Last night, the Mt. Lebanon Commissioners reorganized. Our new president is Kristen Linfante and John Bendel is our new vice president. Newly elected Steve Silverman and Dave Brumfield, serving his second term, were sworn in by Judge Alex Bickett of Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas.
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| Commissioners Fraasch, Bendel, Linfante, Brumfield, and Silverman |
Joe Senko was appointed as the new treasurer for Mt. Lebanon Municipality and School District, replacing the late John Ferguson. Even though Jack Goldschmidt (R) garnered more votes, the commissioners selected Senko (D).
Mt. Lebanon commissioners fill treasurer position
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| Treasurer Joe Senko |
49 comments:
It appears the 70%+- of registered voter that don't bother to vote have it right when they say their vote doesn't count!
Suggestion for the Mt. Lebanon Republican Committee and probably the County and state committees as well.
Take that photo of the new commissioners and blow it up real big.
Then take it and display it prominently at each and every committee meeting until you figure out what it is telling you.
There will probably be another new one from Harrisburg to study as well.
Be sure to LIKE this on MTL's FB. President Linfante did !
Get used to it!!
Is that a dictate or do we have a choice, 4:29?
When i was dealing with a different town's RC they could have took a lot of seats but they refused to listen to the younger more open-minded members of the Republican party. They stuck to their national party's line to a "T" and it killed them. The social issues always kill the Republicans.
Get used to what, 4:29 PM? Kristen liking Facebook when it is about her? Or what the Swamp Fox Committee said a while back, that we live in a One Party Jurisdiction?
"Our little group wants to wish you, and all the Civs of Mt. Lebanon, a wonderful New Year of health, prosperity, and good will. Now that we live in a One Party Jurisdiction, let us all hope that point-of-view will not become a requirement for fair treatment from our local governmental entities - specifically the municipal commission and the school board (a splendid New Year's resolution for our office holders)."
Elaine
Get your checkbooks warmed up.
We'll have deer culls coming, lots of sports facility investments, generous raises for all in municipal government.
I wonder if Mt. Lebanon will go the way of the San Jose Symphony now.
I'm sorry that I said Mt Lebanon was the new Dormont... it is the new Castle Shannon! When do we elect a mayor or maybe a king? We had family come for Christmas that haven't been back to this area for over 25 years and they were shocked at Upttown Mt Lebanon. Only someone like Brumfield would think this was a good thing. Maybe Dave you need to put more of your neighbor friends on boards.
4:29 here; get used to the fact that the voters do not count. Should have been more specific.
Is this legal? Any "real" lawyers out there? How can you have an election. A guy win. And loser gets the position? Are they afraid of someone from the outside seeing the books or what?
Pretty sure its legal, the law doesn't state the 2nd place finisher gets the spot if the first guy can't assume the position.
One would think an ethical commission would follow the election results, but "to the victor goes the spoils."
Something voters should have considered.
A question for our new commission and especially its president.
How do you expect to attract new businesses to that Transit Development effort at the T, if action you and the school board increases already some of the highest taxes in Allegheny County?
Plus how will you attract patrons for those businesses if you keep raising parking rates?
Anyone want to bet no one, especially the president will answer the question here?
Does Brumfield's grin in the photo remind anyone of the Cheshire Cat from "Alice in Wonderland"?
5:32 I'm curious about your family's observations about Uptown. After 25 years whatspecifically shocked them?
If the residents and officials in this town aren't careful, it won't be long before ML becomes an extension of the city.
Let's face it---all the elements are here for that to happen: fast traffic, streets crammed with parking; little vacant land; houses jammed close together; and a crowded central business district.
You can kiss suburbia good-bye! No wonder people are moving out to Washington County.
So what to do 11:57? Knock down every other house? Return to a little used business district like we had 25 years ago? Ban cars? lebo's infrastructure has been here for years, not much has changed. I'm not sure of your point. If you want farmland, move to Washington Co. By all means!
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19950726&id=6dhRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=im4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6651,6325917
25 years ago the business district was dismal. It looks much better now.
I agree, 9:29 AM. Elaine W., I don't know if we will ever hear back from 5:32, but in my opinion, Uptown has never looked as good as it does now. If we could get that hotel to open, and the property ever developed across from St. Bernard's Church, it would be perfect.
