Community leaders across Northeast and Central Pennsylvania have their eyes set on downtown revitalization, transportation and to update aging infrastructure in 2026.
From hopes to attract young people to the region through new businesses to a focus on the Poconos’ continued I-80 expansion, mayors and council presidents set lofty goals for the new year.
WVIA News reached out to leaders in our region and asked them the same two questions:
1. What do you see as the biggest challenge facing your community this year?
2. How are you planning to address that issue?
Read their plans for infrastructure updates, ways to manage community finances and public safety, below.
BLOOMSBURG
Mayor Justin Hummel:
Hummel said controlling town finances is always key, but the major problem facing the borough is the need to upgrade Market Street.
Solution: Hummel plans to pave Market Street.
“We're doing a big paving project on Market Street, which goes all the way from the river up to our town fountain,” Hummel said.
The town also hopes to develop a good relationship with Bloomsburg University’s new administration and figure out ways to control health insurance and other costs.
CARBONDALE
Mayor Michele Bannon:
Mayor Michele Bannon says there is a paradox in Carbondale. The city is faced with providing services for a declining population, while preparing for an influx of residents. She believes warehousing and other developments off the Casey Highway will add to the population of Carbondale. And if the population grows, the city has to not only provide services but also amenities.
“What I think our biggest challenge is... revitalizing downtown, you know, our main street,” she said.
She says it's difficult to convert older structures into viable buildings for retail.
“That's hard because for an investor to get a return on their investment, they have to put out more money than sometimes they're able to take in,” she said. “I think that actually attracting, retaining and sustaining retail businesses in our downtown is important right now.”
She pointed out younger generations aren’t necessarily interested in buying homes but would rather rent in a downtown setting.
“They want to have nighttime activities. I think that that's (the) generation's way of staying connected to their community, because that's important to them,” she said.
Solution: Bannon believes in grassroots solutions for the city’s issues.
“It's getting the community involved in the city,” she said. “We want to do what the community wants. And we're very fortunate to have a lot of data … between doing our Our Town initiative, between doing our Heart and Soul initiative, and then just recently, doing our community survey through PA Blueprint Communities, we have a lot of data, a lot of information and a lot of great things to start working with.”
Through NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania, Carbondale participated in PA Blueprint Communities. The city created community plans.
“We have already started through PA Blueprint to look at how our downtown is going to look, what avenues we're going to take, who's going to execute that plan,” Bannon said.
Bannon also said the city will maintain and secure good partners.
“We're looking to leverage all of our assets together, work together and then execute on that plan so that … we can start working on that plan to develop more retail space and more traffic in our downtown area.”
City Council President Joseph Marzzacco:
Carbondale continues to face a declining population.
“Just 30 years ago the population was like 12,000. Now it's down to like 8,000. We still have the same number of police, fire. Our expenses, you know, are based on a larger city,” Marzzacco said. “Actually, at one time, the population of Carbondale was as much as 30,000 in the 30s.”
The city also has a higher population of low-income individuals.
“The tax revenue keeps going down, and our expenses keep going up, and that's a challenge,” he said.
Solution: Marzzacco said Carbondale Mayor Michele Bannon has been proactive with finding grants for the city.
“And that certainly helps the situation quite a bit,” he said.
She also is involved with neighborhood projects and other projects to enhance the city.
Marzzacco said more employees in city government are looking for solutions than ever before.
HONESDALE BOROUGH
Mayor Derek Williams:
Williams has his eyes set on strengthening relationships with the community in 2026.
“The main issue would be kind of rebuilding a little bit of civility, civic engagement and kind of neighborliness in our discourse and the way we work together in the community,” Williams said.
He said Honesdale tends to hear from the same people on community issues and local governance, so borough officials need to find a way to engage more of the community.
Solution: Williams named two programs he hopes will connect community members to those in power: Community Heart & Soul and the People’s Playground Project Initiative.
The first is based on a nationwide initiative to foster economic development through community collaboration.
Community Heart & Soul focuses on three principles according to its website: “Involve everyone, focus on what matters most and play the long game.” The program is divided into four phases: imagine, connect, plan and act.
Williams said the gist of the project is to pull people together for “deep listening sessions” and hear what is most important to them in their community and what they love and care about in Honesdale.
He said that in many planning initiatives, the goal at the end is to come up with a list of infrastructure projects, but the committees that pull people together often rely on the same group of people who are already active in the community.
Williams said he wants to get new voices in the mix and have them come up with a list of shared values they have for the community.
