P-G: Mt. Lebanon residents invited to talk taxes with panel

With an illuminating article by Kaitlynn Riely, the Post-Gazette has expanded its coverage of the recent town-hall meeting and protest to include a detailed examination of what happened inside the meeting. The article begins:

At an invitation-only meeting in the Mt. Lebanon municipal building Saturday morning, residents posed questions about the current and future state of taxation in the town to a panel consisting of Mt. Lebanon Commissioner Matthew Kluck, school Director James Fraasch, Coldwell Banker real estate agent Eleanor Carpenter and Allegheny Institute for Public Policy researcher Frank Gamrat.

The article also provides what I think is the first honest explanation for the protest that took place outside:

Outside the municipal building, about 50 people picketed. Many of the protesters held signs supportive of the high school project and against the town hall meeting and Mr. Kluck.

“I would say people looked at the guest list, the organizers, and the history of their involvement and probably reached a conclusion, good or bad, that part of the agenda was a discussion of that project from the opposition side,” said David Reese, one of the protesters.

That’s an explanation I can believe. And my hat’s off to Mr. Reese for just saying it.

And what about the high-school project? Yes, it was discussed briefly, but not in the way the protesters probably had expected. The Post-Gazette explains:

The high school renovation was not the main focus of the meeting, but the topic did come up. A question was posed about whether student safety would be affected if renovations were not made to the high school. Mr. Fraasch said there are some issues with safety and that something needed to be done.

Someone asked whether the project was a “done deal,” and Mr. Fraasch said some planning issues remained but he believes they will be worked out.

The P-G article reveals much more than the tidbits I’ve quoted above. If you weren’t at the meeting and want to know what really happened in one easy read, read this article.

Read more:

• Mt. Lebanon residents invited to talk taxes with panel (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

A Protest-supporter Questions Blog-Lebo

In the B-L discussion about the recent protest, an anonymous commenter offered the following comment. Because of our comments policy, I can't approve it as part of that discussion. But because it probably represents what a lot protesters and their supporters are thinking, I'm going to put it on the front page to give their concerns more attention.

If any protesters want to add their comments, please do. As long as you follow our comments policy (include your full name), we'll publish your comments.

Here's the comment:

I know you won't publish this, but 1) I'm not willing to put my name on here to be ridiculed by those who frequently comment on this blog and 2) I at least want to pose some questions to the moderators of the blog. You continue to ask for explanations from the protestors, what about the organizers of the meeting? If the purpose and intent was so innocent then why wouldn't Mr. Kluck or Mrs. Stephenson share the agenda, the invitees, or the proposed call to action with the school board? Why wouldn't Mr. Fraasch share his presentation or any information on what he would present with his fellow members of the school board. He admonished Mrs. Capucci for doing this earlier this year. It is well known in the Mt. Lebanon political community that the Concerned Citizens are trying to get together a block of candidates to run for school board in the election next year. Why wouldn't some be suspicious of a meeting with a "call to action" knowing this? I think things stink on both sides of this issue. Will you pose the questions to the Concerned Citizens now?

Now, here are my responses.

Why has Blog-Lebo not pressed the meeting organizers for answers like it has the protesters?

The short answer is because the meeting organizers have less to answer for. They said that their meeting was about taxes and the economy (not the high-school project), and that's how it turned out. They said people representing all sides of Mt. Lebanon would be there (including those who supported the planned high-school project), and that's how it turned out.

If the purpose and intent [of the meeting] was so innocent then why wouldn't Mr. Kluck or Mrs. Stephenson share the agenda, the invitees, or the proposed call to action with the school board?

I can't speak for the organizers (I'm not them), but my understanding is that there was no planned agenda because it was mostly a Q&A event. The list of invitees probably wasn't known at the time (I think people were given invitations to hand out to their friends and neighbors), nor would a reasonable organizer want to voilate the audience's expectation of privacy by handing out a list of their names. The proposed call to action boiled down to a lukewarm "people, be more involved," which isn't the kind of thing that makes one think to issue an up-front warning.

I also understand the school board was invited to the meeting and, further, that the school-board president was asked to sit on the expert panel. (Blog-Lebo has obtained an email dated 13 August, 2010, to document this claim.)

Why wouldn't Mr. Fraasch share his presentation or any information on what he would present with his fellow members of the school board?

My guess (I am not Mr. Fraasch) is because Mr. Fraash didn't have a presentation. None of the panel members did. It was mostly Q&A. Listen to the audio recording or read the Almanac's summary: there were no presentations. After each panel member made a short introduction, the moderator opened the meeting to Q&A.

It is well known in the Mt. Lebanon political community that the Concerned Citizens are trying to get together a block of candidates to run for school board in the election next year. Why wouldn't some be suspicious of a meeting with a "call to action" knowing this?

