Franklin County Leaders Cower While Lebanon County Reps Take Action

by Dwight D. Weidman

Three State Representatives and One State Senator representing Lebanon County today put Governor Tom Wolf on notice that Lebanon County was going to move from the “Red” to “Yellow” phase of reopening on May 15th, with or without the Governor’s approval.

Senator Dave Arnold and Representatives Sue Helm, Frank Ryan, and Russ Diamond stated in the letter that Lebanon County had met the original requirements of the Governor’s Stay at Home Directive (as have other counties, including Franklin) and would proceed to begin reopening, based on the needs and desires of their constituents.

The letter was the latest in a series of statements made by PA county and state officials defending the rights of their constituents in the face the Wolf Administration’s ambiguous and tyrannical lockdown edicts.

Where are our elected leaders on this? Are they going to continue to beg for crumbs as Franklin County stays locked down another month or more? Lebanon County has nearly double the numbers of Coronavirus cases and deaths that are in Franklin, but apparently, they have something that Franklin County doesn’t have: legislators with guts.

It’s time for Senators Mastriano and Ward, and Representatives Kauffman, Schemel, Hershey and Topper to stop the grandstanding and useless legislative gestures and act on behalf of the people they supposedly serve. They’ve once again fumbled their chance to lead, but maybe they can at least be good followers. Lebanon County has shown the way!