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The Next Mayor of Harrisburg: From financial recovery to the role of mayor, the two candidates give voters a clear choice.

October 31, 2013 | by Paul Barker

In recent decades, the general election for Harrisburg mayor has been something of a snoozer.

Most of the action rested in the primary, where this heavily Democratic city nominated the clear favorite come November. Could this year be different?

Indeed, it’s been a fascinating race.

The primary saw the late entry of businessman Eric Papenfuse, who quickly lapped incumbent Mayor Linda Thompson and her principal challenger, city Controller Dan Miller, to capture the Democratic nomination.

Then, just as the Democrats were rallying around their candidate, the saga took another turn. Independent Nevin Mindlin, regarded as the remaining credible alternative to Papenfuse, was tossed off the ballot following a petition challenge.

So up stepped Miller, who, while losing the Democratic nomination, had won the unchallenged Republican nomination by getting 196 write-in votes. With Mindlin off the ballot, Miller declared himself back in, setting up another Papenfuse/Miller contest for the Nov. 5 ballot.

To help Harrisburg voters, we asked each candidate four questions that we believe are relevant to the city at this time. We hope their answers, which we limited to 1,200 words for each candidate, will help voters who remain undecided make this important decision. –Lawrance Binda

Dan Miller

It was a Thursday in early August, and City Controller Dan Miller, who only days before had announced the end of his mayoral campaign, was appalled by what was happening to the November ballot. The nominating petitions of independent candidates Nate Curtis and Nevin Mindlin had been challenged in court. If the judge agreed, Eric Papenfuse’s only competition on Election Day would be write-in candidate Lewis Butts, who had reaped a mere 64 votes in the primary.

In a sense, it was politics as usual in Harrisburg, a solidly Democratic city where races are usually foregone conclusions by November. But Miller, who had lost by a 6-percent margin in May, saw a political opportunity. “It’s a civic responsibility for me to get on the ballot,” he said the next day at the county Bureau of Elections, where, with his $25 filing fee in hand, he posed for photos before accepting the Republican nomination. “Let’s have a choice.”

In the weeks since, that choice has sharpened. On Aug. 26, the state-appointed receiver, William B. Lynch, submitted his updated recovery plan for the city of Harrisburg. In the wake of that 350-page behemoth’s unveiling, the public sphere clamored with voices of celebration and dissent. Where Papenfuse joined the chorus of approval, no one objected more forcefully than Miller, who claimed he saw in the plan’s various forecasts and provisions the same shaky accounting, and the same abuse of the local taxpayer, that had afflicted city government for years.

Miller, a native of the area, is a partner at Miller Dixon Drake, an accounting firm at the corner of N. 2nd and North streets that he founded after he was fired for being gay. (The ordeal was the subject of a lengthy profile in the New Yorker.) In 1994, he ran for a Democratic Party committeeman post and won. In 2005, he was elected to City Council, and four years later, to his current post of city controller—in a race during which, it must be observed, his opponent was successfully thrown off the ballot by a challenge to his nominating petition.

On council, Miller had been a fervent critic of Mayor Steve Reed’s intemperate borrowing. As controller, he found himself in repeated squabbles with Reed’s successor, Mayor Linda Thompson. The acrimony, over issues such as the city’s direct deposit system, the Act 47 process and the sale of museum artifacts, lasted through the entirety of Thompson’s tenure. It even extended to the virtual sphere, where Miller maintained a website for his office separate from the city’s.

The site, which contains a useful trove of documents about city finances, reflects the common thread that runs through much of Miller’s career. His leadership style may look stubborn or stalwart, depending on where one stands. It can be summed up in a slogan that, like many slogans, carries a double edge: if Dan Miller wants a thing done, he’s going to do it himself.

Miller Q&A

Q. We’ll start with a broad one. What do you think is the proper role of Harrisburg’s municipal government, and how do you perceive the mayor’s function within it?

A. The role of any municipal government is to serve the needs of its citizens in the most efficient and effective way possible. That means providing basic city services that enhance the quality of life for the entire community. The mayor serves as the chief executive of the municipality and is therefore responsible for establishing an achievable vision, appointing staff who share that vision and who work cooperatively toward its implementation. The mayor is also responsible for ensuring that the entire workforce understands his or her goals and expectations, and that success can only be achieved by their cooperation and dedication to their jobs. By leading a workforce with high morale and pride in their accomplishments, improving basic city services and operating in an open and transparent manner, the mayor establishes an image for the city as a welcoming place to live, work and play.

Q. One of the problems that the current mayor has confronted is an inability to retain city employees. As mayor, how would you ensure that the city keep and attract top-notch professionals to perform its various services?

A. I have had to confront this issue for the past 20 years as a small business owner, city controller and consultant to hundreds of businesses. To attract the best and the brightest, we must offer a competitive salary. Beyond that, we must treat people fairly, with respect, and make them feel valued. I have had great success retaining employees in living wage jobs. Three of my four full-time associates have been with me 11 or more years. As controller, I was able to recruit the most knowledgeable finance professional in city government. We need to create an atmosphere where city employees feel appreciated and get satisfaction from doing their jobs serving the public. By achieving those goals, we will be able to attract and retain the high quality employees the city seeks to staff its resurgence.

Q. If you are elected, what will be your top three priorities upon taking office?

A. The next mayor’s highest priority must be taking steps to improve public safety and ensure delivery of basic city services in an efficient and effective manner. While the mayor has no direct control over the school district, it is essential to advocate for and improve city education as much as possible. He must provide steady fiscal stewardship while making the city cleaner, greener and more attractive. He must be a vocal advocate for the best interest of the residents of the city of Harrisburg within the context of the receiver’s plan.

Q. Perhaps the most significant development since the mayoral primary has been the unveiling, and subsequent confirmation in court, of the state-appointed receiver’s recovery plan for the city. What positives and/or negatives do you see in the Harrisburg Strong Plan, and how do you view the next mayor’s role with respect to the plan’s implementation?

A. The next mayor will be required to execute the terms and conditions of the receiver’s plan. It brings much appreciated state financial aid to the city but does so at a very high cost. The optimistic financial projections on which the plan is founded would not meet the standard set by most financial professionals. The loss of so much future self-determination about infrastructure investment and economic development is a major concern for me and should be of concern to every citizen. I have substantial concerns about the plan’s long-term economic viability. Creditors, as willing participants in the incinerator retrofit financing deal at the root of many of the city’s financial woes, should be required to make as many concessions as the city’s taxpayers are being asked to make.

Despite these problems, the plan will have to be implemented in the most advantageous manner benefiting Harrisburg residents. This will require a skilled financial professional to balance the budget within confined limitations. I am the only candidate with the knowledge, experience and ability to achieve this goal.

Eric Papenfuse

Upon winning the Democratic primary in May, Eric Papenfuse, who had seen his share of electoral losses, seemed poised at last for success. He had run unsuccessfully for City Council in 2009, and again for county commissioner in 2011, where he lost by a mere 12 votes in the primary. But on the night of May 21, when he announced his victory at the Midtown Scholar bookstore, the business he built over the past dozen years, he all but assumed the mantle of mayor-elect. After saluting his former opponents, he spoke of plans for transition, including a series of public meetings on the city’s most pressing issues.

