Candidates File Petitions
A large number of candidates, both electoral veterans and newbies, last month garnered enough signatures to place their names on the ballot for the May 21 primary election.
As expected, four Democratic candidates will vie for mayor: incumbent Linda Thompson, city Controller Dan Miller, businessman Eric Papenfuse and community activist Lewis Butts Jr. No Republicans filed to run.
On the legislative side, 10 Democratic candidates will battle for four council seats. They are:
- Ben Allatt of the 1700-block of N. 3rd Street
- Ron Chapel of the 700-block of N. 3rd Street
- Shamaine Daniels of the 2000-block of N. 3rd Street
- Robert Drum of the 700-block of Girard Street
- Camille Erice of the unit block of S. 18th Street
- Ellis R. “Rick” Roy of the 600-block of Curtin Street
- Eugenia Smith of the 1200-block of Rolleston Street
- Pat Stringer of the 2100-block of Kensington Street
- Kelly Summerford of the 1900-block of Market Street
- Wanda Williams of the 500-block of Wiconisco Street
Smith, Summerford and Williams are incumbents. An additional seat is open because Councilman Bruce Weber, appointed in December to complete state Rep. Patty Kim’s unfinished council term, is not running for election. No Republicans decided to run.
The office of Harrisburg City Controller has Democrat Charles DeBrunner of the 2300-block of Valley Road running unopposed for the office. The position will be open as current Controller Miller makes a run for mayor. No Republicans are competing.
The race for school board also attracted multiple candidates. Six candidates will run in the Democratic primary for four, four-year slots. They are:
- Lionel Gonzalez of the 1400-block of Fulton Street
- Lola Lawson of the 200-block of Hamilton Street
- Kenneth Mickens of the 300-block of Chestnut Street
- Danielle Robinson of the 2900-block of Heather Place
- James Thompson of the 2300-block of Bellevue Road
- Patricia Whitehead-Myers of the 2600-block of N. 7th Street
Lawson, Mickens, Robinson, Thompson and Whitehead-Myers are incumbents. Thompson also garnered enough signatures to be listed as the sole candidate running on the Republican ballot.
In addition, the school board has three two-year terms available. That race attracted three Democrats:
- Monica Blackston-Bailey of the 1800-block of Holly Street
- LaTasha N. Frye of the 2200-block of Swatara Street
- Adara Jackson of the 1800-block of Mulberry Street
Incumbent Brendan Murray had filed a petition to defend his seat, but a paperwork error forced him to withdraw from the race. No Republicans are running.
There are also a couple of Dauphin County offices on the ballot.
For prothonotary, incumbent Stephen Farina will run unopposed on the Republican ballot, while former district Justice Joseph Solomon will run unopposed on the Democratic side. Unchallenged, they will face off against each other in the November general election.
For county coroner, incumbent Graham Hetrick is unopposed on the Republican ballot. No Democrats signed up to run, virtually ensuring Hetrick another term.
No GO: Harrisburg again defaults
Harrisburg last month defaulted on its general obligation (GO) bonds, the third time in a row it has skipped payments.
City receiver William Lynch ordered the city not to make scheduled payments on two series of bonds and notes, insured by Ambac Assurance Corp. The payments missed include $2.7 million on the series D bond of 1997 and $2.5 million on the series F bond of 1997.
“The decision to withhold payment was made to maintain sufficient cash-flow to provide vital and necessary services,” stated Lynch’s office.
In March 2012, former receiver David Unkovic instructed the city to skip $5.3 million in GO payments and, last September, Lynch told the city not to make scheduled payments of $3.9 million.
GO bonds were issued to fund certain city operations. They’re separate from bonds taken out by the Harrisburg Authority to fund a retrofit of its long-troubled incinerator. The city backed those bonds, but has not made payments on them in years. It now owes some $350 million in accumulated principle and interest on the incinerator debt.
Mayor Wants to Adjust Street Name
If Mayor Linda Thompson has her way, the city’s best-known stretch soon will share its name with a giant of the Civil Rights movement.
Thompson has asked City Council to “supplement” the name of N. 2nd Street, from Chestnut to Forster streets, with the name “Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.” In other words, the downtown street would be known by both names.
The council cancelled both its last meeting in February and its first meeting in March. Therefore, at press time, it had not yet acted on the ordinance.
School Recovery Plan Delayed
Gene Veno, chief recovery officer for Harrisburg public schools, has been given an additional 45 days to complete his blueprint for the financial and academic recovery of the school district.
Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Ronald J. Tomalis last month granted Veno until April 26 to issue his report. Veno has said he needed the extra time due to the complexity of his mission.
Veno was appointed on Dec. 12. He was instructed to create a recovery plan in 90 days and then oversee the implementation of the plan.
CASA Gets Charter
With the 2013-14 school year, the Capital Area School for the Arts will become Harrisburg’s newest charter school, as the city school board recently approved its application.
