COMMENTARY: Who voted for trolley cars?

In his Aug. 14 blog “Streetcar city” on LancasterOnLine.com, Gil Smart opines: “One of the more stinging (because it’s valid) criticisms of the local streetcar initiative is that the thing seems to be moving forward - and who voted for this? Has Lancaster City Council voted on anything? No. But we’re buying the streetcars already. And that makes it seem as if an end run is in process.

“There should be no end run. This has to see the light of day, completely.”

Smart concludes: “Times are changing, and - as we’ve said so often in our suburban discussions - we may need to change with them. But that’s a case that must be made in public, to the public. Which, some will say, would itself represent quite a change.”

Better yet, let’s first have a public forum on the subject, one that would bring to town national experts rather than the usual ignorant local leaders who too often are either intent on personal enrichment or are dancing on puppet strings held by those who are.

Of course that was once done for the Convention Center Project, but facts and good sense could not overcome powerful vested interests.