By the end of the summer, Papenfuse’s general election victory had begun to look less certain. Dan Miller returned to the race on the Republican ticket, taking with him a slice of traditionally Democratic voters. The late write-in candidacy of Aaron Johnson threatened to gobble up another chunk of that constituency. Meanwhile, the race began to be dominated by another development: the release of the receiver’s financial recovery plan.

In October, at the Harrisburg Hope debate, the opening question reflected the newly polarized terrain: were the candidates for or against Harrisburg Strong? The recovery plan had become a test of the candidates’ sympathies, which were measured by the same bitterness, hopes and suspicions that had defined city politics for years.

Papenfuse, meanwhile, tried to steer the focus to the issues he’d outlined in May. He held his public meetings on crime, blight, economic development and education, which he tended to conduct in a classroom style. The meeting on blight was essentially a two-hour policy discussion, where a handful of experts fielded residents’ questions on trash, utility rates and sewer mapping.

Papenfuse, a Baltimore native, has been increasingly involved in Harrisburg politics since settling in the city with his family in 1999. In his previous campaigns, he was a vocal critic of former Mayor Steve Reed. On more than one occasion, he testified about predatory loans knowingly entered into by the Harrisburg Authority, a process he witnessed as a member of the Authority’s board. His mayoral campaign, in contrast, has been defined by a technocratic approach. He has built his campaign around a promise to govern the city with informed, forward-looking initiatives.

Of course, the dominant issues of a political contest are rarely a candidate’s to choose. Since May, Papenfuse has had to navigate a series of surprises. Months ago, he expected to face independent Nevin Mindlin; he now finds himself in a heated rematch with Miller, who has portrayed him as an ally of moneyed interests and Harrisburg’s familiar power brokers. It must be a frustrating reversal for Papenfuse, long the crusading outsider. His challenge, in this fractious capital, is classically political: to run the campaign he always wanted while standing on shifting ground.

Papenfuse Q&A

Q. We’ll start with a broad one. What do you think is the proper role of Harrisburg’s municipal government, and how do you perceive the mayor’s function within it?

A. Harrisburg’s municipal government’s primary role is simple: to serve the city’s residents. The municipal government fulfills this responsibility by ensuring people within the city limits are able to live and work in safety and security. To effectively carry out its mission, the city needs a mayor with a broad vision, one who fully embraces the importance of collaborative relations with neighboring townships and counties.

As head of city government, Harrisburg’s mayor is the face of the city. The mayor sets the proper tone and atmosphere to nurture pride in our history and hope for our future. Harrisburg needs positive, inclusive leadership now more than ever as it emerges from financial and political catastrophe. As mayor, I will provide that leadership and create a new image for our city at home and throughout the nation. Above all, I will ensure Harrisburg’s municipal government stays connected to the people, transparent in governing and prudent in management of our budget and resources.

Harrisburg needs a visionary leader in City Hall to take advantage of the second chance the city has been given through the “Strong Plan.” Harrisburg needs a leader who can do more than simply add and subtract. We need someone who can inspire people and galvanize a community. As mayor, I will inspire a new birth in our city as well as ensure the efficient functioning of municipal government.

Harrisburg needs the kind of leadership I can provide. It needs a leader who understands the importance of promoting business and investment to create jobs and provide goods and services. It needs a leader passionate about promoting quality education for our children as the only path to economic vitality. And it needs a leader who will unite the diverse communities and cultures within our city so that we all thrive.

A. Any successful businessman knows the best way to retain quality employees is to pay them fairly and treat them well. It’s no different for city employees. They need to be paid fairly, treated with respect and inspired to serve the people of Harrisburg. As a businessman, I know that my enterprise is only as good as the people who keep it running. I also know the importance of maintaining high morale, and the Midtown Scholar bookstore has been lauded as one of the best places to work in Harrisburg. Of course, as we nurture high morale, it is important to address the serious salary issues that impede attracting the best and brightest to Harrisburg. We must find creative ways to increase salaries for professional positions in city government while not overburdening taxpayers. I am investigating ways to enlist the help of corporations to supplement salaries of key city workers through public-private partnerships. This is an idea that has been tried successfully in other municipalities and that might help Harrisburg attract the kind of talent it will need to get the city moving again. Public-private partnerships have the potential to augment scant resources in city government and bring in expertise and talent that will be sorely needed in the years ahead.

Q. If you are elected, what will be your top three priorities upon taking office?

A. Our top three will be attracting business and investment, crime and safety, and advocating for education. Beautifying our neighborhoods also is a priority as it impacts quality of life and economic development.

One of the most important things the next mayor can do is create a business-friendly atmosphere to create jobs for the people of Harrisburg. Being hostile to business and negative to investment is the wrong message for any mayor to send. I am an advocate for restoring pride and prosperity to our city. We can’t do that by pitting “Main Street” against “Wall Street,” as some have done in divisive, political rhetoric. We need both business and labor working side by side with the common goal of making better lives for us all. I am a strong advocate of labor and unions, but I am not foolish enough to believe that Harrisburg can be prosperous again without ensuring businesses feel welcome. I plan to create a Department of Economic and Community Development that will support business and investment and make it easier for small businesspeople to thrive.

Unless we reinvigorate our police department and reduce the crime rate, businesses will continue to shy away from our city. Ensuring strong leadership in the police department and accountability of police officers are at the very top of my priorities.

And while the mayor has no direct role in our schools, I will be a tireless advocate for our children, teachers and parents. The mayor can inspire businesses to support our schools through creative investment programs and by helping teachers feel appreciated. I have called for keeping school libraries open late to provide a safe haven for youth after school. As father of three small children, being an advocate for education is not only a political priority, it is a personal mission.

A. The next mayor will have to implement the Harrisburg Strong Plan, which is essentially a business plan for Harrisburg’s economic development. I am the only candidate with the business acumen and expertise to be able to effectively institute a business plan for the city of Harrisburg. Right now, Harrisburg needs more than an accountant. It needs someone experienced in business development who can inspire and stimulate growth. I built a successful business from scratch and stimulated the economic revitalization of Midtown Harrisburg. I can do that for the rest of the city and carry out the vision of the Harrisburg Strong Plan. I am the only candidate on the ballot who has pledged to work with the receiver to support the Harrisburg Strong Plan. As a businessman, I have the experience to be able to envision the significant possibilities the Harrisburg Strong Plan represents for the residents. As a community leader, I am encouraged at how the city’s leaders and debtors were able to reach common ground; and as a city resident, I am heartened that there is hope for Harrisburg to rise again. The plan is not perfect, as its creators acknowledge. A compromise is never perfect, and some of the plan’s failings may become known only in time. But for a city facing the bleak prospect of bankruptcy and possibly decades of financial uncertainty, the Harrisburg Strong Plan is a political, financial and morale boost for the city at a time when it so desperately needs hope. What Harrisburg needs is a mayor with a “can-do” attitude who will aggressively work to help the plan succeed . . . not someone who wants to see it fail. What Harrisburg needs is a mayor who will look past his own self-serving interests and work for the good of the people of our great city.

Blog Response: Former mayoral candidate Nevin Mindlin reacts to “Stick to the Plan.”

October 30, 2013 | by Nevin Mindlin

After reading David Black’s response (to Paul Barker’s blog post, “Stick to the Plan“), I thought, “I get it, ‘Don’t worry about habeas corpus, just worry about the hanging!’”