Elaine
How many of you are aware of the Transit Oriented Development (TOD)air rights project over the Uptown LRT Station under consideration and can describe or explain it ?
Maybe the planter boxes aren't as well taken care of.
Back to the subject, I hope nobody is surprised by the appointment of Senko.
While the morally correct response should have been to appoint the highest vote getter outside of the deceased former treasurer, the fact is that we have five Ds on the commission and they appointed the D.
After seeing the composition of the new commission and reading about their Treasurer appointment over the election second place finisher, perhaps its time to resurrect the municipality's original mascot... The Winking Monkey.
Blue Devils is appropriate, but Winking Monkeys seems more fitting considering the lack of transparency and backroom dealing.
10:54 if people don't know after this month's community magazine Commissioner's Statement one has to wonder if MTL magazine's statements about readership and/or circulation are accurate.
If it has the readership it claims nearly everyone should know about the TOD.
If a large segment of the community isn't aware of TOD, the PIO isn't doing a very good job.
In the MTL magazine Commissioners statement, Linfante makes this claim: "The current commission has identified the TOD project as one of its top priorities and views the TOD as a valuable opportunity."
The current commission's other TOP priority is turfing Wildcat/Middle fields.
Both of which don't rank very high in the magazine's latest poll of projects the commissioners constituents would like to see completed. In fact TOD to date has one vote.
What does that tell you about the commissioners listening to the voices of the people?
Here's something else interesting about the Lebomag poll.
We're constantly told how important the schools are and how important the sports fields are. So wouldn't you expect them to be #1 and #2 in the poll?
Of course its not scientific, jeez shouldn't the results be at least close?
Yesterday, Kelly Fraasch postedan article about the TOD on her blog, Trans-Oriented Development (TOD/TRID), what the heck are we talking about?
Matt Kluck believed this should have been our number one priority, instead of spending $750,000 on artificial turf. It would expand our tax base in a way that the Cedar Blvd. Realtors' Tour could not.
Elaine
On this one I have to make a break with Matt and Kelly opinion even though I usually like their positions.
First thing, if you want to expand the tax base quickly, go after the grossly underassessed properties immediately. The commissioners and board won't do that because it isn't politically smart offending your supporters.
Second, why did they have to BUY air rights when there are two parcels of actual land, ripe for development?
Both by the way conveniently located near the T!
It is an unfortunate fact of life that money flows to places where their is money to be made. Apparently, private investors and businesses don't see Lebo being lucrative enough to invest in as evidenced by the undeveloped spaces at Castle Shannon and Mt Lebanon Blvds and Washington and Biwer Hill.
So now we're not so far behind Dormont! Dormont!!!
That community many Lebo people look at contemptuously.
Here's and idea. Why don't we just buy Dormont's project, like we did Twin Hills and McNeilly, and call it our own?
Hell, its just another bond float. What's some more taxes here in the bubble!
http://triblive.com/neighborhoods/alleghenyneighborhoods/alleghenyneighborhoodsmore/5348762-74/treasurer-lebanon-position#axzz2pvjxI1zP
11:20, please read.
Kelley I thought you made the effort to address under-assessed homes in Mt Lebanon, did that ever happen after our last conversation about this issue?
Kelley's response, "Yes, I wouldn't vote on addressing overassessed homes before we agreed on underassessed homes. The conversation occurred amongst most of the Commission when Dave Brumfield was President. I believe you attended that meeting.
We did utilize funds we had in 2013 to address the under-assessed homes and decided during conversations at budget time for 2014 that it was successful enough that we should do it again this year. We will continue to address underassessed homes in 2014. I'm not sure which Budget Workshop we discussed this topic but if you want I can find out. If you need more information please let me know."
http://www.kellyfraasch.com/2012/05/30/muni-involvement-in-property-assessment-appeal-hearings/
Did the under-assessment piece ever happen, Elaine?
Two questions.
1. How many underassessed homes were appeal by the municipality and or school district and
2. How much additional tax revenue did it generate if any?
From Allegheny Institute on Public Policy:
Posted on December 28, 2010 byEditor
“Up in the Air Development”: Wasted Time and Money
Economic development in Mt. Lebanon is officially "up in the air" with the announcement that the community had received a $150,000 County grant to study the possibility of developing the air rights above Port Authority trolley tracks. While the absurdity seems to lie with developing "air rights", it is actually stems from the wasted development opportunity along Washington Road in what was once called Washington Park.
