City Finance Chief Fired Over Pay‑Raise Dispute

A new finance director was hired in Harrisburg last January, but he was dismissed a month later after refusing to approve certain salary hikes. The city’s council meeting on July 14 revealed that the former director, who had been with the office for just a few weeks, was let go abruptly. He could not be reached for further details after the announcement.

The director expressed disappointment that he would miss out on shaping this year’s budget, which is expected to be better than the previous one that saw a sudden resignation of its manager. He also lamented losing the chance to help fill three vacant finance roles that had opened just before his departure.

He said no clear performance issue was cited, but the city apparently fired him because he opposed several raise proposals. He did not name the employees involved, only saying that he felt the increases were unjust and lacked proper justification. He wondered if those raises had been approved without his consent.

The dismissal follows the departure of a city communications director who was put on leave after sending a critical email to council members about the mayor’s hiring practices. The mayor herself did not receive that email.

The city’s press office confirmed that the former finance director is no longer employed by Harrisburg but declined to discuss further.