In the December 20, 2007 edition of the Sunday News (Lancaster Newspapers), former Lancaster County Commissioner Paul Thibault made it official: he was running for the state Senate seat being vacated by retiring Senator Gib Armstrong.

For those of us who had to endure eight years of Thibault at the helm of county affairs, bad memories of tax increases, bloated government spending, and questionable business practices was enough to make us ill at the notion that Thibault was re-emerging into the political spotlight.  But stranger things have happened, so when he tossed his hat into the ring, one merely had to shrug and prepare to defeat him.

What has caught the attention of political observers familiar with politics in Lancaster County is Thibault's assertion that he is reform-minded candidate anxious to bring change to Harrisburg.  Such a claim is belied by his political history and record as commissioner.  In other words, Thibault's past and present do not support his claim as a reformer:

• Under Thibault's direction the budget for Lancaster County, as of 2002, had ballooned by almost $100 million over a period of five years, with nearly half of the increase in social services programs. 

• During Thibault's first term as Commissioner, he advocated and voted for the largest tax increase in Lancaster County history at that time, jacking taxes by more than 28%

• At Thibault's behest, a new tax was instituted in Lancaster County - the nefarious hotel tax, - which was established not to raise revenue for the county but to finance the Lancaster County Convention Center, a joint project of Fulton Bank, High Industries and Lancaster Newspapers; the adjacent hotel will be competing directly with those hoteliers who are currently being forced to collect the hotel tax

• While County Commissioner, Thibault was instrumental in establishing a juvenile jail in the last level undeveloped section of Lancaster City known as Sunnyside; the Youth Intervention Center (YIC) was over-priced and over-sized, and its presence dashed hopes for expanding the tax base of Lancaster City (Thibault was later caught lying about comments he had made about Sunnyside, denying that he had ever called the area "a rock pile" while newspaper reports clearly indicated otherwise)

• Thibault sat quietly on the sidelines from 2001 - 2002 when the entire county was embroiled in controversy over the decision by the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority's decision to quietly purchase over a hundred acres of farmland for the expansion of the it's landfill; resulting legal action revealed that state Sunshine Laws had been violated and eventually resulted in million dollar-plus settlement; receiving more than $10 million for 164 acres was Thibault's political friend and ally, ex-State Representative John Barley

• Thibault approved of the creation of the Lancaster County Convention Center Authority, which has been struggled for the past several years to oversee development of the downtown convention center in Lancaster City; this project has involved tens of millions of dollars in state taxpayer money and has experienced multiple cost overruns, for which Thibault approved of guarantees which committed Lancaster County to pay for costs if the project failed

• During his second term in office, Thibault approved of a bond sale of more than $30 million which increased the amount of money the county paid on it's debt over a 30-year period (and if memory serves correct, was not Barley one of the negotiators for the financial firm which was going to get the contract the sell the bonds?)

Need mention be made of the nearly one million dollar loan Thibault and county taxpayers gave to The Fulton Opera House in Lancaster City - a loan which was later "forgiven?"  Or of the fact that Thibault worked against Pat Toomey as one of liberal Arlen Specter's left-hand men in Lancaster County during the 2004 campaign?  Or that Thibault has tried to censor private citizens and critics by calling on local Republican leaders to gag their rights to free speech?

And now Paul Thibault wants us to believe that he shares the values and ideals that launched and continue to propel the Reform Movement in Pennsylvania?  Where was his public outrage when the legislature voted for the now-infamous Pay Raise?  Where was his righteous-anger when the legislature passed the slots bill under the cover of darkness? 

When did Paul Thibault ever decry as excessive the nefarious $52 EMT tax authored and championed by his friend and buddy State Senator Gib Armstrong?  In fact, for all of his bluster and caterwauling, when did he ever back up his words about 'reform' with money for reform-minded candidates (a search of the state financial disclosure statements found Thibault has only given one contribution to a single legislative candidate in the past five years)?

The simple fact of the matter is that former Lancaster County Commissioner Paul Thibault can bluster all day long about how he wants to be a part of the reform-movement that is continuing to garner strength in Pennsylvania but his long, past record and actions clearly demonstrate otherwise.  He has never supported or advocated reform-oriented principles in the past, so why should we expect him to do so in the future?

A snake can shed it's skin but it's still a snake, and one must always be wary of the fangs.

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