Fall for Pasta: It’s time to tuck away the grill & turn on the stovetop.

September 30, 2015 | by Rosemary Ruggieri Baer

A friend of ours casually mentioned recently that it was almost time to “eat with a spoon again.” I knew what she meant.

For us “summer-only” grillers, cooking changes in the fall. It’s time to bring back stews, casseroles and soups. Pastas now meet with meats, sausages, beans and a variety of mushrooms. There may be a little container of pesto in the freezer or perhaps some roasted plum tomatoes to add to fall dishes and bring back memories of summer. But, in traditional Italian kitchens, cooking evolves with the seasons; and, for me, that is the beauty of it.

Fall in Italy is a lovely time. The intense heat of the Mediterranean sun subsides into gentle warmth. And although the fall colors aren’t quite like those of the northeastern United States, there is a golden hue that overtakes the landscape. The abundant produce of fall is still available, and the hunt for mushrooms begins.

One of my favorite cool weather pasta recipes is called “woodsman pasta.” The star of the pasta is mushrooms, and, in fact, many dishes prepared in a similar fashion are referred to as woodsman-style or boscaiola. As with so many Italian dishes, there are more variations than one can count. I make it with a tomato sauce base, although you will often see boscaiola made with cream.

A few notes before you start:

Try different kinds of mushrooms. You don’t have to forage the Tuscan woods to find them. Our supermarkets carry many interesting varieties these days.
This is a great way to sneak peas into your spouse’s diet. The tiny frozen ones are better than fresh.
Tortellini is suggested for woodsman pasta. But orecchiette and rigatoni both work very well.
Although the recipe that follows is tomato-based, you can still splash in a bit of heavy cream for added richness.
POMI crushed tomatoes, while a little more expensive than some other brands, are very, very good. They are pure tomatoes and nothing else.

Pasta alla Boscaiola

Ingredients

2 cups frozen baby peas
5 cups coarsely chopped mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
24 ounces good quality crushed tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound pre-made tortellini or other heavy pasta like orecchiette
Freshly grated cheese (Parmesan, Romano or Asiago)

Recipe

Put the mushrooms, garlic and parsley in a large sauté pan with the oil and cook for 5 minutes. Allow the liquid produced by the mushrooms to evaporate.
Add the tomatoes and simmer for about 20 minutes. The mixture should be thick and not “watery.”
Add the petite frozen peas (no need to cook first) and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 3 to 4 more minutes.
While the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta until it is al dente (tender, but firm to the bite).
Drain the pasta when cooked and add it to the sauté pan. Toss gently and cook together for a few minutes to blend all the ingredients.
If you want more of a pink sauce, add a splash or two of heavy cream and cook a minute more.
If you like things hot and spicy, sprinkle in some red pepper flakes.
Serve from the skillet or place in a large pasta bowl. Top with grated cheese (I use a lot).

This pasta can stand up to a smooth, rich red wine like Nero D’ Avola. But a crisp white would be nice too, even one with a slight “fizz.”

So welcome fall. For me, it’s time to put my gas grill to sleep until next spring. I hope you enjoy pasta boscaiola on a crisp October evening.

September News Digest

September 30, 2015 | by Lawrance Binda

Tax Hike Suggested

Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse last month proposed tripling the local services tax to help close an estimated $6 million budget gap for the year.

Papenfuse introduced the idea during the annual State of the City address, saying that the Harrisburg Strong financial recovery plan needed to be amended because some revenues, including parking revenues due to enforcement snags, have fallen short of projections.

Under this plan, the local services tax would increase from $1 to $3 per worker per week. The increase would generate about $4 million a year, according to the administration.

The increase must be passed by City Council and approved by the Commonwealth Court. Papenfuse later said that Fred Reddig, a state official and the city’s Act 47 coordinator, supports the idea.

During his speech, Papenfuse also urged Harrisburg-based businesses to help the city financially by ceasing to use private haulers for trash collection. In addition, he floated the idea that the city should consider Home Rule, which would allow it to have greater control in its own affairs.

Papenfuse said that Home Rule was the “only real way out” of Act 47 financial oversight. Many municipalities in Pennsylvania, including Carlisle, have Home Rule charters, but achieving Home Rule would take years.

Reed to Stand Trial

The criminal case against former Harrisburg Mayor Steve Reed will go to trial, a judge determined last month.

