Monday, July 8, 2019

Next?



The recent resignation of Scranton mayor Bill Courtright started me thinking about mayors I've covered since my professional career began.

Eugene Hickey was the first, a nice man, very low key.  A lot of things, bad things, happened on his watch.  Two of the biggest were the energy crisis and Scranton's population slide.  Hickey can't be blamed for the first.  He might have  been able to help with the second.  Oppenheim's closed on Hickey's watch.  Again, not his fault.  The idea for a downtown mall, with the working title of Westgate, started during Hickey's one term in city hall.

Jim McNulty was next.  Love him, or hate him, you have to admit McNulty thought big.  Who could forget McNulty's inaugural ball in the empty Oppenheim building because he wanted to show Al Boscov what that building looked like filled with people.  The mall thing received a lot of attention.  McNulty also floated the idea for a downtown arena.   Steamtown USA arrived, and failed.  We saw heavyweight boxing matches, movie filming and several other media events during McNulty's one term.  It was fun.

By the way, the Oppenheim stunt was a great idea.  Boscov passed because the building was too small, too old, and it had an old style valet parking garage.

Unfortunately, McNulty was not a traditional mayor, not a nuts and bolts guy.  That opened the door for David Wenzel.  Wenzel approached the office with his typical quiet dignity and class.  The mall did make some progress during Wenzel's single term.  Other than that, there was a general feeling the city was stagnating.  Wenzen didn't seek reelection.

Enter Jimmy Connors-- a people person if there ever was one,  Media friendly.  Approachable.  Accessible.  The mall opened and the Globe closed on Connors' watch.  The city was in major financial trouble.  Connors never raised taxes.  Perhaps, that was a mistake.  A switch back to the Democrat party didn't earn many friends.  Connors finished third in the 2001 Democratic primary.

Chris Doherty was next.  A young professional, Doherty brought a youthful enthusiasm to the office.  The financial problems remained.  Scranton voters sent him back two more times, and after that third term, Doherty declared it was time for a change.

Scranton voters chose Bill Courtright to be their next mayor.  He seemed to get a handle on the city's finances, mainly by selling off city assets.  Outside of his investigation and felonies, Courtright really wasn't much of a headline maker.  As I said last week, Courtright was there, most of the time, when you needed him.

Here is my point.  Other than McNulty, with a little bit of Connors and Doherty, Scranton hasn't had many true leaders-- cheerleaders who will get the place noticed, and in a good way.  These days, it isn't enough to balance the checkbook. You have to get people to believe in themselves and their city.

Think of that as the new mayor selection process moves along.