Tom McMahon is the mayor of Reading, Pennsylvania; he was elected on 5 January 2004. A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning larger, greater) is the modern title of the highest ranking municipal officer. ... Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Berks County Founded 1748  - Mayor Thomas McMahon Area    - City  10. ... Official language(s) English, Pennsylvania Dutch Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Area  Ranked 33rd  - Total 46,055 sq mi (119,283 km²)  - Width 280 miles (455 km)  - Length 160 miles (255 km)  - % water 2. ... January 5 is the 5th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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] Nickname: Motto: Rochester: Made for Living Location of Rochester in New York State Country United States State New York County Monroe Government  - Mayor Robert Duffy Area  - City  37. ... Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is a private higher education institute, emphasizing career preparation, located in the township of Henrietta, outside of Rochester, New York. ... The Pennsylvania State University (commonly known as Penn State) is a state-related, land-grant university. ... Peace Corps volunteers usually serve for 27 months. ...

Political Career

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

Mayor McMahon is up for reelection in 2007.

Illegal Alien Debate

On July 16, 2006 Mayor McMahon, while attending the 3rd annual International Latin Festival at Reading's City Park, voiced his dissaproval of a recent law enacted by the town of Hazelton. The Hazleton law, which allows for a fine of $1,000 if a home is rented to illegal aliens, as well as making English the official language of the town, is according to McMahon not required. He stated that "Reading is proud to hear Spanish spoken in public" and "Aren’t you glad this isn’t Hazleton?" McMahon claims that "It's a slippery slope for local municipalities to pass laws that are already in place and the feds aren’t enforcing"[1].However, on May 1st, 2006 Mayor Tom MacMahon had the opportunity of participating in a march that had more than 4,000 people and rejected to attend. He did not supported the cause of opposing publically the law HR4437 with the 48 % of residents of Reading who are Hispanics. (Publication:Reading Eagle; Date:May 2, 2006; Section:Berks & Beyond; Page Number:15 ©2006 Reading Eagle Company By Phoebe Sweet Reading Eagle Contact reporter Phoebe Sweet at 610-371-5014 or psweet@readingeagle.com.) Hazleton is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. ...

Major Systems Grant Program

On July 25, 2006 Mayor Tom McMahon announced the awarding of the first grant in the City of Reading’s 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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Goggle Works Incident

On August 17, 2006 Tom McMahon made a controversial comment regarding the reason for the construction of The Goggle Works being for suburban folk and cocktail parties.

A couple of days later in a letter to The Reading Eagle, Tom McMahon apologized for the remarks.

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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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Trash Debate Incident At The Marvel

On November 2, 2006, in front of Reading Police Chief William Heim and several others, McMahon removed 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. ^[6]

Technology Use

Mayor Tom McMahon has what he considers to be a big vision for Reading, including ubiquitous wifi, Internet at the Pagoda.

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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Video Surveillance

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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Harvard University Study

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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Notes

External links

• Tom McMahon's official blog