So about now we're asking ourselves if the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners (Matthews, Hoeffel, and Castor) are spending so much time bickering amongst themselves that they just did something not just a little bit wrong but a LOT wrong? As per Jeff Cobb at The Bulletin, Jim Matthews has basically welched on his promise to fight to save the Barnes? So is this a case of "Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Do No Job"?

So why are these three at the helm of Montgomery County? To shove through continuous river trails through Gladwyne, Lower Merion, and Montgomery County? Are they here to ensure certain Lower Merion figures can warm their fannies in Montgomery County Committee Chairs? Bicker amongst themselves? Show up at political functions? Kiss babies? What?

So WRITEMARSH, and Tony Phyrillas? We get it why you always have so much to say about them, okay? Because they just stabbed Lower Merion in the back on the Barnes, didn't they? They went back on their promise to keep the Barnes in Merion, Lower Merion Township, Montgomery County didn't they? It's up to the Attorney General now, eh? Rendell, Ott, Pew Trusts, Annenberg Foundation, Lenfest? They don't care about the art or about Lower Merion - they are all building a legacy to themselves, aren't they? They will go down in history as the people who stole the Barnes Collection, right? Unless of course the Attorney General steps up, right? Actually Nutter should say something. Where is Nutter on this? After all.... a LOT of Lower Merionites helped him get where he is, and a lot of those people want the Barnes to stay in Merion. We gave Nutter Manko, isn't that enough?

Inside Today's Bulletin
Montco To Drop Barnes Fight
By: Jeff Cobb, For The Bulletin
05/29/2008

The Montgomery County Commissioners have decided to let the Barnes Foundation go.

The decision not to appeal a May 15 court decision was revealed yesterday afternoon by County Solicitor Carolyn T. Carluccio, who said she was informed by County Commissioner Chairman James R. Matthews.

Since September, Ms. Carluccio had been legal council for the county, which, along with the Friends of the Barnes citizens group, sought a reversal by Montgomery County Orphans Court to allowing relocation of the prized art collection left in trust by Dr. Albert C. Barnes from Merion to Philadelphia.

Judge Stanley Ott recently determined that neither party had standing to reopen a case he had decided almost four years ago.....The rejected petitioners this month had been given 30 days to appeal this latest decision in what some say was a last-ditch attempt to the oppose Barnes Foundation's move.

It was believed that Montgomery County was more likely to appeal to superior court because it could show greater compelling interest. The Friends of the Barnes have not announced whether it will appeal.

"I gotta tell you it's discouraging, it really is," Ms. Carluccio said. "I worked so hard on this, and I really believe we had established a very creative argument to establish standing."

Last year, the county had written the Barnes Foundation, floating an offer to buy two properties, then lease them back. The Merion property was believed to be eligible for national historic landmark status, and eligibility then for more grants.

For more see the website of the Friends of the Friends. They have fought valiently, as has Lower Merion Township Commissioner Brian Gordon. The fight ain't over yet, so who knows? the last round could get interesting.