It’s been six months since the city of Harrisburg has officially been in recovery. Six months since the deal was signed, the Harrisburg Strong Plan enacted, and the city considered out of its “fiscal crisis.”
In that same time, a new mayor took office.
Eric Papenfuse rode in on a wave of great ambition, which largely reflected a public push for change. Fueled, too, by the state’s expectations, Papenfuse exhibited a determination to lead the city to glory.
When he was elected in November, Papenfuse said he and his team intended to “make Harrisburg a model for the whole country.” He spoke of taking the city “out of its current state of despair and into a new era of pride and prosperity.”
Everyone—the mayor included—wanted to see much get done fast.
After four years of the Thompson administration, three years of state oversight, and a year of listening to the negotiations of the crisis, people want to see the immediate benefits of the so-called “recovery” of Pennsylvania’s capital city.
However, the state would have been better to call the recovery plan the reconstruction plan, because that’s really what we’re in.
We’re in a period of rebuilding—not just physically but politically, mentally and emotionally.
We’re a citizenry re-establishing a relationship with our elected leaders—and they with us. The people of Harrisburg—the region not just the city—are trying to figure out if they are proud or ashamed of this place.
There are members of the public declaring enough isn’t enough and that the foundation is weak. Then there are those who are trying to cope and have hope that things will indeed improve.
This juxtaposition of attitude and stance is typical in a period of reconstruction. During these times, people have great expectations and great impatience for change of condition and society.
In Harrisburg, the air of expectation and impatience is palpable. I hear often the lament of when. When will this happen? When will that occur? When will this get done? Residents, commuters and observers from outside continually inquire.
Of course, we all have lists of wants. Undoubtedly, the public’s list of desires is similar to the mayor’s. One and all want Harrisburg to be better, and, with a glance around, we could see that meant fixing streetlights, maintaining roads and improving basic services like trash collection, codes enforcement and policing.
Of course, there also are the differences in the lists—different priorities, different approaches, different perspectives, different ideals and different visions.
Since January, the city’s communications director has sent out scores of press releases announcing various initiatives like the Broad Street Market Task Force, City Hall Beautiful, Adopt-a-Park, a program to reduce gun violence, an agreement with the fire union, the Housing Court, a lighting repair program, a “Word in the Burg” television program and a summertime campaign.
Papenfuse has revamped the budget, debated City Council about a variety of things, including new positions and a hiring freeze, and denounced the school district’s recovery officer.
That’s a lot. Maybe too much. Perhaps not enough at all.
The fact of the matter—and something for the public and the Papenfuse administration alike to remember—is that the city’s government doesn’t have the wherewithal to accomplish certain tasks, especially in this first year.
Harrisburg is still short-staffed and broke, and everything that needs to get done comes with paperwork, processes and procedures, some of which must be designed along the way.
Rushed notions of accomplishment can mess up the renewal and poison the vital optimism necessary in times like these. And, while enthusiasm naturally wanes every day people don’t see the improvements they want, it can be re-sparked again with the opportunity of long-term sustainability.
It’s impossible to eliminate anger, frustration and annoyance at the pace of reconstruction.
Fortunately, those feelings can serve as motivators for movement. They can also destroy the delicate sense of potential that envelopes a city attempting to reconstruct itself.
At this point in the year, we would all do well to reconsider our expectations and recheck our lists of priorities. This is a good time to revamp our ideas of what progress is and think about the long haul. Objectives like pride and prosperity will surely take longer than one administration’s tenure to establish. It will take more than a generation of people to sustain. It will take patience and time.
After all, ultimately, the point is not only to recover but to rebuild Harrisburg.
