Ron Larson, 44, wrote the city a check for $2,300, which covers the 66 hours of overtime city workers racked up during the president's July 9 visit. The Bush motorcade drove through the city en route to York, but did not stop. "I would take a bullet for this commander in chief, but since I am not in the position to do that, I think this is the least I can do for him," Larson said Monday. "He deserves this. And furthermore, if the president ever decides to visit Lancaster again and there is a security-cost issue, I would pay it again." Before Larson stepped forward, City Council members and the mayor had split over who should pay for the police officers, crossing guards and meter maids who cleared and guarded the motorcade's route through the city. Democratic councilmembers Julianne Dickinson and John Graupera joined Lancaster city Democratic Committee chairman Gregory Paulson last week in asking that the city send the bill to Bush's re-election campaign. The move would echo one made by Democratic York mayor John Brenner, who has said he will bill the Bush campaign for more than $21,000 in expenses incurred during a visit later the same day. Mayor Charlie Smithgall and councilman Luis Mendoza, both Republicans, disagreed. The city has never sent a bill to a campaign before, Smithgall said. He also said the city has a responsibility to protect candidates who choose to come to Lancaster. "It's part of the political process," he said. Larson learned of the controversy last week when he read a story about it in the Intelligencer Journal. After Larson finished the article, his decision to pay the bill out of his own pocket took "about 90 seconds," he said. When Larson made his offer over the telephone on Friday, he spoke to a surprised Smithgall. "I've never seen anything like this," said the mayor, who met Larson for the first time Monday afternoon. "It's tremendous." Larson called Dickinson, Graupera and Paulson "three very partisan people." "This is the president of the United States ... . We should be ashamed to ask him to pay for his security," Larson said. "We should be honored that he chose to visit us." While he is grateful to Larson for paying the bill, Graupera said he would have asked the city to send a bill to the campaign of any candidate who visited Lancaster. "It's the principal of the thing," he said. "The taxpayers shouldn't be saddled with campaign expenses, especially with the city in the situation that it's in." Paulson agreed, saying recent layoffs of city firefighters and cuts to social services show the city needs every cent it can get.
Sweet!
This is the trip to Pa during which President Bush met with local Amish.
There was talk like this among Dem city leaders in our little town, too, when Bush visited. It should be seen as an honor.
I hope someone informs the Prez of this so he can send this guy a handwritten thank you note.
Talk about your petty,partisan BS. Why are we not demanding that the 2 Johns pay back their senate salaries? Neither of them has functioned as senators for a while. When will people take notice that the dims are a bunch of cry babies?
Is there research ANYWHERE that clintoon's campaign was billed when he was up for re-election???
I see another rich Republican picked up the tab....(/sarcasm)
This man rocks, the rats are disgusting and shameful--- as usual.