Control over an economy, and the comprehensive planning of how that economy is shaped, has always been a political concern. Who is in control of the planning is exceedingly important, as history has revealed, even in our own community. Ironically, that subject was just recently addressed in an article entitled, “China’s Coming Economic Slowdown,” by Josef Joffe in The Wall Street Journal’s Weekend “Review” section, Oct. 25, 2013. In that article, Mr. Joffe discusses “rent seeking,” the economic term for an economy that is “guided” or managed by government, and explains that “authoritarian or ‘guided’ modernization plants the seeds of its own demise.”

Mr. Joffe cites the social scientist Francis Fukuyama, who, reflecting on the French ancien régime, explained the concept of rent seeking, as follows: “In such a society, the elites spend all of their time trying to capture public office in order to secure a rent for themselves”—in effect, seeking to gain more economic return through political control than a free market would grant. Put in other words, rent-seeking is “the game of the mighty” to “convert public power into personal profit.” The phraseology that I have used to describe Harrisburg’s political game is “privatizing profits and socializing losses.”

“Rent seeking” is an incestuous political game where government and favored, organized interests, work together. Government raises the banner of economic advantage through planning and managing the advertised outcome; in turn, favored interests seek and are given more power in the form of monopolies, subsidies, tax breaks and protection so as to increase their “rents.” “Licenses, building permits, capital, import barriers and anticompetitive regulations go to the state’s own or to favored players, breeding corruption and inefficiency.” And, as Mr. Joffe concludes, “This widening web of collusion breeds either stagnation or revolt.”

This is true whether under socialism/communism or corporate capitalism. It is true whether in China or in the United State under an increasingly managed economy. It is true at the national, state and local levels. The regime “rent-seekers” include both the Democratic and Republican parties.

You can watch it play out in Harrisburg, first under Reed, then under Thompson, and now the hope is Papenfuse (the “new face of the old regime”)–“trying to capture public office in order to secure a rent for themselves.” Just look at the comprehensive planning process they tried foisting on us– both the LT and Papenfuse gangs together–trying to plot out how they intend to plan the projects and secure the grants, loans, subsidies and tax breaks that go with them. It is all just part of the “Harrisburg Wrong Plan.”

Nevin Mindlin is a former independent candidate for Harrisburg mayor.

Next Stop–Harrisburg: Hot indie names attracted to little city’s perfect location, growing arts scene.

October 29, 2013 | by Andrew Dyrli Hermeling

The Beach Arabs. Photo credit: Carly Sioux

On various evenings across Harrisburg, crowds gather outside coffee shops, bars and art galleries. The crowds are small—just like the venues—but eager.

Inside, as microphones are tested and levels adjusted, road weary bands chat casually. But who are these out-of-town musicians stopping for an evening at The MakeSpace or Little Amps as they travel the country? With tour dates in far larger locales like Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore or New York, why even bother stopping in Pennsylvania’s modest capital?

I reached out to two bands that recently stopped in Harrisburg while on tour to get a better sense of our city’s appeal.

Good Graeff, a pop-folk band hailing from Sarasota, Fla., is the perfect expression of twin sisters Brooke and Brittany’s incurable wanderlust. They decided to make the transition to full-time music-making after crossing paths in Hanoi, Vietnam in 2012. Since then, they have cut an EP, “Better Half,” purchased a converted sleeper van that they have lovingly christened “Roosevelt” and taken to the road full-time. They made their latest stop in Harrisburg last month at The MakeSpace.

Liz Hogg formed Beach Arabs, a surf-rock band from Brooklyn, N.Y., in 2010 with fellow students from LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts. The current line-up has solidified around bassist Nathanial Sabat and drummer Andrew Orenstein. They have recorded two LPs, “Under the Whale” and “Wild Movement,” while building a loyal fan base by playing shows within New York’s expansive network of intimate venues. As part of their first tour outside of the New York metro area, they played at the downtown Gingerbread Man in August.

Musical Networks

Harrisburg’s geographic placement midway between other venues makes the city a convenient booking. Do-it-yourself bands are touring without the support of labels and typically do not know exactly how much money they will receive for playing. Thus, the mileage between tour stops becomes a concern.

“We are just hoping to make enough gas money to get to the next place,” says Brittany Graeff.

Beach Arabs’ stop was similarly motivated.

“We already had shows in Philly and Allentown,” says Hogg. “In the process of booking those shows, we were given names of a handful of Harrisburg promoters, one being Peter Allan. I wrote him, and he asked us to play at the Gingerbread Man downtown.”

Hogg’s experience illustrates the interconnectedness of Harrisburg’s small music community. Allan serves as a manager at Little Amps and is often instrumental in bringing bands to the city. His own experience as a wanderer has connected him with musical networks in other cities, links vital for the small, DIY band.

Local musicians are also essential for supporting touring bands. Allan’s band, Baby Brains, opened for Beach Arabs; Catamt/Coyote supported Good Graeff during their August stop.

Local acts help draw crowds. Many of these out-of-town bands lack name recognition. Thus, crowds come to see a Harrisburg band they already enjoy while knowing that they’ll also get an opportunity to discover new music. It is no coincidence that Harrisburg’s newfound status as an excellent tour destination correlates with the emergence of excellent musicians that call the city home.

Up and Coming

For both bands, a stop in Harrisburg came with low expectations. However, “the lower the expectations, the better everything turns out,” says Brooke Graeff, with a laugh.

True, Harrisburg lies on the intersection of Pennsylvania’s main interstates, but, for the bands, Harrisburg proved to be a highlight, not just a pit stop.

“We’ve hit a lot of cities on the tour, and people in every city say that their city is up and coming,” says Graeff. “Harrisburg is the first place that actually felt like one.”

But what makes Harrisburg so inviting to artists? Good Graeff was blown away by the reception that they received.

“People came to the show and they had no idea who we were,” says Brittany Graeff. “There are so many artists here who understand what the artistic life is about, and they support bands who come through.”

Liz Hogg had a similar experience with Beach Arabs.

“Harrisburg has a great sense of community, in which everyone knows each other through real life, face-to-face contact,” she says.

Hogg adds that, the next day, prior to traveling on to the next date, she met plenty of people who had gone to the show.

“Everyone in Harrisburg seemed to love and patronize art of all sorts, from the ground up,” she says.

Coming Back

The more I listened to Liz, Brittany, and Brooke, the more I realized how lucky I am as a music-lover living in a small city. After playing in larger places, Brittany and Brooke noted that many cities take good music for granted.

“People would come just to see one band and leave. Even the bands would play their set and then leave. It was really disheartening to see such indifference,” says Brooke.

And perhaps that is what makes Harrisburg so inviting—we know that bands stopping here isn’t a given.

As Hogg put it, “Harrisburg offers bands a sense of comfort and security, as well as a general sense that they’re being appreciated.”

Brooke Graeff agrees. “We were taken aback by how excited people were to have a band coming through. It was so wonderful, we had to book Harrisburg again.”

Check out Beach Arabs at beacharabs.bandcamp.com and Good Graeff at goodgraeff.com

Heart of a Community: LHACC provides support, celebration for Harrisburg’s growing Latino population.

October 29, 2013 | by Rick Kearns

Gloria Vázquez Merrick

Located in the heart of vibrant South Allison Hill, the Latino Hispanic American Community Center (LHACC) is gearing up for more initiatives on the heels of its successful block party in mid-September.

LHACC, a multi-faceted non-profit agency, provides information and referrals, case management, education outreach and a variety of advocacy services to the entire Latino community, with an eye on developing programs for youth and senior citizens.