Following a daylong preliminary hearing, Senior Magisterial District Judge Richard Cashman said the state could proceed with a case against Reed on all 485 counts against him, covering a wide range of alleged corruption.

At the hearing, the prosecution presented evidence that Reed had violated numerous laws, including that he had kept in his possession hundreds of artifacts purchased with city money. Reed allegedly bought the artifacts for several museums that he had proposed building in the city.

The defense team, led by Henry Hockheimer of the Philadelphia-based firm of Ballard Spahr, refuted those charges, stating that the property rightfully belonged to Reed.

Separately, Reed’s attorneys last month filed a motion asking the court to dismiss more than 300 counts against him, claiming they were not valid because the statute of limitations had expired.

Sinkhole Application Favored

The state has ranked Harrisburg first in Pennsylvania to receive federal sinkhole mitigation funds, the city learned last month.

The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency sent a letter to Harrisburg saying its application for a federal Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant for sinkhole remediation had been ranked No. 1 in the state.

The city is seeking grants for sinkhole repair and home demolition and buyouts in a hard-hit area of S. 14^th Street.

The state support, while positive, does not guarantee that Harrisburg will receive the award, said Mayor Eric Papenfuse. Only state emergency management agencies are eligible to apply for grants under the program, but awards are not allocated on a state-by-state basis.

LED Project Gets Green Light

Harrisburg’s plan to upgrade all of its streetlights with long-lasting LED lights is set to begin this month after the City Council approved funding for the project.

Council last month voted unanimously to borrow $3.2 million from M&T Bank for the LED conversion project, the city’s first major borrowing since the financial crisis shut it off from the credit markets. Council then voted unanimously to contract with The Efficiency Network, based in Pittsburgh, to perform the citywide installation of about 6,000 lights.

The administration estimates that the upgrade will save the city about $500,000 annually in energy costs, which should cover the cost of the financing. As part of its contract, The Efficiency Network guarantees the savings for a 10-year period.

Mayor Eric Papenfuse said much of the work would be done this fall, but probably would not be completed until early next year.

Council also authorized the administration to apply for a $3.6 million grant from Impact Harrisburg, a nonprofit set up as part of the city’s financial recovery plan to assist its infrastructure and economic development efforts. Impact Harrisburg is in the process of hiring an executive director, which it must do before considering applications for grants.

If Harrisburg receives the money, the city would pay off the loan early and use the savings from reduced energy costs for other purposes, Papenfuse said. The loan carries a prepayment penalty of 3 percent.

The city already has received a grant of $500,000 to offset some of the cost of the LED project.

Campbell Gets Probation

Former Harrisburg Treasurer John Campbell last month was sentenced to three years of probation for stealing money from three nonprofit organizations.

As part of his sentence, Campbell turned over a restitution check for $26,230, which will repay Historic Harrisburg Association, the Capital Region Stonewall Democrats and Lighten Up Harrisburg for the thefts.

In all, Campbell pled guilty to one misdemeanor and two felony counts.

Campbell was executive director of Historic Harrisburg and a volunteer treasurer for both Lighten Up Harrisburg and the Stonewall Democrats when the thefts occurred. He was not charged with any crimes in his capacity as city treasurer.

Dauphin County Common Pleas Judge Scott A. Evans is allowing Campbell to serve his probation in the Washington, D.C., area, where he now lives.

Bar Loses Appeal

A Midtown Harrisburg bar targeted for closure by the city has lost its appeal, and now has taken its case to court.

The city’s License and Tax Appeal Review Board rejected the effort by the Third Street Café (formerly Club 1400) to retain its business license and continue operating from its building at the corner of N. 3rd and Calder streets.

The three-person appeals board unanimously sided with the city, which alleges that the bar attracts criminal behavior, especially drug activity.

“The owners and operators of the Third Street Café consented to or allowed behavior on and around the premises that constituted crimes under federal, state and local laws,” concluded the board in its Aug. 28 decision.

The city has tried for months to revoke the bar’s business license. In late March, it sent owner Tony Paliometros a letter stating it planned to revoke the license, giving him 30 days to cease operations. Paliometros appealed the revocation, and a one-day appeals hearing was held in late May.

After losing the appeal, Paliometros immediately appealed that decision to the Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas and was granted a stay to remain open. The court appeal is scheduled for Oct. 9.

