City residents are playing hide-and-go-seek with Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, who is noticeably absent from various important events. The latest in a long line of glaring absences was Raventahl's failure to show up on Washington Boulevard after flash flooding killed four people during the evening rush hour on August 19. Ravenstahl defended his decision to stay away by claiming he "didn't want to appear to be a political opportunist" but that's a pretty flimsy excuse. Doing one's job is hardly frowned upon as exploitation, even in the realm of politics, and mayors are expected to be present for important events, be they planned or impromptu. Obviously the mayor can't be at every event taking place in the city but it's ridiculous to pretend that he simply can't be available for events that change the face of Pittsburgh. Yes we understand that he himself can't do every job and we're not asking him to dig ditches or inflate lifeboats; We'd simply like our mayor to be a little more involved than tweeting and phoning in his concern for the city he's supposed to run.
He has such a Where's Waldo? reputation that the Post-Gazette has compiled a handy timeline to help residents keep track of his presence during mementous events in 'Burgh history. Ravenstahl says he can't be everywhere and characterizes critics as having "no comprehension of the facts or more likely a political ax to grind". Wow, someone sure can't handle constructive criticism, which isn't helping to dispel his image as the inept boy-mayor.
Ravenstahl has suggested that the demands of parenting sometimes make him unavailable but again, this is a flimsy excuse. If mayoring is too difficult to work into your parenting schedule then it's time to resign and find a regular 9-to-5 like the rest of us schmucks who have to balance work and family. We've all got to put our families first in some situations but not many of us are able to consistently permitted to skip the most important events at work and still have a job, regardless of the excuse. And for a guy who's concerned about being labeled an opportunist, playing the dad card is a pretty bad move considering that the majority of his absences have nothing to do with his family. Some of his highest-profile gaffes are attributed to to taking in a BoSox game, partying to celebrate his 30th birthday, taking a personal vacation during the city budget crisis and traveling with billionaires for personal pleasure instead of attending major city events. None of those trips are getting him closer to a 'world's best dad' mug so using his son as an excuse just makes him appear shallow and insincere.
The Mayor has an active social life and wants to be a hands-on family man. Nobody begrudges him that in any way. All residents are asking for is for Ravenstahl to display a little common sense in his priorities. If he isn't capable of prioritizing properly then he has no business being in the Mayor's office.
He has such a Where's Waldo? reputation that the Post-Gazette has compiled a handy timeline to help residents keep track of his presence during mementous events in 'Burgh history. Ravenstahl says he can't be everywhere and characterizes critics as having "no comprehension of the facts or more likely a political ax to grind". Wow, someone sure can't handle constructive criticism, which isn't helping to dispel his image as the inept boy-mayor.
Ravenstahl has suggested that the demands of parenting sometimes make him unavailable but again, this is a flimsy excuse. If mayoring is too difficult to work into your parenting schedule then it's time to resign and find a regular 9-to-5 like the rest of us schmucks who have to balance work and family. We've all got to put our families first in some situations but not many of us are able to consistently permitted to skip the most important events at work and still have a job, regardless of the excuse. And for a guy who's concerned about being labeled an opportunist, playing the dad card is a pretty bad move considering that the majority of his absences have nothing to do with his family. Some of his highest-profile gaffes are attributed to to taking in a BoSox game, partying to celebrate his 30th birthday, taking a personal vacation during the city budget crisis and traveling with billionaires for personal pleasure instead of attending major city events. None of those trips are getting him closer to a 'world's best dad' mug so using his son as an excuse just makes him appear shallow and insincere.
The Mayor has an active social life and wants to be a hands-on family man. Nobody begrudges him that in any way. All residents are asking for is for Ravenstahl to display a little common sense in his priorities. If he isn't capable of prioritizing properly then he has no business being in the Mayor's office.
1 comment:
Someone at the Post-Gazette must be reading my blog in all it's awesomeness, eh Rob?
Rob Rogers: Where's Lukie?
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