Greater Harrisburg's Community Magazine

Mayor as Manager: Who wants the hardest job in Harrisburg?

Illustration by Rich Hauck.

What’s the toughest job in America?

From time to time, business publications come out with lists, often dominated by positions like health care worker, police officer and, well, I’ve even seen newspaper reporter make the cut.

My vote might go to another job that’s been called the “worst” in America: big city mayor. Now, here’s a job with high stress, endless problems, enormous customer dissatisfaction and constant personnel turnover—and that just scratches the surface.

With about 50,000 people, Harrisburg can’t be described as a “big” city. But, as I’ve said before in this space, it is almost a perfect microcosm of a larger city. It’s like Washington, D.C., shrunken down to (in candy bar terms) “fun size.”

Harrisburg has all the issues you find in a big city, only in miniature. It’s a business and nightlife center, but also has challenges that include everything from infrastructure to crime to poverty to development. Residents also reasonably expect decent service delivery—and will let you know if their trash isn’t picked up or their street isn’t plowed.

I bring this up because the city’s mayoral primary is this month. Five Democrats, including the incumbent, are on the ballot, as is one Republican.

I realize that people will choose their candidate for a variety of reasons. But, when I go to my polling station, I will vote for the person who I believe is best able, day in and day out, to do what I consider to be the hardest job in Harrisburg.

I think that people should have no illusions about this job. It’s not glamorous or glorious. It’s a grind. For a whopping $80,000 a year, you’re rewarded with seven-day workweeks and 12-hour workdays, constantly buried under a mountain of problems, pressures, complaints and frustrations.

Being mayor of Harrisburg is not about cutting ribbons, thinking great thoughts, making inspiring speeches or basking in adulation. First and foremost, it’s about stone-cold management.

Can you manage a 450-person workforce? Can you create and execute a $136 million budget? Can you oversee a dozen departments ranging from housing to public safety to IT?

As mayor, all of this falls on your shoulders. Do you have the skills, the energy, the patience? Can you do it competently, with at least a modicum of good humor? Can you handle the relentless, often cruel criticism from the public, the press, social media? Can you resist the lure of corruption?

To be honest, I don’t like Harrisburg’s “strong mayor” form of government. I think that the city would be better served if run by a professional city manager—someone educated and trained specifically to manage a municipality—under the direction and legislation of an elected city council.

Why do I think this?

As I state above, being mayor is largely a management job. Many elected mayors simply lack these skills. It may not be their fault, as they’ve never been trained to create budgets, manage staff and deliver services. A person can’t walk in off the street and instantly know how to run a complex organization with a $100-million-plus budget.

In addition, elected mayors are, by definition, politicians, and politicians do things for political reasons, which sometimes does not comport with the best interests of the public.

In Harrisburg, one need look no further than the 28-year tenure of former Mayor Steve Reed to see what can happen when a city government is overly politicized and mismanaged. A dozen years after Reed left office, Harrisburg is still trying to dig itself out of a financial hole.

But this is wishful thinking on my part.

Harrisburg has the form of government that it has, and I can’t change that. However, I can try to make people aware of what the “strong” mayor’s job actually is, how hard it is, and the deep skill set that it requires.

I should mention that I decided to write this column after witnessing several of the mayoral campaigns, which seem to be dominated by statements of lofty ideals and sweeping change.

In reality, a mayor has a very narrow window to foster change, given the grim realities of budget constraints, time constraints and competition among needs. A mayor may not be able to fundamentally change a city, but a good, honest, hard-working one can lead a well-run, well-managed government, setting the stage for reliable service delivery that helps to make the city a place where people want to live, visit and work. That’s the essence of the job.

So, when I cast my ballot this month, I won’t look to who has made the most inspiring speeches or promised to change the world. Instead, I will assess who has the intellect, the stamina and the competence to best manage the complex undertaking known as the city government of Harrisburg. And that’s the person I’ll vote for.

Lawrance Binda is co-publisher and editor-in-chief of TheBurg.

Illustration by Rich Hauck.

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