posted by Mike Madison at 5:47 PM /
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.
14 Comments:
Hrmm... but it's ok for Senator Dipwad to live in Virginia and represent us. Psst - Lebo! Your hypocrisy is showing!
I don't get that comment, nor what it has to do with Mt Lebo. If Ricky were a liberal democrat I would like him more, true. But, who cares where he lives? Why should a Senator, even one who represents me and my views, have to live in a house in the commonwealth. There's a lot of hypocrisy around. The hypocrisy that is relevant is if one likes a renter who is of the same mind, but doesn't like one who isn't. And, if Ricky lived in Virginia but used Pennsylvania taxpayer money, for example, to school his children. That might be hypocritical.
The "no renters allowed" comment has taken on a life of its own, and is only part of the comment I made. I do not believe that one who "pays" their share of property taxes as a portion of their rent has a real understanding of the tax burden and it continued growth. That's my opinion and you are free to disagree. But as I said, the rent issue is only part of the comments I made. The candidate mentioned does not and has never had children in the school system, and therefore has never had any direct contact with that system; the administration, the teachers, etc. In addition to this, the candidate (who wants you to elect her to the school board)has, by her own admission NEVER ATTENDED a school board meeting. What kind of interest does this exhibit? None of these concerns, individually, is a big deal, but together they make me think that there are candidates who will better represent me. There are six candidates running for 4 board seats. When you vote you will have to decide which of the 4 you will vote for, you will have to decide which are better qualified and have demonstrated more interest and involvement in the community.
Joe,
I agree with your conclusion, and I agree that when we vote, should look to demonstrated commitment to the community and interest in its affairs -- among lots of other things, some of which may be important. But I've been a renter in Mt. Lebanon, and I've been a renter elsewhere, and I know from my own experience that it's simply wrong to conclude that renters necessarily don't have that commitment or interest.
Mike
Josephine Posti,
I recently noticed your political sign in yard of neighbor who has no children and is machine Democrat.
That left me very cold and wondering what is your real agenda. Are you realing concerned about education or just for future Democratic party positions.
The comment by "anonymous" about Jo Posti, questioning her commitment to education and whether her real agenda is "future Democratic party" positions could only have been made by someone who is uninformed and has not made any effort to find out what the candidates stand for. I hope you do your homework before the election!
Jo posti is nothing but a carpetbagger who is put up by liberal democrats and Ron Hoffmann who want to preserve the old ways of the tax and spend school board.
She could care less about our property taxes but is just trying to figure out a way to get someone to babysit her kids for free while she works and have the rest of us pay for it.
Joe W-
I was a little shocked by your attack of my comments on Jo Posti's sign in machine democrat yard, especially when you are ardent Republican. When I think of Democrats in control of local government, I look to Baldwin Whitehall to see what a circus they have made of their school board meetings. My machine Democrat neighbors are all in favor of any raises to the unionized teachers and they despise the over paid Administrators of the Mt Lebanon School District!!!!
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To Greg--
I am also a Mt Lebo grad but I deal with the parents of the preschoolers and the working parents are mainly concerned with what to do with little Conner or Taylor after or before their Kindergarten class. Also the current generation of parent is not sending their child to school when they are five but holding them back to six to enter Kindergarten. I have friends who have first graders who just turned six in August and in the same class are kids who turned Seven in the past Spring!! It's so insane.
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Indeed, it's strange that only land-owners are seen as having a stake in things, or underatanding the tax burden. The working stiffs (generally people who rent) spend a greater portion of their income on taxed, essential items and pays more than their fair share of taxes.
There are some comments by one of the candidates at http://www.postgazette.com/pg/05293/591387.stm that informed voters should see. Also, you can see some of your neighbors' responses to those comments in the blog of the same title.
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