Municipal Financial Recovery Advisory Committee____Fred Reddig: "The cash flow of the City is stable."  5/16/2012
At the May 16th Municipal Financial Recovery Advisor Committee meeting, Fred Reddig, Administrator of the Office of the Receiver, gives an overview of the City of Harrisburg's Recovery Plan status. He states there is "a strong focus" to complete the City's 2009 Audit by June with the hopes of having both the 2010 and the 2011 Audits finished by the end of the year. Reddig also discusses various City positions that need filled as well as ongoing negotiations with unions. In reference to the Plan initiatives City Council has tabled over the past few weeks, Reddig "encouraged that they be acted on expeditiously." He does not address the fact that City Council has declared it will not act on any initiative to implement the Recovery Plan until the State publicly examines David Unkovic's resignation.--Tara Leo Auchey

 Municipal Financial Recovery Advisory Committee_____Harrisburg Mayor Thompson: "We are bending over backwards to communicate with Council."  5/16/2012
Harrisburg Mayor Thompson lashes out after Committee member David Black encourages better communication between City Council and the Office of the Mayor.--Tara Leo Auchey Photo/Natalie Cake

 Municipal Financial Recovery Advisory Committee______Neil Grover: "Otherwise, you're not going to get buy in from the citizens of the City if they feel that this was done in the dark."  5/16/2012
Neil Grover takes the mic during public question and comment at the Municipal Financial Recovery Advisory Committee to explain a prominent public confusion about the ongoing process of the implementation of the Recovery Plan in the wake of Receiver David Unkovic's resignation. Grover speaks of mixed messages and public perception of back room deals. He urges a clearer approach to informing the citizens of Harrisburg. "It becomes very confusing when you hear different officials saying different things."--Tara Leo Auchey Photo/Natalie Cake

 Municipal Financial Recovery Advisory Committee______David Black: "We're breaking new ground here."  5/16/2012
The Office of the Governor representative, David Black, emphasizes the challenges associated with explaining the process of selling/leasing the City's assets stating some details can be public while others must remain confidential.--Tara Leo Auchey Photo/Natalie Cake

 Municipal Financial Recovery Advisory Committee______City Council President Wanda Williams and Mayor Linda Thompson  5/16/2012
In response to Harrisburg City Council President asking the Office of the Receiver for more specific information about the process of the sale/lease of the City's assets, the Mayor retorts that City Council is spreading "misnomers" about what's really going on and about what the Mayor does and does not know.---Tara Leo Auchey Tags: Harrisburg Mayor Thompson President Williams Photo/Natalie Cake

 Municipal Financial Recovery Advisory Committee______William Cluck: Would Dauphin County commit that they will not lobby against Chapter 9?  5/16/2012
During the public question and comment period of the Municipal Financial Recovery Advisory Committee, William Cluck asks a series of questions including whether or not Dauphin County will refrain from lobbying to extend the State legislation which prohibits the City of Harrisburg from filing for Chapter 9 Municipal Bankruptcy. The current prohibition ends on June 30, 2012. Cluck declares the County's previous interaction with the Legislature as been "counterproductive" and that "Dauphin County has been a roadblock" in the City's fiscal recovery.--Tara Leo Auchey

 Municipal Financial Recovery Advisory Committee______Wanda Williams: "At this point, we are not comfortable what the Commonwealth has requested that we do."  5/16/2012
Harrisburg City Council President Wanda Williams addresses the statements and comments directed at City Council for not supporting the Recovery Plan. Reiterating City Council's stance that members are not in favor of several of the Recovery Plan initiatives before them, Williams declares that if the Office of the Receiver must take the issues to Commonwealth Court in order to mandate City Council act to implement the Plan, then that's what must be done.--Tara Leo Auchey Tags: Photo/Natalie Cake

 Municipal Financial Recovery Advisory Committee______David Black: "The failure for implementation through normal processes."  5/16/2012
After Mayor Linda Thompson urges City Council to move forward with the implementation of the Recovery Plan, including the hiring of a Communications Director, Office of the Governor representative David Black inquires about the process of implementing the Plan "outside normal processes," i.e. if City Council does not pass the initiatives. Administrator of the Office of the Receiver, Fred Reddig, affirms that the "takeover" statute does allow for the Office of the Receiver to "enforce the provisions" of the Plan.--Tara Leo Auchey

