posted by Mike Madison at 5:47 PM /
14 comments
Mt. Lebanon's School Board election is a little more than a month away, as Jo and her supporters know all too well. Some of the email lists formed in the wake of SableGate last year have awakened from their summer slumber, and in an initial flurry of messages I've seen the argument made that those who rent property in Mt. Lebanon have no business seeking to represent its citizens. I haven't seen it argued that renters shouldn't vote, either, but that point may not be far behind.
I hope that this "no renters permitted" sentiment is shared by only a tiny, tiny fraction of the local population. Anyone who lives here who is willing to stand for election and (if elected) to serve conscientiously on behalf of the citizenry, is entitled to do so. And should be encouraged to do so, and recognized for their courage. Mt. Lebanon should *want* people to move here, whether as home buyers or as renters. Mt. Lebanon should *want* its renting population to be involved in town affairs -- as volunteers, business owners, good neighbors, and so on.
The idea that "transients" form some kind of alien, suspect class is a relic of the old, parochial Pittsburgh, the town that regards non-natives with suspicion and thinks that ethnic food begins and ends with pierogies. We have to reject that way of thinking.
I *want* to have neighbors who grew up in New York, and Texas, and Florida, and Wisconsin (and, for that matter, in Melbourne, Tokyo, Cairo, and Nairobi). I *want* to have young families and grad students as neighbors. I *want* to have renters and middle-aged families and second-generation Lebonians in my neighborhood. I *want* to see white, and African-American, and Asian-American, and Latino faces nearby. I want to *abandon* the notion of home-grown, home-owning privilege that still seems to define much of Mt. Lebanon.
At the upcoming election, vote for the candidates you think will do the best job of representing the whole municipality on the School Board. Don't, however, make the mistake of rewarding or rejecting anyone based on mere status -- because he or she happens to own or rent a home, or because of where he or she was raised.
I hope that this "no renters permitted" sentiment is shared by only a tiny, tiny fraction of the local population. Anyone who lives here who is willing to stand for election and (if elected) to serve conscientiously on behalf of the citizenry, is entitled to do so. And should be encouraged to do so, and recognized for their courage. Mt. Lebanon should *want* people to move here, whether as home buyers or as renters. Mt. Lebanon should *want* its renting population to be involved in town affairs -- as volunteers, business owners, good neighbors, and so on.
The idea that "transients" form some kind of alien, suspect class is a relic of the old, parochial Pittsburgh, the town that regards non-natives with suspicion and thinks that ethnic food begins and ends with pierogies. We have to reject that way of thinking.
I *want* to have neighbors who grew up in New York, and Texas, and Florida, and Wisconsin (and, for that matter, in Melbourne, Tokyo, Cairo, and Nairobi). I *want* to have young families and grad students as neighbors. I *want* to have renters and middle-aged families and second-generation Lebonians in my neighborhood. I *want* to see white, and African-American, and Asian-American, and Latino faces nearby. I want to *abandon* the notion of home-grown, home-owning privilege that still seems to define much of Mt. Lebanon.
At the upcoming election, vote for the candidates you think will do the best job of representing the whole municipality on the School Board. Don't, however, make the mistake of rewarding or rejecting anyone based on mere status -- because he or she happens to own or rent a home, or because of where he or she was raised.
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