Executive Director Gloria Vázquez Merrick explained that this year’s block party drew more than 800 people with stands featuring 40 different organizations, including churches, colleges, private businesses and other non-profit agencies. The party also featured a local salsa band, Los Monstros, a few Puerto Rican youth dance troupes, an awards ceremony for businesses with good diversity hiring records and several Latino food vendors. She pointed out that, in 2010, the gathering drew just 250 people, with 30 organizations sponsoring tables and stands.

“We were really excited about the turnout,” Vázquez Merrick said, “and the responses to the tables follow what we’ve been seeing.”

She noted that many of their clients—and they average about 600 to 700 service requests per month—are looking for help with food, employment, English as a Second Language classes and immigration problems.

“But a large percentage of folks coming to the center are coming for jobs,” she stated. “Today, we had an employment agency come in, so we connected them to the people on our list. We are also finding that employers are realizing the value of bilingual workers, and we help to fill those needs too.”

Many of these same clients, she added, are looking for English language classes and help with immigration issues such as renewing a green card or working on passports.

She added that, while the Center has a strong human services component with its case management program, the staff also has found that there’s a need for culturally sensitive and bilingual services for seniors and for youth.

“When we were first starting, we heard from many of our seniors that they felt left out and that they were in need of culturally sensitive programming,” she stated.

From there, Vázquez Merrick started a Wednesday night event for Latino seniors called the Sharing Wisdom program. This weekly gathering features visits from speakers presenting information about dealing with diabetes, heart disease, education and recreation. The participating seniors also play dominoes, cards, bingo and just socialize.

“We also found that there was a clear need for Latino youth programming,” Vázquez Merrick said. Based on those conversations, she began to conduct outreach to local universities and schools, eventually joining the Youth Advisory Council run by school board member Ruth Cruz-Roldan.

“We have met with Latino students from all across the area, and I’ve started an initiative that will involve youth leadership training and educational support,” she stated. “We need to invest in our young people.”

The Latino Hispanic American Community Center is located at 1301 Derry St., Harrisburg. More information can be found at www.lhacc.org or by calling 717-232-8302.

May He Be This: Mr. Next Mayor–Here’s what your city needs in a leader.

October 29, 2013 | by Tara Leo Auchey

By the time some of you read this article, the new mayor of the city of Harrisburg will be elected.

Yet, for some of you, this article will be in your hands only a few days before the election.

So, with the Nov. 5 election either merely days away or just passed, this article serves to assist the undecided or rally the winners and losers to demand the same thing no matter who has won: good leadership for Harrisburg.

The next mayor, may he be this—cosmopolitan.

This is important for Harrisburg because, after all, Harrisburg is a city.

Not only is it a city, it’s a capital city. As the chief city of Pennsylvania, it should be a prototype for innovative strategies, social ingenuity and upstanding practices.

A good leader for Harrisburg will be in tune with the rich opportunities that only the pulse and ways of a city can present. A city is a plethora of cultures, languages, faces and random conversations. It’s a place for variety and choice without exclusiveness. It’s a stronghold of perspectives and potential.

In the past, leaders have not realized this.

As a consequence, the city of Harrisburg has acted more like an overgrown town than a small city, which has stifled the dynamic energy of this urban place.

Harrisburg is a city, and I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, “Call it a city, and it’ll act like a city.”

It will be important for our next mayor to embrace and foster the true essence of what a city is, should be, needs to be and can be.

May he not be this—vain.

We’ve had enough vanity in the mayor’s office to last generations.

While anyone who wants to get into elected office has to have a healthy ego (I mean, how could anyone handle the job without it?), Harrisburg can do without the inflated sense of self-importance that has gone hand-in-hand with “The Mayor” for the past two administrations.

No more should ego triumph over common good. No more should personalities take over projects. No more totalitarianism, referring to oneself in the third person or personal taste dominating decisions.

No more.

May he do this—mind the basic services.

It’s no secret over the past decades that the city’s infrastructure has been allowed to dilapidate. Aside from the decrepit and neglected underground network of pipes, there are blighted buildings rotting alongside overgrown and trashed lots posted with “City on the Move” signs, a leftover public relations initiative from Mayor Stephen Reed.

Streetlights are out. Too often, it’s a burnt-out bulb, but, in some places, a jagged metal stump sits where a post should be. Look into one of these orifices, and you’re likely to see garbage and muck. Of the lamps that do work, many of them are covered in dirty clumps of cobwebs and insects.

Roadways are rippled with cracks, indentations and pits growing into massively deep holes where quick fixes have been the norm.

Crosswalks are faded or nonexistent. Litter and leaves clog storm drains. Overgrown trees, bushes and weeds dangerously obstruct walkways and pathetically spread over city parks.

Ordinances are ignored, police are more reactive than proactive, and it’s a challenge for a resident to access clear, consistent information.

These are the daily quality-of-life issues, and, while money is always an issue, efficient management could go a long way as a remedy.

May he do this, too—use the citizens.

City government has been cut to the bare bone. Much institutional knowledge has gone or withered away in the past few years and, overall, morale is low throughout the city’s halls.

Antiquated procedures and strained management have created the appearance of incompetency. Certainly, most of the city’s employees are doing the best with what they have, but it’s been awhile since Harrisburg’s government has run smoothly or efficiently.

However, there is underutilized help out there, on-call and ready to serve.

Enter city residents and stakeholders.

From volunteer cleanup crews to organizations like Lighten Up Harrisburg!, there is a wellspring of sweat equity in this city.

Instead of being regularly encouraged and called to action, though, too often the citizens have been deemed intrusive, stepping on the toes of government instead of being looked at as vital assistance.

Hopefully, this leadership attitude will be gone in the new year.

Oh, and one last thing: may the next mayor of Harrisburg not continually confuse the public.

With Reed, it was a shell game and grandiose promises. With Thompson, it’s been a barrage of announcements and partially executed measures.

Despite a parade of press conferences out of both administrations, citizens are frequently asking, “What’s going on?”

Our former mayors seem either to not know or not want to tell, holding truth too close to the vest or spewing falsity all at once.

This public perplexity leads too easily to apathy, the very thing that will cause the ruin of the city.

To sum up….

This election may not yield an ideal leader or even an excellent one for that matter. Harrisburg might not be quite there yet.

But what we do get is a renewed chance to demand “good” based on the standards above, and that’s good enough. For now.

Tara Leo Auchey is creator and editor of todays the day Harrisburg. todaysthedayhbg.com

Confessions of a Barista: What’s life like for the person making your pour-over?

October 29, 2013 | by Sylvia Grove

Little Amps Coffee Roasters is humming smoothly as I push open the door. Two men are bent over a single laptop, each cradling a cup of French press. Another customer is digging through the collection of for-sale vinyls and occasionally sipping a cold jar—the shop’s famed shot of espresso poured over ice and shaken vigorously with brown sugar until frothy.

A brightly colored mural of a Mediterranean villa graces one exposed brick wall, and light from the wide windows pours over the polished tables and wooden floorboards at the Olde Uptown location on Green Street. The high, tinny grind of the espresso machine rises above the murmur of voices, and, from behind the bar, barista Allie Schuh waves at me and says, “I’ll be with you in just a second.”

A connoisseur of cozy spaces, I am familiar with this lifestyle, but Allie has promised to show me the side of the coffee trend that I don’t know about—that of the world behind the bar.

