Mike Wereschagin of the Trib has an interesting piece this morning that looks at Mayor Luke Ravenstahl’s political future. Could the Pittsburgh wunderkind be facing an abbreviated career?
Two years before Pittsburgh’s next mayoral election, potential candidates are reaching out to a growing number of local leaders who say they’re looking for someone to run against Mayor Luke Ravenstahl.
Auditor General Jack Wagner of Beechview said he’s giving a mayoral run “serious consideration.” City Councilman Bill Peduto of Point Breeze is “seriously looking” at it. City Controller Michael Lamb of Mt. Washington said he’s focused only on his re-election this year, though he’s running unopposed and will soon kick off a series of neighborhood discussions about the city’s budget situation.
Some view the mayor as vulnerable.
“You cannot let your core neighborhoods decline, because that is the lifeblood of the city,” Wagner said. “I see no real plan to correct it. A town needs a vision.”
The city used to hire as many as 35 seasonal laborers to help with the maintenance it must complete in summer months, said Phil Ameris, president and business manager of the Laborers’ District Council of Western Pennsylvania. Since Ravenstahl took office, none has been hired, he said. In Ameris’ 18 years with the union, Ravenstahl is the only mayor to skip a Labor Day parade, he said.
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