpayers who must now unite against the Superintendent Dr. Michael Snell, who said that naming valedictorians and salutatorians creates unhealthy competition.

There should be a large contingent of people at the next board meeting determined to confront the arrogance of a board that refuses to respond to those who elected them.

Its been posted in other places, but I also like the idea of showing up with as much video recording gear as possible at the meeting to record whatever the board has to say or doesn't have to say on this issue.

I hope the video is distributed widely online as well.

Its time for the public to see Central's board meetings just like they can see other public meetings in York County on community access television.

The Central York School District should post more information online about its school board meetings including records of how board members vote on issues naming each member and how they voted.

The investigation launched by Pennsylvania's Attorney General Tom Corbett into bonuses given to legislative staff members for political campaign work involves Pennsylvania's Secretary of Revenue Steve Stetler.

Stetler, who used to be a State Representative from York County's 95th District, was helping to lead House Democrats campaign efforts. It is believed that thousands of dollars in bonus payments to staffers of the legislature were illegal payments given for their campaign work.

The "Pittsburgh Post-Gazette" newspaper reported yesterday that a grand jury witness said Stetler vetoed the idea of contracting campaign work out to private firms. The witness, aide Dan Wiedemer, quoted Stetler as saying "we have a perfectly good system in place already."

The use of legislative staff for researching the opponents of Democrat candidates for State House seats is being probed because its believed their work is linked to the thousands of dollars in illegal bonus money they received.

The Pittsburgh newspaper reports that investigators have been discussing whether they have a case against Steve Stetler.

It is illegal for the legislative staff to be paid for political campaign work.

Responding to the news story, Stetler spoke of selective confidential information being leaked to the press and expressed his confidence that the legal process "will eventually reveal the facts."

It is possible that the legal defense of Stetler has aready begun and that Democrats may be behind this leak as was the case in the Clinton scandals of the 1990's when defense lawyers leaked and blamed then special posecutor Kenneth Starr.

The strategy would be to leak incriminating info early so its shock value is taken away from a potential jury.

We'll wait and see if this leads to any charges against Stetler.

The Eastern School District has a 37 million dollar budget in place for next year that involves no tax increase.

The Eastern School Board voted 9-0 to keep taxes at the same rate for the 2009-2010 budget year that starts July 1st.

Reserve funds were tapped into and a decision was made not to fill a vacant teaching position in the district.

Well, they did what public opinion is demanding at this point. If they did it by borrowing too much from reserve funds, we will find out later. But in this election year for school board members, the Eastern board decided not to raise taxes for whatever reasons, noble or political.

It had the appearance of a Washington D.C. political spin operation. News of a Central High School football standout's signing with Penn State gets front page treatment the day after a controversial school board meeting where parents and taxpayers wanted answers about the valedictorian-salutatorian controversy.

What they got was "no comment" from the school board when one resident asked if they had a position on the issue. School board president Eric Wolfgang was quoted by the "Daily Record" as saying "I don't think we're prepared to do that." The school district's lawyer spoke and said board members did not have to respond to the comments and questions of residents.

Earlier this year Wolfgang told concerned parents at a school board meeting they could not comment on misconduct by wrestling coaches because it was a "personnel matter."

My view of Wolfgang's move at both meetings is that he wants to avoid anything negative being said that will be reported in the media.

I've read a suggestion that its time to videotape Central York School Board meetings. It sounds like a good one.

The people who showed up at the school board meeting thought the best and brightest minds should be celebrated at graduation.

Parent Mark Swomley, whose sons will be seniors this fall at Central, said he is considering a run for school board as a write-in candidate because the school board is tight lipped about the policy of refusing to honor a valedictorian and salutatorian at graduation.

Parents should keep up the heat on the school board and continue to raise this issue and especially the comment of Superintendent Dr. Michael Snell. Snell said that having a valedictorian and salutatorian would be creating "too much competition" among students for the honors.

That outrageous comment smacks of political correctness. It must leave all the sports parents who have elected Eric Wolfgang and the other school board members who hired Dr. Snell scratching their heads. The whole sports program at Central is centered around very competitive teams and coaches of both boys and girls sports.

Parents who are concerned about academics must be confused as well since there is all this emphasis on competition in sports at Central, yet it can't be allowed for academics.

Meanwhile, the school board decided on a final budget plan that raises taxes 2.7 percent, but hires six new people. They are two language arts teachers, a physical education teacher for the new pool, a reading specialist and two math coaches.

Those six positions are probably costing taxpayers well over a quarter of a million dollars.

A few months ago, we heard at board meetings that student population growth in Central was tapering off and the district had "breathing space" and no need for new building projects. Much hoopla had been made at board meetings of efforts that removed dozens of students from Central's rolls through residency checks.

These moves would seem to negate any need for more employees, but the new budget includes them anyway. The plan also takes over 300-thousand dollars away from a contingency fund to deal with the expected increase in employee pension costs in coming years. The state school employees retirement system is expected to need a lot more money to keep itself solvent, espcially with setbacks in investments in the last year.

There are budget hurdles ahead for Central including paying the cost of a labor contract with support employees who are now union represented and in negotiations with the school district.

Much is going on at Central right now, more than can be presented at this time. In the future, the full story of this week's events and what's going on underneath the surface will be revealed.

For now, we read about concerned parents and taxpayers, along with some board members claiming they want a vote on the issue. In particular, there's Karl Peckmann, up for re-election this year.

Peckmann won a Republican slot in the primary election and will face Janice Liao-Tabatabai, who won a spot on the Democrat ballot in the primary. Liao-Tabatabai based her candidacy in large part on the district's refusal to honor valedictorians and salutatorians in its graduating classes.

This makes Peckmann very eager to get on the record in support as well. Will board president Eric Wolfgang and other members help Peckmann with his re-election effort by granting such a vote?

The talks for a new teacher contract in the York City School District have broken down with the district's lawyer saying the teacher's union does not want to negotiate with the current board and is waiting until the new board takes over in December.

Attorney Mike Levin spoke at Wednesday night's school board meeting. President of the school board, Jeanette Torres, said the district is trying to avoid a tax increase.

The union is reportedly seeking a 5.5 percent pay hike. The current contract expires at the end of the month.

Pennsylvania State Education Association representative Clinton Gibbs says that the union is not waiting for a new board and said it was a "flat out lie" for the district lawyer to say that.

Gibbs says the district is not making an offer in talks and he has filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board.

Resident Gerry Turner said at Wednesday's school board meeting that a 5.5 percent pay hike for teachers would cost homeowners hundreds of dollars more and "drive them out of the city."

Right now the city district flush with "stimulus" money is poised to not raise taxes at all in the coming year, but a teacher contract with a big pay increase could indeed change that picture. A property tax hike in the city would be a harsh blow to homeowners in these tougher economic times.

The Lancaster-York Heritage Region, the group that pushed the eminent domain takeover of the Kohr family land at Lauxmont Farms for a park, is getting a new look and name. The group's president, Mark Platts (brother of Congressman Todd Platts), says the organization will now call the area the Susquehanna Gateway Heritage Area and will reorganize its management as the Susquehanna Heritage Corporation.

Platts says this will help the region gain national designation as a heritage area.

The meaning of that designation would appear to involve more government money and power aimed at "preservation" along the Susquehanna River at the expense of taxpayers and private development of land.

Image means nothing when scheming to increase government power and lessen personal freedom is involved. Beware of heritage region designation and the Susquehanna Heritage Corporation........

Its time to take a look at the field in the race for mayor. In fact its time for a fresh perspective on the sudden decision of York City Council President Joe Musso to run as an independent candidate. I was worried that this was an establishment attempt to blunt Matthew Mann's candidacy as an independent. But a Musso supporter has convinced me that Mann is not the issue for Musso, but the Democrat mayoral candidate and political establishment supported Kim Bracey is.

I'm told that Musso knows from his years on council working with Bracey in her job as head of Community Development, that she is not ready to be mayor. Musso expects bad policy from Bracey and incompetent people to be appointed to city government positions.

I've never met Kim Bracey, but someone who has tells me she is a big talker who is promising to change things. Haven't we seen those kind of politicians before?

Musso has been involved in city government since the days of the city's last Republican mayor, Bill Althaus. Musso has served on planning and zoning boards, before joining city council. Musso was a Republican, then became a Democrat and now will run as an Independent.

One thing you can't deny about Musso. He has much deeper experience with the city government than Kim Bracey.

Candidates in the Democrat primary for mayor like Bracey were quick to back down in the face of the racial radicals by opposing six police officers for city schools. This shows the potential for Bracey as mayor to cave to the political radicalism that has entered the York City School Board. And if Bracey doesn't do that, she will certainly be beholden to the various interests that have already pumped over 40-thousand dollars into her campaign.

That makes Joe Musso a very attractive alternative for a more reasonable and independent mayor than Kim Bracey could ever be.

After a three hour hearing, there was a faction line 5-4 vote by the York City School Board to oust racial faction member Hiawatha Powell. The move to oust Powell came after he missed a number of meetings and came amid questions about his residency in the city.

Powell said a family medical emergency kept him from meetings and he does live in York. Powell intents to appeal his ouster in Commonwealth Court.

The majority insider faction can now appoint a new board member and a special election this fall with candidates picked by committee people of the Democrat and Republican parties facing off will be held.

The action to oust Powell should allow for one new insider faction member to be elected this fall, but the radicals already have the upper hand following the primary election for the four other school board seats and should hold a firm majority after the November election.

What is the International Bacculareate program? When its been presented to local school boards for consideration its been a source of controversy. Now the York Counts group wants to make the program into an inter-school district countywide charter school.

York Counts says its already raised 75-thousand dollars to help move the process forward to create a new charter school that will involve York City and surrounding school districts. The money is coming from the York County Community Foundation (60-thousand) and the Women's Giving Circle (15-thousand).

The school would be based in York City but draw students in from around the county for what is a worldwide standardized curriculum used all over the world. The school would emphasize learning foreign languages, understanding other cultures and group problem solving.

It has the look of a socialist-leftist political agenda in disguise. No wonder its controversial. And no wonder York Counts would promote such a scheme.

It is being claimed that such a charter school would revitalize York City's economic condition. Socialistic ideas always improves economies, right...

York Counts says that the West York, York Suburban and Dallastown districts among others have joined York City to develop the idea. Former Northeastern School District Superintendent Dennis Baughman has been among those leading the "Metro York Educational Opportunities Committee."

This left-wing charter school is something you can definitely bring up with your school board members.

York Counts is pointing out that a state board can overrule decisions made by local school districts against the charter school and maybe that's why the left wingers are using this route to create such a school.

Why is it that suburban political leaders are supporting York Counts on matters like the police consolidation "study"?

When I heard the tourism commercial for York County on the radio a few weeks ago and the tag at the end about "York County Government" paying for it, there was a bit of anger.

To me it smacked of something you would expect from a liberal Democrat goverment, not the Republican led Board of Commissioners in York County.

Now the "York Dispatch" is out with details about the ad campaign that's costing 40-thousand dollars. President Commissioner Steve Chronister acknowledges that he and Commissioner Chris Reilly signed an agreement with the Pennsylvania Assocation of Broadcasters for the radio and television advertising.

Chronister is saying he made a mistake by not having the agreement put to a public vote by the commissioners.

Defending the advertising campaign, slated to eventually cost 125-thousand dollars after more spots ran next year, Chronister said the spending was planned for next year's budget. He added that the hotel room tax, slated to increase to 5 percent from the current 3 percent, would fund the commercials.

This year's run of commercials valued at 50-thousand dollars is to be paid for mainly by the county (40-thousand dollars). Also paying for them is the York County Economic Development Coporation (8-thousand dollars) and marketing consultant John Riggle (2-thousand dollars). Riggle, former general manager of WPMT Television, originally proposed the advertising campaign.

Some anger was caused because a toll-free hotline number in the ad directed inquiries about lodging in York County to the Heritage Hills Golf Resort and Conference Center. Other hotel and motel owners in York County feel that was wrong. Heritage Hills general partner Matt DeRose said his company has taken calls free of charge. DeRose is also involved in the same business as Commissioner Chronister, real estate. Chronister has held election events at Heritage Hills and the York County Republican Club has used it as a meeting place.

The "York Dispatch" first brought this story to light. Its something to think about in terms of the dots connected between Commissioners Chronister, Reilly, Hertiage Hills, Mr. Riggle etc.

I noticed Mr. Riggle chipping in 2-thousand dollars for the ad campaign. My question is when the ads get paid for by the hotel tax, will Mr. Riggle collect a commission? When I sold broadcast advertising the commission was 20 percent of the total.

A 125-thousand dollar deal would translate into a 25-thousand dollar commission at that rate. Riggle acknowledged to the "Dispatch" that he would "in theory" get a commission for the ads.

I wonder if supporters of the ex-commissioners Mitrick and Kilgore have something to do with this story coming out in York's newspapers????????

On May 18th a picture was taken of eight students from the Northeastern School District's schools holding up "No Place For Hate" signs. The signs are part of a campaign by the Anti-Defamation League, a national organization with its roots in opposing anti-Semitism in the United States. Those signs will be displayed at the eight schools in the Northeastern distict.

The ADL involvement is illustration of how left and liberal leaning Jewish organizations are playing a role in "diversity" programs in York County schools. The Jewish Community Center, with board members who's names are Wolf and Appell among others, have been playing a role in promoting diversity programs in York County's schools.

ADL has sent letters to York County schools in the past, warning against coaches announcing any "religious events" to students, an obvious slam at any announcements for evangelical Christian groups that involve public school students.

When one thinks of "hate" aimed at Jewish people througout history, one always thinks of Adolf Hitler.

Some of Hitler's early lieutenants were homosexual men and or men who abused children like Ernst Rohm and Julius Streicher. Its ironic that efforts to fight "hate" today by left-wing and liberal Jewish groups mean efforts to protect people who are just like some of Hitler's most ruthless storm troopers.

The people to be protected from "hate" are gay and some of them are being caught abusing children.

It is this irony that leads observers like myself to see efforts to promote "multiculturalism" and "diversity" in opposition to "hate" as efforts to destroy freedom and create a fascistic society.

The administration and incumbent school board members in the Central York School District worked hand in hand and virtually succeeded in protecting the seats of the incumbents.

Michael Snyder, Michael Wagner and Robert Weikert all won top spots on both parties ballots for the fall election. Only Karl Peckmann came up short. He won a Republican spot and will face newcomer candidate Janice Liao-Tabatabai on the Democrat side this fall.

Candidates William Wagner and Howard Myers ran on both parties ballots in the aftermath of the controversy involving the school district's wrestling program. The administration met with parents to hear their concerns and the controversial head wrestling coach at the high school is leaving his post and will be replaced next year. These moves were designed to undercut support for Wagner and Myers.

Then there's the story of candidate Gregory Lewis, who ran as a Republican school board candidate in the primary. Lewis told the school board at an April meeting that they needed to cut spending. In May, there were a rash of pre-election announcements that involved saving 30-thousand dollars here and 40-thousand there. School board members have begun to make comments about the need to cut spending.

Its as if Gregory Lewis orchestrated the board's pre-election rash of small "spending cut" gestures. Lewis described himself as a friend and supporter of current Central school board member James Zito. Zito was named treasurer of the school board at its Monday May 18th meeting on the eve of the election.

Lewis fell short coming in 6th place out of 8 candidates on the Republican side of the ballot.

The school district was able to show parents it was concerned about "safety" by having a drug dog sweep of the high school in April. Parents were told about the search but not taxpayers and the public. The administration was getting its "safety" message out to the parents and making them amenable to voting the incumbents back in on May 19th.

It appears that Central taxpayers and residents without children were kept in the dark because they might draw negative conclusions about drugs and crime in the school and vote the other way.

That's a good political strategy when combined with the appeasing of the sports parents in the wrestling controversy to defuse their issues and prevent candidates William Wagner and Howard Myers from getting elected.

The union that represents Central's teachers also rated the candidates and made recommendations on who to vote for with Robert Weikert at the top of their list. Weikert's wife is a Central York teacher. Michael Wagner also got a little nudge of support because his wife is a teacher in another school district. It was noted that Karl Peckmann's wife is also a union member. She teaches in the Central York School District.

No thoughts are given to the potential conflicts of interest involving three school board members married to teachers, two of whom teach at Central York.

For the fall, the contest on the ballot is between Karl Peckmann on the GOP side and Janice Liao-Tabatabai on the Democrat side. Liao-Tabatabai got into the race because of the refusal of the school district's administration to have a valedictorian and salutatorian at graduation. Superintendent Dr. Michael Snell expressed his concern that things would become too "competitive" for students if such recognitions were handed out to the graduating class.

This politically correct attitude is ripe for ridicule in the coming election and I hope Janice Liao-Tabatabai plays it to the hilt. Meanwhile incumbent member Karl Peckmann is beating his chest to proclaim his support for a valedictorian and salutatorian for graduating classes.

Peckmann is a conflict of interest incumbent who should be replaced.

Central York's diversity program and other politically correct policies are beginning to impact the education of district students in a negative direction as indicated by the "competition" comments of Dr. Snell.

This district's school board deserves more change than can be accomplished through voting for the choice of candidates on the ballot in the fall election.

Write-in reform candidates might be a good idea.

With just 10 days to go before the primary election, Kim Bracey already had 42-thousand dollars raised. Tom Wolf and Louis Appell Jr. among the big contirbutors. Bracey has also done a fundraiser in Harrisburg that raised money from various contributors.

Bracey easily beat her three opponents for mayor in the Democrat primary on May 19th. Insider status and racial pride probably all contribued to the win. The radicals weren't as invested in this contest as the one for school board, but all mayoral candidates on the Democrat side pandered to the radicals opposing six more police officers in city schools.

Now Bracey faces the token opposition of Republican mayoral candidate Wendell Banks, plus left wing radical Matthew Mann and York City Council President Joe Musso, both running as independents. It appears that the race for mayor is being managed to split up opposition votes and ensure a Bracey victory. Musso's entry into race looks like a direct attempt to interdict Matthew Mann.

In the race for city council, Joe Stein came up short in the three-way Democrat race for two seats. Henry Nixon and school board member Renee Nelson took the two slots. Nixon and Nelson look like insiders all the way. They face two GOP candidates, Nina Aimable and Jay Andrzejczyk, in November.

When York City School Board president Jeanette Torres joined in to support the racial faction of the city school board in a commendable effort to set up a charter middle school, perhaps she was seeing the handwriting on the wall.

The election of Barack Obama has energized racially motivated radicals within the Democrat Party and increased their power and confidence.

In the primary last Tuesday, the usual "moderate" liberals who dominate school boards were pushed out of power. Voters in the Democrat school board primary elected candidates Sandie Walker, Margie Orr and Gary Calhoun, along with incumbent Beverly Atwater.

The four victorious Democrat school board primary candidates do not officially take power until December, but they are almost certainly assured election this November.

Only one of the insider candidates, Barbara Krier, chose to seek a Republican ballot spot. She has one, but her chances of election this fall are dim.

Incumbent Tom Foust also lost in the Democrat school board primary with incumbent Renee Nelson choosing to run for York City Council this year.

This will change the way the York City School District does business with discipline likely to fail within schools. The racial faction has been resistant to the use of police in schools even though some admit a discipline problem exists.

The racial board members are more obsessed with "racism" than bad conduct by students in schools. Student misconduct will go unpunished because of their "leadership."

It probably is a good idea for them to support charter schools because public schools in the city are likely to sink further because of their attitude. Parents fed up with their children being victimized by unruly students will be looking for alternatives.

Addiction to drugs and alcohol must be combatted but the racially motivated school board members either don't have a clue that those problems are the ultimate ones or don't want to do what it takes themselves to beat their own addictive behavior.

Keep fighting "racism" while the state of education declines in the City of York.

Two of Dallastown's four incumbnent school board members, Bonnie Lepson and Michael Hady, decided not to run for re-election this year. Two others, David Inkrote and James Morton, were on the ballot last Tuesday and were swept out of office in both parties primaries.

In Dallstown Region 1, candidate Larry Wolfe, who spoke out about wasteful spending, was victorious on both the Republican and Democrat ballots. Wolfe was elected along with Kenneth Potter, leaving incumbent Morton as the loser.

In Region 3, anti tax and spend candidate Margaret Ibex defeated Inkrote on both parties ballots.

The results for the school board seat in District 2 have Sue Hiestand winning the Democrat side and Don Jasmann winning the Republican ballot. Hiestand and Jasmann will face each other in November for the District 2 seat.

Congratualations to Larry Wolfe and Margaret Ibex. Thank you to my special correspondent for speaking with Mr. Wolfe.

The anger of taxpayers in Dallastown is hot, but the taxpayers need to watch out for the pro tax and spend forces. The school districts parent teachers organizations are hotbeds of such sentiments. The Dallastown Education Association teachers union also fights against opponents of taxes and spending.

Try your best pro-taxpayer forces to stay on the good side of sports enthusiasts, but get them to understand there is no bottomless well of taxpayer support. I don't know if Larry Wolfe will get his way and have parents chip in on sports costs, but its an idea that will start the debate on where our taxes are being spent.

The big monsters in public education spending, even bigger than a supersize buildngs, are the pay and benefits. They must be brought under control by every school board or else. That will be the hardest challenge and it will take tough people to make tough decisions to control the spending.

The Republican Party has had problems with female candidates and name recognition hurting them in judicial elections in York County. Penny Blackwell and Mike Bortner are now Common Pleas Court judges because of those factors.

This year the GOP got its act together to try to take out the liberal female candidates in the primary by winning both parties nominations for one or both of its leading candidates. Harry Ness and Chuck Patterson had the potential to push through a field of five female candidates to one or both of the top Democrat slots in a cross filed field.

Candidates Susan Emmons and Erin Thompson helped to split votes from Andrea Marceca Strong, Kathleen Prendergast and Sandra Thompson.

Then, in the last week the Democratic Party of York County intervened with a mailing to "supervoters" endorsing Sandra Thompson and Kathleen Prendergast. Thompson had first Democrat ballot position and Prendergast has been a longtime Democrat candidate.

The mailing succeeded giving them the top two slots in the primary for Democrats.

Meanwhile, Harry Ness and Chuck Patterson took the top two Republican spots.

Democrats hope their female lineup that will portrayed as "moderates" even though they are liberal will win this fall. Republicans have two "moderate" candidates for sure and will emphasize the liberal side of the two Democrat judicial candidates to cut them down.

The Tom Kearney win in the Republican primary for District Attorney reflects a new "Republican establishment" in York County that isn't old boss John Thompson's GOP.

Most committee people and row officers were behind Kearney and he beat the incumbent Stan Rebert handily. These Republican insiders are ostensibly under the leadership of Carville "Peck" Foster, the party chairman. But they are really the supporters of Congressman Todd Platts, the new leading force in Republican politics in York County.

Tom Kearney emphasized Republican themes of integrity and fiscal responsibility, but he had liberal Democrat supporters with yard signs up for him. It appears that gay activists were among Kearney's supporters.

Kearney speaks of "few" changes as District Attorney. Lets hope nothing liberal or radical happens.

Parents of wrestlers in the Central York School District and some wrestling coaches were concerned about the behavior of the high school wrestling coach and the use of a volunteer coach with a criminal record.

They went to the school board about it earlier this year.... This controversy provided the spark for two candidates to step forward to challenge the incumbent school board members in the primary election.

William Wagner and Howard Myers are on the ballot this Tuesday.

The school district's administration has been working since their candidacies became known to put the controversy behind. They have been nice to an extreme with wrestling parents and the high school wrestling coach position is going to be filled by a new person next year.

Meanwhile the Central York Education Association, the union representing teachers in the district surveyed candidates for school board and gave Wagner and Myers black marks for being concerned about taxes and spending.

While William Wagner and Howard Myers are getting bad marks from the teachers union the worst bad marks were reserved for school board candidate Gregory Lewis. Lewis spoke of the need for a teacher salary freeze in response to their questionaire.

Lewis came to a school board meeting last month and called for cuts in spending to close a three million dollar gap between a 3.9 percent tax increase and no tax increase. In the last week, there have been widely publicized announcements coming from school administration about minor cuts of 30-thousand here and 40-thousand there.

Greg Lewis only appears on the Republican ballot in the primary but he is urging Democrats to write his name in. Lewis says he doesn't understand why the district needs to have an assistant to the superintendent position that pays over 100-thousand dollars a year.

The other outsider non-incumbent school board candidate in the district is Janice Liao-Tabatabai. She is concerned about the fact that Central York dropped honors at graduation for a valedictorian and salutatorian (recognitions given to students with the highest grade point average). The four incumbent Central York school board candidates are Robert Weikert, Michael Wagner, Karl Peckmann and Michael Snyder.

Frustrated Central taxpayers wonder about the incumbent members who are dubbed the "Linda Estep crew" for supporting all the spending and building during her tenure as superintendent.

Why do they support higher taxes and more spending without very many questions?

In supporting incumbent Robert Weikert, the Central York Education Association teachers union notes that his wife is a CYEA member (she teaches at Central). The union supports Michael Wagner a little more tepidly, but again notes his wife teaches (at another school district). Among the other members who are not explicitly endorsed, incumbent Karl Peckmann's wife also is a union member and teaches in the Central York School District.

In addition, Michael Wagner and other school board members like board president Eric Wolfgang, members Daniel Elby and Timothy Bieber ( those three not on the ballot Tuesday) have family members who have worked for or are working for the school district.

Perhaps that gives us insight into how the administration gets what it wants in the Central York School District.

It looks like there is a convegence of union, administration and school board members that work together to keep the taxes and spending going at Central York.

This commonality of interest in preserving public education at the expense of taxpayers can also mean working together against the interests of employees.