Housing Market Stable

Housing sales and prices were relatively stable in August, compared to the same period last year.

Throughout the region, 783 houses sold at a median sales price of $165,000, according to the Greater Harrisburg Association of Realtors. In August 2014, 781 houses sold for a median price of $165,000.

In Dauphin County, 265 houses sold at a median price of $144,900. In Cumberland County, 268 houses sold for a median price of $179,900 and, in Perry County, 27 houses sold for a median price of $165,000.

So Noted

The Harrisburg Downtown Improvement District and Recycle Bicycle last month launched a Downtown Bike Library, which allows people to borrow and then return a bike, a helmet and a lock at no cost from the HDID office at 22 N. 2^nd St. This program is considered a pilot program to the Bike Share Harrisburg initiative that is in the works to bring a bike share program to the city.

The Millworks last month started a lunch service, which begins at 11 a.m. Tuesday to Friday. The Midtown Harrisburg restaurant and art space opened in March for dinner, Tuesday through Sunday. It then added weekend brunch hours.

Bricco halted its lunch service last month in favor of expanding its catering business with Ciao! Bakery, in an endeavor now called Bricco-Ciao! Catering. The menu consists of both Ciao’s sandwiches and Bricco’s Mediterranean-inspired dishes. Bricco, at the corner of S. 3^rd and Chestnut streets, remains open for dinner.

The Kitchen at H*MAC last month announced new lunch and brunch hours. The restaurant, located at 1110 N. 3^rd St., Harrisburg, now is open for lunch on Monday to Friday beginning at 11 a.m. and for brunch on Saturday and Sunday beginning at 10 a.m.

Arepa City, which specialized in the Venezuelan sandwich called the arepa, closed last month after more than six years in downtown Harrisburg. Owner Daniel Farias said customers didn’t follow the restaurant after it moved into larger space further down N. 2^nd Street. Farias said he plans to continue his catering business.

Frederic Loraschi Chocolate opened a retail location and production facility at 4615 Hillcrest St. in Colonial Park. For years, the chocolatier has made his high-end confections from a converted kitchen in the basement of his Hummelstown home. The new shop allows consumers to buy directly from him.

Changing Hands

Berryhill St., 2101: R. Pickles to D. Maxwell, $96,500

Calder St., 116: M. DePhilip to D. Goldman, $150,000

Chestnut St., 2100: W. & K. Richards to H. Trauffer, $65,000

Curtin St., 543, 2135 N. 4^th St., 1949 Berryhill St., 545 Benton St. & 2314 N. 4^th St.: Susquehanna Bank to MBHH RE LLC, $107,000

Graham St., 118: B. & K. Elgart & Cartus Financial Corp. to P. Furlong, $219,900

Green St., 1924: D. Miller & R. Finley to G. O’Loughlin, $214,900

Hale Ave., 428: Metro Bank to T. & K. Vu, $42,500

Herr St., 409: W. & F. Moore to D. Jordan, $106,000

Industrial Rd., 3360: Conewago Contractors Inc. to Norfolk Southern Railway Co., $7,500,000

Kelker St., 319: K. Hancock to J. Marks, $60,000

N. 2^nd St., 1311: J. Feldman to T. Gray, $78,700

N. 2^nd St., 1406: F. Magaro to C. Albers, $149,000

N. 2^nd St., 1520: E. Spaar to N. & R. Masterson, $94,000

N. 2^nd St., 1708: D. Shreve to J. Seigle, $171,300

N. 2^nd St., 1829: E. Stuckey to M. Nolt, $126,000

N. 2^nd St., 3206: R. & P. Kotz to S. Margut, $178,000

N. 3^rd St., 1606: Fannie Mae to Anselmo Brothers Partnership, $52,500

N. 3^rd St., 2243: Kusic Financial Services LLC to A. & M. Collins, $58,000

N. Front St., 2609: Supreme Forest of Tall Cedars to A. Hartzler, $225,000

Penn St., 1820: Bayview Loan Servicing LLC to PA Deals LLC, $50,250

Penn St., 1917: S. Stauffer to S. Cline & J. Lemon, $118,500

Penn St., 1920: WCI Partners LP to C. Clabaugh, $159,900

Rudy Rd., 2141: A. McKenna to M. McNelis, $142,900

Rumson Dr., 2586: Beneficial Consumer Discount Co. to PA Deals LLC, $43,299

Schuykill St., 518 & 522: M. & A. Parsons to J. & B. Readinger, $37,500

S. 15^th St., 347, 1529 Catherine St., 1615 Naudain St., 30 Balm St., 1822 Park St. & 22 Balm St.: I. Colon to C. Harp, $30,000

