Now I Understand

It's taken me 20-years but I think I finally figured out a mystery from my past.

Twenty-years ago I was a staff writer for the Lebanon Daily News. I learned that one of three county commissioners was being paid by a developer to vote in favor of their development plans. He was on the take.

The development plans hinged on the county building an airport at the development site, just west of Annville. The plans were overwhelmingly opposed by residents throughout the county, mainly because it involved high density housing and destruction of acres and acres of farmland.

I was pretty fresh out of college where I earned a degree in journalism. My head was filled with the promises of the news being the "fourth estate." I was too green to realize that the news was a business, and had little to do with fair and honest reporting of facts.

When I first brought this serious news story of one of our county commissioners being bribed for his vote to the newspaper editors they told me they did not want to run the story. I was shocked. I was floored.

I had all the facts. I had at least two sources for every bit of information. I thought this was one of the most serious offenses by one of the highest level officials in the county. And the paper didn't want to run the story?

I couldn't believe it.

Of course I complained. Of course I asked for a reason why. But it led nowhere, not even to an explanation.

I know they had a veteran reporter check out all of my facts. Everything in my story checked out. This county commissioner was on the take. He was as crooked as crooked gets.

The morning the vote was due to be taken by the county commissioners, as I walked into the newsroom, the city editor yelled out at me, "Albert! How about forwarding that story to me. We're going to run with it."

The story ran in that morning's edition. The crooked county commissioner had to abstain from voting. The vote failed. The developers went away. The people in Lebanon County rejoiced.

The crooked county commissioner, a powerful, wealthy attorney, was furious with me.

I've always believed in truth and honesty. Some people might say that I'm too honest. But I have to look myself in the mirror every morning.

A few weeks or months after this event, the managing editor called me into his office. He also called the assistant city editor into his office as well. The managing editor accused me of making a mistake on my gas expense account. He said that I claimed that Annville was six miles away and he told me it was only five miles away.

I remember back then that gas was reimbursed at 19-cents a mile. I was shocked. I was getting yelled at over 19-cents? Actually, adding up all of my miles to Annville on that weekly expense report I think the total being disputed was somewhere around $2. I offered to give the $2 back.

I remember wondering why the assistant city editor was there. Then she started crying I mean really sobbing.

How strange!

Then suddenly the managing editor told me that he saw me curse him under my breath.

??????????????

Then I was fired.

I had enough of working for this guy. He was really a clown. He used to write blistering editorials like "We here at the Daily News really enjoy sunshine, and thoroughly support it."

I gladly gathered my stuff and left. Then immediately I began writing for the Patriot-News in Harrisburg. As I left the assistant city editor cried uncontrollably.

I've always thought this was so strange, so bizzare. First of all, I have never been one to swear. Can anyone ever remember hearing me swear? I just don't find it necessary and never have.

Second of all, who gets fired over a disagreement of $2 in gas expenses?

Telling Barb this story the other week, now in this environment surrounded by corruption everywhere in this country, it finally hit me.

The county commissioner whose corruption I exposed paid the managing editor of the paper to get rid of me.

I wondered why our experienced county reporter wanted nothing to do with this story.

I don't have any proof. But I've got very, very strong suspicions.

If that kind of corruption goes on in little old Lebanon County, just imagine what goes on at the much bigger levels.