It shows in the case of Central York High School's head custodian Anthony Santiago. Santiago has been suspended continuously for 39 work days by the Superintendent, Dr. Michael Snell. And the Pennsylvania State Education Association that reprsents Santiago has been slow to file a grievance on his behalf, appearing to delay it until after the election on Tuesday, if at all.

There are clouds hanging over the Central York School district from the possible closing of the Harley Davidson plant in Springettsbury Township. It would mean the loss of property tax revenue for the district from the plant. It could also lead to the possible loss of property taxes from unemployed workers unable to pay their property taxes to the district.

All of the small talk about cutting spending in the Central York School District is not enough in the present economic climate.

If the district backed away from hiring a Human Resources Director, eliminated the Director Of Communications position and got rid of the Assistant To The Superintendent position, savings to taxpayers of around 250-thousand dollars could be realized.

There are nine cross-filed candidates in the race for two posts on the York County Court of Common Pleas. The cross-filing creates confusion among voters as to who's who and what do they stand for? I will try to clear up some of the mystery and confusion.

Lets review the candidates as they appear in ballot order on the Republican side in the Tuesday May 19th primary election. I will also mention each candidate's Democrat ballot position.

HARRY NESS-Ness has been a defense attorney in York County for many years. His family has been involved in York County politics as Republicans like former District Attorney J. Christian Ness.

In the early 1980's Harry Ness was arrested on drug charges. Ness says he has put that behind him with a life of service to the community that he would like to complete as a judge. Ness is first on the Republican ballot and ninth on the Democrat ballot.

The White Rose Lodge 15 of the Fraternal Order of Police representing York City Police officers has endorsed Harry Ness.

ANDREA MARCECA STRONG-Strong was a candidate with youth and momentum. She started early to get her name out and did a special mailing to GOP voters. But her signs were in those yards associated with Obama ones last fall.

Democrats in York County decided to ditch her in favor of Sandra Thompson and Kathleen Prendergast as their favored liberal female candidates in the last week of the campaign.

Strong is second on the Republican ballot and fourth on the Democrat ballot.

SANDRA THOMPSON-This liberal female candidate gained herself a reputation for pushing a gun buyback program.

Thompson is first on the Democrat ballot and was picked by them in the last week as one of two party endorsed candidates for judge.

Sandra Thompson is third on the Republican ballot.

CHUCK PATTERSON-Patterson is a longtime deputy prosecutor in the York County District Attorney's office who has run for common pleas court judge before. Patterson enjoys the support of much of the Republican leadership in York County. Patterson would be York County's first black judge if he is elected. His backers are hopeful that after so many tries, this will be his year for a breakthrough.

The White Rose Lodge 15 of the Fraternal Order of Police representing York City police officers has endorsed Chuck Patterson. Liberal insider and York's richest man Louis Appell has contributed 500 dollars to Patterson's campaign committee.

Patterson is fourth on the Republican ballot and seventh on the Democrat ballot.

KATHLEEN PRENDERGAST-Prendergast started out as a teacher, then went into law and began running for office. She challenged former State Representative (now Congressman) Todd Platts for state representative, then continued her legal career and began running for judicial office and failing her first time out. Prendergast is back and its believed that continuously running for office is a way to build up name recognition and get elected. Democrats are counting on Prendergast to be one of their candidates because the Democratic Party of York County has endorsed her along with Sandra Thompson in the May 19th primary.

Prendergast has established a liberal record over the years and was considered Pro-Abortion by the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation when she ran for state representative.

She is also supported by her former union, the Pennsylvania State Education Association. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers has contributed 1-thousand dollars to her People for Prendergast Committee. Former York County Commissioner Doug Kilgore's campaign committee has given 12-hundred dollars.

SUSAN EMMONS-Emmons is a newcomer to York County politics and judicial races. She is a lawyer and ordained minister in the mainline liberal United Church of Christ.

A trend in judicial contests in York County has been for liberals and Democrats to put up female candidates who will often draw more female votes and beat male candidates. Their tactic was successful with the election of Judge Penny Blackwell to the Court of Common Pleas.

With that in mind, one has to consider whether Republicans have decided to drop in liberal female candidates of their own to split votes and help male candidates win the primary.

I suspect Emmons is such a candidate. Her campaign manager, attorney Larry Young, was involved in the release of bankruptcy information involving a Democrat running against incumbent GOP State Representative Ron Miller in the 93rd District last year.

Susan Emmons is sixth on the Republican ballot and fifth on the Democrat ballot.

MIKE FLANNELLY-Flannelly has served and is currently serving as York County solictitor working for the county commissioners. He has the praise of current President Commissioner Steve Chronister.

But Flannelly is remembered for his legal work on behalf of the former commissioners board dominated by Lori Mitrick and Doug Kilgore.

Flannelly did their bidding in the eminent domain case involving the Kohr family land at Lauxmont Farms. That included threats against people who were distributing flyers criticizing Mitrick and Kilgore over the land grab.

I have heard that Mike Flannelly actually opposed the land seizure but there is no evidence of that from his public role as the county's solicitor under Mitrick and Kilgore.

Flannelly is seventh on the Republican ballot and sixth on the Democrat ballot.

ERIN THOMPSON-Erin is not to be confused with Sandra Thompson mentioned above as a Democrat Party endorsed candidate. In some ways we may think that Erin Thompson should be a Republican Party endorsed candidate.

Thompson's father is York County Common Pleas Court Judge John Thompson Jr. and her late grandfather, John Thompson Sr. was the longtime chairman of the York County Republican Committee.

But she's not apparently an endorsed GOP candidate. Erin Thompson, who is a public defender, has put thousands of her own dollars into campaign efforts. She describes herself as a "moderate Republican."

Is it possible that Erin Thompson is just another of those candidates who is designed to split liberal and female votes to help Republican male candidates win?

Erin Thompson is eighth on the Republican ballot and third on the Democrat ballot.

JOHN OGDEN-John Ogden built a reputation for himself by providing legal support to opponents of a new Wal-Mart Supercenter in Windsor Township. Ogden's legal work seems to have delayed Wal-Mart's plans in for now.

Ogden has been working hard to get Democrat support. He is second on the Democrat ballot. York City Council President Joe Musso endorsed Ogden in a radio spot that aired before Musso became an independent candidate for mayor.

Ogden seems to have been left in the cold by the Democratic Party endorsement of Sandra Thompson and Kathleen Prendergast for the judicial seats. Ogden is ninth on the Republican ballot and second on the Democrat ballot.

It was 1985 when Stan Rebert was first elected Disrict Attorney in York County. The candidate Rebert defeated was Tom Kearney. Kearney went to work as an assistant in Rebert's office and later became a defense attorney.

Kearney also developed his relationships in the Republican Party around York over the years and now thinks its time for a change at the DA's office.

With local GOP leaders led by State Representative Stan Saylor of the 94th Distict behind him, Kearney is enjoying strong support for a challenger in a primary.

Kearney sees unethical activity and irresponsible spending of money by Reberrt's office. He says the first time offenders are having records erased through the ARD program in an inconsistent way and that seized drug money is being improperly spent on drug treatment programs.

Rebert counters he has the discretion to spend the money the way he wants.

There have been clouds over Rebert's office in recent years including a lawsuit by the former York County Chief Detective Becky Dowling that was settled out of court and the resignation a few months ago of Rebert's chief deputy and lead drug prosecutor Bill Graff. An anti-Rebert website claims that there is a federal investigation because Graff was tipping off someone about drug raids. The feds moved in because Rebert friend Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett could not investigate.

Rebert has sent out a mailing with the endorsement of Corbett and he also enjoys the endorsement of the White Rose Fraternal Order of Police lodge that represents York City police officers.

Rebert is proud of his decision to convene a grand jury and bring to trial suspects in the two murders during racial rioting in York back in 1969. Most of those charged were convicted.

From my perspective though, Rebert's finest hour was in May of 1994 when the York County Republican political boss John Thompson Sr. was angry over a radio commercial.

The commercial promoted five conservative pro-life candidates for Republican State Committee in York County and Thompson was demanding that the candidates be prosecuted for failing to include a disclaimer in the commercial. WSBA Radio added the disclaimer, but Rebert declined to prosecute. As the commerical's producer pointed out, party political office candidates were not required to put disclaimers in advertising like candidates for public office.

A lot of those GOP insiders who were loyal to liberal boss Thompson now like Tom Kearney. Kearney even places his signs in Democrat yards that featured Obama signs last fall.

It makes me inclined to stick with Stan Rebert as District Attorney in York County.

EDITORS NOTE: A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OTHER THAN MYSELF SPOKE WITH LARRY WOLFE, SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE IN REGION 1 OF THE DALLASTOWN SCHOOL DISTRICT WHO CALLED FOR STUDENTS TO PAY HALF THE COST OF THEIR EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES. WOLFE ALSO OFFERED TO GIVE SOME OF HIS OWN MONEY INTO A FUND TO HELP PAY FOR STUDENTS WHO COULDN'T AFFORD THE COST.)

Correspondent: How would you save money?

Larry Wolfe: When it comes to re-negotiating the contract have a better handle on the spending in salary and health benefits. The superintendent should come to the board on how to spend the budget. The board should be more firm on the spending.

Correspondent: How would you save money on sports?

Larry Wolfe: In the next three years gradually have the students pay 50 percent and the school pay 50 percent on extra-curricular activities. The superintendent is to identify how the budget on extra curriculum is being spent.

Correspondent: What made you run for the board?

Larry Wolfe: I was involved in the 2006 Tax Commission.

I have attended school board meetings and was frustrated because you are only allowed 2 minutes to make comment and maybe 2 minutes after the board responds to your comments. That is not enough time to make an impact. So in order to have an impact on the matter of the budget I decided I would run for the board.

The superintendent basically attends the meeting on how he is going to spend the budget and just wants the board rubber stamp of approval without having a say in the matter. I feel that has to change.

(MORE NEWS ON THE DALLASTOWN SCHOOL BOARD RACE BELOW)

We may be reaching a critical mass in the continuing conflict between concerned taxpayers and the Dallastown School Board. Individuals have stood up to speak their peace and in the last election cycle of 2007, pro-taxpayer candidate Carroll Tignall Jr. was elected to the board.

There are four seats up this year and it appears that three candidates have something to say that puts them on the taxpayer's side. The continuous pace of spending, especially on new buildings, has been a source of increasing tension.

In Region 1 of the Dallastown School District in many York Township voting districts, three candidates are running for the two seats. Incumbent James Morton is facing Kenneth Potter Jr. and Larry Wolfe, who are newcomers. Wolfe stands out as the pro-taxpayer candidate in this race. He has gone to school board meetings to challenge wasteful spending. Wolfe attracted attention and attacks when he called for 50 percent of the cost of extracurricular activities to be paid by students. Wolfe offered to contribute to a fund to pay for those students who could not afford the cost.

Larry Wolfe has also said the present board serves as nothing more than a rubber stamp for whatever spending the superintendent wants without any real oversight.

In the story above this one, Wolfe spoke with our special correspondent. (SEE ABOVE)

Meanwhile in Region 2 covering other portions of York Township, there are three candidates for one seat on the board. They are Don Jasmann, Thomas Nicholson and Sue Hiestand.

Jasmann and Nicholson gave pretty standard type answers and politically correct ones as well in the "York Daily Record" Voters Guide online. They seem to play all sides talking about excellence in education and considering spending options or cuts. No doubt the teachers union (Dallastown Education Association) has been tracking these two to figure out which one they would recommend their members vote for.

Then, there's Sue Hiestand. Hiestand's answers seem more taxpayer friendly but this could be a song and dance routine. Hiestand said that sometimes taxes don't need to go up and that the board needs to make sure programs are really needed before they go into a budget and raise taxes.

Over in Region 3 which includes Dallastown Borough and Springfield Township, there are two candidates who seem to be on opposite sides vying for the one seat.

Springfield Township is where the new 60 million dollar school is under construction and residents have been up in arms.

David Inkrote comes off as the business as usual incumbent, while challenger Margaret Ibex goes right to the heart of the matter. Ibex gave these kinds of answers to the "Daily Record" Voters Guide online. "Spending in the school district is out of control.....I believe the school board members should direct the operation of the school district.....The biggest mistake made by the Dallastown Area School District, School Board, in my opinion, was the planning, design and development of the new intermediate school proposal......"

Margaret Ibex looks like a pro-taxpayer outsider candidate in Dallastown School District Region 3.

In the last week of the four way race for mayor among York City Democrats, the favored insider candidate, Kim Bracey, went to Harrisburg for a fundraiser.

Among those at the event was Dauphin County Commissioner George Hartwick.

Heck, Bracey isn't just being bought by York's own elite, people from outside the city are buying her too.

Campaign finance reports showed Bracey raising the most money, some 42-thousand dollars and Genevieve Ray 27-thousand dollars. Ray and Bracey got contibutions from York's richest man, Louis Appell Jr.

My theory is that Ray is a spoiler candidate to split votes so Bracey can win. It would make sense for Appell to help her split the vote so his candidate, Bracey, can win.

Genevieve Ray also picked up the endorsement of the York City Fraternal Order of Police lodge.

Gerry Turner, the outsider candidate, lagged way behind with only a little more than four thousand dollars in contributions. Turner did get a 500 dollar contribution from "C.H. Robertson." That is apparently former York Mayor Charlie Robertson.

Roderick Artis was even further behind in fundraising. But Artis was smeared in the last week of the campaign with word coming out of his 48 hour prison sentence served a few years ago. Artis was convicted of DUI charges. Dirty York City politics at its best.

IN A DIRECT MAILING TO DEMOCRAT SUPERVOTERS, THE YORK COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY HAS ENDORSED SANDRA THOMPSON AND KATHLEEN PRENDERGAST IN NEXT TUESDAY'S PRIMARY ELECTION.

SANDRA THOMPSON IS FIRST ON THE DEMOCRAT BALLOT AND KATHLEEN PRENDERGAST IS A LONGTIME DEMOCRAT CANDIDATE WHO ENJOYS SUPPORT FROM A KEY GROUP, THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE EDUCATION ASSOCIATON.

THE DEMOCRATS APPARENTLY FIGURE THAT THESE TWO FEMALE CANDIDATES ARE THEIR STRONGEST ONES AND WILL PROVIDE CONTRAST TO THE TWO REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES SELECTED FROM THE NINE CROSS FILED CANDIDATES NEXT TUESDAY. IT WOULD BE A GOOD BET THAT TWO MEN WILL EMERGE AS WINNERS ON THE GOP SIDE NEXT WEEK.

Word has curiously leaked out in the week before a contested school board election that York City School Board member Hiawatha Powell is facing a hearing next Wednesday. The hearing will determine whether Powell should be removed from the board for absences from meetings.

York City School Board President Jeanette Torres says there are doubts that Powell has residency in the City of York but Powell says he lives in York and works in Harrisburg, while the rest of his family is in Washington, D.C. Powell says he has legitimate reasons related to a family health problem for missing many school board meetings.

It appears that the radical and outspoken Powell is being taken out by the political insiders on the school board. Is York City Councilwoman Toni Smith providing technical assistance for this pre-election smear campaign?

While Powell is not up for election next week, the two school board factions are fighting over who will win in the contest for the four seats.

Recently, York City crime stats were released in apparent anticipation of the primary election next week. They showed a 15 percent drop in crime for the first three months of this year, with a 100 percent drop in murders from 3 to 0.

York Mayor John Brenner is working to elect the annointed insider candidate Kim Bracey in the Democratic Primary and push the idea that York doesn't have a big crime problem as York Counts seeks to dump the cost of the city's police protection onto suburban taxpayers.

In the spirit of those unusual crime stats suddenly released before the election, lets take note eight days before that election that there has been a sudden 100 percent jump in the city's murder rate.

Nine year old Ciara Savage of Lancaster was shot in the back in the 500 block of South Duke Street at 235 pm yesterday afternoon. She died a short time later at York Hopsital.

The investigation continues with a suspect car found abandoned nearby.

Behind most of the crime we have are the addictions that plague humanity including drugs. Its not about racism or guns, its about addiction. People need to change their addictive habits. That's it. End of conversation.

Since Monday March 23rd, Anthony Santiago, the head custodian of Central York High School, has been suspended without pay by Central York School District Superintendent Dr. Michael Snell.

The initial suspension was for three days with Snell calling Santiago three days later to say the suspension was continued. On April 14th union representative Clinton Gibbs joined him for a meeting with Dr. Snell after which the suspension continued.

Issues brought up as reasons for discipline include Santiago leaving work early and his unwillingness to disclose the name of another custodian observed on a security camera leaving the Central York High School early. Santiago says that as a union member he is not required to disclose information to management about other employees unless it is a health or safety matter.

Snell is said to have been angry and intimidating at the March 23rd meeting with Santiago.

He is frustrated by the lack of action by the Pennsylvania State Education Association and its representative, Clinton Gibbs, on his behalf. There is some talk of a grievance being filed, but that process takes more time.

Due to the length of his suspension, Santiago has filed for unemployment compensation and the Central York School District is under a deadline to respond to the request.

One reason I suspect for all the delay is the fact that a school board election with eight candidates vying for four seats on the board is underway. This whole situation may prove embarrassing.

Snell's anger towards Santiago at their meetings came in part from a conversation that Santiago had about his concerns with Central York School Board vice-president Michael Wagner on March 13th. Wagner passed what was said by Santiago onto Snell. Michael Wagner is not to be confused with another candidate, William Wagner, who appears on the May 19th Central York School Board ballot.

I've always been of the opinion that school board members need to lead superintendents and not be their puppets like is alleged in this case.

Normally school district disciplinary situations are kept quiet in the name of "privacy," but the information about this situation is out in the open.

That's because Anthony Santiago feels he has done nothing to warrant the treatment given to him by Dr. Michael Snell and wants the public to know about his situation.

I am deeply saddened by this whole matter and the many other details surrounding it that I know. When it comes to the Central York School District, there is much knowledge I have that makes me very, very sad.

I would urge those individuals I mentioned in this article and others involved with the Central York School District who view my reports on a regular basis to rapidly resolve this matter that makes them look very bad.

Further updates may come.

EDITORIAL NOTE: THE INFORMATION IN THIS STORY IS THE DESCRIPTION OF EVENTS BY ANTHONY SANTIAGO. I DON'T EXPECT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT TO RESPOND, BUT I WANT TO MAKE IT CLEAR THIS IS THE VERSION OF EVENTS AS GIVEN BY SANTIAGO.

Its no surprise that many candidates have emerged for school board in the South Eastern School District this year. The debate over the 97-thousand dollar piano and the "fair compromise" teacher contract featuring 4.4 to 4.7 percent pay increases per year would certainly raise eyebrows in our tough economic times.

A few years ago a 20 percent plus property tax increase was imposed in the district.

In the last days of the campaign there has been the sudden emergence of candidates under the banner of the South Eastern Tax Reform Coalition.

The four candidates being touted are Anna Parlett Bickford in Region 1, Mary Hyson and Sherry Neale in Region 2 and a recent write-in candidate Rob Taylor in Region 3.

Democrat Bickford in Region 1 opposes incumbent Richard Wilson who is a Republican in this cross-filed election. Bickford works for Lincoln Intermediate Unit and is a former principal and assistant principal in the district. Public education employees on school boards raise red flags for me. I smell a trick "tax reformer" here.

The field is wide in Region 2 with eight candidates for two seats. Rebecca Reynolds who is a school bus driver and Republican is the only incumbent. I see conflict of interest again. Other candidates are Scott Espensen, Joseph Leyhe, Deb Tillman and Traci Stauffer. Candidate Jane Mueller is a teacher and Democrat. Mueller is a clear conflict of interest candidate.

That brings us to Mary Hyson and Sherry Neale, the tax reform candidates. Both are Republicans with Hyson being a cheerleading coach and volunteer in the district. I see some conflict of interest here that concerns me.

Then in Region 3 its incumbent Sue Glenn, a Republican and school bus driver. The challenger promoted as a tax reformer is write-in candidate Rob Taylor.

This contest is something for voters in the South Eastern School District to soberly consider in the coming days. Are there real reform school board candidates out there or just business as usual ones disguised by reform ones?

The group (SETRC) has a website and lists Joseph Leyhe (District 2 candidate) as a board member. Why didn't he end up with endorsement in that region? Is this tax reform group perhaps one penetrated by the tax and spend crowd?

I've got questions and I hope South Eastern taxpayers are finding answers.

As word spread that leftist Matthew Mann was gathering signatures for an independent run for York City Mayor, City Council President Joe Musso had an announcement to make.

Musso said he would be an independent candidate for mayor. Musso had decided not to run for re-election this year and said he was leaving politics. But now this sudden announcement.

In spite of the embarrassing domestic incident a few years ago when charges were dropped against Musso when his wife would not testify, Joe Musso has a long record of involvement in York City government. It would be a good resume for any candidate for York Mayor.

But his "insider" status makes him suspect here as a candidate designed to split off votes from Mann and protect the likely Democrat insider candidate, Kim Bracey. Is this Musso's mission for 2009?????? Mann ran as a Democrat and was elected York City Treasurer in 2007. Then he was unable to take office because he could not be bonded for a large amount of money. Prior to that Mann ran numerous campaigns as an independent or third party candidate.

Matthew Mann says that if he is elected mayor, he will push for a new land valuation system that will reduce property taxes for poorer residents and increase taxes for wealthy land owners in the city.

Mann's plan is a direct threat to Louis Appell Jr., Tom Wolf and other elite people who are involved in York City properties. It would be in their interests to keep Mann contained and Musso appears to serve their interests with his candidacy.

With the York Counts push for police consolidation involving York City and surrounding communities, its important to think about township supervisor candidates and or their positions on this idea. The big new police department will be more expensive and the York City Police pension bubble hangs over the cost of that new department.

Supervisors in Springettsbury and Manchester Townships are among local officials who have voted to approve participation in a so-called "study" of police consolidation. That's the first step towards a major and costly decision for suburban taxpayers in the next few years.

I have some insight on these candidates positions on the super police department and their loyalty to York Counts, but perhaps you should check their views out before you vote.

When conservative Manchester Township supervisor John D'Ottavio died in office, his wife, Rita D' Ottavio sought his position. Fellow Republicans on the board of supervisors chose Democrat Edward Dankanich instead.

Now on May 19th a special election is being held for the seat to fill out the remainder of John D'Ottavio's term. Rita D'Ottavio is the Republican candidate and Dankanich is the Democrat candidate. D' Ottavio served as the township's tax collector from 2002 to 2006.

Dankanich has expressed the need to watch the York Counts study closely. The "study" results are already preset. It will be a piece of propaganda claiming the new department will cost less. Dankanich appears to be a threat to taxpayers in Manchester Township who would end up paying dearly for a super police department combined with York City.

In the Republican primary, supervisors chairwoman Lisa Wingert is being challenged by Deb Myers for a six year term. Wingert and her husband Ken are longtime fixtures in the GOP political establishment of Manchester Township.

Myers works as a deputy controller for York County. I would like to know more about their views of York Counts before I would make a choice here.

There are no Democrats on the ballot, but three Republicans are seeking the nomination for two supervisor seats in Springettsbury Township.

Springettsbury Township appears to becoming a more regimented locality with zoning regs against animal owners and zoning officers who yank signs off of grass at will.

And then there's the determined effort of its zoning board and supervisors to regulate a charity Christmas tree sale right out of the township. Big government in a little bite with someone "paying" these supervisors to do their bidding seems a possibility.

Into this picture come the three candidates.

First there is incumbent supervisor George Dvoryak. Dvoryak is the Secretary/Treasurer of the board. He is the stepson of York County's Republican Party chairman, Carville "Peck" Foster. Dvoryak is Vice President of Finance and Operations for the York County Community Foundation. Dvoryak seems like a very 'inside' man.

Then the challengers. First, there is Michael Papa. Papa touts his longtime involvement in township boards. But what fascinates me the most is that Papa challenged incumbent State Representative Keith Gillespie of the 47th District in the 2006 primary. That was when incumbents were feeling the heat from the pay raise fiasco in Harrisburg.

Was Papa doing a setup candidacy to protect incumbent Gillsepie like was apparently done to protect State Representative Steve Nickol in the 193rd District? Papa's involvement in township boards says "insider" to me and it doesn't rhyme with a challenge to an incumbent "insider" for an election.

The next challenger is Julie Landis. Landis served on the Central York School Board for four years. She ran as a candidate opposed to the new high school that has cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars and was dubbed "the Taj Mahal." Landis may be a fiscally responsible person and she also may be an anti-development type like former Springettsbury supervisor and York County Commissioner Lori Mitrick.

She may the candidate to vote for in this contest for those concerned about financial responsibility in light of York Counts scheming. But more questions need to be asked.

There was plenty of negative comment at a meeting called by the York City School District for comment on stationing six police officers at William Penn High School.

Some attacked the idea as contributing to a bad reputation for the high school, others saw racism in the move and others said it just wasn't necessary. And some hit the idea because funding under the "stimulus plan" being sought for the police officers would eventually run out.

Meanwhile, the four Democrats running for mayor in the May 19th primary all gave varying degrees of a thumbs down for the idea.

At the meeting, Police Commissioner Mark Whitman made the argument that the officers would be professional and that they would help students learn and develop skills.

Also critical of the idea was York City School Board member Sam Beard, a member of the racial faction of the board.

Well, funding may indeed run out for the six officers in a few years. Perhaps Whitman and other officials see that consolidated police force in place by then meaning suburban taxpayers will pick up the bill for the officers.

What about the "racism" rap? Well, perhaps all the fuss is about the fact that York City Police stationed in the city schools helped arrange a "warrant sweep" a few years ago that resulted in many staff members being arrested while at work.

There was a lot of anger about that. Many support employees in the district from hall monitors to cafeteria workers, etc. are a bit militant about race and have been supporters of the racial faction members of the school board.

