The sad fact is, the vast majority of Lancaster County residents either don't care, or they believe in what their elected officials tell them, or they believe what Lancaster Newspapers tells them. This is why the single biggest governmental fiscal fiasco in Lancaster County history is under construction right now at Penn Square. People like Dale High knew very well that the vast majority of people would let them get away with this, and they did.
The "Urban Renewal" fiasco of the 1960s and 1970s has forever cut the commercial and historic heart out of Lancaster City, but since it was done with mostly Federal dollars the impact on local taxpayers was muted. The "Urban Renewal" project of the 21st century will end up costing Lancaster City and County residents far more, for far longer, than the original "Urban Renewal" fiasco did.