City resident and activist, William Cluck, Esquire takes advantage of the public comment period at the December 12, 2012 Municipal Financial Recovery Advisory Committee to ask a series of questions about the progress of the City's recovery. Harrisburg Mayor Linda Thompson responds.

Videos:

First set of questions: The SEC settlement, the Environment Advisory Committee, HUD positions

Second set of questions: Post-employment benefits, Dauphin County Gaming funds, parking meters

Third set of questions: Parking enforcement, fee study, and request for an overview of the City's departments

As released by the PA Department of Education:

Secretary of Education Declares Harrisburg City School District in Financial Recovery, Names Chief Recovery Officer

Harrisburg – Secretary of Education Ron Tomalis today declared Harrisburg City School District, Dauphin County, in Moderate Financial Recovery and named Gene G. Veno as the district’s chief recovery officer.

Veno, 62, of Lower Paxton Township, graduated from West Scranton High School in Lackawanna County.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in business education from Elizabethtown College and a master’s degree in public administration from Marywood University.

Veno’s educational experience includes previously serving on the Scranton School District school board, as well as developing a strategic marketing plan for the Lebanon Catholic High School for which he was awarded the Nevelyn J. Kinsley Award – 2002 – College Educator of the Year.

In 1989, Veno founded Gene G. Veno and Associates, a national consulting firm.

Veno currently consults for the American Association of Public Insurance Adjusters, located in Washington, D.C., and previously served in the executive management capacity at both the national and state levels for profit and nonprofit associations. He was also an adjunct instructor of business at the graduate and undergraduate levels at Lebanon Valley College.

Veno also served as secretary of the Milk Marketing Board of Pennsylvania and dean of continuing education at Lackawanna Junior College.

"Gene’s experience in fiscal management and executive leadership will benefit Harrisburg City School District and the community at large," Tomalis said. "I am confident that Gene will work with the community to restore financial stability to the school district."

After multiple rounds of nominations and vote calls, Harrisburg City Council finally elected Bruce Weber, a financial analyst for the State Department of Revenue, as the City of Harrisburg's next City Councilor.

Because a winning candidate must have four votes to win, it took three slates until the selection was decided. The first two attempts resulted in the same ballot---three candidates and a 3-2-1 vote. Along with Bruce Weber, former City employee Michael Parker, and former Harrisburg district judge Joseph Solomon were nominated and seconded for the first two slates.

However, although he was nominated again, Solomon's nomination failed to get a second. That put Weber and Parker as the two candidates on the third slate.

When the vote was called, Weber won the seat, 4-2. City Councilors Susan Brown Wilson, Sandra Reid, Eugenia Smith voted for Weber, and Kelly Summerford and Wanda Williams voted for Parker.

Immediately following the vote, Dauphin County Judge Bruce Bratton swore in the new City Councilor.

Videos:

First attempt

Second attempt, third attempt and a new Councilor elected

by Tara Leo Auchey

photo by Natalie Cake

As released by the Office of the Governor of Pennsylvania:

Governor Corbett Announces State-Based Insurance Exchange Decision

Harrisburg--Governor Tom Corbett today released the following statement, along with a letter to U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, regarding the state’s decision on the establishment of a state-based health insurance exchange:

"For two years my administration has been engaged in careful planning around the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, continually seeking guidance from the federal government. Throughout this time, we’ve asked HHS questions to help determine costs, impacts and flexibility in order to inform our decisions.

Until this week, less than five days before the deadline for a state-based exchange decision and blueprint, we received little acknowledgement of those questions. Even HHS Secretary Sebelius recently admitted on a call with governors that the regulations released a few weeks ago were not final and that more drafts are to be expected.

Healthcare reform is too important to be achieved through haphazard planning. Pennsylvania taxpayers and businesses deserve more. They deserve informed decision making and a strong plan that responsibly uses taxpayer dollars.

Therefore, I have decided not to pursue a state-based health insurance exchange at this time. It would be irresponsible to put Pennsylvanians on the hook for an unknown amount of money to operate a system under rules that have not been fully written.

However, we will continue to seek guidance from HHS on the costs, impacts and flexibility involved in the different options for Medicaid expansion.

We must work together on solutions that provide greater access to high quality and more affordable health care coverage for Pennsylvanians."

Pennsylvania is one of 28 states that has declared it will allow the federal government to operate its exchange. By law, the decision to establish a state-based exchange can be re-evaluated by states each year.

The exchange decision letter to HHS, along with three previous letters to HHS from the administration, can be found by clicking on "Affordable Care Act News" on the Pennsylvania Insurance Department’s website at www.insurance.pa.gov.

Following the announcement that David Black, President and CEO of the Harrisburg Regional Chamber of Commerce & CREDC, resigned from the Municipal Financial Recovery Advisory Committee, Harrisburg Mayor Linda Thompson and Harrisburg Receiver William Lynch commented on the situation.

Thompson declared Black's resignation was essential because his position on the Committee had been comprised by last week's Chamber & CREDC video parody of the Mayor and the City's financial crisis, which Black took part in.

"I'm not going to let Dave Black and his shenanigans or his ill behavior be a part of creating further division and distraction," Thompson stated.

Receiver Lynch agreed that if Black had continued on as his role of Governor's representative on the Municipal Financial Recovery Advisory Committee, it could have been a distraction.

by Tara Leo Auchey

Photo by Natalie Cake

After the controversy last week of the Harrisburg Regional Chamber of Commerce & CREDC video parody of the City's financial crisis, the President and CEO, David Black, resigned from the Municipal Financial Recovery Advisory Committee. He was appointed there by PA Governor Corbett and has served there since the committee's formation in April.

At the December 12, 2012 Municipal Financial Recovery Advisory Committee, Harrisburg Receiver William Lynch Harrisburg read Black's resignation letter. Citing "recent controversies of my making," Black said his quitting of his position was so as to not hinder the financial recovery of the City.

In response, Lynch said, "I think he's followed the right course of action."

There is no word from Corbett's office on who will be appointed to fill the position of Governor's representative.

by Tara Leo Auchey

Photo by Natalie Cake