What happens when a government lacks the resources to adequately serve its people?
Well, there are a number of possible consequences, all bad: Lights don’t get replaced; streets don’t get striped; sewers don’t get fixed.
However, if a city is lucky—very lucky—something else may happen.
The crisis can spur ordinary people to pick up the stick, to fill in gaps left by their broke government.
In Harrisburg, increasingly, that’s what’s happening.
The financial crisis has led to a level of civic engagement that I’ve never seen before in places I’ve lived.
Thanks to Lighten Up Harrisburg, led by resident Matt Krupp and funded by private donations the historic Walnut Street Bridge once again shines brightly.
Over in Midtown, a new improvement district is taking shape. This summer, property owners will vote to pay a bit more for greater police security and perhaps, down the road, for infrastructure projects.
Just recently, the Police Athletic League was revived, largely due to support from the community, with private donations paying the entire annual budget.
In the fall, Harrisburg Young Professionals will rehab the forlorn State Street median between N.2nd and N.3rd streets, adopting it as they have Forster Street median.
And let’s not forget those businesses that, instead of whining about “business conditions” in the city, are forging ahead to improve it.
Dan Deitchman, WCI, Vartan Group and on a neighborhood level, Eric and Catherine Papenfuse, all are helping to transform the city through development initiatives in a tough local environment.
HACC has shown its confidence by committing to dorms in Midtown, while Harrisburg University is leasing as much downtown property as it can for its own student housing.
And more plans lie ahead.
HYP, for one, is planning a rehabilitation of Market Square after getting $50,000 in seed money via a county gaming grant.
When outsiders ask me about Harrisburg, I tell them that it’s a city moving in two directions at once.
On the one hand, the political culture is mired in debt and dysfunction. One the other, an energized citizenry and a vibrant business community are not waiting for the government to get better.
In Harrisburg, the sum of all reality no longer flows from second floor of City Hall. Instead, progress is rising from the bottom up.
So, if you have a good idea, do it. Clean your block. Found a group. Rehab a building. Start a business.
For the first time in memory, Harrisburg is an open city.
