Jeffrey Baltimore, right, takes the oath of office as Harrisburg’s newest City Council member.

“I only want to serve. I want to do the best job I can for the people.”

Jeffrey Baltimore spoke those words following a whirlwind evening that saw him plucked from the audience and ushered in as Harrisburg’s newest councilman. No one seemed more surprised by the selection than Baltimore himself, a postal worker who had served for years as a mid-level official in former Mayor Steve Reed’s administration.

Dressed in denim, Baltimore, after taking the oath of office, gingerly approached the plush chair last occupied by Eugenia Smith, whose sudden death last month shook her council colleagues and the city itself. Baltimore sat down, and council President Wanda Williams patiently explained some procedure to him, offering a little background on the rather complex issues they’d be voting on that night. Just minutes in office, a steep learning curve ahead, Baltimore held equal authority to the other six members of council.

There are certain people who are well known in Harrisburg’s political circles. Of the four finalists for the council seat, two would fit that category: former Councilman Kelly Summerford and Alex Reber, who helped run former Controller Dan Miller’s recent mayoral campaign. Two would not: Baltimore and Michelle Blade, a retired conference facilitator and moderator.

So then why did the relatively unknown Baltimore prove successful, especially over Summerford and Reber, both well-connected and politically savvy? In the end, Baltimore’s selection seemed to be equal parts quality, politics and serendipity. Let’s begin with serendipity.

Last evening’s council meeting started with an unsettling revelation. Previously, council said it had received 12 applications for the open seat, which it winnowed to the four finalists. Actually, 16 were sent, the city revealed, as four were caught behind an anti-virus firewall, unceremoniously dumped into a spam folder. So, four applicants, who may have been well qualified, were immediately shut out.

In terms of quality, Baltimore, by some measures, is well-positioned for this role. He served for years in the Reed administration, ending his tenure in 2000 as acting deputy director in the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development. In that capacity, he administered Reed’s revolving loan fund program. He then took jobs both in the state Department of Community and Economic Development and in the York County Economic Development Corp. For the past seven years, he has worked as a building contractor, a mail carrier and an advocate for healthy city living.

But it’s perhaps the political dimension that seemed so fascinating in his selection. Through six rounds, Reber received three votes, Baltimore two and Summerford one, with council members refusing to change their votes despite the gridlock. Then Summerford took to the public microphone, withdrawing, as he said, for the good of the city.

With Summerford out, Councilwoman Sandra Reid switched her vote to Baltimore, tying the tally at three. With all rounds expired, it was up to Mayor Eric Papenfuse to break the stalemate. He rose from his seat, went to a microphone and firmly declared his support for Baltimore. With that, the man from the Reed administration completed his unlikely reintroduction to the body politic.

Immediately, the press and onlookers began to speculate on Papenfuse’s vote. Was Baltimore’s selection a swipe at the mayor’s former political rival, Dan Miller? Was it, as PennLive columnist Matt Zencey seemed to imply in a tweet denounced by several council members, partly racially motivated?

Personally, I found it fascinating that Papenfuse cast his deciding vote for the man who, for years, headed up Reed’s revolving loan fund, which loaned public money to private businesses. Just a couple of years ago, during a weekend-long program on Harrisburg history held at his Midtown Scholar Bookstore, Papenfuse characterized the fund as a source of corruption in the Reed administration. In a promotional blurb for the program, a Midtown Scholar brochure stated that the money was given to an assortment of unproven and unsavory businesses. Indeed, many of the businesses that received loans never paid them back. 

For his part, Papenfuse told me today that his vote for Baltimore was proactive, that he admired his “dedication to education and youth,” and that he seemed “well-connected to the community and independent-minded.” He said he also was impressed with Baltimore’s “extensive background in economic development.”

Speaking with me, Baltimore said he cared greatly about his community and only wished to serve the people. He seemed genuinely overwhelmed by his selection and vowed to be a conscientious, attentive member of council. In addition, as Reid pointed out when promoting Summerford, City Council should have more than one member from Allison Hill, the city’s most densely populated area. Baltimore, who lives on 17th Street, provides that geographical diversity.

However, I believe the greatest immediate benefit to the city would be if the appointment helped smooth the rocky relationship that has been building between the administration and a majority of City Council. Upon his election, Papenfuse vowed to work closely with council. However, the growing animosity between the two bodies has begun to resemble the antagonistic, dysfunctional relationships during the Reed and Thompson administrations.

In voting for Baltimore, Papenfuse sided with members of council who have opposed many of his initiatives, starting with a battle over the budget and growing after police arrested the Bishop Augustus Sullivan for code violations after his church partially collapsed. Last week’s strange public spat between city official Karl Singleton and council President Wanda Williams demonstrated just how frayed the relationship had become between administration and council.

Baltimore may end up being a fantastic councilman–or he may not. However, both sides should use this opportunity to re-set their relationship. To progress, Harrisburg needs its branches of government to respect one another and try to get along. The inability of the mayor and council to communicate and cooperate has been a continuing problem for years, leaving residents caught in the middle of a seemingly endless feud.

Baltimore, both as a symbol and through his actions, could offer a way to break free from this escalating hostility. He could even make it a priority to promote understanding between city officials, helping them seek common ground. The administration and City Council legitimately will never agree on everything, but, for the city to move forward, peace needs to be made.