COLUMBIA SPY

Shown above is the agenda for ELANCO's upcoming board meeting this Monday night. Go  HERE  to link to the agenda on their website . The agenda for the upcoming Eastern Lancaster County School Board of Directors Meeting for July 18, 2016 makes no mention of a Director of District Operations position. The position is part of a deal recently approved by ELANCO and the Columbia Borough School Board. The job posting stated a deadline of "June 30, 2016 or until successful candidate is selected." According to LNP , Columbia School Board President Tom Strickler stated his intention to apply for the position and has recused himself when the job was discussed at meetings.  Since Strickler's resignation includes an effective date of July 18, 2016 at 11:59 p.m., it has been widely speculated that July 18 would be ELANCO's decision date to appoint a candidate to the position. In theory at least, if Strickler were denied the position, he would still have time to...

Undercover detectives from the Lancaster County Drug Task Force, along with Columbia Borough Police, apprehended a man at 313 North Second Street shortly after 6 p.m. today. According to witnesses, detectives tore their way through two screen windows on a front porch to enter the house. As police led the man to a police van, he shouted that the incident was due to a probation violation. A detective and bystanders engaged in a minor verbal altercation as police entered their vehicles to leave the scene.

Mayor Leo Lutz swears in new councillor Fran FitzGerald at Monday's meeting. Columbia Borough Council voted Monday night to appoint John Novak and Fran FitzGerald to council to fill seats recently vacated by Barry Ford and Mary Barninger. Other candidates who applied for the position were Frank Doutrich, Jeanne M. Cooper, Joseph H. Nikolaus, and Alan Barninger. Candidate Michelle McFarland was not present. John Novak was unable to attend the meeting and was interviewed via phone after listening to the interviews. He was sworn in by Mayor Leo Lutz via phone. Ford resigned due to health issues. His resignation was effective May 31, 2016. Barninger resigned due to employment obligations. Her resignation was effective June 30, 2016.

Unanswered questions have been swirling around town since the June 16 Columbia Borough School Board meeting. Changes, resignations, and appointments are making the actions of the board look like a veritable chess game. Board President Tom Strickler resigned after announcing his intention to apply for an administrative position with ELANCO. Strickler's resignation is effective July 18 at 11:59 p.m. In a unanimous vote, the board appointed board member Cole Knighton as president, despite his less than desirable attendance record over the past four years, specifically: In 2013: Twelve regular board meetings: He attended seven. (58%) In 2014: Eleven regular board meetings with recorded attendance: He attended four. (36%) In 2015:. Twelve regular board meetings: He attended seven. (58%) In 2016: Six regular board meetings to date: He has so far attended all six. (100%) In 2015, board members Alysa Poindexter and Cole Knighton both missed the first three consecutive ...

As Columbia Spy reported HERE , former Columbia School Board member Francis Resch resigned from the board effective May 31, 2016. According to LNP , Resch resigned for health reasons. His resignation letter to the board, however, alludes to additional reasons. The letter is published here with permission of the author. Mr. Resch has requested that the following comment be published: "For the record I would like to say that health issues were not the main reason I resigned from the board.   However, I was disappointed that Iris Garrido was not chosen to fill my vacant position, since she had the 2nd highest number of votes in the Nov. election. She would have been a valuable asset to the board. Hopefully she will be considered for the current vacant position being advertised."

 Hilde Kate Lysiak Hilde Kate Lysiak, who reports from Selinsgrove, PA, recently signed a book deal with Scholastic . She reports on news in her hometown at her site  The Orange Street News . MORE  HERE