Steve Murphy Shope, 42, of 608 Hawthorne Ave., has announced his intention to seek the Republican nomination for one of three seats on City Council in the May primary election.

Shope said he believes his professional background in business and economic development and his younger years spent growing up at a residence at Memorial and Fifth avenues uniquely qualify him as a candidate.

Shope has served in numerous executive positions with businesses and non-profits.

He presently leads the Project Bald Eagle coalition in combating the opioid epidemic in 10 counties,  becoming its executive director in 2015 and running for Lycoming County commissioner that year.

“I lost a dozen or more people to addiction and overdose alone, not necessarily heroin, but addiction,” he said. “I grew up with crime as part of the environment,” he said. “I think I have an understanding of it. I think anyone who is going to take a role in addressing crime should have some at least some frontline experience other than reading some data. I understand the culture of crime. These people were friends, were relatives.”

As a nominee his campaign will focus on the city’s financial priorities.

“I think being a steward of their (taxpayer) finances and their tax money is paramount,” he said. “I don’t think any single dollar should be taken for granted.”

“Government is getting pressed more and more with economic burden,” he said. “It’s either raise taxes or find other ways to increase (the) tax base. The more we get jammed up with pensions, we are going to need more creative solutions to address that other than just raising taxes.”

While employed for Tetley Tea, he specialized in corporate restructuring and how to implement process-improvement programs, he said.

What issues could be improved on as he looks at council as of late?

“Having more business minds on council that can address the opportunities — both the barriers and the opportunities — and be able to help to facilitate more of the former than the latter.”

From 2008 to 2010, Shope served in a senior management position for the U.S. Department of Commerce and was involved in the 2010 Census, working with more than 4,000 individuals on the project.

He views opportunities to introduce more tourism into the region, despite the largest draw each year being the annual Little League Baseball World Series. There are many things the city can do to make it more attractive to business opportunities, he said.

Shope lives in the Vallamont section of the city with his wife, Ashton, and 7-month-old daughter, Gemma Sophia.