Harrisburg’s five mayoral candidates made a final push for votes last night in a concluding mayoral debate that turned heated at times.
Moderators Blake Lynch and Mark Hall, an ABC27 reporter, kept the debate civil, though the town hall-style event at Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center kicked off to a feisty start.
Moderators Blake Lynch, left, and ABC27 Reporter Mark Hall, right, stand in front of mayoral candidates, from left to right, Lewis Butts, Gloria Martin-Roberts, Mayor Eric Papenfuse, Anthony Harrell and Jennie Jenkins.
Challenger Gloria Martin-Roberts started her opening remarks by separating herself from two former mayors, who both have indicated support for her, as well as her campaign treasurer, James Ellison.
“My name is not Linda Thompson, it’s not James Ellison and it’s not Stephen Reed,” Martin-Roberts said. “Some of you may be confused by the negative mailers that you have received over the past couple of weeks…They’ve had their time.”
She then criticized a PennLive article about a letter that Reed sent to encourage a friend to donate to the Martin-Roberts campaign. She said she did not ask Reed to write the letter to request the donation.
Likewise, incumbent Mayor Eric Papenfuse responded to campaign rhetoric from the Martin-Roberts camp. He referenced a Facebook post from Ellison that claimed Papenfuse purchased properties while mayor.
“I have not purchased any investment properties since taking office,” he said, adding that his wife also has not purchased any properties since he was elected mayor in 2013. “This is a ridiculous falsehood of my character.”
He asked Martin-Roberts to admit to the falsehood and have Ellison take down his Facebook post.
Martin-Roberts said she would not have Ellison take down the post. She pulled out several mailers sent by Papenfuse’s campaign that link her to Harrisburg’s old guard, while saying, “This is lack of character.”
Later in the debate, Martin-Roberts did say sorry.
“I apologize for losing my temper,” she said.
Challengers Jennie Jenkins, Anthony Harrell and Lewis Butts also addressed issues that have arisen over the course of their campaigns, as moderators fired questions from the community during the second half of the 90-minute event.
Jenkins addressed her termination from her position as police officer with the city. Last year, Jenkins entered a county program meant for first-time offenders charged with nonviolent crimes. This came after the city suspended her in 2013 after accusing her of taking $7,000 from the Police Athletic League.
Moderators asked why she entered this program if she maintained her innocence in the theft case.
“It was a way I could move on with my life,” she said, adding that she spent two-and-a-half years without income while tied up in the lawsuit.
Moderators bluntly asked Harrell, “Who are you, and where have you been?” They followed up and asked specifically about his community or church involvement aside from his two well-known biographical details: that he served in the armed forces and now studies full-time at Central Penn College.
“I lived in the community, purchased from stores, and I send my children to schools,” he said.
Butts touted his Harrisburg First plan, which includes a citywide Wi-Fi network, a shopping mall at PennDOT and, most notably, a hydroelectric dam in the Susquehanna River.
He called himself the “revenue candidate.”
“The hydro-power dam [would bring in] a lot of extra money for roads, scholarships and anything that we need,” he said.
With the final mayoral debate complete, voters get the last word on Tuesday, May 16, with the primary election.
Author: Danielle Roth
