This mural of Lloyd Mifflin by Columbia artist Mark Kise is at the rear of the Foresters building at 2nd & Locust, near the home of the Columbia Historic Preservation Society.
JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY
Columbia Borough Council unanimously approved a resolution at Tuesday’s meeting designating September 15th of each year as “Lloyd Mifflin Day” to honor the celebrated poet, artist, and photographer who called the borough home.
Lloyd Mifflin was born on September 15th (1846), and resident Jerry Musser requested that the date be named for him. (Musser is also administrator of the Lloyd Mifflin Society website HERE.)
Mifflin (1846-1921), a Columbia native, gained international recognition for his literary and artistic contributions, particularly his sonnets. During his lifetime, he published over 600 sonnets, earning recognition as one of America’s most prolific sonneteers. His work brought recognition to Columbia and reflected his appreciation for the beauty of the Susquehanna River and surrounding landscape.
“His artistic and literary achievements brought cultural prestige to the Borough of Columbia and reflected a deep appreciation for the natural beauty of the Susquehanna River and the surrounding landscape,” the resolution states. Both his birth home and his later residence remain within the borough.
Above: a copy of the resolution naming September 15th as “Lloyd Mifflin Day” in the Borough of Columbia.
PA State Senator James Malone at Tuesday’s Columbia Borough Council meeting
JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY
Pennsylvania State Senator James Malone addressed Columbia Borough Council and residents during Tuesday evening’s council meeting, introducing his office’s services to the community.
Malone represents Pennsylvania’s 36th Senate District, which encompasses a broad swath of south-central Pennsylvania stretching from Conoy to New Holland, north to Elizabeth Township, and south through Columbia and Marietta. The district serves just under 270,000 constituents, according to Malone.
“Even with the wonderful work that all our municipalities are doing to preserve natural spaces and farmland, we are a growing area,” Malone said. He emphasized his office’s commitment to constituent services, stating, “We do a lot of constituent services work, so I wanted to be sure that that was out and presented.”
Malone informed residents that his office offers mobile office hours throughout the district to better serve constituents. In addition to mobile services, Malone maintains offices in Lititz and Harrisburg.
Residents seeking assistance or information about services can visit the senator’s website at https://senatormalone.com/
Malone was first elected in a March 2025 special election to succeed Republican Senator Ryan Aument, who resigned in December 2024. Malone previously served as mayor of East Petersburg.
The hydrant at Columbia River Park recently got a shiny, new paint job.
A sunflower nodded off with a visitor hanging on underneath at the National Watch & Clock Museum.
Bouquet
At the Re-Uzit Shop
At Laurel Hill
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A fall sky, even though fall doesn’t start until September 22
Glinda Johnson-Medland was the featured poet at the final installment of the Second Annual Time & Eternity Series held Saturday at the National Watch & Clock Museum.
The ice cream truck rolled through again.
Foxhole Foundation
Truckin 4 Troops
Sometimes, even the bus needs help.
Meanwhile, in Mount Joy:
Buggy Parking Only
And in Columbia:
Shopping Cart Parking Only
Is this in effect anymore?
Pool table delivery
Guiding a pole on North 6th
Walking is healthful.
Bird bathing in a muddy puddle
In season
Sometimes, even the bus has to wait.
This plane flew over several times Saturday afternoon. It’s a Cessna 404 Titan, according to the Flightradar24 app.
National Hispanic Heritage Month
Old Glory
This hornets’ nest is hanging in a tree at Laurel Hill Cemetery.
It’s quite active. There’s a guard peering out from the entrance.
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More dust at 1020 Manor Street
This photo could almost make you cough.
A golf cart in a ditch?
Texting?
Who knows what else they’ll find out there.
Digging deep
King of the hill
Digging deeper
Fencing arrived during the week.
This sign was attached.
So was this one.
So was this one.
For some reason, LASA arrived on scene.
Workers, presumably from LASA, started digging the old-fashioned way: with shovels.
Candidates, left to right, are Ethan Byers, Brad Chambers, Jasmine Preston, Jeanne Cooper, and Kyle Ricker. Byers, Cooper, and Ricker are candidates for borough council, Preston is running for mayor, and Chambers is campaigning for a seat in the PA State House of Representatives in the 2026 election.
JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY
Candidates share vision for addressing residents’ top concerns.
Four candidates running under the Columbia Forward Together banner recently met with Columbia Spy to discuss their platform and priorities for the borough. The slate includes mayoral candidate Jasmine Preston and council candidates Jeanne Cooper, Ethan Byers, and Kyle Ricker.
The candidates emphasized their grassroots approach to campaigning, having spent considerable time canvassing neighborhoods and speaking directly with residents throughout the community.
