Harrisburg Forward

She ain't even preachin' to the choir no more

2011-03-02T23:31:00.008-05:00

Linda? You could probably use a break from all that exhausting no commenting you've been doing. Let's join hands and skip down memory lane to happier times.

Remember your inauguration when everything was all exciting and you were the center of attention? Good times. That's when you looked out over the half-empty Forum auditorium and uttered these words:

"My prayer is for our city to come together, united in our common purpose, finding strength in our unity and together assuring the resurgence that will take place.

"With neither malice nor blame, as neither has any place in civil discourse, but with love for our city and for all of our fellow citizens, we must join hands in recognition of our collective future."

It would appear to us that God did not just say "no" to your prayer, he smote you for good measure. Unfortunately innocent citizens are being endangered by the celestial schrapnel.

Linda, you know those pre-meeting prayers where much mention is made of those who have hardened their hearts against you? Knock it off. Not only have many hearts hardened into diamonds, God already told you "no" and now you're just pissing Him off.

What's that? Fine. We'll leave God out of it for the moment.

Let's just look at the facts after the election. You won by 842 votes. Yes, yes, we know one vote is enough, but it should have been a landslide.

The city is Democratic, majority black and you had the endorsement of the Ministerium. You had money, consultants and a Get Out The Vote (GOTV) machine. Your opponent was an underfunded, white, Jewish, male Republican who received no support from the county committee. You should have creamed him, but you didn't.

Could that cold, hard fact not penetrate your breathtaking hubris? Could you not grasp your surprisingly slim margin of victory was empirical evidence of a city deeply divided? You should have been building coalitions with citizens who weren't singing in your choir.

But that reaching out and building bridges thing isn't really you, is it? You've got your own "special" style.

We tried to warn your advisors/handlers/wranglers in October 2009:

. . . given her “style” the citizenry may disinclined to join hands and sing “Kumbaya” and more interested in uniting to storm City Hall with torches and pitchforks.

See Linda? We can prophesy too. Just like Rev. Martin Odom of Bethel Village AME Church.

The Patriot-News seems to lack the gift. It's hard to be a prophet when you can't see the trees on the wall or the writing in the forest because your head is up your ass.

In its tiresome continuing series of Sunday editorials begging you to play nice, the newspaper wrote:

When she campaigned against then-Mayor Stephen Reed in 2009, Linda Thompson promised a new era of transparency and inclusiveness.

Instead, Mayor Thompson has hunkered down, literally, behind a locked office door.

In last week’s Patriot-News-WITF State of the City Poll . . . only 19 percent of residents viewed her favorably. Pollster Terry Madonna called it the worst job performance ratings he’d seen in 30 years of state and national polling.

As our State of the City Poll made clear, Mayor Thompson has few chances left to lead.

She can continue to hunker down like Steve Reed — but with none of his dynamism or vision — and watch events spin out of her control. Or she can open her locked door and be the transparent, inclusive leader she promised to be.

Linda, you're in serious trouble. According to the the poll the bedrock of your base is eroding. The choir is starting to leave and your inner circle has shrunk considerably. To put it bluntly, you're so toxic that you can't even pay people to tolerate you.

After the Valentine's Day protest and the release of the poll you've made two highly controlled public appearances where you took no questions from the media.

One was the "keynote" speech for the annual meeting of the Harrisburg Young Professionals (HYP) where you read flatly from your prepared remarks and the second was when you promoted Elija Massey from Detective to Captain, skipping several pay grades in the process.

Seems the newly captained Massey, who for the past year has been on your security detail as your driver and purse holder, raked in enough overtime to put his salary almost equal to yours.

At that event you dodged questions from the media with the assistance of Dr. Rev. Apostle Brenda Alton, Ombudsman, Acting Communications Director and Chief Enabler, who is more accustomed to chancel prancing than dealing professionally with the press. Apostle Brenda managed to become the focus of a story when she got all high handed with a reporter attempting to get a comment from you. Remember that transparency you promised?

We can see the scene from a completly different angle thanks to the Abraham Zapruder of Harrisburg media, the inestimable James Roxbury. We are in awe that Mr. Roxbury always seems to know where the story is. As he once explained to us, "No one ever looks around. No one ever looks up." We think that's good advice. The Sword of Damocles is always overhead.

Which brings us to the present. On Wednesday you decided to play the victim because who doesn't feel for a martyr? This morning on PennLive the Patriot reported you had received communications you felt were "harrassing." By afternoon they had trasmorgrified into "death threats" and according to the (corrected from an earlier version) current story they have now been downgraded to "threats with racist overtones."

Wow. If you can't get the harrassment/death threat thing straight, how can we have any confidence in your pronouncements we might actually give a shit about like boil water advisories or flood warnings? You need to work on that.

The Patriot's editorial viewpoint

2011-02-20T20:46:00.005-05:00

John Kirkpatrick's opinion piece published on Sunday leaves no doubt the Patriot's editorial board and Linda D. Thompson have found common ground. Both are clueless.

The Patriot-News continues to believe if only Linda "would reach out to others in this time of crisis, helping those of us in the press to communicate (her) ideas and plans for the city" everything will be just fine. Trouble is, Linda doesn't have a plan or any ideas or a Communications Director/Translator to prevent her from taunting angry citizens.

Incredibly, Kirkpatrick writes:

Candidate Thompson was different than Mayor Thompson. She was continually out and about in the city sharing her vision. She expressed strong opinions but also surrounded herself with smart and dedicated people, including local business leaders. She offered hope and excitement to many city residents who felt cut out from the city’s successes. Our editorials at the time expressed reservations about her personal style but also reflected and honored the faith that people from different races, parts of the city and walks of life had placed in her.

Really? To express surprise that a candidate is not delivering on promises strikes us as supremely naive. We also had quite a different take on the editorials at the time.

If John really wants to honest, perhaps he will address rumors that days before the election a coalition of black clergy met with the editorial board and demanded the paper back off coverage of Thompson. The Patriot caved and imposed a moratorium on any reportage of the Harrisburg mayoral contest as election day approached.

Kirkpatrick slogs on in the Patriot's defense, "In our editorial columns, we have continually pleaded with Mayor Thompson for the transparency she promised on the campaign trail."

John, what ever made you think Linda Thompson who has veiled parts of her past in secrecy had any intention of being open and transparent? While on the campaign trail promising transparency she threw one of your reporters out of a press conference. Pleading for transparency now seems a bit beside the point.

In case we haven't been paying attention, Kirkpatrick catalogs examples of Thompson's questionable and erratic behavior in his piece including her belief the Patriot has bugged her office and the "forces of evil" voicemail she left on a citizen's cellphone.

We get it John. No one who hasn't drunk Linda's Kool-Aid thinks the Patriot is "out to get" her. In fact, many who have been paying attention think the Patriot has shirked its journalistic mandate.

The sooner the editorial board realizes there are some truisms in life, the better for all of us.

You can't appease a tyrant.
You can't negotiate with terrorists.
You can't reason with the insane.

These are absolutes and, in a given situation, one or more of the above may apply.

Ever optimistic, we cling to the hope the Patriot ran this Neville Chamberlainesque codswallop as yet another trial balloon. Sadly for the Patriot, the Central Penn Business Journal's courageous editorial published the previous Friday was already garnering praise on PennLive from commentators who urged the venerable daily to "grow a pair."

The Patriot insists it cares about " . . . Harrisburg’s future. This has been our home for more than 150 years and will continue to be our home."

For 150 years, from President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address to . . . terrorism on the home front, The Patriot-News has reported and recorded the joy and despair of life's individual moments and humanity's collective experience.

-- From The Patriot-News "Our History" webpage

One thing is certain. The Patriot is still getting it as spectacularly wrong today as it did then. Here's what it printed after Lincoln's speech at Gettysburg:

". . . we pass over the silly remarks of the President: for the credit of the nation we are willing that the veil of oblivion shall be dropped over them and that they shall no more be repeated or thought of."

Linda, this isn't working out.

2011-02-18T16:27:00.011-05:00

A week starting with a Valentine's Day rally outside City Hall that showed little love for Linda ended with the Central Penn Business Journal declaring it was time to break up.

The editorial pulls no punches. "Thompson has in one year dragged the city into a considerably worse situation. Her reckless actions and combative personality have caused residents, city leaders and staff to abandon hope that she can pull Harrisburg from its economic dregs and heal its divisiveness."

Cataloging Thompson's numerous missteps, the Journal concludes, "Harrisburg is too volatile and has too little time to gamble on whether the mayor can recover from her errors or even govern effectively."

The Business Journal has finally declared there is no way to fix Harrisburg with Linda at the helm. For the good of the City, Linda D. Thompson must resign and, "allow a true leader — one who can unite, fairly represent, take responsibility, keep promises, work selflessly and correct the city’s blemished image — to lift the city from being a national mockery to one of unification and prosperity."

The current issue of the CPBJ includes an analysis of Thompson's first 13 months in office, a timeline of her Greatest Blunders and a primer on "How to Remove a Mayor." The editorial is the cherry on top of the double-scoop crap sundae that is Thompson's political career.

None of this will matter to the Thompson faithful who will continue to parrot her claims that any criticism of her is racist, orchestrated by Reed, because of her gender, a plot of little evil gay men, etc., etc. But Linda's supporters don't read the CPBJ; the demographics are polar opposites.

The Business Journal is only available by subscription and not sold at newstands although single copies are available at the Journal Publications' office. No, you may not borrow our copy. Get your own.

The business community pays close attention to the Business Journal. Over the years the publication has become a respected source of information and opinion. Reputation is everything. The Journal has always known it; Linda will never learn it. The Journal's stance will certainly impact Thompson's "plan" to call on businesses to volunteer their help and resources for the city. Not to mention jobs and investment.

Linda doesn't give a damn about working with businesses or even meeting with them unless there's a campaign contribution in it for her. Now more canaries are singing and we hear Linda loves meeting with church folk -- gotta keep those prayer circles spinning. But meeting business people? Not so much. Unless there's a check.

We have too long seen the local media shirk its civic responsibility. Yes, Patriot-News. We're talking to you.

