Councilman Dan Miller Endorses Eric!
I strongly endorse Eric Papenfuse for election to Harrisburg City Council. He is one of Harrisburg's best hopes for the future and exactly the type of citizen that should hold elective office. Eric is independent, invested in the community and only interested in making decisions that enhance the welfare of both the city and its residents.
As a successful business entrepreneur Eric is well informed in financial matters and able to understand the issues and solutions necessary for Harrisburg today. It is imperative that a person of Eric's caliber be elected to City Council to safeguard our interests in an honest, independent, intelligent and rational manner.
— Dan Miller, Vice President of Harrisburg City Council, April 29, 2009
- Susan Brown-Wilson, Harrisburg City Council, April 24th, 2009
"Support That is Given and not Taken Lightly”
April 20, 2009
What impressed me from the outset about Eric Papenfuse is his sincere passion for urban living, his comfort in embracing people of all cultures and socio-economic status and his desire for a transparent city government.
Eric is a friendly and intelligent guy with a lovely wife who exudes a soft and kind presence. They are family people, with strong family values. I was impressed that he operates his book business in our city, bringing employment opportunities to local residents and adding to our tax base. Eric Papenfuse could have located his business anywhere, but he chose to live in the city and he pays his taxes here. Eric doesn’t just talk the talk, he walks the walk.
Eric has a deep desire to serve our community by sharing his strong business expertise, compassion for people, and the belief that everyone deserves a good quality of life without being held hostage to government debt and elusive leadership. I strongly support and endorse Eric because, long before he made his decision to run, Eric called for better city governance through accountability and transparency. When I ran for a second council term, Eric was one of my strongest supporters. At that time, Eric didn’t know me personally, but he had followed my career on council. He supported me because we share a common vision for our city: arresting city debt, strong and safe neighborhoods, economic development afforded to all, open and honest city government, and selling the Incinerator.
Eric doesn’t sit on the sidelines; when he sees wrong he takes action. This is exactly the kind of person we want in office.
To quote Rev. Martin L. King, Jr., “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” If you have followed Eric’s platform from the day he announced his candidacy to date, you know that he does not and will not remain silent, allowing ulterior motives and distortions to be a dominating influence that takes away from our ability to know the truth.
Local government is the primary foundation for everything that influences our quality of life. We are the authors of our future. Let us not remain in the past, but let us look at the current instability of the city’s foundation. Unprecedented debt, deals made in the dark, only a few benefiting from economic development, the failing and indebted Incinerator, Wild West artifacts, a failing museum and a Sports Hall of Fame with questionable history.
We must have people on City Council who will not bend to the constant pressure of those in favor of a closed-door government.
I urge everyone in our City to elect another committed and concerned citizen, Eric Papenfuse, to Harrisburg City Council. He will help us restore economic prosperity, promote public safety, improve the standards of education for our children, and provide leadership that does not promote doubt, despair and disunity. He will provide leadership that respects the principle that no sovereign power has the right to govern without the consent of the governed.
-Gloria Martin-Roberts, Harrisburg City Council, April 20th, 2009
DEVOTED TO OUR COMMUNITY
"We have treasured our friendship with Eric and his wife Catherine since meeting them in 2000. First impressions of a happy, energetic, and generous couple only hinted at the qualities we would discover in the following years. These years have been filled with astonishing activity: they built an attic enterprise into a nationally prominent online bookselling business; they have beautifully restored several historic homes and storefronts; they bring top-level folk musicians to Harrisburg on a regular basis; they actively and materially support arts, education, libraries, neighborhood action groups and other civic endeavors; they are deeply invested in the upbringing of their three children. Now Eric is running for a seat on Harrisburg City Council, and Harrisburg stands to benefit greatly.
"Eric possesses a brilliant intellect. He quickly absorbs vast amounts of information from which to form plans and make decisions. He is never intimidated. He is a forceful advocate for the democratic process. Eric is a leader with an enormous capacity for work, and he works for the success of all in his sphere of influence.
"We have observed from close proximity Eric’s impressive ability with business finance, his habit of making opportunities for disadvantaged people, his confident optimism when facing disappointing circumstances, and his dedication to family, employees, friends and community. We enthusiastically support Eric Papenfuse’s candidacy for Harrisburg City Council."
— Stephen and Cherie Fieser, North Second Street, Harrisburg
"I’ve known Eric for five-and-a-half years. During this time I’ve come to respect him greatly. I’m amazed by his desire to try to make the lives of those around him better. His commitment to his wife and children, along with his employees, is truly amazing. At the Midtown Scholar Bookstore, he has created a work environment where the employee’s welfare is more important than the bottom line. As a friend of mine, he has shown a deep interest in my personal growth and is devoted to helping me reach my goals in life. For this I am truly grateful.
"By locating their bookstore in the city, he and his wife, Catherine, have brought a much-needed cultural resource to the once blighted Midtown area of Harrisburg. This decision has in turn attracted many more businesses with a similar independent outlook.
"As a resident of the city, Eric has shown a principled interest in the political culture of Harrisburg. From his appointments to the Harrisburg Authority and to the Tourism Board, to his and Catherine’s donations to charity, he has demonstrated a deep love for Harrisburg. His recent involvement in removing the illegal BlueCross signs from River Front Park and his other civic activites show that he will be a great asset to our city by serving on City Council."
— Adrian Felton, Green Street, Harrisburg
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