Stephen R. Reed
Encyclopedia
Stephen Russell Reed is the former and longest-serving mayor
of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
. He moved to Harrisburg with his parents as a boy.
, 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.
.
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.
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."
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 dollar National Civil War Museum
in the city.
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.
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.
Mayor Reed continues to bear strong criticism for purchases of historical Civil War
and "American Old West" artifacts with public funds. 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 around 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 outspoken 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)."
Mayor Reed won reelection in 2005, unopposed, after winning the Democratic Primary against Jason 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.” In the May 2009 Democratic Primary, Mayor Reed lost his re-election bid to Harrisburg City Council president Linda Thompson.
Prior to the inauguration of his successor on January 4, 2010, Reed stated that he would be involved in a consulting concern after leaving office. In 2010, he split with his party in endorsing Republican Pat Toomey
for the U.S. Senate over Democrat Joe Sestak.
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
. He moved to Harrisburg with his parents as a boy.
Biography
After moving to Harrisburg in the 1950s, Reed attended Bishop McDevitt High SchoolBishop McDevitt High School (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania)
Bishop McDevitt High School is a private, coeducational Catholic high school of the Diocese of Harrisburg, located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States. The school was founded in 1918 and renamed in 1957 to honor the memory of the Most Reverend Philip R. McDevitt, fourth bishop of Harrisburg...
, where he graduated in 1967. He went on to attend Dickinson College
Dickinson College
Dickinson College is a private, residential liberal arts college in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Originally established as a Grammar School in 1773, Dickinson was chartered September 9, 1783, five days after the signing of the Treaty of Paris, making it the first college to be founded in the newly...
and was named a Finnegan Fellow
Finnegan Foundation
The James A. Finnegan Foundation was founded in 1960 and incorporated under Pennsylvania law as a 501 non-profit educational organization. It is governed by an independent Board of Directors, many of whom are Finnegan Alumni.-Founding:...
in 1970. He did not graduate from Dickinson and later served as an emergency medical technician
Emergency medical technician
Emergency Medical Technician or Ambulance Technician are terms used in some countries to denote a healthcare provider of emergency medical services...
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 RepresentativesPennsylvania House of Representatives
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two year terms from single member districts....
.
In the Democratic landslide victory
Landslide victory
In politics, a landslide victory is the victory of a candidate or political party by an overwhelming margin in an election...
year of 1974, when he was 25, Reed campaigned hard for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and upset four-term Republican incumbent George Gekas
George Gekas
George William Gekas is a Republican politician from Pennsylvania. He represented the state's 17th Congressional district from 1983 to 2003, when he was unseated in a major upset.-Early life:...
, who later became a Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
state senator and U.S. Congressman. He would go on to serve three terms as a member of the state’s House of Representatives
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two year terms from single member districts....
until 1980.
As Mayor
Re-elected to the state house in 1976 and 1978, Reed was elected Dauphin County, PennsylvaniaDauphin County, Pennsylvania
Dauphin County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and is one of the three counties comprising the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010 census, the population was 268,100. The county includes the city of Harrisburg, which has served as the state capital...
Commissioner in 1979 and Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Harrisburg
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
in 1981. He has won re-election as Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
in 1985, 1989, 1993, 1997, 2001 and 2005. During the 2000s, he was considered "Pennsylvania's most popular and successful mayor."
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
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
team, the Harrisburg Senators
Harrisburg Senators
The Harrisburg Senators are a minor league baseball team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals....
, 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
City Island (Pennsylvania)
City Island is a mile-long island in the Susquehanna River between Harrisburg and Wormleysburg, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is used mainly for leisure and sports activities...
park, the Harrisburg University of Science and Technology
Harrisburg University of Science and Technology
The Harrisburg University of Science and Technology is a private teaching university in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States. The university offers applied programs in the nationally critical science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines. The University also matches students...
, and the high school
SciTech High
The Harrisburg University of Science and Technology High School also known as SciTech High, located in downtown Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, welcomed its first students in September 2003...
that accompanied it. He is the founder and driving force behind the construction of the $32 million dollar National Civil War Museum
National Civil War Museum
The National Civil War Museum, located at One Lincoln Circle at Reservoir Park in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, is a permanent, nonprofit educational institution created to promote the preservation of material culture and sources of information that are directly relevant to the American Civil War of...
in the city.
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
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...
for reducing the city's flood risks.
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
World Mayor
World Mayor is a biennial award organized by The City Mayors Foundation since 2004. It intends to raise the profile of mayors worldwide, as well as honour those who have served their communities well and who have contributed to the well-being of cities, nationally and internationally...
competition.
Mayor Reed continues to bear strong criticism for purchases of historical Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
and "American Old West" artifacts with public funds. 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 around the National Civil War Museum
National Civil War Museum
The National Civil War Museum, located at One Lincoln Circle at Reservoir Park in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, is a permanent, nonprofit educational institution created to promote the preservation of material culture and sources of information that are directly relevant to the American Civil War of...
. 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 outspoken about the methods Mayor Reed used to fund the purchases without public oversight: "Every time the independent Harrisburg Authority
Harrisburg Authority
Harrisburg Authority is a municipal authority providing solid waste management services in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania....
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)."
Mayor Reed won reelection in 2005, unopposed, after winning the Democratic Primary against Jason 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.” In the May 2009 Democratic Primary, Mayor Reed lost his re-election bid to Harrisburg City Council president Linda Thompson.
Prior to the inauguration of his successor on January 4, 2010, Reed stated that he would be involved in a consulting concern after leaving office. In 2010, he split with his party in endorsing Republican Pat Toomey
Pat Toomey
Patrick Joseph "Pat" Toomey, Sr. is the junior United States Senator for Pennsylvania and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, Toomey served as a U.S. Representative for three terms, but did not seek a fourth in compliance with a pledge he had made while running for office in 1998...
for the U.S. Senate over Democrat Joe Sestak.