For the last remaining newspaper in the city to call for the resignation of its sitting mayor -- especially one known to be incredibly childish and vindictive -- took a measure of journalistic citizenship that a Hampton Twp. publication ought to emulate.

The current issue of the Business Journal is available here free of charge. It is a very large file. Please be patient as it downloads.

Mean girls. Our money is on Linda.

2011-02-17T00:04:00.008-05:00

A headline on the front page of the February 16 issue of the Paxton Herald screamed: Move Over Egypt! Unrest Ferments in City of Harrisburg...Sentiment To "Get Reed Back" Grows! Apparently Annette A. Antoun is a trend spotter.

After we recovered from our surprise that the weekly shopper is still in business, we reluctantly plopped down our 35 cents to benefit from Annette's insight. We're not quite sure what it was because the article rambled a bit, but Annette boldly claimed:

"A move is underway in several different levels of people in the City to replace Mayor Linda Thompson with the former Mayor, Stephen R. Reed."

Annette has always had fanciful notions, but her current scenario --whether "fermenting" or "fomenting" -- sounds highly improbable to us.

Minimal searching on the Internet paints an interesting picture. Seems you can't kick over a rock in this town without all sorts of unsavory connections coming to light. Unlike in days past, it's much more difficult for the creepy-crawlies to scurry off and hide.

Input "Annette Antoun" in a search engine and a number of links pop up; including one to a website called PaxtonHeraldSucks.com which has been around for more than a decade. Developed before the advent of blogs, the site details Antoun's involvement in Reed's Museum Mania and is maintained as an historical archive.

It seems Annette, a long time real estate speculator and Reed crony devised a scheme to build the "National African-American Museum of History and Culture" in some historic buildings in the 1000 block of N. Sixth St.

Why there? Much ado was made of a house at 1006 that once served as a hotel of sorts, but that was only the cover story. The motivating factor was not honoring African-American history in buildings with national historial significance, but Annette's owership of three properties -- one purchased in 1976 for $500 -- that would be acquired for the proposed museum.

Before the project was even annouced, Antoun quietly purchased the old Curtis Funeral Home at 1000 N. Sixth St. giving her control of three of the five required properties. The price? $30,000. The seller? Historic Harrisburg Association.

Fast forward a decade and development of the National AA Museum is well underway. On the National Mall. Not at Sixth and Boas Sts.

Meanwhile 1000 N. Sixth St., once the residence of Rev. Dr. Silas Comfort Swallow a religious conservative who ran for mayor on the Prohibitionist ticket and lost, remains undeveloped and unmaintained. According to neighborhood residents, the historic building has been under a City-issued condemnation order since April 15, 2010.
Condemnation Notice issued to Annette Antoun, publisher of the Paxton Herald

But wait, it gets better.

The condemned property is right across the street from Townhouse Apartments at 660 Boas St., Linda D. Thompson's legal residence.

Perhaps Linda wasn't aware of all these curious circumstances. But she is now.

On another, ironic note, Historic Harrisburg Association is currently seeking nominations for Harrisburg's Most Endangered Properties List 2011. According to the organization's website:

Our mission is to advocate for the preservation, restoration and stewardship of Harrisburg's architectural heritage. Historic Harrisburg Association monitors many challenging preservation and development issues facing Harrisburg. Over the years we have had success when local residents become involved and make their voices heard. HHA is here to support local efforts. We cannot do it without your support. Your participation will help us continue the perservation movement.

In case you have any nominations for HHA's Endangered Properties List you can submit recommendations to info@HistoricHarrisburg.com.

Taunt not the angry mob

2011-02-14T23:20:00.003-05:00

The media was all over the protest rally and not just the local media, but some from very far out of town. This will soon become a national story further distracting an incompetent adminstraton during a very critical time in the City's history. On a lighter note, we'll be surprised if Linda's performance today doesn't make The Daily Show.

A cardinal rule of communications professionals is: Don't taunt the angry mob. This is a lesson Linda Holder-of-a-communications-degree Thompson obviously never learned. Maybe she skipped class that day.

Not able to remain discreetly offstage during the rally protesting her, Thompson felt compelled to make an appearance which quickly morphed into spectacle.

We know hindsight is 20/20, but even Linda must admit if people think you can't do the job because you're mentally unbalanced, probably the best way to calm their fears isn't to open the blinds and do a crazy dance. There's just no way to spin that. Chuck got out in the nick of time; applicants for the Communications Director position, take note.

This is how Valentine's Day 2011 unfolded on the plaza in front of the Martin Luther King City Government Center in the middle of Black History Month. We wonder if the editorial board at the Patriot still believes Linda is capable of "change."

The media begins to stage at the Hilton, across the street from City Hall.

The crowd begins to gather, including homosexual evil little men.

Thompson supporters stake out their position.

Rehearsing the chants.

Pithy protest signs.

Most elaborate protest sign. This one is almost like a school project. Very science fair.

We thought this the most poignant of all the sentiments, because of the woman holding the sign. Those who think the African American community is solidly behind Linda Thompson, do disservice to people who can think for themselves and possess the courage to stand for their convictions. Linda lead or leave. Just four words and the bravery to stand for what is best for the entire city.

Media interviews Thompson supporters. Conveniently at one time.

We were somewhat taken aback by this Thompson supporter who started shouting at the protesters, accusing them of being nonresidents. We wondered, how does he know? We were in business attire since we have a job that requires it and have lived and owned property in the city for more than 30 years. Then the horrifying thought occured to us: we were being racially profiled. We half expected Rod Serling to intone, "Welcome to the Twilight Zone."

If this is the kind attitude of Thompson supporters (and don't think for a minute that James Ellison didn't vet every one of the counter demonstrators) you can bet a commuter tax is an element in Linda's oft-promised, but yet-to-be-produced plan.

Like a vision, Linda appeared through the new vertical blinds in her secure office and the crowd went wild. Then our Municipal Goddess began a mystical ritual of gestures and facial contortions intended to call down the wrath of heaven upon the multitudes below. A highly targeted Sodom and Gommorah event to pick off the evil little homosexual men with pin point accuracy.

Oh, the snowball hits the lower right corner of her window at 1:24 in.

The crowd reaction to the snowball strike is instructive -- it would seem there's a untapped market out there. If LT really loved the City, she could solve the City's financial crisis over Kipona weekend if she volunteered to be in the Harrisburg Debt Dunking Booth.

"Are you happy Linda? Are you happy?"

With a final queenly wave, Linda vanishes into her lair.

The cowardly Patriot

2011-02-13T19:12:00.006-05:00

"In the beginning of a change the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot."

-- Mark Twain, 1904 Notebook

On Sunday, February 13, the ironically named Patriot once again spectacularly failed to grasp the gravity of Harrisburg's situation in its City on the Brink editorial.

While acknowledging "concerns about Mayor Linda Thompson’s ability to lead grow with each new resignation, revelation and stumble" and admitting "her operating style has been a failure since she took office last January," the editorial board is not "ready to join the resignation chorus."

Safe in their Hampton Township offices, the expatriate Patriot opines "the mayor has one final opportunity to turn things around for herself and, more importantly, the city of Harrisburg."

All she needs to do is . . . change. Really? That's it?

According to the delusional editorial board, Linda can still turn things around if she just changes "not only her governing style but her belief that people who don’t agree with everything she says or does are out to get her."

That might work if Linda Thompson were capable of the Saul-on-the-road-to-Damascus transformation the Patriot naively hopes is possible.

On Saturday, the Patriot ran a transcript of a Chuck Ardo interview which paints a frightening picture of a mental breakdown.

Chuck told the newspaper, "The mayor has fundamental distrust of The Patriot-News. ... She truly believes that you guys have her office bugged. I am absolutely dead serious."

But wait. There's more. According to Chuck, God thinks Linda is doing just fine, thank you very much, and has told her so. Personally.

"I went to see her and told her that I had breakfast with the controller and there was an opportunity to find compromise. It must have been a Friday afternoon because she went home, came in Monday morning, then came into my office and she said, 'I prayed on this all weekend long, and I had a vision this morning telling me not to trust the controller.' It’s indicative of her very fundamental religious beliefs. I really believe that they are a central part of this story."

Paranoia and visions as reported in their own newspaper, yet the editors think if Linda just "changes" she can turn it all around.

The editorial doesn't factor in the underlying cause for the epic failure of the Thompson administration. It has become increasingly evident based on first hand accounts and simple observation that Linda Thompson is struggling with some serious mental health issues.

But don't take our word for it. Take Linda's. Through the yeoman efforts of James Roxbury at Roxbury News who has hours of video from meetings no other media attends, we have chilling evidence that Linda D. Thompson is unfit to bear the weight of her office.

Herewith is Roxbury's highlight reel of Linda on Linda:

This is not the first time the Patriot has shirked its editorial duty. There was the infamous waffle nonendorsement the paper ran before the mayoral election. That, coupled with a virtual news blackout in the days immediately prior to the election, helped LT ascend the throne of power.

We weren't fooled then, and we're not fooled now. Comments about today's editorial posted on PennLive cast universal doubt Linda has the capacity to change even if she has the will. Hope for change in Harrisburg? Not with Linda Thompson at the helm.

While we don't readily subscribe to Signs from God -- if there is a divine being, He, She or It has quite enough to do without being distracted by our insignificant concerns -- but we happened to find ourselves in the book section of Ollie's Bargain Outlet when two titles caught our eye. What was exceedingly odd was they were adjacent to each other.

While not rising to the level of A Vision (which implies a level of celestial access we don't have, aren't likely to get and don't want) one might conclude the juxtaposition was at least A Sign.

Lest anyone assume we are completely without empathy for Linda, that is not the case. We agree with Joyce Davis' assertion that those who love Linda must intervene on her behalf. We have no patience with sentiments expressed by the editorial board of the Patriot or anyone who advocates prolonging Linda's dysfunction.

Harrisburg's situation is beyond grave and Thompson, flailing at her own demons, must not be allowed to drag the City into the abysss.

Train wreck at City Hall

2011-02-10T08:06:00.002-05:00

The spectacular train wreck at City Hall has attracted the media and everyone is jockeying for a story. There's lots of blood in the water and plenty of stories which all have one common denominator: Linda Deliah Thompson.

