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Thursday, January 10, 2002
Simms sold poor communities down the drain to get ahead
I hope newly elected Allegheny County Council President James Simms enjoys his new position. To get it he had to turn on his party, his constituents and his religion. Council member Brenda Frazier did the same thing by supporting Mr. Simms.
First, Mr. Simms sided with the Republicans on the living-wage issue; then he got the Republicans to pay for it by getting their votes for county council president. I think Mr. Simms and Ms. Frazier sold the black and poorer communities down the drain.
As for the Republican council members who live in the rich white neighborhoods, how many of them would have benefited from the living wage?
Shame on you, Mr. Simms and Ms. Frazier! You had a chance to help the underemployed and underprivileged and you turned your backs on them. Those people counted on you and you let them down.
Now, when you next run for office, you should go to Upper St. Clair, Mt. Lebanon, Bethel Park or any of the other rich areas in Allegheny County to be elected.
I wonder if his new Republican friends will be supportive of Mr. Simms or use him as their whipping boy.
DENNIS FLEMING
Democrats betrayed
I am writing in regard to the series of articles in the Post-Gazette memorializing James Simms' election to the position of County Council president. Jan. 3, there was an article titled "Simms Takes Reins"; Jan. 4, "Simms Shares the Spoils of County Council Victory"; Jan. 6, an editorial "The New President"; and Jan. 7 Brian O'Neill 1s column "Can Democrats Count?"
Let me answer Mr. O'Neill's question first. Yes, Democrats can count. If you don't believe me, ask the 4,594 Democratic voters who cast their votes for James Simms in his May 1999 primary election victory. Or those who voted for him in the general election against no GOP candidate. Ask the 4,955 Democratic voters who elected Brenda Frazier in a four-person May 2001 primary or those who voted for her when she was unopposed in the general election.
Simms and Frazier turned their backs on the Democratic voters from their relatively GOP-voter-free districts to embrace the Grand Old Party of Roddey and Lincoln. To paraphrase an old friend of mine, "There goes Jim Simms and Brenda Frazier carrying the white man's water again."
The PG on Jan. 6 stated, "Indeed, the truth is rather damning: White Democrats didn't help Mr. Simms make history, but white Republicans (from the suburbs, no less) did." Show me one of those GOP seats that Mr. Simms could have won in an election. None. And you say that this is a historic moment without any taint of tokenism?
In the Jan. 3 article, Simms sums up his philosophy: "If you're wise and astute in politics ... great things can happen." This comes from a man who voted against the living-wage legislation he co-authored for the chance of a lifetime. Wise and astute? Opportunistic has a better ring to me.
The article on Jan. 4 documents Mr. Simms returning the favor to Republicans. He has rewarded his supporters, most of whom happen to be Republicans, with the choicest committee posts. Mr. Simms has become the Sen. Jim Jeffords of Allegheny County, a one-man wrecking crew.
Pittsburgh Democrats have a new city chairman in City Controller Tom Flaherty. He's bright, articulate and energetic. The county Democratic Party is desperately in need of new leadership to stop this GOP onslaught.
RICH TENNEY
Fink has common sense
I find it quite discouraging that every time I read an article in the Post-Gazette about the new leadership of the Pittsburgh Board of Public Education it seems to have a negative slant.
Jean Fink has not only committed the majority of her adult life to the service of the school district but also has become quite an authority on process and policy. Her remarks are always professional and her common-sense approach is refreshing to those of us who know just how hard it is to live within our means.
It is this subject and the continued discussion of a budget that has already been passed that has caused me to write this letter. I called Mrs. Fink and she said she thought the items discussed in the Post-Gazette on Jan. 7 ("School Budget Study Finds More Woe") were part of a draft internal document and that she had not even had the opportunity to discuss them with either the superintendent or the staff.
Maybe the superintendent would serve the district better if he would spent more time talking to the board and less time preparing documents for the media. It seems very suspect that our hard-earned tax dollars are spent on press releases and press conferences with the superintendent, instead of a responsible and accountable way to lower this ever-increasing school district budget.
