The New Exchange » Then There's Harrisburg's Former Mayor Stephen Reed.

flowergirl · 7/15/2015 9:31 pm

What a piece of art this guy is. Practically ran the city into bankruptcy stealing tens of thousands of dollars from the city's coffers to purchase thousands of artifacts for his delusional museums. He'll probably spend the rest of his life in prison given that he's dying from cancer and already 65 years old if he lives long enough.

Tarnation · 7/16/2015 6:19 am

Me wonders if this is a scheme to get him sentenced (by plea more likely than by trial) so that his medical expenses become 100% on the taxpayers' dime.

Goose · 7/17/2015 6:09 pm

Does anybody ever go to his museum?

flowergirl · 7/17/2015 6:46 pm

Good question. I've never seen any stats on this. I think at least one of his museums was a mere pipe dream of his, not sure if any actual opened as a museum.

florentine · 7/18/2015 8:16 am

Didn't anyone in a position of power question what he was doing when he was buying all this cowboy stuff? I remember asking my husband why he was buying all this cowboy paraphernalia and how does that have anything to do with PA?

flowergirl · 7/19/2015 10:27 am

Goose wrote:
Does anybody ever go to his museum?

Today's Patriot News, as one might expect, dedicates pages and pages to former Mayor Reed and his collection of thousands of artifacts costing millions to taxpayers. Two of the museums are open: The National Civil War Museum and the Pennsylvania National Fire Museum. Travel columnist for the newspaper Jim Cheney says in today's column that both museums are well curated and worth visiting. More of his column and details on the musuems can be read on penn-live.com/travel.

flowergirl · 7/19/2015 10:41 am

florentine wrote:
Didn't anyone in a position of power question what he was doing when he was buying all this cowboy stuff? I remember asking my husband why he was buying all this cowboy paraphernalia and how does that have anything to do with PA?

Reed was highly successful in hiding and covering up his purchases. Many items were bought under the guise of the money being used to pay for city services but the money was actually diverted to his buying habits. Many in his administration who served for most of his time in office either looked the other way, questioned but did not pursue or were a part of the show and aided his purchases. Many of the cowboy items were stashed in his home or in a warehouse near the troubled incinerator and other sites throuout the city. Reed owned the city of Harrisburg and could and did get away with almost anything. The items he purchased with city funds were to go into five museums. Only two ever came into fruition. Why a cowboy museum? Only Reed could answer that question. You can read much more in today's Patriot News on penn-live.com.

tennyson · 7/19/2015 11:03 am

flowergirl wrote:
Good question. I've never seen any stats on this. I think at least one of his museums was a mere pipe dream of his, not sure if any actual opened as a museum.

I believe the National Civil War Museum was one of this dreams which did come to fruition. It is rated very well by Tripadvisor. I have never been there. His vision of attracting tourism, etc to Harrisburg may have been a valid one, but his methods to accomplish this will likely land him in jail and so it should if the information coming out is correct.

flowergirl · 7/19/2015 12:03 pm

As I posted above the Civil War Museum and the Pennsylvania Fire Museum both opened.

tennyson · 7/19/2015 1:07 pm

flowergirl wrote:
As I posted above the Civil War Museum and the Pennsylvania Fire Museum both opened.

Missed it.

I was at the Fire Museum with my brother-in-law who is really interested in things like this and found it to be very good.

Here is a nice Pennlive article about both of them.

http://www.pennlive.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2015/07/stephen_reed_museums_worth_vis.html

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7/15/2015 9:31 pm #1

Then There's Harrisburg's Former Mayor Stephen Reed.

7/16/2015 6:19 am #2

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7/17/2015 6:09 pm #3

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7/17/2015 6:46 pm #4

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7/18/2015 8:16 am #5

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7/19/2015 10:27 am #6

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Goose wrote:

7/19/2015 10:41 am #7

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florentine wrote:

7/19/2015 11:03 am #8

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flowergirl wrote:

7/19/2015 12:03 pm #9

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7/19/2015 1:07 pm #10

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flowergirl wrote:

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