S. Front St., 555: Ashbury Foundation to D. Ogg, $82,500

State St., 115: Pennsylvania Bar Association to Commonwealth Strategic Solutions LLC, $172,000

State St., 231, Unit 504: LUX 1 LP to M. & K. Lastrina, $144,900

State St., 231, Unit 505: LUX 1 LP to M & K. Lastrina, $154,900

State St., 1336: D. Pinnock to D. Vining, $37,000

Susquehanna St., 1833: G. & K. Ender to J. Secrest, $42,500

Swatara St., 2416: M. Gaston et al to D. & E. Davenport, $129,600

Thompson St., 1257: Jamil Karim LLC to Harrisburg Housing Authority, $80,000

Woodbine St., 502: K. Bethea to C. Guerrier, $40,000

Harrisburg property sales for August 2015, greater than $30,000. Source: Dauphin County. Data is assumed to be accurate.

Timely Audit Seen as Small Step in Harrisburg’s Recovery

September 24, 2015 | by Paul Barker

A chart from Harrisburg’s audited financial statements from 2013.

Harrisburg will file audited financial statements on time for the first time since 2007, city officials said this week, marking a small but important step in the once nearly bankrupt capital’s gradual return to normal operations.

Finance director Bruce Weber said the statements would be published by the end of the week, following the completion of a review by the city’s independent auditors, the Harrisburg-based firm Maher Duessel.

That will allow Harrisburg to file them with regulators by a Sept. 30 deadline, set by promises the city made in various borrowings over the years. The city has not met the deadline since 2007, and its struggles with timely filings led the Securities and Exchange Commission two years ago to charge it with securities fraud.

“The capital markets will view this very favorably as yet another step in the city’s recovery,” said Steven Goldfield, a financial advisor to the state team overseeing Harrisburg’s recovery plan.

The audit, though its timing reflects better compliance with regulators, still comes later than a June 30 deadline generally viewed as ideal, said deputy controller Bill Leinberger. And it comes only weeks after Mayor Eric Papenfuse warned of a possible $6 million deficit in 2016 and a city hall that remains “starved for capacity.”

The financial statements give a comprehensive picture of the government’s financial standing and general operations at the close of the prior fiscal year. In addition to providing financial details, they are a font of information about the city, including data like demographic and employment trends and government staffing levels.

Their scope may prove forbidding to the average citizen, who likely doesn’t have the time or expertise to wade through the hundred-plus pages of city hall minutiae. “It’s like drinking from a fire hose of information,” Weber said.

But investors in city-backed bonds may rely on them for an accurate picture of the city’s financial health, which is why the SEC cited Harrisburg’s late statements and notices between 2009 and 2011 in charging the city with fraud.

“Timely and complete disclosure of financial information by state and local governments plays a key role in ensuring a fair and efficient municipal market,” said Lynnette Kelly, executive director of the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, which regulates the municipal bond market. “When cities meet their disclosure requirements, investors have the information they need to make decisions that are right for them.”

In various borrowings, Harrisburg promised to provide market regulators with up-to-date financial statements 270 days from the end of each fiscal year, or to notify investors if the city was running late on its filing.

The SEC claimed that, by failing to file timely statements or notices, the city left the market with “incomplete and outdated” information from January 2009 to March 2011. Furthermore, budget reports and public statements in 2009 by then-Mayor Stephen Reed gave “misleading” information at a time when the city government was facing increasing financial difficulties, the SEC said.

The SEC ultimately settled without Harrisburg admitting or denying the charges. The city now operates under a cease-and-desist order requiring timely disclosures to investors.

In recent years, as the city played catch-up, it submitted financial statements after the Sept. 30 deadline but complied with the order by filing a notice with regulators. This year marks the first under the order in which Harrisburg will not have to file such a notice, because the audited statements themselves will be submitted on time.

In New Video, Water Authority Asks Customers to “Consider the Source”

September 24, 2015 | by Paul Barker

Capital Region Water CEO Shannon Williams at the DeHart reservoir, in a screenshot from the "Consider the Source" video.

