Imagine, for a moment, if Kevin Costner had made an Oscar acceptance speech before an actual movie was released. Then further imagine that the movie was “Waterworld.”
That’s rather what today felt like, as Mayor Linda Thompson thanked everyone who had worked with her on the years-long production of “Saving Harrisburg.”
Thompson thanked receiver William Lynch, Gov. Tom Corbett, state lawmakers, DCED, even her old frenemies on City Council. But, mostly, she thanked herself and her own staff for resisting municipal bankruptcy and embracing both the Act 47 process and the state receivership.
“Harrisburg will be a model for the world,” she said. “This will be my legacy.”
And, in the only sideways reference to former leading man Steve Reed, she added, “I’m amazed we were able to get this done given what we inherited.”
Done?
Two hours earlier, receiver William Lynch had told a disappointed crowd at the bi-monthly meeting of the recovery advisory board that nothing was actually done. Negotiations were continuing to sell the incinerator, lease the parking garages, cram down the debt and conclude labor negotiations. In other words, the cameras were still rolling, with nothing yet ready for public viewing.
The audience in the room clearly was let down. Council chambers were packed, as word had leaked that something big was up. Several TV news people tweeted that receiver Lynch was going to announce a sale of the incinerator — and perhaps even a comprehensive agreement to free Harrisburg from more than half-a-billion bucks in debt.
But it ended up like a hyped summer blockbuster that goes nowhere.
Or almost nowhere.
Lynch — and then Thompson at her follow-up press conference — said that deals were near completion, so we should expect a solution to emerge within the next month or so, information that most people in the room already knew. City Council would begin to tackle enabling legislation in August, followed by consideration by the Commonwealth Court.
“We believe a deal is imminent,” said Lynch.
“We are here to announce the turning point. The deal is effectively imminent,” Thompson later said.
So, in this way, it was more like a preview. We got a taste of a not-yet-quite-done, can’t-yet-reveal, still-in-post-production project that would raise enough money to pay off creditors and leave Harrisburg on solid financial footing. It was just enough to leave us wanting more.
And would there be a sequel?
Thompson said that the solution would provide for a balanced budget through 2016. After that, it was up to her successor. Asked what the next mayor should do, she responded:
“Accept the gift we’ve given you.”
-Fin-