According to author Merry “Corky” White, American coffee culture has experienced three major waves: one post-World War II with the introduction of instant coffee, another with the rise of Starbucks and its emphasis on coffee origin and brewing technique and the third with the “refinement of coffee culture” that emphasizes detail and ceremony. With such a refinement, coffee has emerged into the American conscience as a beverage that is both private and public, cult and caffeine. But that is only the story from the front side of the bar.

Allie detaches herself from the espresso machine long enough to give me a hug. “Can I get you something to drink?” she asks, handing me a cup of today’s roast: a sweet, fruity Honduras E.V. Perez with flavors that remind me of blueberry and peach.

Allie’s smile is contagious, as is her expertise. Her personal interest in coffee began as a passion for meeting people in intimate spaces. It transformed into a profession when she graduated from college and found that many traditional businesses are currently unable to invest in young people, but coffee shops are.

She has been a barista for nearly two years, beginning in a small coffeehouse in San Francisco and then working at Midtown Scholar Bookstore when she moved to Harrisburg. She joined Little Amps in 2012. “A good barista is worth his weight in gold,” Allie says. “The profession of coffee is filling a niche for young people.”

Allie smiles at a client over my shoulder, and I’m reminded she’s still on the clock. “For you, Nevin?” she asks and drifts away.

I trail behind her and enter the space behind the bar, a chest-high hallway narrower than a church aisle. Tucked out of the sight of clients are plastic bins of freshly roasted coffee lined in neat rows, brown paper bags, an array of spices for specialty drinks, a digital scale and glassware. Mason jars are being chilled in the fridge for the cold jars. A red step stool is just behind the counter so that one can stand at the proper height to execute a pour-over—a style of coffee made from pouring a thin stream of water in a circular motion over a filter of precisely measured grounds. Everything is so organized that I’m afraid to touch anything.

Allie offers to show me how to pull an espresso, and I eagerly step forward. The act of standing before a massive machine and coaxing out a tiny cup of black liquid has always seemed so magical that I can’t decide if it will be harder or easier than it looks.

It’s both. Allie’s lesson comes with a list of warnings: tamp too hard and you’ll break the grounds, making it more difficult for water to seep through. Pull a shot too short, and it will be bland. Pull a shot too long, and it will be bitter, like over-steeped tea. Allie rinses the heavy port-a-filter with hot water and holds it out to me. “Ready?” she asks.

She shows me once, and then I try to imitate: grinding the espresso into the port-a-filter while rotating it to get an even fill; leveling the grounds with my finger and tapping the filter once to settle them. I gently nestle the tamp into the grounds to evenly distribute its weight; then I press down with my best guess of what 30 pounds of pressure should feel like. Finally, we lock the filter into the espresso machine.

“Go ahead and pull the lever,” Allie says, and I yank down with the same amount of upper body strength that I’d use for an exercise at the gym. The lever reluctantly gives way, and, for nearly half a minute, it releases as espresso pours in delicately colored streams into a waiting cup below: a dark body, a light crema.

I’m staring at the cup reverently when a wave of customers appears before us, and Allie sets my espresso aside. By the time I finish fudging my way through a French press, it’s been a few minutes, and Allie informs me that my espresso is too old to give a clear indication of my failure or my success.

Outside of Harrisburg, in Linglestown, the lunch rush is just beginning, and the line for coffee is nearly out the door at St. Thomas Roasters. Barista Andrea Musselman is standing at the front counter with her curly auburn hair held back with a bandanna and her fingers poised over the register keys as she takes a customer’s order.

Beside her, owner Geof Smith is singing “one is the loneliest number” and greeting every customer by name. Laughter mingles with the sound of grinding espresso. Past the serve counter is St. Thomas’ Diedrich roaster, surrounded by canvas bags of coffee and white buckets of freshly roasted beans. Nearly 20 loose-leaf teas and 20 in-house roasted coffees are available for bulk purchase, and the aroma of the coffee lingers everywhere: in the coffeehouse’s dark green walls, the well-loved sofa next to the back entrance and local artwork that adds to the room’s intimacy.

By the time the crowd dies down, Andrea has already served me two house blend espressos: one straight and another poured over ice then strained back out so that I can taste the difference that the temperature makes. She is knowledgeable and moves fast—stepping purposefully to keep up with the speed of the orders.

Her life’s first coffee was a Sheetz cappuccino that her father allowed her to sip. “It was the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted,” she says. “I drank it all, but I don’t think I was supposed to.” After college, she took a job at Panera Bread that helped her realize that her interest did not just lie in drinking coffee but also in preparing it.

From her standpoint, the modern hype over coffee is not just a fad—it’s valid.

“There are 130 flavor components in coffee,” Andrea explains. “So much of a flavor depends on the complexity of the soil the coffee was grown in, how the coffee was processed, if there was a bug on a bean that fermented or how the coffee has been roasted. The product itself is really exciting and always changing.”

She is drying glasses as she speaks and deftly moves to stir flavor syrups into buckets of fresh beans: hazelnut, vanilla, cinnamon sticky bun. Behind her, Geof has begun the day’s roast, and the bitter aroma breaks into the air with the popping sound of cooling coffee.

Being a barista seems to be equal parts science, art, people and sheer physical labor, but at least, according to Andrea, all the days are different. “It’s paninis today,” she notes, then she laughs. “I sometimes try to predict a busy day. If it’s sunny out, you’d think everyone would be out getting coffee, but that sometimes means everyone’s doing something else.”

Andrea records the date of flavored beans on a clipboard in neat little figures then turns back to me. “Have you ever made a latte?”

I want to impress Andrea with my espresso skills, but this machine is different, and I do not know which buttons to push. Instead, she grinds an espresso and tamps it with a crisp tamp, tap, tamp, tap—and pulls the espresso into a cream-colored mug with green stripes. “To steam milk,” she says, handing a cupful of 2 percent to me, “you have to hold the cup a bit to the side with the steam wand inside, like this, so the milk will swirl.”

With the sound of a long, tight slurp, my milk spins in a vortex and rapidly jumps to 160 degrees: too high. “Now drop the cup down to get some foam,” Andrea instructs. I follow, but I drop too far, and the milk coughs out. I quickly take it off the heat.

To make latte art, Andrea tells me to pour the steamed milk slowly into the espresso, beginning high above the cup then dropping closer while swinging the stream gently from side to side. This technique results in a mug that looks like it’s been topped with a white, coffee-rimmed blob.

I’m staring at it, thinking mud puddle, when Andrea’s co-worker Jessica Janze walks by and cheerfully congratulates me on making a sun.

I’m further behind on my coffee career than I thought.

For both Allie and Andrea, both sides of the bar—that of the barista and that of the customer—have their merits.

“The best part of [my job] is really getting to talk about coffee and connect with people,” Andrea says. “When someone comes back in and says, ‘the coffee you recommended was perfect,’ that’s really satisfying.”

Allie would agree. “As a barista, you really get to know the customers you serve. Even though you’re interacting with people just minutes every day, there’s still time to invest in relationships.”

But the other side of the bar is equally satisfying. “In a coffee shop, you get to know your community, meet your significant other here, make friendships,” Allie says. “I’m a barista, and I still enjoy going to a coffee shop after work. This is where it all happens.”

She chuckles. “And on that side of the bar, my feet don’t hurt as much.”

