The North Side North Shore Cham Running from Dec. 5, 2020 to Jan. 2021, holiday lights will be set up

There are thousands of families struggling to find their financial footing because of this raging pandemic that has closed or limited their

Photo courtesy of the Office of Rep. Wheatley

In this month's column, Rep. Jake Wheatley shares his point of view on the Pennsylvania state budget.

abilities to feed themselves and their families. Thousands of Pennsylvania students don’t have the ability to access school instruction because of limited access to technology and reliable internet service. Hundreds of small businesses and entertainment venues are still waiting for some financial relief. The state does have $1.3 billion in federal dollars available to offer some financial relief. Instead, majority legislators are holding on to that money to use it toward their sham of a budget.

It's yet another case of those in the state Capitol who fail to understand or care about what’s best for our residents and only think of their own self-interest. It’s clear we have extremely difficult challenges before us, and all options should be on the table. What happened to the belief that during times of difficulty, we work together to come up with ideas and solutions and collaborate? Instead, there’s a push toward actions that are short-sighted and short-term. That is what will happen with this short-sighted and irresponsible budget.

Some may say, ‘What can we do in this current climate when there is no will to push for new revenue sources to help residents and businesses that are hurting financially?’ I say we start by assessing those who continue to make money even while most others in our state continue to struggle. We don't have to raise taxes on working families, but we should take a serious look at creating a fair tax system and tax the companies and individuals who are making money on money while many have lost money because they couldn't work or earn income.

What about closing some of our corporate tax loopholes, or considering revenue from potential new industries like adult-use cannabis to resolve the state’s $3 billion deficit? There have been many ideas, proposals, and solutions shared to help mitigate this budget challenge, but none of these are being considered in any real way. It’s because those in power only want what they want, and far too often, the Democrats are more than willing to accommodate them for fear of lost crumbs from the all-powerful majority’s table. I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired of this merry-go-round process.

When will we demand a real budget that resolves, or at least attempts to resolve, our long-term state fiscal challenges? The threat of cuts are and will always be a part of this process. The fear of having to make difficult decisions around revenue generation, changes in spending priorities, or adding taxes to places and industries to create fair sharing of responsibilities are all necessary for us to consider. To ultimately decide to do nothing and take the road of least resistance at times like these is a total failure of leadership and can't be allowed to continue. The people deserve better and we should do better. n

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Mondays, 6-7 p.m. Allegheny Center Alliance Church 412.321.4333 ext. 127 801 Union Place, first floor

Manchester Citizens Corporation

Quarterly meetings, call for times MCC Center, 1319 Allegheny Ave. 412.323.1743

Allegheny West Civic Council

2nd Tuesday, monthly, 7:30 p.m. Calvary United Methodist Church 412.323.8884

Brighton Heights Citizens Federation

2nd Thursday, bi-monthly, 7 p.m. Morrow Elementary School 412.734.0233

Brightwood Civic Group

1st Tuesday, monthly,6 p.m. Pressley Ridge, 2611 Stayton St. 412.732.8152

Brightwood Community Emergency Response Shelter

3rd Thursday, monthly, 6 p.m. 3219 Central Ave.

California-Kirkbride Blockwatch

3rd Thursday, monthly, 7 p.m. 1601 Brighton Rd., 3rd floor

California-Kirkbride Neighbors

2nd Thursday, monthly, 7 p.m. 1601 Brighton Rd., 3rd floor 412.758.3898

Manchester Public Safety Meeting

Quarterly meetings, call for times Northside Leadership Conference 412.323.1743

Northside Rotary Club

Every Friday, noon Cardello Building, 2nd Floor

NS Coalition for Fair Housing Board

2nd Monday, monthly, 6:30 p.m. 1821 Brighton Rd. 412.321.5527

NS Coalition for Fair Housing Members

Monthly, call for times 1821 Brighton Rd. 412.321.5521

Northside Leadership Conference

Call to confirm 1st Wednesday, monthly, 6 p.m. MCC Center, 1319 Allegheny Ave. 412.231.4714

North Side Lions Club

2nd and 4th Tuesday, monthly, noon Max’s Allegheny Tavern

Central Northside Neighborhood Council

2nd Monday, monthly, 7 p.m. Allegheny Traditional Academy 412.231.7742

Charles Street Area Council

1st Monday, monthly, call for times Pittsburgh Project, 2801 N. Charles St. 412.321.5567

Community Alliance of Spring Garden/ East Deutschtown

2nd Tuesday, monthly, 6:30 p.m. Fuhrer Building of St. Michael’s Church 412.228.0376

Deutschtown New Hope Council

3rd Thursday, monthly, 6:30 p.m. Community Center, 623 Suismon St.

