City government works better than you think
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Twenty of us gathered around an oval wooden table, beneath portraits of Pittsburgh's 44 previous mayors. We had come to this ornate conference room in the City-County Building for the first session of the Civic Leadership Academy. We were unsure what to expect and maybe a little nervous. One woman leaned over to me and whispered, "We're supposed to pick a foreman now, right?"
She was joking. A jury summons hadn't brought us here -- we were chosen from a hundred applicants for a 10-week class in Pittsburgh city government. We represented a broad spectrum of neighborhoods and interests, and our motivations varied.
"A colleague at lunch told me this would be something that I would like," Louis Stamerra of Brookline related later. "I thought to myself, 'What do I need to know about Pittsburgh? This is my city, I know everything.' Well, I found out I didn't."
Cathy Moir had been impressed by city government as it worked to bring a new police station to Allentown, where she owns a business: "This administration provided the South Hilltop with an opportunity for new life. This community was tumbling into despair, and on target to disgrace our grand city."
Felimelia Abenes-Douglass of Shadyside immigrated from the Philippines to Pittsburgh, her husband's home town. "It is a great honor to represent the immigrants who find Pittsburgh as their second home," she said. "Learning in person from the government officials and employees is still the best way to disseminate vital information about the city's services, functions and operations."
Ellen Roth of Point Breeze: "As a relocation consultant, I already know a lot about the quality of life in our region. It was a privilege to be part of this diverse class, and to learn how city government handles routine matters, as well as the tough ones." An alumna of Leadership Pittsburgh, she has demanding expectations of herself and of her city.
A cynic by nature, I suspected that this course, as an initiative of the mayor's office, would be a self-serving political exercise. Since I've lived here "only" 10 years, initially I asked around for Pittsburgh natives to serve as fact-checkers in case of "spin." After the first session it was clear they wouldn't be needed. The simplest story to tell is the truth, and we received a refreshingly honest look behind the public scenery.
First Published January 25, 2011 12:00 am