Little Amps Coffee Roasters
1836 Green St., Harrisburg
717-695-4882
133 State Street, Harrisburg
717-635-9870
littleampscoffee.com

St. Thomas Roasters
5951 Linglestown Rd., Linglestown
717-526-4171
stthomasroaster.com

The Harrisburg Model: This city is evolving from poster child of distress to model of success.

October 29, 2013 | by J. Alex Hartzler

The government shutdown and subsequent debate in Washington, D.C., over whether or not to raise the debt ceiling has consumed our national conversation this past month.

As Floyd Norris, writing in the New York Times, points out in a fascinating economic history of the United States since Franklin D. Roosevelt, the debate is really over whether the country will make the single biggest economic mistake in our history and give up our unprecedented economic advantage around the world all because of a political minority’s opposition over how to run our health care system. He points out that, while an involuntary default is not possible (the country can print its own money to pay its bonds), a voluntary default would be equally, if not more, devastating for our country and the world economy.

Political acrimony, it seems, has become the norm in our nation’s capital and has replaced true policy debates with mere political sport. Judging from the latest opinion polls, citizens around the country are not impressed or amused by this inability to govern, sending approval ratings of Congress to their lowest level on record.

In Harrisburg, however, we have found a different model for solving our fiscal crisis. Reasonable Republicans, led by the top elected Republican in Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Corbett, worked together—through the receiver Bill Lynch—with reasonable Democrats in a primarily Democratic city to craft the Harrisburg Strong Plan. Importantly, Mayor Linda Thompson negotiated on behalf of the citizens of Harrisburg and was joined by all seven Democrats on City Council in adopting the plan.

Our governor could have certainly ignored a city where he received few votes, but he did not. The mayor could have refused to compromise or work with a “Republican, state-appointed” receiver, but she did not. City Council took its time and sought independent advice, but unanimously embraced the plan. All realized the need to work together for the betterment of our citizens. Others in the state legislature and county government played their important rolls, again in a bipartisan effort.

The beginning of a Harrisburg turnaround story has not gone unnoticed in the national press. Articles touting the plan have appeared in such news outlets as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, Reuters, The Bond Buyer (which I have to admit, I have not previously read) and many others. While Harrisburg, for years, has been on the receiving end of numerous articles and even jokes as a symbol of municipal crisis, the tide is now turning. One analysis in Barron’s stated, “[A]ssuming approval, this plan will stand as a strong example of a collaborative approach to dealing with extreme municipal fiscal distress.”

This national attention is important for our city and our region. Being seen not as the nation’s fiscal basket case, but as a city of reasonable people who can solve their problems through compromise and negotiation can only reflect positively on all of us. It may be too soon to declare “compromise” and “ability to work together” as our regional export, but a case is certainly building.

So what are the elements of “the Harrisburg model” that the rest of the country could learn from? Many will parse through the process, and a complete history will emerge only down the road and be judged, no doubt in large part, on where we go from here. However, I believe that two key elements will be a part of any historical accounting: trust and the desire to solve a public policy problem without concern for personal political gain.

Trust. The governor’s hiring of Gen. Bill Lynch after David Unkovic resigned brought continued confidence to all sides and reaffirmed a belief that the state was serious about finding a solution that works. Regardless of any preconceived notions about others around the table, the general’s appointment caused all sides to behave responsibly and to negotiate in good faith. By all accounts, the receiver and his affable, open, no-nonsense, get-the-job-done style was crucial to bringing and keeping all players at the table. Everyone there could trust that, if they compromised on key points—which they all had to do—the general was going to do all he could to keep the others there as well.

Policy, not politics. There are few parallels between a city with $400 million in municipal debt and a nation facing $16 trillion in national debt. However, the manner in which our elected officials approached both problems is revealing. Here in Harrisburg, the officials did what we elected them to do: sit down, debate in public and in private, and negotiate in good faith to solve a problem. They did not hold daily or hourly press conferences about who was to blame and how no progress was being made because of the other side. They understood, instead, that failure to find compromise could cripple our city for years to come—much like failure in Washington could cripple our national and even global economy. Washington could do worse than to consult with the folks in Harrisburg who helped us set aside personal politics for sound policy and positive outcomes.

The final, crucial step in all of this, of course, is for the plan to be finalized and then properly implemented over the next four years. To do that, we need to elect a mayor who has strongly endorsed the Harrisburg Strong Plan and pledged to carry it out for the benefit of all citizens rather than one who, like a tea party legislator opposed to Obamacare, has worsened our problems through acrimony, lawsuits and petty games while clinging selfishly, stubbornly and, against all reason, to delusions of bankruptcy. I am optimistic that Harrisburg residents will make the right choice on Nov. 5.

J. Alex Hartzler is publisher of TheBurg.

October News Digest

October 29, 2013 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg Begins Planning Process

Harrisburg last month kicked off an 18-month effort to draft a new comprehensive plan by holding the first of 20 planned public meetings.

The updating of the city’s comprehensive plan and the development of a housing strategy are two initiatives included in the city’s Harrisburg Strong recovery plan. The comprehensive plan will address many elements that have far-reaching effects on Harrisburg’s future, such as land use, housing, infrastructure and community facilities, said Mayor Linda Thompson.

The city has hired a planning and community development firm, Mullin & Lonergan Associates, to assist with the preparation and adoption of the comprehensive plan, while the economic development element of the plan will be conducted with support from the Harrisburg Regional Chamber of Commerce & CREDC.

Earlier this year, the city began preparations for the planning effort by establishing a steering committee that will guide the comprehensive plan. To date, the committee has met twice with Mullin & Lonergan staff to help develop a scope of work for the comprehensive plan.

The launch of the process to develop a new comprehensive plan was not without controversy.

At the first public meeting, former mayoral candidate Nevin Mindlin asserted that City Council, not the administration, was required by statute to initiate changes to the comprehensive plan.

City Council President Wanda Williams later said that she agreed with Mindlin’s view and would take steps to secure the council’s involvement. Ultimately, City Council will have to approve changes to the comprehensive plan.

In addition, as of press time, City Controller Dan Miller had not yet signed off on the contract with Mullin & Lonergan.

The administration expects more than 20 public meetings to be held during the comprehensive plan process.

City Nearly Out of Money Again

Harrisburg will run out of money by year-end unless the city quickly completes key elements of its financial recovery plan.

City Council attorney Neil Grover last month warned council members that they must quickly pass legislation that will lead to the sale of the city’s incinerator and the long-term lease of its parking assets.

The Harrisburg Strong recovery plan is expected to refill the city’s nearly empty coffers so it can meet payroll and pay its vendors.

However, first, the council must finish approving enabling legislation. Afterwards, the parking and incinerator deals must close and the related bonds must be marketed and sold, a lengthy process that could bleed into next year.

Harrisburg has nearly run out of money every year for the past three years. In the end, it has been able to continue to operate, but only because it stopped payment on its general obligation bonds and cobbled together several last-minute fixes.

Development Projects Given Go-Ahead

Numerous projects in Harrisburg are slated to get off the ground after the City Council gave them the green light last month.

