Tom McMahon

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Tom McMahon is the mayor of Reading, Pennsylvania; he was elected on 5 January 2004.

McMahon was born in Rochester, New York and graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology and Pennsylvania State University with degrees in engineering. He taught in Bangladesh with the Peace Corps before founding his own electrical engineering firm in Reading.^[1]

1 Political Career
2 McMahon and Reading's Senior Citizens
3 Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition
4 Video Surveillance in Reading Proposal
5 McMahon the Techie
6 McMahon and Reading's Economic Future
7 Trash Debate Incident At The Marvel
8 Notes
9 External links

[edit] Political Career

McMahon was elected Mayor in 2003 with 7629 votes, or 76%.^[2]

Mayor McMahon is up for reelection in 2007.

[edit] McMahon and Reading's Senior Citizens

On July 25, 2006 Mayor Tom McMahon announced the awarding of the first grant in the City of Reading’s Major Systems Grant program in City Hall. The program, a joint venture between the City of Reading’s Community Development Department and the Berks County Office of Aging provides grants to senior citizens who are residents and homeowners who are having difficulty providing new major systems for their properties. Major systems are defined as roofing, plumbing and heating systems, chimney repairs, and upgraded electrical systems at the source.

The first award has been given in the amount of $2200.00 to a local senior homeowner who had a major plumbing issue. Barbara Coffin, Executive Director of the Berks County Office of Aging stated that “I am delighted that the Office of Aging has been invited to be the conduit for the City’s Major System Grant Program. It is a benefit to be able to provide much needed assistance to our seniors in the community when a major systems failure happens in their housing that they cannot afford.” The Agency has recently had forty two applications to the program and Coffin is pleased to see that the program is moving and that eligible applicants are now benefiting.

The Major Systems Grant is a conditional grant program which is reduced yearly by owner residency in the property for a period of ten years. To be eligible for the MSGP, one must be 65 or older, own and reside in their home. Taxes must be up to date and home insurance must be verifiable.

This was a recommendation which came out of the Mayor’s Task Force on Housing to continue the Administration’s goal to improve housing stock in the City of Reading. “The Major Systems Grant Program is yet another way to enhance and improve the quality of life for our residents and I am pleased that the Community Development team is continuing their dedication to our seniors with this program.”

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[edit] Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition

In October of 2006, Mayor McMahon joined Mayor Bloomberg and 107 other mayors in their fight against illegal guns.

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[edit] Video Surveillance in Reading Proposal

On March 9, 2007, Mayor Tom McMahon discussed how installing video surveillance in downtown could curb crime during his broadcast on From WEEU's monthly series "Ask the Mayor" on "Feedback" with Mike Faust.

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[edit] McMahon the Techie

Mayor Tom McMahon has what he considers to be a big vision for Reading, including ubiquitous wifi, Internet at the Pagoda, and safety and information cameras around the city.

Mr. McMahon shared some elements of this vision on Berks TV during the first of a 2 part series. A blogger himself, Mr. McMahon also talked about his blog-reading habits and how he uses the Internet for research as part of his job as Mayor. He also says he’ll watch the occasional news video via the web.

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[edit] McMahon and Reading's Economic Future

Mayor Tom McMahon has commissioned a Harvard University study to help map the city's economic future. While there are home-grown examples of companies that have innovated their way out of obsolescence such as Arrow International, a medical-equipment manufacturer that employs 900 in Reading, grew out of a textile company that began refining its needles for surgical use.

But the notion that those companies will make up for the loss of Agere's payroll anytime soon is "happy talk," McMahon says. McMahon who is a retired engineer, doesn't indulge in any as he assesses the pros and cons facing communities like his in a global marketplace.

"I don't doubt that the standards of living we've been enjoying, probably at the expense of the rest of the world, will decrease," says McMahon, who worked as a Peace Corps volunteer in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) as a young man. "We've enjoyed the fruits of cheap labor for so long that we want it both ways: We want good jobs and good wages, and we want everything cheap."

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[edit] Trash Debate Incident At The Marvel

On November 2, 2006, in front of Reading Police Chief William Heim and several others, McMahon angrily removed, crumpled, and threw away signs opposing a public trash plan McMahon supported that were hung at The Marvel Ranch (a public eatery in Reading, Pennsylvania). McMahon stated he was outside the restaurant when he noticed two “Vote Yes” signs that he had placed in the window were missing. “They were the only two signs I put up in the whole campaign,” he said. “I saw the ‘Yes’ signs down and the two ‘No’ signs still up and did a dumb thing and took the two ‘No’ signs down.” He stated that he was frustrated that hundreds of “Vote Yes” signs have been removed throughout the city. ^[8]