Tag Archives: Sandra Reid

December News Digest

 

2016 Budget Passed

Harrisburg City Council last month passed the city’s 2016 spending plan, a $60.7 million budget crafted by the city administration

Council voted 5-2 in favor of the budget, though council President Wanda Williams said the spending plan would be reopened and reconsidered in January, once three new council members take their seats.

Two public hearings will precede a vote on a revised budget, she said.

As passed last month, the budget adds 36 new positions, half in a newly created Neighborhood Services division, which would be funded out of city trash bills. Besides sanitation, the new division absorbs many functions previously funded by taxes, including some road and parks maintenance.

The administration also has proposed tripling the local services tax (LST) to $3 per week per worker. The Commonwealth Court must first approve the hike, which then must be sanctioned by council.

The LST is a tax on people who have jobs in the city and earn more than an annual threshold income, which is proposed to be about $24,000. While it does affect some city residents, most of the burden falls on commuters, a point made repeatedly last month by Mayor Eric Papenfuse.

Council members Brad Koplinski and Sandra Reid were the lone votes against the spending plan. Both said they believed the budget contained excess spending and objected to any increase in the LST.

It was the final meeting for Koplinski and Reid, as well as for three-term Councilwoman Susan Brown-Wilson. Reid and Brown-Wilson did not seek re-election last year, while Koplinski lost his seat in the Democratic primary.

This month, three new council members will be sworn into office: Cornelius Johnson, Westburn Majors and Destini Hodges.

 

TRAN OK’d

For a third straight year, Harrisburg is issuing a tax and revenue anticipation note, a form of short-term borrowing meant to cover a potential budget shortfall.

City Council voted unanimously last month to enter into an agreement with M&T Bank for the $4.5 million TRAN, which carries an interest rate of 2.53 percent and includes a $5,000 nonrefundable fee. Any drawdown on the loan must be repaid by June 30.

Municipal finances are typically tight for the first three months of the year, until the city begins to receive property tax revenue in March. Harrisburg entered into similar loan agreements in 2014 and 2015, but never had to tap them for funds.

City officials, however, said they were more concerned this year due to the state budget deadlock. At press time, the legislature still had not passed a budget, meaning that the state’s $5 million annual contribution to the city for emergency services had not been agreed to or paid.

 

Streetlight Project Launched

Harrisburg last month officially launched its citywide streetlight project, which will replace all 6,100 existing streetlights with new LED bulbs.

The $3.7 million project, the largest of its kind in Pennsylvania, should be completed by April.

Officials said the project would cut the city’s electric bill by two-thirds, saving more than $500,000 per year, and that the project would pay for itself in about six years. The savings are guaranteed under a contract with The Efficiency Network, a Pittsburgh-based company managing the upgrade.

The bulk of the project cost is being paid with a $3.2 million loan from M&T Bank. The city is seeking a grant from Impact Harrisburg, a nascent nonprofit promoting infrastructure improvement and economic development, which would allow it to pay off the bank loan early if awarded.

Part of the cost is also being paid by a $500,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority and a $30,000 donation from Lighten Up Harrisburg, an organization that raises money to improve city lighting through an annual 5K run.

 

State Rebukes Fraud Charge

The state agency overseeing Harrisburg’s financial recovery has sharply critiqued public accusations of fraud by Mayor Eric Papenfuse in a private letter, calling them “unsubstantiated” and “categorically untrue.”

Dennis M. Davin, secretary of the Department of Community and Economic Development, wrote that his agency was “distressed” by Papenfuse’s claims that consultants had intentionally misrepresented how much money the city would get from its parking system.

“The team dedicated to supporting the City of Harrisburg’s recovery efforts is committed to providing the highest level of professional assistance,” Davin wrote in the letter, which TheBurg obtained through an open records request. “Given this fact, we take any allegations of fraud very seriously.”

Davin signed the letter in his role as chairman of the Pennsylvania Economic Development Financing Authority, a funding arm of his department that issued $286 million in bonds to finance the 2013 lease of the city’s parking system.

Papenfuse made his remarks at the authority’s Oct. 21 board meeting, when he addressed shortfalls in the so-called “waterfall” payments that provide critical money to the city out of overall parking revenues. The mayor suggested that professionals working on the lease had knowingly misrepresented the amount of money the system would produce.

“Frankly, I believe that these numbers of waterfall payments were inflated simply to make the numbers work for the Strong Plan, which means that essentially a fraud was perpetrated on you and us and the residents of the city,” Papenfuse said.

Papenfuse told the board that annual parking revenues to the city were around $1 million short. He said that as a result the city would have to raise taxes, and he urged the board to “hold somebody accountable” for the incorrect projections.

 

New School Board President

A divided Harrisburg school board last month elected Danielle Robinson as its new president.

Robinson was elected by a 4-3 vote, eking past James Thompson, who will remain vice president.

The board needed to seat a new president after the sudden resignation of former President Jennifer Smallwood, who was just re-elected in November. At press time, the board had not yet selected a replacement for Smallwood.

 

HDID Reauthorized

The Harrisburg Downtown Improvement District has been reauthorized for another two years.

