Former Harrisburg Mayor Stephen Reed has died.
Reed served as mayor from 1982 to 2010.
He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2006. Reed was 70-years-old. WGAL took a look back at Reed’s long and complicated legacy He was once proclaimed Harrisburg’s “mayor fore Life.” He served the capital city for 28 years. Reed dedicated much of his life to the city where he grew up. A Democrat, he served in the Pennsylvania State House before being elected mayor, a position he would hold for nearly three decades.
He took over a city in decline in the 1980s, with people and businesses leaving downtown. Reed believed government could lead the rebuild. He had big plans and followed through. He brought minor league baseball to town, as well as hotels and restaurants, reinvigorating the local economy. He helped Harrisburg rebound after the devastating Agnes flood in 1972.
Harrisburg University President: Reed wasn’t afraid to change the world
Nearly 20 years ago, when Harrisburg University President Erik Darr worked with former Harrisburg Mayor Stephen R. Reed, he said he saw the city’s leader as “bigger than life.”
“From my perspective, it’s already hard to try new things and to try to change the world,” Darr said in a phone interview with PennLive on Saturday. “Steve wasn’t afraid to try to change the world.”
The BURG news has a series of comments about his passing..
“He had undergone extensive treatment and just a few weeks ago, the treatment was not working. It was unsuccessful and had spread to other parts of his body,” said Randy King, former press secretary for Reed.
Many criticize Reed..
Others say that Harrisburg would not be what it is today without him..
So many restaurants and businesses can thank Reed for the chances they’ve had.. but a Civil War museum!?!
History will judge.
May he rest in peace.
