But before the hopefuls took the floor, Mayor Rick Gray had the microphone. He talked about the state of the Democratic Party from the city’s perspective, and fired verbal volleys in the direction of county Commissioner Molly Henderson, whom he did not mention by name.


During the mayor’s diatribe, Henderson sat stoically, sipping her soft drink through a straw.


When speaking about the county’s taking of the former Armstrong building by eminent domain, he talked of “Democrats who deprive other Democrats of money they need to serve the public.” The office building was in private hands and generated tax revenue for the city; now it’s a tax-exempt government-owned property.


He talked about the city’s stagnating plans to build affordable housing at the city’s Sunnyside peninsula, where the county has proposed building government offices instead.


He said a minority commissioner’s role is to serve as a watchdog, noting a Democrat “had a chance to represent us on the county commissioners, but gave it up.”


Could it have been Henderson to whom he was referring?


“You’re the master of the obvious,” Gray said during a follow-up phone call.


He said he doesn’t think Henderson should resign, but she should not seek re-election.


“The party should make sure it has two qualified, excellent Democratic candidates for the next election,” he said.


Is Molly Henderson one of those?


“No, I don’t think so,” he answered.


“The Shellenberger and Henderson administration has not been good for the county or the city,” he said.


A minority watchdog, he said, “doesn’t learn about a plan to sell Conestoga View in April and wait until a grand jury investigation before telling everyone about it.”


After his speech, Gray received applause and some gave him a standing ovation.


When it was her turn to speak, Henderson only acknowledged the mayor’s comments about dealing with city trash haulers, and agreed it could be a challenge to discuss the new single-hauler program in public. Henderson had faced similar ire when she served as the city’s public health chief for part of the Smithgall administration, she said.


Henderson went on to outline for the audience what she’s done for the Democratic Party in the past five years and noted her participation in campaigns.


“As a commissioner, I’ve stayed in touch with Bruce Beardsley [county party chair] and let him know what was going on at the courthouse,” she said. “In smaller ways, I’ve been the Democratic voice in the county.” She noted her oversight role at countywide polling places on election days to make sure the party has fair and equitable representation.


She took credit for the fact that lawyers for the Stevens & Lee law firm no longer serve as the county’s counsel, adding the in-house attorney is accessible and less costly.


Stevens & Lee lawyers quit their posts with the county after the commissioners blamed them for closed-door meetings over the pending sale of Conestoga View.


Henderson did not mention Conestoga View, which was sold in 2005 after a round of secret meetings headed by the commissioners.


In December 2005, District Attorney Don Totaro convened a 13-month grand jury investigation into the sale of the public nursing home and the commissioners’ hiring of chief services officer Gary Heinke, who resigned after questions were raised about the accuracy of his resume. Recently, Henderson and the two Republican commissioners, Dick Shellenberger and Pete Shaub, each pleaded guilty to violating the state’s public-meeting laws and paid a $100 fine on each count. Henderson pleaded on one count and the Republican commissioners pleaded to two counts each.


Henderson has claimed she did not know about the sale until the other two commissioners invited her to join in the secret process April 1, 2005. The public was told of the pending sale July 6, 2005.


The home was sold to Complete HealthCare Resources of Montgomery County for $8.5 million in the fall of that year.


Shaub will leave his commission post next month.

Shellenberger has said he’s not quitting, but he will not run for re-election.


Henderson said she is not resigning and will seek another term, although she has not officially announced.


The incumbent commissioner also did not mention her battle to stop the $165 million convention center-hotel project in downtown Lancaster.


The project is eagerly awaited by many city residents, especially black and Latino business owners who hope to benefit from the predicted economic growth.


Henderson said she had with her a printed list of “the vast number of projects” that are being built through city and county partnerships. She noted the opening of Clipper Magazine Stadium, called it a “huge success” and said she was “glad to be a part of it.”


In a follow-up e-mail, she wrote: “I am a supporter of development in the city as the heart of the county.


“Just within the last year or so the county has worked with the city in over 15 different development projects, multiplying more than $3 million in county grants into many times that amount in state and private funds.”


Two Democratic committeepeople who were at the Wednesday event also called and e-mailed the Sunday News to state their support for Henderson. Sam Wilsker noted the commissioners’ “leveraging” of $1 million in county money toward the development of the city’s northwest triangle, and another $1 million for the Pennsylvania Academy of Music expansion.


Linda Martin, who has lived in the city for 25 years, noted the county gives the Downtown Investment District $80,000 a year. And she said “Conestoga View is now paying $200,000 per year in city school taxes” and the 800 people employed by the county have remained downtown in the former Armstrong building instead of moving to county offices at Sunnyside.


“I have known Molly Henderson for 20 years. She is a person of integrity and I value her friendship,” Martin wrote in an e-mail.


Who else is running?




The other Democratic county commissioner candidates to speak were Charles Groff and Craig Lehman.


Groff, a former Mount Joy borough councilman, said he wants to be county commissioner to help bring economic revitalization to the city.