The Harrisburg City Council voted to reauthorize the nonprofit through Dec. 31, 2017, countering the wishes of HDID officials, who had sought a five-year extension.

Since forming in 2000, the HDID has had three, five-year renewals. However, the city administration supported just a two-year extension this time so that it could more quickly assess HDID’s progress in making downtown cleaner, more attractive and more supportive of businesses.

Most of HDID’s $780,000 annual budget derives from a tax on commercial properties within the district, which covers a 25-block area of downtown Harrisburg from State Street to just south of Harrisburg Hospital.

In a public hearing in October, HDID officials staunchly defended their record of helping to keep downtown attractive and safe, even though some business owners said it should expand its mission to include areas like parking and promotion.

“Two years, five years, 10 years—it doesn’t matter,” said HDID Executive Director Todd VanderWoude following the council vote. “We’ll just keep on rolling.”

 

Jackson Hotel Sells

The historic Jackson Hotel has new ownership, as former City Council candidate Jeremiah Chamberlin last month bought the dilapidated property with plans to restore it.

Chamberlin purchased the three-story building on the 1000-block of N. 6th Street in Harrisburg for $4,000 from Kerry and Lessa Helm, who had bought it earlier in the year from Dave and Diana Kegris.

For many years, German Jackson operated a hotel from the property, catering primarily to African-American visitors who were shut out of the city’s whites-only establishments.

Jackson willed the property to Kegris, who opened the Jackson House restaurant next door. Kegris, though, could not find funds to restore the large, Gothic-style main building, which became increasingly run down.

 

So Noted

GK Visual soon will move into a new home in the Old Fox Ridge neighborhood of Midtown Harrisburg, allowing the visual production company to grow and expand capacity. Owner Nate Kresge said his company bought the 7,000-square-foot building at 933 Rose St. last month. The building triples the company’s space from its current location in Uptown Harrisburg.

Harristown Enterprises has purchased the building housing one of Harrisburg’s oldest businesses, Walker’s Art & Framing. Under its acquisition wing, Dewberry LLC, Harristown bought the building for $350,000 from the Walker family, who will continue to run the 58-year-old business at 25 S. 3rd St., said Harristown President and CEO Brad Jones. Harristown needed the building to complete its acquisition of a five-townhouse row, which will now be renovated with commercial space on the ground floors and apartments above, Jones said. Harristown also is renovating a six-story brick building across the street, converting the long-time office space to 15 high-end, one-bedroom apartments.

Amma Jo LLC opened a showroom location last month in Strawberry Square at 320 Market St. Run by Amma Johnson, Ammo Jo focuses on designer handbags and accessories. It serves as a fulfillment center and also features special in-store retail events. For more information, visit www.shopammajo.com.

Keystone K9, a “one-stop pet service,” debuted last month at 931 N. 7th St. in Harrisburg. In addition to a doggie daycare, Keystone K9 offers training, grooming and boarding. More information can be found at www.keystone-k9.com.

Phyllo Greek Cuisine opened last month in the stone building of the Broad Street Market. Run by mother Anna Ntzanis and her daughter, Katerina, the stand offers a menu of Greek food staples, such as pastitsio, moussaka and spanakopita. The Ntzanis family has long run Harrisburg’s Midtown Tavern.

Capital Area Transit last month began new bus service between Harrisburg/Steelton and the Allen Road warehouses in Carlisle. The new Route C allows workers to connect to jobs in the growing warehouse complex, which houses several major employers.

 

Changing Hands

Calder St., 122 & 1332 N. 2nd St.: R. & C. Horst to Bitner Rentals LLC, $600,000

Conoy St., 117: N. Woods to Mannjeim LLC, $40,000

Edward St., 240: E. Pappas to C. Messinger, $205,000

Fulton St., 1400: PA Deals LLC to Heller Investments LLC, $110,000

Green St., 1928: M. & S. Young to J. Hardie & T. Craven, $207,000

Green St., 1935: N. Williams to R. Holder, $212,000

Hale Ave., 375: M. & V. Cecka to RDR Property Management LLC, $50,000

Kensington St., 2318: M. & V. Cecka to RDR Property Management LLC, $45,000

Lewis St., 245: Secretary of Housing & Urban Development & Michaelson, Connor & Boul to M. Sheehan, $47,011