 May 8th Video of Brad Koplinski_____Harrisburg City Council member Koplinski calls out Mayor Thompson  5/16/2012
Media response by Koplinski:_______"With her renewed commitment to the ill conceived recovery plan Mayor Linda Thompson has once again demonstrated a failure to protect the interests of Harrisburg in favor of protecting those that helped create the financial crisis the city faces. She is endorsing the sale of assets before a full accounting of responsibility for the incinerator fiasco, thus absolving the County, the bond deal participants and the bond insurer from any possible liability. Her support of the recovery plan as written ignores former receiver David Unkovic's appeal for more concessions as well as his admonition about political pressure to accept it as is. I and most of my colleagues continue to believe that many questions remain unanswered and that any proposed remedy must follow a satisfactory conclusion to an investigation. Some of those questions center around the time Mayor Thompson was President of City Council and include questions about people close to her Administration. That may explain her anxiety to move forward without looking back. But, city taxpayers shouldn't be sold down the river to protect the reputations of powerful political players or the money men with whom they cavort. Mayor Thompson should worry less about protecting her sponsors and advisors and more about the ordinary citizens who are being asked to pay for deals in which they had no part. The state's proposal is less of a plan than it is a plot to force the city to divest assets while at the same time protecting the guilty." Tags: Harrisburg Mayor Thompson Brad Koplinski Receiver Photo/Natalie cake

 William B. Lynch________The newly nominated Receiver for the City of Harrisburg  5/11/2012
This afternoon, Major General William B. Lynch was introduced as the Governor-nominated Receiver for the City of Harrisburg. The City has been without a Receiver since David Unkovic abruptly resigned on March 30th. Retired from the Air Force and Air National Guard, Lynch has served as Pennsylvania's Adjutant General under Governors Schweiker and Rendell. As Adjutant General, it was referenced that Lynch was charged with a department with a $550 million budget and 22,000 employees. Despite having no municipal governance or finance background, Lynch declared he was not concerned with the tasks of returning the City of Harrisburg to fiscal stability. "I'm a bit of a sucker for challenge." Not only did General Lynch express a positive attitude about working with Harrisburg's elected officials, he also said he hopes to "simplify" Act 47. The Commonwealth Court has 15 days to hold a hearing on Lynch's appointment and must make a decision within 60 days from this nomination. The General lives in Hazleton.--Tara Leo Auchey

  William B. Lynch________"I am more interested in doing it correctly, than doing it quickly."  5/11/2012
After Major General William B. Lynch was introduced as the Governor-nominated Receiver for the City of Harrisburg, he took questions from the press on his predecessor David Unkovic, his experience, campaign finance, and his approach to the City of Harrisburg's fiscal issues.--Tara Leo Auchey

 William B. Lynch________"I will be happy to speak to anyone that can help with this process."  5/11/2012
After Major General William B. Lynch was introduced as the Governor-nominated Receiver for the City of Harrisburg, he took questions from the press on his predecessor David Unkovic, his experience, campaign finance, and his approach to the City of Harrisburg's fiscal issues.--Tara Leo Auchey

 William B. Lynch________"Excellency has a nice ring to it."  5/11/2012
After Major General William B. Lynch was introduced as the Governor-nominated Receiver for the City of Harrisburg, he took questions from the press on his predecessor David Unkovic, his experience, campaign finance, and his approach to the City of Harrisburg's fiscal issues.--Tara Leo Auchey

 William B. Lynch________"I'm here as long as it takes, and I don't know how long that will be."  5/11/2012
After Major General William B. Lynch was introduced as the Governor-nominated Receiver for the City of Harrisburg, he took questions from the press on his predecessor David Unkovic, his experience, campaign finance, and his approach to the City of Harrisburg's fiscal issues.--Tara Leo Auchey

