Originally published in the Lancaster Post on October 17, 2008
For most of its existence, the board of the Lancaster County Convention Center Authority was nothing more than a "rubber stamp", consistently voting as expected. As the controversy over the financing of the project intensified, the County Commissioners eventually appointed individuals to the board who weren't afraid to ask meaningful questions; these board members were accused of trying to kill the project. Some of these same people later played a significant part in untangling the convention center's inadequate construction budget, saving the project from financial paralysis. Yet once the convention center opens for business, the LCCCA board will be prevented from ever again playing a meaningful role in its operation.
From its formation in late 1999 until 2005, the only requirement for membership on the LCCCA board seems to have been good political and/or business connections. Many of the individuals appointed to the LCCCA had already served on various other boards, and all appeared to be qualified. The problem is, until 2005 there is no record that anyone associated with the LCCCA had any kind of experience in the convention or hospitality industries. As a result, the members of the LCCCA board had no idea if what they were voting on was the right thing for a downtown Lancaster hotel and convention center; they only had the word of the Penn Square Partners to base their decisions on.
Both former chairman James Pickard, and his successor Ted Darcus, ran the LCCCA board with an iron fist. Questions from the public went unanswered; as James Pickard said, "We also wish to clarify what the 'public comment' portion of the agenda is NOT: It is not a question and answer session." For a time under James Pickard, "public comment" was only held at the end of a board meeting, after actions were already taken. Former chairman Ted Darcus had a habit of intentionally looking down at his desk when a member of the public was speaking, often pretending to read or write while concerned citizens tried to make their point. Questions from board members were openly discouraged, both by the chair and other board members. No LCCCA committee ever met on a regular basis.
In 2005, at the height of the controversy over the project's financing, the County Commissioners appointed three new members to the LCCCA board who were not afraid to ask questions. Two of these had extensive experience in the hospitality industry, and the third had lengthy business management experience. Chairman Ted Darcus repeatedly criticized the new board members for asking questions; the more pointed the question, the stronger Darcus' criticism became. Darcus, along with other board members, repeatedly accused the three new board members of wanting to kill the project, even though they were only trying to fulfill their duties.
The LCCCA's construction bonds were sold at the end of March 2007, which sealed the fate of the project; this meant construction could begin in earnest. Over the next several months, many members of the LCCCA board either resigned, or their terms expired. Ted Darcus resigned as chairman, but was immediately re-appointed as a board member Even executive director Dave Hixson resigned.
With former Lancaster mayor Art Morris as the new chairman of the LCCCA board, everything changed. Committees were formed, and started holding public meetings every month. Comments from the public were openly welcomed, and questions were answered for the first time in years. Of course, this was like closing the barn door after the horses got out; once the bonds were sold, nothing could change the project.
But something very interesting happened. The construction budget left behind by Dave Hixson and Ted Darcus proved to be grossly inadequate, particularly in providing funds for change orders. Art Morris, along with some of the board members who had dared to ask questions (and were accused of trying to kill the project), spent a huge amount of their own time calculating how much money would be required to complete the project. Additional State grant money was requested to make up the deficit (and was promised to be provided by Sen. Gib Armstrong). Without the actions of Morris and the other board members, the project would be in serious trouble right now. People who were once branded as project opponents helped to save it from a financial calamity.
Unfortunately, once project construction is completed, the LCCCA board will be reduced to an oversight role. The agreements between the LCCCA and the Penn Square Partners dictate that all operational decisions will be made by joint hotel and convention center manager Interstate Hotels and Resorts. The LCCCA board will be relegated to an "oversight" role, with no real authority over the convention center or its operation.
Once again, the LCCCA board will be nothing more than a "rubber stamp".