Capital Region Water CEO Shannon Williams at the DeHart, in a screenshot from “Consider the Source.”

The next time you drink a beer at Appalachian Brewing Co., consider this: the water used to make your Mountain Lager or Hoppy Trails I.P.A. likely came from the pristine DeHart reservoir, Harrisburg’s six-billion-gallon water supply.

That’s one of several facts the city’s water and sewer authority asks you to ponder in “Consider the Source,” an informational video released in the past week that takes viewers on a brisk tour of their water’s route “from raindrop to tap.”

Capital Region Water’s chief executive, Shannon Williams, narrates a journey that begins in the sky, pauses at the 5-mile DeHart, and proceeds down the mountains through 25 miles of pipe towards the treatment plant and Reservoir Park, before ultimately reaching the taps of the authority’s 60,000 customers.

Williams also urges viewers to help protect the water they drink, by not littering, picking up or alerting the authority to dumped trash, and reporting vehicle spills along Route 325, which runs through the watershed.

The video, complete with a patrol-boat’s-eye view of the DeHart, was funded in part by the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania, under a grant from the state Department of Environmental Protection. You can watch it here: https://capitalregionwater.com/considerthesource.

TheBurg Podcast, Sept. 18, 2015

September 18, 2015 | by Admin

Welcome to TheBurg Podcast, a weekly roundup of news in and around Harrisburg.

Sept. 18, 2015: This week, Larry and Paul talk about the preliminary hearing that ultimately sent Steve Reed on towards a full trial, probation and restitution in the case of former city treasurer John Campbell and a judge’s stay that lets a Midtown bar remain open, at least for now.

Special thanks to Paul Cooley, who wrote our theme music. Check out his podcast, the PRC Show, on SoundCloud or in the iTunes store.

TheBurg Podcast can be downloaded by clicking on the date above or by visiting the iTunes store. You can also access the podcast via its host page.

Liquor Control

September 18, 2015 | by Lawrance Binda

The Third Street Cafe, with the Taproom directly next door.

What responsibility does a private business have to its community?

That question came to my mind recently after sitting through a court hearing on the city’s continuing effort to revoke the business license of the Third Street Café (formerly Club 1400).

At the hearing, the city told Court of Common Pleas Judge Andrew Dowling of repeated criminal incidents in and around the bar at the corner of N. 3^rd and Calder streets over the past two years.

That’s why, said city Solicitor Neil Grover, the city yanked the bar’s business license, an action upheld in late August by the three-person Business Privilege and Mercantile License Appeal Board.

The bar then appealed that decision to the Dauphin County court, which was why Dowling was now involved. He would decide whether to allow the bar to stay open until the court could consider the appeal.

At the hearing, Grover ticked off allegations against the Third Street Café:

In March, a guy was assaulted at the bar’s front door.
In May, a woman was badly beaten in the alley in back of the bar.
In May, a drug transaction was arranged inside the bar and took place outside.

There was other criminal activity, too, Grover said, eight specific incidents since March 2014.

The bar’s attorney, Christopher Wilson, refuted them all.

He said that the owner, Tony Paliometros, could not be held responsible for actions outside his bar, even if they were at the front door, or in the back alley, and even if they involved his patrons, who he could not control. As for the drug transaction—that was a Harrisburg police setup, he said.

And to the extent there are genuine problems at N. 3^rd and Calder, the bar next door—the Taproom (itself under threat of closure)—is mostly to blame, Wilson said, as are the city and Capital Area Transit for locating a bus stop at the corner.

In the end, Judge Dowling allowed the bar to remain open until the appeals hearing, which he scheduled for Oct. 9.

His decision didn’t surprise me. From his questioning, Dowling telegraphed that he was mostly concerned about the financial harm that Paliometros would suffer if his bar were to close immediately. In his decision, Dowling wrote:

“Appellant has made a strong showing that without the requested relief, he will suffer irreparable injury, that the issuance of a stay will not substantially harm other interested parties in the proceedings and that the issue of a stay will not adversely affect the public interest in any tangible way.” (italics added)

At the hearing, it was clear to me that Dowling had little concern (or perhaps knowledge) of the daily chaos at 3^rd and Calder. The loitering, the panhandling, the fights in the streets, the screaming, the swearing, the litter, the harassment of pedestrians, the drunks stumbling into traffic, the guys sleeping it off on the sidewalk, the smell of urine at the boarded up buildings up the block—all of which I’ve seen and experienced. This dysfunction will now continue at least until the October hearing.