 Mayor Thompson__________"Those council members"  5/10/2012
Mayor Thompson media update. Thursday 2:01 PM From Robert Philbin Senior Advisor to the Mayor________________________Status of Court Ordered City of Harrisburg Financial Recovery Plan (Harrisburg) -- Mayor Linda D. Thompson said today that concerns about the resignation of the receiver and calls for investigations and hearings by some are simply distractions from the goal of fiscal recovery for the City of Harrisburg. Archive video 2007. Tags: Harrisburg Mayor Thompson Receiver Unkovic DCED Photo/Natalie Cake “Those council members who oppose the court-ordered financial recovery plan are simply stalling the process as much as they can get away with, just as they have over the last two years.” Mayor Thompson said today. “There’s nothing new here. That’s why the legislature passed SB 1151 calling for a city receiver. That’s why the governor declared the city to be in a state of fiscal emergency. That’s why the court is driving the recovery process now instead of these elected officials. They continue to stall because they refuse to accept the law and the process they created for themselves over the last two years.” On the other hand, Mayor Thompson said there are numerous initiatives in the financial recovery plan that city council is required by law to act upon, including staff allocations, which are part of the revenue generating process for the city, and many other revenue initiatives which fall to their responsibility for action. “It is council’s responsibility by law to start moving these revenue generating initiatives forward,” the mayor said. “I suspect a court might look unkindly on any stalling tactics.” As to ongoing investigations peripheral to the recovery process, the mayor called for investigations into the incinerator financing deals when she was a council member and council president years ago and she in fact appointed the current Harrisburg Authority Board of Directors fully expecting that they would aggressively pursue a forensic audit. “This is one of the many good reasons why I named those individuals to that board of directors,” Mayor Thompson said. “I expect them to pursue the facts wherever the facts might lead them.” The mayor said that organizations like Debt Watch are helpful watchdogs that can assist parsing through the process. As far as the reasons former receiver David Unkovic resigned, the mayor said it is up to Mr. Unkovic to explain his actions if he so chooses. “He requested state and federal inquiries and it’s up to those authorities to act on his request,” the mayor said. “I’m not going to speculate as to his personal decisions.” “As elected city officials, we have our public duty, our agenda; we have our plan, and we will continue to implement the recovery plan, step by step. Those who don’t, or refuse to understand the court ordered management process, are disingenuous and not responsibly serving the citizens of this city.”

 2012-2013 PA Budget______Majority Leader Turzai: "The contrast of the prior Administration and the prior House leadership, you know, was always chaos."  5/10/2012
After the PA Senate passed an alternate proposal for the State's 2012-2013 Budget and sent it to the PA House, House Majority Leader Mike Turzai discusses the next steps in the Budget process.--Tara Leo Auchey Photo/Natalie Cake

 2012-2013 PA Budget_____Senator Corman: "We will fund our obligations."  5/10/2012
After the PA Senate passed an amendment to the Governor's proposed Budget, Senator Corman visited the Capitol Newsroom to discuss the 2012-2013 Budget process. Tags: Senator Corman 2012 Budget Photo/Natalie Cake

 2012-2013 PA Budget______Majority Leader Turzai on the Senate's Amendment: "There's no sense that's the end result or the end product."  5/10/2012
After the PA Senate passed an alternate proposal for the State's 2012-2013 Budget and sent it to the PA House, House Majority Leader Mike Turzai discusses the next steps in the Budget process.--Tara Leo Auchey Photo/Natalie Cake

 2012-2013 PA Budget______Majority Leader Turzai: "A body of work over the past 15 to 16 months that, I think, the public resoundingly affirms."  5/10/2012
After the PA Senate passed an alternate proposal for the State's 2012-2013 Budget and sent it to the PA House, House Majority Leader Mike Turzai discusses government integrity, taxpayers dollars, and program cuts.--Tara Leo Auchey Photo/Natalie Cake

 2012-2013 PA Budget______Majority Leader Turzai: "I could not tell you where we in the House will be."  5/10/2012
After the PA Senate passed an alternate proposal for the State's 2012-2013 Budget and sent it to the PA House, House Majority Leader Mike Turzai discusses education and "the ceiling" the Senate's budget amendment established.--Tara Leo Auchey photo/Natalie Cake