City Solicitor Phil Harper who was juggling multitudinous lawsuits and negotiations for the city finally had enough and walked out on Tuesday. With considerable restraint, Harper told the Patriot-News he had "philosophical differences" with our delicate flower Linda.

Harper told the paper, "she's just unaccepting of certain realities." Wow. When the city's chief legal council walks out the door because the mayor is in an alternate universe where does that leave us?

James Ellison, Linda's campaign manager, former chair of the Harrisburg Authority and a partner in the law firm of Rhoades and Sinon is coming under unwanted scrutiny from the Dauphin County District Attorney's office. The Patriot reports The DA is looking into some questionable contributions to Thompson's campaign. Likely there won't be any sanctions despite a growing righteous indignation by the proletariat, but the investigation pulls back the curtain exposing the backstage crew responsible for Linda's ascent to power.

WGAL scored an interview with Joyce Davis, Thompson's first communications director, who elaborated on her experience in Thompson's Big Funhouse of Reality. Joyce told the station "It is high time for people who love her to help her see that this is going to end tragically." We couldn't agree more.

Davis went on to say Thompson exhibits no leadership and suggested if she can't get it together, she needs to get out of the way for the good of the city.

We do take issue with Joyce's suggesting that the black clergy reach out to Linda and attempt to help her. In our view, the clerics have done quite enough and need to stop meddling in politics.

Extended clips of the Davis interview are on WGAL's website and Joyce chillingly articulates the situation.

Dan "Evil Homosexual" Miller was featured on Fox 43 where he responded to Thompson's epithets.

CBS21 reports City Hall will be the site of a Valentine's Day rally at noon to demand Linda's resignation -- probably not the kind of Black History Month event Thompson envisioned when she became Harrisburg's first African American mayor. We can't help but think Martin Luther King would have approved as Thompson is being judged by the content of her character and not the color of her skin.

Chuck Ardo noted Linda has no concept of how the media works. She's about to find out. Harrisburg's financial situation is already on the radar of the major media outlets. The crazy little sideshow she's created will land her front and center on national stage.

In at least one respect, Linda will achieve her lifelong dream: it will be all about her.

Linda Thompson: Champion of Diversity!

2011-02-09T10:50:00.004-05:00

Linda responded to Chuck Ardo's charges that she uses homophobic and racial slurs behind closed doors by posting a statement on the city's website.

Glaringly absent from the statement is any condemnation of homophobia, racism or antisemitism. Also missing is any denial that "Mayor for all people" Linda Deliah Thompson is prone to making such remarks.

Statement from the Mayor

“I have a passion for all people and have surrounded myself with a diverse group of people, both in my personal and professional life.

I value my responsibility for diversity and will let my work, as the Mayor of the City of Harrisburg, prove that I am a Mayor for all people.

The work that I have begun, the initiatives I have started, and the coalitions I have built around these initiatives represent diversity.

Those who have a relationship with me, both personally and professionally, know that I care about our City and all people.

Chuck Ardo may say what he wants, but the people elected me as Mayor and I will faithfully discharge my duties and let the people decide.”

Mayor Linda D. Thompson

Um, Linda? We hate to point this out to you for fear you may throw your eyeglasses at us or whip your weave back and forth . . . but you didn't answer the charges. You may think you've cleared all that up, but nowhere do you actually deny you're a homophobic, racist, antisemitic asshole. To be fair, Chuck didn't actually use those words, but that's what we are all thinking.

You do use "diversity" as kind of a catch all code word hoping that we'll just assume your definition of "diversity" includes gay, white, Jewish atheists. But we're, well . . . skeptical. Having heard you mangle English everytime you open your yap, we never assume you say what you mean or know what the hell you're talking about.

Keeping the story alive, Chuck has revealed further details, telling the Patriot News you habitually referred to City Controller Dan Miller as "that homosexual, evil little man."

Chuck also told the Patriot you have issues with Jews relating an instance where you talked about the "Israel money" a developer was bringing to town.

Are you sure you want to "let the people decide?" We could believe Chuck who came out of retirement to temporarily take the Thompson translator job and has no apparent motivation for lying. Or we could believe you. Gotta tell you Linda, at this point many of us are convinced you don't even know when you're lying. It's like you just start speaking in tongues.

As far as faithfully discharging your duties, any idea on when you'll be starting? How's that audit coming? It must have been awkward for you to request the assistance of "that homosexual, evil little man."

Lending credence to Chuck's allegations are the tales of horror other former high level staffers are telling. Joyce Davis. Phil Harper. It's only a matter of time before other Lindacaust survivors tell their war stories. It's not like we haven't heard horror stories starring you since you first pranced into City Hall. The difference is now the allegations are sourced.

We're guessing you'll not be riding on the lead float in Harrisburg's Gay Pride Parade this year. That's a shame since you've worked so hard on your "queen wave."

Canaries in the coal mine

2011-02-07T21:38:00.003-05:00

Historically canaries were carried into coal mines since the birds are especially sensitive to poisonous gases. If Tweety dropped dead, the miners knew to get out and get out fast.

Chuck Ardo was the canary in Linda Thompson's dark mineshaft of an administration. To our great good fortune, Chuck managed to escape before he succumbed to Linda's toxic atmosphere. He's been singing ever since and we'd be fools not to heed his warnings.

After his first day on the job August 10, Chuck told wwwABC27 News, "The Mayor's gotten off to a difficult start with the media. I don't think that's entirely her fault and hopefully I can provide a little bit of stability and work with the media to tell the Mayor's story and to make sure people understand what her point of view is."

Six months later Chuck told the same station, "She is learning as she goes, so I think she makes mistakes that are to be expected, but unfortunately, the city is in no position to have those kinds of mistakes happen. Decisions that need to be made quickly are not made, and the city ends up being worse off for that."

Chuck continued his exit interview with Fox 43 telling a reporter of homophobic comments Linda has made behind closed doors. "I don't believe you can have a modern day leader who's got attitudes that belong in the cave."

Today another canary in the person of Joyce Davis, Linda's first spokesperson and founding member of the I Ran Screaming From City Hall Club added her voice to the chorus. Joyce, an accomplished and gracious woman, had been closed mouthed about her reasons for leaving Thompson's gulag. In the wake of Chuck's chirping, Joyce finally revealed the reason for her abrupt departure.

Joyce Davis felt physically threatened by The Honorable Mayor Linda D. Thompson. Wow. Just. Wow.

She filed a formal complaint with the Harrisburg Human Relations Commission but the Commission claims they lack jurisdiction.

A crazy week

2011-02-04T22:39:00.018-05:00

After a hiatus of 459 days -- it only seemed fair to give Linda a chance to prove her mettle -- we have returned to comment on what has been a watershed week for the beleaguered occupant of City Hall's mayoral suite.

The last few days may have been Linda's Worst Week Yet and we can withhold our acerbic fingers from the keyboard no longer.

A quick recap of Thompson's woes this week:

The media reported the Securities and Exchange Commission is poking around and asking for documentation. Among other things, they are extremely curious why the city's 2009 audit is MIA.
An editorial in the Patriot-News excoriated Thompson's dalliance on completing the 2009 audit which has attracted the SEC's attention.
On Thursday Chuck Ardo, her third communications director in a year, threw in his turd polishing towel citing irreconcilable differences with Thompson.
Linda, who has been fighting with City Controller, Dan Miller since the dawn of time, was forced to appeal to him for assistance in completing the City's 2009 audit, a tacit admission the task is beyond her limited skill set. The situation was made even more awkward after the revelation Thompson is prone to making homophobic remarks in private.
On Friday, the newly escaped Chuck gave us a peek inside the Thompson administration's bunker.

All in all a pretty rotten week for our Little Miss Linda who at the best of times was a little bit loopy.

Chuck gave a carefully worded, eyebrow-raising statement to the Patriot: "The mayor and I clearly have a different understanding of how the media works and their role in reporting on city hall. That difference led to my inability to continue on in my role.''

We suspect Chuck has a much better grasp of how the media works and its role in reporting on government based on his nearly eight years as Communications Director for the Governor of Pennsylvania. Linda's media savvy? During her campaign, Linda Holder-of-a-Communications-Degree Thompson tossed a Patriot-News reporter out of her press conference.

In a followup story, Chuck gave a startlingly frank appraisal. “I believe the mayor is intent on doing the right thing, but the challenges are greater than her ability. This job would be difficult for absolutely anybody with experience, and here’s a woman who has no experience in management or managing crises.”

He also gave us a glimpse into Thompson's inner sanctum and the "real" Linda. The picture Chuck paints is frightening but not surprising.

He told the Patriot-News:

“The mayor views what she’s doing as a battle between good and evil. It’s true that good should never compromise with evil, but politics is the art of compromise. If you can’t compromise, you can’t make any political progress,” Ardo said.

He had also said the role of religion in the mayor’s office, along with inappropriate references to race and sexual orientation in private settings, made him uncomfortable.

“She has her views and tendencies that made me uncomfortable. She saw her opponents as representatives of evil as opposed to simply being those with philosophical differences,” he said.

Joyce Davis, a former Thompson press secretary, confirmed Chuck's assessment telling the Patriot, "I fully understand how difficult it was for Chuck to help Mayor Thompson. I'm sure he did his best, as did the many others who found they could not work in the environment that she creates in her inner circle.''

That inner circle is tightening. People outside City Hall have noticed. People outside of Harrisburg have noticed. Wall Street has noticed. In the February 14, edition of Forbes, there is a story on Harrisburg with an ominous opening paragraph.

Linda Thompson is a woman under siege in a city under siege. The mayor of Harrisburg, Pa. works behind a locked office door ("The mayor is very security-conscious," says her spokesman) on the second floor of a city hall where the lobby is piled high with the black garbage bags of homeless people who use it as a makeshift winter shelter.

This is not a good situation. Linda is overwhelmed by the job, her personality alienates people, she reaches out for help yet refuses to follow advice, she procrastinates, does not accept responsibility, blames others, perceives people as "good" or "evil," exhibits paranoid behaviour, is increasingly isolated, makes homophobic and racist remarks in private.

At this stage in the game, we as citizens need to be mindful that some degree of mental illness may be underlying these behaviours.