As I've said before, people who have drug and alcohol problems and legal conseuqences from those problems often want to find excuses for their trouble. "Racism" is a very convenient one.

Also, the district's plans to hire its own security staff for the school gives some people jobs they don't want to see police doing. That may also drive some of this opposition to the police plan for William Penn.

James Morgan, a racial faction school board member, used to be involved in security for the school district before the position was cut due to budget problems. Morgan hopes to be back in a security position with the school district again.

In short, I think there's more to the opposition to police officers at William Penn High School than you've been reading in the newspaper this last week.

York County Controller Robb Green says the economic slowdown is affecting the pension fund for retired county employees.

Green says that 3 million dollars may be needed to boost the fund this year. He also said that unless the economy improves, up to 10 million dollars more may be needed next year.

York County's pension fund is more responsible in its level of benefits than other government employee pension funds like those for state and school employees. But even it is facing the consequences of the decline of stocks that began last fall.

There are nine candidates running on both parties ballots for two seats on the Court of Common Pleas.

Liberal candidate Andrea Marceca Strong, whose signs adorn the same front lawns where Obama signs rested last fall, appears second on the Republican ballot, giving her a good chance to win on the Republican side. Strong sent out a direct mailing to Republican voters last week.

John Ogden is running a radio commercial featuring an endorsement from Democrat and York City Council president Joe Musso. Ogden's Democrat ballot position is second giving him a shot at winning that primary. Democrat insiders are rallying around Ogden and Strong, who has fourth ballot position of the nine on the Democrat side.

Republican insider support is centered around defense attorney Harry Ness, who is first on the GOP ballot and prosecutor Chuck Patterson, who has the fourth Republican ballot position of the nine candidates.

In the Republican primary fight for District Attorney, challenger Tom Kearney's signs are appearing in yards where Obama signs were last fall. This raises questions as to which liberals or liberal interest groups (pot smokers, gay etc.) are throwing support behind Kearney, who is trying to unseat incumbent District Attorney Stan Rebert.

Kearney has been active in GOP circles for many years and is picking up some insider support. Whether he will unseat Rebert remains to be seen. There may be some sparks in this race in the last few weeks.

Greg Lewis stood up to have his voice heard at the April meeting of the Central York School Board. He wanted the school district to justify the 3.9 percent tax increase in the midst of the economic slowdown. Lewis said that the tax hike 'is going to drive people out of their homes.' Lewis is running for school board as well in the May 19th primary.

The board was going through the ususal motions of paring down its original plan to increase property taxes by 4.8 percent.

Board member Karl Peckmann, who is up for re-election on May 19th, said he had asked the administration for a budget plan with no property tax increase for the coming school year.

Peckmann said he could not support the 3.9 percent tax hike because he believes there should be no tax hike this year. Peckmann and another incumbent board member, Michael Snyder, voted no on the 3.9 percent hike. Another board member, Joseph Reed, also voted no.

Incumbent school board members Robert Weikert and Michael Wagner voted in favor of the tax hike.

Greg Lewis is running on the Republican ballot only for one of four seats on the Central York School Board.

There are three other challengers running for Central School Board seats besides Lewis. They are William Wagner, Howard Myers and Janice Liao-Tabatabai. Those three candidates appear on both party ballots along with the incumbents.

SPECIAL NOTE: INSIDERS IN THE CENTRAL YORK SCHOOL DISTRICT APPEAR TO BE MOST WORRIED ABOUT CANDIDATES WILLIAM WAGNER AND HOWARD MYERS, WHO ARE ACTIVE IN WRESTLING ACTIVITES AND RAISED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CONDUCT AND BACKGROUND OF COACHES IN THE DISTRICT'S WRESTLING PROGRAM EARLIER THIS YEAR.

With just three weeks to go before incumbent school board members face voters, the figures are out from Harrisburg on how casino money will lower property taxes.

York City gets the big bucks again this year-506 dollars. West Shore School District in the northern end of York County is at the bottom with 80 dollars. Central York's figure is 110 dollars, York Suburban figure 114 dollars. In the Dallastown School District, the amount is 128 dollars.

Flat figures mean that property owners of more expensive homes will pay higher property taxes this year. Also note how urban areas that vote for Democrats are also favored.

The casino money giveback on property taxes is "redistribution of wealth" and very political in how it works.

The real story about these partial crime stats for the first three months of 2009 is that they are designed to create an impression right before the primary election for mayor in York.

Mayor Brenner was saying nice things about them and hoping people will support his handpicked choice in the Democrat primary, Kim Bracey.

Outsiders and reformers who are grouped around Gerry Turner, want to fight crime in the city and the release of this info is designed to undercut any charges about a crime problem in the city.

The first three months stats don't tell the story of an entire year and it seems absurd to release them until one realizes an election is right around the corner.

The report's uneveness shows in the murder stat cited. O for the first three months of 2009 as opposed to three in the first three months of 2008. That comes out as a 100 percent drop statistic. Overall the report said crime is down about 15 percent in the first three months of 2009.

A reliable source says they've observed a York City Police Captain driving with a passenger in an official vehicle.

The source says they think that Captain Ron Camacho has been travelling in a white car with municipal government license plates and a female passenger on Sunday mornings.

Whatever is going on it it is certain that the white car with MG license plates has been going around the city Sunday mornings with a male driver and female passenger.

Whether this violates any city or city police policy is unknown. But use of police vehicles by officers or government officials is often strictly regulated with official use only, no personal use etc.

This situation that was observed regardless of who the driver is does raise questions??????????

A federal appeals court has overturned a lower court ruling allowing federal lawsuits by two pro-life demonstrators against the City of York to go forward.

Edward Snell and John McTernan allege that York City Police violated their First Amendment rights.

Snell says he was wrongfully arrested in 2004 when handing out literature in the alley near the Planned Parenthood abortion clinic. District Justice Ronald Haskell found him not guilty.

McTernan says he was threatened with arrest by a police officer for holding a pro-life sign in the alley near Planned Parenthood in 2005. McTernan also said that in 2005 a desk sergeant called him a "troublemaker" and refused to take his complaint about a fast moving car that almost hit pro-life demonstrators.

Mayor John Brenner's administration has a track record of losing in court twice and having to pay out taxpayers money because of their harrassment of Reverend Jim Grove's pro-life protests at the Halloween parades.

Brenner is leaving office next year but will his handpicked successor Kim Bracey repeat the mistakes of aggressively using police against pro-life protest? Both Brenner and Bracey are supported by the rich men of York who also support Planned Parenthood.

The pattern is always the same. A government entity announces a 6 percent tax hike, then cuts it back to 5 and ends up with a 4 percent one in the final budget plan.

The objective of this political exercise by public officials is to make taxpayers feel more comfortable with higher taxes by reducing the amount in the final version.

Now the Southern York School District has checked in with its plan to raise property taxes by only 2.98 percent for the 2009-2010 school year. The district is counting on some surplus money from this year and some "stimulus" money from Washington.

The .47 mill hike means 47 more dollars in taxes for properties valued at 100-thousand dollars.

The announcement of the "smaller" tax hike comes before the school board primary election on May 19th.

A final budget vote is set for May 21st.

The Manchester Township Board of Supervisors have put their support behind the York Counts study to promote consolidation of police forces in and around York City.

Like Spring Garden and Springettsbury Townships, Manchester's supervisors support is based on the proposition that the township pays nothing for the study.

York Counts plans to apply for a 50-thousand dollar grant from state taxpayers money to do the study. The group that will be used to do the study recently completed one calling for a consolidated police department in Berks County.

A little bit of your tax dollars that go to Harrisburg will promote a scheme that will cost suburban York taxpayers a lot more if we ever get that super police department.

The York City government is strained by the cost of police protection inlcuding a massive police pension obligation. This York Counts "public safety" study is a disguised bailout plan for the City of York paid for with suburban tax dollars.

The Republican supervisors in Manchester Township must be influenced by something or someone with money like those behind the York Counts organization.

Watch your supervisors, Manchester Township. The most politically aspiring of them is Lawrence Young. This lawyer is doing the work of the Republican Party in York County and ingratiating himself for future political activity.

Last year, Young put out dirt about a bankruptcy involving the Democrat opposing State Representative Ron Miller in the 93rd District. Now, Young is managing the campaign of York County judicial candidate Susan Emmons. Her presence in the race will chip liberal and female votes away from leading liberal female candidate Andrea Marceca Strong. That will help GOP candidates Chuck Patterson and Harry Ness win on May 19th.

The White Rose Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police is out with its endorsements for the May 19th primary.

Its looks like an endorsement of the Republican Party's official candidates for judge. The group representing York City Police officers picked Chuck Patterson and Harry Ness as their candidates for Judge Of The Common Pleas Court.

There was also an endorsment for incumbent York County District Attorney Stan Rebert. Law enforcement support can be crucial as Rebert fends off the challenge of Tom Kearney in the GOP Primary.

More comment and analysis on the judicial race, the district attorney contest, and other races to come in the weeks ahead.

The "York Daily Record" was up online with news of the April 16th drug search at Central York High School two and a half hours after my posting Thursday. The short news story was online but not printed in the newspaper.

Five arrests were reported after drugs and drug paraphernalia were found in a car in the parking lot. Police said charges were pending.

The school district said parents were informed in a letter about "the situation."

Public education has a way of keeping the public out of the loop and getting away with the letter being sent home to parents rationalization.

Its time that more of what's going on in public schools was told to the public and publicized more widely. Don't the people who pay for the schools have a right to know? Instead the taxpayers see glowing glossy newsletters that paint a nicer looking picture of what's going on in public schools.

One parent recently told me that students at Central York High School are "having sex in the bathrooms." I can add that the school's custodians have occasionally found condoms in the bathrooms.

Those schools and bathrooms were built with your taxes and I report in the interest of your knowledge and reflection on that.

A WEEK AGO TODAY ON APRIL 16TH A DRUG DOG SEARCH WAS MADE OF LOCKERS AND CLASSROOMS AT CENTRAL YORK HIGH SCHOOL. THE SEARCH TURNED UP DRUGS AND ARRESTS WERE MADE. PARENT AND STAFF SOURCES GAVE CONFLICTING ACCOUNTS OF HOW MANY, BUT IT IS SAID THAT EITHER THREE OR FIVE WERE ARRESTED. IT APPEARS THAT THE NEW CENTRAL YORK SUPERINTENDENT, DR. MICHAEL SNELL, IS TAKING A HARD LINE APPROACH BY ALLOWING A DRUG DOG SEARCH. SNELL IS SAID TO HAVE A TOUGH ATTITUDE AND IN ALLOWING THE SEARCH HE IS BREAKING NEW GROUND THAT HIS PREDECESSOR, DR. LINDA ESTEP, WOULD NOT.

There are some hot contests in York County like the judicial race and the Republican primary fight over the District Attorney's post. But before I talk about those races and others in the days ahead, I want to take time to consider the political playing field in the Democrat primary for York City Mayor.

First, lets note that the insider candidate is Kim Bracey. Bracey is supported by current Mayor John Brenner, City Councilwoman Toni Smith and York's political money elite.

Her main challenge comes from Gerry Turner, who was the Republican candidate for mayor in 2005. He's now a Democrat and enjoys support from outsiders who see bad policy coming from the political insiders of city government.

But here's where things get fuzzy and one has to ask questions. Why is the recently elected (2007) member of York City Council, Genevieve Ray, running for mayor? Ray was supported by those same political insiders who now back Bracey.

Ray should be supporting Bracey and it looks like she is as another candidate in the race.

Perhaps that's because the political elite worries that the fourth candidate in this race, Roderick Artis, will split black votes away from Bracey enabling a unified white vote to put Turner over the top in the primary. To counter Artis's splitting of the black vote, Ray will split white votes to help Bracey pull ahead of the other candidates. Why is Artis running? Because he sincerely wants to be mayor or because Turner ran him to split black votes away from Bracey? Right now I don't know the answer to that question.

But that's how I expain the field in the Democrat primary for Mayor of York in the May 19th election.

The winner of this contest faces Republican candidate Wendell Banks in the general election this November.

The campaign manager for Republican York City Council candidate Jay Andrzejczyk, Adrienne McNeil, says that Democrat candidate Joe Stein was displaying offensive bumper stickers on his Facebook page.

Pictures of black people and watermelons with jokes are on the bumper stickers and its alleged that other jokes about Helen Keller and Asian people were on the page.

Stein says he's sorry if he's offended anyone and will remove the material, saying its in "bad taste."

This whole thing has me spinning in confusion. Adrienne McNeil resigned from the executive director post of the York County Community Against Racism group several months ago and now she is helping a Republican political candidate.

Two possible explanations. The first one is that Adrienne McNeil was sent over by the Democrats to disrupt the Republican effort. The second is that the racially obsessed McNeil was drummed out of the YCCAR group by its Democrat Party backers and she is bitter over the matter.

McNeil's association with the Andrzejczyk campaign makes this GOP candidate appear to be very liberal to say the least.

In recent elections for judges in York County. liberal forces have used name recognition and female candidates to elect their kind of judges in York County. The female candidates are packaged to conservative voters as more conservative than they really are.

Candidates like Kathleen Prendergast and Barbara Stump failed. But Penny Blackwell was successfully elected as a Common Pleas Court Judge.

Another liberal Democrat success story was ex-state senator Mike Bortner. Bortner's name recognition allowed him instant election in the primary as he came in the top slots on both Democrat and Republican ballots.

Now the liberals have their sights set on electing another judge in York County through the candidacy of Andrea Marceca Strong. The image of a "strong judge" is what her campaign wants to create in your mind. But her support base is clearly liberal and Democrat. One way to notice it is the location of her campaign signs. They are in the same yards that had Barack Obama signs last fall.

Some of Strong's signs are also paired with those of another liberal candidate, John Ogden. It appears Democrats have their favored candidates in this race for the two judicial seats.

I think the Republicans are on to this use of female candidates to win elections and they have some of their own in the race. Susan Emmons is running a campaign managed by Republican attorney Lawrence (Larry) Young. Erin Thompson is also in the race. Her father is currently a York County Common Pleas Judge and her grandfather was the longtime Republican chairman in York County.

Five of the nine candidates for the two judicial seats are female and their presence may help split female votes to help male candiates win. But Andrea Marceca Strong is trying to Obama her way to a win on May 19th. Beware of her, learn more about her, and warn others.

Among the male candidates, Harry Ness has the strongest name recognition at this point and a good shot at winning a Republican slot. A male candidate supported by Republican insiders is Chuck Patterson, chief deputy prosecutor at the DA's office.

All 9 candidates are on both parties ballots and have a chance to win automatic election May 19th with a win on both party's ballots.

With incumbent school board members facing opposition and voters concerned about higher taxes and spending, it should come as no surpise that school district's are putting out revised budgets for next year that reduce projected tax increases.

The Dallastown School District now says the 2009-2010 budget will only increase 3.3 percent instead of 4.8 percent. That translates into a 69 dollar property tax hike for a home valued at 100-thousand dollars.

Dallastown is planning on spending over 85.7 million dollars next year with the new revised budget delaying plans to buy new band uniforms, among other things.

Meanwhile, the Central York School District has revised its budget increase for the 2009-2010 year down to 3.9 percent from 4.8 percent. That was done by eliminating plans to create 11.5 new jobs in the district next year.

The 73.8 million dollar budget will draw on 2.7 million dollars in surplus funds to keep the tax hike down.

That will mean a 97 dollar property tax hike for a home valued at 150-thousand dollars.

It is worth noting here that four candidates are on the ballot in the May 19th primary challenging the four incumbent school board members. I think this is a major factor in the move by the district to cut spending plans.

I will also note that while no new positions are supposed to be created next year, the district has been hiring for new positions this year, including some related to the new pool at the high school. The most expensive new position (likely costing taxpayers well over 60-thousand dollars) is that of a Human Resources Director for the Central York School District. Applications for the position were being accepted last month.

South Western School District elementary school teacher Matthew Krapf resigned suddenly last Wednesday a week after state police seized a computer in his home.

The police are conducting an investigation into child pornography.

The school district said Krapf was removed from his teaching position when police seized the computer on April 1st.

The school district said it acted in response to the police investigation of Krapf, who was a math teacher for 75 fifth-grade students at the Baresville Elementary School. Krapf was also an assistant track coach at the Markle Intermediate School. He had been teaching for 10 years.

District officials met with the parents of Krapf's students and sent a letter to those who did not meet with them. They made those parents only aware of the pornography investigation.

Other parents of children in the school were kept in the dark and found out about the investigation from their children or media reports. The school district said that "legal advice" led them to limit distribution of information.

The school says guidance counselors are available to speak with students.

The investigation of Matthew Krapf is continuing with no charges filed yet.

Its worth noting in this case that teachers accused of wrongdoing or under a cloud of suspicion will resign ahead of any possible firing to keep pension benefits and the possibility of teaching again some day, possibly in another state.

The district says the investigation is about activities "outside the school" but we will have to wait and see if anything develops from the investigation that may be linked to the ex-teacher and his former students.

If I were a parent I would question my child about this teacher and if they have been harmed in any way by him. If I got a "Yes" to that I would go to the police immediately and bypass the school district in case they try to cover anything up.

Larry Wolfe is a candidate for school board in the Dallastown School District this year and he has an idea about saving taxpayers some money.

Speaking at a school board meeting recently, Wolfe called for half the cost of extracurricular activites like band and sports to be paid for by students. Some parents showed up at a board meeting last week to protest the idea.

In making his proposal Wolfe said that students who are poor could have their way paid for out of a fund that he would personally be willing to contribute to. Wolfe wants to find out exactly how much the activities cost including the maintenance of fields and stadiums where sports are played.

The district has given a cost estimate of more than 1.3 million dollars for extracurricular activites. Wolfe thinks that's low and the district is checking to find out more information and will present a new estimate.

Larry Wolfe is one of three candidates for Dallastown School Board in District 1. He's facing incumbent member Jim Morton and another candidate, Butch Potter, in the May 19th primary.

Well, Wolfe is thinking about cutting costs to taxpayers. That's a good idea. He's stirred up a hornets nest by bring up band and sports activities to make his point.

The biggest item in school budgets (over 50 percent) remains the pay and benefits for school employees. It is here where money can be saved and the taxpayers offered relief. I hope Mr. Wolfe will talk about these costs as well in his school board campaign.

There's a 70 percent grade requirement now in place for extra curricular activities in the Northeastern School District. The school board has approved the higher standard.

This would put Northeastern in line with the neighboring Eastern School District where there's a 70 percent requirement for students to be involved in after school things like sports. The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association has a 60 percent requirement.

Student performance will be reported every Friday and if its below the 70 percent standard in any classes, the student will be out of sports and other extra-curricular activities for one week.

The higher standard in the Eastern district has become a matter of controversy.

(SEE STORY BELOW)

Parents in the Eastern York School District want the school board to loosen an academic standard for student athletes in the district.

Eastern requires its student athletes to maintain a 70 percent average in classes to play in games. The protesting parents say Eastern should adhere to the standard of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association. The PIAA requires a 60 percent average for student athletes to play.

This story shows us the priorities of some parents and what will make them go to a school board meeting. Sports has become the center of some people's lives and the only thing that will motivate them to raise objections at school board meetings.

Whenever sports is in dispute, large crowds show up at school board meetings. Maybe the parents should care about academic standards more and the political agendas that pass for education in many school districts ranging from "diversity" to "climate change."

And what about wasteful spending and the need to cap gold plated salaries and benefits for school employees from the 140-thousand dollar a year superintendents on down. These issues should drive people to school board meetings, but more often than not they don't.

"The York Dispatch" printed crime statistics last week that showed York City leading cities of comparable size in Pennsylvania in property crime and fourth in violent crime. The crime stats come from a five year average (2002-2007) involving cities like Lancaster, Harrisburg and Chester in comparison with York.

Both current York mayor John Brenner and the candidates running to replace him next year were speaking about the city's crime problem. Brenner thinks a solution lies in the people of the city's neighborhoods. Their involvement will help to stop crime.

"The York Dispatch" also reported about poverty as a cause of crime and also reported about "rising crime" in York County. The countywide statistics cited by the newspaper indicate the crime rate is much lower outside of the city. The violent crime rate in the county is around 1/5 of the city's and the property crime rate in the county is around 30 percent of the city's.

Perhaps Mayor Brenner has a point, but crime will go down when people in the city's neighborhoods decide to change the direction of their lives. Addictive behavior including the abuse of drugs can be seen behind the criminal activity in York and everywhere else.

Meanwhile, the York Counts scheme to create a consolidated police force was discussed at a closed meeting on Wednesday night. York Counts claim that crime is everywhere was undermined by the high crime rates reported in York City. Those high crime rates reinforce the idea that this consolidated police concept is really a way to tax county residents to provide police protection to the crime ridden city.

York Counts said that its people and those from the local governments involved in the consolidated police study could not speak freely at a public meeting.

Beware of York Counts and its police consolidation study which will come out promoting the concept of one police department in York City and surrounding suburbs.

The Central York High School's new multimillion dollar pool is being drained this weekend for repair. Caulking of the new pool was not done properly and the construction company (ECI Construction) has to fix it. The school district has been quick to point out that the construction company is paying for fixing its mistake.

Longtime editor of "The York Sunday News" Gordon Freirich noted in an opinion piece last fall that pools are expensive to operate. Central has had to hire special maintenance staff to run its "natatorium" and a staff of lifeguards as well. All those thousands of gallons of water to refill the pool will cost money as well.

Central is offering memberships for those who want to use its pool. Taxpayers need to ask if the pool fees are covering the cost of the facility.

A Linda Estep Aquatics Program Fund has been established to pay for swimming classes at the new Central York High School pool. The fund will pay for children who can't afford the classes.

It seems appopriate that money should be raised to pay for operating this pool in Dr. Estep's name. Estep was militantly committed to building the pool and once claimed that a state law required the school to add more physical education space. When "The York Dispatch" found out that no such law existed she claimed that she had "misspoke" about the matter.

Word is that 2500 hundred dollars raised at the opening of the pool last year is now in the fund.

When Barack Obama made his crack to Joe The Plumber about redistribution of wealth, a lot of red lights went off. Now that Obama is president and money from the "stimulus" is flowing heavily into areas that voted for him in the last election, we can see what that comment means.

In York County, school districts like Central or Red Lion will see 1.6 or 2.4 million dollars in 'stimulus.' But in the Obama supporting York City School District, there's 8.1 million dollars plus in 'stimulus.'

Imagine a locally based group doing the same thing Obama is with a shell game about "saving money" to "consolidate services." York County has such a group embracing numerous political and business "leaders" under the banner of York Counts.

York Counts continues to push forward with a police consoldiation scheme. Its leaders like executive director James DeBoard, have access to York's newspapers, WSBA Radio and community access televison to claim York Counts is about saving money through consolidation of services.

When York Mayor John Brenner made his "State of the City" address several days ago he laid out the major financial burden city government faces. Brenner cited the cost of public safety for city residents. He was talking about the cost of police and fire protection. That includes a massive police pension burden in the millions of dollars.

Right now that burden falls on city taxpayers.

York Counts, with its various schemes to consolidate school districts, create a countywide health department, a countywide human relations commission and above all the consolidated police department, takes the burden of city spending and hands it over to residents of the suburbs. The part of York County that votes for Democrats will have the wealth of areas that vote for Republicans transfered through higher property taxation.

Don't be fooled by the hype.

York Counts is a tax increase aimed at the suburbs of York County that will take Republican voting suburbs wealth and transfer it to provide government services to the Democrat voting City Of York.

Maybe York Counts should just call itself "York Obama." It is 'redistribution of wealth' disguised as a cost-saving consolidation.

Nine local governments, including Spring Garden and Springettsbury Townships, are already on board for the "study" that will be done to promote consolidation.

James DeBoard has revealed that a group called the Police Executve Research Forum will conduct the study. The PERF group completed a study recently in Berks County, Pennsylvania that promoted the idea of consolidating the county's police departments with the Reading City Police Department.

The York County Community Against Racism group continues its "reorganization" after the departure of its controversial executive director Adrienne McNeil.

A meeting last Saturday discussed the effort that will be relaunched next year to establish a "human relations commission" for York County. Besides offering a financial bailout for York City's existing "human relations commission," this would also mean "jurisdiction" being extended to all of York County.

YCCAR is partnering with the "York Counts" group that is pushing various government consolidation schemes that would have York County taxpayers bearing the burden of York City services.

YCCAR wants to sell the idea of such a commission using the example of one created for all of Lancaster County. Its also citing research about people being discriminated against in York County.

Quoted in the "York Sunday News" report on the meeting was YCCAR leader Ryan Satter. Satter was quoted last fall as a Catholic who supported pro-abortion Barack Obama for president. This again makes one suspicious as to whether YCCAR is some sort of political front for York County's Democrat Party. Also serving as YCCAR board chairman is active York County Democrat Don Hake.

Bottom line is that such a "human relations commission" like the York City one that is stocked with politically biased people, could become like those that exist in Canada.

Canadian "human rights commissions" routinely drag letter to the editor writers, internet bloggers, and publishers into costly legal proceedings based on the content of their speech.

Even the Roman Catholic bishop of Calgary, Alberta faced a "human rights tribunal" for writing a pastoral letter opposing gay marriage. And an expensive "human rights" case in Canada was directed against a columnist for the nations leading newsmagazine "Macleans." That was because Mark Steyn allegedly offended Muslims by writing a column about "Islamic terrorism."

The York City School District has spoken to the "York Dispatch" about its new sex education program chosen because the city has a high "teen pregancy" rate.

Four cities in the state including York were designated for new sex education curriculum aimed at middle school students. The Pennsylvania Department of Education calls it the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Pilot.

Word is that York's curriculum was chosen from 25 different possibilities and is different from that being used in Lancaster and Reading. There is no condom use lesson in the York middle school sex education program, according to district official Cheryl Shaffer.

