Republican candidate Dan Miller makes a point, as Democrat Eric Papenfuse looks on, during last night’s mayoral debate at the State Museum.
Alternately bitter and friendly–at times illuminating–last night’s mayoral debate had few dull moments, as Republican candidate Dan Miller and Democratic candidate Eric Papenfuse sparred for nearly 90 minutes before about 150 people at the State Museum.
In no particular order, here are my quick takes on last night’s action.
1. Miller came out swinging. Right out of the box, Miller was on the attack, accusing Papenfuse of being vulnerable to corruption and incompetence and of not being genuine. (“If we continue down the path we’ve had, we’re going to continue with corruption, and we’re going to continue with incompetence.”) It was strong language and a strong charge. Papenfuse countered that he could not be corrupted (“Your whisper campaign basically saying that I cannot be trusted is really beneath you and is the hallmark of a career politician”). Papenfuse then quickly switched gears to his main message for the evening–his support of the Harrisburg Strong financial recovery plan.
2. Miller is not really a Republican. Miller distanced himself immediately from the Republican Party, characterizing himself as a committed Democrat who just happens to be running on the Republican ballot because he won the GOP write-in vote in the primary. (“When you look at my picture here [in the program], and it says, ‘the Republican candidate,’ I want everyone to know that that’s somewhat untrue because, as you know, I’m a Democrat.”)
3. Miller is not Ted Cruz. Papenfuse tried to link Miller with Cruz, the Texas Republican senator often viewed as an ambitious political grandstander. The comparison, which Papenfuse made twice, flopped with the audience, prompting the only boos of the evening.
4. Does Miller support or oppose Harrisburg Strong? In my opinion, Miller’s changing (and confusing) position on the Strong plan was the biggest news to emerge from the debate. When the plan was released, Miller, long a supporter of municipal bankruptcy for Harrisburg, quickly moved to passionate, vocal opposition. Last night, he told the audience he remains opposed to many elements of the plan because, he said, the numbers don’t add up, it relies on many shaky assumptions, and it won’t lead to a balanced budget (receiver William Lynch isn’t doing “a job for us,” but “a job on us,” he said). Ironically, Miller then said that, as mayor, he would implement it anyway–in fact, as a financial professional, he was the best person to implement it. He also distanced himself from his own financial recovery plan that he had developed in 2010, which he had promoted during a debate just two weeks ago, as well as his years-long advocacy of bankruptcy.
5. Papenfuse has financed most of his own campaign. As he has before, Miller criticized Papenfuse for accepting substantial campaign contributions from “one man” and a PAC he helped organize.* Papenfuse countered that he has self-financed most of his campaign, taking out a $100,000 loan against his own assets. He said he did so because, as a latecomer to the race, he needed to raise money quickly. Assuming personal risk also demonstrated his deep commitment to the city, he said. Miller responded that taking on such personal debt was financially irresponsible, saying, “I’m the guy with zero debt. He’s the guy with all the debt.”
6. Miller supports “targeted tax abatement.” In Harrisburg, tax abatement has been a controversial issue, one most identified with Papenfuse, who supports revival of the city’s tax abatement program as an economic development strategy. In fact, Papenfuse’s opponents have linked his advocacy of tax abatement to some of the developers supporting his campaign. However, Miller last night said that he also supports abatements, at least in certain areas, to spur redevelopment.
In case you couldn’t attend the Harrisburg Watch Coalition debate at the State Museum, I strongly encourage you to watch it for yourself at Roxbury News (www.roxburynews.com).
* That person, while unnamed in the debate, is Alex Hartzler, who also is publisher of TheBurg.
