Sentinel Morning Update: ‘Flaws’ found in DONT petition, borough says
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Carlisle Borough staff say they have found “flaws” in 22 percent of the signatures listed on a petition opposing a Downtown Improvement District.
Borough Manager Stephen Hietsch said staff conducted a preliminary review of the list after council received the petition March 13 from members of DONT, short for Downtown property owners Opposed to New Taxation.
The review found 18 of the 82 signatures were invalid for a variety of reasons which will be made part of the council meeting minutes.
DONT member Jamie Wolf said the “flaws” were errors that could have been avoided had the opposition group received the most accurate, current and complete information on the proposal from DID task force members.
“They were mistakes,” Wolf said. “We were trying to do this with half information.”
Wolf added DONT members knew the signatures would be verified, so there was nothing to be gained by giving council inaccurate information.
Wolf questioned why staff had time to verify water bills, but not update a list of downtown commercial property owners forwarded to DONT by Perry Heath, task force chairman and a borough councilman.
Wolf said group members used the list, which is at least nine months old, to identify property owners familiar to them who may support the petition. About a half dozen people, all volunteers, then gathered signatures letting the language of the petition speak for itself.
Wolf said DONT members do not trust the DID task force to release all important information on the DID to commercial property owners prior to their opportunity to file written objections.
The way the enabling law is structured, the lack of a vote by a property owner counts as a “yes” vote so it is up to citizen groups like DONT to rally opposition to DID -- this while members work full-time to maintain their businesses, Wolf said.
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Along with the rest of this story from Sentinel reporter Joe Cress, here's what else to look for in today’s print and on-line editions:
Voter registrations flood Cumberland election bureau
Karen Meals decided to register for the state’s April 22 primary at 4:15 p.m. Monday.
The Carlisle woman had planned to register for weeks, but couldn’t find time until she heard a TV pundit criticize Hillary Clinton for staying in the race. That irritated Meals, who thinks the nomination battle has been great.
The deadline to register was 4:30 p.m.
“I just told my mom,” who was watching TV with Meals, “let’s go get in the car and change my voter registration,” she said.
Exactly 14 minutes later, the Republican of 25 years arrived at the county Bureau of Elections and officially became a Democrat.
She was one of the last Cumberland County residents to register, capping a busy day for county election officials, who estimate they received 2,000 registration forms Monday from residents seeking to vote for the first time or to switch their party.
The foot-high piles of registration forms were stacked behind the bureau’s front desk throughout the day as election officials worked as quickly to process them.
Monday was the busiest registration day Penny Brown, county director of elections, has seen for a primary.
“We knew it would be high — we did not know it would be that high,” she added.
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Amelia Givens library tests waters for fund drive
Plans are in the works for a $4.7 million expansion to the Amelia Givin Library in Mt. Holly Springs and officials are trying to determine if a capital campaign in that amount is feasible.
Last week, library officials mailed a questionnaire to community leaders, donors and frequent library patrons to determine if raising $4.7 million is realistic and attainable.
“We wanted to see what we realistically can expect to raise,” explained Cynthia Stratton Thompson, library director.
The proposed expansion of the North Baltimore Street facility could include additions that would offer room for a new children’s area, community meeting rooms, expanded book and audio-visual space, space for additional public computers, office and workrooms and an outdoor courtyard and additional parking.
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Lions Community Theatre readies ‘Oliver’
West Perry High School will be taken back in time to 19th century England later this week, when the Lions Community Theatre performs the musical drama, “Oliver,” in the school auditorium.
An adaptation of a Charles Dickens’ novel, the British musical details the life of Oliver Twist, a 9-year-old boy born into a life of poverty and misfortune, as he sold to an undertaker, runs away and finds himself living with a boy pickpocket gang.
More than 40 people -- most of whom come from Perry County and the West Perry community -- make up the cast and orchestra of the 37th annual LCT production.
“They just thought they would like to try that one,” assistant executive producer Carson Holman said about the selection made by director Rick Smiley and musical director Baird Collins.
LCT is a non-profit organization sponsored by the New Bloomfield Lions Club. For the past 10 to 12 years, they have been doing musicals, including “Kiss Me, Kate,” “My Fair Lady” and “Fiddler on the Roof.”
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Morning Update
The Sentinel Morning Update runs every weekday by 8 a.m. to take a look at what
we have planned for our newspaper and Web site. Feel free to offer any suggestions,
questions or feedback to jpratt@cumberlink.com
