Stephen R. Reed

For other people with the same name, see Steve Reed (disambiguation).
Stephen R. Reed
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from the 103rd district
In office
January 7, 1975 – November 19, 1980
Preceded by George Gekas
Succeeded by Peter C. Wambach
Mayor of the City of Harrisburg
In office
January 5, 1982 – January 4, 2010
Preceded by Paul E. Doutrich, Jr.
Succeeded by Linda D. Thompson
Personal details
Born Stephen Russell Reed
(1949-08-09) August 9, 1949
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
Political party Democratic
Residence Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Religion Catholic

Stephen Russell Reed (born August 9, 1949) is the former and longest-serving mayor of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Reed faces charges on nearly 500 counts of theft, fraud and corruption.[1][2]

Biography

Reed was born in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. After moving to Harrisburg in the 1950s, Reed attended Bishop McDevitt High School, where he graduated in 1967. He went on to attend Dickinson College and was named a Finnegan Fellow in 1970. He did not graduate from Dickinson and later served as an emergency medical technician in Harrisburg, while pursuing his early political career.

Political Life

Active in the Democratic Party as a teenager, Reed headed the Teenage Democrats of Pennsylvania, was Vice-President of the College Young Democrats of Pennsylvania, and was active in many civic activities. Among his early work experiences was a staff job for the Democratic Caucus in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

In the Democratic landslide victory year of 1974, when he was 25, Reed campaigned hard for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and upset four-term Republican incumbent George Gekas, who later became a Pennsylvania state senator and U.S. Congressman. He would go on to serve three terms as a member of the state’s House of Representatives until 1980.

As Mayor

Re-elected to the state house in 1976 and 1978, Reed was elected Dauphin County, Pennsylvania Commissioner in 1979 and Mayor of Harrisburg in 1981. He has won re-election as Mayor in 1985, 1989, 1993, 1997, 2001 and 2005. During the 2000s, he was considered "Pennsylvania's most popular and successful mayor."[3]

During Reed's tenure, restaurants, museums, hotels, several large office buildings and new residences were constructed within the city limits. Reed was instrumental in the city getting its minor league baseball team, the Harrisburg Senators, and later led the city to purchase the team when it was sold to a buyer who intended to move it out of the region.

Harrisburg is also known world wide for its use of land value taxation. Harrisburg has taxed land at a rate six times that on improvements since 1975, and this policy has been credited by Reed, as well as by the city's former city manager during the 1980s with helping reducing the number of vacant structures in downtown Harrisburg from about 4,200 in 1982 to less than 500.

Reed is credited with conceiving and developing Harrisburg's City Island park, the Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, and the high school that accompanied it. He is the founder and driving force behind the construction of the $32 million National Civil War Museum in the city.[4]

In 2000, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania placed Reed in charge of the failing Harrisburg School District, for which he imposed a massive reform and rehabilitation project. Most recently, in 2006 Reed was credited and recognized by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for reducing the city's flood risks.[5]

Reed's successes are balanced by setback: population loss, mounting debt, and continued poverty remain challenges as Harrisburg's slow recovery continues. Those setbacks notwithstanding, in December 2006 the City Mayors organization recognized Reed's achievements by awarding him the bronze third place in its annual World Mayor competition.[6]

Mayor Reed continues to bear strong criticism for purchases of historical Civil War and "American Old West" artifacts with public funds.[7] The artifact purchases were intended for use in a planned Old West Museum, part of a larger plan by Mayor Reed to develop a "critical mass" of national and historically focused museums in Harrisburg, centered on the National Civil War Museum. Plans for the Old West Museum met strong public opposition and Mayor Reed placed the plans on hold, commissioning a public study (funded by an auction of some of the artifacts) to review the feasibility of the museum. Mayor Reed faced similar criticism when acquiring artifacts for the National Civil War Museum. Opponents and critics are most critical about the methods Mayor Reed used to fund the purchases without public oversight: "Every time the independent Harrisburg Authority floats bonds for the Harrisburg school district and other government agencies, it collects a fee and deposits it into an account. The mayor can draw on that account for any capital expense as long as he has the signatures of two members of the authority (all appointed by the mayor).[7]"

Mayor Reed won reelection in 2005, unopposed, after winning the Democratic Primary against Jason N. Smith, a Harrisburg entrepreneur and outspoken critic of the Old West Museum and artifact purchases.

As late as January 2009, he was called “Mayor-for-life.”[8] In the May 2009 Democratic Primary, Mayor Reed lost his re-election bid to Harrisburg City Council president Linda Thompson.[9]

Indictment for Corruption

On July 14, 2015, Kathleen Kane, the Attorney General of the State of Pennsylvania (who subsequently had her law license suspended for unrelated reasons) announced 499 criminal charges against Reed for his activities involving the museums and the incinerator project. "This is one of the most disturbing cases of public corruption this office has investigated," Kane said. "Mayor Reed used taxpayer money to further his own interests. His conduct is at the root of the fiscal issues that continue to plague the city of Harrisburg today."[10][11]

Reed is charged with diverting money from Harrisburg bond funds, including buying Wild West and Civil War memorabilia some of which he hoarded in a private collection at his home, or sold for his own benefit.[12]

In response Reed said: "I devoted my life to the city of Harrisburg, and I look forward to waging a vigorous fight against these charges. There is much more to this story. It'll come out eventually. Just not today."[13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Charles Thompson (July 14, 2015). "Former Harrisburg Mayor Stephen R. Reed charged with bribery, theft and dozens more criminal charges". Pennlive.com. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  2. ↑ Howard Sheppard (July 14, 2015). "Attorney General Kane says Reed charges one of the most disturbing cases of public corruption". Fox43.com. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  3. ↑ "The PA Report "Power 75" List" (PDF). Pennsylvania Report. Capital Growth, Inc. January 31, 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-09-20.
  4. ↑ Clines, Francis X. (2002-08-04). "Civil War Relics Draw Visitors, and Con Artists". New York Times. Retrieved 2010-10-04.
  5. ↑ "Harrisburg Mayor Recognized For Reducing City's Flood Risks". Federal Emergency Management Agency. 2006. Retrieved 2007-01-14.
  6. ↑ vom Hove, Tann (2006). "John So, Lord Mayor of Melbourne wins the 2006 World Mayor Award". worldmayor.com/. Retrieved 2006-12-31.
  7. 1 2 Schwartz, Jerry (2004). "City slicker aims for the Old West". AP/Washington Times. Retrieved 2007-05-12.
  8. ↑ "PA Report 100". Pennsylvania Report. Capital Growth, Inc. January 23, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-08-14.
  9. ↑ Miller, Dan (20 May 2009). "Thompson trounces Reed for Democratic nomination for Harrisburg mayor". The Patriot News. Retrieved 2009-05-20.
  10. ↑ Lawrance Binda (July 14, 2015). "Kane Releases Statement, Details Charges Against Reed - theBurg". theBurg. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Kathleen Kane, Pennsylvania Attorney General, Is Suspended From Practicing Law". The New York Times. Sep 21, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  12. ↑ Andrew Robinson (July 16, 2015). "Items seized from Gettysburg business linked to charges against former Harrisburg Mayor Stephen Reed". Fox43.com. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  13. ↑ Charles Thompson (July 14, 2015). "Harrisburg corruption charges portray former mayor Stephen Reed as unhinged from normal checks and balances". Pennlive.com. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
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