A teacher union president spoke out at a Reading School Board meeting saying teachers did not want to use a model penis to demonstrate the idea that using condoms was "fun and pleasurable."

The York City curriculum is called "Draw The Line, Respect The Line" and is said to involve educating students about making decisions that could postpone sex.

Since our schools are public schools, it would be a good idea to have this curriculum released to the public online so parents and taxpayers could see it at their convenience.

The sudden departure of First Assistant District Attorney Bill Graff came at a most unusual time. The GOP primary campaign for York County District Attorney is underway with incumbent Stan Rebert facing lawyer Tom Kearney.

Pressure from York County police chiefs appears to be behind the sudden announcement that Graff will be on leave immediately and is retiring on May 15th.

They were said to be upset with the way he was running the York County Drug Task Force. The local police were said to have wanted more input into the task force.

DA Stan Rebert said it was his decision to deal with Graff. Rebert told the "York Dispatch" that it was the "most difficult decision" he has ever made. His political challenger, Tom Kearney, said he would like to know why Graff was asked to retire.

Why does something like this happen now? Back in the 1990's law enforcement in York County showed its political muscle by electing retired York City Police Chief Bill Hose as Sheriff. They overcame the Republican Party endorsed Ken Markel in a GOP Primary.

Is this another display of such muscle to create controversy during a political campaign?

Kearney is a very political savvy and active person. He knows how tough defeating an incumbent is. Kearney is fully aware that pulling out the stops to defeat Rebert is the only way he can win.

I'm wondering if the police attack on Graff is somehow linked to Kearney.

The "stimulus" money is set to pour out of Washington into areas that voted for Barack Obama and other Democrats in the 2008 election.

For the City of York this means all kinds of money for all kinds of things, including additional police officers in schools. The York City Police Department is looking at obtaining grant money to add six new police officers at William Penn High School.

York City Police Commissioner Mark Whitman says the officers will increase security and establish positive relationships with students.

When the idea was presented to the York City School Board, there was a predictable mixed reaction. Members of the racial faction of the board, who acknowledge discipline problems at the school, oppose additional police.

Member Sam Beard thought that so many armed officers in an educational environment sends a wrong message.

The racial faction members seem very confused when it comes to discipline problems. They appear to be concerned on one hand and willing to excuse or downplay any problems on the other.

Meanwhile, insider school board President Jeanette Torres expressed support for the additional police, saying they could prevent a future tragedy.

Curently there are two "resource officers" in the York City School District from the police department.

The "stimulus" money to fund the police will only last for three years. What will happen then?

ONE OTHER NOTE, A CONTESTED SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION IS COMING UP IN PRIMARY VOTING ON MAY 19TH WITH SEVEN CANDIDATES RUNNING FOR FOUR SEATS ON THE YORK CITY SCHOOL BOARD. MORE NEWS AND ANALYSIS ON THAT AT A LATER DATE....

Before the Obama "stimulus" plan was approved in Washington, Governor Ed Rendell's budget proposed a "basic education subsidy" to the York City School District of 1.7 million dollars for the 2009-2010 school year. But now there's 2.4 million coming. The extra 700-thousand is "stimulus" money being sent to Pennsylvania for education.

THE 'YORK SUNDAY NEWS' PUBLISHED A PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ESTIMATE OF THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF 'STIMULUS' MONEY GOING TO EACH YORK COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT AND YORK CITY LEADS THE PACK BY FAR WITH OVER 8.1 MILLION DOLLARS.

Additional money is also set to pour into school districts outside the city. The Red Lion School District is reported to be getting 421-thousand dollars more, the Central York School District and the Spring Grove School District are said to be getting 300-thousand more dollars each.

There's a lot to see about politics and money in this story.

Unions that represent people who work in public schools like teachers (American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association) backed Barrack Obama. Now he pays them off with big money. KEEP IN MIND MOST OF THE MONEY PUBLIC EDUCATION SPENDS IS ON SALARIES. THIS MONEY WILL BENEFIT THE UNION EMPLOYEES WHOSE UNIONS SUPPORTED OBAMA FOR PRESIDENT. THEY ARE BEING BOUGHT FOR THE LAST ELECTION AND FUTURE ELECTIONS.

And consider the areas where the money is directed. The largest chunks go to the most urbanized areas that voted the most for Barack Obama and other Democrats.

The York City School District will not have to raise property taxes for the next school year because of all this money. THE PEOPLE OF YORK CITY AND OTHER URBAN AREAS ARE BEING BOUGHT FOR THE LAST ELECTION AND FUTURE ELECTIONS.

And it looks very much like Barack Obama's "committment" to Joe The Plumber is being carried out in the 'stimulus' plan.

People in areas that vote for Democrats will not have to pay higher property taxes next school year while areas that vote for Republicans will have to pay higher property taxes next school year.

THIS 'STIMULUS' PLAN'S DISTRIBUTION OF MONEY TO THE OBAMA-DEMOCRAT SUPPORTING PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS IS 'REDISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH.'

U.S. Representative Todd Platts (R-19th District) has issued a statement supporting President Barack Obama's executive order issued last Monday. The Obama order means taxpayers money will be used to do research on stem cells from aborted babies.

Responding to the president's decision, Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas Olmstead of Phoenix says: "This means that American taxpayers will now be paying for the killing of human beings at a very early stage (as embryos) so that scientific research can make use of them for experiments that may or may not yield positive results.......What President Obama is doing is forcing all American taxpayers to pay for this homicidal research."

It was some ten years ago when he was still a state representative, but planning a run for Congress, that Todd Platts went public saying he had changed from a pro-abortion to a pro-life position. His news release to the press included the announcement that his wife Leslie was leaving her then position with Planned Parenthood.

Platts spent a long time talking for various pro-life leaders in the York area saying he was sincerely pro-life and would be willing to sponsor pro-life legislation in Washington.

In the years since then, the now Congressman Platts appears to be shifting his position slowly away from a pro-life one.

Other observers are disturbed by the Congressman's support for earmarks that add billions of dollars in spending to an already bloated federal budget. Platts is also cited for supporting the big spending children's health insurance program and adding "sexual orientation" to anti-discrimination and hate crime laws.

Can the increasingly liberal Platts be successfully challenged in next spring's GOP Primary? Tricks are probably laid in the way for any potential challenger.

Where do retired state legislators go with their big pension benefits in the bag?

How about a job with a big lobbying organization in Harrisburg that pays more than your 76-thousand dollar plus legislators salary did.

Former "moderate" Republican State Rperesentative Steve Nickol of the 193rd District in the Hanover area now is an "assistant director" with PSEA-Retired. PSEA stands for the Pennsylvania State Education Association, the state's leading union organization that many believe has a stranglehold on the legislature and governors office in Pennsylvania.

When he was in the State House, Nickol served on the Pennsylvania School Employees Retirement System board. Now he will work on giving advice to school employees who retire and form "public policy" positions on retirement issues.

Interviewed by the "York Daily Record," Nickol admits his job will eventually take him back into the State Capitol building. Isn't that just a roundabout way of saying he will be lobbying for more goodies for PSEA members retirement at the expense of Pennsylvania's taxpayers. Its a glaring example of how the system works in Pennsylvania. At least we can give credit to the "York Daily Record" and "Harrisburg Patriot" for mentioning it.

Authorities in Lycoming County have arrested and imprisoned a gym teacher employed by the York City School District in connection with the alleged molestation of an 11-year old boy at a private school he used to work at.

James R. Jamison is accused of sexual offenses and other charges, including intimidation of a witness and terroristic threats.

The alleged victim says he had inappropriate contact with Jamison when he was in first, second and fifth grade at the St.Boniface Elementary School. Jamison also threatened him with a pocket knife, according to the boy.

Jamison came to the York City School District from St. Boniface last August and was a floating gym and health teacher, who worked at two elementary schools.

York City School District officials say Jamison was removed from teaching responsibilities when they were made aware of allegations against him on February 12th. Jamison was arrested in Lycoming County on February 26th.

Jamison is still employed by the school district at this time and remains in Lycoming County Prison on 500-thousand dollars bail.

Several years ago York City School District was cited and fined for failing to report allegations of inappropriate contact involving then Hannah Penn Middle School teacher Edward Fullum and students.

The district appears to have moved quickly in this case instead of sitting on its hands in the previous case in spite of numerous parent complaints. Hopefully, Jamison did not harm any York City students.

The district has spoken of making guidance counselors available for Jamison's former students. We should keep an eye on this to see if Jamison faces any charges for what he may have done to a student or students in York.

At almost the same time that BBC World News was reporting on Mexican drug trafficking's "tentacles" that reach into "sleepy Pennsylvania towns" there were local newspaper stories about a "false" e-mail concerning "Mexican Mafia" activity in York City.

The e-mail started a few weeks ago originating with a York County probation officer and then had extra information tacked on by a York County sheriff's deputy.

Phone calls poured into York City Police about whether it was safe to drive in the 300 and 400 blocks of South Queen Street. The sheriff's deputy had said in his portion of e-mail that it was unsafe to do so.

This led York City Police to describe the e-mail saying that Mexican Mafia gangs had started operating in York City as "false." But Captain Wes Kahley was acknowleding at the same time that people who say they are affiliated with the Mexican Mafia have been active in the York area for a decade or more. Kahley also says that info about Mexican Mafia activity was discussed at a recent law enforcment meeting. City police want people to know that criminals have not just arrived in York and that its not unsafe to travel on South Queen Street.

Mexican drug gangs are waging a war of terror in northern Mexico right now with fears that violence could spill across the border into southern Texas. News of that probably drives some of concerned phone calls to York City Police.

But York's newspapers upped the temperature on this story more over the weekend describing the e-mail as "viral" and talking to residents of the neighborhood in question. I'm surprised they didn't just come out and call the e-mail "racist."

In the days of the "original Mafia" and its leaders like Johnny Torio, Al Capone and Sam Giancanna, much was said about "prejudice" against Italian-Americans with use of the "Mafia" name to describe their criminal activities. The crooks even helped set up and finance "anti-discrimination" groups.

Of course, the official line from York City is that crime is a countywide problem and that we need a consolidated police department. That would mean suburban taxpayers paying more to finance the city's costly police department under a consolidated organization.

But the propaganda line in the months to come will be that it will "save money." And that's a bold faced lie no matter who says it or how its presented in some "study" that will be done.

In a 6-3 decision, the York City School Board voted to approve the Helen Thackston Middle School's second application. An earlier attempt to gain approval failed 5-4.

The four members of the school board's "racial faction" voted for the charter school, but this time they were joined by "insider faction" members Renee Nelson and School Board President Jeanette Torres.

Why the change?

Nelson spoke of the need to comply with state law. That is a good reason. When Lincoln Edison set up the charter elementary school in the city before this latest middle school move, they were treated harshly by the York City School District and its school board.

Torres spoke of her son attending a charter school and herself as a supporter of public schools and charter schools.

As has been noted previously, the pressure from the racial faction was likely to cause the insiders to break at some point. This may have been a breaking point, although Torres and Nelson happened to pick a school board election year for their change of heart.

It appears money always played a major role in all the hostility of York City School District toward Lincoln Edison's elementary charter school. They were upset about losing part of their money to the charter school operation.

Now money for public schools in cities that vote for Democrats like York is flowing freely. Both Governor Ed Rendell's budget plan and President Barack Obama's "stimulus" plan are giving the York City School District a big boost in money. Perhaps a big enough boost for school board members to change their minds about the new charter middle school.

There's a lot of excitement in the York City School District where Barack Obama got lots of votes last fall. Millions of dollars in stimulus money is expected to do repair work on buildings.

Meanwhile, it was reported recently that the York Suburban School District, considered one of the "richest" in York County, is getting 190-thousand dollars in "stimulus" money.

Obama got a lot of votes in that district, even a majority in some precincts.

Politics and handing out money go together, but today's taxpayers and the future ones attending school today get to pay the bill tomorrow for the trillions of dollars in debt now being created.

Attorney Erin Thompson is running in the race for two open seats on York County Common Pleas Court. Thompson is the youngest candidate in the race so far. She is only 32 years old and works as a public defender.

Erin Thompson is the daughter of York County Common Pleas Court Judge John Thompson Jr.

Her grandfather, the late John Thompson Sr., was the longtime chairman of the Republican Party in York County.

It will be interesting to see if she draws the support of political insiders in York County because of her name. Thompson is now one of nine candidates, five of whom are female. The more female candidates there are in the race, the more likely it is to help the male candidates.

Rumors about wrestling parents in the Central York School District have come out into the open. The parents and their lawyer came to last Monday's school board meeting.

Parents have hired a lawyer to ask the district to remove the coach and assistant coach of the varsity wrestling team.

Volunteer wrestling coach Joe Musti told the school board that Central's wrestling program needs change and that they shouldn't sweep things "under the rug."

But it appears the board was trying to do just that.

Allegations include using a volunteer in the wrestling program with a criminal record and that the head wrestling coach Steve Grove had used "lewd" language in front of players.

School board president Eric Wolfgang prevented parents from talking about the allegations at the meeting, saying personnel matters are private matters.

I guess the First Amendment doesn't apply to school board meetings.

Attorney Vincent Spadafora says that he met with Central York High School Principal Ryan Caufman, Central Athletic Director Marty Trimmer and the school district's lawyer. Spadafora told newspaper reporters "they had an excuse for every issue."

School officials appear to have told the parent's lawyer that only a few allegations had any merit and they only merited a reprimand.

Attorney Spadafora said the parents believe the district is not acting "in the best interests of the children."

Parents invest a lot of time and energy in their children's athletic activities hoping that some financial gain may result like scholarships or some sort of athletic career.

Sports issues always seem draw a crowd to a school board meeting like they did last Monday night.

This is a school board election year and there are rumors of candidates running in connection with this issue.

My knowledge of misconduct issues in education and the Central York School District in general leave me with many concerns about what's going on here.

In this case and other insiders move to cover up misconduct in public schools. In one York County school district in recent years, a middle school band director-teacher was caught a second time using his computer to view child pornography. His first offense resulted in a five day suspension and it appeared the second offense would cost him nothing more.

This situation led to a heated meeting between a school district superintendent and a concerned parent, who was also a teacher in that school district. A promise to speak out at the school board meeting drew an angry response from the superintendent. She angrily told him that talking about the teacher using his computer to view child pornography violated "privacy."

The controversy was "resolved" when the offending band director resigned from that school district. But this meant the matter was covered up and the individual involved was free to move onto another school district with his personnel record kept confidential to protect his "privacy." For all the stories of teacher sexual misconduct alone that you have read about in recent years in York County, there are numerous others that you don't read about like the one I mentioned above.

They are kept quiet and school districts get to cover up other kinds of misconduct going on among teachers and staff. You would think that in public education, the public would have a right to know what's happening with the public's money that is spent there.

The 2009-2010 Pennsylvania budget proposed by Governor Ed Rendell increases spending over 5 percent in spite of the economic downturn. New taxes are part of the budget proposal. The budget plan is heavily weighted towards jacking up public education spending by even more than that percentage while freezing and cutting other services.

The funding formula favors school districts in urban areas like York City that vote for Democrats. Seven million more dollars are slated for the city school district starting July 1st.

The York City School Board decided during the last week to spend some 800-thousand dollars on hiring a security director and five guards to increase security at William Penn High School. The district will move hall monitors currently at the high school to other schools in the district.

Money to repair and renovate school buildings in York City is expected with the "stimulus" package coming out of Washington. A city school official speaks of 8.9 million dollars of work that needs to be done on buildings.

Evidence again of a targeted "redistribution of wealth" aimed at areas that vote for Democrats. President Obama is expected to announce tax increases in the coming years to help pay for the program when he speaks before Congress this coming Tuesday.

The school districts in York County are getting increased funding from Harrisburg in the Rendell budget plan for 2009-2010. This will help them as they seek to handle the "inflation index" targets for property tax hikes.

But the bottom line for every property tax owner in these tough economic times is a property tax hike generally in the 3-5 percent range depending on the school district involved.

This is a year for school board elections and that plays a role in the words coming out of school districts about spending plans.

Here's a roundup of the public relations games being played by some districts as they seek to convey an image of financial responsibilty at a time when taxpayers are getting pay cuts and losing their jobs.

In the school district where the administration was pushing the purchase of a 97-thousand dollar piano last year and where teachers are averaging pay increases of around four and half percent in their current contract, officials speak of the new budget and tax increase as reflecting the district's "needs, not wants." The district is also working to create a private fundraising campaign to raise some six million dollars. Its a neat scheme that the Central York School District has been using to fund a lot of athletic related activities and even the districts "diversity" program.

If South Eastern gets this campaign going good, that 97-thousand dollar piano could be right around the corner.

The heavy borrowing by the Dallastown School District got caught up in the financial troubles of Wall Street last fall. A bond rating decline led to hundreds of thousands of dollars per month in extra cost to taxpayers.

Dallastown is moving forward with building a new 60 million dollar plus school in Springfield Township. The district scrambled to find a bank loan so it could stabilize the financial losses.

Now the district is speaking of 1.8 million dollars in spending to be "cut" so the budget will only have a 4.8 percent tax hike in it. In these times, its dsigusting that taxpayers have to pay nearly 5 percent more in property taxes in Dallastown.

The standard game from school districts and board members is to talk higher tax rises then cut back the figure for the final vote to make people feel better.

The directive last Monday from the Central York School Board to focus on "short term solutions" to growth was great showmanship.

The Schrader Group recommendations for a second middle school to be built along with other expansions and renovations estimated to cost over 40 million dollars did not require an immediate decision to build.

The Central board can continue the "tradition" of spending tens of millions on building with a decision after this year's school board elections.

The Schrader Group plan did not envision any construction until sometime late next year (2010).

Meanwhile, in private fundraising news Central's Panther Foundation will get 75-thousand dollars from People's Bank. In exchange, the school board's meeting room will be named for the bank.

A fifth candidate has announced in the race for York City Mayor.

Wendell Banks is a Republican candidate. Banks is an independent minister who has run for office before. He is reported saying that finding a way to lower taxes is his first priority.

Four Democrat candidates are already in the race led including insider candidate Kim Bracey. The three other candidates are Roderick Artis, Genevieve Ray and Gerry Turner.

The promoters of a countywide health department are making a push to get county commissioners to vote on the idea in April.

The Health York County Coalition is carrying out the promotion of the department first proposed by the York Counts group in 2004. They've conducted a business study saying that after other funding sources are tapped, the new department will cost county taxpayers over 400-thousand dollars a year.

What's really missing from this debate and the debate about other ideas proposed under the York Counts banner, like a countywide human relations commission, consolidated police department and consolidated school district is the hidden reality

The hidden reality is that functions of the York City government, like its health department and human relations commission would now be paid for by county taxpayers through these ideas promoted by York Counts.

The costly police department of York City, with its massive pension obligation, would become the burden of suburban taxpayers under consolidation. The study to promote police consolidation is planned for later this year with Springettsbury Township and Spring Garden Townships opening the door to higher taxes by participating in the study.

The consoldiated school district, which Governor Rendell may force on us without any local decisions involved, would burden suburban taxpayers with the cost of York City schools as well.

There are many politically connected people with York City ties in York Counts. Eric Menzer, a former city official, has been a big promoter.

York's leading money men like Tom Wolf and Louis Appell, not to mention Robert Kinsley and others, have done business with the city involving buildings and property and have an interest in the city government's financial future.

They are the natural beneficiaries of a York City government that doesn't go bankrupt and have to be taken over by the state.

For now it looks like Commissioners Steve Chronister and Chris Reilly are opposed to the idea, with Commissioner Doug Hoke saying he's undecided. The opposition of Reilly appears focused on the tight state of county finances right now and he suggests the new department may be viable in the future.

So York Counts may lose this year, but its leaders vow to keep pushing for the new health department.

The pressure of York Counts will build in coming years with repeated sales pitches about the "needs" of the community and "efficiency" in the new police department and school district.

And in the end it will all add up to a York County taxpayer bailout of York City if it isn't stopped. More than a bailout, it will be the creation of new supergovernment entities that will be anything but "efficient" as they develop in coming years.

Soon, York County taxpayers will be as burdened as Maryland taxpayers are in covering the costs of their big size county governments.

"Making Proud Choices" is the name of a program that's stirred up controversy in Reading. That's where the head of the teachers union, Dan Grim, told school board members that the program is not appropriate for middle school students. He added that teachers felt uncomfortable with the program. A school board member denied the program designed to "prevent teen pregnancy" is pornographic.

Three other cities have been targeted because of their "high teen pregnancy rates" for the program aimed at 6th, 7th and 8th Grade students. Lancaster, Harrisburg and York are the cities involved.

The new curriculum was endorsed at a Lancaster school board education committee meeting on Thursday. The message given to any who objected to the new curriculum is that condom usage will be discussed after abstinence is mentioned in earlier presentations. Lancaster officials say the new curriculum scheduled to be taught starting next month will not include the "penis model". This issue was brought up in Reading where the union president said the model would be used to demonstrate condom use to students as part of a "How To Make Condoms Fun And Pleasurable" teaching segment.

One teacher said students as young as second and third grade are having oral sex to justify the new middle school curriculum.

Lancaster officials speak of offering parents access to view the curriculum at the school district office. Why not post it online so all parents and taxpayers can see it?

Some special thoughts here. In Nazi Germany, the boys and girls of Hitler Youth were given "factual information" about sex. No condoms entered into the discussion because the purpose of the "factual information" was to promote pregnancy. Girls were told by Nazi officials pregnancy with or without marriage was acceptable to produce more soldliers for "the Fatherland."

We can talk about sex and sex with condoms until our faces turn blue. I think it all adds up to a discussion that only promotes more sex and more calls for "comprehensive sex edcuation" etc. to combat the increased sex and pregnancy. What is needed is a fundamental change in our thinking about sex and the way sex is dealt with in our society from media to our own personal relationships. This curriculum just diggs a deeper hole for us to go into.

At the rate we are going the former Surgeon General Jocelyn Elders call for masturbation to be taught in kindergarten will become a reality.

And that brings us to these questions. What's happening with this curriculum in York City Schools? What's the story and is anyone looking into it? Full public disclosue about this program is in order.

The executive director of the York County Community Against Racism, Adrienne McNeil, says she is resigning effective February 27th to pursue educational opportunities.

The leftist bent of her organization became a source of controversy with allegations of racial profiling by local police, the promotion of a countywide "human relations commission" and even McNeil's allegation that she was a "victim" of "racism" during a luncheon at a local country club.

YCCAR has been working with area police departments to find new recruits and prepare them for the upcoming York Metropolitian Police Consortium tests.

YCCAR Board chairman Don Hake says YCCAR will still have an employee to answer phones and that YCCAR will develop a speakers bureau to promote the organization. Hake adds that the group will continue to promote the countywide "human relations commission."

Mr. Hake is active politically with Democrats in York County, many of whom are pushing countywide government like police and school consolidation under the "York Counts" and "Metro York" banners. The push appears to a way of bailing out the Democrat-run City of York by having county taxpayers pick up the tab of its government.

The news ended up in Saturday's newspaper on a long weekend. This only arouses suspicion that it's news released to be forgotten and seen by as few people as possible.

The lack of control at the metal detectors for students entering William Penn High School was discussed among York City School Board members at two meetings this last week.

At a Monday meeting, Hiawatha Powell and Beverly Atwater of the four member outsider-racial faction said students were finding their way around the metal detectors. Powell said he's personally seen students going around the detectors and entering the building. Powell and Atwater said it was like a "zoo."

In response, School Board President Jeanette Torres told Powell the matter would be discussed at a special Wednesday meeting.

Powell did show up Wednesday at that meeting. Powell called on school officials to do something about the students avoiding the metal detectors. He said he visited the school again that morning and noticed students getting around detectors and some school staff not having metal detector wands.

The school district's director of students, school and community services, Brandon Hufnagel, told Powell the matters would be taken care of immediately.

The Wednesday meeting also included recommendations for improving security at the high school including hiring of security guards to replace or augment police, training for school staff on student discipline and behavior and requiring district employees to wear security badges by March 1st.

Powell noted the absence of many school officials from the security meeting. Superintendent Sharon Miller, Board President Torres and Vice-President Tom Foust were all absent.

The "zoo" comment from Monday's meeting triggered a video response from a school employee to disagree with the characterization. This may have been an organized attack from the five member insider school board faction.

Outsider board member Hiawatha Powell looked responsible this past week discussing the serious issue of school security. His performance is an improvment over past instances of hurling unfounded accusations including some involving "racism."

A program that's drawn concern from teachers in Reading who say its 'too graphic' is being used in York City schools. The "Reading Eagle" reported just over a week ago that a program on how to make sex more pleasurable with condoms is starting in Reading's four middle schools this year. The program is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Coalition To Prevent Teen Pregnancy and funded by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Reading newspaper says the Pennsylvania Department of Education also chose York as one of four cities to introduce the program.

At a recent school board meeting, teacher union president Daniel Grim urged members to look at the material. Grim said the material is not appropriate for middle school(6th, 7th and 8th Grades). He added that teachers feel uncomfortable presenting the program. Suggested lessons include how to work a condom into foreplay and tips on making sex with condoms more pleasing.

A Reading School Board member defended the program. Member Karen McCree said it was about "safety" and not "pornographic."

The sex obssessed "teen pregnancy" crowd has targeted York because of a high rate of "teen pregnancies."

I challenge York's newspapers to look into this story. I also challenge them to publish specific texts from this program and if they can't because they are "pornographic," "obscene" etc. to admit it in print.

The former Surgeon General of the United States in the 1990's, Dr. Jocelyn Elders, said with a straight face that kindergarten age children should be taught about masturbation. I guess this is a step in that direction.