Market St., 1435: K. Quenzer to J. & M. Fitzgibbon, $33,000

North St., 239: K. Sheetz to D. McClellan, $225,000

N. 2nd St., 935: C. Group to Zecharya International Inc., $50,000

N. 2nd St., 2135: PA Deals LLC to Heller Investments LLC, $96,400

N. 2nd St., 2743: US Bank National Association to A. McGinley, $60,000

N. 2nd St., 3107: S. Howell & F. Nedermeyer to P. Bernd, $114,900

N. 3rd St., 3221: PA Deals LLC to G. & J. Modi, $145,000

N. 4th St., 1629: GWD Capitol Heights LP to E. Harrington, $97,000

N. 5th St., 1628, L159: M. Saavedra to Braemar Properties LLC, $111,387

N. 5th St., 2552: M. Haubert to D. Mallek & W. Sarris, $99,900

N. 15th St., 183 & 185: N. Gorzynski to S. & D. Fenton & Exit Realty Capital Area Property Management, $56,935

N. Front St., 1525, Unit 313: K. Schiebel to M. Hadginske, M. Pasick & A. Steel, $89,000

N. Summit St., 28: JSD Properties LLC to L. Pitts, $32,318

Rudy Rd., 2323: O. Saleh to S. Oberlin & R. Delumen, $145,000

Rumson Dr., 310: R. & P. Giordano to E. Allen, $79,000

S. 2nd St., 304: K. Harrison to R. & C. Trimnell, $49,000

S. 3rd St., 25: D. & J. Walker to Dewberry LLC, $350,000

S. 17th St., 1038: C. & S. Vazquez to C. Nguyen, $66,000

S. 19th St., 21; 2042 N. 4th St.; 228 Boas St.; & 1901 Forster St.: R. Shokes & Shokes Enterprises LLC to JDP 2014 LLC, $327,000

S. 25th St., 602: M. & V. Cecka to RDR Property Management LLC, $50,000

S. 27th St., 737: N. Shrawder to R. Reyes, $80,000

S. Front St., 801: Wells Fargo Bank NA to M. Boyer, $66,000

Susquehanna St., 1606: F. Cadmus to S. Christ, $95,000

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

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November News Digest

 

New Council Members
 
Harrisburg City Council will have a fresh look next year, as voters last month elected three newcomers to the city’s seven-member legislative body.

Cornelius Johnson tallied 3,383 votes, while Westburn Majors took 3,343. Jeffrey Baltimore, the only incumbent running, earned 3,563 votes.

All three were running unopposed for the three, four-year seats after topping a crowded Democratic field during the May primary. No Republicans ran.

Destini Hodges tallied 3,514 votes running unopposed for the lone, two-year council seat.

Three council seats were open after councilwomen Susan Brown-Wilson and Sandra Reid decided not to run and Councilman Brad Koplinski lost in the primary.

For city treasurer, Tyrell Spradley earned his first full term, taking 3,545 votes in the general election.

School Board Shakeup

Harrisburg voters last month elected several new members to the district school board last month.

Meanwhile, newly re-elected board President Jennifer Smallwood announced her resignation from the body.

Ellis R. Roy, Lionel Gonzalez, Matthew Krupp and Melvin Wilson Jr. each earned four-year seats, as did Smallwood. Judd Pittman, who recently was appointed to the board to fill an opening, took the lone two-year seat.

The candidates all ran unopposed for their seats after emerging victorious in the May primary. Krupp was the only candidate on the Republican ballot, having been nominated by both parties.

The board now must appoint a replacement for Smallwood. That person will serve until the next school board election in 2017.

County Commissioners Re-Elected
 
The makeup of the Board of Commissioners will be unchanged as Dauphin County voters last month retained the three incumbents.
 
Voters returned Republicans Jeff Haste and Mike Pries, as well as Democrat George Hartwick, to office. Democrat Tom Connolly lost his challenge.

In other competitive county races, Republican Nick Chimienti beat Democrat Tim Carter for county sheriff, and Republican Timothy DeFoor defeated Democrat Eric Gutshall for county controller.

Several incumbents won re-election running unopposed, including District Attorney Ed Marsico, Clerk of Courts Dale Klein and Treasurer Janis Creason.

Water Rate Hiked
 
Customers of Capital Region Water will pay 9.7 percent more next year for drinking water, as the board last month passed a rate increase.

The new water rate will be $7.88 per 1,000 gallons, as opposed to $7.18 in 2015. The “ready to serve” charge also will increase 9.7 percent

“We don’t take rate increases lightly, and our board of directors is sensitive to the burdens already placed on the people and places we serve, but the systems that our customers rely on to deliver safe drinking water every day and to clean wastewater before it reaches the Susquehanna River were long ignored,” said Capital Region Water CEO Shannon Williams.

Sewer rates will remain unchanged at $6.05 per 1,000 gallons.

“After years of deferred maintenance and lack of investment into our drinking water, wastewater and stormwater systems, we continue to build up to necessary staffing levels and to make long overdue improvements to our aging infrastructure to prevent the even higher costs of failure,” Williams said.

 
County Taxes Steady

For the 11th straight year, Dauphin County property taxes are expected to be unchanged, the county commissioners said last month.

The county portion of the property tax should remain at 6.876 mills for 2016, according to a statement by the commissioners.

The county commissioners are expected to pass a 2016 budget this month, which will affirm their tax plan.

Managers Get Payouts
 
Five Harrisburg department managers will receive payouts for unused off-time following approval last month by City Council.

Council authorized the city administration to spend almost $29,000 to compensate these managers for unused sick and vacation time from 2013. It was about $7,000 more than the administration was requesting.

Mayor Eric Papenfuse said that, following negotiations, the managers had agreed to take 75 percent of the amount owed them for the unused time. Council, however, authorized Papenfuse to reimburse them for up to 100 percent of that time.