The board voted in favor of the charter after rejecting it the first time. CASA, formed in 2001, is located downtown in Strawberry Square. It serves students in grades 9 to 12 in the areas of visual arts, dance, music, creative writing, theater and film and video.
With charter status, CASA says it will expand its curriculum to include full-day academic and arts study, with a focus on college preparation. It hopes to enroll as many as 200 students.
CASA has entered into an agreement to use the classroom space of Temple University Harrisburg, also located in Strawberry Square, for its academic instruction.
The CASA approval was an anomaly for the board, which has turned down numerous charter school applications over the past few years.
For instance, at the same meeting, the school board rejected the charter application of the STEAM Charter School of Harrisburg, which wanted to move into the old Ron Brown Charter School at the corner of N. 3rd and Boas streets.
For more information on CASA, visit www.casa-arts.org.
Firm Plan for SAM
A start date has been set for the Susquehanna Art Museum’s new home at the corner of N. 3rd and Calder streets in Midtown Harrisburg.
Work on the site is expected to begin this month, said Laurene Buckley, the museum’s executive director. Then, on May 7, SAM will hold a ceremonial groundbreaking starting at 4:30 p.m., followed by a celebratory community party outdoors. Buckley expects the museum to open in October 2014.
The $7 million project is funded with both public and private money. While SAM has enough money to start the project, it hopes to raise at least another $1 million to be debt-free, said Buckley.
Two years ago, the museum moved out of its location in the Kunkel building downtown and since has been mounting exhibits in the State Museum.
For more information on the project and to donate, please visit www.sqart.org.
Glass Factory Ready for Tenants
Put another historic Harrisburg building into the “rehabbed” column, as the Glass Factory is ready to accept tenants.
The Old Uptown building, at the corner of N. 3rd and Muench streets, had sat for years as a deteriorating shell until the renovation by Harrisburg-based Skynet Property Management.
The century-old, 18,000-square-foot building contains 31 units: 19 studio and 12 one-bedroom apartments. Prices start at $685 per month, which includes parking and most utilities.
Visit www.glassfactoryhbg.com or call 717-585-0504 for more information.
New Rehab at 3rd & Hamilton
A Harrisburg developer and landlord has purchased a long-abandoned building at the corner of N. 3rd and Hamilton streets, intending to turn it into an apartment building.
San-Pef Inc. will develop the historic, Victorian-style building at 1701 N. 3rd St. into four two-bedroom, two one-bedroom and two studio apartments, with commercial space on the ground floor, according to Bryan Davis, executive director of the Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority.
The purchase price was $83,000. Once begun, the renovation, estimated to cost $415,000, should take 10 to 12 months, said Davis.
“This is a great example of what we should be using the authority for—for buildings that are very difficult to redevelop,” said Davis.
The building served as an apartment and laundromat for decades before falling into dilapidation. The authority acquired it in 1999, gutted it and stabilized it. It has been on the market since.
San-Pef owns and rents many houses in Harrisburg. In recent years, it also redeveloped two historic buildings that were in disrepair: 1014 N. 3rd St. and 1217 N. Cameron St.
Restaurant Roundup
Taco Solo is slated to open this month at 200 N. 2nd St., which most recently housed the short-lived Muncheese. The taqueria, a new venture by the owners of El Sol Mexican Restaurant, will be open for lunch and dinner, as well as late night on weekends.
Pastorante, a pasta-themed restaurant, is expected to debut this month at 1012 N. 3rd St., the Midtown location of the former Italian Market, which closed years ago. Owner Sri Kumarasingam said he decided to open the eatery “because everyone loves pasta. I love pasta.” The pasta will be fresh-made each day and served with a variety of sauces.
The Soup Spot closed last month at the corner of N. 3rd and Herr streets. Owners Randy and Melanie Straub started a take-out location about four years ago in a tight space at the corner of N. 3rd and Union streets. They later moved to a larger location up the street that had customer seating.
Changing Hands
February Property Sales
Capitol St., 909: S. Schreckengaust to M. Dietz, $120,000
Croyden Rd., 2807: M & T Bank to PA Deals LLC, $35,000
Derry St., 1956: W. Vera to Willow LLC, $39,000
Market St., 1918: Bank of New York Mellon to J. Matthews, $40,299
N. 2nd St., 1613: Members 1st Federal Credit Union to E. & P. Montgomery, $70,000
N. 6th St., 3202: PA Deals LLC to M. Strine, $74,000
S. 13th St., 346: PA Deals LLC to SMS Solo 401K Trust, $68,000
S. 16th St., 13: V. Ledesma to E. Chavez, $30,000
S. 25th St., 432: Fannie Mae to P. Bauer, $70,500
Swatara St., 1239: D. & F. Realty Holdings LP to W. Pan, $71,376
Verbeke St., 114: H. Thorkelson to A. Labs, $75,000
Zarker St., 1945: PA Deals LLC to M. Strine, $52,900