STATE REPRESENTATIVE STAN SAYLOR OF YORK COUNTY'S 94TH DISTRICT, A REPUBLICAN HOUSE LEADER IN HARRISBURG, THINKS THE 29 BILLION DOLLAR BUDGET PLAN HIDES A DEFECIT THAT COULD BALLOON TO 5 BILLION DOLLARS NEXT YEAR.

DEMOCRAT EUGENE DEPASQUALE (OF THE 95TH DISTRICT IN AND AROUND YORK CITY) SAYS RENDELL IS DOING HIS CONSTITUTIONAL DUTY AND SUBMITTING A BUDGET THAT IS BALANCED. HE ALSO SAYS THE BUDGET PLAN INVOLVES "PAIN" AND THAT THE LEGISLATURE SHOULD TRY TO "MINIMIZE" IT.

SAYLOR IS CALLING FOR CUTS IN STATE SPENDING TO BRING THE BUDGET INTO A MORE REALISTIC BALANCE.

ONE ASPECT OF RENDELL'S BUDGET MESSAGE THAT IS DRAWING COMMENT FROM LEGISLATORS IS THE IDEA OF CONSOLIDATING 503 SCHOOL DISTRICTS INTO 100. RENDELL IS CREATING A COMMISSION TO PRESENT PLANS FOR CONSOLIDATION TO THE LEGISLATURE.

REPUBLICAN STATE REPRESENTATIVE RON MILLER SAYS CONSOLIDATION WILL MEAN RENEGOTIATED TEACHER CONTRACTS THAT WILL HIT TAXPAYERS HARD. I THINK MILLER IS GETTING THE MESSAGE THAT WHEN SCHOOL DISTRICTS WITH LOWER SALARIES COMBINE WITH THOSE THAT HAVE HIGHER SALARIES, THE HIGHER ONES WILL PREVAIL.

THE RAW POLITICS OF RENDELL'S SCHOOL CONSOLIDATION PLAN IS SOMETHING TO BEHOLD. DEMOCRATS LIKE MAYOR JOHN BRENNER AND STATE REPRESENTATIVE EUGENE DEPASQUALE HAVE BEEN SINGING A MANTRA OF 'PROPERTY TAX RELIEF' TO THEIR YORK CITY CONSTITUENTS. THIS SCHOOL CONSOLIDATION PLAN HAS THE SMELL OF A DEMOCRAT SCHEME TO HAVE THE SUBURBS PAY FOR THE COSTS OF CITY SCHOOL DISTRICTS LIKE THOSE IN YORK, HARRISBURG AND OTHER CITIES. SCHOOL CONSOLIDATION EQUALS A SHIFT OF TAX BURDEN AWAY FROM AREAS THAT VOTE FOR DEMOCRATS TO AREAS THAT VOTE FOR REPUBLICANS.

GETTING BACK TO TAX INCREASES AND THE NEW BUDGET. ITS TRADITIONAL PRACTICE TO PUSH THROUGH TAX INCREASES ON HOLIDAY WEEKENDS. WITH THE NEW BUDGET YEAR SET TO BEGIN JULY 1ST IT IS HIGHLY LIKELY THE JULY 4TH WEEKEND WILL BE 'TAX INCREASE WEEKEND' IN PENNSYLVANIA AS LEGISLATORS USE THE COVER OF THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND TO DO THE DIRTY WORK OF RAISING TAXES.

LEGISLATORS LIKE STATE REPRESENTATIVE STAN SAYLOR AND STATE SENATOR MIKE WAUGH, WHO HAVE SERVED FOR A LONG TIME AND ARE PARTY LEADERS, WILL BE EXPECTED BY THEIR FELLOW LEADERS TO STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND VOTE FOR HIGHER TAXES. THE LEADERS OF BOTH PARTIES GIVE NEWLY ELECTED MEMBERS THE ABILITY TO VOTE AGAINST HIGHER TAXES SO THEY CAN GET RE-ELECTED. PRESSURE SHOULD BE APPLIED TO SAYLOR, WAUGH AND OTHER LEGISLATORS IMMEDIATELY AND MAINTAINED BY YORK COUNTY TAXPAYERS FOR NO NEW TAXES.

THE FIGHT AGAINST HIGHER TAXES THAT THE LEGISLATIVE LEADERS WILL PUSH THROUGH WITH OR WITHOUT YORK COUNTY LEGISLATORS SUPPORT MAY REQUIRE AN 'INVASION' OF HARRISBURG ON THE VERY APPROPRATE OCCASION OF JULY 4TH. THE BARBECUE AND FIREWORKS FOR EVERY CONCERNED TAXPAYER SHOULD BE IN HARRISBURG THIS INDEPENDENCE DAY.

York County Democrat Tom Wolf has decided to drop out of the contest to be elected Governor of Pennsylvania in 2010.

Wolf has been offered the opportunity to resume leadership of the Wolf Organization, the family business he left a few years ago when he became Pennsylvania's Revenue Secretary. Wolf wants to lead the company through the tough economic times that have already forced cutbacks.

Tom Wolf seemed to have some good talents and abilities including the mother's milk of politics, money. His business experience also seemed a plus for a political candidate to present the image of being able to help improve the sagging economy of Pennsylania.

Democrats of late have been seeking candidates for statewide office in Pennsylvania who are not considered liberal and profess to be pro-life like Senator Bob Casey Jr. Those criteria would have put Wolf out of the running because he is a strong supporter of the pro-abortion Planned Parenthood organizarion and other liberal causes.

One candidate for York City mayor is speaking out against the repeated airing of his opponents event announcing her candidacy. And another of the four candidates agrees.

Gerry Turner told York City Council that the city owned WRCT community access channel should not be used by candidates for political purposes. Councilwoman Genevieve Ray, who is also a candidate for mayor, agreed.

When Kim Bracey held her announcement January 29th, Mayor John Brenner, Councilwoman Toni Smith and other city officials were present. Turner said that left the impression of city endorsement of Bracy's candidacy for mayor.

Mayor John Brenner said the station was not being used to promote Bracey's candidacy after a station volunteer submitted the video. He said the station is obliged to air content submitted by the public.

Well, needless to say with Brenner, Smith, Cameron Texter etc. behind Kim Bracey's candidacy, it does look like she is the insider candidate for York Mayor in 2009.

Over the years the Bracey family has been in with York's elite including the very influential Louis Appell, so my eyes popped when I read that Kim Bracey was entering the race for mayor in York.

I smelled an insider candidate coming at us. And I was not disappointed. Present at her announcement Thursday were Councilwoman Toni Smith and Mayor John Brenner.

Bracey resigned her position at community development director for the city on Wednesday.

Right now there are four candidates announced for York mayor, all Democrats.

Genevieve Ray, Roderick Artis and Gerry Turner are the other candidates.

But it looks like they are up against an insider candidate who will have Toni Smith's organization and Louis Appell's money behind her. Kim Bracey now assumes "front runner" status in the race for mayor in York.

The Dallastown School District is moving to get a one-year bank loan so its debt payments can be reduced.

A change in bond ratings last year drove up interest rates to 12 percent and monthly payments up hundreds of thousands of dollars on an 83 million dollar loan.

A one year bank loan could reduce monthly payment on the district's debt to 230-thousand dollars.

Last year's mess created over a million dollars in new costs for taxpayers to cover. The district says it will stick to the state's "inflation index" of 4.8 percent for a tax hike next year.

But this bond problem could be used as a loophole in the state law to raise property taxes above the limit. The even higher property tax threat still hangs over Dallastown taxpayers.

We don't know yet if a bank will agree to the loan or if the state will allow a short-term loan as opposed to long term ones. Taxpayers had better hope that the school district's hope becomes reality.

All this comes as the Dallastown School District moves forward on building a new 60 million dollar supersize school in Springfield Township.

Teachers in York County's South Eastern School district will have starting pay of over $40,700. That's just one of the many details of the new four year contract between the Pennsylvania State Education Association's South Eastern teachers and the district.

Teachers had accepted a fact-finder's report giving them 19.6 percent in pay increases over a four year period. After the school board rejected that, a final deal was reached with 18.8 percent in pay increases over the length of the contract.

There will be increased co-pays for medical benefits and a lower tuition reimbursement rate for teachers that is still over 350 dollars per credit.

Teachers will have to be working towards a master's degree to get pay raises.

PSEA rep Clinton Gibbs described the new contract, retroactive to July 1st last year as a "fair compromise." But at a time when people are losing jobs, losing hours and in some cases taking pay cuts, those words again seem hollower than ever.

Public education is insulated from the economic pain facing the taxpayers who have to bear the burden of its cost.

The plan to create a super police department that will have suburban taxpayers bearing the burden of York City's police protection is moving forward. The supervisors of Springettsbury Township and the commissioners of Spring Garden Township have agreed to participate in a "study" of police consolidation.

The two townships gave conditions some about the cost to taxpayers of those townships. East Manchester Township, York City, West York, Mount Wolf and Manchester have also agreed to participate.

The York Counts group now needs to find money to pay for the study, which will as most "studies' go just be showcase propaganda to promote the scheme. The cost is estimated at 50-thousand dollars.

The YorkCounts group hopes to get the money from all the taxpayers of Pennsylvania through the Department of Community and Economic Development.

A committee will be formed with one representative from each of the places that have agreed to be in the study. YorkCounts is pushing to get other communities to support the consolidation scheme.

The burden of York City police costs including the police pension fund is driving the York City government towards bankruptcy.

Its an election year in local government and I am not surprised that Springettsbury and Spring Garden elected officials want to keep their options open if this consolidation scheme gets unopular. But I am suspicious that the big governmnent bug has bitten them both and suburban taxpayers may be doomed to higher taxes when this scheme goes through.

A "study" will make claims of "cost savings" but the truth is that the city policing and police pension cost burdens will be socialistically redistributed to the suburbs of York County.

Taxpayers in Spring Garden and Springettsbury should be on full alert and demand their elected officials pull out of this scheme. They have already consolidated fire services, so I think we know the direction they are leaning right now. Alternative candidates for commissioner and supervisor should also get themselves on the ballot.

One other thing. Call your state representatives to say that your tax money from Harrisburg would be a wasted right now with a "study." The Pennsylvania budget shortfall is now over 2 billion dollars. Governor Rendell should put any spending on this kind of a study on hold for now just for that reason alone.

Even though a majority of York City Council members said they opposed the proposal to criminalize gun owners in the city, the ordinance was put on hold for possible consideration at a later date.

Councilwoman Toni Smith was the only one publicly saying she supported the plan to punish gun owners who don't report lost or stolen weapons within 72 hours. She ended up calling for the tabling of the plan and got the support of Councilman Cameron Texter and Councilwoman Carol Hill-Evans.

Voting against tabling and speaking in opposition to the proposal were Councilman Joe Musso and Councilwoman Genevieve Ray, who is running for mayor.

A solicitor's opinion said the city should wait until courts have decided whether York has the right to make its own gun laws. Currently Pennsylvania does not allow local communities to make their own gun laws.

I can only say that the vote on city council is very suspicious with claims that members opposed the bill yet the vote to keep it alive. The politicians must have gotten some heat on this idea to cause them to play both sides with their voting.

And lets not forget Councilwoman Ray's election year claim she is against the proposed law as she runs for mayor. It's highly suspicious and very suspect.

For the second time, York County chief deputy prosecutor Chuck Patterson is trying to win a seat on York County Common Pleas Court. Patterson is the eighth announced candidate for the two seats being elected this year.

Patterson's campaign effort is being co-chaired by Republican insiders Theresa Craley and Chris Reed. No doubt in my mind that Patterson will have a lot of political push behind his campaign.

There are now three Democrats and one Republican seeking the two open seats on York City Council.

York City School Board member Renee Nelson is the third Democrat to announce. She believes her school board experience will help her on city council and that there's a need to focus on young people.

Nelson claims in comments to the York Daily Record that the city school board is "moving in the right direction." Nelson is part of a five member majority of the nine member board that has experienced contentious meetings marked by accusations of racism.

Meanwhile, a Republican candidate has emerged for York City Council.

Jay Andzejczyk cites his involvement with the York City General Authority Board and the York City Weed and Seed steering committee in announcing his candidacy.

The guarantees of the Bill Of Rights (The Original Ten Amendments to the United States Constitution) have stood strong in the past 220 or so years but that doesn't stop people and groups from rising up to tear them down and abrogate them from time to time.

Recently new cases have arose in cities across the country governed by mostly Democrat mayors and councils. Various ordinances dealing with firearms have been passed in the face of the Second Amendment guarantee of the right to "keep and bear arms."

Court battles have resulted leading to court victories for citizens and a legal bill for taxpayers of those cities.

Now the fight is coming to Pennsylvania with plans being put forward in cities across the state. York Mayor John Brenner pledged to be part of the effort to pass ordinances mandating that firearms owners report stolen guns within 72 hours. The ordinance would punish firearms owners if their weapons are used to commit a crime with fines or impsionment.

In Pittsburgh, city officials said such an ordinance would be unenforcable.

But when the issue came before York City Council last Tuesday, officials praised the idea. York City Police Commissioner Mark Whitman calling it one more way to fight crime. Opponents were on hand to note that legal costs are something the financially troubled City of York cannot afford. Such an ordinance is almost cetrain to be challenged in court.

Punishing criminals remains the sure fire way to deal with crime but liberal minds cannot see holding human beings accountable for their actions as a real solution. Something else other than criminals have to be the cause of crime.

They dwell in the mental ghettoes of Karl Marx who blamed capitalism and societal conditions for crime. When perps end up being from racial minority groups then law enforcement is accused of "racism" or "racial profiling."

Is this all an exercise in faulty thinking or a subtle attempt to take away freedoms guaranteed in the Constitution? Many Americans in the coming "Age of Obama" see it as a sign of the latter. Those against guns should consider the anger they are stirring up by pushing this nonsene. Or maybe they just want to ignite some sort of conflict. That would be very sad indeed.

Kathleen Prendergast has been a persistent liberal Democrat candidate for public office who came close to winning in her last run for a seat on York County Common Pleas Court.

This time she'll try again for the two seats up for election this year. Prendergast became the seventh announced candidate for the two judicial seats.

Also announcing her candidacy was attorney Sandra Thompson, described in news reports as an organizer of a "gun buyback program."

Roderick Artis has become the third Democrat candidate for mayor of York. Artis joins Genevieve Ray and Gerry Turner as announced candidates. He's 33 years old and teaches at the Manito Youth Leadership Center. Artis served eight years in the US Navy and is a naval reservist.

Arousing the most interest to me, but not mentioned in the news reports is that Artis is black. He speaks of younger people needing someone to look up to. Is this a York version of someone named Obama?

Artis wants young people to have recreation so they don't find themselves in trouble. The school he teaches at, Manito Academy, is filled with public school students who have become discipline problems and offers what is called "alternative education" to teenagers. Beyond the race thing, which I think will serve this candidate well in the contest for mayor is another question. Is Roderick Artis some sort of left-wing racial radical in the mold of the four "racial faction" members of the Yrk City School Board? We shall see......

With two city council seats in York opened by the retirements of Democrats Joe Musso and Cameron Texter you'd expect candidates to line up.

Two candidates have come forward among the Democrats with the look of political insiders. First, there's Joe Stein. Stein is 27 years old and serves on the city planning commission. That seems to be a stepping stone to city council and I smell a political insider here.

And then there's Henry Nixon, who until recently was a Republican. Nixon gave a politically charged story about "the Republican Party leaving him" explaining his party switch.

The more likely and probably true story is that this Henry Nixon is related to District Justice Barbara Nixon. District Justice candidates run in both parties as cross-filed candidates. Henry Nixon helped Barbara Nixon over the years to obtain Republican signatures for her election efforts. That makes sense to me and I see a political insider in Henry Nixon.

The Lincoln Edison Charter School's first application to establish a middle school in York failed, but the school's parents are now back with a new proposal for a school based on the concept of homeland security.

They have a name and location for the new school. The Helen Thackston Middle School will use the former state police facility on Roosevelt Avenue in York. Helen Thackston is remembered as an historic figure in the education of black ("African-American") children in York City.

But there remains the opposition of the five majority York City School Board members who were thumbs down on the first application. The hearing on the second application Thursday featured tough questioning of the charter school applicants from board vice-president Tom Foust and member Barbara Krier.

Public education insiders are fiercely resisting efforts to set up alternative schools. Under the Pennsylvania law, charter schools will take money that the public schools would use away.

The York City Education Association, the union representing teachers in the city school district, was on hand at the hearing to oppose the charter school.

The original Lincoln Edison elementary school was involved in a lengthy and protracted legal battle with the York City School District over lease payments for a school building.

Just this last week in northeastern Pennsylvania, four Carbondale School Board members voted against a charter school in defiance of an order from Commonwealth Court to allow the school to open. The 4-4 board tie meant a NO vote to authorize the school.

And that brings us to the politics of the new school.

Both outgoing York Mayor John Brenner and State Representative Eugene DePasquale (D-95th District) are expressing support for the proposed charter school.

Brenner may have future political ambitions and DePasquale as well. DePasquale faces re-election this year and in the past has been supported by the Pennsylvania State Education Association.

Is the teachers union really supporting someone who is ultimately against their interests in supporting charter schools?

Is Eugene DePasquale saying something in support of the school, knowing .the board will turn the plan down, but getting credit for supporting the school?

I see political grandstanding from a business as usual politician here.

There will be two new judges elected in York County this year. York County Common Pleas Judge John Uhler is retiring and a new judicial seat has been created by the legislature for the county.

Five candidates have lined up so far. Andrea Marceca Strong was the first candidate to announce. Over the years the far left in York has attempted to elect a number of female candidates to judicial seats with one notable success, Common Pleas Court Judge Penny Blackwell. Andrea Marceca Strong's candidacy should be viewed with great suspicion because of this.

John Ogden is also running. Ogden is a defense attorney. He also helped residents in Windsor Township oppose the opening of a new Wal-Mart Supercenter.

Attorney Harry Ness is in the race. Ness has a legal career and also is known for his involvement in the accounting firm now known as Stambaugh and Ness. Ness has been a supporter of GOP causes and may be an insider Republican candidate for the judicial seats.

Lawyer Mike Flannelly is also running. He has served as the county solicitor in recent years. Flannelly did legal bidding for the controversial board of commissioners led by Lori Mitrick and Doug Kilgore. Flannelly may be an insider GOP candidate as well.

The most recent candidate to announce is attorney Susan Emmons. She has served as a legal aid attorney, was also a prosecutor and is an ordained minister in the liberal United Church of Christ denomination. Her campaign manager is attorney Larry Young, who has been active in political circles of the Republican Party in recent years. Is Emmons another left of center candidate in this race????????

It comes as no surprise that all these lawyers are lining up for a shot at being elected. More will probably join the race. The candidates will cross file in both parties for the chance to maybe win both parties primaries and be automatically elected in May.

York County District Attorney Stan Rebert is running for a seventh term, but he will face a challenger in the Republican primary.

York attorney Thomas Kearney, who ran against Rebert in the 1985 GOP primary, is running in this year's primary. Kearney has been active in legal and political circles in York County for over two decades.

Rebert has a record of more than 20 years as the county's chief prosecutor. Rebert made headlines following his decision nearly 10 years ago to pursue prosecution of the two murder cases in the 1969 York race riot. Rebert used grand juries to make indictments in the murders.

In another case, a murder conviction that Rebert won was thrown out on apppeal. The court said Rebert should not have quoted from the Bible when he addressed the jury in the case.

Within the last year longtime Democrat political activist Cameron Texter said he was pulling back from politics, relinquishing his post as York City Council president and not running for re-election this year.

Then York Mayor John Brenner said he would not run for re-election this year.

Now there's word that the man who replaced Texter as City Council president, Democrat Joe Musso, will not run for re-election this year.

That means the two city council seats up for election this year are open.

No word yet on any possible candidates.

Cameron Texter was in an estranged relationship with his wife in the past few years and under scrutiny as a witness in the investigation of illegal bonuses given to Democrat members of the State House of Representatives staff in Harrisburg. Texter serves as a member of the Democrat staff in the legislature.

Police were also called to Joe Musso's home in recent years because of a domestic dispute involvng Musso and his wife. No charges were filed after an incident where Musso was said to have pushed his wife.

What's going on in the financially troubled City of York with all these political leaders leaving??????

She was just elected to York City Council in 2007, but Genevieve Ray thinks she has the experience to be the next mayor of York.

Ray announced her candidacy for Mayor this week. Before serving on council, Ray served on the City Planning Commission. In announcing her candidacy, she also cited her participation on the board of Planned Parenthood. It does seem based on some recent legal challenges that York City devotes a lot of police time and resources to intimidating protests outside Planned Parenthood's abortion clinic on South Beaver Street.

Genevieve Ray is a Democrat and will be joined on the Democrat primary ballot in May by Gerry Turner. Turner ran as the Republican candidate for mayor in 2005 and has been politically active for a number of years.

The big question marks in the Democrat primary that will most likely determine who York's next mayor will be (since Democrats dominate the city) is what other candidates will emerge and will there be a racial factor.

Race-based politics has been hot on the York City School Board in the last year and been a factor on the national scene with the Obama campaign. A black candidate for mayor in York would stand a good chance of being the Democrat primary winner for Mayor.

Last year Mayor John Brenner announced he would not be seeking re-election this year.

The politics played out according to plan.

In the end, the tax hike approved by the York County Commissioners was lower than originally proposed. The tax hike was also approved Christmas Eve to create the dual effect of hiding the news along with creating the good feeling of the increase being lower.

Positions in county government are being cut under the new budget for 2009, which was fueled by the legal settlement in the Lauxmont Farms eminent domain controversy. The costly battle over a potentially hundred million dollar scheme to build a "heritage park" on the Kohr family land began during the term of the former board of commissioners.

The present board of commissioners led by President Commissioner Steve Chronister and Commissioner Chris Reilly, Republicans along with Democrat Commissioner Doug Hoke had to deal with the damage done to the Kohr family.

The former commissioners (Lori Mitrick and Doug Kilgore), along with other political and civic leaders in York County, bear a great responsibility for the legal war that resulted in the multi-million dollar settlement.

Another point worth noting, county commissioners oversee the administration of big government programs mandated from the federal and state governments. This forces them to tax us to bear that burden regardless of which political party is in power.

The Dallastown School District's controversial plans to build a 60 million dollar plus new intermediate school will have to be paid for as the construction work is done in the next few years.

School districts issue bonds to pay the construction costs with taxpayers paying back the value of the bonds over a period of years.

Dallastown worked with companies to issue bonds that ended up having their ratings lowered during the year forcing the district's costs up. This left taxpayers in the position of having to pay losses linked to the financial collapse of recent months.

Dallastown School District's business manager Donna Devlin is asking the Securities and Exchange Commission to require the three main bond rating agencies (Standard and Poor's, Moody's and Fitch Ratings) to pay the district for its losses. Devlin is blaming the rating agencies for the bond losses to the school district.

This would have worked out better if the Dallastown School District hadn't pushed the big new school. Then the bonds would not be needed in the first place.

The current economic problems should be a red light warning to tax and spend government at all levels especially the wild spending public school districts.

Instead, its pass the buck and blame other people time.

The news of the bond problem was the lead front page story in the "York Sunday News."

The week before Christmas brings the most interesting news stories from government that are usually ones government hopes the public is ignoring or will forget about.

They didn't even wait until the week between Christmas and New Years Day. York City Council unanimously passed next year's record 94 million dollar budget Tuesday complete with a 6.5 percent property tax hike, increases in sewer and trash fees, along with a hike in parking ticket fines.

The budget features a 1.6 million increase in health care costs for city employees along with over 5 million dollars being spent on city employee pensions.

Four new police officers are included in the budget.

Councilman Cameron Texter expressed regret that the legislature doesn't give cities like York more ways to tax people such as an alcohol tax.

It makes my blood boil when I realize how big and bloated York City government is in relation to the suburban communities.

Springettsbury Township is taxing its residents at a rate of 87 dollars for a property valued at 100-thousand dollars, while the City of York imposes a burden of 1563 dollars on a similar property. That means York City property owners are hit 18 times harder than people in Springettsbury Township.

The current economic problems and the knowledge that less money is coming in should be a big incentive for big government at all levels to get smaller. And let the "smaller" begin with cutting pension benefits and requiring employees to pay a fair share of health care costs like 20 percent.

York City Council President Joe Musso said he didn't want to get it mixed up in the budget process, so he's put off to next year consideration of a new gun law in the city.

The proposal is similar to ones being pushed in other Pennsylvania cities that would make it a crime to not report stolen firearms to police within 72 hours. Punishment includes a thousand dollar fine and 90 days in jail.

The proposed laws are seen as anti-Second Amendment and likely to trigger costly lawsuits if York and other cities pass them. Its comes as no surprise that Musso would not want to discuss a lawsuit triggering proposal at budget time.

Officials in Pittsburgh, including Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, have said the proposed ordinance is "unenforceable."

The decision by city mayors in the state to push the gun law came because they can't get the legislature to give them authority to pass gun control laws.

This push to criminalize private ownership of firearms has led to an interesting revelation about hypocrisy and one of York's leading liberal Democrat politicians.

Back in the 1990's, when many were being shot and killed on the streets of York as they still are today, York City Councilwoman Toni Smith became a vocal supporter of gun buyback programs. She even went out and collected money for the cause. Now we find out she missed a gun she could have turned in.

It was her own.

WGAL-TV interviewed Smith, who is to propose the gun law in council, and she said she supports it as a "gun owner." I hope Smith, who married a now retired York City Police officer, has her paperwork for the firearm in order.

I'm still scratching my head and asking why she didn't turn the gun in when she was trying to get guns off the street with her gun buyback efforts in the past.

York County's three commissioners all voted no when the York County Pension Board met to decide on an increase in benefits for retired York County government employees. Proposals for a 4.8 percent hike and an increase of 95 percent of that amount were rejected.

