Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Down South

Courtesy:  WHTM
I never could understand the people of Harrisburg.  They kept electing Stephen Reed as their mayor.  He served 28 years.  He ran the city into debt, to the tune of $ 300 million.  He spent the city's money collecting items for a wild west museum that never opened.  Problems with the city's incinerator cost taxpayers millions.

Yet, the voters of Harrisburg kept sending Stephen Reed back to city hall.   Again and again and again.

Not only did voters kept electing this guy, they stood idly by as Reed was allowed to amass unprecedented power.

I heard my fellow reporters claim Reed kept a tight lid on information.  Everything, every aspect of city government, had to go through him, even if it was police department business.

Stephen Reed was no cop.  Now, he's an accused criminal.  Reed was hit with dozens of criminal counts yesterday-- including bribery and corruption.

There are lessons to be learned here:  a guy, in office far too long, with no checks and balances, with too many people looking the other way.  I like Harrisburg.  It's one of my favorite cities.  The people deserve better, but they also should have seen the red flags going up.  Residents are the victims, but they also played a role in allowing Stephen Reed to drag the city down.