I understand that Dowling is constrained by the testimony in his courtroom, but the problems at that corner go far beyond a handful of alleged criminal incidents. The two bars—which acknowledge the block’s problems, but point fingers at each other through their shared wall—are dramatically affecting the quality of life of the people who live and work there—or who just exercise their right to walk down the street.

Which returns me to my original question: What responsibility does a private business have to its community?

I would argue that a business has a substantial responsibility to its community. Most businesses are significant actors in the places they’re located. They then, at a minimum, have a responsibility to do no harm to that area; at best, they should actively try to improve their neighborhoods, making them better places to be and do business.

Bars, in fact, should have among the highest standards of any type of business. They’ve been granted a remarkable privilege by the state to make money selling an intoxicating substance, one that alters minds and behaviors. That’s a special right that should be approached with deep concern for the bar’s patrons and the surrounding community.

In Harrisburg, most bars (and restaurants that serve alcohol) seem to take this responsibility fairly seriously. Some owners are certainly better than others, and the 2 a.m. scene on 2^nd Street can get rowdy. But trouble is not an all day, every day occurrence. Outside of most bars, people don’t cross the street to avoid walking by or, when they do, fear for themselves or their families, thinking that something bad might happen.

They often do when passing the Third Street Café and the Taproom. While the owners battle the city and sling mud at each other, the people in the neighborhood are being profoundly affected. To those who live, work and walk there, the bars are practically indistinguishable, with a constant flow between them, all day, starting at 7 a.m., when they open. Is one worse than the other? Maybe, but, right now, the two are feeding off each other.

I don’t wish ill to either Paliometros or to Dave Larche, who owns the Taproom (Larche also owns the Brownstone Café on Forster Street, notably a bar with seemingly few problems). However, they have to recognize that there’s an entire community around them that is suffering.

Is that awesome power—the power to diminish a community’s welfare and seal its fate—something that should be granted to two guys who want to sling booze?

Last year, I went with a developer to look at the dilapidated, boarded-up building next to the Taproom owned by the Volunteers of America, a building with a covered entry that is sometimes used as both a bathroom and a crash pad by bar patrons. Parking across the street, he was immediately beset by people shrieking, fighting and swearing at each other on a Tuesday afternoon.

Without even going inside, the developer passed on a building rehab, saying there was no way he’d touch the VOA building with the chaos on the block. How would he rent any apartments? Who would want to live there?

In his order, Judge Dowling showed a concern for one man’s paycheck, while dismissing the threat to the “public interest.” In fact, contrary to Dowling’s belief, the public interest is being adversely affected, profoundly so, and has been for years.

At the Oct. 9 hearing, Dowling may hear again of the city’s allegations against the bar, perhaps in more detail, as well as explanations from the bar’s attorneys. However, if he’s going to invoke the public interest, he should find out what that public interest is so that he can determine, in an informed manner, if it is being “adversely affected . . . in any tangible way.” A good start would be to take a walk up 3^rd Street, check out the action on the corner and then talk to some people who live and work in the immediate neighborhood.

TheBurg Podcast, Sept. 11, 2015

September 11, 2015 | by Admin

Welcome to TheBurg Podcast, a weekly roundup of news in and around Harrisburg.

Sept. 11, 2015: This week, Larry and Paul talk about Mayor Papenfuse’s State of the City address and a hearing on shutting down a bar the city says is a neighborhood nuisance, before a giving a recap of the week’s council meeting.

Special thanks to Paul Cooley, who wrote our theme music. Check out his podcast, the PRC Show, on SoundCloud or in the iTunes store.

TheBurg Podcast can be downloaded by clicking on the date above or by visiting the iTunes store. You can also access the podcast via its host page.

Home Remedy

September 11, 2015 | by Paul Barker

Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse.

The new HBO miniseries “Show Me A Hero,” David Simon’s take on a desegregation battle that roiled the city of Yonkers, N.Y., in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, is full of scenes that squeeze high drama out of the most tedious of municipal exercises. Roll call votes are cast before crowds of screaming protestors. A councilman, running to unseat the incumbent mayor, asks to use a city hall photocopier and is told stonily—faint hearts, plug your ears—it’s “gonna be a while.” In the fourth episode, the city manager hands a brown paper package to the outgoing mayor, Nick Wasicsko. Inside is neither money nor drugs but, rather, a framed copy of a recent amendment to the Yonkers charter. “You really fucking shouldn’t have,” Wasicsko says, as he tears the package open. The city manager, not to be out-cussed, replies, “Because of you, this place won’t be half as fucked up as it is now.”