Republicans Steve Chronister and Chris Reilly were joined by Democrat Doug Hoke in outvoting York County Controller Robb Green and York County Treasurer Barbara Bair 3-2. The five sit as the pension board.

The board ended up voting 3-2 to not increase pension benefits at all next year. An increase next year would have meant increased costs to taxpayers beginning in 2010.

With a Christmas Eve vote on a new county budget and the expected tax increase, it looks like the commissioners need to find ways to hold the line on spending. Increasing taxes again next year may harm any plans they have for re-election in 2011.

As a result, we have a unified board of commissioners taking an opportunity to show the public they are holding the line on spending.

Of all the members of the liberal Dover CARES faction, none has probably been more controversial than teacher union member Bryan Rehm.

Rehm teaches in the New Oxford School District and is a Pennsylvania State Education Association member. PSEA pumped over 5-thousand dollars into the Dover CARES campaign to seize control of the Dover School Board in 2005.

Rehm was elected to the Dover School Board in 2005 and will be up for re-election next year if he chooses to run.

Now he will serve as president of the Dover School Board. Rehm was selected to replace Bernadette Reinking at this month's meeting to reorganize the school board for the coming year.

As a school board member, Rehm gets to decide on teacher pay, benefits and employment. He is not alone. There are numerous teacher union members who serve on school boards in York County and other parts of Pennsylvania.

But here's the clincher. The biggest impact on spending and tax increases is pay and benefits. That includes the liberal deals that routinely give teachers 4 percent or more pay hikes every year. And then there's all the new buildings that keep going up to help drive up taxes.

Rehm told "The York Dispatch": "We need to keep improving our facilities and our curriculum with the least amount of impact to our taxpayers as possible" That's political BS for "Hold on to your wallets Dover taxpayers."

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When the York City School Board met Thursday night for a budget hearing, four of the nine members were absent. The four absent members, James Morgan, Hiawatha Powell, Beverly Atwater and Sam Beard are members of the racially oriented faction of the school board.

One member of the public who attended the meeting, longtime York City political activist Gerry Turner, said he thought the meeting was an important one for board members to attend. The school district is working on a plan to limit a tax increase in the next budget year by cutting eight teaching positions and buying 250-thousand dollars less in textbooks.

What's going on with the outspoken racial faction board members is unclear. For now, they seem to have backed off accusations of racism. Their most recent criticism came over the spending of too much money in the search for a new superintendent for the school district.

The "Philadelphia Daily News" reports that Tom and Frances Wolf are renting an apartment in Philadelphia. That's because the recently resigned Pennsylvania Revenue Secretary and former head of The Wolf Organization in York is working on a campaign for governor in 2010. Tom Wolf will need Philly votes to win a primary for governor whose "front runner" is believed by some observers to be Auditor General Jack Wagner, who's from western Pennsylvania.

There are other prospective candidates for governor in 2010, but Wolf could make the argument that his business experience will give him an edge. Wolf can also point to being from the central part of the state which normally goes for Republicans. Wolf could draw York County area votes away from the GOP as the Democrat candidate.

Interesting points to make at this point inlcude the fact that he did serve in Rendell's cabinet and was a financial supporter. Will Governor Rendell support Wolf? Its also important to note that Wolf is rich and has money which will be of immense help to his political ambitions.

Another important point to make is that Tom and Frances Wolf are lifelong Planned Parenthood supporters. Will Planned Parenthood supporters push Wolf as the Pro-Abortion candidate in the Democrat primary for governor in 2010. Jack Wagner is considered Pro-Life by the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation.

This is a story to watch in the months ahead.

The add ons and renovations to the new Central York High School that was finished just a little more than three years ago have now been completed.

Special events this weekend marked the opening of the new parts of the school with the most prominent feature being the pool. But the school district doesn't call it a "pool." The fancy euphemistic name for it is "natatorium." Its as hot and humid as a jungle ("tropical rain forest") according to someone who's been in there.

All the work was said to have come in under budget according to the construction company, but the final cost of the project is still to be determined. The latest version of the cost given was 18 million dollars for this project but last year we were told it was going to be limited to 17 and a half million dollars. The "cost" seems to be constantly changing.

Enough opponents of wasteful spending were on Central's school board in 2003 to prevent a pool from being built, but the issue came back in 2006 after pro-taxpayer members were ousted from the board. At that time Central Superintendent Dr. Linda Estep spoke as if there was a state law or regulation requiring a pool to be built. It was later reported that she "misspoke" about the matter after state officials told the "York Dispatch" no such law or rule existed.

Today's "York Sunday News" features comments from the soon to be retired Dr. Estep. Estep says: "I think we are going to come under the amount that was set aside."

These "finishing touches" on York County's most unusually designed high school, dubbed the "Taj Mahal" for its massive cost, may cause the final price tag to exceed a hundred million dollars. We really don't know the final drain on the taxpayers as storm pipe repair work is now underway outside the school to tack onto the bill. That doesn't include more work being done on the inside of the building.

Perhaps it is with the cost in mind along with declining tax revenues because of the ecomony that fees will be charged to use the new pool. The district will be putting out word to residents about those fees in the future.

Of course there are rules when you use a pool like this one. No urinating, defecating etc. is allowed in the pool. But the continuing construction of this massive school, plus the fixing of errors in the original construction that total who knows how much seem to add up to a government institution urinating and defecating on the taxpayers.

The school district does a big job of using the media to promote its agenda including the new "community natatorium." But your tax dollars are being used again.

The district employs a full time "Director of Public Information" who's pay and benefits cost the taxpayers more than 50-thousand dollars a year.

And what does the future hold? More spending of your tax dollars on a big new building is likely.

Central York purchased a 50 plus acre tract in Manchester Township near the existing Sinking Springs and Roundtown Elementary schools. The land was purchased for the construction of a new school. Its cost.....30....40....50 million dollars???????????

There's a preliminary budget for York County next year with a 4.25 percent property tax increase included. That means a property assessed at 150-thousand dollars will be taxed $25.50 more next year.

The final budget will be approved at the politically convenient time of Christmas Eve. Its possible that another political maneuver, the lessening of the tax hike, will also occur in the final budget version adopted at that time.

There are plans to cut some 20 or more positions in county government under the budget plan. There are cuts in the crime fighting plans of the new board of commissioners led by President Commissioner Steve Chronister and Commissioner Chris Reilly.

The cost of paying the Kohr family for their land, plus the pain and suffering caused by the eminent domain proceedings of the former board of commissioners is a big burden for York County taxpayers to bear. However, if Lori Mitrick and Doug Kilgore were still in power, the cost would have exploded to well over 50 million dollars making the situation even worse.

The much anticipated decision of the Eastern York School Board about artificial turf at the high school came with a thumbs down for now.

All bids for turf construction at Eastern York High School were rejected with the consenus of school district officials and board members being that the money isn't there for the project now. The lowest bid was 920-thousand dollars which was more than anticipated for the project. Todd Hoover, the district's director of plant and facilities sees the turf price coming down in the future.

The board did decide to move forward with renovations of the district's maintenance building at a cost of 1.1 million dollars.

This turf pressure on York County high schools was started by the decision of Central York to include artificial turf on its field when the new "Taj Mahal" high school was constructed between 2003 and 2005.

After rejection of a fact-finder's report and public pressure on the school board, a final deal has been reached between the teachers union and the South Eastern School District on a new four-year contract. The four-year contract is retroactive to July 1st of this year and lasts until the end of June 2012. Pay raises will range from 4.4 to 4.7 percent a year during the contract. Pennsylvania State Education Association represntative Clinton Gibbs spoke of the deal as being a "fair compromise."

The previous contract gave teachers three percent a year pay hikes and when one considers the economic downturn the idea of this contract being a "fair compromise" rings hollow.

While Mayor John Brenner is pushing property tax and fee increases for York City residents in next year's budget, other communities are finding ways around raising the property tax by jacking up the old occupational privilege tax.

The tax has a new name, its called the "Emergency Services Tax" and it means anyone who is employed in a particular community can be charged up to 52 dollars per year (if they make more than 12-thousand dollars a year). The taxation was packaged by the legislature as a way to pay for police, fire, ambulance services etc. It makes the tax sound more acceptable to those who pay it.

In early budget making, at least two townships have decided to either create an EST or increase an existing one. Manchester will increase its 10 dollar tax to 52 dollars on January 1st. East Manchester Township will create a 52 dollar tax. Supervisors there say its to pay for the increased costs of the Northeastern Regional Police Department. Of course, consolidated police departments are supposed to save money, right??????????

The Lincoln-Edison Charter School is applying again to the York City School Board for permission to open a charter middle school. The school board and a state appeals board turned down an earlier application. Lincoln-Edison already operates a charter elementary school in the city.

The new proposal envisions using the former Pennsylvania State Police facility on Roosevelt Avenue. One objection to the original application was the lack of a unique curriculum for the school. The new application says the school will have a homeland security curriculum with instruction in safety and security.

The original application was rejected by the York City School Board on a 5-4 vote with the racial faction being in the minority. It will be interesting to see what the liberal insider majority will do with the new proposal. Will they approve it as a means of making peace with the radicals? Its possible that the majority is only concerned about having another charter school in the city. They just don't want to lose the tax revenue for public education and see it go into Lincoln-Edison.

The new proposal and where it goes will be an interesting story to watch in the coming months.

State Senator Mike Waugh (R-28th District) was re-elected to his post at Caucus Chairman for the majority Republicans. That makes him fifth in the leadership lineup in Harrisburg for the GOP.

Waugh was first elected to the State Senate in 1998 after six years in the State House. He defeated liberal Democrat Jackie Kramer in the general election.

In the 1998 Republican primary, Waugh defeated conservative businessman Tom Skehan with a "common man" campaign theme. The "common man" was also portrayed in firefighting gear (Waugh was a volunteer firefighter).

When it comes to abortion, Waugh has a track record of lying to voters. He called himself "pro-life" back then even though the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation rated him "pro-abortion" because he said abortion should be legal during the first three months of pregnancy (that's when most abortions occur). Waugh is still considered Pro-Abortion today.

State Representative Stan Saylor (R-94th District) emerged from a field of four candidates and won election as policy chairman for the minority Republicans in the Pennsylvania House Of Representatives. It's considered the fifth highest post in the GOP leadership.

Saylor said he will work with rank and file members to find out issues of concern and will pay special attention to the Philadelphia region where the GOP has lost seats.

Saylor is quoted by the "York Daily Record" as saying: "You don't get back in the majority if you don't have a big tent."

The "big tent" phrase is seen as a codeword for liberalism in the Republican Party and there may be evidence to show that Stan Saylor is indeed a closet liberal. The 16-year veteran of the legislature ran as a candidate for delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1996. At that time, a local pro-abortion political action group sent a letter to its supporters saying Saylor supported taking the pro-life plank out of the GOP platform.

Over his years in the legislature, Saylor has described himself as "pro-life" in response to questionaires from the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation.

Stan Saylor will probably have to vote for some sort of tax increase in the legislature next year, an expected duty of those who are leaders and have served in the legislature a long time. Its figured they are safe from any electoral challenge.

One other thing. The "big tent" phrase used by Republican political consultant Lee Atwater back in the 1980's was a reference to the huge support built up by a conservative Republican president named Ronald Reagan. Reagan drew massive support to the GOP and built that "big tent" on a conservative agenda.

Tom Wolf led a multi hundred million dollar business in York County, contributed to liberal causes and politicians, then got a job as Pennsylvania's Revenue Secretary in Democrat Ed Rendell's administration. Yes, Wolf gave campaign money to Rendell.

Last week, Wolf left his job to pursue something he wouldn't disclose, but which everyone in the know knows is a political campaign in the 2010 elections. Rumors in the past have centered around a Wolf run for Lieutenant Governor in Pennsylvania but with the economy as a top issue businessman Wolf appears to be aiming for the top and wants to replace Ed Rendell as governor.

Wolf's liberal reputation extends from the lifetime finanacial support that he and his wife Frances have given to pro-abortion Planned Parenthood, support for politically correct "diversity" programs and thousands in campaign contributions to a host of liberal Democrat politicians, not to mention the increasingly liberal Republican Congressman Todd Platts of the 19th District.

Wolf also served on the board of the Lancaster-York Heritage Region, that was pushing the 'heritage park' project along the Susquehanna River. The project was linked to the scheme to seize the Kohr family land (Lauxmont Farms) by eminent domain.

When Rendell announced Wolf's departure, standing in the room was the man named to replace him as revenue secretary, ex-state representative Steve Stetler of York's 95th District. Stetler had to resign in the middle of the 2006 election campaign as his support for and taking of the infamous 16 percent legislative pay raise created controversy. Stetler was also embroiled in controversy over extravagent expenses that came from his serving on the state's higher education assistance agency board.

Two big and startling stories here. The move by Wolf who hopes voters will ignore his extreme liberalism and see him as just a "businessman." And the appointment of the pay raise tainted Steve Stetler as revenue secretary. "Business as usual" in the Edward G. Rendell Administration. A pretty smelly business, indeed.

State Representative Stan Saylor (R-94th District) hopes for a leadership position among Republicans in the State House. Saylor is one of four candidates for policy chairman. Leadership elections will be held next Tuesday.

If Saylor, who has served for 16 years in Harrisburg, is elected to this high leadership post it would make him more likely to vote for unpopular legislation as is expected of "leadership."

This would include tax increases. Saylor told a town hall meeting earlier this year that he expects a tax increase to come because this year's state budget is deep in debt.

When the Eastern York School Board meets next month, a vote on artificial turf for the high school football field is expected.

Schools across York County have been scrambling to turf their football fields since the opening of the new Central York High School just over 3 years ago. Central installed artificial turf on the field there.

The costs of building the turf fields and maintaining them are always on the minds of concerned taxpayers.

At Eastern, even parents of athletes have spoken out saying now is not the time to burden taxpayers with an artificial turf field. The cost of the field is estimated to be 625-thousand dollars.

The Eastern school board is looking for bids and will vote on whether to proceed with building a snynthetic turf field at the December 4th meeting. I'm surprisd at how low the cost estimate is in this case. Other York County school districts have spent more on such projects. Watch out for the kind of bids that come in and what the cost estimates are.

These new and costly turf projects are the direct result of the Central York School District's decision to build an artificial turf field. Other school districts feel like they have to keep up. And the bills to taxpayers can be huge.

The were two major factors that made a difference in last Tuesday's election here in York County.

One was the economic downturn that depressed voters into not voting or into voting for Democrats led by Barack Obama. Voters who may have showed up to vote McCain were disillusioned by the economy and Obama's negative ads to link McCain with President Bush. Negative ads are designed to depress turnout for the opponent.

Obama's voter registration drive probably gained him 10-thousand or more votes last Tuesday. The vote totals for Obama were 17-thousand votes more than John Kerry got in York County in 2004. Obama volunteers knocked on doors in and around York City including Spring Garden and Springettsbury townships. Calls were made by the Obama campaign including ones on election day to make sure the Obama supporters showed up to vote.

Voter turnout percentages were generally 60 to 70 percent in York County and I think the lower percentages outisde of the urban areas which had higher turnout are linked to disillusionment. People felt they could not vote for either candidate and so they didn't show up.

Meanwhile Congressman Todd Platts, a master of playing the middle, came out on top with two-thirds of the vote. He did well against Democrat Phil Avillo beating him by a bigger margin than he did two years ago. Platts voted against the bailout in Congress this fall. Platts also had support from all kinds of special interest groups including the Pennsyvlania State Education Associaton, the National Rifle Association and the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation.

Does this mean Platts will continue as a congressman or consider using his middle of the road popularity and special interest group support in a run for higher office? We shall see........

Dozens of teacher union members (South Eastern Education Association) showed up at the South Eastern School Board meeting last week to pressure the board into giving in to their demands.

While the union voted to go along with a state fact finders report that gives teachers a 5.35 percent pay hike in the first year, the school board rejected it.

The board responded to the teacher union pressure by saying it will be presenting an offer to them in the coming week.

Is it reasonable to push for pay raises over 5 percent in an economy like we are in now and get them? I say to the South Eastern Education Association "No way."

Isn't having their candidate for president (Barack Obama) winning the election enough? But even more pertinent why aren't they willing to show the "spirit of sacrifice" that Obama spoke of in his acceptance speech last Tuesday night?

The federal government through the Enivornmental Protection Agency is mandating control of runoff into the Chesapeake Bay. That means sewer plants in a large part of Pennsylvania have to spend tens of millions of dollars to increase filtering of sediment.

Paying the bill falls to property owners everywhere with small communities literally facing the possibility of thousands of dollars in cost per property owner. Sewer rates are already rising sharply in some places locally to pay for compliance with the green regulations to "clean up" the Chesapeake Bay.

So the legislature moved to put a 400 million dollar bond issue before the voters this Tuesday. Its the first thing you will vote on at the polls and the choice is either YES or NO.

The 400 million dollars will be used to pay for various projects at sewer plants in York County and other parts of the state affected by the EPA's Chesapeake Bay regulations.

Maybe the real questions on the ballot should be: Are green rules about the Chesapeake Bay really needed in the first place? Are we being hustled into expensive and costly decisions that will hurt the economy in the name of "saving the bay"?

When Will Tallman challenged State Representative Steve Nickol in the 2004 GOP Primary for the 193rd State House District seat, it was a strong pro-life and conservative challenge to Nickol. Tallman, a former missionary, focused his campaign effort on churches challenging Nickol for being Pro-Abortion and voting to raise the state income tax in 2003. Nickol beat Tallman by a 2-1 margin.

But this year when the longtime "moderate" Nickol decided to retire, Tallman got back into politics. He ran a more conventional campaign based on support from the Adams County portion of the district. The candidate backed by Steve Nickol, Mike Rishel, ran well in the York County side of the district in and around Hanover, but lost.

Tallman faces Democrat Neil Clifford in the general election this Tuesday. Nickol has declined to endorse either candidate. Meanwhile, the 'York Daily Record" has editorialized that neither candidate is qualified like the retiring liberal Republican Nickol is.

Both Republican Tallman and Democrat Clifford are described as Pro-Life in the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation's voting guide. It looks like Will Tallman's election would bring a more conservative voice to the legislature in Harrisburg. Whether Tallman will "get along" with the corrupt political leadership there or challenge it remains to be seen.

Four odd numbered State Senate districts include small portions of York County.

13TH STATE SENATE DISTRICT: In the 13th State Senate District that includes Springettsbury Township, Hellam, Wrightsville and southeastern areas along the Susquehanna River its Republican Lloyd Smucker versus Democrat Jose Urdaneta.

Republican insider Smucker won the primary this spring and has challenged Urdaneta for a liberal record of raising property taxes on Lancaster City Council.

Smucker is rated as Pro-Life by the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation while Urdaneta has given no indication publicly as to his position on the sanctity of life. Urdaneta may be lying to individual voters saying he is "Pro-Life" when its really a "personal position" that means nothing if he were elected as a legislator, but that's pure speculation on my part.

Urdaneta comes out more liberal than Smucker, hands down.

15TH STATE SENATE DISTRICT: This Dauphin County district also takes in the Goldsboro-York Haven area of York County. Republican incumbent Jeff Piccola is facing challenger Judy Hirsh.

Hirsh is alleging that Piccola is business as usual and she will change things.

Piccola counters that he has called for reform including a Constitutional Convention to change the way the legislature does business. Among "insiders" Piccola has been vocal in criticizing State Senate leadership and it appears they retaliated against him last year by cutting funding for special education in the Harrisburg School District.

There have been some hard-hitting commercials in the race as both candidates challenge each other's positions.

The Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation cites Piccola as Pro-Life and Hirsh as Pro-Abortion.

31ST STATE SENATE DISTICT: This district is mostly Cumberland County but takes in a part of northern York County.

Incumbent State Senator Pat Vance is a longtime liberal GOP insider from Cumberland County. Her Democrat challenger is art shop owner Susan Kiskis. Kiskis speaks of change and a concern for the environment.

Vance is rated as Pro-Abortion by the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation while no information is available to them from Kiskis.

33RD STATE SENATE DISTRICT: This district includes Franklin and Adams counties, but also includes a slice of northwestern York County (Dover Area).

After a contentious GOP primary, Franklin County insider Richard Alloway won. Alloway faces Democrat Bruce Tushingham.

The Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation rates Alloway as Pro-Life and has no information on Tushingham.

93RD STATE HOUSE DISTRICT DIRTY TRICK AIMED AT DEMOCRAT: This district in the southern end of York County is being contested by incumbent Republican State Representative Ron Miller and Democrat challenger Darrell Raubenstine.

Miller is seen as a GOP insider and "moderate." He is rated as Pro-Abortion by the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation.

Raubenstine is rated Pro-Life by the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation and is endorsed by the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO as well.

A controversy was raised about Raubenstine when word came out in this last week of the election campaign that Raubenstine's company Global AG Associates was taken over by a management firm. Raubenstine said financial problems linked to the Lehman Brothers collapse caused the takeover to occur which also resulted in him being fired as president.

The controversy comes from a letter that former West Manheim Township Supervisor Stan Wysocki, an employee of Republican State Rep. Steve Nickol, gave to the "Hanover Sun." The letter detailing the financial problems of Raubenstine's company originates with York bankruptcy attorney Larry Young. Young is also a Republican and serves as a supervisor in Manchester Township.

Looks like Republicans teamed up to help Miller and take out Raubenstine.

94TH STATE HOUSE DISTRICT: This southeastern York County district is represented by incumbent Stan Saylor, who is advancing up Republican leadership ranks in Harrisburg. He will likely be a supporter of tax increases and other controversial laws in that position. His Democrat challenger is Deb Tillman.

Saylor is rated Pro-Life by the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation and Tillman's position is unknown by the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation.

196TH STATE HOUSE DISTRICT: Republican insider and aide to Congressman Todd Platts and State Representative Keith Gillespie, Seth Grove, is the candidate in the 196th District. Grove is replacing the retiring "moderate" Republican Bev Mackereth.

Grove is considered Pro-Life by the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation.

Grove is unopposed on the ballot, but Democrat and liberal Dover School Board member Rob McIlvaine of the Dover CARES faction is running as a Democrat write-in candidate.

School districts all over Pennsylvania including Red Lion and others in York County have applied to be part of a state program called "Common Cents" that is supposed to save taxpayer's money. Of course being a state program means that it spends taxpayers money, too.

The million dollar program involves having people from Deloitte Consulting come into local school districts to find cost-savings. District employees will have to spend time the taxpayers pay them for to fill out paperwork.

There was some pretty frank talk about the program recently from the South Eastern School Board, which has been in hot water with taxpayers recently over the 97-thousand dollar piano and other issues.

The South Eastern board voted unanimously to reject the program. Board member Dick Wilson was quoted by the "York Dispatch" on Common Cents: "This is the state's effort to try to capitalize on what the school districts already do on their own." In other words, Harrisburg (Governor Ed Rendell and other politicians) want to use "Common Cents" as a way to create an image of saving taxpayers money.

The "Dispatch" quoted board member Ralph Marston as calling "Common Cents" a "dog and pony show." In other words, a phony sham for the taxpayers who are fed up with all the money being taken from them every year in the name of "education." The South Eastern business manager, Paula Denton, noted that the district already carries out most of the recommendations on the list like bulk purchasing of supplies. The only cost-saving idea on the list the district isn't doing is bulk purchasing of textbooks but that is becoming a moot point at the district moves away from using books.

Here is some other news about "Common Cents" from across Pennsylvania.

The Pittsburgh "Post-Gazette" reported this week that the Deloitte consultants presented possible savings of 85 to nearly 150 thousand dollars a year to the Brentwood School District that has a 15 million dollar annual budget.

From Northumberland County there is a recent report in the Sunbury "Daily Item" newspaper about Common Cents and a school district. Milton School District Superintendent William A. Clark told the school board recently the program would only find 7 to 10-thousand dollars of savings in that district. The Milton board voted 7-2 against applying for the program. Based on the comments of Paula Denton from South Eastern and Superintendent William Clark from Milton, Northumberland County, it looks like the school districts already know what recommendations will be made before the consultants come in.

That means the Deloitte consultants paid with our tax dollars aren't needed in the first place to "find savings."

Besides the "Common Cents" program being a waste of taxpayer money to "save money" it looks like a way for politicians to claim they are "doing something" to save taxpayers money when they are not.

Deloitte Consulting gets a million dollars in business and what I want to know is how much money Deloitte or its officials gave to Governor Ed Rendell and other state elected officials. Is there a political contribution connection to the "Common Cents" program?

With grand opening ceremonies scheduled for December 5th, the new pool and classrooms at the new Central York High School are now said to cost 18 million dollars.

Last year, word from the Central York School District was that costs for the project would not exceed 17.5 million dollars.

But taxpayers will have to pay more to fix a problem that's developed on the southeast side of the new high school campus. The problem is being called a "surface disturbance" but "sinkole" seems to be the correct term. Some 450 feet of storm drain is said to be affected and work will begin in the next few months to fix the pipe.

Until the repair work is done it will not be known how much the cost is.

People who know the area said the new high school was being built "on a swamp" and I guess we have costly confirmation of that.

This new high school dubbed "The Taj Mahal" appears to be costing taxpayers a hundred million dollars, but the figures are all hidden in the budgetary mumbo jumbo of the last eight years or so. Add this latest project to the tab.

And the beat goes on......Coming up next for Central taxpayers.....how about a new middle school worth 60 million dollars or more??????

Incumbent Republican Congressman Todd Platts is facing York College professor Phil Avillo for a rematch. In 2006, Platts easily defeated Avillo with over 60 percent of the vote. This year Avillo continues to hammer Platts on issues like Iraq and joins in the Democrats anti-Bush, anti-war campaign.

Platts stresses his support for American troops in Iraq and their mission.

