Build People. Build Property. Build Public Trust.
Harrisburg has the people, land, institutions and potential to become a city of ownership and opportunity. This plan focuses city leadership on three measurable missions: preparing young people for adulthood, turning blight into productive neighborhoods, and making City Hall perform for residents.
MISSION 1 — YOUTH-TO-OPPORTUNITY
Every young person should enter adulthood with identification, transportation access, work experience and a practical direction.
• Free learner’s-permit and driver’s-license assistance
• Passport and identification support
• Paid city internships and summer employment
• Trade, public-service and entrepreneurship exposure
• Neighborhood youth hubs using existing community facilities
• Academic achievement rewards through local businesses
• A Next Step Plan connecting youth to college, trades, military service, government, employment or entrepreneurship
MISSION 2 — BUILD HARRISBURG
Vacant land and blighted property should become housing, employment and neighborhood ownership.
• Create a small municipal construction-capacity pilot
• Publish an inventory and use plan for publicly controlled land
• Prepare vacant sites for housing and commercial development
• Establish standardized infill-house and small multifamily plans
• Connect city-supported projects to paid trade apprenticeships
• Prioritize owner-occupancy and first-time homebuyers
• Strengthen enforcement against negligent property owners
The long-term objective is a proven Bureau of Residential and Commercial Construction. The first step is a limited pilot that demonstrates quality, safety and financial value.
MISSION 3 — A CITY THAT PERFORMS
City government should be professionally managed, financially disciplined and publicly accountable.
• Publish a mayoral performance dashboard
• Conduct department-by-department service and spending reviews
• Establish response-time standards for permits, complaints and inspections
• Create a one-stop small-business navigation office
• Review unnecessary barriers facing vendors and entrepreneurs
• Publish city contract performance information
• Pursue regional service agreements when they produce documented value
• Hold quarterly public accountability meetings
A FIRST-TERM CONTRACT WITH HARRISBURG
1. Launch three youth opportunity hubs.
2. Establish license, identification and passport assistance.
3. Create paid city internships and apprenticeships.
4. Launch a municipal construction-capacity pilot.
5. Produce housing or site-preparation projects on public land.
6. Establish a one-stop small-business office.
7. Pilot an Allison Hill food and small-business market.
8. Publish a vacant-property inventory and disposition plan.
9. Launch a public city performance dashboard.
10. Report quarterly on promises, spending, progress and setbacks.
THE STANDARD
Every proposal must answer four questions before becoming a public commitment:
Authority — Can the mayor act directly, or is other approval required?
Cost — What will it cost to launch and operate?
Capacity — Which department or partner will execute it?
Evidence — What measurable result should residents see, and by when?
This is not a promise that one person will solve every problem. It is a commitment to organize residents, institutions and capital around a limited number of measurable missions.