This cartoon was in response to Pottstown's dueling schools plans. The mega campus idea was battling it out with the local schools idea for the favor of the school board. Teachers supported the idea of a centralized campus while voters preferred the walkability of neighborhood schools.

This cartoon was also published in response to Pottstown school board's indecision on a plan for improving the schools in town. The school board waffled back and forth between which idea, a centralized campus or local neighborhood schools, would be a better use of money. It was a debate the dragged on for more than a year and affected a school board member election.

Another cartoon in the school campus debate.

Development seems to gravitate toward the outskirts of Pottstown, leaving the main street shops empty and in need of attention. This cartoon mocks the misguided direction of regional growth by businesses and organizations.

Relief was realized by concerned neighbors of the Superior Tube plant in Collegeville when the company decided on its own to find alternatives to a product that is linked to cancer. The degreaser the company uses led to higher than normal releases of TCE into the local air, concerning come residents and leading to a hearing by legislators about forcing overall reductions in the use of the product.

The Mrs. Smith's Pies site has been sitting vacant for more than a year as the developer tried to get interested parties to build there. After Ryan Homes backed out of construction of townhomes on the site, The Wright Group created a proposal that was similar, but the differences did not sit well with the borough's planning commission, who did not like that some of the homes wouldn't have brickface.

A fire at 261 High St. in Pottstown on Jan. 26, 2008, left a gaping hole in Pottstown's downtown. This was The Mercury's vision of how town leaders should respond to fill the void in the business district. The cartoon was published on Feb. 3, 2008 on the opinion page.

The Owen J. Roberts School Board has been trying to redistrict elementary school students to keep grade numbers at the policy's set average number, much to the ire of some parents who disagree with the decisions.

An unpublished cartoon, No payments til November was inspired by the budget promises of state legislators who tried to include money for almost everything requested. The Pennsylvania state budget increased by $1.1 billion this year.

Alan MacBain, award-winning cartoonist for The Mercury's Opinion page, is opening up his sketchbook to Mercury readers. Cartoons past, present and unpublished will be posted here to tickel your funny bone and raise your eyebrows. Stay 'tooned.