East Allegheny Community Council

2nd Tuesday, monthly, 7 p.m. Arnold’s Tea 412.321.1204

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4th Tuesday, monthly, 6 p.m. Contact for location info@ourfuturehilltop.org 412-238-7528

North Side Public Safety Council

1st Thursday, monthly, 5:30 p.m. 1319 Allegheny Ave. 1st floor meeting room 412.231.4714 ext. 201

Northside Toastmasters

2nd & 4th Thursdays, monthly, 6:30 p.m. Carnegie Library, 1230 Federal St. 412-204-6018

Observatory Hill, Inc.

3rd Wednesday, monthly, 7 p.m. Byzantine Seminary, 3605 Perrysville Ave. 412.231.2887

The Promise Group

Every other Tuesday, 6 p.m. Western Pa. Humane Society 412.321.1019

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Feb. 12, April 8, June 10, Aug. 12, Oct. 14, Dec. 9., 6 p.m. Most Holy Name School Hall 1515 Tinsbury St. 412.321.2852

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March 2, May 4, Sept. 14, Oct. 5, Nov. 2 6 p.m, Spring Hill Elementary School auditorium, contact@shcl.org

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DISCLAIMER: The viewpoints and opinions of the writers and contributors that appear in the Northside Chronicle do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints, opinions, beliefs or positions of the Northside Chronicle’s publishers, editors, staff and/or affiliates. The Northside Chronicle is not affiliated with any formal political, social, religious, educational or philosophical organization or party of any kind. The materials comprising the Northside Chronicle are provided by various organizations, community groups, advertisers, entities, writers and contributors and are provided as a service to the readers of the Northside Chronicle on an “as-is” basis for informational purposes only. The Northside Chronicle assumes no responsibility for any copyright infringement, errors or omissions in these materials and expressly disclaims any representations or warranties, express or implied, including, without limitation, any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose regarding the correctness, accuracy, completeness, timeliness and reliability of the information provided. The Northside Chronicle is not responsible for damages of any kind arising out of use, reference to, or reliance upon such information. Reference herein to any commercial product, process or service does not constitute or imply endorsement or favoring by the Northside Chronicle. © The Northside Chronicle 2019

Hello. As always, I hope this finds you and yours in good health.

I'm writing this during the last few weeks of November. As I write this,

Photo courtesy of the office of Rep. Ravenstahl

In this month's column, State Rep. Adam Ravenstahl explains what living in a community and a democracy means to him.

COVID-19 cases are rapidly increasing in our community and state. The president is refusing to accept the results of the election and the state legislature is debating a stop-gap budget to get us through the next few months. By the time you read it, I will no longer be your state representative.

These are trying times, but we must face them with the stoicism and optimism that is the American spirit. Hard times come, but we have always persevered. We have endured, and we have built better. And I have faith that we will do so again.

But we cannot do so unless we accept the reality of our situation — no matter how unpleasant — and work together. We may not like something, but our dislike or personal preferences should not cause us — or anyone — to refuse to accept the reality of a situation or provide us with a reason to act in bad faith.

It feels like a lifetime ago, but I lost an election once. And while I may not have liked it, there was no question about accepting the results. I have faith in the process, in the people, and in our democracy. It is that shared faith, our collective belief, that allows our system of government to function, and so it pains me to see it called into question.

Likewise, since then I have continued to represent the people of our community: my friends, my neighbors, and you, in good faith and to the best of my ability. And I have faith that my successor — while we may not agree on everything — will do so as well. Because that is what people do.

