Act 47 Cities Elect New Mayors Amid Changes

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HARRISBURG – New mayors have been elected in four large cities under Act 47 status just as lawmakers are giving greater attention to urban fiscal issues.

Election Day brought victories to Democrat Bill Courtright in Scranton, Democrat Bill Peduto in Pittsburgh, Democrat Eric Papenfuse in Harrisburg and Republican Matt Pacifico in Altoona.

The mayors-elect came to office by various routes and campaigned on issues specific to their cities, but once in office they will face common problems with a shrinking tax base, greater demand for municipal services and the skyrocketing cost of unfunded pension obligations for municipal employees.

It could help matters that new elected spokesmen for cities will be on the scene while state lawmakers consider a wave of legislation to help municipalities address financial problems.

Read more: http://citizensvoice.com/news/act-47-cities-elect-new-mayors-amid-changes-1.1582982

Harrisburg Mayoral Hopefuls Fielding Questions For First General Election Debate

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HARRISBURG, PA – Three mayoral candidates are fielding questions during the general election’s first debate.

The event started at 6 p.m. at co-sponsor Harrisburg Area Community College’s student center, 1 HACC Drive.

Democrat Eric Papenfuse, Republican nominee Dan Miller and write-in hopeful Lewis Butts will participate.

Whoever wins the election will lead Harrisburg as the city emerges from financial recovery.

Read more:  http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/10/harrisburg_mayoral_hopefuls_fi.html#incart_river#incart_m-rpt-2

Harrisburg’s Interim Police Chief Talks Reallocation Of Officers, New Hires During Public Safety Hearing

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Dauphin County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Harrisburg‘s interim police chief reiterated his passion for community policing during a panel discussion on public safety Thursday held by Democratic mayoral candidate Eric Papenfuse.

During the discussion, Chief Thomas Carter provided further details regarding the plan he presented earlier this week alongside Mayor Linda Thompson to dissolve several specialty police units in order to beef up the city’s overworked regular patrol.  Under the plan, 17 officers from groups such as the traffic and street crimes units will be pulled from the chief’s office to resume regular patrols, Carter said.

“We put them back into the fold,” the interim chief said.  “The basis of every strong police department is to have patrol officers out there to answer your calls, and we did not have that.”

Carter, who was appointed by Thompson after former Chief Pierre Ritter retired late last month, told the small audience at Thursday’s hearing that, while he believes such steps should have been taken as long as a year ago, he does not fault his predecessor for not making the call.

Read more: http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/09/harrisburgs_interim_police_chi.html#incart_m-rpt-2

Will A New Face In The Mayor’s Office Improve Harrisburg’s Image?

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Editor’s note: YES!  We would like to see Eric Papenfuse win the November election.  It’s time to restore someone with business acumen to the office of the mayor in Harrisburg.  Eric is an excellent businessman and has been a leader in helping to revitalize Midtown Harrisburg.  Eric’s bookstore, Midtown Scholar, is one of the anchors of the new Midtown.

When major financial news organizations send reporters to a city the size of Harrisburg to cover the election for mayor, it usually means things haven’t been going well.

That was evidenced Tuesday night, as a Reuters news dispatch described Mayor Linda Thompson‘s defeat in the Democratic primary. The story began, “The embattled mayor of Pennsylvania’s financially crippled capital of Harrisburg was ousted on Tuesday…”

Embattled.  Financially crippled.  Harrisburg.

No matter who wins in November, the city’s next mayor must repair Harrisburg’s badly damaged brand, and that could be one of the most formidable aspects of the job.

Read more:  http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/05/harrisburg_mayor_thompson_pape.html#incart_m-rpt-2

Dems Nominate New Mayors In Pa. Primary

HARRISBURG — Democrats nominated new mayoral candidates in Pittsburgh, Scranton and Harrisburg in the Pennsylvania primary election.

They tapped veteran city Councilman William Peduto as their standard-bearer in Pittsburgh and city Tax Collector Bill Courtright in Scranton, but spurned Harrisburg Mayor Linda Thompson’s re-election bid and chose bookstore owner Eric Papenfuse instead on Tuesday.

Each is favored to win in the November election, given Democrats’ heavy registration advantage in the three cities.  Voters also handed Kim Bracey an apparent second term as mayor of York, where no Republican is running.

In the only statewide nomination race, Allegheny County Judge Jack McVay Jr. won the Democratic nomination for an open seat on the Superior Court, defeating Philadelphia Municipal Court Judge Joseph C. Waters Jr.

Read more: http://www.timesleader.com/news/news-state/538304/Dems-nominate-new-mayors-in-Pa.-primary

Harrisburg’s Population Dips Since 2010, Census Bureau Says

Harrisburg has lost a few residents since the beginning of the decade, according to new 2012 population estimates released Thursday from the U.S. Census Bureau.

It’s hardly a mass exodus by any means, but Pennsylvania’s capital city has lost 249 residents since 2010, according to census estimates.  In 2012, Harrisburg’s city population stood at 49,279, a decline of 0.5 percent.

Harrisburg has faced no shortage of challenges.

The city’s financial calamities have drawn national attention.  Harrisburg’s debt has soared to $370 million, due to costly repairs to the city’s incinerator.  The state-appointed receiver, Maj. Gen. William Lynch, is negotiating agreements to try and resolve the city’s financial crisis.

Read more:  http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/05/harrisburgs_population_dips_si.html

Harrisburg Mayoral Race: The Bottom Line On Bankruptcy

Harrisburg mayoral candidate Eric Papenfuse has suggested entering bankruptcy would hand control of the city over to an unelected federal judge, but that’s just not true.

Even in a Chapter 11 bankruptcy for businesses, the judge does not take over operation of the company, notes Widener law professor Juliet Moringiello. In a Chapter 9 filing for municipalities, the powers of the judge are even more limited.

Separating fact from fiction is not always easy as bankruptcy becomes a talking point in the Harrisburg mayoral election.

The Patriot-News has talked to a number of bankruptcy experts, including people involved with the Harrisburg Receiver’s negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak on the record about the process.

Read more:  http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/04/harrisburg_mayoral_race_the_bo.html