Ravenstahl shakes up youth panel
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The group advising Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl on issues important to young adults is undergoing an overhaul that one former member says is necessary for its survival.
At Mr. Ravenstahl's request, city council recently slashed the size of the Propel Pittsburgh Commission from 35 members to 15 and removed the mayor as chairman. Now, the group will elect a chairman from its membership.
Mr. Ravenstahl, 31, formed the commission of 20- to 34-year-olds in 2007 to get the input of a demographic group that the city has difficulty attracting and retaining. The commission hasn't been responsible for any big policy changes or initiatives, though officials said the group's work has benefited the mayor and commission members.
"How many young adults can say they have an opportunity to engage the mayor about relevant issues?" said Sabrina Saunders, Mr. Ravenstahl's youth policy manager.
Anthony Smulski, 31, a financial consultant and the group's former vice chairman, said the mayor's initial goal was a broad commission membership representing all walks of life. However, he said organizers repeatedly struggled to get all 35 members to a meeting, even though they applied for the slots, went through interviews and promised to serve.
"In theory, it was a great idea," Mr. Smulski said of the commission structure. "In practice, it was hard to execute."
Mr. Ravenstahl missed some meetings, too, he said.
With its own chairman, Mr. Smulski said, the commission can set meeting agendas, be a "little more free-thinking" and decide how forcefully to push proposals. In the past, he said, the mayor's office tended to set the tone and the pace.
If a mayoral staffer ran a meeting in Mr. Ravenstahl's absence, he said, the conversation sometimes focused on the day's issues at the City-County Building instead of subjects at the heart of the commission's mission. And when the group made suggestions in the mayor's absence, he said, members sometimes received no feedback or updates on the idea until the next time they sat down with him.
First Published February 21, 2011 12:00 am