“One of the aims is to reach as many people as possible, especially the people who aren't normally at the table. So, with that list of shared values, we can carry that forward to other projects. And along the way, because it's so citizen-led and resident-focused, you end up building civic engagement,” Williams said.
He said he hopes the program will inspire neighboring communities to get involved in local government.
The initiative is grant funded, and Honesdale and the Pennsylvania Community Heart & Soul’s partners include the state’s Department of Community and Economic Development, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Route 6 Alliance. Honesdale’s program started in January.
The second program Williams is looking forward to in 2026 is the People’s Playground Project Initiative, which aims to rebuild the playground at Central Park in Honesdale.
Williams said a group of residents are fundraising for the project and started designing the playground in January.
“There’s another instance of pulling people together for a shared goal, and learning from each other, and listening to each other that I'm really excited about,” Williams said.
Borough President Tiffany Rogers:
Rogers aims to stabilize the borough through effective leadership.
She said the borough does not have a chief administrative officer, which is similar to a borough manager. While council members vote on borough issues, the chief administrative officer oversees daily operations and keeps the borough running.
Council members do not necessarily see each other regularly outside of borough meetings, so Rogers said the team needs a person who helps bring everyone together.
“It's trying to understand all of the strengths that everyone brings to the table, and seeing how those things work together and really complete the puzzle to make the borough the most successful and effective that it can be,” Rogers said.
The borough currently is run by Interim Borough Manager Kevin Kundratic, who Rogers said is doing a “great job,” but it would be beneficial to bring someone in on a full time basis.
Solution: Rogers said the borough is focused on hiring a chief administrative officer.
Rogers said the borough has the job posted and is collecting applications for the position. Council will interview its top candidates, and if it is in agreement, it will make a motion and hire its pick to the position.
Besides day-to-day management, the chief administrative officer will be in charge of managing borough staff, directing the local department of public works, finding grant opportunities and developing relationships with local leaders and surrounding communities, for example.
JIM THORPE BOROUGH
Jim Thorpe Mayor Eric Cinicola and Borough Council President Connor Rodgers:
Cinicola and Rodgers share the same vision to improve communication and transparency between the borough and its residents.
In an email sent by Rodgers and echoed by Cinicola, Rodgers said they regularly hear from residents “who feel frustrated or unaware of ongoing projects, decisions or the reasoning behind certain actions taken by council.”
“When residents are not finding the correct information, it can lead to confusion and dissatisfaction, even when decisions are made with the community’s best interests in mind,” Rodgers said.
Rodgers said residents are especially concerned about the borough’s aging infrastructure, especially as Jim Thorpe is a major tourist hub.
“We need to find ways to improve our infrastructure for both residents and visitors,” Rodgers said.
Solution: Rodgers and Cinicola said the borough needs to establish better communication with residents.
Rodgers said the council must make a more “deliberate effort” to keep residents informed by improving how and when information is shared with the public. Residents need borough actions to be clearly explained and accessible.
He said the borough began to tackle infrastructure needs by approving a 2.25-mill tax increase, with a substantial portion dedicated to road improvements while lowering residential garbage rates. The borough will also have close to $300,000 allocated to street paving.
Rodgers said the action was necessary as state funding from gas taxes “continue to decline due to electric vehicles and other factors.”
“By taking this step, we are planning to fund more paving projects and restore our street surfaces for residents and visitors,” Rodgers said in his email.
PITTSTON
Mayor Michael Lombardo:
Lombardo said the city needs to find a balance between affordable housing and new development.
The mayor, a member of the Pennsylvania Municipal League's Housing Task Force and the National League of Cities’ America's Housing Comeback Committee, said “housing has been always really important” to him.
Lombardo also is a member of the city’s housing authority.
He said the city needs to support first-time buyers and seniors by establishing programs that allow residents to save money towards buying a home and to limit home maintenance costs for seniors. Homelessness is also an area of concern.
“Housing and homeownership … that is generational wealth. That's the American dream,” Lombardo said.
Solution: Lombardo said the city implemented programs to allow residents in public housing and middle-income families to purchase their own homes. The city also offers housing for older adults who still want to live in Pittston, but cannot manage house upkeep.
For residents in public housing, Lombardo said the city operates a rent-to-own program for tenants that offers a “pathway to homeownership.”
Lombardo referred to qualified tenants, ones who consistently pay their rent on time and have been living in public housing for an extended period, as “legacy families.”
He said one of the downsides of public housing is that good tenants often get “punished” for staying, as their rent starts to escalate, but their income likely does not increase at a commensurate rate.