The council unanimously approved the following land development plans:

A major expansion of the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) building at 211 N. Front St. onto two adjacent lots. The $11.5 million project includes the construction of an eight-story addition, the renovation of the historic Hickok Mansion at 201 N. Front St. and the demolition of a mid-century addition to the mansion.
An update to the building plan for the Susquehanna Art Museum in Midtown to include the creation of a sculpture garden at 1415 N. 3^rd St. Work already has begun on the $6.2 million project at the site of the former Keystone/Fulton bank building at N. 3^rd and Calder streets. With the approval, SAM will raze the existing dilapidated building at 1415 N. 3^rd and use the parcel for a construction staging area before turning it into a sculpture garden upon completion of the new museum, which itself includes the old bank building and a 25,280-square-foot addition.
A new building expected to house an Italian-style restaurant and wine bar at the corner of State and N. 2^nd streets, developed by WCI Partners. Under the current plan, the restaurant would feature a single story with a mezzanine for about 60 diners, focused on gourmet pizza.
The conversion of vacant office space into 14 one-bedroom apartments at 128-130 Locust St., developed by WCI Partners. The adjacent buildings, about two centuries old, were originally designed as houses before being turned into office space many years ago.

New Businesses on Cameron Street

Cameron Street continues its slow evolution into a nightlife district with the recent approval of liquor licenses for two new businesses.

Last month, the Harrisburg City Council approved the transfer of a liquor license for the Blue Front Lounge, which plans to move from Steelton to 819 S. Cameron St. in December or January.

Owner Richard Hefelfinger said he will transform the first floor of the 8,000-square-foot, circa-1940 brick building into a blues club with a full restaurant. The second floor will feature a pub-type atmosphere with an area devoted to darts and dart tournaments, he said.

Hefelfinger said he decided to move because the building is vastly larger than the snug spot on Front Street where Blue Front Lounge has been located for three years. The new location also has ample parking and is not in a residential area.

Over the years, the property has had a variety of uses. It once belonged to Bishop McDevitt High School and long housed American Quick Print. It sold in March for $240,000 to local developer and businessman Phil Dobson, who said he is a partner in the business.

Just down the road, Dobson also bought the site of the former Harrisburg River Rescue and plans to transform it into an entertainment and events space called the Main Stage Events Center.

Dobson said he expects to attract major acts to a new performing arts theater in the 23,000-square-foot building at 1119 S. Cameron St., which sold in May for $385,000. The space will be able to hold 1,200 to 1,500 people and should open by mid-2014, he said.

Dobson, an owner of Savannah’s on Hanna, said he is optimistic about the Cameron Street corridor because it’s just off Route 83 and has ample parking, both necessary for attracting people from greater Harrisburg and beyond.

“If I want to be a regional destination, I have to be in a location that is easily accessible,” he said. “Here, you are literally a block from the highway.”

He added that he hoped his new ventures would encourage people to come to Harrisburg not just to listen to music or compete in a dart tournament, but to eat, visit and stay.

City Council approved the transfer of a liquor license into Harrisburg for the proposed entertainment venue in September.

City Applies for Funds

Roads, bikes and firefighters would benefit from several funding applications authorized last month by the Harrisburg City Council.

The council directed the administration to apply for:

A $1.6 million federal grant that would fund the hiring of 10 new full-time firefighters over the next two years. The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program is designed to help localities fortify the ranks of their trained firefighters.
A $350,000 low-interest loan from the Dauphin County Infrastructure Bank for various paving projects in Bellevue Park, on S. 17^th Street in south Harrisburg and on Hale Avenue near the city line.
A $3,200 matching grant to participate in the Regional Bicycle Connections program with several other municipalities in Dauphin and Lebanon counties. The goal of the grant and program is to create safe, connected bicycle routes to promote cycling.

Bill Seeks Full Funding

Harrisburg’s state lawmakers introduced a bill last month that would guarantee the city “full funding” for the emergency services it provides to the state Capitol complex.

Sen. Rob Teplitz and Rep. Patty Kim said they would seek to commit the state to an annual appropriation of at least $5 million, which they said is the cost to Harrisburg of protecting the complex’s 40 buildings and thousands of workers from fire and other emergencies. In subsequent years, the amount would be indexed to the inflation rate.

This state funding also is built into the Harrisburg Strong financial recovery plan for the city.

Court Rejects Miller Objections

A Commonwealth Court judge last month rejected numerous objections to the Harrisburg Strong financial recovery plan filed by City Controller Dan Miller.

In her opinion, Judge Bonnie Brigance Leadbetter said that Miller filed his objections too late and that, in any case, he lacked standing to make the objections. She also said that it’s vital that the plan’s implementation not be delayed.

Harrisburg receiver William Lynch requested that Miller’s objections be stricken. Mayor Linda Thompson, Dauphin County and several creditors backed Lynch in his response.

In his filing with the Commonwealth Court, Miller objected to the recovery plan because, he said, it relies on numerous assumptions, is incomplete and unduly burdens city taxpayers.

Miller is the Republican candidate for mayor in this month’s general election.

Fees Hiked for Burglar Alarms, Fire Services

If your burglar alarm goes off by accident, you will face a steep fee hike for the emergency response.

Harrisburg City Council last month increased the charge for a second false alarm from $10 to $50. A third false alarm also will cost $50, up from $25. Fourth and fifth false alarms will cost $100 each with charges of $150 for each subsequent false alarm.

Council also imposed new or higher fees for a variety of services provided by the city’s Fire Bureau. For instance, the city now will charge a new $100 fee for a one-hour bonfire or $175 for a two-hour bonfire.

False fire alarms fees have increased from $50 to $150 for the third and fourth false alarm and from $100 to $250 for the fifth to seventh false alarms. Other fees remain the same.

Councilwoman Eugenia Smith said she would make sure that all fees related to public safety services would be posted at the city’s website, www.harrisburgpa.gov.

Philbin Gets Official Nod

Robert Philbin will have a city job into early next year, as the Harrisburg City Council last month confirmed his appointment as chief operating officer through Feb. 1.

In June, Mayor Linda Thompson appointed Philbin to the post following the sudden resignation of the city’s first COO, Ricardo Mendez-Saldivia. Philbin had been acting COO since June.

Philbin, who previously served as Thompson’s spokesman, said he will return to his position as marketing and communications officer with Capital Area Transit following his stint with the city. Thompson’s term as mayor ends in January.

Parking Changes for Reily Street

Harrisburg has changed the parking rules for a section of Midtown to accommodate two new restaurants.

The City Council last month voted to restrict parking to two hours during weekdays on both sides of Reily Street between N. 5^th and N. 6^th streets and on both sides of N. 6^th Street between Boyd and Reily streets.

Council members took the action so that patrons of two restaurants located within The 1500 Condominium could park more easily. Council President Wanda Williams said that state workers often have parked on those blocks all day long, preventing others from using the street spaces.

The new rules should help facilitate parking for diners at both Café 1500, which reopened recently under a new operator, and Crawdaddy’s, which moved last month into the building, relocating from two blocks away.

