When dealing with personal bad debt or an agency trying to collect debt from your business, it's a tough situation. But imagine if it's your whole town that is swamped in bills it can't pay? That's the situation that Harrisburg, PA, has found itself in. After having exhausted their potential other options, they've turned to a rather unconventional figure to run their finances as treasurer: 23 year old John Campbell.

Campbell, who took office on January 3rd, is currently pursuing dual degrees in business administrations and economics. The basis for his campaign was how his best skills are in finance and numbers, not in campaigning and lobbying. This was enough for the voters, who are facing $317 million worth of bad debt.

But Campbell has more than creditors trying to engage in debt collection to deal with. The mayor and city council can't work together without arguments flaring over the lack of money and spiked demands of Harrisburg's' citizens. More and more people are moving to the suburbs due to bad debt, high crime rates, and the failing school system. And because he is young, Campbell has very little flexibility with the city's finances. David Unkovic, a long time finance expert, has sole control over how tax dollars are spent, which has put a damper on Campbell's mission to bridge the financial gap Harrisburg is floundering in.

Despite these hurdles, Campbell is making the most of his term. He is pushing forward his goals to reduce unnecessary spending, starting with selling off the city-owned incinerator, which is costing the city more than it's bringing in. Also, to help promote cash flow, he wants to sell off the surplus of Western and Native American artifacts that are not being displayed in local museums. However, rather than quickly selling off all assets, Campbell recognizes that the long term is also important, as seen recently when he voted against selling off tax liens, which would have been a 20% loss of their future value.

It's a long road ahead for the young treasurer, but Campbell is already thinking ahead. An advantage to his age is that he'll be learning the ropes of finances and handling the state capital's bad debt much quicker than those who have taken this position. With the guidance of Unkovic and his own knowledge of finance, Campbell already has an outline for the first steps that Harrisburg can take to get back on its feet. More than one person is needed turn this bad financial situation around, but hope is in the air for Harrisburg.