PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

Pittsburgh Civic Design Coalition Mayoral Candidates Forum
by Jessica McPherson Wednesday, Apr. 27, 2005 at 5:45 AM

Candidates for the upcoming Pittsburgh mayoral election discussed issues related to design & quality of life in Pittsburgh at a recent forum hosted by the Pittsburgh Civic Design Coalition.

The Pittsburgh Civic Design Coalition hosted a forum for candidates in the upcoming Pittsburgh mayoral election entitled “Design, Community, and Quality of Life.” Five candidates participated in the forum – Michael Lamb, Les Ludwig, Bob O’Connor, Bill Peduto, and Michael Repovs.

The candidates were allowed the most time to detail how they would address urban blight. Michael Lamb favored establishing a fund to eliminate blight, streamlining of the cumbersome treasurer’s sale process to speed reinvestment in abandoned properties, and encouraging residential developments downtown for revitalization. Les Ludwig wanted to establish a park district, direct Tax-Increment-Financing to homeowners or groups of homeowners rather than large corporations, and encourage innovations to reduce expenses. Bob O’Connor said, “We have to be able to partner. That’s my strongest asset.” O’Connor proposed “professionalizing the authorities,” sharing services with the County, and “working together for jobs”. Bill Peduto said that to alleviate blight, the city’s emphasis should be on neighborhood revitalization. He proposed that the resources of the planning offices and of the Urban Redevelopment Authority should be jointly re-directed towards neighborhood revitalization. He believed revitalization efforts should be informed by citizen-based community plans. Repovs said that “a larger culture of accountability within our neighborhoods” was part of the solution to blight.

To resolve the city’s financial crisis, Ludwig suggested looking for alternative funding sources. He said that “everything should be looked at in terms of “can we get it for free?” and if not, then we’ll spend money.” O’Connor said that “with my business background we can do that.” Peduto favored modernizing city services and “merging around commonalities” between city, county, and regional government. He also proposed a strategy of working with surrounding cities facing similar problems to gain response from the state government to the problems of sprawl and urban decay, since Republican lawmakers are not responsive to the concerns of the largely Democratic city of Pittsburgh, but many do have smaller cities within their jurisdictions.

When the candidates were asked how, aside from creating more jobs, to keep young people in Pittsburgh, they all emphasized the need for attractive job opportunities. Michael Lamb said that one problem was that “the gender wage gap is very significant here” and proposed incentives for women-owned businesses as a solution.

In the last question of the forum candidates were asked to name the city’s best physical asset. Lamb said that “Pittsburgh has the greatest urban vista in America” Ludwig, O’Connor, and Repovs all picked the city’s people as its best asset; Ludwig said “60% more old people means 60% more wisdom” and stressed the need to eliminate racism, while O’Connor said that “as mayor I’m going to surround myself with the best people.” Repovs said that “this city believes in progressive and conservative values—collective bargaining, healthcare, but also a good return on our investment.” Peduto picked the city’s neighborhoods as its best asset and said the city’s future lay in neighborhood revitalization.

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