Pittsburgh City Council will pick a new leader Monday, and the biennial jockeying is in full swing.

On its surface a contest between Councilmen Ricky Burgess and William Peduto, it is also an opportunity for council to declare either a more collaborative approach to the mayor’s office or a more independent stance. The last two years have seen the city’s nine lawmakers swing wildly between those poles.

With a week left before two new members are sworn in and a president is picked, the post could still easily go to some other member.

“I have issues with both [declared contestants], to be honest,” Councilwoman Theresa Smith said yesterday. Mr. Burgess seems too close to Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, she said, and Mr. Peduto seems too far away.

Doug Shields has held the presidency since the September 2006 ascent of Mr. Ravenstahl from the post to the mayor’s office. The last two years included notable achievements, such as the passage of a new fiscal recovery plan, many governmental reforms, environmental initiatives and prevailing wage legislation for subsidized development sites.
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Tags: Luke Ravenstahl

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