 
Sinkhole Relief Denied
 
Harrisburg received disappointing news last month, as the Federal Emergency Management Agency rejected its application for sinkhole relief funds.

FEMA notified Harrisburg that it had turned down a request for $4.1 million to buy out homeowners in a sinkhole-ravaged area of S. 14th Street.

In the competition for funds, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency had ranked Harrisburg’s request first in the state, but, instead, FEMA approved a $2.1 million application from Palmyra, which was ranked second.

PEMA appealed the decision, and Mayor Eric Papenfuse also wrote a letter asking FEMA to reconsider.

Housing Data Strong

Home sales showed continued strength in October, sustaining a yearlong trend in the Harrisburg area.

For the month, 791 housing units sold, compared to 671 in October 2014, with the median price increasing to $162,900 from $156,500, according to the Greater Harrisburg Association of Realtors.

In Dauphin County, sales totaled 245 units versus 229 units in the year-ago period, with the median price inching up to $139,000 from $138,000, GHAR reported.

Cumberland County sales actually dropped slightly, to 297 units from 303, but the median price increased to $185,000 from $175,000, said GHAR. Perry County followed a similar trend, with sales decreasing to 28 units from 43, but the median price rising to $129,250 from $115,000, GHAR reported.

In addition to all of Dauphin, Cumberland and Perry counties, GHAR’s coverage area includes parts of York, Juniata and Lebanon counties.

 
So Noted
 
Little Amps Coffee Roasters last month opened its third location, a kiosk on the main floor of Strawberry Square in Harrisburg. Little Amps was founded in 2011 at a location on Green Street in Olde Uptown and later opened a downtown café at N. 2nd and State streets.

Allen Distribution has signed a 321,333-square-foot lease at 100 Capital Lane, part of the newly renovated Capital Logistics Center in Middletown. The logistics company has leased the entire building, one of six comprising the 1.55-million-square foot industrial complex.

Level 2 is making changes going into 2016. The popular Latin Night will move to Friday and combine with the monthly Latin Fuzion party to create Fuzion Fridayz. Level 2 also is responding to increased demand for private events, with the space available for fundraisers, rehearsals, receptions and more. For information and updates, visit www.level2.us or their Facebook page.

 
Changing Hands

Alricks St., 638 & 651: Central Dauphin Realty Co. to Coho Spawning Industries & Meridian Recycling LLC, $650,000

Boas St., 235: L. Dempsey & B. Hartlage to C. Guy, $171,500

Calder St., 115: L. Paige to A. & M. Anselmo, $42,500

Derry St., 2436: M. Miranda to M. & I. Collins, $63,000

Forster St., 416 & 418: Pennsylvania Psychological to ITSM Specialties LLC, $145,000

Forster St., 1844: D. & D. Hall to S. Martin, $75,000

Fulton St., 1400: C. Krobath to PA Deals LLC, $90,000

Green St., 1617: A. Doherty to A. Calvano, $124,000

Green St., 3214: M. Traxler to D. Bartels, $105,000

Hale Ave., 397: J. & G. McCarchey to J. Gonzalez, $62,000

Hamilton St., 235: R. Swartz to G. Huggens, $168,900

Hamilton St., 238: LSF8 Master Participation Trust to J. Manzella, $63,900

Hamilton St., 326: K. Stratton to R. Hadrick, $110,000

Hanover St., 1701: C. Cheam to S. Chen, $400,000

Hoffman St., 3206: Skynet Property Management LP to J. Ostrander, $75,000

Kelker St., 315: N. Schock to C. Clymire, $109,900

Kensington St., 2313: Skye Holding LLC to J. Meas, $45,000

Locust St., 110 & 112: Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency to Locust Company LLC, $140,000

Market St., 1811: B. Vorndran to HE Pressley Properties LLC, $33,000

N. 2nd St., 717: M. Hilden & S. Farzin to BCRA Realty LLC, $150,000

N. 2nd St., 806: Pennsylvania Council of Republican Women to H. Fang & K. Zhu, $77,000

N. 2nd St., 1200: W. Moyer to Harrisburg Second Street Apartments LLC, $65,000

N. 2nd St., 2403: CNC Realty Group LLC to AON LLC, $470,000

N. 2nd St., 2517: 8219 Ventures LLC to AXL Realty Group Inc., $42,000

N. 2nd St., 3002: B. & K. Elgart to E. Stailey, $152,000

N. 3rd St., 1100 & 268 Herr St.: Triple Ace LP to AON LLC, $352,000

N. 3rd St., 2248: M. Coleman to N. Hartwig, $85,000

N. 4th St., 2737: T. Murphy to Mountaincrash Investments LLC, $37,000

N. 5th St., 3208: W. & R. Bragunier to K. & D. Roberts, $61,760

N. 6th St., 2610: S. Wright to J. Shutter, $34,650

N. 18th St., 120: G. Neff to D. Geiger, $35,000

N. Front St., 2233: Mancke and Wagner Real Estate to J.A. Hartzler & K. Werley, $300,000

Penn St., 1110: G. Latasha to A. St. John & R. Wagoner, $180,000

Penn St., 1111: D. Cooper to H. Landenberger, $114,000

Rolleston St., 1013: R. & A. Showers to W. & J. Wirfel, $30,000

S. 13th St., 240: NJR Group LLC & Touch of Color to A. Radon, $460,000

S. 19th St., 1111: Secretary of Housing & Urban Development to K. Saqib, $31,500

S. Front St., 315: JGPA Realty LLC to S. Eicher, $146,650

S. Front St., 605: B. Glazier & E. Tsumura to J. & C. Fabian, $152,000

Valley Rd., 2313: Secretary of Housing & Urban Development to K. & E. High, $78,000