Is there anything more boring than a local government charter? The things local governments do are often viscerally affecting—raising taxes, hiring and firing cops, bulldozing churches or, in Yonkers’ case, erecting public housing in middle-class neighborhoods. But charters concern what local governments are—whether they’re run by a manager or mayor, how many councilors oversee them, what day the budget is due. Even profanity can make them only so stimulating. The piece of the Yonkers charter that scored an HBO cameo eliminated the position of city manager and extended the mayor’s term from two to four years. Who fucking cares?

This week, at an annual “State of the City” address, Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse did his best to spice up his own charter initiative. The proposal has to do with home rule, the designation for a local government that opts to replace the state’s cookie-cutter municipal code with a charter of its own crafting. To date, Pennsylvania has 72 such “home rule” municipalities, including large cities like Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Allentown as well as Harrisburg-sized cities like Lancaster, York and Wilkes-Barre. A municipality seeking home rule must first elect a commission to study its form of government. State law is poetic about this commission’s duties; among other things, it is to determine whether the local government can be “made more clearly responsible or accountable to the people.” It should also ensure the “widest possible public information and discussion” about its work, though it has some latitude in deciding how to do that. The commission for Carlisle, whose voters approved a home rule charter just this past May, published a monthly newsletter.

Papenfuse gave his address in a ballroom at the Hilton hotel downtown to an audience largely composed of local business owners. How they reacted to his speech depended, in part, on how accustomed they were to his taste for citing American history. He opened with a story about a James Earl Jones speech on the U.S. Constitution and went on to describe a “prize-winning” essay he wrote in graduate school on the Anti-Federalists and the path to the Bill of Rights. One’s reaction also depended on one’s comfort with Papenfuse’s tendency to lob grenades. At one point, discussing businesses that don’t use the city’s sanitation services, he noted he was “sorry to say” they included the event’s host, the Harrisburg Regional Chamber. (“It’s up to my landlord,” Dave Black, the chamber president, told Papenfuse on the ballroom floor after the speech. “Not really, though,” Papenfuse replied.)

The Constitution reference set Papenfuse up for his speech’s central analogy. Like the country’s founding document, he said, the state’s financial recovery plan for Harrisburg—stay with me—was imperfect as originally passed, and needed to be amended. “I say to you this morning: now is the time for we the people to work in unison to amend the Harrisburg Strong Plan,” the mayor said. Specifically, he called for three adjustments. The first was to raise the so-called local services tax, a flat tax on employees making more than $12,000 per year, from $1 to $3 per week. The second, more vaguely, was to “continue to invest in and improve” sanitation services. The third was to shift the city to home rule.

At base, all three proposals are about money. The so-called Strong Plan contains several hundred pages of initiatives for improving Harrisburg government, yet the mayor’s objections centered on only two problems: income taxes and parking revenues. The original plan’s projections were off, Papenfuse said, and the city now expects to fall $6 million short of the hoped-for revenues in 2016. The local services tax would obviously address this—according to the mayor, the proposed hike would rake in an extra $4 million per year. Less obviously, expanding sanitation is about money, too. City trash bills, Papenfuse said, are the one source of revenues that are “out-performing expectations”; adding accounts will allow the city to hire more workers, who can in turn provide “much-needed neighborhood services” like filling potholes and trimming trees. (He also suggested the sanitation fund could provide low-interest loans to other parts of city government, though here he drifted into dangerous territory. The city is currently facing a lawsuit claiming its trash rates are excessively high, allegedly to help fund unrelated government functions.)

What about home rule? Papenfuse discussed the prospect only briefly in his speech, describing it as “Harrisburg’s only real way out” of the state’s program for financially distressed municipalities. Short of specific proposals, how a new charter might provide that exit is not exactly clear. David Greene, assistant director and legal counsel to the Pennsylvania Local Government Commission, said a home rule charter can provide the “broadest quantum of powers to the municipality” of any form of local government, including greater freedom to define and increase the local tax base. Under the state distress program, Harrisburg was permitted to increase the income tax on residents to 2 percent; a home rule charter could make the authority for that increase permanent, or potentially authorize further increases. There are, however, limits to such home-rule powers, including limits on the taxes imposed on nonresidents, which might pose a problem for the mayor’s proposed tripling of the local services tax once Harrisburg leaves state oversight.