●High Taxes Top Resident Concerns When asked about the most pressing issues facing Columbia residents, all four candidates were in agreement: high taxes are the primary concern voiced by constituents across party lines.
Byers: “It’s unaffordable to live in general, and then that tax increase from last year made it more difficult.”
“Life not being affordable — that’s consistent across Democrats, Republicans, Independents,” said Ethan Byers. “It’s unaffordable to live in general, and then that tax increase from last year made it more difficult.”
Jeanne Cooper added, “Taxes have been raised here so many times, and they’re so high already.” Cooper wants to see comparison shopping for certain services.
Cooper: “Taxes have been raised here so many times, and they’re so high already.”
The candidates expressed particular concern for vulnerable populations affected by tax increases. Byers noted that renters and those on fixed incomes are often overlooked in budget discussions. “The people who get left out of the conversation are the renters,” he said. “Also people who are on a fixed income. A lot of people are on social security or disability. A tax increase like this every year will bankrupt people.”
●Scrutinizing Borough Spending The Columbia Forward Together candidates identified several areas where they believe the borough could reduce costs.
Preston: “They continue to spend, and now the borough is in the real estate business. And they put the burden on the people.”
Preston, the mayoral candidate, criticized the borough’s involvement in real estate ventures. “They continue to spend, and now the borough is in the real estate business,” she said. “And they put the burden on the people.”
Ricker: “McGinness is like the poster child for living beyond our means.”
Ricker drew attention to the McGinness project as an example of fiscal overreach. “McGinness is like the poster child for living beyond our means,” he said, arguing that those funds could have been better allocated to meet residents’ basic needs. “We need to make sure we’re functioning well as a borough. Growth can come later.”
●Calls for Transparency and Community Engagement A central theme of the candidates’ platform is increasing transparency in borough operations. “A big part of our campaign is transparency in the way that we’re spending money and in the conversations we’re having,” Byers explained. “We just want people to know as much as possible.”
Preston emphasized that residents feel disconnected from local government. “People are not being heard,” she said, advocating for more inclusive decision-making.
●Public Safety and Community Relations On policing matters, Preston clarified her stance on law enforcement funding. “I would never defund the police department,” she said, while emphasizing the importance of community-police relationships. She wants to see members of the department build relationships with the community.
Byers stressed the need for greater transparency regarding police department operations, noting that “people don’t know what’s happening around town.”
●Addressing Homelessness with Compassion The candidates also addressed the borough’s homeless population, with Preston advocating for compassionate representation. “They’re still people. They still have thoughts and feelings,” she said. “They’re still in our borough. They still need representation.”
●Moving Forward Together Ricker emphasized the need for unified leadership, stating that “on a local level we should all be moving in the same direction.” He acknowledged that returning to fiscal responsibility after years of increased spending would be challenging. “If you’re living outside your means, that’s your new comfort zone,” he said. “Bringing that back to normalcy is hard.”
Hello from Jasmine Preston, Ethan Byers, Jeanne Cooper, and Kyle Ricker – your Democratic candidates for mayor and borough council in Columbia. We have an important message about voting in a non-presidental year.
The General Election is on Tuesday, November 4th, and we’re reaching out to make sure every voter has a way to make their voices heard!
Voting by mail is easy, secure and gives you the option to vote early from home, especially if there’s a chance you won’t make it to the polls on November 4th.
Workers raising the flag at Saint Peter Apartments earlier in the week
Seven State Police vehicles (including two marked “Forensic Services”) were parked in the 600 block of Avenue H on Wednesday evening, September 10. Police found electronics and a remote firing system/device in a garage there that are believed to be related to explosives found in a house in Newmanstown. A Columbia man, Timothy Shaeffer, has been charged with weapons of mass destruction, risking catastrophe, and recklessly endangering another person.
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Men at work on Locust
Painted piano at Coffee & Cream, with credits
Trolley on Linden
Curious
Items at Tollbooth
New Idea
Dust storm at McGinness!
More progress with the remediation/stabilization
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A couple of guys taking their cones for a walk
Witch in the window
At Columbia Curiosities
More roof problems at Columbia Crossing?
Morning moon
Watch out for that T-rex!
New sign for the smoke shop on Chestnut
Must’ve been a heckuva party.
Follow one line.
Diamond in the rough
Out at the Linden Street Build
Little library on North 7th
The bridge inspectors were back.
A bridge inspector chips away at cracked concrete on the underside of the Veterans Memorial Bridge on September 11. The area under the bridge was taped off about a week ago because of falling concrete.
Several pieces of concrete came loose, including the big chunk shown above.
This was the result.
So was this.
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Missing board at Rotary
Signs, nicely textured
Steps at the Lloyd Mifflin House on Walnut
Looks as though moisture has seeped into the clock at 5th & Chestnut.
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Columbia Spy 