It seems that the three contributors to the Opinion and Commentary section’s cover package, “Competitive Pennsylvania” (Sept. 18 and TribLIVE.com), are upset with the Brookings Institution’s study on the effectiveness of Pennsylvania local government. Gentlemen, relax! The Brookings Institution’s findings are really incomplete. For reasons difficult to comprehend, they excluded from their investigations those independent units of local government called “authorities.” You know, those unique vehicles of local government that are created without voter approval and whose accountability is minimal — if any! Oh, yes! They do provide services — water, sewer, parking, transportation, golf. And do not forget controversial sports stadiums and airports. In total, they outnumber their standard cousins with more than 2,500 entities in the state and counting. So please, gentlemen, “double your pleasure — or your anguish!” H.B. Strickland Mount Washington The writer, a professor at La Roche college, is author of “Inside the Trojan Horse: Understanding the Specialized Units of Local Government-Municipal Authorities.”

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