Year in Review:

Where has the year gone? I hear this more as each day passes. As I write this column I am certainly reflecting back on the events of a year ago. The civic election had just run its course and a new Mayor and City Council were elected. My column this month will reflect on my past year as your elected representative.

As a newly elected council, we had little time to bask in the moment. We had Councillor Training, a city budget to approve and Committee’s to populate all before Christmas. This was made more daunting by the fact we had a new Mayor, five new councillors, one acclaimed, three re-elected and three former councillors elected. A very dynamic group of individuals, all with their own backgrounds, experiences and objectives; so I wondered how in the world such a collection of individuals could become a cohesive council.

As a political newbie I thought I would just begin by concentrating on listening more and speaking less. I introduced myself to everyone and accepted invitations to meet one on one with other councillors as well as our new Mayor. Until we actually began to work on our own agenda as a council in the New Year would we discover whether we had the qualities to be a cohesive council. I did realize after a few months that some Councillors were more politically dogmatic, some present a populace point of view and myself and a few others a pragmatic approach.

During our Strategic Plan Meetings this past spring I began to better understand where each Councillor envisioned the direction our city should be going. I will say to this point, after one year together, other than a few political bumps in the road, this has been a very effective council for the city. Mayor Gerretsen, in my opinion, deserves his share of the credit for the decorum we enjoy at Council. As a political newbie I appreciate his leadership at Council, and the positive direction he has taken for the city.

Personally this has been an experience of a lifetime that too few people aspire too; the opportunity to be of higher service to the community and people who live and work here. The benefits of this service are many, starting with all the people I have met, knowledge gained, people I have assisted and professional relationships that have been established.

I have enjoyed working for and meeting the people of Pittsburgh District during the past year. Our Town Hall meetings are growing each session which speaks volumes for Pittsburgh District residents. Together we are making a positive change in our district and city, so I thank everyone who has been involved at our meetings, city committees and boards, volunteer efforts and certainly to everyone who took those precious moments to go and vote.

As the next year of Council begins, I will continue to communicate and work with residents of Pittsburgh, moving us forward as we enhance the quality of our community and our lives. We have so much to be proud of and take so little time to talk about our successes. Perhaps in the next and following years we should focus more on the sharing of our successes. I know our children and grandchildren will appreciate this type of legacy.

Thank you again for electing me to serve you at City Hall as your Councillor.

Enjoy a great fall season everyone.