Seriously. Just think about it. What if Linda is clinically mentally ill and in need of treatment? How would she get help? Is it possible the increased pressure and isolation will drive her to what used to be called "nervous exhaustion?" More importantly; where in the hell does that leave us?

We were curious how frequently mental illness occurs in the general population and were shocked to find the National Institute of Mental Health estimates 1 in 4 Americans have a diagnosable mental illness in any given year. For serious mental illness, the ratio drops to 1 in 17 or about 6 percent of the populace. People gamble the mortgage on worse odds than that. Considerably more is at stake here.

The dawn of a new era

2009-11-03T22:32:00.004-05:00

ThompsonforMayor is the nickname LT's campaign used in the closing days of the race to post on PennLive forums. Early in the evening when it became evident Linda would win the election, ThompsonforMayor posted the following on PennLive:

7565. So much for Pathetic Bloggers
by ThompsonforMayor, 11/3/09 21:02 ET

guess you guys really are pathetic and the voters of Harrisburg are showing just how pathetic you are.

7567. Whatever!
by ThompsonforMayor, 11/3/09 21:12 ET

You guys are just mad because after all that negativity that you did, after all the bad press she received the people have spoken. It is over. the Good guys win. The forces of evil can crawl back to the west shore. To think you actually thought you could win this, now that is funny.

7573. Come Together?
by ThompsonforMayor, 11/3/09 21:40 ET

I absolutely agree. But that is for Tomorrow. Today all of you hateful Mindlin supporters get to eat your arrogant prognistications. Even with the cross over Reed and Les ford Democrats, your guy is still getting spanked. i told you that Les Ford's endorsement was the equivalent of a warm pitcher of spit.

7573.1. terrible
by danwxman2, 11/3/09 21:49 ET

Re: Come Together? by danwxman2, 11/3/09

and this is the official word from the campaign... you guys are just terrible, awful people.

Mindlin is going to get around 43-44% of the vote. That's pretty respectable in a heavily Democratic city. The real story is why didn't Linda get more votes in such a staunchly Democratic city? It should have been a landslide and it is not.

7573.1.1. That is not the story
by ThompsonforMayor, 11/3/09 21:53 ET

we know why that it. White Steve Reed democrats crossed over and voted for Mindlin. Not all of them but some of them. Enough of them to give him more votes than he deserved. The story is that agaisnt the odds, slammed for 10 days in the PN and with white democrats killing her on Penn Live she still beat him soundly.

". . . the content of their character."

2009-11-01T21:20:00.030-05:00

"I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but the content of their character...."

For the first time in a generation, the outcome of the Harrisburg mayoral race is in doubt.

Such wasn’t the case two weeks ago. Linda Deliah Thompson was not only going to be the next mayor of Harrisburg, she was poised to shatter the office's race and gender barriers.

Then something happened. Troubling questions about the Democratic candidate first surfaced on local blogs and then in Harrisburg’s mainstream media. In the past several days a very different Linda Thompson has emerged.

A few highlights:

Thompson’s answers are by turns vague and contradictory.
Her conduct under pressure is unbecoming. She is contemptuous of those who disagree with her and has shown tendencies to be petty and vindictive.
Thompson’s grasp of ethics is tenuous as evidenced by the selection of the Harrisburg Authority chairman as her campaign manger.
Her nonprofit agency, LOVESHIP, promotes home ownership, yet Linda rents.
She has taken a zero interest $5,000 loan from LOVESHIP, yet tells the media the nonprofit is financially struggling.
LOVESHIP’s tax returns for 2008 are still not filed.
Thompson provides LOVESHIP clients with personal financial management counseling yet she’s had an outstanding student loan for 24 years and was sued by a credit card company this year for failure to pay a balance of $1,483.71.
Her employment history is murky and she’s collected unemployment compensation under questionable circumstances.
Linda’s $20,000 salary on City Council and $10,000 in rent LOVESHIP pays her for office space in the house her parents gave her allows her to drive a Mercedes-Benz and rent a luxury apartment.
She claims “transparency” yet bars a reporter from her press conference and declares questions about her nonprofit to be “off-limits.”
An alleged equipment malfunction while pumping gas has left Thompson too emotionally fragile to refuel her Benz and is the subject of lawsuits totaling $150,000.
Thompson is unapologetic in the fervor of her faith and her belief she has been anointed by God to preside over the City of Harrisburg. The separation of church and state is not a doctrine to which she subscribes.
Linda will play the race card without hesitation and frequently.

Now that Linda’s masks are falling like autumn leaves, many in the African American community are horrified at the prospect that Linda Thompson may well become the first black and the first female mayor of Pennsylvanian’s capital city.

Thompson is not worthy of that honor. If elected, she will be a source of entertainment to the region and a shame for us. She will be a particular source of embarrassment to Harrisburg’s African American middle class who can turn this election in favor of Mindlin.

Thompson’s negatives are legion. She would be unqualified were she a white male. Let's face it . . . she wouldn't even still be in the race.

If she takes the election, it will because ballots were cast based on race or party rather than merit or character.

Dr. King’s dream works both ways.

Boo!

2009-10-31T19:55:00.002-04:00

Happy Halloween.

Things are getting scary out there. We hope it’s just in the spirit of the holiday, but we fear it’s a forecast of what life will be like under a Thompson régime.

The Internet is invaluable for spotting trends and news before it appears in the main stream media. If it appears at all.

Disturbing reports have been cropping up in PennLive’s Harrisburg Forum.

Initially we have this:

7488. At Broad St Mkt
by helpmejesus, 10/31/09 14:17 ET

Did anyone else see LT supporters accost Les Ford at the Broad Street Market today?It was so bad the police were called in. They were calling him names and all such stuff.It was terrible. About twenty people were present and they attempted a verbal beat down of Mr. Ford.

Mr. Ford showed dignity in responding by telling the crazy people that he had marched with MLK jr, who said we must judge by the content of one's character.

Kudos to Mr. Ford.

A Thompson supporter weighs in:

7488.1.2.1. Linda
by justwanna, 10/31/09 16:01 ET

Re: At Broad St Mkt by justwanna, 10/31/09

is not responsible for others behaviors. How can you come on here and say the things your saying about the black pastors and everyone esle your accussing. You call people thugs becasue the oppose someone. People have a right. But they should have protested right. We should be able to agree to disagree. Apparently, the people seem to have a reason for there actions and again they should have done it right. Les Ford has been jumping all over the place. With his endorsement of Mr. Mimdlin, how many votes have he changed? (400) Maybe or maybe not. Has he been promised anything?

The local media is called out:

7490. where is the Patriot News?

by bullstreet, 10/31/09 16:44 ET

Voter intimidation is AGAINST THE LAW! The Police were called, so there is a report on file....where is the Patriot News, or have they joined the ranks of the intimidated since LT threatened a lawsuit?

This is not the first time the Thompson campaign has been called out on account of intimidation tactics. After the Forum at the Zembo Mosque the following exchange appeared along with an apparent confirmation by the Thompson campaign.

7118. call the PO-PO
by xhbgpolice, 10/22/09 15:21 ET

Now, what is interesting is that there was indeed a group of MIndlin supporters talking after the "debate" ended (see post 7085). The folding chairs were set up in rows. As soon as Mindlin closed the event, three people stood & turned to four others in the row behind.

One other woman came to the end of the two rows, standing at the edge of the aisle. So picture a circle of sorts. All were chatting when quite suddenly and brutally, were pushed by a very large man right into the rest of the group, right into the chairs. Apparently a bodyguard for LT.

Three of the women in the group were "body checked," to quote one of those pushed. No one had noticed them coming because we were chatting, but as soon as the push occurred, we all took noticed. Not only us, but James Ellison noticed, too. Without stopping the procession, he turned towards us with a surprised look on his face.

I think he was taken aback at how brutally hard those ladies were hit.

It was another prime example of the ridiculous over-production of LT's camp. The enclosed escort of LT, surrounded by her people. An encapsulating entourage of self-importance and arrogance.

They all are so wrapped up in these assumed "roles" that they have forgotten the basics of respect. If they asked them to move, they were not heard. It wasn't as if they paused to be sure. But at the same time, a barreling group of 3 wide (2 bodyguards equally four people) coming down the aisle should have adjusted themselves to be reasonable in such a situation.

This is not personal. This is fact.

This response was posted under one of a number of nicknames used by Thompson's campaign:

7118.3. I saw that
by bonarges1, 10/22/09 18:30 ET
Re: call the PO-PO by bonarges1, 10/22/09

and here is what you all did not see, they were asked to move "politely" and one lady sucked her teeth at the gentlemen, who was trying to move and purposely took a step back into their path and since he was a big man, she bounced right off of him,that guy must have weighed 260lbs to her 120 lbs. she was dumb trying to be cute and thinking that she would just sop those guys? but she was asked politely and they refused to move.. i saw the whole thing !

"Leadership is based on inspiration, not domination; on cooperation, not intimidation."-- William Arthur Ward.

Preying on the faithful

2009-10-30T08:42:00.001-04:00

“In religion and politics people's beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second-hand, and without examination, from authorities who have not themselves examined the questions at issue but have taken them at second-hand from other non-examiners, whose opinions about them were not worth a brass farthing.” – Mark Twain

We’ll defer to the excellent By The River blog for news on how much more enlightened we are in the 21st century:

Clueless clergy endorse Thompson

As I watched the video of a group of 25 black and one white clergy endorsing the black candidate, Linda Thompson, I couldn't help but recall something I learned in 35 years as a newspaper reporter: clergy tend to be among the least reliable sources of information out there.
Not all of them, of course. But many. They often are not very worldly, and tend to believe that anyone who professes to believe in God is credible, no matter the evidence to the contrary.

They also are on the gullible side: in the 1980s and 1990s, Proctor & Gamble went nearly insane trying to stop a completely false rumor that its famous moon-and-stars symbol was of Satanic origin, and that it gave a portion of its profits to the Church of Satan.

The pathetic blogger slogs on, noting one of the endorsing clergy, a resident of Steelton, called Thompson the "ambassador of the Kingdom of God as well as the people of God." Read By The River's full take on the clergy's endorsement here.

So Linda Thompson was sent to us by God. Apparently He’s in a smiting mood. Will He take her back if we sacrifice a virgin or something? We haven’t got a volcano, but we could toss one into the incinerator.