“You're always right on the edge of almost getting over the hump, but you can't,” he said.
The city also has a portable equity program for market-rate homes that allows residents to purchase a home in Pittston after renting for a period of time.
Lombardo lamented the 2008 housing bubble burst and said it disproportionately affects younger Pennsylvanians.
“Homeownership now is coming at 40, for some people, which is way different than you know it was. I'm a boomer, so in my generation … the pathway was different. It was much sooner than that [when] you bought your first home. So, we're trying to get back to a point where it becomes a reasonable path for somebody younger to get into a home,” Lombardo said.
He said he hopes these programs will build a greater homeownership base in the city, as he said that stabilizes the tax base.
Lombardo also said the city needs to provide housing options for older adults. They have the option to move to Lincoln Heights and Steeple View, two “neighborhood-centric senior housing units.”
“That's an opportunity for neighbors to cash out of their houses and get into a facility that they don't have [to pay] all the maintenance on,” he said.
Both centers allow seniors to pull some of their equity out and remove the burden of property, school and city taxes, Lombardo said.
He said the city has a responsibility to keep taxes low for seniors as they usually have a fixed income. A tax increase of $50 may not seem like much to elected officials, but can make a huge difference for someone on a budget.
Pittston also runs a program against blight and works with the North East Land Bank Authority to restore older properties.
SCRANTON
Mayor Paige Cognetti:
Safety is the main issue for Cognetti in 2026.
“We, over these last six years, have continued to invest in the police department, in police technology that enables our officers to solve crimes faster, to keep us safe and also keep themselves safer. We have body cams that we can now communicate with from HQ, so that we can communicate with officers.”
She said the city continues to invest in its fire department, code enforcement and public works department.
Cognetti used a fire in West Scranton as an example.
“It's not just the fire department. We have those folks doing what they do, saving lives and expertly putting out that fire, making sure that it's not spreading throughout other buildings on that block. You also have code enforcement responding … to see what buildings are safe to use after the fact, helping make sure that we're connecting residents that are displaced with the Red Cross. Public Works, unfortunately, with the snowy winter, has been working overtime, to say the least, with all these snow events. So safety is number one for us. Public safety and policing remains the big focus.”
Solution: This year Cognetti hopes to start up a community violence intervention organization in the city. The organization will work with families and formerly incarcerated people to get them on track for a productive way of life, as opposed to falling into or falling back into a lifestyle of crime, she said.
“We've been working with community partners for the last couple of years on that. This is the year that we need to actually stand up the organization, hire an executive director and have that organization start to run.”
“So it's not always law enforcement and police, that is important. In addition to that, you have to have community resources that are there for families, there for individuals to get on the right track. That includes workforce solutions. It includes housing solutions, education, all sorts of the pieces that need to be in place, alongside law enforcement."
“We always have to have law enforcement be a part of the solution, but when it comes to getting on the right track, that's where we need community entities to help out. That's where we need people to be able to connect folks to jobs that they can have, be able to connect people to education options. Be able to connect people to better housing options. Sometimes it's as simple as somebody who wants to get on the right track, but they can't afford the $100 to take a certification test to get into a new job. This is a type of entity that would house a fund to be able to help people meet those goals and get on the right track.”
City Council President Tom Schuster:
Finances are Schuster’s main concern in 2026.
The city received millions from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
“All of that money has been earmarked, all that money has been allocated, and all that money is going to be spent, so we're not going to have that money on hand,” he said.
That money from the federal government is expiring this year.
“We started many projects, so park improvement projects and stormwater projects. I think right now, on top of, you know, looking at the increase in crime and things like that in our city, we have to make sure that we're following these projects through to the end.”
The city has to complete $25 million in storm water projects this year, he said. Also, the city’s DPW contract expired about a year ago. The police and fire contracts are also nearing expiration. Scranton’s OpenGov contract needs to be renewed and costs around $1 million, and the city purchased the Fidelity Bank Building for $2 million next to City Hall on North Washington Avenue.
Solution: Schuster said the solution to the issue is accountability.
“I think the new council as a team, we have the experience of Mark (McAndrew) and Jess (Rothchild) as well as the new guys coming through, and I think, you know, making sure we're following up on the projects and holding the administration accountable to get them completed.”
“We have to also focus on keeping our budget in check. We're not going to see any tax increases for next year, or we're not going above our means.”
STROUDSBURG BOROUGH
Mayor Ellen Currie:
Borough council appointed Ellen Currie as Stroudburg's new mayor on Feb. 3. The retired Pocono Mountain School District and East Stroudsburg University educator said in an interview afterwards she hopes to bring order to the borough.
