The significance of this press release hit me when I remembered that late last year, a television news producer I spoke with told me that Governor John Engler laughed when asked--during an interview--about the potential problems that could be caused by Y2k.

On the other hand, traditional public relations wisdome dictates that if you want a press release to be ignored by the media, issue it on a Friday afternoon.

So,. . .go figure. At any rate, it's out there now. . .

Here's the release:

Pennsylvania Gov. Ridge Leads Regional Agreement for CooperativeInformation Sharing on Year 2000 Challenge; Governors From FourOther States Sign Proclamation

HARRISBURG, Pa., May 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge today announced that four other governors have joined him in signing a proclamation to promote broad public awareness of the Year 2000 computer challenge within their states and to encourage cooperative information sharing between them. Joining Gov. Ridge in signing the proclamation are: Gov. John Engler, Michigan; Gov. James Gilmore III, Virginia; Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, New Jersey; and Gov. Thomas Carper, Delaware.

"The impact of the Year 2000 computer `bug' does not stop at a state's borders," Gov. Ridge said. "We are all better served by working in unison to alert our citizens to this threat and to share information on the progress we are making.

"I'm pleased that Pennsylvania could lead this effort to encourage the exchange of accurate information within our region, and I hope that other states will join us as proactive Y2K partners."

Work on the proclamation began following a summit of utility and telecommunications regulatory officials from nine states co-hosted by the Ridge Administration and the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission in Hershey, Dauphin County, last December.

The summit highlighted the need for coordinated action to address potential Year 2000 impacts shared between neighboring states.

At that time, chief information officers from the five signing states raised the idea of developing a proclamation to encourage broader regional information sharing on the Y2K problem.

According to the new Year 2000 pact, the five governors have agreed to make concerted efforts to resolve the date-change problem within their respective states; to engage in Y2K public awareness activities; to work to promote intrastate and interstate cooperation on the Year 2000 problem; and to encourage the exchange of accurate information on Y2K progress in each of their states.

The signed proclamation has been presented to Gov. Carper, chairman of the National Governors' Association, for consideration by other states.

Pennsylvania state government has been recognized frequently by Year 2000 experts and prominent publications as a national Year 2000 leader. More information on the state's Year 2000 progress can be found on Pennsylvania's homepage at www.state.pa.us (see "Technology Initiatives") and at the Pa2K website providing Year 2000 informational materials, www.Pa2K.org.

For more information, contact: Scott Elliott of the Pennsylvania Office of Administration, 717-772-4237, or e-mail, selliott@state.pa.us.

-- FM (vidprof@aol.com), May 29, 1999

Answers

wisdom--not wisdome.

Paging spell check!

:)

-- FM (vidprof@aol.com), May 29, 1999.