PLATFORM
"I want to continue to work for you because you’ve told me firsthand the issues facing our neighborhoods. Together, we can make our communities a place everyone wants to live, open businesses and raise families. With over 5 years of experience working in the 3rd Council District, I understand on the first day what it takes to work together with residents and stakeholders, navigate the complicated governmental agencies, find solutions, and get things done."
ISSUES
Clean Neighborhoods
Residents of Pittsburgh deserve to live in the cleanest City in the world. A city full of trash is not just unsightly, it is detrimental to the health outcomes of our neighbors. Bob will prioritize both public and private solutions to cleaning up Pittsburgh. Bob will continue his work streamlining enforcement of waste issues, introduce legislation to simplify real estate transfers to get vacant properties turned into homes, and increase investments in senior housing throughout District 3. Bob will also make sure that our Public Works Department has all of the tools and manpower it needs to keep our neighborhoods free from blight. For example, along with community leaders, he created Knoxwatch, the block watch for property issues in Knoxville, to make sure that Knoxville is getting the attention it deserves from city agencies. This has led to a clear increase in property remediation in that neighborhood. In Oakland and South Side, he has helped the community address areas in need of trash and weed remediation and has testified against absent landlords in court on behalf of the community. As a staffer, Bob has noticed that he is often in court facing the same owners over the same nuisance properties. As a result, he'll prioritize upgrading the PLI process for serving problem property owners to decrease the number of cases which are dismissed without a hearing.
Safe Streets
Bob knows that without safe streets, new neighbors won’t move into our district and current neighbors will move out. Our neighbors need to take comfort in knowing that they are safe in their homes. From federal officials to weekend visitors, it takes everyone to make our streets safe and Bob will make sure that the City is fulfilling their duty to our community. Bob knows that public safety requires a combination of prevention and response, which is why he'll continue to work together with county, state, and federal partners to prioritize funding for community violence prevention initiatives, homeless services, landslide response, and other health and human services needs. He will bring back the dedicated police unit for South Side, to provide localized and specialized attention and take pressure off Zone 3's work elsewhere in the district. He'll continue to work with county and state partners to address nuisance bars throughout the district, those that put profits over safety, while supporting businesses that contribute to our vibrancy. Bob will support efforts from the fire department to upgrade their firehouses throughout the city. Bob has already managed traffic calming projects in the district, including on Bausman St, Bailey and Beltzhoover, and Arlington Avenue. He'll continue to work with residents to identify additional streets in need of traffic calming and make sure that our traffic calming team has the funding they need. He helped to guide the 18th Street Signal Project in the South Side Slopes, to improve pedestrian safety, and has overseen city step upgrades throughout the district. Bob championed adjustments to the E Carson Street project, working with state elected officials to implement improvements requested by the neighborhood including additional parking, bus stop location changes, and sign upgrades. He continues to search for improvements to the city's systems for locating and towing abandoned cars.
Prosperous Communities
Lively neighborhood events. After-school programming. Vibrant business districts. All of these are reasons why we choose to live in the City of Pittsburgh. In City Council, Bob wants to help grow our rich successes and encourage new opportunities for all of our neighbors to get involved! Bob will ensure the city remains in good financial standing to deliver services throughout District 3. He knows that when the city experiences financial difficulties, kids, families, and working class people feel the greatest impact. Strong, healthy neighbors build strong, healthy neighborhoods so Bob will look to bring both a Doctor’s office and a grocery store to the Hilltop. He will prioritize increased investments in city-run after school programming, beyond just sports, in every neighborhood in District 3. He will work together with residents and business owners to create and fund a main-street manager for Carson Street In South Side. He will continue the work he has started in Beltzhoover to bring funding for upgrades to the McKinley Senior Center and see through much needed upgrades to McKinley Park. He would look forward to guiding the Lawn St Promenade into the next stage of planning. By working together with residents and community groups, Bob will ensure that much needed investment goes to community-supported projects in each neighborhood in a thorough and transparent way. Bob will work to reform the deed transfer tax, which is making it more expensive for middle income Pittsburghers to buy a home, while maintaining current funding for the programs that it supports. He will work to upgrade the permitting system for approving building permits, particularly for residential properties, so that small projects by homeowners are approved more quickly. No one should have to spend hours upon hours on the permitting process just to build a deck! Because the permitting and licensing process can be confusing and difficult for those seeking to open a small business, Bob will prioritize improvements to that process, with a small business concierge service, so that local small business owners can fuel our economic growth.