Congressman Platts voted against the 700 billion dollar bailout package for financial markets, banks etc. and Avillo says he would have voted against it.

The Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation rates Todd Platts as being Pro-Life and Phil Avillo as being Pro-Abortion.

The liabilities for Congressman Platts come from the fact that he is becoming increasingly liberal in his views including supporting stem-cell research involving aborted babies.

His brother Mark Platts of the Lancaster York Heritage Region was a prime mover behind the "heritage park" project that led to the Lauxmont Farms eminent domain fiasco involving the Kohr family land. Congressman Platts was involved with his brother in supporting the project from its beginning.

And then there's the even more personal internet rumor that is said to be true by sources closer to the family than me. The congressman's daughter has become the congressman's son after a sex change operation. The congressman has appeared at a gay political forum in York where discrimination against "transgendered" people was discussed.

My own understanding of the Congressman and his wife Leslie is that they are very liberal people trapped in a conservative political party and environment. For conservatives, the only consolation is that he votes right about 60 percent of the time.

Of course, if liberal college professor Phil Avillo were elected we would have a pretty whole hog liberal congressman who will help to "change" things in ways many conservatives would not like.

The story of the contest this year in the 95th State House District began over two years ago when incumbent Democrat Steve Stetler suddenly resigned in the middle of the election campaign. It was reported that his Republican challenger, Karen Emenheiser, was well ahead in polling after Stetler voted for and took the controversial 2005 legislative pay raise.

Democrats had to pick a successor and they found one in Eugene DePasquale, a state environmental official who had served in York City government and was a former Democrat Party chairman in York County. DePasquale's family had a track record of deep involvement in Pittsburgh politics as well.

DePasquale came in and was able to defeat Karen Emenheiser with a barrage of financial support from local bigwigs and the state Democrat campaign funds.

After his election, DePasquale began putting out news releases and touting "reforms" he had made, like leasing a car from the state government fleet instead of a private car dealer and putting his expenses online.

This year, DePasquale's challenger is Lon Emenheiser, husband of the 2006 GOP candidate in the district.

Emenheiser says its time for real change to occur, not just symbolic things. He's challenging DePasquale to give up all perks given to legislators from pensions to the car lease. Emenheiser says he'll use his own car if he's elected. He also is talking about cutting the size of the legislature by 50 members and cutting out state taxpayers funding of convention centers and sports stadiums.

While DePasquale has projected an image of being a reformer he spoke of "secret ballots" in the legislature when he addressed a Planned Parenthood dinner last year. DePasquale said lawmakers would vote differently on abortion if they could vote in secret without the public knowing how they voted.

Republican Lon Emenheiser has been endorsed by the Pennsylvana Pro-Life Federation while DePasquale is listed as Pro-Abortion. DePasquale has repeated the standard Democrat mantras of defending the "right to choose" and claiming he wants abortion to be "safe, legal and minimal."

Some details have emerged of an extensive sign stealing and vandalism campaign directed at supporters of Republican presidential candidate John McCain in the York area.

The "York Dispatch" reported Wednesday that police have received reports of 17 signs stolen in Spring Garden, Springettsbury and York townships. In some incidents homes were egged and Obama signs were planted in front yards to replace the McCain signs.

Nine of the thefts were in Spring Garden Township near the Penn State-York Campus. I've been told college students who support Obama seem eager to want to go steal signs.

Then on Thursday the "Dispatch" published a story based on calls they just happened to get from Democrats claiming Obama signs had been stolen. The Obama supporters say they didn't report the alleged incidents to police because they didn't think it was important.

There's a lot that smells fishy in all this. If these sign thefts did occur why not call police or would to have done that been making a false report? It looks like a deliberate Democrat campaign to counter the negative story about the stealing of the McCain signs and vandalism.

The "Dispatch" even quoted York City Council member Toni Smith who pressed charges years ago over the stealing of a sign for Charlie Robertson when he ran for mayor.

Of course longtime Republicans in York County have some choice stories to tell you about Toni including ones about her own night time forays to steal Republican signs.

One missing link in the reports are the thefts of McCain signs that may have occurred in York City. That's where police are under the control of the Democrat administration there. I've been shown a torn and damaged "McCain-Palin" sign that was picked up from the sidewalk in the 500 block of East Market Street.

At this week's school board meeting, board president Jeanette Torres confronted members of the board's racial faction. Torres responded after a long speech by racial faction member Sam Beard who is continuting to complain that the school board did not meet to discuss an incident at the York County School of Technology over a year ago that involved students of different races.

Saying she had waited a long time to speak her mind, Torres confronted the four member faction that constantly complains about racism. She said they only are concerned about the needs of black students and ignore those of English-language learning students and special education students.

Torres noted: "Maybe the real racists are you guys." Members of the racial faction have called white board members "racist" repeatedly at previous meetings. The "York Daily Record" headlined this as "School board members quarrel" but there is much more to this story. We now have official comment that the racial bias on the school board comes from the four member faction.

I've proudly called the four "racist" and think its time they were fully confronted as such.

I hope Jeanette Torres and her colleagues of the five member majority sit back and look at the four more closely. One thing they need to do is carefully choose how to oppose them since I think the four are radicals who want confrontation to advance themselves politically. But there is something else the five member majority should look at for the moment.

One important question to ask: Who do these people support for President of the United States? These five Democrat liberals who form the majority of the York City School Board may want to contemplate which presidential candidate the four racially biased members who are black support. Then of course, the five majority members should come out and support the other major party candidate.

I didn't answer the question although I think we all know what it is.

A state fact finder recommended that teachers in the South Eastern School district get a 5.35 percent pay increase in the first year of a new contract and the teachers union voted to accept it.

But the school board was offering a pay increase one percent lower in the first year of a new contract and that is said to have caused the board to reject the report.

South Eastern board president Tonia Wright said the report was "fair and reasonable." One wonders if increased taxpayer concern in the district and the recent 97-thousand dollar piano controversy, not to mention the stock market problems all play a role in saying "No" at this time.

Is it possible that the mood could change in the future?

Meanwhile, the Pennsylvania State Education Association representative for the South Eastern Education Association teachers union, Clinton Gibbs, told the "York Dispatch": "We voted to accept it-not because we liked anything about it, but we realize these are challenging times."

In these "challenging times" or any other times for that matter are pay raises of over 5 percent really reasonable or fair for taxpayers to bear the burden of?

Funeral services were held last week for John H. Norris, owner of radio and television stations in Red Lion. Norris died after complications following a stroke. He was 88 years old.

His father, Reverend John Norris, started WGCB Radio in 1950 and brought in his son to manage the station. The younger John Norris managed the Red Lion station through much controversy as radio preachers and other hosts maintained a steady stream of opposition to religious and political liberalism. Eventually Red Lion Broadcasting became a group of broadcasting stations (AM,FM, TV and Shortwave Broadcasting). Satellite television programming also originated from Red Lion.

In 1964 Democrat political operatives helping the Lyndon Johnson presidential campaign got a man attacked by a radio preacher supporting Johnson's opponent Barry Goldwater to demand free air time. When Reverend Norris refused to give free time on WGCB, a legal case resulting in the historic "Red Lion" decision from the Supreme Court ensued. The anti-free speech court decision held up until President Ronald Reagan rescinded the so-called "Fairness Doctrine" in the 1980's.

John H. Norris served as manager of WGCB through this historic period and also served as manager of radio station WXUR in Media, Pennsylvania. WXUR was closed down by the Federal Communications Commission in 1973 after a Fairness Doctrine complaint lodged by liberal groups.

Later John H. Norris would become owner of Red Lion Broadcasting following the death of his father. He brought in as an assistant, Reverend Jim Nicholls, whose radio station in Puyallup, Washington, was also closed down by the FCC over a Fairness Doctrine complaint.

Norris put Nicholls on the air as host of a program called "The Voice of Freedom" devoted to First Amendment issues.

John H. Norris sold his AM and FM radio stations in the late 1990's, but still owned WGCB-TV and WINB shortwave radio at the time of his death.

I will also note that John H. Norris was a very gracious and generous man in regards to his staff, in some ways more generous than comparable religious and independent broadcasters were when it came to pay.

And I will also mention that the personal life of John H. Norris was in some ways a reflection of the personal lives of some of the radio and television preachers who were broadcast on his stations. Quite a number of young and attractive women came through the stations during his years there.

And that's the way it was for a man who was a prominent figure in York County history as well as the history of freedom of speech in broadcasting.

Republicans in York got to hear John McCain's brother, Joe, at their dinner this last week while Democrats got a visit from Barack Obama surrogate Governor Kathleen Sebelius last Saturday.

Sebelius has been known for her association with late-term abortionist Dr. George Tiller of Wichita. "Killer Tiller," as he is known has been a big fundraiser for Sebelius's election efforts in Kansas.

There are plenty of signs along highways in York County with McCain and McCain-Palin signs in larger numbers than Obama signs outside the city. In York City Obama supporters have stolen McCain signs.

What secret tactics Obama's supporters are using in York County and if they resemble those reported in other Pennsylvania counties like fake voter registrations isn't fully known yet.

One tip I did pick up is that people from the Obama supporting Service Employees International Union had a table in the Central York High School cafeteria recently during school to register students to vote.

AMONG THOSE WHO REACTED WAS CATHOLIC AND BARACK OBAMA SUPPORTER RYAN SATTLER, WHO IS A LEADER OF THE RACIALLY ORIENTIED GROUP 'YORK COUNTY COMMUNITY AGAINST RACISM.' SATTLER TOLD THE 'DAILY RECORD': "If our church leaders really want to be the voice for the voiceless, the voice for the poor and for those who really aren't getting a fair shake in today's society, then it has to be broader than the pro-life movement in regards to how you pick a candidate."

SATTLER'S COMMENT IS TELLING AS TO HOW THE RADICAL LEFT IS REACTING TO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH TEACHING ON VOTING IN THE ELECTION AND HOW THE LEFTISTS WHO SUPPORT BARACK OBAMA WILL STIR THE POT OF RACE IN THE COMING WEEKS TO CREATE ANGER, RESENTMENT AND HIGHER VOTER TURNOUT FOR THEIR CANDIDATE AMONG NON-WHITE AND YOUNG VOTERS.

KEEP AN EYE ON THIS GUY IN THE COMING WEEKS, BUT ALSO BE ALERT FOR MESSAGES THAT CLAIM OBAMA IS NOT PRO-ABORTION IN CONTRAST TO HIS ACTUAL STATEMENTS AND VOTING RECORD. THE OBAMA SUPPORTERS WILL USE MEDIA AND MAYBE EVEN KNOCK ON YOUR DOOR TO SPREAD THE FALSEHOODS.

And if anyone wants to complain about the money taxpayers will pay, perhaps those in the community who pushed the eminent domain takeover of Lauxmont Farms from the Kohr family should chip in to help.

Among those who caused this mess and should pay out of their pockets are Mark Platts of the Lancaster York Heritage Region, the various political and community leaders of both parties ranging from Tom Wolf (PA Secretary of Revenue) to ex-commissioners Lori Mitrick and Doug Kilgore etc. etc.

It passed York City Council by a 4-1 vote. The proposal of Councilman Cameron Texter sets up a point system for properties in the city that will be closed down if they accumulate too many points in a certain period of time.

The points accumulate on the basis of code violations or crimes committed at a property. The decision maker on closing down properties will be York City Police Commissioner Mark Whitman.

Real estate companies that are landlords of many city properties feel threatned by the law and may sue over it. The realtors argue that they cannot control the way tenants choose to behave. One landlord, Phil DeRosa, noted that if a stranger is committing a violation, it will count against landlords as well.

Residents have complained about illegal activity on properties in the city, but why blame landlords for crime? Aren't the people who live there the criminals, not the landlords. Is York City government being tough enough on criminals or more worried about "racial profiling" than punishing criminals?

ITS ALSO VERY IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE ARE BEHIND MUCH OF THE CRIMINAL ACTIVITY IN RENTAL PROPERTIES AND AGAIN CAN WE REALLY BLAME LANDLORDS FOR THAT. LIBERAL MINDS CAN. AND WHEN TENANTS GET PUT OUT ON THE STREET BECAUSE PROPERTIES ARE SHUT DOWN, THE LIBERALS CAN TALK ABOUT THE 'HOMELESSNESS' PROBLEM WITHOUT ACKNOWLEDGING THEY CREATED IT WITH POLICIES LIKE THIS NUSIANCE PROPERTY LAW.

"There will be an increase in taxes....there's no doubt in my mind...."

The words of State Representative Stan Saylor (R-94th District) quoted by the "York Daily Record." Saylor spoke at a town-hall style meeting in Airville.

Saylor is high up in legislative leadership and his comments can be added to others coming from legislative leaders and the Rendell Administration. The governor cut executive branch expenses recently and the legislature has made similar moves.

They are sure signs of budget trouble. The idea of a gas tax hike has been floated by Governor Ed Rendell amid suggestions that a billion dollar shortfall already written into this year's budget when it was approved last summer, will balloon into the 2 to 3 billion dollar range during the months to come.

It appears that Rendell and legislative leaders knew the budget was short, but they couldn't raise taxes before an election. So now, expect moves to raise your taxes from Harrisburg after the election. In theory the legislature could do a lame duck session right after the election.

Although Republican State Senate leaders say they won't have such sessions, Governor Rendell could say its an "emergency" and call one to raise taxes.

One advantage of a lame duck session is that lawmakers who are retiring and leaving don't need to worry about the voters at all. That would include Republican State Senator Gib Armstrong of the 13th District, along with State Representatives Steve Nickol of the 193rd District and Bev Mackereth of the 196th District. For other legislators, an early tax raising decision after the election would give a year or two for voter anger to go down.

A QUICK NOTE HERE....THEY PLAN TO RAISE YOUR TAXES WOULD BE A GOOD THEME FOR ANY STATE HOUSE OR SENATE CANDIDATE RUNNING NOW. INCUMBENTS AND CHALLENGERS NEED TO BE TIED DOWN TO SUPPORTING OR OPPOSING A TAX INCREASE.

Higher taxes would also likely get the support of many Democrats in the legislature like incumbent Democrat Eugene DePasquale of the 95th District.

One final note, the power of the Pennsylvania State Education Association is also on display in how money is being spent in Harrisburg. The union of teachers and school employees is getting a dedicated stream of revenue for its members in public education.

The tax proceeeds from the new casinos in Pennsylvania are flowing into public school districts to provide some offset of local property taxes, but the declining economy is probably a sure sign that this "relief" will be very limited in the next few years.

York City Councilman and Democrat State House staff member Cameron Texter is one of 27 witnesses called to testify in the criminal case against Democrats accused of using taxpayers money to fund political campaigns.

Pennsylvania's Attorney General Tom Corbett is looking into whether House legislative staff members in Harrisburg were doing political work and getting paid for it, which would be illegal.

While Corbett continues to probe Republicans, charges have been filed against a group of Democrats that include a current State Representative, one former State Representative and eight other Democrat staff members.

Cameron Texter received bonus payments after he had done campaign work that Texter maintains was done while on leave from his job. Corbett has not charged Texter with any wrongdoing.

Texter has lowered his political profile as the investigation has developed in Harrisburg and he has been involved in a divorce case. Texter left his post as York City Council president earlier this year and says he will not run for re-election next year.

It will be interesting to see what, if anything, Cameron Texter has to say when and if he testifies at a preliminary hearing scheduled for Tuesday in the case.

In the face of lots of attention and publicity, the South Eastern School Board has formally voted 8-1 to reject plans to buy a Steinway piano valued at 97-thousand dollars.

But the school district superintendent broached a way to get the piano through a series of maneuvers that include buying a 45-thousand dollar Boston piano, then raising money from the public to trade up to the Steinway piano.

South Eastern superintendent Tracy Shank has proposed accepting donations in a "Keys For Success" campaign that will be noted on a plaque.

It appears this scheme will soon be up for board consideration.

Why does the school district need such an expensive piano in the first place? It looks like a back door move to cut the difference in half and still use the kind of money that could pay a teacher's salary to ultimately get the 97-thousand dollar piano.

School superintentents just don't give up on their schemes that soak taxpayers pockets for pet projects. Superintendent Shank is moving forward on a plan to give taxpayers a half-shank instead of full-shank.

Lets watch this.

Fears about "climate change" are driving calls for higher taxes, less use of energy and more recycling. One York City resident has joined in by asking for more recycling bins around the city.

When Charlotte Bergdoll went to York City Council to talk about the need for more recycling, she was praised by Councilman Joe Musso. Meanwhile the city's superintendent of parks, recreation and sanitation, Tom Landis, noted that special recycling containers cost more money. He said that large ones would cost from 800 to a thousand dollars. When regular bins have been placed out in the past, garbarge gets mixed in with them. He added that the special containers used at a recent city event were actually filled with recyclable items.

Will the cash strapped City of York be able to afford this and other schemes that are pushed in the name of "saving the planet?"

The move of WSBA-AM 910 talk show host Gary Sutton to the morning time slot comes after two news staffers who hosted the morning show lost their jobs in a staff cutback.

Times are tough for "old media" like radio and AM radio in particular. Only national programs that cost local stations less money will keep them in business.

Sutton joins remaining local staff to be part of the morning program, while syndicated host Glenn Beck takes over the 9 am to 12 noon part of the schedule. Sutton is also hosting a talk segment from 8 to 9 in the morning with guests and calls from listeners.

While "The York Dispatch" described Sutton as "conservative" his style is not that of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity or top rated local host Bob Durgin of WHP Radio. Sutton's "Main Street of America" program reflects his willingness to bring in local moderate Republican politicians and liberals as well to promote their ideas about what to do nationally and here in York County.

Those ideas aren't always the populist ideas of Durgin or the conservative ones of Hannity and Limbaugh. Maybe what WSBA should have done is gone out and hired a hard hitting host who would have attracted higher ratings and more revenue like Bob Durgin, but that costs a lot more money than plugging into national programs.

And with a lack of ad revenue forcing two people out the door, the station once dubbed "The Mighty 910" is now a shadow of its former self.

When new schools get built, road improvements need to be made along with the school.

School districts pick up road construction costs just like developers do when they build new houses.

Dallastown School District is paying 1.8 million dollars in road costs associated with a new intermediate school in Springfield Township. Several years ago, when the new Central York High School was constructed, the school district paid half the cost of road improvements in the area.

Speaking at the end of a recent school board meeting and saying that he was speaking only for himself, Northeastern School Board President Timothy Santiago said the school district should not have to pay road costs for a new school in East Manchester Township that will cost 34 million dollars.

Santiago contends that since the school district is a non-profit organizaton, it shouldn't have to pay. He said one township supervisor spoke of the school district having a larger pool of taxpayers to share the cost of the improvements.

Santiago said the school district is tight on money and will need money to buy classroom supplies for the new school. He also blamed private developers for building houses in the district causing a need for the new school.

Earlier this year, Mr. Santiago became angry when a school board member objected to Martin Luther King Day being a day off from school on this year's school calendar while President's Day was a snow make up day. The calendar was changed after the objection became a public issue.

It appears that Northeastern School Board President Timothy Santiago bears closer scrutiny from concerned citizens and taxpayers in the district. Santiago seems to be pursuing liberal agendas of attacking development and having a greater reverence for Martin Luther King than America's presidents.

Officials in the Dallastown School District are putting out the word that big tax increases are on the way in the years to come.

That's no surpise considering that a new 60 million dollar plus school will be built after a long struggle with Springfield Township officials.

The early talk must be designed to soften the public up.

The spin is that the district is trying to keep property tax hikes within the "inflation index" that the state assigns to each school district. That meant an increase of 5.2 percent this year with the target being 4.8 percent for the next school year.

Dallastown School District and other school districts can apply to the state and get an exemption to raise property taxes above the index. Dallastown School Superintendent Stewart Weinberg speaks of new hires needed to staff the new school causing budget troubles two years down the road.

So hold onto your wallets, Dallastown School District taxpayers.

The racial-racist faction of the York City School Board was on the attack over the resignations of three administrators who are black. The recent resignation of William Penn High School Principal Jesse Rawls Jr. has been followed by the resignation of the district's alternative school principal and director of information technology.

This led to demands for "diversity" when it came to picking replacements for the three plus accusations that white administration was hostile to the departing black administrators. The accusations were reflected in comments coming from from board members James Morgan, Hiawatha Powell and Beverly Atwater.

Members of the racist faction were never big supporters of Mr. Rawls to begin with, particularly when it came to security measures. After Rawls proposed the new metal detectors which are now used at the high school, they protested what they saw as a "prison like" atmosphere in the school.

These new accusations come with a sense that a racial atmosphere already exists in the district favoring black students and that discipline has become lax as seen in crime statistics reported last week for the 2006-2007 school year showing fewer arrests for more incidents in the York City School District.

I suspect Mr. Rawls and the other administrators are just trying to get away from the racially charged atmosphere created by the four racist board members who are making discipline and education impossible in the York City School District.

The nasty atmosphere reflected in the four racially oriented board members is dooming education for thousands of students who will continue to fail in reading and math.

If a faction came along saying more "Christians" were needed in the York City School District administration, our York newspapers would be beside themselves.

These racists are murdering education for children in York City. They must be opposed and condemned instead of being coddled and appeased by the liberal board majority and the community as a whole.

ITS TIME TO DEMAND DISCIPLINE, MATH AND READING FOR YORK CITY SCHOOL STUDENTS INSTEAD OF RACIAL RECRIMINATIONS.

THE CYCLE OF DRUG ADDICTION, ALCOHOL ADDICTION, OTHER ADDICTIONS AND THE CRIME COMING FROM THEM MUST STOP. THAT'S NOT AN EASY TASK AND IT INVOLVES A LOT MORE THAN GOVERNMENT AND OR POLICE.

ITS GOOD THAT CRIME FIGHTING IS A PRIORITY IN COUNTY GOVERNMENT WITH A PROGRAM AIMED AT THE CRIME CENTERED IN THE CITY, BUT THE WAY ALL PEOPLE LIVE THEIR LIVES MUST DRAMATICALLY CHANGE FOR PROGRESS TO BE MADE IN ENDING CRIME AND IMPROVING EDUCATION.

THE RACIAL EXCUSES FOR BAD HABITS AND CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR MUST END.

School districts in York County have reported crime statistics for the 2006-2007 school year and now the state has released those figures.

The reporting covers everything from thefts to fights to drug possession in public school districts. Arrests made in the school district are also reported.

York City School District came in 2nd on the list with 141 incidents reported and 53 arrests. The most incidents reported were from the West Shore School District that includes Northern York County and parts of Cumberland County. The suburban Harrisburg district had 228 incidents in the 2006-2007 school year with 69 arrests.

High numbers also came in from the Dallastown School District with 97 incidents. Dallastown is seeing an influx of new students from the Baltimore area.

But what stands out is that the Dallastown School District reported 54 arrests, that's one more than the York City School District that had more reported incidents.

It is claimed that discipline has become lax in the York City School District in recent years and that a racially based attitude is causing the district to take it easy on punishment of students. These stats give credence to the idea that there may indeed be lax discipline in York City Schools. Only 12 arrests were made at William Penn High School in the 2006-2007 school year, while 31 were made at Central York High School.

At the low end of the crime reports, Southern School District with 24 incidents and 8 arrests and the York Suburban School District with 27 incidents and 7 arrests.

The truancy rate of the York City School District for 2006-2007 was an astounding 39 percent. That was well ahead of other York County public school districts.

The vote of Wrightsville Borough Council was unanimous, with member Larry Kirkessner Jr. absent. The decision was welcomed by many in the community who had been waging a campaign to maintain the local police department set up during the administration of former Mayor Stephen Rambler.

The anti-Rambler faction that had taken over the council voted earlier this year to ask other police departments in the area to provide coverage, but the vote last Monday formally put an end any enquiries to other police departments.

Keeping a local department sounds like a good idea, unlike the schemes to create super police departments being pushed by York County's liberal elites under the York Counts-Metro York banner. Those super departments will have less accountability and become a financial drain on taxpayers in spite of the promises made by proponents.

Democrat presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama toured the Voith Siemens plant in York on Thursday, then spoke to a group of 50 invitees including local Democrat officials. Among those listening to Obama speak were Commissioner Doug Hoke, State Representative Eugene DePasquale of the 95th District and York County Democrat chairman Mike Johnson.

Obama learned about hydro power as an alternative energy source according to the president and CEO of the plant, Mark Garner. Garner said that Governor Ed Rendell called to ask about the tour on Wednesday.

A conference room at the plant was used for an interview with Fox News Channel host Bill O'Reilly.

This visit has something to do with connections involving the Governor and the plant in my opinion. The facts about campaign contributions, political connections are waiting to be dug out.

Ed Rendell has been pushing new sources of energy that are probably related to individuals who donate to his campaign and who expect their businesses to receive taxpayer money to promote "alternative energy." The financial supporters of Rendell will profit from their campaign contributions.

If you go down East Market Street in Springettsbury Township you'll see evidence that Pennsylvania is indeed a "battleground state" in the presidential election campaign.

There's a headquarters building with signs on the lawn for various GOP candidates plus a large motor home converted into a McCain "Straight Talk Express" vehicle.

Of course watching television is enough to realize that the candidates are spending millions right here in Pennsylvania.

The Superintnendent of the Dallastown Area School District is all excited about the "low bids" coming in for a controversial new intermediate school in Springfield Township.

Stewart Weinberg is pointing to bids four million dollars less than earlier estimates for the actual new school building. However the total project that involves road changes in the area is slated to cost 61.5 million dollars which puts it right around the amount of 60 million dollars discussed in previous estimates of the cost of the new school.

There are at least two things you can count on. Once construction begins, there will be delays and additional costs that pile up. That's the standard for new school construction in York County.

So hold onto you wallets taxpayers.

