Burns proposes new blueprint for Johnstown to prosper
Focus first on public safety, then city cleanup and blight elimination
Rep. Frank Burns January 21, 2026 | 3:17 PM
JOHNSTOWN, Jan. 21 – Johnstown must reorder its priorities for its comeback to succeed, state Rep. Frank Burns said, arguing that enhanced public safety should serve as the foundation of the city’s recovery, followed closely by strong cleanup and blight elimination efforts.
Burns, D-Cambria, said increasing the number of police officers on the street -- supported by the latest crime-fighting technology -- along with removing abandoned and neglected buildings and improving sidewalks and streets, should be the city’s primary focus.
“Johnstown has never lacked potential -- but it has lacked the right priorities,” Burns said. “Public safety must come first. Let’s be honest: No employer will choose to open shop in an area where crime and disorder are allowed to run unchecked. Families and workers will not return downtown if they don’t feel safe. Supporting our police and first responders isn’t just good policy -- it’s foundational to rebuilding our city.
“Second, we must clean up and eliminate blight downtown and in our neighborhoods,” Burns continued. “These aren’t just eyesores -- they’re red flags to potential investors. Neglected buildings, abandoned homes and visible decay drive away visitors, employers and opportunity.
“These conditions are not inevitable -- they are preventable. When abandoned properties are removed, when streets and sidewalks are clean, and when pride replaces neglect, people will feel welcome again -- and investment will follow.”
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“For too long, our community leaders have followed the script that a thriving economy can be forced from the top down. I’m proposing that it develops from the bottom up, after a community proves it is ready, stable, and worth investing in. That’s a sea change in philosophy – but one look around proves that it’s badly needed. Who’s going to invest a half-million dollars downtown when the city’s a mess?” – State Rep. Frank Burns
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Burns said only after safety is restored and blight is removed can Johnstown reasonably expect entrepreneurs, businesses and tourists to invest in the city.
“You can’t build prosperity on top of crime and blight,” Burns said. “This isn’t theory -- it’s common sense.”
Burns emphasized that restoring public safety and eliminating blight must serve as the city’s core foundation for attracting investment -- an outcome everyone wants to see. Growth, he said, cannot be forced, but must be earned by taking care of the basics first.
“For too long, our community leaders have followed the idea that a thriving economy can be forced from the top down,” Burns said. “I’m proposing that it develops from the bottom up -- after a community proves it is ready, stable and worth investing in. That’s a sea change in philosophy, but one look around shows it’s badly needed. Who’s going to invest a half-million dollars downtown when the city’s a mess?”
Burns said one reason he supports the “ground-up” approach is to help Johnstown maximize the investment potential of the 40 acres of special Keystone Opportunity Zone land he secured for the city in the latest state budget.
He noted that “Business Facilities” magazine ranked Pennsylvania’s Keystone Opportunity Zone program as the No. 1 economic development initiative in the nation.
“Johnstown now has a unique, one-of-a-kind KOZ that relieves only an investor’s state tax burden,” Burns said. He explained that the tailored package was necessary because the city of Johnstown and the Greater Johnstown School District declined to approve their portions of tax relief under the traditional KOZ program, which temporarily waives taxes to encourage business investment and job creation.
“This is something local entities can’t block, so we removed the barrier,” Burns said, noting that the new KOZ applies to parcels of any size throughout the city and does not require properties to be contiguous.
Burns said investing in people, neighborhoods and law enforcement -- combined with the tax incentives offered through the Keystone Opportunity Zone -- would position Johnstown as a community worthy of investment by developers and small businesses.
“With the right leadership and the community united behind the mission, Johnstown can once again be a place people are proud to call home -- a city where families want to live, where people feel safe and where businesses choose to invest,” Burns concluded.
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