This page summarises an opinion essay written by Jay Breneman and published on ErieReader.com on 9 November 2016, two days before he announced his candidacy for mayor of Erie, Pennsylvania. It presents his views as he stated them, not an independent assessment.
Erie’s diversity
The essay opened with the idea that you do not need a passport to see the world, since a visit to Erie’s delis, donut shops, neighbourhood markets, community centres and public schools shows a wide range of human experience. He said the city had long given newcomers a chance at the American dream, but argued that City Hall seemed detached from this reality and focused on political walls instead of the residents who make a community.
From the Army to the community
He compared his daily encounters in Erie with his years in the US Army, one of the most diverse organisations in the world. In the Army he was responsible for his unit’s welfare, its missions and its ability to improve each day. In a city, he wrote, the responsibility is broader.
Schools
He quoted the saying that as Erie’s public schools go, so goes Erie, and said City Hall had not accepted it. In his view the administration spoke of separate turf instead of shared effort, even on comprehensive plans. He described schools as the bedrock of a stable tax base and urged joint planning with the school district, both to seek fair funding from the state capital and to secure the city’s economic and social future.
Neighbourhoods
Based on a listening tour that started on 1 September, he reported a common message from parents, homeowners, young professionals and business leaders: people who can leave are looking for reasons to stay, yet they find too many reasons to go. Residents without the means to leave, he said, carry the growing cost of a city managing its own decline. He called for citizens to be at the table in neighbourhood decisions, rather than being served from a distance.
Jobs
He argued that communication is the surest way to keep businesses in Erie. The mayor, in his view, should visit private-sector offices regularly and champion the resources employers need, rather than waiting for them to knock or learning after the fact that they plan to leave.
The common thread
Across all three sections, the essay returns to one idea: results come from working with residents, school leaders and employers rather than for them. It frames the coming campaign as a conversation about a shared future instead of a list of promises.
The announcement
The essay ended with the announcement that he would declare his candidacy at Wayne Park on Friday, 11 November, because he believed in focusing on the city’s greatest resource: its people. The later platform announcement and the Erie vision statement build on these themes.