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I want to state for the record that I did not support or sign the settlement agreement between the governor and Lebanon County.
The county’s solicitor assured the commissioners that our suit against the governor to secure $12.8 million in CARES funding was on solid legal ground, and I thought it best to pursue the case in court.
I objected to the settlement’s requirement that the county waste $2.8 million of CARES money to educate people on the value of wearing masks. That is a lot of money that could be better spent on other needs. Furthermore, Lebanon County’s citizens are more than capable of figuring out for themselves whether masks are useful or not.
I also objected to the settlement’s prohibiting the county from using any of the money to pay for expenses incurred by the county in addressing the COVID 19 pandemic. The commissioners are, in effect, prevented from reimbursing taxpayers for money spent on the county’s response to this crisis.
The governor’s insistence on these conditions is one more example of his petty politics and his callousness disregard of the true needs of Pennsylvania’s citizens and businesses. Nonetheless, I’m sure his decision was based on “science.”
Read all of LebTown’s COVID-19 coverage here.
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