KEVIN'S REMARKS BEFORE CITY COUNCIL ON COMMUNITY BENEFITS AGREEMENTS
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Monday, July 27, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, July 27, 2009
CONTACT: Andy Gastmeyer, Press Secretary
412.327.6951 (cell) | 412.481.3150 (office)
TEXT OF KEVIN ACKLIN'S REMARKS BEFORE PITTSBURGH CITY COUNCIL THIS MORNING
PITTSBURGH - At a public hearing in front of Pittsburgh City Council this morning, Independent Mayoral candidate Kevin Acklin addressed both the controversial padlocking of the Mayor's office on Friday and the importance of leadership in Community Benefit Agreements for city neighborhoods.
The text of his remarks, as prepared for delivery, appear below.
REMARKS BEFORE CITY COUNCIL | Public Hearing for Bill No. 2009-1462
Kevin Acklin
Good morning, Council President Shields and Members of City Council.
My name is Kevin Acklin. I'm a resident of Squirrel Hill, and the Independent candidate for Mayor of the great City of Pittsburgh.
I’m here today to express my support for the efforts of our fellow Pittsburghers who rightly encourage the Mayor, and all of us, to consider the needs of the community when promoting development on the North Side, and in all City neighborhoods.
Like many Pittsburghers, I was shocked and disappointed to see what happened outside these doors on Friday. It’s unfortunate that the Mayor so rarely shows up to engage and truly understand the problems facing our neighborhoods, and it’s a disgrace that the doors of his office should ever be chained shut for any reason, much less when a group of concerned citizens simply wants to voice its collective opinion.
I want to remind Mr. Ravenstahl that the Mayor’s office doesn’t belong to him. It belongs to the people.
The images we saw on TV last Friday are a sad but fitting metaphor for the way this administration treats its citizens. Only a chosen and privileged few are allowed access; the rest are locked outside, their voices unheard, their problems unsolved.
Pittsburghers deserve a Mayor willing to engage the community and eager to propose real solutions to our problems.
That’s why it’s troubling to hear that this Mayor's policy now seems to be that all Community Benefit Agreements are dead on arrival. CBAs can be a valuable tool to attract private investments that benefit the entire community. They can provide good union jobs, help alleviate poverty, and help solidify the middle class in their communities.
A successful CBA requires a Mayor willing and able to bring all parties together to work for a fair outcome for everyone.
As someone who grew up in a family of union values -- my Grandfather was a Battalion Chief in the Fire Bureau, my Uncle is a Boilermaker, my brother is in the FOP, my stepfather is a member of Laborers’ Union -- I understand the importance of these agreements for workers and their families. As a lawyer who has negotiated hundreds of business agreements, I know the hard and often painstaking work they require.
This is the kind of hard, painstaking work we elect our Mayors to do, and the kind of leadership we expect them to deliver.
And when it comes to community development, the community deserves a seat at the table.
Thank you.
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