Councilman Kraus is a big disappointment to meLet's huddle. My comments in plain. The letter-to-editor author in italic.
Now that I have had ample time to grade Pittsburgh City Councilman Bruce Kraus' performance, the only thing that I can conclude is that he has been a big disappointment.
I worked on Mr. Kraus' campaign thinking he would do a better job than his predecessor Jeff Koch. Was I ever wrong!
To be sure, Jeff Koch was a good fit for a time when Bob O'Connor was going to redd up Pittsburgh. But, that era was so brief. Jeff was in deep trouble without Bob. And, the entire folly of City Hall would change. Same "direction" but different key and different tempo, for sure.
We now have the "great moralizer," "the guardian of community ethics," as a councilperson.
We need a guardian for the community -- in that we need a guardian of freedom, of liberty, of the purse strings. We need to guard our kids too, among a few other precious elements -- like the Constitution. But the guarding is not what he has in mind as to the values I have in mind. Let's elect one guardian of freedom on city council and I'll be much more "secure."
A "my way or the highway" approach to solving public issues.
They think that they have the 'right' now that they won to do what they wish. To the victor goes the spoils so they think.
An arrogance that comes about because only he has the ability to determine what's the right thing to do.
The right thing to do as a citizen and as a government are often much different. Bruce is not acting as an elected official should act. He is worried about a lost week in the fight on rubbish -- and costing us our due process. His behavior is the trash that we should put out for pick-up.
A "crusader" for the public good who assumes that the public good comes to him through some revelation from on high.
Church-going, God-fearing, anointed --- oh, never mind.
An elected official who presumably speaks for his entire constituency not just those who make the most noise.
An office holder, who is supposed to broker differences among all residents, not be a mouthpiece for a select few.
A man who has the time to prowl Carson Street at 2 a.m. on a Sunday morning in search of a sidewalk pizza peddler while crime explodes in other areas of his district.
Bruce's "time" isn't the "problem." His investment of energy is what it is. But, he is batting at the leaves on the tree of suffering. He isn't getting close to the roots of our problems.
An otherwise articulate individual on most issues who remained sphinx-like on when it came to transferring the police station from 18th Street to the Hilltop, afraid to offend anyone.
If you get my point, he isn't articulate. Mush mouthed might fit.
A councilman, who, on his own, decided to sue a major advertising company without getting approval from a majority of city council and then expected the city tax payer to foot his legal bills because he feels he is a majority of one.
And he didn't really understand why or how it all went down around him on that saga.
A public servant who will not take a step across Carson Street to meet with property owners or shop proprietors to get accommodations on the problems that plague Carson Street, while those same business people tip-toe over a property line to sell goods.
Speaking of footwork -- understand that people often vote with their feet. Same too with investments. When projects can't be finished -- except with a lot of red tape navigation and finger wagging -- then the city gets closer to being a ghost town.
Great cities all over the world have tables and chairs on sidewalks; a vibrancy that comes with living in an alive city instead of the sterile suburbs; vendors or street performers providing variety and entertainment so that we all can enjoy the excitement all successful cities deliver.
Some politicians pontificate, some produce. Some are do-gooders some are doers. In each case I prefer the latter.
Great cities are great because they are places where people are free to be themselves and respect is woven throughout. Politicians have to give it to get it. And, acts from government to squash rights, such as property rights, are not to be tolerated.
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Reminder: Tonight is both trash night and recycling. Let's all take our trash out at the same time as a protest.
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