In the same vein, while I may not like the fact that COVID-19 is spreading rapidly though our communities — and indeed, I do not, I accept it as fact and I act in good faith: by wearing a mask, by avoiding gatherings, by eliminating unnecessary trips — to protect those around me. I do not like that this disrupts my life and that of my family, but we do it for the good of community.

This is what it means to live in a community, in a democracy. We must have faith. We must act for the collective good and not allow our own self-interests to rule.

We may not like something. We may even hate it, but we must recognize it if we are to change it.

Thank you for the opportunity to represent you in Harrisburg.

Be well. Be smart, be safe.

State Rep. Adam Ravenstahl represents the 20th Legislative District in Allegheny County. n

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Hello everyone,

I hope everyone had a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving! As we head into the holiday season, I’d like to look back on the work we did in my first year as your Councilman. Though COVID-19 tried to slow us down, it’s been a busy year. My staff and I have worked with over 450 residents on all types of concerns in their neighborhoods. I was especially proud to have partnered with Cityview Church and the University of Pittsburgh to distribute essential needs packages to local senior high-rises when these items were difficult

Photo courtesy of the Office of Councilman Wilson

This month, Councilman Bobby Wilson summarizes the work he and his team have done over his first year in office.

to come by. Whether constituents reached out by phone, email, or social media, we’ve done our best to follow up with everyone every time and work to get their questions answered or their issues resolved. It’s been an honor and a privilege to serve you this year, and I’d like to take a moment to share some of the highlights of what we’ve accomplished in the Northside this year.

One of the most common asks from my Council District 1 this year was for traffic calming measures: These are steps the City’s Department of Mobility & Infrastructure (DOMI) takes to slow down speeding cars. Many of you will think of speed humps as the most obvious traffic calming measures, but there are many other things, like restriping lanes, painting crosswalks, or adding bump-outs, that the City can do to make a fast street slower. Our first traffic calming project happened on Venture Street in Observatory Hill. There, DOMI installed a series of speed humps to slow cars as they came down the hill through the residential neighborhood to get on I-279. These speed humps cost $47,000 and the process for getting them installed started in October 2019, when we helped a concerned resident apply for traffic calming for Venture Street through DOMI’s Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program. The speed humps were installed in August of this year, and everything we learned about getting such measures to slow down speeding cars has been put to good use launching over a dozen other traffic calming projects across my Council District.

When I was campaigning for City Council, I had hundreds of conversations with Northsiders about paving. I know how aggravating it can be to drive a road that has long been neglected, and as soon as paving season began this spring, I got in my car and drove every Northside street on the paving list this year. The City spent $1.9 million on paving in the District this spring and summer. There is plenty of paving left to do, and we still have a long list of paving requests that we will work to fulfill during next year’s paving season.

Dealing with paving also taught me the importance of managing stormwater if we want to maintain our roads and hillsides. If we do not control where water flows, then it will cause landslides on our properties and erode our roads. Dealing with stormwater requires working with DOMI, the Department of Public Works (DPW), and the Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority (PWSA). Building relationships with the directors and staffs of all these agencies allowed me to solve multiple stormwater issues for residents on Cherryland Street in Summer Hill, Damas and Zoller Streets in Spring Hill, and Wyona Way in Brighton Heights by adding catch basins, regrading street surfaces, and installing wedge curbs.

As many of you know, landslides have been a huge problem in the Northside. Thanks to the advocacy of the Friends of Riverview Park (FORP), Mayor Peduto prioritized $1.8 million for landslide repairs in our great regional park. We will first repair the landslide that caused Riverview Avenue by the Chapel Shelter to crumble. Also, I asked that the Northside’s 34 parks be put on a more regular maintenance schedule, which resulted in the addition of six DPW crew members to the Northern Division. DOMI just spent $1.1 million to remediate a landslide on List Street in Spring Hill and is spending $850,000 to fix the landslide at Cowley-Goettman Park in Troy Hill. The City is also investing $890,000 to build a retaining wall to stabilize the hillside to save Semicir Street in Observatory Hill.

I am excited to have completed several infrastructure projects during my

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