The clergy has insisted their stamp of approval is not in any way related to an endorsement by their respective churches. After all, to endorse a candidate from the pulpit is illegal and would put their cherished tax-exempt status in jeopardy.

Yet during one Sunday worship service, a minister exhorted his flock to put “their hands together for the next Mayor of Harrisburg” before Linda Thompson took the pulpit to address the congregation.

Questioned later, Thompson claimed the good Reverend didn’t endorse her from the pulpit he was “prophesizing.” However "prohesizing" is not listed among the permitted activities by the IRS.

Click here for the story aired on WITF this morning. One can only imagine what is contained on the audio that didn't make the edit for the story.

An unfounded truth

2009-10-29T12:14:00.034-04:00

It isn't her.

Update appears at bottom of posting

“That is an unfounded truth.” – Linda D. Thompson to ABC27 News regarding the District of Columbia court docket.

We don’t quite know what "unfounded truth" means, but our Linda D. Thompson claims the woman with the DC criminal record is someone with the same name.

Both the Patriot and abc27 News have checked and found the woman in the criminal case has a different birthday and which makes her a few years older than our Linda D. Thompson.

There is some additional verification underway, but we’re also inclined to believe the two Thompsons are different people. If our Linda D. Thompson was going to falsify her birthday, we think LT’s vanity would preclude choosing a fake birthday making her older than she is.

But really Linda, the threat of a libel suit? "It's libelous and me and my lawyer are taking action."

If the threat of litigation is going to be your response every time you’re asked an impertinent question, you’d better stop using “transparent” as an adjective.

Let us be VERY clear:

We never said you were the heroin-possessing Linda D. Thompson; we asked you if you were. That is the huge difference.

You have invited scrutiny of your public record, but for some inexplicable reason you think that scrutiny should be limited to your service on Council and not to your managerial abilities running LOVESHIP or any other aspect of your life.

Sorry. We don’t know what gave you that idea, but those running for public office do not get to choose the questions they are asked by the public. Sometimes the questions can be impertinent, inappropriate, irrelevant, rude or hostile, but the point is: you don’t get to choose the questions.

Your options are limited to answering the question or refusing to answer. That’s it. There is one other option which you frequently use to great effect -- answering a completely different question than the one asked. You did that brilliantly on your WHP radio interview this morning.

You are surely aware there are rumors of a “hidden” past and there is some question about your whereabouts and activities for a period of time after you graduated with a communications degree and returned to Harrisburg.

We asked a reasonable question based on your apparent reluctance to account for your life experience during that time frame and the public records available from the same period.

It's time rumors were put to rest. This is far too important of a campaign to be sidetracked by whispers and rumors. Yesterday we gave you an opportunity to address them head on.

Rather than an immediate response on the PennLive Harrisburg forum (we know your people can post and post and post) your campaign was silent for hours. This not only served to heighten suspicion you have something to hide, but calls into question your ability to manage a crisis.

Had you or your operatives responded immediately, we would have posted that information. In fact we did update yesterday's posting not once, but twice. And we will update it again as soon as we have verification you are NOT the Linda D. Thompson named in that particular criminal complaint. Count on it. That’s only fair. It may come as a surprise to you, but websites aren't that hard to update.

Meanwhile, In the interest of quelling unsavory speculation about your missing years you might want to whip your resume up on your website complete with dates. Your website hasn't been updated since May so you could take the opportunity to add your platform replacing the empty talking points you’ve been parading as your plan for Harrisburg. We’ll even provide a link for it here.

UPDATE
Thursday, October 29, 2:50 p.m.

We are now reasonably convinced the Linda D. Thompson guilty of heroin possession in 1982 in D.C. is likely not our Linda D. Thompson, mayoral candidate. No help from Miss Transparency in that regard.

But let us be clear and shout from the rooftops: A heroin possession charge is apparently NOT among Linda Deliah Thompson's skeletons.

Although now we more fully understand why she has good reason to be vague about her birthdate and resume. It's such a simple request really. A copy of her birth certificate would suffice. And how hard is a resume? One with dates?

You've got some splainin' to do . . .

2009-10-28T07:54:00.037-04:00

It isn't her.
Updates appear at bottom of posting

UPDATED: Wednesday, October 28, 1:33 p.m., 6:24 p.m.

UPDATED Thursday, October 29, 2:50 p.m.

Linda? We have to chat.

There seems to be a little problem determining your whereabouts for a number of years. You have refused to release your resume; it's almost as if you have something to hide.

But how can that possibly be since you invite us to judge you on your public record? You're Transparency Thompson. You've got nothing to hide.

You want to make us work for the information? Fine. Just so you know, we're very lazy and being forced to dig for basic information pisses us off. But the greater danger for you is that one thing leads to another and things involving you have a tendency to get curious and curiouser. Besides, when we're pissed off our curiosity becomes insatiable - we can't help but think, "What else is she hiding?"

We know you don’t keep up with the Internet, being an old school communications major and all, but some of us do and sweetie, you wouldn’t believe the information that’s out there. And. It. Never. Goes. Away. Pathetic bloggers know and depend on this.

So. What have we discovered with our hunting, pecking and clicking?

Well, the “D” in your middle name is for Deliah. You graduated from Howard University in 1985 with a degree in communications. You still owe $11,000 on your student loan. Not very exciting stuff, but it's a start.

Since Howard University is in Washington, D.C., we can fairly surmise you were in D.C. during the time you attended HU. Assuming a four year program and we get a time frame of 1981-85. A little more surfing around the Internet led us to the online records of the District of Columbia Superior Court. The "Search by Name Advanced" button gives one the option to enter a name and a middle initial, plus a date range.

As we said, one thing leads to another and we happened upon the following record which we found interesting enough to ask you about.

What do you know about a Linda D. Thompson who in 1982 was found guilty for heroin possession?

We only ask because it’s a public record, it coincides with the time period you were likely in Washington, D.C. and you invited scrutiny. The records are accessible to anyone with a computer and an Internet connection. It's not like we rummaged through your nightstand. Welcome to the information age!

We think it’s a fair question. And we really don’t want to hear whining about “politics of personal destruction” or any other of your usual diversionary bullshit.

Despite being asked nicely and repeatedly, you haven’t been forthcoming about your personal history so the relevant question occurs: Are you the Linda D. Thompson guilty of heroin possession in 1982?

Yes or no? (Just so you know, at this point in the proceedings an answer in the negative will require additional documentation.)

And since we’re on the topic, what do you know about the six other court dockets mentioning a Linda D. Thompson from 1980-2000?

It might be a crazy coincidence but since you told us to look at your public record and this popped up, we’re obligated to ask. Our lawyers assure us it's a fair question.

No doubt you'll want to clear this up way faster than you addressed the LOVESHIP issues that lauched this pathetic blog.

UPDATE 1:33 p.m.

This post appeared in the PennLive forum allegedly from a Patriot-News staffer:

Actually, with great respect to Harrisburg Forward who did great work in reporting the Loveship dream house "success story", the Patriot had checked this one out. The Linda D. Thompson in DC court records (there are more than one) have different personal information, including birth dates. The paper has been working to verify social security numbers to be certain, but it looks very possible, even likely, that these are different Linda D. Thompsons.

A similar statement is posted in the "Comments" section below.

Thank you. We are pleased the Patriot is deploying resources to resolve this question and look forward to not only a definitive answer on the identity of the Linda D. Thompsons in the D.C. court records, but also documentation on Thompson's whereabouts and employment between college and her tenure at the Urban League.

Insofar as the verification of social security numbers, how are SS numbers verified upon intake to the court system? Is it possible for a defendant to supply a false Social Security number to the courts? Mug shots would put the matter to rest one way or the other.

We will update this story as it develops, but we stand by what we have written thus far. At this point we still don't know if any of the Linda D. Thompsons listed in the DC court documents are the Linda D. Thompson running for Mayor. Nor do we know where she was and what she was doing for a number of years.

UPDATE 6:24 p.m.

Channel 27 News reports they have looked into the case and the birthdates of the women are different. Now we have that information from two sources. But are we getting any closer to the truth? Linda has been oddly vague about her birthday. We know she's 49 so it's not a vanity thing. We are reliably informed that people who know how to work the system frequently alter a digit in their birthdates to reduce hits from computer searches. Convince us more.

In a shocking development, Ms. Thompson has declared her intention to sue us.

We're hiding in the nearest gas station.

UPDATE Thursday, October 29, 2:50 p.m.

We are now reasonably convinced the Linda D. Thompson guilty of heroin possession in 1982 in D.C. is likely not our Linda D. Thompson, mayoral candidate. No help from Miss Transparency in that regard.

But let us be clear and shout from the rooftops: A heroin possession charge is apparently NOT among Linda Deliah Thompson's skeletons.

Reading is fundamental

2009-10-27T17:15:00.003-04:00

Shortly after 7 this morning a posting on PennLive by Linda Thompson's campaign trumpeted the Patriot-News’ endorsement of her candidacy for Mayor.

Trouble is, they didn’t endorse her. They were going to, but Thompson’s whacked out behavior this past week caused them to rethink thier nod. Even a newspaper as sad as what the Patriot has become takes a dim view when a candidate for office tosses one of their reporters out of a press conference.

Nonetheless, Thompson supporters trumpeted the non-endorsement on the PennLive Harrisburg Forum as though it were Gospel Truth.

7287. Experience Matters
by ThompsonforMayor, 10/27/09 7:20 ET

Today the opinion page of the PN has an article in which the editorial Board of the paper endorsed Linda Thompson for Mayor. The Board shared how they had processed the decision and although thinking both candidates were imperfect, they decided that Linda Thompson has the best match of skills and experience to move Harrisburg forward at this time.

Linda Thompson has never claimed to be a perfect servant. What the PN editorial Board ultimately concluded however was that she has been a committed and competent public servant. Linda Thompson thanks the PN for their endorsement for Mayor. The time has come for those of us who seriously love this city and can recognize the important issues we are facing to put aside differences of style and unite with Linda Thompson as the person with the best knowledge and experience of city government to meet these challenges.

You can find the entire editorial here.

