Martha Rial, Post-Gazette
	Ed Hambrick, a volunteer with Silver Lake Community Improvement Association, lives near a four-acre vacant lot at the corner of Deary and Lincoln avenues in East Liberty that used to house a gas station and commercial laundry.

When gang violence ravaged Larimer Avenue in the early 1990s, Wilbert Moore didn't cut and run like most other businessmen did. Instead, he installed bulletproof glass on the front of Larimer Avenue Grocery, which specializes in Caribbean foods.

But there's no glass to protect against the political infighting that now afflicts some northeastern Pittsburgh neighborhoods, fighting that erodes neighborhoods like Larimer, Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar, Homewood and East Hills, community leaders say.

"These neighborhoods aren't improving," said Malik Bankston, executive director of the Kingsley Association, a Larimer-based nonprofit group that provides programs for families and youth. "Our neighborhoods have not been especially well-served by their leadership."

That leadership is in turmoil.

Foes of city Councilwoman Twanda Carlisle, who represents the area, are expected to file a petition to impeach her this morning. They are accusing her of misspending the $178,000 in city funds she paid to consultants and neighborhood groups since 2002.

A parcel on Lincoln Avenue, slated as the site for a Family Dollar store, has prompted a tug-of-war between community groups and ward leaders that may culminate in a City Council vote today.

And in May, state Rep. Joseph Preston barely beat former city aide Ed Gainey, winning re-election by 93 votes in a race marked by lost ballots.

"It's contentious times out this way," Mr. Gainey said.

Things weren't always this topsy-turvy. For decades, Democratic ward chairmen Dock Fielder and Euzell "Bubby" Hairston dominated the political scene, and settled most disputes.

Mr. Hairston died in 2004, and was succeeded in the 13th Ward by Charles Frazier. Mr. Fielder has since left ward politics, and his daughter, Jacqueline Fielder, is now the 12th Ward chairwoman.

Ms. Fielder has rocked the boat, hosting neighborhood meetings to demand more city services and backing Mr. Gainey against the longtime incumbent. Mr. Gainey has conceded in spite of the discovery, late in the election certification process, of ballots that weren't originally counted, saying he has no money to pay for a challenge.

Ms. Fielder spoke Wednesday before council, asking the city to sell 1111 Lincoln Ave. to a private firm, Alex Development, rather than to either of two community groups that want to turn the 2.8-acre lot into a shopping center. Council members are set to vote on the sale today.

Mr. Preston characterized her as "somebody trying to carve out political power. ... It's embarrassing to the neighborhood."

Ms. Fielder could not be reached for comment.

The Lincoln Avenue dispute demonstrates what Mr. Bankston says is competition between too many groups over too few dollars.

One of the groups laying claim to the site, the Lincoln-Larimer Community Development Corp., can't afford to pay property taxes on its headquarters. Another, the Silver Lake Community Improvement Corp., has just a few hundred dollars in its treasury, said its president, Arnold Perry.

Yet another group, East Liberty Concerned Citizens Corp., focuses on Larimer. Its outspoken director, Ora Lee Carroll, is leading the impeachment drive against Ms. Carlisle.

The petition, which she said she'll file with the Allegheny County prothonotary, could lead to the creation of a committee to investigate the councilwoman's consulting spending. Those expenses have already been referred to Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. and the State Ethics Commission for review.

Ms. Carlisle's spending has stirred resentment among groups not among its beneficiaries.

"The $178,000 Twanda has given, that would've been a heck of a seed money for Lincoln Avenue [revitalization]," said Mr. Perry.

"The neighborhood is divided now," Ms. Carroll said. In 38 years working there, she said, "I've seen it all -- the good, the bad, and the ugly, and the ugly has just hit this neighborhood with corruption and crime."

Ms. Carlisle's seat is up for election next year, and people are already talking about eight or nine possible candidates. The area is facing a political free-for-all.

"With the need for new leadership out east, a lot of people see this as an opportunity to seize the moment," said Mr. Gainey.

Leadership could come none too soon for Larimer. There, half of all buildings are subject to tax delinquency and a quarter are vacant, both more than twice the citywide levels, according to the Community Information System database set up by neighborhood improvement organizations.

Most of the bars and shops near the corner of Larimer Avenue and Meadow Street are shuttered. That doesn't make for many walk-in purchases of coconut milk, jerk spice mix, ginger beer and canned callaloo, said Mr. Moore, the grocer.

"More businesses would be better," he said. "Before the gangs were here, the place was more bright, busier."