Waldo St., 2708: Freddie Mac to Tassia Corp., $30,000

Wilson Parkway, 2734: PA Deals LLC to G. & C. Rodda, $80,000

Wiconisco St., 611 & 2641 Agate St.: Thompson LLP to Stop & Store Inc., $175,000

Wyeth St., 1417: Secretary of Housing & Urban Development to D. Drabik, $71,000

 

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Harrisburg Streetlight Project Approved, Will Begin Soon

Streetlight2

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.

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.

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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TheBurg Podcast, May 15, 2015

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

May 15, 2015: This week, Larry and Paul talk about some surprise reversals over a tax-break policy at City Council, the departure of the school district’s chief recovery officer and the upcoming municipal primary.

Special thanks to Paul Cooley, who wrote our theme music. Check out his podcast, the PRC Show, available on SoundCloud and 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.

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TheBurg Podcast, May 1, 2015

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

May 1, 2015: This week, Larry and Paul talk about some hoop dreams on Penn Street, a mystifying exchange over Zumba at City Council, and a surprise reintroduction of tax abatement legislation…right in time for the May 19 primary.

Special thanks to Paul Cooley, who wrote our theme music. You can find 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, here.

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March News Digest

12 Run for Council

A dozen residents handed in petitions last month to run in the May primary for seats on Harrisburg City Council.

Four seats are up for grabs this year. Three hold four-year terms, while a fourth is a two-year seat to fill the unexpired term of Councilwoman Eugenia Smith, who died last year. Councilwomen Susan Brown-Wilson and Sandra Reid decided not to seek re-election.

The candidates, all Democrats, who filed for the four-year seats are:

  • Jeff Baltimore (incumbent) *
  • Jeremiah Chamberlin *
  • Ron Chapel *
  • Cornelius Johnson
  • Alan Kennedy-Shaffer
  • Brad Koplinski (incumbent)
  • Koscina Lowe *
  • Westburn Majors
  • Rhonda Mays
  • Ellis R. “Rick” Roy *

Two Democratic candidates filed exclusively for the two-year seat:

  • Destini Hodges
  • Pat Stringer

The primary is slated for May 19. No Republicans filed to run in the election.

* Also filed for the two-year council seat.

 

Treasurer, School Board Candidates File

Harrisburg will have competitive races this year for the Democratic nomination for both city treasurer and school board.

In the race for treasurer, challenger Brian Ostella will face off against incumbent Tyrell Spradley. Spradley has been in the office since November following his appointment by City Council. The seat was open after former Treasurer John Campbell was arrested last summer and resigned. No Republicans are running in the primary.

Six candidates filed for the Democratic nomination for five, four-year seats on the school board:

  • Monica L. Blackston-Bailey (incumbent)
  • Lionel Gonzalez
  • Matthew Krupp
  • Daunessy Penn
  • Jennifer Smallwood (incumbent)
  • Melvin Wilson Jr.

Krupp also filed for the Republican nomination, the only candidate to do so.

Two Democratic candidates filed for the sole, two-year term on the school board:

  • LaTasha Frye (incumbent)
  • Judd R. Pittman

No Republicans filed for the two-year seat. The primary will be held May 19.

 

2nd Street Plan Gets Boost

Harrisburg’s plan to return N. 2nd Street to two-way traffic received a key endorsement last month as the state Department of Transportation gave its preliminary approval.

Following a study, PennDOT concluded that the conversion of N. 2nd Street from one-way to two-way traffic between Forster and Division streets is feasible. However, it “must be supported by a number of improvements on Second Street as well as other area roadways in order to safely accommodate redistributed traffic.”

Most importantly, N. 7th Street north of Maclay Street must be converted from two-way traffic to one-way traffic northbound to Division Street. Moreover, improvements would have to be made at the intersections of Division and N. 7th streets and Forster and N. 2nd streets.

Finally, PennDOT urged additional study on the impact of the change before final planning for the conversion.

N. 2nd Street was made one-way in 1956 to speed traffic flow out of the city. Since then, many have blamed the fast-moving, three-lane street for a number of ills, including decreased property values, blight and lessening the quality of life for some city residents.

 

Market Building to Stay Open

The Broad Street Market’s stone building will remain open, reversing an earlier decision to close it.

The market’s board of directors last month said it needed the space due to a flurry of applications by potential market vendors. In addition, some in the community opposed closing the building.

In late February, the board announced it would shutter the 150-year-old stone building temporarily and relocate the prepared food vendors there to the renovated brick building. The board now says it will try to make improvements to the stone building while keeping it open.