I offer Mrs. Fink and the board members who voted to cut the budget all my support. They should continue to demand that the employees of the district, beginning with John Thompson, are held to the highest standard. As taxpayers we deserve nothing less.
AL SIMON
Faithful public servant
I'm saddened by the passing of James W. Knox ("Former County Controller, Longtime Fixture in Local Politics," Jan. 2 Obituary). He is one of the last in a line of dedicated public officials with whom he worked so closely: Gov. Lawrence, Mayor Barr, Commissioner Kane and row officers McGrady, Barrett, Exler, Davis, Roberts and Rita Wilson Kane.
My association with Mr. Knox goes back 40 years. I assisted Mr. Knox while he served as county controller, executive director of the Allegheny County Housing Authority and as chairman of the Allegheny County Bicentennial Commission. Throughout the years, his door was open to all employees. He was quick to take blame when things did not go as planned and pleased to give credit when all went smoothly.
Mr. Knox was a faithful public servant. He was honest, decent and fair. He not only served the people of Allegheny Country with integrity, he also lent his untiring efforts to the advancement of a variety of community programs that benefited the public at large.
It was a privilege to work alongside Mr. Knox, and I bless the day I made his acquaintance. We will not see his like again.
RONALD A. STEFANAC
Teens not all the same
Both PG reporter Gretchen McKay and all of her sources for the article "Schools Trying to Get Amorous Teens to Embrace Some Rules of Restraint" (Jan. 2) clearly assume that all teen-agers are heterosexual and that all couples are composed of opposite-sex partners. Such assumptions are clearly ridiculous.
The reporter and her sources also seem to define narrowly behaviors related to "affection," although that term has a broad definition that can easily be used to describe feelings among any number of acquaintances, friends, relatives, co-workers and so on.
DANE S. CLAUSSEN
Down by the riverside
The governmental agency responsible for upkeep on the new riverfront park in Pittsburgh should do something about the Canada geese and/or their droppings on the walkways. Mindful of the possibilities for walkers and runners, I think the park could otherwise be promoted as the nation's first urban slip 'n slide into a major river.
TIMOTHY GAUS
Not home for the holiday
On New Year's Day, I dropped my aunt off at the grocery store where she has been employed for the last 10 years. Her hours, on this holiday, were from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. She is in her late 60s and has to work to provide medicine for my uncle and herself. She was a very unhappy lady that day. Do you know why?
The why can be understood in one word: greed. If the stores had not been open for New Year's Day, they would have gone down the tubes, right? But they closed for Christmas.
When I was growing up, we had the Sunday Blue Laws in effect. Holidays were celebrated at home with families because everything was closed. The lady I saw leaving with her cube of Pepsi when I dropped my aunt off would have had to buy it the day before or the day after the holiday. (This was a needed item, I'm sure!)
In the past, we sure enjoyed those holidays without spending money. If you ran out of an item, you borrowed from a neighbor. The stores would be open again the next day.
When will we stop and learn? How many deceased people do you visit at a funeral home holding money in their hands? Life is too short. We witnessed that in September.
Companies need to look at the human toll instead of the bottom line. Will someone have the guts to think of the people who sacrifice time and family so the competition can't make a dollar more?
I truly hope and pray we all wake to what is important in this New Year. Who knows? World problems just might get solved if we had more time together instead of spending time buying things we really don't need anyway.
BILL CRAWFORD
The name game
Thank you for noting in your editorial ("The Jackson Two," Dec. 29) that a man named Jesse V. Jackson is trying to capitalize on the name of U.S. Rep. Jesse L. Jackson Jr. (who capitalized on his father's name earlier) to gain political office.
In my view, your exposure was insufficient. You might well have included the names of the following local coattail passengers: Colville, Costa, Coyne, Flaherty, Wagner and Wecht.
ROBERT L. GALE
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