If home rule appeals to Harrisburg, it may be for reasons of principle as much as for reasons of practicality. Papenfuse, introducing the concept in his speech, said it would “transfer basic authority back from the state” to the city. In the wake of financial disaster and aggressive state intervention, there is something romantic in the concept of Harrisburg voters going back to the drawing board to design a government structure that may better suit them. The city of Nanticoke, in Luzerne County, became a home rule city in 2013, and left the state distress program earlier this year. At the top of their new charter is a brief preamble: “The citizens of Nanticoke City,” it begins, “have the privilege, right and responsibility to participate in all aspects of City government and have come together with a desire and willingness to improve their government through the enactment of this charter.” It concludes with a pledge by “We, the people of Nanticoke City” to uphold its laws. Papenfuse is not the first to look at local government and think of the U.S. Constitution. You can see why someone might want a framed copy.

Harrisburg Bar Loses Appeal, Remains Open for Now

September 9, 2015 | by Lawrance Binda

The Third Street Cafe in Harrisburg has lost its appeal as the city attempts to revoke its business license.

A Midtown Harrisburg bar targeted for closure by the city has lost its appeal, but remains open pending a decision by a Dauphin County judge.

Late last month, the License and Tax Appeal Review Board rejected the effort by the Third Street Café (formerly Club 1400) to retain its business license and continue operating from its building at the corner of N. 3^rd and Calder streets.

The three-person appeals board unanimously sided with the city, which alleges that the bar attracts criminal behavior, especially drug activity.

In that hearing, several Harrisburg police officers testified that numerous crimes, including drug activity and violent incidents, have occurred inside and just outside of the snug bar, which seats 35 to 40 people. Paliometros disputed the allegations, saying he cannot control the behavior of his patrons, and has told TheBurg that he runs a clean, professional bar.

After losing his appeal, Paliometros immediately appealed that decision to the Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas and was granted an emergency injunction to remain open. A hearing on that injunction is slated for Friday.

“We feel confident that we will prevail,” said Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse, who announced the appeal board’s decision at yesterday’s State of the City address at the Harrisburg Hilton.

In March, the city notified two other bars, the Royal Pub and the Taproom, that it also intended to revoke their business licenses. The Royal Pub, located at N. 6^th and Schuykill streets, soon shut down. The Taproom, located next door to the Third Street Café on the 1400-block of N. 3^rd Street, continues to operate.

Papenfuse said that the Taproom’s owner, Dave Larche, asked for more time so that he could try to sell his building and business. The city agreed to that arrangement, but, since then, has seen no indication that Larche intends to sell, said Papenfuse.

Papenfuse said that, if the Third Street Café is shut down, the city again will turn its attention to the Taproom and may re-initiate an effort to revoke its business license.

Like Paliometros, Larche insists he runs a clean bar and that he can’t be held responsible for the actions of a few of his patrons who may have committed crimes in and around his bar. He also has said he believes the city has targeted the bars for closure because the area is rapidly gentrifying.

Harrisburg Streetlight Project Approved, Will Begin Soon

September 9, 2015 | by Lawrance Binda

A “Cobra-head”-style streetlight along N. Front Street in Harrisburg.

Harrisburg’s plan to upgrade all its streetlights with long-lasting LED lights should begin later this month as the City Council last night approved funding for the project.

Council voted unanimously to borrow $3.2 million from M&T Bank for the LED conversion project, the city’s first major borrowing since the financial crisis shut it off from the credit markets. The eight-year loan carries an interest rate of 3.55 percent.

Council then voted unanimously to contract with The Efficiency Network, based in Pittsburgh, to perform the citywide installation of about 6,000 lights.

Mayor Eric Papenfuse said much of the work would be done this fall, but probably would not be completed until early next year.

The city already has received a grant of $500,000 to offset some of the cost of the LED project.

At the council meeting, Councilwoman Sandra Reid expressed concern over borrowing money following the city’s recent financial crisis and its continuing fiscal struggles and added that the city has been duped before by contractors who did not deliver on promises of benefits. She nonetheless voted in favor of taking out the loan to finance the project.

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