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.

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.

Photo/Natalie Cake