Changing Hands: September Property Sales in Harrisburg

Bellevue Rd., 2028: N. Emerick to K. Feucht, $48,000

Benton St., 520: J. Phillips to L. Holmes, $69,900

Boas St., 438: T. & E. Buda to R. Kane, $160,000

Conoy St., 110: S. & M. Boyle to M. & S. McLees, $145,000

Croyden Rd., 2986: D. Folk to PA Deals LLC, $42,000

Delaware St., 267: B. & A. Jennings to J. Renue, $128,000

Derry St., 1266: C. Lanza to D. Shah, $34,000

Derry St., 1950: Mussani & Co. to Next Generation Trust Services, $50,000

Edward Rd., 203: D. Morand to M. Gabler, $78,900

Fillmore St., 616: PA Deals LLC to Bholay Nath Properties LLC, $73,000

Green St., 2033: N. Patrick to A. Holland, $45,000

Green St., 3240: E. Mentzer to J. Mueller, $109,900

Holly St., 1944: M. Hampton to J. & B. Readinger, $43,000

Kensington St., 2320: J. Kramer to M. & J. Cramer, $68,900

Kensington St., 2436: T. & A. Teter to L. Kim, $63,000

Logan St., 2421: K. & G. Corker to K. Macrate, $60,000

Market St., 829, 1001: Patriot News Co. to Equity Trust Co., $500,000

Market St., 2105: M. Mettenet Trust to J. Lohlun & E. Ruggieri, $103,000

N. 2^nd St., 3214: P. Harper to A. Parks & I. Silva, $149,900

N. 2^nd St., 3224: M. Harrison to K. Petrich, $85,000

N. 3^rd St., 2120: Fannie Mae to K. Fillingame, $60,000

N. 4^th St., 2711: P. & M. Foltz to B. & M. Hayes, $93,500

N. 4^th St., 3009: Bank of New York Trust Co. to P. & C. Ambrose, $52,000

N. 16^th St., 1301: E. & P. Cumberbatch to Y. Morel-Pena, $36,000

N. 17^th St., 99: T. Pham to J. Glick, $47,700

N. Front St., 1419: River Front Development Group LLC to M. Kurowski, $189,000

N. Front St., 1525, Unit 514: K. Alvanitakis to A. Firoozmand, $98,500

Pennwood Rd., 3205: R. & R. Yost to C. Lebo, $99,000

Rumson Dr., 261: Fannie Mae to C. & A. Davis, $38,101

Rumson Dr., 2991: B. Minter et al to Trusted Source Capital LLC, $31,000

S. 18^th St., 1235: M. Phuong to M. Quinn, $73,900

Vernon St., 1537: T&R Property LLC to VanDougbar Ventures LLC, $31,250

Vernon St., 1539: T&R Property LLC to VanDougbar Ventures LLC, $32,500

Woodbine St., 220: T&R Property LLC to VanDougbar Ventures LLC, $33,750

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

Blog Response: CREDC’s Dave Black reacts to “Stick to the Plan.”

October 28, 2013 | by Dave Black

I am writing to comment on Paul Barker’s article on the Comprehensive Plan process and the recent meeting at John Harris High School (“Stick to the Plan”). A comprehensive plan is a land use document. This effort will also attempt to identify some economic development strategies. I’m not going to defend the legality of process. That’s up to professional planners and attorneys.

What I will defend and credit Mayor Thompson with in her final months is starting a process that will first begin with community meetings, giving residents a voice. The first steps include community meetings. It is important to note that the process described will take at least 18 months, so the new mayor and council can clearly change, correct or stop the process.

Most importantly, this is an opportunity to start a dialogue between city government and its residents and businesses. It’s abundantly clear, over the last 30 years, there has been a “disconnect” fueled by the fiscal mess. That’s one of the reasons I believe the [mayoral candidate Eric] Papenfuse campaign’s “Together We Can” resonates so well.

My point is dialogue and community input is a very good thing that should be encouraged. Bringing the business and development community together with the larger community to discuss the opportunities we have to build a better city is a very good thing. The process involved in a good comprehensive plan is many times more valuable than the outcome. The appropriate bureaucracy and crossing the legal “T’s” will come in due time.

I sincerely believe that, as a city, we need to focus on things that bring us together rather than focus on things that divide us. Thank you for TheBurg’s continued good coverage of our city.

Dave Black
Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC
213-5032 (dd) 648-7099 (c)

Debate Wrap

October 17, 2013 | by Lawrance Binda

Republican candidate Dan Miller makes a point, as Democrat Eric Papenfuse looks on, during last night’s mayoral debate at the State Museum.

Alternately bitter and friendly–at times illuminating–last night’s mayoral debate had few dull moments, as Republican candidate Dan Miller and Democratic candidate Eric Papenfuse sparred for nearly 90 minutes before about 150 people at the State Museum.

In no particular order, here are my quick takes on last night’s action.

1. Miller came out swinging. Right out of the box, Miller was on the attack, accusing Papenfuse of being vulnerable to corruption and incompetence and of not being genuine. (“If we continue down the path we’ve had, we’re going to continue with corruption, and we’re going to continue with incompetence.”) It was strong language and a strong charge. Papenfuse countered that he could not be corrupted (“Your whisper campaign basically saying that I cannot be trusted is really beneath you and is the hallmark of a career politician”). Papenfuse then quickly switched gears to his main message for the evening–his support of the Harrisburg Strong financial recovery plan.

2. Miller is not really a Republican. Miller distanced himself immediately from the Republican Party, characterizing himself as a committed Democrat who just happens to be running on the Republican ballot because he won the GOP write-in vote in the primary. (“When you look at my picture here [in the program], and it says, ‘the Republican candidate,’ I want everyone to know that that’s somewhat untrue because, as you know, I’m a Democrat.”)

3. Miller is not Ted Cruz. Papenfuse tried to link Miller with Cruz, the Texas Republican senator often viewed as an ambitious political grandstander. The comparison, which Papenfuse made twice, flopped with the audience, prompting the only boos of the evening.

4. Does Miller support or oppose Harrisburg Strong? In my opinion, Miller’s changing (and confusing) position on the Strong plan was the biggest news to emerge from the debate. When the plan was released, Miller, long a supporter of municipal bankruptcy for Harrisburg, quickly moved to passionate, vocal opposition. Last night, he told the audience he remains opposed to many elements of the plan because, he said, the numbers don’t add up, it relies on many shaky assumptions, and it won’t lead to a balanced budget (receiver William Lynch isn’t doing “a job for us,” but “a job on us,” he said). Ironically, Miller then said that, as mayor, he would implement it anyway–in fact, as a financial professional, he was the best person to implement it. He also distanced himself from his own financial recovery plan that he had developed in 2010, which he had promoted during a debate just two weeks ago, as well as his years-long advocacy of bankruptcy.

5. Papenfuse has financed most of his own campaign. As he has before, Miller criticized Papenfuse for accepting substantial campaign contributions from “one man” and a PAC he helped organize.* Papenfuse countered that he has self-financed most of his campaign, taking out a $100,000 loan against his own assets. He said he did so because, as a latecomer to the race, he needed to raise money quickly. Assuming personal risk also demonstrated his deep commitment to the city, he said. Miller responded that taking on such personal debt was financially irresponsible, saying, “I’m the guy with zero debt. He’s the guy with all the debt.”

6. Miller supports “targeted tax abatement.” In Harrisburg, tax abatement has been a controversial issue, one most identified with Papenfuse, who supports revival of the city’s tax abatement program as an economic development strategy. In fact, Papenfuse’s opponents have linked his advocacy of tax abatement to some of the developers supporting his campaign. However, Miller last night said that he also supports abatements, at least in certain areas, to spur redevelopment.

In case you couldn’t attend the Harrisburg Watch Coalition debate at the State Museum, I strongly encourage you to watch it for yourself at Roxbury News (www.roxburynews.com).

* That person, while unnamed in the debate, is Alex Hartzler, who also is publisher of TheBurg.

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