Commissioner Lehman’s Statement Opposing Repeal of the County
Human Relations Ordinance
Commentary by Craig Lehman, Lancaster County Commissioner

Recently, a proposal came out of right-field to repeal the County Human Relations Ordinance which, if adopted, would abolish the Lancaster County Human Relations Commission. Under the current County ordinance, the Commission safeguards equality by addressing complaints of alleged discrimination in the areas of education, employment, housing, lending and public accommodation.

I oppose this proposal which is being couched as part of the ongoing efficiency review process within County government. While the 2010 budget provides funding for additional reviews, the Human Relations Commission was never part of those budgetary discussions. Also, unlike the reviews of Human Resources, Facilities Management & Parks, this proposal does not focus on improving service delivery within County government; instead it establishes a predetermined course.

By repealing the ordinance, county government will be saying that equality is not a local responsibility and can be better handled by the State Human Relations Commission. Frankly, I do not have much confidence in Harrisburg’s ability to defend equality and address discrimination here in Lancaster County.

On a personal note, generations of my family have made Lancaster County their home. In fact, if recent genealogy research on my family is accurate, it is likely that they came here to escape discrimination and persecution for their religious beliefs. Equality and freedom from discrimination should be at the core of our values here in Lancaster County. If this effort succeeds, our community may be labeled intolerant which is contrary to our heritage.

According to the 2010 budget, the County budgeted approximately $705,000 on the Human Relations Commission including Fair Housing. This equates to an annual cost of approximately $1.39 per resident which is what you might expect to find hiding in the sofa or spare change lying around the house or in the car. In my opinion, this is an extremely small amount to pay to safeguard equality locally.

As some complain that too many people rely on government services, doesn’t it make sense to address discrimination locally to make sure that all have equal opportunity in the areas of education, employment, housing, lending and public accommodation, thereby reducing the demand for government assistance?

Finally, we have all seen what working together can accomplish, exemplified by the effort to address homelessness in Lancaster County. Imagine what could be accomplished if we worked together to safeguard equality in our community instead of efforts that divide us and shirk responsibility.

Comment on this Commentary - Comments should be directed to Ken Ralph, Editor of LCDC Media at his email address. Comments will be posted here.

Craig Lehman

The opinions expressed here are those of Mr. Lehman alone and are not the official position of the
Lancaster County Democratic Committee.