Pittsburgh turns the page on the abysmal mayoralty of Tom Murphy. The city is in state receivership. Its debt, crushing. Its very survival, in doubt.



Pittsburgh turns the page on the abysmal mayoralty of Tom Murphy. The city is in state receivership. Its debt, crushing. Its very survival, in doubt.

The future of Pittsburgh: An electoral tragedy

Sunday, May 15, 2005

A shamefully small percentage of registered Pittsburgh voters will head to the polls on Tuesday to begin the process of choosing their first new mayor in 12 years. Six candidates are vying for the Democrats' nomination. There's a lone Republican applicant.

Given the Democrats' heavy registration edge, past electoral behavior and barring a November upset, the Democrat nominee will become the mayor-in-waiting. That should mortify anyone genuinely dedicated to helping Pittsburgh turn the page on the abysmal mayoralty of Tom Murphy.

The city is in state receivership. Its debt, crushing. Its very survival, in doubt. Yet among the leading Democrat candidates, there's nary a spark of leadership or new thinking.

Bob O'Connor's "solution" to fix Pittsburgh's greatest looming crisis -- its massively underfund pension plans -- is "the state."


Michael Lamb offers the profundity of the safe pol with such insightful mutterings as "we have to move forward not backward."

And Bill Peduto, though admirably working to engage a new generation of voters, can't wipe the ink from his fingers that helped rubber-stamp part of Mr. Murphy's mess.

Once wrote English economist and journalist Walter Bagehot: "(W)e often want, at the sudden occurrence of a grave tempest, to change the helmsman ... ." Pittsburgh's tempest indeed is grave. And the city's want is deep.

But seaworthy helmsmen are in short supply for this city in this election. And that is a great tragedy for a great city.

When this story was posted in May 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:


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May 7, 2005: This Week's Top Stories "Peace Corps Online" on recess until May 21 7 May Carol Bellamy taking the reins at World Learning 7 May Gopal Khanna appointed White House CFO 7 May Clare Bastable named Conservationist of the Year 7 May Director Gaddi Vasquez visits PCVs in Bulgaria 5 May Abe Pena sets up scholarship fund 5 May Peace Corps closes recruiting sites 4 May Hill pessimistic over Korean nuclear program 4 May Leslie Hawke says PC should split into two organizations 4 May Peace Corps helps students find themselves 3 May Kevin Griffith's Tsunami Assistance Project collects 50k 3 May Tim Wright studied Quechua at UCLA 2 May Doyle not worried about competition 2 May Dodd discusses President's Social Security plan 1 May Randy Mager works in Blue Moon Safaris 1 May PCVs safe in Togo after disputed elections 30 Apr Michael Sells teaches Islamic History and Literature 28 Apr

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May 7, 2005: Special Events "Iowa in Ghana" on exhibit in Waterloo through June 30 "American Taboo" author Phil Weiss in Maryland on June 18 Leland Foerster opens photo exhibition at Cal State RPCV Writers scholarship in Baltimore - deadline June 1 Gary Edwards' music performed in Idaho on May 24 RPCVs: Post your stories or press releases here for inclusion next week.

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