During the October 4, 2012 PA Senate Local Government Committee hearing on the debt crisis of the Harrisburg Authority (THA), former THA Board member Fred Clark explained the process and procedure of the Board voting on financial transactions. Committee Chair Senator John Eichelberger asked Clark, "Who was guiding Authority members? What was it like when you were on the ground there?"

In corroboration with his testimony that Board members made decisions based on the advice of appropriate professionals, Clark told the Committee that every vote the Board made was preceded with a introduction by the Executive Director and a presentation by professionals who gave the Board rationale for how to vote. Clark declared that for every vote, "absolutely, unequivocally professionals there making a case for why and what we were doing."

However, listening to various audio recordings of THA Board meetings during Clark's tenure, his testimony is contradicted by his own apparent frustration at a lack of professional representation and explanation at public Board meetings. On February 22, 2006, for example, Executive Director Tom Mealy presented the Board with a resolution for an agreement between the ARM Group, Inc. and THA regarding a Wind Energy Project Study in an amount not to exceed $352,795.00. When Clark asked where the representatives of the ARM Group, Inc were, Mealy responded that they weren't asked to come.

What ensues is a tense discussion about the expectations put on the Board and the resentment of Board members for feeling as if they are being asked to "rubber stamp" resolutions put before them. At one point, acting Chair John Keller states, "I personally in my opinion feel the professional people that do business with the Authority have been taking this three man board for extremely for granted."

Both Clark and Keller proclaim they have been saying the same thing for a long time about the voting procedure.

Despite their protestations of the process, the Board unanimously approved the resolution put before them without professional advice on the matter. Therefore, it seems Senator Eichelberger's questions still stands, "Who was guiding the Authority members?"

by Tara Leo Auchey

photo by Natalie Cake