Letter: Berks County needs new commissioners

Wednesday December 12, 2018
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Their handling of the Heim is atrocious

Editor:
Karen Shuey did a great job of reporting on a sad issue (“Back on the market,” Reading Eagle, Dec. 7), getting both sides of the story about Berks Heim, which leads me to some conclusions about our sorry excuses for Berks County commissioners:
The retiring Mark C. Scott, who's rich enough that he'd never have to worry about needing a public facility such as the Heim, says he has no regrets. Of course not; he'd see the sale of this public asset into the private sector as a crowning achievement, no matter how badly it works out for Heim patients and workers.


Christian Y. Leinbach, who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing, is just champing at the bit to put his heartless, faux Christian Tea Party philosophy into action.
Even Kevin S. Barnhardt, giving only lip-service opposition to sale, finds it necessary to take a cheap shot at the unions that are only trying to preserve a decent living for their members.


The projected deficit of $18 million over 10 years is less than $5 a person per year for Berks County's 400,000 residents. Surely retaining our compact with senior citizens is worth that.
This proposed sale should be the No. 1 issue in the 2019 commissioners' election. The bottom line is that we need three new commissioners.


James M. Beidler
Bern Township


Berks County needs new commissioners