I will not revisit the snow of Friday/Saturday, where the forecasters called for 4 to 8 inches and we got 2 feet, or the subsequent Snowmaggedon we were supposed to receive this week but of the 4-12 inches we saw maybe 2 to 3, save for one asshat, which will go to the mayor of the city of Pittsburgh, Luke Ravenstahl. If I neede a reminder of why he wins it this week, consider that a week after the big snowfall I just walked to the laundrymat and the three streets I take (McKee Place to Zulema Street, Zulema Street to Welsford Street, Welsford Street to laundrymat) have yet to be touched by city services, the only tracks through them are the ruts created by cars trying to get through. Even as I was coming back in from said laundrymat someone was stuck outside my apartment. Public transit is still running delays, heck 10 bus routes are still completely out of operation and others are still running detoured routes because of the lack of street cleaning and that falls on the shoulders of the mayor. For his lack of preparedness and subsequent slow to non moving cleanup he wins this wek's Asshat award.
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Asshat update - A mere 12 hours after calling the mayor an Asshat my street is being plowed. Coincidence? I think not, lol.
ReplyDeleteIt's likely a lack of money as much as anything. At least in Indiana, Mayors can hire outside contractor snow crews providing a "Snow Emergency" has been declared.
ReplyDeleteWell in the city of Pittsburgh we knew ahead of time that there would be snow, though the predictions were between 4 and 8 inches, but still enough warning that it would create problems, 2 feet just compounded those problems. Thaty being said the mayor, despite weather predictions, opted to use this weekend to vacation to celebrate his birthday. I would argue that his place is to manage that which is taking place. Not that that can't be done from afar, cell phones and the internet certainly have made that a reality in this day and age, but it was obvious that wasn't the case. Instead we had police forced to be on duty for 12 hour shifts by the mayor, even though the allotment of cars is such that there were too many officers leaving many to stand around doing nothing, nor was there any sort of comprehensive snow removal plan. When 6 days later you still have some public transit either closed down or under winter snow removal detours, you just haven't done your job. Add to that the mayor justified that his street needed to be among the first to be plowed because he had to be out and about, while that same justification couldn't be made for delaying birthday celebration, and you justy have a candidate that is most Asshat worthy.
ReplyDeleteI have often argued that one of the problems of Pittsburgh is its proclivity to yank the Democratic lever come election time (our last Republican mayor was in the 1920s) and while I have nothing against the party to which I am registered, I am all for the best man holding the job, and around here that just isn't the case, it is the man with the best letter, qualifications be damned. So while I hand the Asshat to our mayor, our local citizens need to realize that they are more than complicent in the matter.
Thats Party rule for ya...no one around to keep them semi-honest...
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