21-05-2025
Mayor Wanda Williams looks ahead to next term as Broad Street Market gets new grant
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — Primary Election turnout was low in Harrisburg's Mayor race, which incumbent Mayor Wanda Williams won by less than 100 votes. A major theme of the race was rebuilding the fire-damaged Broad Street Market, something Williams faced criticism for not completing faster.
Williams says lots of development progressed and renovations were made during her term, but work still needs to be done at the market. She expects construction to start in the fall.
Less than 24 hours after Williams narrowly beat City Treasurer Dan Miller in the mayor race, a $500,000 state grant for the Broad Street Market repairs was celebrated. The market has until June 2026 to use it on repairs in its stone building.
'There have been years of deferred maintenance and we have roof leaks when it rains and we don't have great insulation, we don't have air conditioning, so we're going to be able to really modernize the amenities to put us on par with many other markets in the state,' says Broad Street Market Chair Eric Hagarty
The funding comes from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture's Fresh Food Financing Initiative.
'We took a hard look at what markets do, they bring people together to bring people together for food, and this was a really important sort of consideration,' says Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. 'We can send a lot of assistance now, but does it bring people together? You're building the capacity of a community. Are you extending the reach of food for people to have limited transportation? All of that comes together in this Broad Street Market, so it's broad in its name, but also in its mission.'
Redding says the funds could help the market earn money as they work towards rebuilding the brick building that burned during the 2023 fire, while Williams was mayor.
'People have to understand, we didn't have the money to do the things that we needed to do and we couldn't do any borrowing,' Mayor Williams says. 'We're still under Act 47.'
Williams says she is proud of the accomplishments of her first term and is confident she'll win the general election.
'The biggest accomplishment is I paid off the debt, I have balanced the budget for three years with no tax increase,' Williams says.
Williams also touted infrastructure improvements made during her first term.
'We started on 29th Street and the portion inclusive with the 81 bridge,' Williams says. 'We've been able to pave 56th Street. We've taken down over 30 homes that were blighted.'
There were 251 write in votes in the Republican mayoral race with no candidate on the ballot. Dan Miller may have gotten enough to run as a Republican in the fall, but he declined an interview today. He or any other candidate needs a minimum of 100 write-ins to get on the ballot.
The general election is November 4, 2025.
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