Morris re-elected chair of Authority; Ex Dir still sought

Art Morris was unanimously re-elected as Chair of the Lancaster County Convention Center Authority at its monthly board meeting, Thursday night.

Although candidates ran unopposed, there was an opportunity prior to voting for the nomination of additional candidates for the offices.

Morris expressed surprise that none of the approximately 30 persons in the audience chose to speak during the public comment periods. A wag in the audience offered "Don't get used to it" to the amusement of all.

Morris reminded the public that the Authority is looking into the propriety of its contracts with Penn Square Partners regarding naming rights.

Reading from the summary of the Public Relations, Marketing, and Hospitality Committee meeting, Morris said, "A short discussion took place regarding naming rights. Mr. Morris asked the committee to recommend a board member to work with him in consideration of the next steps, including a meeting with Penn Square Partners."

Morris went on to say, "At the request of Mr. Campbell, Mr. Morris agreed to talk with Ms. Chris Hauser, the solicitor, about the current meaning of the naming rights."

Also Thursday night, the members unanimously approved an agreement between the Authority and Hospitality Management Recruiters Inc. to extend the search for an Executive Director.

The motion included an amendment, proposed by R. B. Campbell, "authoriz[ing] the Chair to take whatever action the Chair deems appropriate to advertise for the Executive Director position."

Board member Kevin Fry said, "I would like the public to understand that we are working hard to find an executive director and we'll continue that work. We've had some good candidates and we've talked to some good people but, for a number of reasons, we've decided to continue our search.

Fry continued, "I just wanted everyone to understand that we're taking this very seriously and we want to hire someone who can find a good, qualified person, and that's the reason for this."

In other business, the Board approved engagement letters with Russell, Kraft, & Gruber of Lancaster for legal services, and Maher Duessel of Harrisburg for auditing services over the next five years.

The next full board meeting of the Lancaster County Convention Center Authority is scheduled for Thursday, February 28 at 7 PM in City Council chambers at Southern Market Center.