Harrisburg, Pa., controller Dan Miller, who lost in the Democratic mayoral primary, will not run for mayor as a Republican.
Miller, a founding partner of local accounting firm Miller Dixon Drake and a former councilman, made the announcement in Pennsylvania’s distressed capital on Monday.
His four-year term as controller will end Dec. 31.
Bookstore owner Eric Papenfuse defeated Miller and incumbent Linda Thompson in the Democratic primary in May, but Miller received enough Republican write-in votes to qualify on the GOP side for the general election in November.
His withdrawal leaves independent Nevin Mindlin running head-to-head against Papenfuse. Mindlin lost the 2009 election to Thompson.
According to Miller, who has favored bankruptcy as a more equitable means of dealing with the city’s crippling $350 million of debt, issues took a back seat to money during the campaign. “We never had an honest debate on the merits and drawbacks of the receiver’s plan. We never had an honest conversation on the pluses and minuses of bankruptcy,” he said.
State-appointed receiver William Lynch intends to file a debt-reduction plan later this month with the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania.
