Endorsement: Bill Peduto for Pittsburgh Mayor

I’ve been a Bill Peduto supporter all along, but now that Luke Ravenstahl’s out, the choice could not be more obvious.

It’s not that I have anything against Michael Lamb, but that’s just the thing – there isn’t really much there to be for or against. The 3-paragraph “Vision” statement on his website contains exactly zero specifics on how to achieve these vague goals. Bram Reichbaum has flagged some positions that Mr. Lamb has taken over the years, so it’s not like the guy is a total blank slate, but there’s also not much there to serve as the basis for an activist policy agenda. A non-policy mark against Mr. Lamb is that, as the city Controller, he’s got some of the police scandal stink on him. What good is a city watchdog who fails to catch the bad guys?

By contrast, Bill Peduto is positively buzzing with awesome ideas for Pittsburgh. My man is rolling out 100 new ideas during the Mayoral primary, a new one every day. And I bet he left another hundred on the cutting room floor. Many of these are ideas I’ve covered here on the blog, things that I’m very passionate about, like eliminating mandatory parking minimums, complete streets that promote active transportation, and pro-growth zoning. It’s all incredibly solid stuff, and if Peduto were to get a fraction of this stuff passed he’d be the best mayor in America, no exaggeration. I’ve listed all the ideas he’s rolled out so far down at the bottom. 

Big city politics are notoriously dysfunctional but every now and then a true visionary is able to break through and make path-breaking change. This election was looking like it was going to be another victory for the old politics in Pittsburgh, but the freak collapse of Luke Ravenstahl’s reelection campaign has created a rare opening for a real reformer to take power. The next few weeks will be crucial for Mr. Peduto to fill the Ravenstahl vacuum, and move into the frontrunner position. You can help him do this by donating your time talking to voters, and donating your money so he can build out his coalition  and get his message out. Let’s get to work electing a real progressive in Pittsburgh!

All of these ideas have their own corresponding blog posts on the Peduto blog.

#100 Grassroots Change. What Are Your Ideas to Improve Pittsburgh?
#99 A Mayor Who Works: The Most Accessible Mayor’s Office in Pittsburgh History
#98 The Pittsburgh Art Corps: Economic Development Through Public Art
#97 Making Our Streets Safe: Reporting Lost And Stolen Guns
#96 Community-Based Development: Growth Through Consensus
#95 Creating Walkable Neighborhoods: Eliminating Mandatory Parking Minimums
#94 Board and Commission Reform: Streamlining Government and Opening the Doors to New Voices
#93 Property Owners’ Handbook: Tools to Be a Better Neighbor
#92 Where’s My Plow? GPS Tracking For City Snowplows
#91 The Pittsburgh Alley Project: Turning Neglected Infrastructure Into Community Benefit
#90 Beyond PILOTs: Building Sustainable Partnerships with Nonprofit Organizations
#89 Public Investment Reform: Putting Taxpayer Dollars Where They Can Do The Most Good
#88 Smart Traffic Signals: Using 21st Century Technology to Solve 20th Century Problems
#87 Building On Our Past: Historic Preservation as Economic Engine
#86 User-Friendly Government: Bringing Local Government to You
#85 City Artist in Residence: Economic Development Through Public Art
#84 City of Immigrants: Welcoming a New Generation of Immigrants to Pittsburgh
#83 Complete Streets: Creating Safer, More Accessible Neighborhoods
#82 Public Safety Report Card: Making Public Safety Data Open and Transparent