Why? Because the town-hall meeting wasn't a Concerned Citizens event (or a LeboCitizens.com event, if you're wondering), nor was it advertised as such. I agree, however, that if you learn that some of an event's organizers are also involved with groups you disagree with, you can be more suspicious of that event. (But to jump to the conclusion that it's a sham event designed to attack your favored cause?)

And there you have my responses.

If any protesters want to ask additional questions, comment away, but please be mindful of our comments policy: you must own your words by including your full name in your comments.

Almanac: Invitation only Town Hall event draws protests

The Almanac just posted its coverage of Saturday's town-hall meeting and the corresponding protest:

A crowd of more than 70 people, with about 50 more protesting outside, met in the Mt. Lebanon commissioners' chambers on Aug. 28 to participate in a meeting about "Perspectives on Living in and Governing a Highly Taxed Community."

Organized by Mt. Lebanon Commissioner Matt Kluck as a way to learn more about what issues were important to community residents, the invitation-only event had protesters concerned that the real agenda of the meeting was to delay or reduce the scope of the planned $113 million renovations of Mt. Lebanon High School.

If you weren't at the meeting and haven't yet listened to an audio recording of it (or don't have 90 minutes to listen to it), read this article because it goes on to summarize what happened at the meeting.

Read the full article:

• Invitation only Town Hall event draws protests (The Almanac)

P-G: Protest peaceful at Mt. Lebanon meeting

The Post-Gazette has expanded its coverage of yesterday’s protest:

Mt. Lebanon residents who gathered Saturday morning both inside and outside their municipal center on Washington Road could not agree on why they were there.

Inside the building, Commissioner Matthew Kluck sponsored a town hall meeting for about 80 invited guests. Outside, about 50 other people picketed.

While the town hall meeting's announced topic was "Perspectives on Living in and Governing a Highly Taxed Community," many of those gathered on the sidewalk said they feared its real agenda was an attempt by Mr. Kluck and his allies to delay or reduce the scope of a $113 million plan to renovate Mt. Lebanon Senior High School. The plan has been the topic of extensive debate in the community for months.

Here’s what I’d like to know. What causes fifty people to show up and protest something on grounds that turn out to be almost entirely wrong? What made the protesters think the meeting was a ploy to derail the high-school project?

Read the full article:

• Protest peaceful at Mt. Lebanon meeting (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

The Town-Hall Meeting (Updated 3)

Updated 2010-08-28 15:57: linked to the P-G’s coverage of the protest.
Updated 2010-08-28 16:04: linked to moderator Anthony Moretti’s post on the meeting.
Updated 2010-08-28 16:34: linked to LeboCitizen.com’s audio recording.


Protesters gather outside of the municipal building


Panel members (left to right) James Fraasch, Matt Kluck, Eleanor Carpenter, and Frank Gamrat. (Moderator Anthony Moretti not shown.)

From 9:30 to 11:00 AM on Saturday, 28 August, 2010, a group of about 80 people filled the Mt. Lebanon municipal chambers for an invitation-only meeting styled after a town hall. The topic: the Mt. Lebanon economy and taxes.

Protesters were gathered outside, apparently under the impression that the meeting was some ploy to stop the high-school project. (The project was mentioned only briefly during the meeting and, even then, was described as mostly a done deal.)

Inside, a panel of four was presented to the community as having insight into different aspects of Mt. Lebanon’s economy. The panel members were James Fraasch (school-board director), Matt Kluck (municipal commissioner), Eleanor Carpenter (real-estate agent), and Frank Gamrat (economist and senior research associate for the Allegheny Institue). All panel members said they were offering their opinions and not acting in any official capacity. Anthony Moretti moderated the discussion, presenting questions from the audience and keeping the conversation moving.

The meeting was recorded and, I understand, will be viewable online early next week. (You can listen to it right now, thanks to the audio recording at LeboCitizens.com.)

If you want to know what happened at the meeting – or what all the fuss was about – I encourage you to watch the recording. My guess is that you will find it both informative and uncontroversial.

In any case, Matt Kluck, who expressed surprise at the large turnout, said he wants to hold at least one more of the town halls. Next time, he said, it would be in a venue large enough to hold everybody who wants to attend.

Read more:

• Mt. Lebanon residents protest commissioner's meeting (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• Open or closed? (Anthony Moretti’s blog)

Letter: Getting the facts straight about tomorrow's town hall

Recently on Blog-Lebo, we posted about a town-hall meeting scheduled for Saturday, 28 August, 2010 (tomorrow). We also posted about Kristen Linfante's letter questioning that meeting. Now Charlotte Stephenson, one of the meeting's organizers, writes in to rebut some claims being made about the meeting in an ongoing email campaign. —Tom


Getting the facts straight about tomorrow's town hall

To all folks who are participating in the circulation of the following e-mail, please do the right thing and circulate a correction. In what follows, I present quotations from the original e-mail followed by my corrections in italics. —Charlotte Stephenson

Hello friends,

I'm not sure if you are aware of what is going on in our community, but contrary to popular belief, there are many road blocks being put up to prevent our school renovation from moving forward.