Council voted 4-2 in favor of her appointment with J Zac Christman as the sole abstention, said Currie.
Claire Crawford-Braun, Victoria DeVries, Cheryl Joubert and Matt Abell voted in favor. Joseph Shay and Erica Bradley-McCabe voted against Currie's appointment.
Currie's term will end Dec. 31, 2027.
She said she is still in the process of transitioning into her new role as mayor, but hopes to invest in the borough's emergency services.
Council President Matt Abell:
For Borough Council President Matt Abell, the biggest issue facing Stroudsburg is the I-80 expansion.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is reconstructing 3.5 miles of the interstate through Stroud Township, Stroudsburg and East Stroudsburg in Monroe County. The plan includes widening the road and reconfiguring the interchange.
“We stand to lose a lot of property … and the ones that remain, that are affected by it will be negatively affected by it,” he said. “So we're looking to strengthen our business district in advance of that.”
Abbell said properties along the highway will be impacted.
“PennDOT has already taken over some of those properties. We have a gas station, a couple other properties that were one of the first to be taken but you know, beyond that … they're closing an exit that is used quite frequently by people that live in town,” he said.
He said the closed exit also impacts emergency response time.
Solution: Ahead of the I-80 project, Abbell said the borough is trying to bolster its downtown. They want to make Stroudsburg a destination while increasing their tax base.
Stroudsburg is updating their zoning ordinances and offering tax incentives, like LERTAs, to entice developers into the downtown, especially to some of the borough’s vacant lots.
“We seem to have attracted one of the most prominent properties on Main Street, and are hopeful that that will result in a mixed use development, which will be two retail properties and a little over 100 residential units,” he said.
Stroudsburg plans to revitalize its business district.
“We received a half a million dollars to do things like signage to direct people toward parking areas that are off Main Street,” Abbell said. “In addition to that, we're going to be working on pedestrian improvements, like bus shelters, crosswalks, painted crosswalks and things like that. The long term plan for that vision is actually to reduce the lanes of northbound traffic to one lane in order to add traffic calming measures, as well as to give pedestrians a shorter traffic distance to allow safer crossings.”
Stroudsburg Mayor Michael Moreno was reelected this November but resigned last month to take a job with the borough. He is now the downtown manager and will be the liaison between the borough government and business owners, said Abbell. He will also market and promote existing businesses in Stroudsburg.
“A lot of us at the borough felt that he was not only the right candidate for the job, but somebody who's local and locally invested, somebody's not just going to use it as a stepping stone to bigger things, and we hope that he'll stick around for a long time,” he said.
WILLIAMSPORT
Mayor Derek Slaughter:
Slaughter said Williamsport must address its financial struggles. The city had to raise taxes half a mill to 17.55 mills. An outside consultant has studied the city’s finances for the last year and recommended changes, including selling the shutdown City Hall.
Solution: Slaughter said he will implement the recommended changes and ask voters to study adopting a home rule charter at the May 19 primary election.
City officials hope the charter would give the city more flexibility in taxation. As a third-class city, Williamsport is limited by state law to relying on property taxes and a half percent income tax. A charter could eliminate the income tax limit.
“It's sort of in its infancy, and not just for Williamsport, but for ... other third class cities, potentially other smaller townships, boroughs around the Commonwealth,” Slaughter said. “So, yeah, finances are always the forefront. Because if you don't have the money to work with, there's not a whole lot else you can do.”
Slaughter listed getting the city’s levee along the Susquehanna River re-certified, adding housing, eliminating blight and exploring the creation of a Boys and Girls Club as other priorities.
Tunkhannock Borough
Mayor Stacy Huber and Council President Ben Barziloski:
Barziloski said the borough wants to upgrade police department equipment, update zoning and add an assistant for the borough manager.
The top priority, Barziloski and Huber agree, is improvement of the borough’s downtown.
“I don't know if this is noteworthy or not, but I think it's a pretty common assumption on most people (that) our downtown has suffered over the last few years,” he said. “Mostly what I call — and (certainly) not originally with me — but the Walmart effect. When they came in, it gradually led to (closure of) certain of our businesses downtown, which led to more of an influx of what he calls lawyers' offices and other small businesses. We don't have a department store and that kind of a thing which we used to have.”
Solution: Both want to improve downtown partly by attracting more niche shops.
“What we have on our Main Street (is) we have a lot of insurance companies and a lot of lawyers. And I like to use Pittston as a baseline ... They did a great job down there, refacing the Main Street,” Barziloski said.
