Residents press council on paving rules, blight, parks maintenance and unsheltered response

Several residents used the citizen-participation portion of the meeting to press Scranton City Council for greater transparency and action on paving standards, blight enforcement, park maintenance and the city’s response to unsheltered people.

Joan Hodowan, a Scranton resident, praised visible litter cleanup efforts but raised legal and procedural concerns about a proposed ordinance that would allow entry-level hires in the police department without competition (item 7 b). Hodowan cited the state civil service statute and said the police union should be consulted before changes proceed. She urged the council to table the police ordinance until the union, the police chief and civil service representatives have been heard.

Tom Coyne and Mike Mancini urged clearer communication from the administration about planned projects and maintenance. Coyne said a Lackawanna Avenue streetscape project had moved toward bidding and said public input promised during earlier “walkability” work did not occur as represented in the administration’s outreach materials. He also criticized the distribution of recovery funds, saying public stakeholders named in a mayoral video did not appear to have been consulted.

Mike Mancini focused on roads, infrastructure and blight, calling for enforcement of paving and crosswalk ordinances, closer oversight of utility pave cuts, in-house engineering capacity, and restoration of some functions to the Department of Public Works. He praised unionized DPW crews and urged better support for DPW after turnover at the director level.

Several speakers asked for more direct outreach to residents affected by federal- or state-funded projects. Councilmember Mister Shuster said the capital budget lists more than $5 million toward housing buyouts in North Scranton and Kaiser Valley and that 20 properties are in the buyout program; he asked the administration to ensure impacted residents receive direct updates. Council members confirmed one meeting for affected residents was held May 15, 2025, but said some neighbors were not informed.

Speakers also raised homelessness response and code-blue shelter planning. Doctor Rothschild asked the administration for updates ahead of a mid-October unsheltered task force meeting and urged the city to clarify plans for a code-blue shelter before the cold weather season.

Other topics raised during citizens’ participation included the 20th annual Steamtown Marathon route (council members described new routing to improve traffic control), requests for more visible tree-removal assistance for low- and moderate-income homeowners, and concerns about crime alerts and communication from the administration following recent break-ins.