Sunbury candidates emphasize riverfront economic development, public safety and transparency
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Summary
Mayoral and city council candidates at a Sunbury forum said their priorities include increasing downtown foot traffic by activating the riverfront, expanding community policing and improving transparency and access to city records and agendas.
At a candidate forum in Sunbury, mayoral and city council candidates outlined priorities centered on economic development tied to the city’s riverfront, bolstering public safety and improving transparency in city government.
Mayor Josh Brocious, running for re-election, said his top goal is to “continue to move the city forward” and to expand community engagement, including tighter ties between the mayor’s office and the police department. “I just wanna continue to move the city forward on things that we have accomplished in the last 4 years,” Brocious said. He suggested using the Susquehanna River as a draw: “Our river is 1 of our biggest assets. No 1 else has a river like we do.”
Victoria Rosenkranz, a candidate for Sunbury City Council and a member of the Central PA Chamber of Commerce, said she supports the Sunbury Police Department and favors hiring more officers and investing in public-safety infrastructure. She also stressed small-business marketing and community programs, and said Sunbury should use the river for events such as boat races and fishing contests to generate sustained downtown foot traffic.
Incumbent Mayor Burgess said officials should provide requested records “as long as we can legally give them to them,” and that city leaders answer citizens directly when possible. “We work for the taxpayers. They're our bosses,” Burgess said. He added that the administration tries to respond quickly to right-to-know requests when documents are already available in the office.
Several candidates and council members described recent or developing community programs they want to expand. The city has recorded more than 2,500 community-service hours so far for tasks such as cleanups and event support, and Brocious highlighted community outreach events (including a recent trunk-or-treat) as a model for increasing engagement between residents and public servants.
Candidates also raised public-access items they said need fixing. Multiple speakers called for a more user-friendly city website so agendas, meeting documents and “first reading” materials are easier for the public to find before votes. One candidate noted that some documents can now be found only after navigating a multi-step folder structure; others urged the council to publish more agenda details so residents can comment before final votes.
On public-safety responses to mental-health calls, Brocious said the police department handles many of those incidents and that the city has pursued grant funding for a mental-health officer to work with police. “A lot of those calls are mental health calls. So by getting that address, we'll be making a step in the right direction,” he said.
Ending: Candidates left the forum urging resident participation in upcoming events and meetings; one council member invited residents to a community coffee on Oct. 28 to continue the conversation about city priorities.