“There has been an influx of interest from new potential market businesses and, in order to house the increasing number of vendors, we are going to have to hold onto that space and figure out a way to renovate while doing business,” said board President Jonathan Bowser.

The market is still looking for new, food-oriented businesses. To apply, visit www.broadstreetmarket.org.

 

Reid Pleads Guilty

Harrisburg Councilwoman Sandra Reid pleaded guilty last month to a summary charge of disorderly conduct following an incident in November at a city service station.

The district attorney’s office charged Reid for allegedly interfering with an arrest at City Gas & Diesel in the 1500-block of State Street. She was ordered to pay $253 in a fine and court costs.

Following her arrest, Reid missed numerous council meetings and decided not to run for re-election.

 

Changing Hands

Bellevue Rd., 2034: J. & D. Weidler to F. & C. Ramirez, $88,000

Bigelow Dr., 12: W. Portzline to S. Adamson, $60,000

Calder St., 207: PA Deals LLC to J. Manzella, $73,000

Calder St., 208: MTM Property Group LLC to J. Martin, $58,500

Cumberland St., 270: W. Fritz Jr. to PA Deals LLC, $68,750

Fulton St., 1719: Sovereign Bank NA to PA Deals LLC, $67,000

Green St., 1120: P. & H. Jackson to N. Foote, $128,500

Green St., 1307: T. McNew to J. & D. Ruggiero, $89,900

Green St., 1309: Leasing Solutions LLC to L. Oberly, $100,000

Manada St., 2010: B. & S. Dean to N. Etter, $36,000

Naudain St., 1630: R. Eisner et al to R. Murphy III, $37,500

N. 2nd St., 403: WCI Hotel Partners LP to 401 Hotel Partners LP, $482,709

N. 2nd St., 2146: R. & W. Shoop to D&F Realty Holdings LP, $130,000

N. 2nd St., 2530: B. MacDonald & M. Connolly to K. Dillon & D. Smyler, $106,000

N. 3rd St., 608: P. Kumar & S. Sharma to 608 N. Third LLC, $177,500

N. 3rd St., 2532: M. Hogan to D. Tamang & P. Moti, $125,000

N. 7th St., 3101: PT Properties LLC & Realty Management Inc. to Conewago Contractors Inc., $1,378,000

N. 12th St., 1500: Math Inc. to Greenworks Auto Recycling LLC, $250,000

Norwood St., 938: C. Weller to Edwin L. Heim Co., $70,000

Reily St., 225: M. Bitsko to M. Fickes, $99,000

Rumson Dr., 330: A. Pastula to G. Di Bosco, $41,500

S. 16th St., 334: Tri County HDC Ltd. to M. Espada, $99,900

State St., 1839: G. & M. Robinson to M. Tiedrebeogo, $50,000

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TheBurg Podcast, Dec. 5, 2014

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

Dec. 5, 2014: Larry and Paul chat about the arrest of city Councilwoman Sandra Reid, the zone-ification of Harrisburg’s street parking, Paul’s story on the fall of the T-Mart convenience store and the resurrection of the Millworks building. There also may be a rant or two.

Note: This podcast was recorded prior to an interview with Councilwoman Sandra Reid, during which she provided comments on the week since the arrest. You can read the story from that interview here.

Theme music by Paul Cooley, host of the PRC Show podcast.

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Councilwoman Reid On Her Arrest: A “One-Sided Conversation”

City Councilwoman Sandra Reid, left, and Council President Wanda Williams.

City Councilwoman Sandra Reid, left, and Council President Wanda Williams.

The story of Harrisburg City Councilwoman Sandra Reid’s arrest will remain a “one-sided conversation” for now, Reid said Friday afternoon, during an interview in which the councilwoman declined to give her version of the events leading up to her arrest last week at a city gas station.

She did, however, partially dispute the description provided by District Attorney Ed Marsico yesterday as part of his announcement of a disorderly conduct charge for Reid, a lesser charge than the obstruction of the administration of law for which she was arrested after allegedly interfering with the work of Harrisburg police.

According to Marsico, Reid had “repeatedly berated” officers who were detaining a man allegedly involved in a harassment incident at the City Gas & Diesel station in the 1500-block of State Street.

Reid, who said she received law enforcement’s description of her actions for the first time yesterday, said it was “not completely accurate.”

She declined to elaborate further, however, saying she had been instructed by her attorney not to discuss an “open case.”

Reid spoke to two reporters for just under an hour Friday afternoon in a quietly arranged meeting at the abc27 studio on Hoffman Street uptown, in what was her first on-the-record interview since her arrest.

Although she declined to discuss the incident, the councilwoman did address her perception in the media, her interactions with officials since her arrest and her frustration with reactions from members of the public.

She also discussed her on-camera reference to the shooting of Michael Brown by a police officer in Ferguson, Mo., in city hall earlier this week, as well as several outstanding warrants she faced for a number of previous minor offenses.

Reid, upset by the intensity of reactions to what she emphasized was only a summary offense, said the past week has been “traumatic.” “I’ve been villainized as if I’ve committed murder,” she said.