The roadblocks are of the school district’s own doing since the project design does not comply with our municipal law.

This is a critical time for our community. Those in favor of the high school renovation project need to pull together to show their support before it is too late. We cannot afford to let another ten years go by while our school continues to fall apart and our neighbors continue to move south. Tomorrow there is a "town hall" meeting scheduled at the municipal building. I put town hall in quotes because this meeting has been offered as an invitation only event to those apparently opposed to the current plan.

This meeting is not about the high school project and the invitees are not against the current high school project. In fact, some attendees are proponents of the current project. Anyone can have a meeting and invite whomever they want, unless they violate Sunshine Law and that is not happening here.

Please see this week's Almanac editorial for details.
http://www.thealmanac.net/ALM/Story/08-25-2010-letter-Mt--Lebanon-Linfante

Please read the Post-Gazette article rather than the suggested opinion piece.

A group of concerned residents of Mt. Lebanon are joining together to get the message out that we are not going to tolerate backhanded strategies to promote propaganda in our community.

This is a private meeting intended to provide a forum for discussion about our local economy.

If you are in favor of moving forward with the school renovation project, please gather at the municipal building tomorrow at 9 AM. Even if you are not sure where you stand on the renovation project, please help us get the message across that public meetings,

This is a private, not public, meeting.

with public officials,

Most are not public officials and those who are, are not officially representing their correlating agencies.

held in a closed door venue

True, the meeting room does indeed have a door.

will not be tolerated in this community.

Please refer to our first amendment right to assemble and discuss issues which are of importance to us. The right to freedom of association is recognized as a human right, a political freedom, and a civil liberty. I would hope this right is not only tolerated, but supported!

We need as many people, of all ages, to rally in support of this cause. Please help us get the word out to as many neighbors and friends as possible!

If you are going to encourage a protest, give people the facts so they can decide if protesting our first amendment rights is really what they want to protest against. The rumor mill is in full gear and participants may end up feeling embarrassed for raising a fuss about something that does not exist.

The meeting is scheduled for 9:30 but we are meeting at 9:00 to make sure that we go over proper conduct for our gathering. Bring signs saying, "Save our School" or "Dig Now" or "Whose town is it?" or "Don't be Fooled, Build our School". Kids are encouraged to come.

Please, teach your children well and do not encourage them to be manipulated by uninformed adults and fictional causes.

Charlotte Stephenson
Mt. Lebanon

Mt. Lebanon Leader Plans Invitation-Only Talk

Mt. Lebanon commissioner Matthew Kluck is organizing an invitation-only "town hall meeting" that will take place Saturday morning in the commission chambers of the municipal building.

The meeting, titled "Perspectives on Living in and Governing a Highly Taxed Community" and scheduled for 9:30 to 11 a.m., will include a panel discussion about local economy issues, according to an e-mail from Mr. Kluck sent to the Mt. Lebanon commission and Municipal Manager Stephen Feller.

The Post-Gazette obtained e-mails sent from Mr. Kluck about the town hall event through a Right to Know request.

"I'm not doing this in official capacity," Mr. Kluck said Monday. "I'm doing this as an individual who want to provide a forum for people."

Read more: www.post-gazette.com/pg/10238/1082703-55.stm

Town Hall Meeting Questioned

NOTE: The following letter to the editor appeared in today's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

I am writing about a private "town hall meeting" that Mt. Lebanon Commissioner Matt Kluck has scheduled at the municipal building on Saturday. Since when are town hall meetings private? The exclusive invitation describes "a panel discussion relative to our current economic situation." It says: "Our goal is to make important information available to the general public inspiring attendees to accept a call to action."

If the intent is to "make information available to the general public," why isn't the general public invited? I was not invited. Why? Is it my political views? My support of the high school renovation?

Is Mr. Kluck's intent to make the meeting appear to be promoted by the municipality? It also will be videotaped and available via the Internet. Rumors say it might appear on our local TV channel. What might a viewer surmise if he sees Mr. Kluck in the commissioners' chambers speaking to a roomful of people? They would likely interpret this staged setting as a real town hall meeting!

KRISTEN LINFANTE
Mt. Lebanon

Read more: www.post-gazette.com/pg/10238/1082701-55.stm

Town Hall Meeting With Rep. Matt Smith

State Representative Matt Smith will be holding a town hall meeting next Tuesday, December 1 from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM in the Commissioners' Chambers in the Mt. Lebanon Municipal Building. The flyer I received about the meeting states:

"Please join me to hear about the recently passed state budget, health care, education, the environment and other issues important to you."

Link: www.pahouse.com/MSmith