HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Democratic voters in financially troubled Harrisburg have denied Mayor Linda Thompson a second term, choosing bookstore owner Eric Papenfuse to try and help the financially-strappedd capital city.
The state capital is the only Pennsylvania municipality under a state takeover — the result of a multi-million-dollar debt on its municipal trash incinerator that pushed the city to the edge of bankruptcy. Harrisburg officials hope to negotiate a bailout that includes the sale of the incinerator.
Papenfuse defeated Thompson in Tuesday's primary, along with challengers City Controller Dan Miller and former state employee Lewis Butts Jr.
No Republican is running this year. But Papenfuse is likely to face competition in November from Nevin Mindlin, who lost to Thompson as a Republican in 2009 and is running as an independent.