If you continue reading, you will encounter pull quotes from the editorial that have been taken out of context and twisted to suit our own nefarious, partisan ends. You’ve been warned.

The Patriot did say this about Thompson:

"At one level, Thompson has the greater potential for success as mayor. Unfortunately, she also offers the much bigger risk."

Since the editors didn’t quantify how much bigger the risk, we’re left to our night terrors on that point.

"At her best, Thompson brings her experience on City Council, an intimate knowledge of the issues and many of the players, a life story of overcoming odds, a passion for the city, several plans, a committed following in parts of the city that have felt disenfranchised and the potential to quickly unite all parts of the city."

She certainly has the potential to unite, but given her “style” the citizenry may disinclined to join hands and sing “Kumbaya” and more interested in uniting to storm City Hall with torches and pitchforks.

"At her worst, she sometimes offers solutions to problems with no clear plan to execute them. Too often, she can focus on running against Reed instead of focusing on the city’s future. As we have seen increasingly during these last few days, she can lash out angrily at those who disagree with her, even going as far as asking a Patriot-News reporter to leave a news conference last week. This raises questions about her commitment to transparency."

Really? Tossing a reporter out of a press conference “raises questions” about Thompson’s commitment to transparency? That’s it? We expected freaking alarm bells, sirens and strobe lights in the editorial suite. Pussies.

"Mindlin offers much less risk. He has proved a thoughtful candidate, listening to residents and deeply considering issues. Yet despite his background and all the time he has spent talking to residents, he offers limited details related to the city’s problems. Instead he talks generally about the need for better management with few specifics. He also lacks local government experience. Commendably, he speaks strongly about transparency and so far has acted accordingly."

Whoa. Stop right there. Those first five words: “Mindlin offers much less risk.” That alone would be compelling reason to vote for him, but the Patriot also calls him thoughtful, notes he considers issues and cheers him for his strong stand on transparency in government. He gets dinged because in the Patriot’s view he “offers limited details related to the city’s problems.” As opposed to Thompson who “offers solutions to problems with no clear plan to execute them.” Sounds like a wash to us.

The editorial board soldiers on:

"It is based on Thompson’s greater potential that this board had decided to endorse her for mayor."

Note to Thompson campaign – “had” is past tense. We know its just a little word, but the entire meaning of the sentence changes. We can understand how in your excitement you overlooked that little detail and made asses of yourselves. Again. As a courtesy to the Thompson campaign, we’ll highlight the Really Important Words in the remainder of the pull quotes. Anything to help the cause of literacy.

"We had hoped that she would bring her best traits to the task of unifying the entire city, taking advantage of her years on City Council, her passion for Harrisburg’s future and work to find the experts this city needs to help solve its financial and crime issues. We also hoped her City Council experience would allow her to move quickly — in particular when it comes to the issue of the incinerator.

"The events of the last week related to her finances, ongoing and unresolved issues related to her nonprofit organization, as well as the way she has responded to legitimate questions have given us further pause given that there is still a week to go before the election and it is unclear what might or might not develop during that time.

"We also think it’s unfair to offer an endorsement right before voters go to the polls because it dramatically limits the time people can respond.

"We still believe Thompson has the greater potential, but ultimately the choice boils down to one of priorities.

"Do important questions about Linda Thompson’s personal financial issues and temperament outweigh her greater advantage in experience?

"Does Nevin Mindlin’s lack of Harrisburg government experience and his vague proposals outweigh his measured, methodical approach?"

Sounds like a choice between a loose cannon and a steady hand.

Life before Caller ID had certain pitfalls

2009-10-27T00:39:00.007-04:00

In those innocent days before Linda Thompson had announced her intentions to seek the office of mayor, we remember amusing ourselves wandering amongst the various pathetic blogs populating our little corner of the Internet. One day we happened upon a posting on PennLive by citizen activist and Harrisburg resident, Tattoo Jim.

We were taken aback. Shocked really. We’ve been surfing the web since we found free porn and it takes a great deal to shock us. But Jim’s tale of a telephone call he received from Ms. Thompson is chilling. Past performance is the best predictor of future behavior.

We’ll let him tell it:

First let me say I struggled with posting this. Heck, I struggled processing the phone call for a couple of hours. It started here on PL, so I thought it would be appropriate to continue recording it here.

Council President Linda Thompson called me on my cell phone yesterday morning around 11:15. We had some pleasantries and then she began speaking about a post I submitted on PL. I think I was the Al Sharpten post.

The conversation quickly became one sided. Her shrill, angry delivery was actually scary. I can’t speak to exact content because I just woke up (I work second shift) but she was going OFF. Racism was thrown in, Penn Live contributors are “losers” was thrown in, at least one Bible reference to the “belly of the beast” was thrown in, it was actually shocking.

When she took a breath I said that the way she made Dan Miller leave his seat at the council bench and speak at the citizen’s podium was appalling.

Ms .Thompson started saying the word “appalling” and repeated it 3, 4 times escalating her volume and shrill factor until she hung up on me, without any ability for me to respond. Man she HUNG UP ON ME!

Do you really want a person representing you, with this kind of anger and hostility at her core? I don’t anymore. You shouldn’t either.

Man I was, and am, totally amazed that she would talk to a constituent this way. I supported her re-election, but now, no more. She needs to go. I’ll donate money, provide server space, and provide web design help to a ham sandwich that runs against her.

I’m a nobody. No political power, no influence, nothing. I’m just a regular guy. Nothing more, nothing less. I just type a lot and share my thoughts here. In the interest of full disclosure I do donate the cost of the domain names, hosting, and maintenance of the city council website to the public at no charge. I swear I was ready to yank that support but then the citizens of Hbg would suffer, so I could never do that.

Let me say, I am not racist, but I do question authority regardless of your resume. Anybody that knows me will back me up. If you don’t agree with her and you’re white, you’re a racist. I would argue to Ms Thompson, you should look in the mirror. You are the racist madam President. Chewing me out for my opinion and eventually branding me a racist is sad Linda, just sad. I forgive you. You need help, your anger isn’t healthy. You’re problems aren’t with me, or my opinion. They are in your heart. I’m no threat to you. You are a threat to you. Please don’t call me and yell at me ever again. I don’t respond well to that.

Oh, and before I close let me thank Darnell for forwarding my comments to Linda. No problem man I stand by my views, that’s why I use my name and not some pseudonym. I just find it curious that you sent my post to Linda. You’re starting to look like a lap dog, hope that isn’t the case man, I’ve always liked you.

~ Tattoo Jim

When we emailed Jim to ask him if he had a copy of the post (of course he did, nothing ever dies on the Internet, take note of that Linda) he added the following coda:

The funny continuation of the story goes like this . . . I was at the Pep Grill with my wife and who walks in but the Mayor. Like everybody knows who I am so at the end of the evening the Mayor walked over to me and said, “good night Jim.” I shook his hand and said, “You know Mr. Mayor, we may not agree on a single thing, but I have no problem separating politics from humanity. I like to thank you sir for dedicating your whole life to public service . . . that was very, very cool of you.”

His face lit up, got a huge smile and pulled me in and gave me a big hug. He said “Thanks Jim, you don’t know how much that means to me.”

Well, fast forward a week. I get a call from LT. Apparently she had an epiphany during church and she wanted to say she didn’t really think I was racist. When I hung up the phone I looked at my wife and said, “She’s running for mayor.”

Sure enough she announced the next week.

At the Zembo Tempo debate, Linda excoriated bloggers calling those of us who prefer cloaked identities "cowards." We prefer to think of it as prudent. We've seen LT's bodyguards interacting with citizens and have no interest in allowing our air time to be burnt up with calls from raving lunatics.

Through a glass darkly...

2009-10-26T12:40:00.003-04:00

Questions just keep popping up about “Transparent” Thompson’s foundering LOVESHIP.

In LOVESHIP’s halcyon days Thompson was pulling down $60,000 annually in addition to $10,000 rent (utilities not included) she charges her organization. That gravy train lasted three years until, as Thompson whined to the Patriot-News this spring, funding evaporated because of combative city politics.

Shortly after the nonprofit set sail in 2000, The Central Pennsylvania Business Journal ran a story.

The director of an existing nonprofit expressed concern about the possibility of Loveship's duplicating services offered by other agencies.

But, noted Kelly Bonds, a director of two Harrisburg-area clubhouses for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Pennsylvania Inc., Loveship is in a neighborhood that's not well served, particularly for children attending nearby Camp Curtin Elementary School and William Penn High School.

Rodney Brooks, president and CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan Harrisburg Inc. declined to comment.

-- Central Penn Business Journal,
Loveship sets sail in local neighborhood, June 2, 2000

In light of what we still don't know about Thompson’s employment history with the Urban League of Metropolitan Harrisburg, Inc., (Was she terminated? Did she resign voluntarily? How did she managed to collect uemployement compensation? What happened to the discrimination complaint she filed?) Rodney Brooks’ refusal to comment on the launch of LOVESHIP is most interesting.

So here’s a question for Ms. Transparency: “In the first five years of LOVESHIP, where did the money come from?”

There have been murmurings some of the money came from the Urban League as part of a deal for Thompson to drop her gender discrimination complaint.

No doubt when Linda follows Nevin Mindlin’s lead and releases her tax returns and her full resume, all our doubts will be assuaged and the rumors laid to rest. We don’t want to speculate, but there is increasing chatter among the pathetic bloggers about what she was doing professionally for a number of years before her return to Harrisburg.

So, Linda, as the holder of a “communications” degree you surely know the best way to quash a rumor is to quickly release documentation proving the rumor isn’t true.

We’re waiting, but not holding our breath. Crisis management doesn't seem to be one of your fortes. It took you six days to delete the Success Story from your website after the pathetic bloggers behind Harrisburg Forward pointed it out. Now the fraudulent claim has drawn the interest of the state's Bureau of Charitable Organizations. You may well get your weave in the wringer over that.

Of course, someone would actually have to file a complaint about your nonprofit which is really not that hard to do here or here. And we don't think the Attorney General's office is going to be that impressed that you've got the stamp of approval from Rendell. We're just sayin' . . .

