Harrisburg Forward: Linda, this isn't working out.

A week starting with a Valentine's Day rally outside City Hall that showed little love for Linda ended with the Central Penn Business Journal declaring it was time to break up.

The editorial pulls no punches. "Thompson has in one year dragged the city into a considerably worse situation. Her reckless actions and combative personality have caused residents, city leaders and staff to abandon hope that she can pull Harrisburg from its economic dregs and heal its divisiveness."

Cataloging Thompson's numerous missteps, the Journal concludes, "Harrisburg is too volatile and has too little time to gamble on whether the mayor can recover from her errors or even govern effectively."

The Business Journal has finally declared there is no way to fix Harrisburg with Linda at the helm. For the good of the City, Linda D. Thompson must resign and, "allow a true leader — one who can unite, fairly represent, take responsibility, keep promises, work selflessly and correct the city’s blemished image — to lift the city from being a national mockery to one of unification and prosperity."

The current issue of the CPBJ includes an analysis of Thompson's first 13 months in office, a timeline of her Greatest Blunders and a primer on "How to Remove a Mayor." The editorial is the cherry on top of the double-scoop crap sundae that is Thompson's political career.

None of this will matter to the Thompson faithful who will continue to parrot her claims that any criticism of her is racist, orchestrated by Reed, because of her gender, a plot of little evil gay men, etc., etc. But Linda's supporters don't read the CPBJ; the demographics are polar opposites.

The Business Journal is only available by subscription and not sold at newstands although single copies are available at the Journal Publications' office. No, you may not borrow our copy. Get your own.

The business community pays close attention to the Business Journal. Over the years the publication has become a respected source of information and opinion. Reputation is everything. The Journal has always known it; Linda will never learn it. The Journal's stance will certainly impact Thompson's "plan" to call on businesses to volunteer their help and resources for the city. Not to mention jobs and investment.

Linda doesn't give a damn about working with businesses or even meeting with them unless there's a campaign contribution in it for her. Now more canaries are singing and we hear Linda loves meeting with church folk -- gotta keep those prayer circles spinning. But meeting business people? Not so much. Unless there's a check.

We have too long seen the local media shirk its civic responsibility. Yes, Patriot-News. We're talking to you.

For the last remaining newspaper in the city to call for the resignation of its sitting mayor -- especially one known to be incredibly childish and vindictive -- took a measure of journalistic citizenship that a Hampton Twp. publication ought to emulate.