She also said her experience had left her with a feeling that she was “guilty until proven innocent,” and described the events since her arrest as “one of the most trying things” she has been through.

Reid appeared calm and collected throughout the interview. She was not accompanied by her lawyer or any other party.

She said she had wanted to give a statement to the district attorney, but that her lawyer had advised against it. First Assistant District Attorney Fran Chardo confirmed Thursday that Marsico’s description of the incident relied solely on testimony from the police officers and video footage collected from both police dashboard cameras and surveillance cameras at the store.

Reid said she had not spoken since her arrest with Mayor Eric Papenfuse because he was the “CEO of the police department” and it would be a conflict to discuss an active case with him.

She acknowledged speaking with the police chief, Thomas Carter, in the days following the incident, but said they had not talked about it since the case was referred to the district attorney’s office at the end of last week.

She also said she had not seen the brief statement Papenfuse issued late on Thursday, which described her arrest as “an unfortunate incident that escalated too quickly.” Presented with the statement Friday, she declined to say whether she agreed or disagreed, saying that would be tantamount to making a statement about the details of the incident itself.

Reid also addressed a set of outstanding warrants she faced for a variety of low-level offenses, which had been featured in several news reports and which she claimed to have learned about for the first time following her arrest.

Three of the warrants were for unpaid fines for failure to file a local income tax return in 2002, 2007 and 2008. A fourth related to an unpaid 2012 parking ticket, while a fifth related to having been in Negley Park in Lemoyne late at night in violation of a park ordinance.

Reid said she paid the fines on all five warrants, which totaled around $250, earlier in the day on Friday.

An employee in the district court of Judge Marsha Stewart, where four of the five warrants were filed, confirmed on Friday that Reid’s fines had been “paid in full.” An employee in the Cumberland County district court, which held jurisdiction over the warrant for the Negley Park incident, also said Reid had paid her fine.

She expressed frustration at how the warrants were characterized in news reports and comments on news sites, saying people had treated her as if she was “some kind of criminal” out of proportion to the size of and reason for the fines.

Reid also explained her state of mind during an on-camera exchange with reporters in city hall earlier this week, in which the councilwoman said, “Hands up, don’t shoot,” in reply to a question about her arrest.

The remark was a reference to the series of protests this fall following the shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, in Ferguson, Mo., in which the phrase “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” was often used to invoke the image of excessive police force, particularly against minorities.

“I was frustrated at the time,” Reid said of her use of the phrase. She said the national conversation about relations between police and minority communities was important, but declined to relate it to Harrisburg police in particular, saying they were a party in the case over her arrest.

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Councilwoman Charged With Disorderly Conduct

Harrisburg City Councilwoman Sandra Reid and Police Chief Thomas Carter at a May 9 press conference in city hall.

Harrisburg City Councilwoman Sandra Reid and Police Chief Thomas Carter at a May press conference in city hall.

Harrisburg City Councilwoman Sandra Reid has been charged with disorderly conduct following her arrest last week outside a city gas station, the Dauphin County district attorney’s office said Thursday.

Reid, 45, “unnecessarily inserted herself in an active arrest and ignored numerous requests to allow the police to continue their work at the scene of the arrest without interference,” according to the release.

The district attorney’s office has been reviewing possible charges since last week, including a misdemeanor charge of obstructing the administration of law, which a Harrisburg police log listed as the reason for Reid’s arrest.

Upon completing a review of the incident, however, Dauphin County District Attorney Ed Marsico said he determined her actions only warranted the lesser charge of disorderly conduct, a summary offense.

The obstruction charge would have required “proof of force, violence or similar unlawful act” and there was no evidence of such actions in the case, Marsico said.

The review of the incident incorporated surveillance footage from the gas station, City Gas & Diesel in the 1500-block of State Street, and video footage from police patrol cars, as well as descriptions from the officers involved.

It did not include statements from Reid, store employees or the man with whose arrest Reid allegedly interfered, according to First Assistant District Attorney Fran Chardo.

The footage was video only, and did not contain audio, Chardo said.

According to the release, police officers had arrested and were detaining a man who had been involved in an incident inside the convenience store at the station, allegedly preventing a woman from leaving, when Reid arrived in her car.

The man, Alain Ebele Dejin, 29, had no connection to Reid, Marsico said. He was charged Thursday morning with making terroristic threats, false imprisonment, defiant trespassing and harassment.

As she pulled up, Reid’s headlights “shone into the face of the arrestee,” Marsico said. Police asked Reid to turn off her lights, which she did “after a few requests.” She then “turned them back on, before finally turning them off again.”

Reid then allegedly asked the officers to move Ebele Dejin into the store, “presumably on account of the cold.” The release notes that the temperature at the time was 45 degrees Fahrenheit, and that Ebele Dejin “seemed comfortable and was cooperative with the two officers there.”

During her interaction with police, Reid allegedly demanded the name and badge number of one of the officers and “repeatedly berated” the police.

Reid “ignored numerous requests from the police to stop interfering” with Ebele Dejin’s arrest, Marsico said. After she was arrested, he said, she told police she was a member of city council and “indicated an intention to call the chief of police.”

