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The $50,000 grant recently diverted to a grocery store operator will go a long way toward bringing a fresh-food market to downtown Wilkes-Barre, but the transaction smacks of unfairness.City Market and Caf&#233; owner Chris Cawley expects the new establishment on Public Square to open May 1, he recently <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/518637/city-market-and-cafe-looking-at-may-1-opening-in-downtown-wilkes-barre" target="_blank">told the Times Leader</a>. It&#8217;ll be a welcome addition to Wilkes-Barre, supplying center-city workers and a growing number of downtown residents with convenient access to fresh produce, to-go dinners, lottery games and more. For advocates of the city&#8217;s revival, this market&#8217;s arrival represents a milestone &#8211; another marker of success in bringing back vitality to a business district that not so many years ago practically closed at 5 p.m.Perhaps that&#8217;s why, when the City Market hit a snag and supposedly couldn&#8217;t afford utility upgrades for the leased space, city government obligingly rushed to the rescue. Need 50 grand? Done!The money was pulled from a half-million-dollar sum awarded last summer to Wilkes-Barre for downtown revitalization. Known as Local Share Account funds, these grants are derived from gambling revenues at the Mohegan Sun Pocono casino in Plains Township and distributed through a <a href="http://www.newpa.com/programs/local-share-account-lsa-luzerne-county/" target="_blank">state-run application process</a>. Municipalities vie for the funds to pay for &#8220;projects that improve the quality of life of citizens in the community,&#8221; according to the program&#8217;s guidelines.Cawley&#8217;s grocery endeavor reportedly relied on some $1 million in private money; we don&#8217;t begrudge him for looking for assistance on utility improvements. (Ultimately, the biggest beneficiary might be Humford Equities and Realty, which owns the property.)But we do have plenty of questions, beginning with this: Should public funds be used to give any private business a leg up?Likewise, we wonder:&#8226; Did Wilkes-Barre Council&#8217;s members, who presumably voted to pursue the initial Local Share Account grant for specific purposes, approve the later decision to send $50,000 to City Market? If not, why not?&#8226; Did City Market, <a href="http://citymarketandcafe.com/" target="_blank">the website</a> for which indicates two other markets are in the works for Northeastern Pennsylvania, exhaust all resources before seeking city help?&#8226; Will the Pennsylvania Auditor General&#8217;s Office one day investigate the state&#8217;s Local Share Account grants program &#8211; which awards $10 million or more annually in Luzerne County &#8211; to ensure the responsible and effective use of those dollars?&#8226; Can other downtown business owners who harbor hopes of expanding operations and adding workers look forward to future $50,000 grants?&#8226; In short, when will enough public funds have been invested in downtown Wilkes-Barre to create an environment in which businesses compete solely with each other and not for government largesse? Isn&#8217;t it about time for this city to remove the training wheels and let capitalism take over?

Our Opinion: Grocery project moves forward in downtown Wilkes-Barre, but at what cost?