If you could ask your mayor anything, what would it be?
In honor of the Best of Harrisburg issue, we gave Harrisburg mayor Eric Papenfuse a pop personality quiz, and here’s how he answered.
Name: Eric Papenfuse
Hometown: I consider Harrisburg my hometown because it is where I have made my home, but I was born in Baltimore.
I believe that the most important quality for a mayor is: to be in touch with the needs of his community and responsive and respectful to his constituents. A mayor serves the people of his city and must be committed to improving the quality of life for all residents. I have made a point to listen carefully to the people of Harrisburg, meeting with them in their homes, celebrating with them at parties and festivals, worshipping with them in the city’s many historic churches and sharing their grief when tragedy has struck our communities. The mayor must be connected to all of the people and must take time to understand their problems and help provide the tools and resources to solve them. I am committed to that mission, and I truly enjoy when I can sit and talk with people about working together to rebuild our city.
My favorite thing to do with my family in Harrisburg is: walk along the Susquehanna River on a spring day. Our family loves the river, and I find great peace in its beauty.
The most important goal I wish to accomplish while in office is:
a. To develop the city’s services, such as improving and expanding police presence.
b. To improve on the city’s school system.
c. To create more jobs and recover the city’s financial situation. (But this can’t be done without addressing all of the other issues listed.)
d. To provide more common areas to mingle and create a sense of community.
The places I would recommend for someone taking a daytrip to Harrisburg are: The Midtown Scholar Bookstore! The State Capitol, The Whitaker Center, Capital Area Greenbelt, Wildwood Lake, Strawberry Square for the food court and shopping, a stroll through the Peace Garden on Front Street, and City Island for a Senators game.
So far, my favorite moment as mayor was: Administering the oath to new police and firefighter recruits during the first 100 days of my administration. I was impressed at the caliber of the recruits, their education and life experiences. Some of them were veterans who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan. We had a record number of women among the police recruits, and they came with remarkable careers and accomplishments. The ceremonies for both police and firefighters were moving, and I was honored to be able to share these important life moments with the families of the men and women who will serve our city.
To balance my work life, including being in office, running the Midtown Scholar bookstore, and my family life, I: try to exercise when I can find the time, and I try to squeeze in quality time during the week with my wife and children. I also do my utmost to reserve weekends as family time.
The most impactful book I’ve ever read that I would recommend to others is: non-fiction: “City Contented, City Discontented: A History of Modern Harrisburg,” by Paul Beers; fiction: “Waterland” by Graham Swift
If I could do anything besides being mayor, I would choose: a. to focus solely on owning and managing the Midtown Scholar with my wife. b. to hike across America. c. to tour the world’s most renowned bookstores. d. to work for one of Harrisburg’s many non-profit organizations.
In my opinion, being mayor has changed me the most by: teaching me to not personalize criticism and to realize that being attacked comes with the territory of being an elected official. I have learned to stay focused on the mission to make sure Harrisburg recovers and we all are proud of our city again. I am a positive person by nature, but I am now more focused than ever on keeping an up-beat, can-do attitude despite the slings and arrows that will assuredly come.
My favorite place to eat in Harrisburg is: I have many favorites, so I can’t pick just one. Some are as diverse as Bricco, Uptown Grill, Subway Cafe, Sandwich Man, Yellow Bird Cafe and the Garden.
I’m so passionate about my city because: I made my home in Harrisburg. It’s that simple. My wife and I moved here at a young age and fell in love with Harrisburg. We are raising our children here and have invested in the city’s future. We built a thriving business from scratch and helped transform a key part of the city. I am inspired by Harrisburg’s rich history that is entwined with the founding of our great country. And I can’t forget that I have many wonderful friends in Harrisburg who make this city a wonderful place to call home.