The incident began late in the evening on Tuesday, Nov. 25. Both Reid and Ebele Dejin were arrested and released sometime after midnight on the morning of Nov. 26.

The police log and Ebele Dejin’s criminal docket list the arresting officer as Jeffrey Clark, a Harrisburg policeman. The district attorney’s description does not indicate whether Clark or another officer provided a name and badge number to Reid, nor does it identify Clark or any other officers involved.

Asked whether Reid was within her rights to ask for a name and badge number, Chardo said it depended on whether doing so interfered with an ongoing arrest. “It’s a matter of context,” he said.

Chardo also said the district attorney’s office would not be releasing the video footage, because he did not believe they were permitted to. If the charges against Reid go to trial, however, he said they would likely become an exhibit and would therefore be a public document.

Marsico also said in his release Thursday that his review included reading a report of a prior incident in which Reid allegedly interfered with a police investigation.

During that incident, which occurred on August 27 near the councilwoman’s home on Liberty Street, Reid is alleged to have confronted an officer whose police vehicle was parked on the street with its lights flashing.

Reid allegedly “ordered the officer to move his car,” Marsico said. When the officer told her he was investigating a car theft, Reid allegedly threatened to call the police chief and asked for his name and badge number.

She subsequently let the officer continue his investigation, upon learning from him that her neighbor’s car had been stolen, according to the release.

Late in the day Thursday, Mayor Eric Papenfuse’s spokeswoman sent out a press release that included a comment from Papenfuse on Reid’s arrest, which he called a “most unfortunate incident that escalated too quickly.”

The comment came at the end of an announcement for a planned series to air on WHBG Channel 20, in which the mayor will host discussions with various guests about easing tension between law enforcement and minority communities. The series is expected to begin this month and continue through next year.

Reid, who is one of seven members of Harrisburg’s City Council, took office in January 2012 and chairs the public works committee.

Prior to Thursday’s announcement of charges, Reid had told reporters she was waiting to make a statement until the district attorney had made a decision.

Asked about a statement Thursday afternoon, she wrote in a text message that she had no comment.

This story has been updated with comments from Mayor Eric Papenfuse.

 

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Video Footage of Councilwoman’s Arrest May Factor In Charges

City Councilwoman Sandra Reid, left, and Council President Wanda Williams.

City Councilwoman Sandra Reid, left, and Council President Wanda Williams.

Video footage taken at the State Street gas station where Harrisburg City Councilwoman Sandra Reid was arrested two days before Thanksgiving is among the evidence the district attorney’s office is using to determine whether to file charges, First Assistant District Attorney Fran Chardo confirmed Wednesday.

The footage includes video from both police dashboard cameras and store surveillance cameras, Chardo said.

The store’s footage, from cameras with views inside and outside City Gas & Diesel at 15th and State streets, was collected by law enforcement the day after Reid’s arrest, according to Nirmal Singh Gill, a man who identified himself as the business owner.

Gill said he was not present during the arrest and had not viewed the surveillance footage. He did not make available any employees who might have witnessed the incident at his store.

So far, few details have surfaced of the circumstances leading to the arrest of Reid, a first-term councilwoman with an often fiery demeanor who has actively campaigned to remove trash from city streets and crack down on illegal dumpers.

Since her arrest, late in the evening of Tuesday, Nov. 25, Harrisburg police have referred questions about the incident to the mayor’s office. Reid, meanwhile, has declined to give her version of events, saying she would wait to release a statement until after the district attorney had made a decision on the charges.

Most of what is known about the incident comes from a police log, available for download on the city’s website. The log records the arrest of two people close to midnight, one of them a 29-year-old black male and the other Councilwoman Reid.

The log is generated automatically from details entered by officers at the time of an arrest, said Paula Trovy, the police department’s public information officer. In the log, Reid is identified as Sandra Greene, a name from a previous marriage. Both Trovy and Chardo said that was consistent with the police records system, which logs subjects by the name under which they are first entered into the database.

According to the log, Reid was arrested for obstruction of justice, which Chardo said took place during the arrest of the other suspect. The man was arrested for making threats, physical harassment and false imprisonment, as well as for remaining on private property in defiance of an order to leave, the log says.

Officials have “no reason to believe” Reid and the man knew each other, Chardo said, but he added that he couldn’t be sure.

The counts against the man could be charged as three misdemeanors and one summary offense, Chardo said, while the count against Reid could be charged as a misdemeanor. As of midday Wednesday, no charges against either had been filed.

On Wednesday, the city denied a right-to-know request for the surveillance tapes, citing an exemption in the law for materials involved in either a criminal or noncriminal investigation.

Chardo later affirmed the exemption, saying the tapes formed part of the investigation. He did not say whether his office would release the tapes on its own, and referred to a law that restricts dissemination of investigatory materials to non-law enforcement entities.

He did say, however, that the tapes would likely be an exhibit in any case resulting from the investigation, at which point they would become public documents.

This story has been updated with information that an alternate surname identifying Councilwoman Reid was from a previous marriage, and to clarify a point about the names recorded in Harrisburg police logs.

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