Lehman, a budget analyst for the state House, who was elected as city controller in 2005, said public officials need to work together to benefit citizens in the city, the suburbs, the boroughs and the rural areas of Lancaster County.


Other candidates to speak were Katherine Kravitz and Sam Mecum, lawyers seeking the party’s nomination to run for judge. Stephen Cody, another judicial candidate, could not be there and was represented by his wife, Sharon, also an attorney.


Gerald S. Robinson, an attorney who practices in Harrisburg, was touted by Nelson Polite Sr. Robinson is a Republican, but has been active in community service in Lancaster, Polite said. Robinson is also the only black candidate seeking the bench, he said.


Joseph R. Morales, a member of the Lancaster County Convention Center Authority board, talked about his plans to run for city council.


Incumbent councilman Polite announced he was seeking another term. Democratic council members Julianne Dickson and John Graupera will not run again.


Justin V. Thomas and Veronica Urdaneta are running for school board. Urdaneta is an incumbent.


Janice Jimenez, a sergeant in the Millersville University Police Department, is running for magisterial district judge of the city’s 2nd Ward.


City Democrats need three more candidates for School District of Lancaster board and someone for a council seat, said Greg Paulson, leader of the city party.


Convention details




The Lancaster County Democratic Committee will hold its endorsement convention Feb. 17 at the Quality Inn & Suites, 2363 Oregon Pike. The reception will begin at 8:30 a.m.; breakout sessions will be held throughout the morning; and endorsements will be announced at 1 p.m., according to Beardsley.


The party chairman said Bruce Evans will chair the city council screening panel. Harvey Miller will head the magisterial district judge review committee. So far, he said, no one has volunteered to serve on the screening panel for school board candidates.


For more information or to volunteer, call party headquarters at 299-5701.


Joint effort




The Republican and Democratic parties are pulling together to review the county’s election processes and perhaps call for reform.


David Dumeyer, chairman of the GOP, said he and Beardsley have discussed a bipartisan effort to examine the mistakes that were made at polling places in the Nov. 7 general election.


Beardsley said he and Dumeyer decided to form a task force with representatives from both parties.


Jane Shull will serve as the Democratic representative, and Immo Sulyok will represent the Republicans.


Dumeyer said no meetings have been scheduled yet.


In both the May primary and the November general election, the county used electronic voting machines, eScans and eSlates.


But problems plagued the fall process. Most of the problems occurred when election officials in 50 voting districts failed to tear off a receipt stub from the paper ballot before scanning it through the eScan machine.


People could still cast their votes using paper, said Mary Z. Stehman, elections chief. The paper ballots were scanned by voting officials at the end of the day.


Another 30 eScans were paralyzed in “test mode” because election officials did not reprogram the machines to tally votes.


Reporting to the county commissioners several weeks later, Stehman said the errors “marred the day” as well as the image of her department.


Shull notes it is a political party’s job is to recruit volunteers to serve on election days, not the county elections board.


Shull said if the parties fulfilled their recruiting obligations, perhaps the polls would see a reduction in mistakes.


Shortly after Stehman’s report to the commissioners, Shull posted a letter on the Democratic Party Web site, saying it is the committee’s responsibility to find capable volunteers and help with training. She advised Democrats “to look after their own interests” and find people to do the job.


Shull and Sally Lyall, another active Democrat, are designing a training program.


Poll workers needed




The party is seeking people to serve as judge of elections, majority inspector and clerk for the city’s 7th Ward, 5th Precinct, for the May 15 primary.


Democrats and Republicans who filled those seats for the general election were appointed by the county, “but they didn’t work out,” Stehman said.


For more information, contact Lyall at 299-3040. To link to her e-mail, visit www.lancasterdems.com.


Seeking candidates




The Penn Manor Democratic Committee is seeking candidates for the following school and municipal elections:


•Millersville Borough Council, three seats, four-year terms.


•Manor Township, two supervisor seats and one auditor, all six-year terms.


•Conestoga Township, one supervisor, a six-year term; two auditors, six and four years; and one tax collector, two-year seat.


•Pequea Township, one supervisor, six-year term; two auditors, six- and four-year terms; and one tax collector, two years.


•Martic Township, one supervisor, six-year term; and one auditor, six-year term.


•Penn Manor School District has five school director seats, four-year terms.


Prospective candidates should contact Lynn Paules, Penn Manor Democratic district leader, at 872-2781 or LMP050855@yahoo.com.


Getting a break




Lancaster County District Attorney Don Totaro is sporting a soft cast on his left arm these days.


Totaro, a Republican candidate for judge, fell and broke his wrist in three places while skating Monday with his family at the Lancaster Ice Rink.


Totaro was treated at Lancaster General Health Campus. He said he goes for a checkup Tuesday and doctors will determine whether he needs surgery. If not, he’ll get fitted with a hard cast, which he’ll have to wear for six weeks.


Totaro said he was fulfilling a promise he made to his sons, 14 and 12 years old, that he’d take them skating. The courthouse and schools were closed Monday for Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.


Judy A. Strausbaugh is political writer for the Sunday News. She can be reached at 291-8689 or jstrausbaugh@lnpnews.com.