Does Pittsburgh Need A New Mayor?

[BrianTH]

My brother lives in Portland and I generally like it. I also think it has at least some things in common with Pittsburgh, but at the same time I agree it isn't really a useful model for Pittsburgh in any detail because it has arrived at this point following a rather different path.

In general I'm not sure Pittsburgh really needs a model to follow. Very loosely I am willing to note that like a Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta, Denver or so on, we are the de facto capital city of a significant and distinct region. But that region is indeed distinct, with a distinct history, population, economic mix, natural resource base, location, and so on. Accordingly, at any level of detail I think we have to see ourselves as following our own path, filling the needs and making use of the assets of that particular region as appropriate.

[Katarina Witt]

Please see the section on economy. My allowable two sentences.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland,_Oregon

The steel industry's history in Portland predates World War II. By the 1950s, the steel industry became the city's number one industry for employment.[64]

Perhaps Pgh and Portland aren't so different after all. I certainly get no sense that Portland is trying to be an "east coast" city. All the large cities on the west coast from San Francisco north are older cities that have many of the elements of the cities in the midwest and the east, e.g. a downtown area, distinct neighborhoods, walkability, etc.

[pcc09]

Originally Posted by pman

I'd disagree with this of course since it's apparent you are drinking the kool aid.

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[simetime]

Boy mayor has to go, but pghers will not vote republican (not that I'm one) but looking at the state of the city I might give it a try next time.

Oh , how about the sneaky "the old tax the colleges for our services after the election trick?"

[supersoulty]

Originally Posted by nuwaver88

The poor job in snow removal aside, I feel that Luke will take Pittsburgh to the next level.

To the next level of... nothing? To new heights of mediocrity? After having lived here for over two years now, I feel confident in saying that there is nothing inherently wrong with the city that holds it back. We have a great location, plenty of opportunities to bring in good jobs, friendly people, nice houses, a great entertainment scene... the only thing this city lacks is vision and real leadership, and I don't see Luke providing either. The mindset of local government here in general sucks. Not to throw in a shameless plug, but I really got behind Dowd, because he seems to me the only person who actually has any idea about what this city needs.

One thing it definitely needs is city government to stop treating the city's non-profits as though they are the enemy. Whatever you think about UPMC, or Pitt, or CMU, or anything else, they are the only thing keeping this place alive. Without them, we would be Youngstown. And their presence, and the young people they bring in provide a perfect opportunity for the city to coordinate its economic efforts with them, and come up with a clear plan designed to attract industries and businesses with our pre-existing strengths.

But instead, we get the Luke's, who call them corrupt, treat the students like an invading army, extort money from them with threats of new taxes, and do everything they can poison the well of cooperation. This city will never see meaningful growth again, so long as the pattern holds.