The Thompson Express derails

2009-10-24T18:46:00.146-04:00

It’s been quite a week in the Harrisburg Mayoral race. One week ago today Linda Thompson was the shoo-in for the next Mayor of Harrisburg. She was poised to become the first African-American and the first female mayor of Pennsylvania’s capital city.

In a three way primary race this Spring, Thompson defeated Steve Reed, a seven term incumbent in what was regarded as a stunning upset. Two weeks ago, she told the NAACP, "I am pleased to stand here and tell you that I’ve already been presumptuous in my win." She has been assembling transition teams and presumably selecting a color scheme for her new executive office suite.

Her opponent is Nevin Mindlin, a middle-aged Jewish Republican in a city with an overwhelming Democratic voter registration edge and population that is over 60 percent black. The guy has credentials and experience -- he’s smart, thoughtful, steady, calm, totally reasonable and apparently quite sane. He wants to talk about ideas and is unwilling to engage in negative campaigning. He is utterly boring. Conventional wisdom holds he’s gonna get creamed at the polls.

Linda, on the other hand, can work that “amen corner” into a frenzy. Not surprising, since on her website she claims “evangelist” as one of the things that qualify her to be mayor. What Linda has is stage presence in abundance; the girl knows when those TV cameras are on and she works ‘em like a pole dancer. Her secret weapon is Righteous Indignation which she snaps on in an instant.

What Linda lacks is: ideas, plans, solutions or anything that will help us keep this Potemkin village propped up under crushing municipal debt. Her vague ideas involve recreational facilities, neighborhood job training centers and mini-movie theaters. Oh yeah, and hiring 200 additional police officers and forcing them to walk beats so they can cover less area. No word if her “very generous” brother is going to picking up the tab for any of this; but one thing certain is we taxpayers can’t.

That was the lay of the land until one week ago today when the click of a pathetic blogger’s mouse knocked the Thompson express off the tracks.

By Wednesday’s candidates’ forum, a resident who had been reading the blogs asked Thompson about the “Success Story” on LOVESHIP’s website. Transparent Thompson gave an stunningly evasive answer along with a display of Linda's Heapin' Helpin' o' Righteous Indignation.

On Thursday she was blasting “pathetic bloggers” who had the nerve the question her living arrangements and were spreading lies about her. A Patriot-News story gave her an opportunity to explain her finances which didn't go as well as it might have.

By Friday, Thompson had kicked a newspaper reporter out of a press conference she scheduled to further explain answers to the previous day's questions about her finances. The media's reaction was muted and Linda probably doesn't yet grasp that she will no longer get a free pass from any reporter.

Friday went further downhill when the Pennsylvania Department of State, confirmed there would be legal issues if deceptive statements had been posted on Thompson's nonprofit website. "If something that was deceptive came to our attention, we would conduct the appropriate inquiry," a department spokesman told Channel 21. The department's Bureau of Charitable Organizations has the right to levy fines, or revoke the license of any charity it finds to be posting misleading information.

Saturday brought more front page stories about the failure of LOVESHIP and her convoluted financial and employment history.

Suddenly people are paying attention, the media is doing its job. Some of us had nearly given up hope on the local fourth estate.

One thing is certain: Linda Thompson lost a significant number of votes this week. She seems determined to lose even more.

Graceless under pressure

2009-10-23T18:49:00.014-04:00

This afternoon "Transparency" Thompson kicked a Patriot-News reporter out of a press conference she called to answer questions arising from her previous attempt to answer questions.

Channel 21 News wasn't even invited to the Friday press event at LOVESHIP's worldwide headquarters.

Here's an excerpt from the PennLive report:

Harrisburg mayoral candidate and City Council President Linda Thompson held a press conference Friday afternoon to talk about her finances and her nonprofit, Loveship Inc. At the beginning of the press conference, Thompson told Patriot-News reporter Sharon Smith to leave the event.

Smith had presented a Q&A in Friday's Patriot-News in which Thompson spoke about Loveship, a no-interest loan she said she received from the organization, her collection of unemployment, and other aspects of her finances.

Linda. WTF? Are you totally crazy? You have the nerve, the unmitigated gall to claim your administration will be "open and transparent" and then start excluding members of the media you have "issues" with from press conferences? So this is what's it going to be like with you as Mayor? Good to know. Thanks for that little test drive.

She did grant an interview to 27 News. In in she concedes SIX DAYS into this fiasco that it was "a mistake" to keep the webpage up so long (keen grasp of the obvious) and claims the "Success Story" webpage will be removed by "next week."

Well, that'll be just fine Linda. You take your time. No hurry on sending that snowplow next winter either. Attempting to dismiss the website gaffe as insignificant, Thompson flippently remarked, "I don't even keep up on my campaign website."

No shit. That must be why the last "news story" on it is her primary win. And her position papers are nowhere to be found. Glad she explained that. We'll stop wasting time searching for anything of substance on her site and go back to surfing porn.

OK kids, what have we learned in the last couple of days?

Miss Linda graduated with a degree in communications in 1985.
She still owes $11,000 on her student loan but is on a "payment plan" to retire that 24 year old debt.
One of LOVEship's missions is to teach people responsible money management.
Linda is the one to trust to keep the incinerator debt from strangling us.
A Thompson Administration will be "open and transparent."
Linda, who doesn't "keep up" on her campaign website is getting a post graduate course in the power of the Internet.
Candidate Thompson thinks its perfectly acceptable to throw a reporter out of her press conferences.

There will be a very important quiz November 3.

I'll get you my pretties, and your little blogs too!

2009-10-23T07:32:00.161-04:00

Going into the home stretch, the Thompson campaign appears to be in total meltdown after a series of news reports asking some uncomfortable questions.

Miss Linda claims her record is public and transparent. She has repeatedly invited voters to judge her on her record.

OK. We did. We looked at her record, reported what we found and now she is rightously pissed at us and our little blog: Mayoral Candidate Thompson Blasts Bloggers

It seems Linda doesn't like us. Strangely, we're entirely OK with that. Really. We're fine.

We do think she tends to overreact. All we did was take her up on her offer to examine her record. When some teensy inconsistencies popped up, we asked for clarification. It's not like we dropped a farmhouse on her.

And Linda. Just how stupid are you? You're taking on the bloggers? Really? Communications degree notwithstanding, you haven't got the home field advantage here. Stick to the churches and peddle your pious act there. There's nothing churches like better than unrepentant hypocrites. Meanwhile, your "pathetic bloggers" reference is now avalabile in a poly/cotton blend in three sizes. We may be pathetic bloggers, but we're fashionistas.

Let's focus the issue. Despite her attempts to blame the messenger, this isn't about "pathetic" bloggers. This isn't about her race or gender and attempts to characterize it as such are obvious diversionary tactics. This is about Linda and her qualifications to be Mayor of Harrisburg as we face a very uncertain financial future.

Soon it wasn't just our voice in the wilderness pointing out the emperess had no clothes, other pathetic bloggers took notice. Then the media woke up: Blogger tries to make home ownership election issue

The dream house story that launched this blog less than a week ago caught the attention of Channel 21 and it ran as the lead story Thursday night: "Home Dream" Never Came True -- CBS 21 News Investigative Report

Today the Patriot-News reports Thompson's very confusing statements regarding her curious finances. Notable is the surprising fact she collected unemployment after resigning a position with the Urban League. Harrisburg mayoral candidate Linda Thompson tells more about her finances We thought one had to lose a job involuntarily to collect UC. You're really not making this very easy, are you Linda?

One line from today's Patriot story caught our attention: "My campaign finance reports show the sources of all my funding for the past decade, none of which came from Loveship Inc.”

But we have this quote from the Big Book of Linda's Precious Memories:

"Previously, Thompson earned $60,000 annually from Loveship for three years in the early 2000s. Thompson said Loveship's paltry income is barely enough to cover the $10,000 in annual rent she charges the organization to rent space in her building at 2320 N. Fifth St. and meet its utility and overhead costs." -- Patriot-News, May 12, 2009 "Harrisburg mayor candidate says politics hurt her nonprofit service"

Clearly that $180,000 income was within the past decade and came from Loveship. Two different stories from Linda. This opens up a whole new line of questioning.

"Home Dream" Never Came True - CBS 21 News

2009-10-23T01:22:00.002-04:00

Just the facts ma'am . . .

2009-10-22T01:51:00.007-04:00

Really Linda, it's not that hard. But you dodged the question twice at the candidate's forum on Wednesday night. Perhaps you didn't understand it.

We know you claimed you've answered it, but you didn't. Thanks to Roxbury News, we can go directly to the video of your nonanswer and your display of "passion." Roxbury News: Linda Thompson is questioned on her non profit company Loveship

So we'll ask it again: What happened with the Jefferson St. property that you claim as Loveship's only "success story?" Take your time. Read it again. Move your lips if you have to.

Spare us the diversionary tactics. That routine might play with the "Amen corner," but we're just interested in the facts and not the bullshit about your "passion" being mistaken for anger.

While you're at it, you might also explain how in the hell this page: http://www.loveshipinc.com/success.cfm is still active on your LOVESHIP website. This has been an issue since Harrisburg Forward broke the story on Sunday and the page is still active as of 1:25 a.m. Thursday.

What is really stunning is this: you can't manage to get a webpage deleted on your own website that seemingly proves you are a liar AND a hypocrite.

Is this an example of your crisis management skills? This is what we have to look forward to?

Pathetic for you. Scary for us.

Movin' on up with a mortgage

2009-10-19T14:35:00.001-04:00

According to Linda Thompson, one of the core missions of LOVESHIP is to foster homeownership. It's a familar theme from LT's Big Grab Bag O' Talkin' Points:

"Our bottom line efforts are to increase home ownership, reduce the huge renter base in the City of Harrisburg, stabilize families and grow our local economy" LOVESHIP press release, 6/18/2007

Last year she told the Patriot that home ownership is good for self-esteem. Movin' on up with a mortgage is what Thompson, LOVESHIP's resident (and only) mortgage counselor advocates:

"Thompson, also Harrisburg City Council president, said that more than 57 percent of the housing in Harrisburg is occupied by renters, mostly those with low to moderate incomes.