The state's charter school appeal board voted unanimously to turn down a proposal from Lincoln Charter School to establish a middle school on East Philadelphia Street. The board said the facility proposed was too small and that its curriculum was not unique compared to the city's other public schools.

The school will prepare a new proposal and seek approval from the York City School Board, which rejected its initial proposal in a 5-4 vote, triggering the appeal to the state board.

Supporters of the school include the four racially oriented members of the city's school board.

This rejection does not surprise me because political insiders like the five member city school board majority, the Rendell Adminstration in Harrisburg, not to mention the state's leading teacher union that supports Governor Rendell (the Pennsylvania State Education Association) are all thumbs down on educational alternatives.

Lincoln Charter School supporters should bring pressure to bear on elected Democrats like 95th District State Representative Eugene DePasquale. The state rep is up for re-election with a Republican opponent. Demand his support for the charter school or else.

In a sudden and unexpected move, William Penn High School principal Jesse Rawls Jr. is taking a new position as principal of the Central Dauphin East High School near Harrisburg.

The information comes from the Central Dauphin School District. Rawls refuses comment and the York City School District said yesterday it has not received a resignation from him yet.

During the last school year Rawls was attacked by a parent in his office.

Jesse Rawls Jr. came to the York City School District from the Harrisburg School District in 2005.

More indication of serious problems in the York City School District with poor test scores, student violence, a frustrated administration and divided school board.

When will the racist faction of the school board and its supporters in the district stop preaching racial ideology and start focusing on math and reading?

Of course the official line is that test scores are "improving", but the truth is that all schools in the York City School District failed to meet the 56 percent proficiency standard for math and 63 percent standard for reading last year.

That is the bottom line that matters.

Math test scores for 11th Grade students took a big dive at Central York High School during the last school year. The proficiency standard was 56 percent but the results were 55.8 percent on the PSSA tests. That compares with over 80 percent proficiency in Central's other schools.

The school district message is that free and reduced lunch students are the category responsible for the decline.

Meanwhile, there's a new principal at Central York High School this year. Ryan Caufman is taking over from Dr. Jay Butterfield, whose resignation was announced during an August 11th school board meeting. There was no formal announcement to the media of the change of principals.

When Caufman's name was announced as the new principal at a school year opening meeting yesterday, there were loud cheers from the crowd of teachers and staff.

Butterfield had reportedly upset parents and staff with his arrogant style.

The story of Butterfield's four year tenure includes his obtaining of a doctorate degree and the spirited promotion of the district's "cultural diversity" program.

Both Butterfield and the retiring Superintendent of the Central York School District, Dr. Linda Estep, have been honored by the radically led York City Human Relations Commission for their involvement in promoting "diversity."

In response to the test score results, the high school is changing its schedule this year to increase academic time.

Racial faction members of the York City School Board are voicing their views at board meetings and they are stinging.

The mostly white liberal insider faction that controls the board 5 votes to 4 has been concerned about security after the arguments at recent meetings and now a police officer has been present for board meetings.

The use of police known as "resource officers" was a recent topic of discussion as the board worked out a plan to pay the city 160-thousand dollars to finance two officers for city schools in the coming year.

Racial board members Beverly Atwater and Sam Beard complained about a "prison" atmosphere as William Penn Senior High School. That's where students swipe ID cards and go through metal detectors as they enter the school and police stand guard.

Police have made numerous arrests at the school in the last year including one involving a parent who attacked Principal Jesse Rawls in his office. Liberal controlling faction member Barb Krier said she'd rather have a police officer dealing with any weapons than a teacher in a classroom.

Atwater and Beard seem to have their heads in the sand when it comes to the violence in the school. Racial faction members with the assistance of an outside "agitator" seem to want to say that the real problem in their mind is "race" as they continue to raise the issue of a fight that occurred in May of 2007 on a parking lot at the York County School of Technology.

The York City Human Relations Commission executive director Stephanie Seaton says the city school board should have been fully informed about the fight and the U.S. Justice Department got involved forcing the school to take actions following the fight. Seaton is the parent of a student involved in the fight. Her attack is aimed at school board vice-president Tom Foust, who sits on the board of the technical school.

Foust says he has been fully involved and very concerned about the fight and its aftermath, but racial faction members say the fight may be cause for the city school district to consider pulling students out of the technical school.

Board member Sam Beard is quoted by "The York Dispatch" as saying: "Should we be sending our children there" Another racial faction member Hiawatha Powell is also quoted by the "Dispatch": "There is no excuse. There was nothing done...Something needs to be done. They are our kids."

My next comment is simple enough. Are Beard and Powell's references to "our children" and "our kids" references to children of the city school district or children of a particular race. Were they making the "racist comments" they always like to accuse other school board members of?

The schools of the York City School District and two public charter schools of York City (New Hope and Lincoln) failed to meet standards for reading and math proficiency in the last school year. Results from the PSSA tests released by the state showed that all those schools failed to meet the standards of 63 percent of their students being proficient in reading and 56 percent in math.

Individual schools thoughout the county were cited for not meeting the goals and making progress. They included the York County School of Technology, West York High School and Central York High School. Central York's failure is because high school students in the federal school lunch program for free and reduced price lunches are failing to meet the proficiency goals in reading and math. AN ADDITIONAL NOTE: PSSA TEST RESULTS FOR ALL OF CENTRAL YORK'S 11TH GRADE STUDENTS SHOWED 55.8 PERCENT OF STUDENTS PROFICIENT OR ADVANCED IN MATH...THAT .2 PERCENT BELOW THE 56 PERCENT GOAL.

ALSO....AT THE CENTRAL YORK SCHOOL BOARD MEETING LAST MONDAY, THE RESIGNATION OF HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL DR. JAY BUTTERFIELD WAS ANNOUNCED.

By 2014 the goals under the federal No Child Left Behind law are for 100 proficiency in both reading and math in all schools. Education officials like the state's Education Secretary Gerald Zahorchak, say more money is being directed into school districts this year. Zahorchak is confident the goals will be met.

IN THE REAL WORLD MEANWHILE, I DOUBT THIS WILL HAPPEN, ESPECIALLY IN THE URBAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS LIKE YORK CITY. FOR MANY OF ITS SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS, RACE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN READING OR MATH. WHY???????????

When former York County Commissioners Lori Mitrick and Doug Kilgore decided to go ahead with the "heritage park" project in Lower Windsor Township, the expensive legal fight with developer Peter Alecxih over Highpoint began.

Now the county is paying more than 20 million dollars including interest owed every day it didn't pay Alecxih for the fair value of his land as determined by a jury.

The "York Daily Record" has this nasty habit of pointing out that York County and its current board of commissioners are having to pay up the millions for purchasing the Highpoint property without putting the case in perspective.

Let there be no mistake, the former commissioners (Mitrick and Kilgore) ignited this costly conflict.

And they were prodded into their action by the Lancaster York Heritage Region, its executive director (Mark Platts) and the numerous local elected officials from his brother Congressman Todd Platts on down who took an interest in the "heritage park" plan. The LYHR board also included at the time of the controversy numerous local business leaders who are among the wealthiest people in York County.

If there are going to be complaints about paying this bill from the "York Daily Record", then send a bill to Mark and Todd Platts, other current and former elected officials like Lori Mitrick and Doug Kilgore, Louis Appell, Art Glatfelter, Tom Wolf, Robert Kinsley, etc.

Let them put up the 20 million dollars from their own pockets instead of the taxpayers since they ultimately share the responsibility for this mess.

The Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain attracted a crowd of more than four thousand for a townhall-style meeting at the York Fairgrounds Toyota Arena Tuesday.

On hand were Republican leaders like York County GOP chairman Carville "Peck" Foster. Foster says McCain is drawing support from Republicans, Independents and some Democrats.

Also at the arena was McCain's York County coordinator Dick Evans. Evans was a longtime member of the York Suburban School Board and a McCain backer in 2000 when he challenged George W. Bush for the Republican presidential nomination.

The appearance in a Republican stronghold before the convention in St. Paul, Minnesota early next month shows how McCain is trying to shore up support in Republican leaning areas like Central Pennsylvania. McCain will become a more moderate sounding candidate next month after the convention.

The appearance here also sends the message that Senator McCain is seriously contesting Pennsylvania which Senator Barack Obama lost to Hillary Clinton in the Democrat primary earlier this year. McCain is aiming to win the Keystone State this November.

There's been a lot of hype lately about rising gas prices and talk of five dollar a gallon gas..,..Well the media gets egg-faced again by reality.

The evidence goes beyond the price of oil itself as prices drop at pumps around the York area.

On Saturday the unleaded regular price of 359.9 became a common sight, with the Rutters on North Hills Road at 357.9. There's a gas price war on Route 30 with the price 351.9 at the new Rutter's at Pennsylvania Avenue. Down the road at Fairlane Drive the Universal station that sells Citgo was also offering a 351.9 price. How low can it go? We'll watch....

Governor Ed Rendell came to York County Friday to talk about area businesses picking up taxpayer money to help provide "jobs."

York County Democrat State Representative Eugene Depasquale (95th District) also came along for the show.

Rendell appeared before workers at Komax Systems in Loganville. Komax makes solar panels and will get 600-thousand dollars to help build a new facility in Springettsbury Township. Rendell also announced 2.5 million dollars in taxpayer support (with loans and grants) for a new Service Truck Tire Center facility in Springettsbury Township.

Rendell touted that the money will create 194 jobs and help retain another 480.

Also announced, taxpayer support of Crispus Attacks in York, York College and money for the repair of 16 bridges in York County.

Of course, the "tour" concept is nothing new for governors. Twenty years ago Bob Casey Sr. came to York as he "toured" the state. What interests those interested in seeing reform and change in Pennsylvania poitics is this? Are there campaign contributions to politicians like Rendell, Depasquale and others linked to this taxpayer money being handed out to businesses for "jobs"????????

And not to be left out of this story. Local Republican politicians were in evidence during Rendell's visit like State Senator Mike Waugh (28th District). What do they have to do with any campaign contributions and the use of taxpayers money for these businesses?

Amid increasing public scrutiny from concerned taxpayers, the South Eastern School Board has backed away from agreeing to any bid submitted for work on athletic fields.

An engineering study had estimated the cost of building fields on the northwest part of the school property at 190-thousand dollars. But the bids received were 317-thousand dollars or higher.

Board member Dick Wilson said the project is on hold until the Building and Grounds Committee can examine the discrepancy. School Board president Tonia Wright said the project to build the fields including those for lacrosse, field hockey and soccer will go forward.

And one has to wonder if the controversial plan to purchase a 97-thousand dollar Steinway piano is going through after it was sent to the Finance Committee after a June board meeting. The board heard from taxpayers who objected to the buy seeing it as too wasteful.

The committee was said to be meeting in August to consider the matter of buying the new piano. Is this purchase going through under the noses of the taxpayers through the committeee route this month?

Representatives of the York Counts group have made their pitch to Springetsbury Township supervisors to support a police study involving the City of York and nearby communities.

York Counts has a goal of trying to create a Greater York Police Department that would have suburban taxpayers picking up the tab for York City's police protection.

York City and West York Borough have already approved participation in the study. West Manchester Township has rejected the study. York Counts hopes to convince Spring Garden and Springettsbury townships to join in.

The group also plans to approach communities in the York Area Regional Police Department and Northern York Regional Police Department to promote a "public safety" study.

This study should be avoided like the plague because it is a baby step towards bigger government in York County that will not deliver the cost efficiencies that are promised by its promoters. Today, a combined police department, next a combined government that will have York County taxpayers picking up the cost of York City government.

Higher taxes will be the ultimate result of York Counts if its goals are achieved.

Pennsylvania's Charter School Appeals Board was set to meet Tuesday to make a decision on Lincoln Charter School's plan for a middle school in York City.

But the meeting has been postponed until August 26th. That means the hundreds of students signed up for the proposed school will not be able to start classes as had been hoped next month and they will have to attend another school.

The new school is opposed by the five member "insider" faction of the York City School Board and supported by the four member "racial" faction of black school board members.

It should be noted that board president Jeanette Torres and vice-president Tom Foust are "in the loop" with Democrat political leaders like Mayor John Brenner, 95th District State Representative Eugene Depasquale and Pennsylvania Revenue Secretary Tom Wolf.

Were state officials approached to cause a delay in the new school's plans to open at the beginning of the coming school year? The move of the hundreds of students signed up to go to the planned Lincoln Charter Middle School would have taken over 2 million dollars out of the York City School District budget.

If Lincoln can get approval from the appeals board, it is hoped a new school may be able to open in the middle of the coming school year. This story is worth keeping an eye on because it ties in with the conflict presently raging in the York City School District among school board members.

A group of black parents provided the fuel for an outburst of racial anger at the York City School Board meeting Wednesday night. The parents were asking for improvement in educational quality and said the school district was failing to notify them about their children's unlawful absences from school. After board members said they would work to address the concerns, shouting from the parents was directed at the board claiming they didn't care. One parent wanted the board to do something about racially motivated fighting by students.

When board member Beverly Atwater of the racial faction said the problem hasn't been addressed, school board vice-president Tom Foust disagreed saying "that's not true." Continued arguing and shouting led board president Jeanette Torres to close off the public comment period.

That's when another racial faction member Sam Beard argued with Torres about who was "out of order." Atwater attacked Foust saying "you don't represent black people....all you do is cause trouble." Atwater also chimed in with the comment that headlines this story. Three of the racial faction members didn't even bother to rejoin the board meeeting after a recess was called.

The racial faction of the board is concerned about the quality of education and has been supportive of efforts by Lincoln Charter School to expand with a new middle school. I guess I can sympathize with that. But this faction is seeing racism everywhere and anywhere. Tom Foust told the "York Dispatch" he feels the "racism" accusation is a way to demean the school board majority and their opinion.

Foust and Torres do not need to apologize and deny they are racists but that's what white liberals have always done when the radicals attack. When will this crap stop? Only when decent people have the courage to oppose it. The four black school board members are frankly the racists here and one must call them that and demand they show respect for other people and their opinions.

The white liberals of York, who support radicals like the York County Community Against Racism and its radical leader Adrienne McNeil (who's imagined racism at a York country club herself) are no match for this rising chorus of extremists.

In fact, they have spawned the chorus by their guilt ridden calls for "tolerance" and "diversity."

The white liberals will eventually cave into the radicals unless they get something they are not known for, a "backbone." Latest word is that Tom Foust will be sharing a report with the school board on the technical school fighting, a response to appease the extremists.

In the end, the already poor quality of education in the York City School District will likely be worsened by the battle and any concessions made by the board majority to the angry racist members of the board.

The poisonous atmosphere of racial politics like those emerging in the York City School District can have serious consequences.

Millions in the African country of Zimbabwe have suffered from hunger and been forced from their homes by the policies of President Robert Mugabe. Mugabe has consistently blamed white people and "white nations" like the United States and the United Kingdom for problems in his country.

The starvation of his nation and its economic downturn including a 2000 plus percent inflation rate is linked to the seizure of farmland previously owned by whites.

Underlying the racial politics of Zimbabwe is its leader's desire for power. He's not standing up for Africa against the white colonial powers as he claims.

Under all the blame and looking for racial explanations for educational failure in the York City School District are some very deep problems like poverty, crime and family dysfunction.

But underlying those symptoms are the even more serious problems which come under the banner of "addiction." Drugs, alcohol, etc.

Rodney King, angered by the influence of cocaine, got into a fight with Los Angeles Police officers back in 1991. The videotaped portion that showed police hitting him became the story of that incident which supposedly symbolizes "racism."

The city paid out millions of dollars in damages to King, who's had legal problems since. Rodney King has also admitted that he wasted most of the money on drugs.

What was Rodney King's real problem?

I think I know and I think its time that the angry people who show up at meetings to shout "racism" (and that includes four York City School Board members) should start to know. If they don't want to face the drug and alcohol abuse that devastates families and hurts children's chances of success in education, then they should shut up.

I will go one step further. Perhaps some of the angry people who are riled up about race need to look in mirrors at themselves and their families. ADDICTS ARE ANGRY PEOPLE.

Moral indignation is often a cover for moral indifference. Behind this legalistic moralistic crusading about race is hypocrisy that's waiting to be exposed. And its already exposed in one way, that being that the people who yell about "racism" are the real racists in this situation.

He's active in the Republican Club and he's chief of staff to State Representative Keith Gillespie. He's served as an aide to Congressman Todd Platts. It should come as no surprise that Republican committee people in the 196th State House District met Wednesday night and picked Seth Grove as the GOP candidate in the 196th District.

Grove will replace incumbent Bev Mackereth, who made a middle of the election year decision to retire from the State House later this year to take up a position in York County government.

Reports say that it took five rounds of balloting among the committee people with the candidate getting the least votes being bumped out of the next round of voting. Chuck Richards, Skip Clancy and Grove were still in after the third round, then Clancy and Grove survived the fourth with Grove coming out ahead in the end. Richards was the only clear outsider candidate in the race with Clancy no doubt benefiting from his law enforcement background among the political insiders.

Considering Republican strength in the district and the lack of anything but write-in opposition, Grove is expected to be elected in November. Based on his background one can be assured that Seth Grove will do nothing to change things in Harrisburg other than symbolic acts for political purposes.

A York County jury has ruled that scenic land in Lower Windsor Township taken by eminent domain from a Lancaster County developer is worth a lot more than was contended by the county government.

Developer Peter Alecxih is entitled to 9.75 million dollars more from York County than the 7.5 million dollars he was originally given.

The 79-acre tract known as Highpoint was taken when former commissioners Lori Mitrick and Doug Kilgore were in power. They envisioned seizing hundreds of acres of land from the Kohr family (Lauxmont Farms) in addition to the Highpoint tract as part of a scheme to build a "heritage park."

Current commissioners Steve Chronister and Doug Hoke say they will work to pay Alecxih the additional money without raising taxes.

This is a sad and costly legacy of the now former commissioners Lori Mitrick and Doug Kilgore along with their co-conspirators in and out of government.

News reports speak of a dollar amount to pay the cost of the Highpoint settlement per taxpayer and it does make one think of how high the cost would be if this scenario had played itself out for taking the hundreds of acres of Kohr family land (Lauxmont Farms) by eminent domain.

It comes as no surprise that York City Council endorses a survey that the liberal York Counts group wants to conduct about police services and consolidation in the York area.

West Manchester Township has already rejected the idea but York Counts is hoping that Spring Garden and Springettsbury Townships, along with some other local governments, will get behind the research that will help justify the concept of a unified police department.

While big government consolidation advocates speak of cost savings in the scheme and more "efficient" crime fighting, what is certain is that a new big size department would make suburban communities bear the cost of police protection in the City of York.

It is also in the end going to mean more spending and higher taxes, with local accountability for law enforcement going down the tubes.

The big goverment schemers of York Counts and Metro York are searching means for the suburban taxpayers to pay the cost of city government. This police consolidation boondoggle fits right in with the York City bailout scenario.

Democrat State Rperesentative Eugene Depasquale (D-95th District) has been critical of the way the legislature does business in the aftermath of the controversial pay raise of 2005 and been a grandstand performer in calling for reform.

The 2005 pay raise is being blamed for activity exposed in a grand jury investigation of bonuses paid out to Democrat staff members of the State House for political work. 12 indictments were announced in the case by Pennsylvania's Attorney General Tom Corbett last week.

But what's left out of the news stories is the fact that the illegal work was to benefit political campaigns like Depasquale's in 2006.

News reports speak of the legislative staff work for political campaigns moving into high gear after the pay raise. That's when incumbent Democrats faced both primary challengers and Republicans lining up to face them in the general election.

In the middle of the election season in the 95th District, State Rep. Steve Stetler pulled out. Stetler had voted for the raise, taken it and refused to return it after the raise was repealed. Depasquale was picked by the Democrats to fact Republican challenger Karen Emenheiser in the 95th District.

The questions raised here are simple enough for reporters to ask. Did the legislative staff illegally help Stetler and or Depasquale with their 2006 campaigns. Well, are we asking about it and looking for facts?

The public should know about this before they choose between incumbent Democrat Eugene Depasquale and Lon Emenheiser, who's Karen's husband and this years Republican candidate in the 95th District.

Rob McIlvaine made a name for himself by getting elected to the Dover School Board as part of liberal slate called Dover CARES in 2005.

Now with incumbent Republican Bev Mackereth's decision to leave the legislature in the middle of the election year, McIlvaine wants to give voters a chance to pick him as a Democrat candidate in the fall election. So he will run as a write-in candidate to offer an alternative to the candidate Republicans will choose this week at a meeting of precinct committee members in the 196th District.

Wrightsville Borough Council member Larry Kirkessner Jr. was involved in a late night incident back in April where he argued over a nacho machine not working at the Turkey Hill Market in the borough.

Police cited Kirkessner for public drunkeness and disorderly conduct and Kirkessner said the charges were politically motivated because he was not a supporter of the local police concept.

Now a deal was reached with the district attorney's office that allowed him to plead not guilty to the charges before Senior District Justice Roger Estep, who put Kirkessner into the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition Program for first time offenders.

After completing 50 hours of service by the end of the year under the direction of the mayor of Wrightsville and paying court costs, the charges against Kirkessner will be dropped.

Interesting development here with one wondering whether the conflicts in Wrightsville politics are winding down are just taking a breather until the next round.

The trial to determine the true value of a scenic piece of land seized by eminent domain heard startling testimony from an expert hired by York County when former Commissioners Lori Mitrick and Doug Kilgore were in charge.

John Coyle says he gave a wrong estimate and made "a mistake" when he appraised the land for the county. Coyle said the county was pressuring him to come up with an estimate.

Lawyer Herbert Bass got Coyle to make a new estimate for the 79-acre Highpoint tract seized from Lancaster County developer Peter Alecxih. Instead of the original lower estimate around 7 million dollars , Coyle now says the land is really worth 14.85 million dollars.

Peter Alecxih refused to go along with the county's payment of 7 and a half million dollars for Highpoint. That's why he's in court seeking 17 and a half million dollars for the land.

Experts who have testified at the jury trial for Alecxih, say the land is worth around 16.25 to 16.5 million dollars.

This testimony deserves more attention as it provides new evidence of the sordid nature of the effort by ex-Commissioners Mitrick and Kilgore and other public officials, along with the Lancaster-York Heritage Region of Mark Platts and well-known community leaders, to seize land at low ball prices using eminent domain authority.

A prominent York County Democrat is mentioned as part of a scheme that led to 12 indictments in Harrisburg last week.

Former York City Council President and current council member Cameron Texter is on Democrat staff for the State House in Harrisburg. The grand jury report mentions Texter as being on a list of Democrat legislative staff doing political work who would be rewarded with bonuses. Giving the staff money for political work is illegal.

Cameron Texter worked in 2004 on the challenge of voters signatures obtained to put Ralph Nader on the ballot for president in Pennsylvania. Then in 2006, he worked on opposition research of Republicans running against Democrat members of the legislature.

Texter received an $11,648 dollar bonus in 2006.

The grand jury investigation led to the 12 indictments of Democrats by Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett on Thursday. Corbett says the probe is continuing.

Texter, meanwhile, is refusing comment on the case.

Gerry Turner has announced that he is a candidate for mayor in York after John Brenner's decision not to run for re-election.

Turner ran for mayor in 2005 as a Republican and was a write-in candidate for city council in 2007, but this time Turner will be a candidate in the 2009 Democrat primary. This is the way it goes. When one party dominates the only way to get yourself elected is to win the dominant party primary. This means people disguise who they really are. In Republican primaries in York County people who are very liberal and Democrat in their hearts have run because that is their only chance to get elected.

There's talk of two more candidates seeking endorsement from Republican committeee people in the 196th State House District to replace Bev Mackereth on the fall ballot.

Former Columbia High School basketball coach and current talk show host-sports analyst Gary Sutton says he's interested in the endorsement. Sutton says he would give up his broadcasting jobs to join the legislature. Sutton has no criticism of current House members including Mackereth. He says the process in Harrisburg should be more transparent.

Sutton has pushed property tax shifting ideas on his radio show and the ideas of the York County Taxpayers Council, a group that has shown little interest in confronting the bureaucracy and labor union that drive up the cost of education and rate of property taxes in Pennsylvania.

Sutton has also promoted ideas like consolidating government in York County under the York Counts-Metro York banner.

Former Jackson Township police chief and Spring Grove school board member Skip Clancy also has expressed interest in the endorsment. Clancy helped to defeat conservative pro-taxpayer school board members when he and others were elected to the Spring Grove School Board in the 1990's. Clancy speaks of his support for "property tax reform."

These guys seem to add more confusion to the situation and while they talk reform the truth is they have no criticism of the way current members of the legislature like Bev Mackereth operate.

Are they in this to split votes, defeat Chuck Richards and help Seth Grove, the insider candidate with the inside track.

Is Gary Sutton a new and emerging insider candidate with an outsider image like the infamous Scott Perry who was elected in the 92nd District in 2006?

The Pennsylvanaia budget for 2008-2009 was approved by lawmakers and signed by Governor Rendell on the 4th of July.

The 170-32 vote in the State House and 49-1 vote in the State Senate came on a day when the public had its mind elsewhere.

All of the State Senators whose districts are in York County voted in favor of it. Republicans Mike Waugh (28th District), Gibson Armstrong (13th District), Jeff Piccola (15th District), Pat Vance (31st District) and Terry Punt (33rd District).

Among State House members, the only York County representative to vote in favor of the new budget was Democrat Eugene DePasquale (95th District). The Republicans from York County voted No. Keith Gillespie (47th District), Scott Perry (92nd District), Ron Miller (93rd District), Stan Saylor (94th District), Steve Nickol (193rd District) and Bev Mackereth (196th Distict).

Concern was expressed about the lack of public details about the budget agreement that the governor's office described in general terms to the media and public. The controversial budget includes a billion dollars or more of b