Reading Eagle is wrong that 'leaders' should choose which businesses open

by Steve Reinbrecht

I was surprised at the Reading Eagle’s editorial’s call for Reading leaders to try to pick the businesses that should open downtown. 

These fake people are NOT in Reading.

“As Reading redevelops and brings in new businesses, as we hope will happen, leaders must do all they can to make sure new downtown tenants are a good fit," it said.

I say, let the market do its job. Nobody in Reading is qualified to pick the winners, or arbitrate taste.

Remember when city leaders tried to get an S&M mannequin off Penn Street, objecting to the image it was portraying?

In April 2013, the Eagle ran an editorial about how “a chained nude figure in bondage paraphernalia managed to get a remarkable amount of attention from City Council last week.

“The mannequin had been posed outside the Little Paris store at 523B Penn Street, in the heart of Penn Square, until city leaders took issue with it.

“Members of City Council expressed outrage at the inappropriate display, especially in such a high profile location.

“Councilwoman Marcia Goodman-Hinnershitz pointed out that the store already was pushing the boundaries of good taste by keeping mannequins modeling see-through negligees in its window. Advertising a set of chains and straps on the street simply went too far.”

Following the Eagle’s notion, which leaders would decide what’s a “good fit”?

Economic-development leaders? Al Boscov?

Just set good rules and enforce them.

Maybe sexy mannequins are what Penn Square needs.

I really hope no city leaders are discouraging businesses based on some sort of values.

Reading suffers from poor planning. Maybe it’s time for an organic approach, bottom up from the people who live there.