Notes from a Town Short on Managers and Long on Opinions


My Dear Columbia,
This week, there was a blue tsunami, which is a rather dramatic thing to happen in November, when the most excitement we usually expect is a late leaf blower.

Across the nation, Democrats won victories, and Mr. Trump insisted he was not on the ballot, but voters felt his presence. By my reckoning, the election was a repudiation of the man and his policies, and the country said so.

Lancaster County, however, stayed red. Constancy is a kind of character, and I will not pretend it is nothing. But holding fast is not the same as being ready, and the future has a habit of arriving whether a county has voted for it or not.

Now to the news that truly belongs to us. In Pennsylvania's 41st House District, Democrat Brad Chambers has defeated incumbent Republican Brett Miller in a race so close that it made the rest of the election look like a leisurely stroll. On Election Night, Mr. Miller held a 41-vote lead, 14,225 to 14,184. Forty-one. Then, on Friday, the provisional ballots were counted, 139 of them. When the dust settled, Mr. Chambers led 14,289 to 14,259, a margin of 30 votes. It was the closest legislative race in the commonwealth this year, which is to say that every single vote mattered, and anyone who stayed home because "it won't make a difference" may now sit quietly — at home. 

As many as 21 ballots could still be added, but that number is still not enough to overcome the lead. Mr. Miller's campaign could pursue a recount by petitioning Lancaster County Court within five days of the count's completion, though recounts rarely change outcomes, even in a race this tight. Besides, Pennsylvania's automatic recounts apply only to statewide contests, so any further drama would have to be requested.

Mr. Miller's campaign and the Republican House Campaign Committee had not responded to requests for comment as of Friday, which is its own sort of statement. Mr. Chambers, for his part, declared victory. He has campaigned hard enough to deserve the pleasure. He has promised to keep working for the working and middle-class families of the district.

The news even closer to home is less celebratory. Resignations have been drifting through local government like autumn leaves, and the branches are looking sparse. A Columbia Borough codes manager has gone. A council member has gone. A school board director has gone. And the borough manager is set to leave next week, which will make four empty chairs.

Consider the tally: Columbia is now without a codes manager and a finance manager, and soon without a borough manager. There is an empty seat on borough council and another on the school board.

So, if you are brave, qualified, and competent, and I know you walk among us, please apply. These are not glamorous jobs. But a town runs on those who show up for the unglamorous things: the permits, the budgets, the minutes, and the meetings that run too long.

My conclusions, such as they are: Elections are decided by a collection of small numbers, the county may be red but the river towns are paying attention, and a community's health is sometimes measured less by who wins in November than by who steps forward in December and January. Vote, serve, show up. We are, after all, a small town, and many of us are needed.

With affection, exasperation, and a well-worn civic conscience,
Cassandra 

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