"Owning a home is good for a person's pride and self-esteem," she said. "It's also good for a community, bringing stabilization and revitalization." -- Patriot-News, June 28, 2008

And finally this cogent gem (and our personal favorite) from Linda The Communicator:

"'The common denominator with all the partners is to increase home ownership. Contrary to the popular perception, once a homeowner always one, is obviously no longer so, partners recognize that limited homeowners in any city has adverse affects in the growth of our economy, the sustaining of our schools, and a poor quality of life for families making it difficult to encourage developers to invest in citywide revitalization efforts.' says Thompson." -- LOVESHIP press release, 6/18/2007

Despite the fact Thompson behaves like she's preaching a Great Truth, a moron knows a high percentage of owner occupants makes for stable neighborhoods. She rightly rails against vacant, blighted structures that destabilize a neighborhood and contribute to "human misery."

One would assume, then that this "champion" of home ownership would, in fact, know what the hell she's talking about on a very real and personal level. So does Ms. Thompson live among the masses? Not on your life. Linda has opted for the carefree life of a renter and has got herself a

. . . dee-luxe apartment in the sky!

High above the mean streets of Harrisburg, our delicate Miss Linda is shielded from the realities we surface dwellers deal with on a daily (and nightly) basis. So much for putting her money where her mouth is. Especially when you've been lining your pockets by supposedly advising people on how to become homeowners.

Meanwhile, vacant blighted structures continue to plague Harrisburg neighborhoods like the one below. What makes this particular row special is that middle property is the Jefferson St. house LOVESHIP failed to rehabilitate two years ago. Guess the neighbors didn't have their "Thompson for Mayor" signs up when this picture was taken on Saturday.

Thompson's sham nonprofit couldn't even manage to rehabilitate one small 2 1/2 story rowhouse but now she is convinced she can save a whole city.

Bad day at campaign headquarters

2009-10-19T11:02:00.002-04:00

The Thompson campaign's reaction to our foray into the blogosphere was enlightening: Silence. Absolute silence.

Thompson’s minions who routinely sing her praises in PennLive’s Harrisburg forum were notably absent for an entire day. One PennLive contributor saw the deafening silence of the Thompson camp as instructive:

The campaign has seen the postings on PennLive but for whatever reason has been unable to change the Loveship website.

An incident like this in any campaign is very bad.

The fact that the page was still up after LT announced her candidacy is careless and foreshadows a predilection for poor planning.

The campaign's inability to pull the embarrassing webpage speaks to the competency of the candidate and those who surround her.

One wonders if the Anointed One will emerge from her bunker to attend a candidates' forum scheduled tonight. The local TV stations reported this morning there had been no confirmation from her campaign.

Most gratifying was the shout out from By the River one of Harrisburg’s première blogs. David DeKok takes a hard look at LOVESHIP’s finances here.

Among the curious things Mr. DeKok uncovered is this: “Thompson's financial disclosure statements to the city reveal she . . . took a loan of unspecified size at zero percent from Loveship in 2008. Whether that loan was for her campaign isn't disclosed.”

If Thompson is using the LOVESHIP loan for her mayoral campaign, the IRS takes a dim view of such shenanigans and the nonprofit’s tax-exempt status would be in serious jeopardy.

Should Linda be using LOVESHIP as her personal ATM, it would certainly impact the operations, such as they are. Lowering the bar may have been the motivation for an Patriot-News article this past May where Thompson whines that LOVESHIP has seen a decline in funding. Gotta give it to the girl, LT's good at this!! Not only does she lower expectations, she manages to claim a little martyrdom as well.

But watch her lips. Nowhere does she accept any reponsibility. She has cast herself in a familiar role . . . once again, Linda is The Victim.

Maybe, just maybe the grants dried up, not because of Linda's "combative city politics" but because the people she was shaking down finally saw through her scam.

As detailed in the article, Thompson took a salary from LOVESHIP of $60,000 a year from 2000 - 2003 plus an additional $10,000 in rent to herself! That amounts to $210,000 in the first three years of operation straight into LT's counterfeit Louis Vuitton bag.

Harrisburg mayor candidate says politics hurt her nonprofit service

By JANET PICKEL, The Patriot-News
May 12, 2009, 8:00PM

Harrisburg City Council President and Democratic candidate for mayor Linda Thompson said nearly eight years of combative city politics have hurt -- not helped -- Loveship Inc., her 10-year-old nonprofit.

"I'll be quite frank, politics played a great role in Loveship not being able to sustain some of its grant funding," she said.

Loveship aids area homeowners facing foreclosure and offers informational seminars for first-time homebuyers.

Thompson's statements are in contrast with recent cases in which former Democratic state legislators Mike Veon and Vince Fumo have been accused of using their political posts to enrich their nonprofits for personal gain.

A review of Loveship's tax returns bears Thompson out. Loveship took in $32,425 in 2007, including $20,425 in grants and contributions -- too little to pay Thompson a salary for her work as CEO and the organization's only licensed mortgage counselor. The group took in as little as $5,935 in 2004, the tax records show.

Thompson said she hasn't collected a salary since 2003. Previously, Thompson earned $60,000 annually from Loveship for three years in the early 2000s. Thompson said Loveship's paltry income is barely enough to cover the $10,000 in annual rent she charges the organization to rent space in her building at 2320 N. Fifth St. and meet its utility and overhead costs.

Despite Loveship's relatively low income over the past five years, Thompson said she's battled what she described as persistent rumors that the organization was profiting from her political career.

"It was unfair, unfounded and untrue accusations that I embezzled funds and that I was using my political clout to bring in thousands of dollars for Loveship," she said. "Loveship is not rolling in thousands of dollars."

Linda's still rattling her tin cup on the LOVESHIP website.

In an unwitting bit of truth in advertising, the graphic appears to be of money going down a drain.

Linda and the Love Boat

2009-10-17T08:37:00.007-04:00

Linda Thompson is quick to cite experience as the founder and CEO of LOVESHIP as a qualification to hold the office of Mayor. Apart from sitting on City Council, that appears to be the sum of her experience. Plus some internships.

But her Big Accomplishment (prior to presiding over City Council) was Founder and CEO of LOVESHIP, Inc. But what exactly is LOVESHIP anyway? What is the mission? What's the track record?

An Internet search quickly pointed to LOVESHIP's webpage. According to the website, the nonprofit sprang into being on April 14, 2000 after Ms. Thompson had a series of divine revelations. The website also has a section dedicated to touting the "Success Stories" of Ms. Thompson's nonprofit. Oddly, there was only one posted -- a story from the Patriot-News published exactly two years ago today.

Seven and a half years after the doors opened we have one success story? The Patriot-News story appears below and sharp eyed readers will note that although Thompson is attempting to characterize the article as a success story, it's really only reports her plan which is vague at best.

Success Stories:

Agency leaves family feeling right at home

By Jim Lewis of The Patriot-News
October 17, 2007

Her dream house is an abandoned, beaten-up row home with boarded-up windows, a leaky roof and graffiti scrawled on its brick facade. But Rashelle Davis can't beat the price — it's free — and sees potential beyond the blight.

Once the vacant house at 2308 Jefferson St. is renovated, Davis will move into — and eventually own — the home she dreamed about for herself and her husband, Rasheen, and the couple's three children.

The Davises were awarded the house by a Harrisburg nonprofit agency that, for the first time, acquired a vacant home to give to a low- or moderate-income family that can't get a conventional mortgage from a bank.

The goal of the agency, Loveship, is to provide home ownership while reducing the number of vacant houses and renters in the city's uptown section, said Linda Thompson, City Council member and the president and chief executive officer of Loveship.

The Davises were one of 100 families that applied with Loveship for a chance at the free house.

It will cost tens of thousands of dollars to renovate the four-bedroom house, and will take about 90 days of labor, estimated James McKamey, a representative of Reynolds Construction Management, a local firm that will oversee the work.

As the Davises, who currently live an apartment got their first glimpse of the house, Rashelle imagined how nice it will be. "I have so many ideas, I can't wait," she said.

Loveship has coached low-income families on buying their first homes and getting mortgages. The agency decided last year to acquire a house on its own and give it to a family that would have struggled to get a mortgage, according to Thompson.

She hopes to award a house to a family every year, if she can find the money to afford such a giveaway. About 27 percent of Harrisburg's housing units are vacant, and more than half of the inhabited homes — about 57 percent — are occupied by renters, Thompson said.

Loveship bought the house from the Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority, which acquired it, for $1, and with help from the city, Wachovia Bank, the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency and others it launched the competition at the Greater Harrisburg Annual Home Ownership Expo that Thompson's agency has held every year.

Loveship will own the house for the next 10 years, and the Davises will live there mortgage-free. The house could become theirs if they meet several requirements over the years.

The Davises must put money into a savings account, maintained by Loveship, to pay for the maintenance, and live there for the next 10 years, Thompson said. The Davises must pay for the utilities and must attend homeowner counseling sessions provided by Loveship.

The initiative is a "creative" way to bring urban renewal to blighted neighborhoods while giving renters their own home, she said.

"It's about teaching the family about home ownership and wealth accumulation," she said.

Ironically it's been two years to the day the article appeared or perhaps it's divine providence. Time to pay a visit to Jefferson St. to see the results. Too bad Ms. Thompson didn't feel it necessary to post progress reports or a followup.

OMG!!! Nice job, Linda!

We have returned from our little field trip to Jefferson Street to see the results of LOVESHIP's success story for ourselves and we are stunned. Just. Stunned.

Here is a picture of the exterior of 2308 Jefferson Street taken minutes ago:

Small wonder Linda didn't update her LOVESHIP website. Although one wonders how careless, or stupid she is to still be claiming 2308 Jefferson as a "Success Story" on her website. But she has a degree in communications so she must know what she's doing.

Flash forward to Sunday, October 18, 2009 when Linda was quoted in the Patriot news on her plan to reduce crime. Here's, in part, what she had to say:

"Investments in the structural integrity of our neighborhoods make them less likely to be breeding grounds for criminal activity. Eliminating abandoned/blighted homes (which can house criminal activity) and creating neighborhood-based economies (which encourages community support and buy-in) will transform areas of our city that are plagued by human misery into vibrant neighborhoods ripe with opportunity for human prosperity."

Easy to talk the talk isn't it Linda? Not so easy to walk the walk.