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For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.
And, as the song inspired by that Bible verse says, “turn, turn, turn.”
Just as we have turned the page onto a new year, Monday brought the turning of many pages for local government, with new officials being sworn in and re-elected officials taking the oath of office anew.
Drawing much attention locally was George Brown taking the oath of office as Wilkes-Barre’s 24th mayor in a well-attended ceremony in the lobby of the F.M. Kirby Center, together with members of City Council.
“The next four years are going to be difficult,” Brown told the audience. “We’ll make some choices that are not going to be very easy to make,” but they’ll be made for the benefit of the residents, he added.
We are heartened by Brown’s honest, no-nonsense words, because these are certainly difficult times for Luzerne County’s largest city.
We believe Mayor Brown — as we can finally call him after he effectively spent months of waiting in the wings following his May primary victory — understands the magnitude of the role he has inherited.
His inauguration comes at a time when the city has been teetering on the brink of state distressed status for some time. Wilkes-Barre, like so many cities across the country, faces the challenge of reconciling a beleagured tax base with the needs of providing essential services that are ever more expensive to furnish.
Brown’s decades of management experience in the private sector were big selling points for voters with the city’s finances in mind.
His immediate focus has been on the $52.6 million balanced budget proposed by outgoing Mayor Tony George for this year. Council did not approve it and the city charter permits Brown to submit his own budget for council’s approval by Feb. 15.
As Brown said, tough choices lie ahead. There will be disagreements, no doubt.
There may be times when some of the people disagree, when council disagrees, and indeed, when we may disagree with the decisions he will make.
We would only ask that the new mayor always do his best to serve the city and its residents, as transparently as possible. In conversations with our editorial board, this is what Brown has pledged to do.
As he embarks on this new role, we wish Mayor George Brown all the best. His success means success for all of us who live and work in Wilkes-Barre and the surrounding area.
— Times Leader