3 questions for Democrats Schember, Devlin, Woeger

Seeking what would be his third and final four-year term in office, Democratic Erie Mayor Joe Schember is urging voters to consider his administration’s accomplishments

Schember, 74, says that since 2018 his administration has various successes, including bringing new jobs and businesses to the city; helped develop quality affordable housing; expanded citywide tax breaks for new construction; worked to reduce city debt and cut structural budget deficits; reduced crime; and has embraced  immigrants, new Americans, people of color and the LGBTQ+ community.

However, two Democratic challengers seeking to deny Schember’s re-election bid say city government badly needs new leadership, ideas and energy.

Daria Devlin, a 47-year-old current member of the Erie School Board, contends that Schember’s administration has failed to rein in the city’s budget, warning that Erie could be headed for a financial crisis as multimillion-dollar budget deficits loom in the future.

Another Democratic challenger, retired teacher Sheila Woeger, 70, has said that Erie has been held back by racial, socioeconomic and cultural divides that deny opportunity for many citizens and keep the city from growing.

Direct primaries didn’t always exist: The first was held in Crawford County in 1842.

Four candidates are on the May 20 municipal primary ballot. Either Schember, Devlin or Woeger will win the Democratic nomination for mayor and will almost certainly face Republican Matthew Thomas in the Nov. 4 municipal election since there is no other GOP candidate in the race.

The Democratic primary winner will be a huge favorite in the November municipal election because of the city’s more than 2-1 Democratic voter registration edge. No Republican has been elected mayor of Erie since Charles Williamson in 1961.

According to Erie County Voter Registration Office data, there are 31,093 registered Democrats in the city of Erie and 13,850 registered Republicans.

The Erie mayor’s annual salary will increase from the current $95,000 to $120,000 a year in January 2026. The new salary tops the list of annual pay that mayors receive in Pennsylvania’s third-class cities.

Democratic mayoral candidates Q&A

The Erie Times-News asked each of the Democratic mayoral candidates the same three questions regarding city government and the mayor’s race. The newspaper reserved the right to edit responses for length and clarity.

Here is what the candidates had to say.

Question: As you see it, what unique leadership qualities separate you from the other candidates in this race?

Schember: I believe that what separates me is that I am caring, compassionate, see the best in everyone, and don’t pretend to have all of the answers. My leadership style is different than many others who seek public office. I act as a steward of our public resources, value the insights and perspectives of those on the front lines delivering services day-in and day-out, and I implement both short-term and long-term solutions in the best interest of residents. I like to listen in meetings rather than dictate because one of the things I learned from the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative is that, as mayor, it’s important to listen first.

I value everyone for the unique perspectives, skills, and talents that each of us possesses. Once everyone shares their ideas, we arrive at a decision together, and everyone does their part to make it happen. I do not micromanage. I have built an incredible team, and I place a lot of trust in them. It’s because of my leadership style that we are able to accomplish so much. I am driven to serve the public because I want to take what I have learned and leave a legacy for the future.

Devlin: In every way, my personal and professional life has prepared me for this moment to lead this city that I love. As I think has been evident during this campaign, I’m not afraid of having hard, honest conversations or making difficult decisions with honesty and care. I lead with a people-centered approach that is focused on those I serve. I build strong teams, listen deeply, and bring people together to solve problems. And, most importantly, I know how to take action and get things done.

Woeger: I possess the unique skill of open communication, which is vital in any leadership capacity. I always enter every conversation objectively with an ear to hear what the other person has to say. Empathy is another attribute I possess which is much needed in a leadership position; without it leadership can easily become dictatorship.

My educational background includes working as a paralegal, holding both an Associate and Bachelor’s degree. I have also completed courses toward a masters degree in public administration, which included courses in business administration. My legal studies degree endowed me the knowledge to discover information that may otherwise be overlooked and the knowledge of legal terminology which will be an asset during contract negotiations.

The city of Erie is facing significant structural budget deficits without raising property taxes. Given that roughly 90% of the city’s budget goes to employee-related costs such as salaries, pensions and health care and much of that spending is mandated by union contracts, what specific steps would you take to stabilize finances?

Schember: My team and I are in the eighth year of a 12-year strategy and have made great progress, but there is still more work to do. We are applying for a (state) grant to undertake the City’s second five-year financial management plan. We have incorporated both short-term and long-term strategies to stabilize city finances, and we would continue to do the same in the third and final term.

