Pickard EXPLODES!

May 10, 2001

In a violent outburst during an authority meeting, Jim Pickard threw a pie across city council chambers! The pie was a gift from 5thEstate.com’s editor, Ron Harper, Jr. meant to make the point that Pickard and the authority were to eat "humble pie" and to understand other’s viewpoints. Apparently, Pickard needs the pie more than we thought. Given Pickard’s violent temper, Harper might need to hire bodyguards to go to the next authority meeting.

What is going on with the Lancaster New "Error"? The chairman of a county-wide authority throws a pie across the room in a public meeting - and they don't mention it!?!? Even WGAL, which is normally timid and slow to cover anything controversial showed the clip of the Pickard toss (screen capture pictured at top/right)

At the meeting Harper made three concise points:

1) No more secret meetings between the Convention Center Authority, the City’s Redevelopment and Parking Authorities. The public will be buying AND selling any property discussed in the talks, therefore, the public should be allowed to hear negotiations. Again, here is another example of Lancaster County’s way of doing business. In order to talk about parking, the three authorities must also discuss design and layout of the two blocks that they mutually control. The use of that land is a public matter!

2) "Those who fail to remember the past, are doomed to relive it." If the convention center is going to continue with the same "government knows best"-philosophy that was used to destroy the 100 block of North Queen Street, at least make the buildings look like Lancaster City. The current buildings, that the historical society wants to preserve, could be part of a streetscape that looks like an old city rather than a monolithic structure.

3) In a letter to the editor, Pickard criticized the Historical Preservation Trust's use of "politics" to get their ideas in the marketplace. The entire convention center project has relied on carefully choreographed "dog and pony" shows at their monthly meetings to attack private citizens that oppose the project. More than that, the authority has used a million dollars to battle with the very people most affected by the project. Pickard apparently wants all project foes to unilaterally disarm.

After the 3-point presentation to the authority members, Harper ended his comments by challenging the chairman of the authority, Pickard, to stop bulldozing people and buildings and to have a more humble attitude. Harper, in order to make his point, presented a covered pie and said that while it was a delicious pie - it was really a humble pie. Harper set the pie down on Pickard’s desk and that’s when he lost it. Pickard launched the pie into the air! Harper, standing only a few feet in front, flinched as the pie flew over his shoulder onto an antique table behind him. The pie pan continued onto the carpet along with some pie filling. Pickard left with the creme pie staining the carpet.

After this violent gesture, Pickard then accused Harper of posing a threat to the authority and it’s members! Anyone who has taken a Psychology 101 class knows that this classic action on Pickard’s part is called projection. That’s when you accuse someone else of something that you are guilty of doing.

Pickard’s slanderous comments toward Harper in this very public meeting are sure to create more problems for the authority in the future. Harper demanded an apology and Pickard, with the air of royalty, spoke of himself in the third person when he responded, "you will get no apology from this chair".

Stay tuned to 5thEstate.com for the latest coverage in arrogant, public officials!