Receiver William Lynch
“The Strong Plan is not a perfect plan,” Councilman Kelly Summerford said last night.
“It’s not a perfect plan,” echoed Councilwoman Eugenia Smith.
“Is this a perfect plan?” asked Councilwoman Susan Brown-Wilson before answering her own question. “No.”
And, with those words, City Council members gave the imperfect Harrisburg Strong Plan near-unanimous approval. Only Councilwoman Sandra Reid voted against what she perceived as several of the less-than-perfect elements of the imperfect plan.
The evening had started out solely focused on the plan’s imperfections, as city Controller Dan Miller–the lone Harrisburg official left standing against the plan generally–shared a PowerPoint slideshow entitled, “The Poor Pay More: No Shared Pain in the Receiver’s Plan.”
For 20 minutes, he assaulted the plan on many fronts: major creditors are made whole; assets are sold off; it infringes on residents’ fundamental rights, he charged.
“We’re trading our democratic rights for a few pieces of silver,” he biblically informed the packed City Council chambers to some applause.
Having made his points, Miller packed up his slideshow and disappeared swiftly into the night, the brief appearance his only one before the council despite nearly two weeks of hearings on the Strong plan. For the next three-and-a-half hours, residents, city officials, media–increasingly sweaty, punchy, hungry and tired–waited to see whether Miller’s pop-in would have any effect. It did not.
Steve Goldfield, the financial advisor for receiver William Lynch, was next up, refuting many of Miller’s points.
“I don’t think Mr. Miller’s presentation was factual,” he said, making perhaps the best effort at addressing an empty chair since Clint Eastwood.
In the end, Goldfield likewise conceded the non-perfection of the plan.
“You can’t get everything you want in a negotiated settlement,” he said with a hint of resignation.
After resident input, which revealed a split decision among those who spoke, it finally was time for council members to make known their views, which, in the end, were the only ones that mattered. Some read prepared statements; others spoke off the cuff.
Wanda Williams: “The work of fiscal recovery is hard. There is much to be done, and many people must do their part.”
Bruce Weber: “[The Strong Plan] will finally lift the dark, dark cloud of uncertainty that has hung over this city for far too long.”
Susan Brown-Wilson: “This plan will be one of the best plans we’ve seen. At least it gives us the chance to start new.”
Several council members went back into history, recalling the struggles of the past few years: the tussles with Mayor Linda Thompson over the prior Act 47 plans; the bounced bankruptcy filing; the initial hostility to a state-appointed receiver.
Arguably, Councilman Brad Koplinski best summarized why this night happened at all, why, over time, the council majority turned from pro- to anti-bankruptcy, from anti- to pro-receiver. The receivers, both David Unkovic and William Lynch, acted responsibly, he said. They tried to understand the city’s dilemma, getting creative in their solutions, asking council members’ opinions, keeping them informed and gaining their trust.
Because of this, “we have a much better and fairer plan” than previous plans, he said, with “shared pain,” creditor concessions and a reasonable chance for Harrisburg to regain its health both financially and as a community.
Months ago, Koplinski indicated to me that the tide had turned, that, after being briefed by Lynch, council members had begun to like what they heard. They’d come to think that the receiver’s team was an honest broker with far greater knowledge, expertise and resources than the city could ever have mustered without the state’s intervention. Bankruptcy, always over-sold as gain for no pain, had lost its tempting allure.
That’s why no last-minute slide shows or even speakers charging racism could sway the council. Most members had been in the fight for years. They had battled through it, made some good decisions and some bad ones, had even thought at one point they could end up in jail for contempt of court. And, now, after all this time, they had something they could live with.
“This plan, while not perfect, is going to allow the people of the city of Harrisburg to sleep at night and know that the city will have a brighter future,” Koplinski said.
So, not perfect. But, to council members, finally good enough.
Senior writer Paul Barker contributed to this article.