When I took office, my team and I did the city’s first five-year budget projection and discovered that the City was projected to have shortfalls of $11 million, $5 million, $7 million, $13 million, $17 million, and $23 million from 2019 to 2024. Many people thought we were headed for Act 47 but I was determined not to let that happen. With our sound financial practices, we have turned it around.

We have implemented several short-term and long-term strategies to eliminate our deficits and expand our tax base, including expanding the Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance program citywide; paying down the city’s debt; securing grants; investing million of dollars into businesses to create jobs and increase revenue; and investing funding into housing rehab, renovations and new construction.

This strategy helped us to turn the 2023 projected deficit of $17 million into a $243,000 surplus and the 2024 projected deficit of $23 million into a $2 million net surplus. And we did this without raising property taxes the last six years and without using the funding from the prepayment of the water lease the last two years. As a result of all these actions, the City of Erie has achieved its strongest financial position in decades.  We will continue to do those things.

Devlin: It is absolutely critical that we begin to take the necessary steps now to avoid devastating consequences of our structural deficit over the next five years. First, we must acknowledge the crisis – Erie is facing a long-term structural deficit, and we can’t solve it with one-time money or short-term fixes. Second, we must look for efficiencies where we can achieve them and stop wasteful spending where it exists. Third, we need to develop a multi-year plan with advice from financial experts and community leaders that will help to right our fiscal ship. Lastly, we must recognize that our budget problem is rooted in our declining population and develop strategies to grow our city’s tax base. And, most importantly, we must do all these things with full transparency so that the public remains informed and educated about our city’s financial health.

Woeger: After an intense review of the current budget, line item by line item, I would search for any excessive and or unnecessary spending. It is imperative that every tax payer dollar is spent wisely, efficiently and accounted for. It is also important that the city doesn’t just talk transparency, but to be actively engaged in it. I would also be an active participant in all union negotiations. The taxpayer has every right to know where the money is being spent and every right to know request should be transparent in its administration. When public information is redacted, your transparency becomes questionable.

What moves would you immediately make as mayor to improve the quality of life for the city’s residents?

Schember: My team and I have already embarked on several initiatives that we would seek to complete in the third term. Several plans are currently underway. Our focus will continue to be on revitalizing our neighborhoods, creating jobs, increasing housing opportunities, and stabilizing the City’s finances. We will implement the five-year financial management plan; the Safe Streets and Roads for All plan to reduce traffic fatalities and improve our streets; ear Financial Management Plan; a parks and recreation plan based on residents’ priorities; a housing strategy to rehabilitate properties and expand homeownership opportunities; and a local climate action plan.

We will also expand and grow jobs by providing more grants and loans to businesses; renovate the (former Miller Bros) property at 2111 State St. into an emergency operations center; continue to shore up our infrastructure; expand the Love Your Block program and grow our youth programs; and improve public safety.

We already have these and other initiatives underway and look forward to finishing what we started.

Devlin: During my first 100 days, I’ll work to rebuild trust by making City Hall more accessible and responsive to citizen needs. I’ll also focus on the city’s core services– street paving, public spaces, safety, trash and snow removal to make sure City Hall is working for every taxpayer. I’ll convene partners to develop a data-driven plan for investment in our neighborhoods that improves housing and quality of life for residents of every block, and I’ll address city-wide accessibility to parks and green spaces. My administration will be one that listens and acts. I’ll show up in our neighborhoods and attend events, but I’ll also make decisions that are responsive to the needs of our entire city.

Woeger: I would first plan a meet and greet with every city employee, department by department, one on one; to convey to each of them their value as an employee and that their job performance matters. I would engage in a walk through of the city to identify areas of neglect and work immediately to solve them. No resident should live in housing that should be condemned and no person should be without water, the most vital resource for human survival and absolutely, no property owner should have a tarp covering a dilapidated roof.

I will remind myself every day that I am a government of the people, by the people and therefore a government for the people. I need not tell anyone that I am a born-again spirit-filled believer in God through Jesus the Christ, they will know by my character.

Contact Kevin Flowers at kflowers@timesnews.com. Follow him on X at @ETNflowers.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: How the 3 Democratic candidates for Erie mayor would approach the job