City prepares for next classes on civic leadership
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David Malehorn, a research professor from Morningside, says that after participating in the city's first Civic Leadership Academy last fall, he no longer sees Pittsburgh as "a city of the past which is half-empty but a city of the future, half-full."
As the city prepares to begin its second academy next month, he and other December graduates are sparked by their 10 weeks of Tuesday-night gatherings with city department heads and their staffs.
"It was like going to school to learn how the city works," said Mr. Malehorn. "We got the brass tacks mechanics, and it didn't smack of political spin."
The classes were built to show -- up close and personally -- how and why the city operates as it does.
"There are misperceptions about government and its functions," said Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, "so what better way to change that than to invite people in and experience it firsthand? Our goal is not only to educate them about city government but empower them to do more in their communities. They had access to all the top officials."
The class was organized and administered by Rebecca Kottler-Wein, chief service officer for the city, and Kim Graziani, the mayor's director of neighborhood initiatives. Twenty people were chosen from among 100 applicants and 19 graduated. The graduates have decided to take on a graduation project -- volunteering with the Larimer Green Team in community garden projects.
Ms. Kottler-Wein said academy applicants are picked for motivation and involvement in neighborhood groups or nonprofits.
Felimelia G. Abenes-Douglass of Shadyside, a tax preparer and treasurer of the Pittsburgh Obama Academy's PTO, said she downloaded the application "because I thought I should have a little knowledge."
"I was a preschool teacher, and parents would ask me about the city and I didn't know anything. In the building where I live, a lot of foreign-born people would ask for information that even my [Pittsburgh-born] husband didn't know."
First Published February 21, 2011 12:00 am