The project, originally released in 2003, was to build high-end condos with retail on prime Parking Authority owned land. And of course, since this was public land, public money in the form of tax increment financing (TIF) was put forth to help fund the project. Mt. Lebanon Commissioners and the school board approved the TIF convinced they could best direct economic development. The state Department of Community and Economic Development even guaranteed part of the TIF claiming the public money would unlock private development.
But after two different developers tried to get the project going, plans appear to have been squashed. The sales trailer that once occupied the lot is now gone. Nothing sits on this prime piece of real estate. Instead of auctioning off the land to the highest bidder and letting the private market dictate development, public officials wasted an opportunity.
Now new excitement is being spun over a proposal to develop the area over transit tracks. Once again we hear the promise that public money will unlock private investment. As Mt. Lebanon’s Commercial Districts Manager says "we see it as a ‘set the table’ approach–we use some public money to take the first steps and then go out and drum up interest." Obviously public officials refuse to learn lessons regarding economic development–the private sector knows best how to utilize resources. All they need to do is peer down the street to see how well the last publicly directed development succeeded."
Amen
4:38 PM, those questions need to be sent to Finance Director Andrew McCreery with Steve Feller cc'ed.
Just a little tip to the non-existent RCML. The D's started to focus on the next commission election, the day after Brumfield and Silverman were sworn in.
Elaine
4:38 PM & 8:02 AM
The 2013 Muni budget funded $25,000 to appeal 2013 "underassessed" residential (no commercial) properties in Lebo. Applying a criterion that an underassessed property was one that sold in 2011-2012 for more than 15% above the 2013 County assessed value, and allegedly focusing on the most egregious examples, the Muni and firm to handle the appeals determined that the $25,000 would cover about 155 appeals. There has been no indication or public disclosure of the results to date. Presumably many appeals will not be settled until this year.
Lets see if this is close to an answer you may or may not receive from McCreery/Feller.
Every town,it seems, is doing a mixed use project. East Liberty has been doing a version of it for years and Mosites Construction is doing an upgrade to Whole Foods for $4-5 million. USC is doing the old Consol site, Dormont has their version of the TOD and I just read that
south Fayetteville got $6 million to do the Newbury Market project from the state. The market is ripe for Mt. Lebanon to be a bit further than a"set the table" approach.
The market is ripe in Mt. Lebanon?
Pray tell 11:28, how did you arrive at that conclusion?
The corners of Washington and Bower and Castle Shannon and Mt. Lebanon both sit vacant. Both are empty lots with close to acess to the T.
Perhaps there is a plethora of prospective condo owners just clamoring over each to be first in line to live over a T stop over looking the cemetary and the Saloon that no one knows about.
Or maybe there are families with kids just waiting for $500,000+ condos in a community with turf!
Gee, just 1 person in the Non-scientific Lebomag poll gives a rats a-- if the air over the T gets developed, so indications are nobody already living here cares much about the idea.
But, wait what a great plan, just as the Hotel Tyvek opens its doors, we start cinstruction of the Mt. Lebanon Boardwalk.
Gotta get those saltwater taffy shops and Blue Devil T-shirt stands open in time for tourist season.
I'm sure cement mixers and cranes will make the hotel a prime attraction for the hotlel's guest.
The market has been ripe for three years. What cave have you been in?
8:19, >200 yards up the street they couldn't give away condos and retail space but your going to come in here and make one-line smarmy- assed comments and not offer one shred of evidence to back up your claim!
Yeah, the Allegheny Institute of Public Policy and I are living in the same cave to try and avoid people like you that love spending other peoples money.
If this area was so ripe some private investor would be at the table without the goverment using taxpayer dollars to set it.
Somebody is looking for a free lunch.
9:15 here, the opinion offered is based on nothing more than two recent stalled Lebo development project in close proximatey to the T line, one of which had government TIF help.
That and no more further evidence than its ripe.
Are there retail stores committed or signed for the project?
Any condo downpayments?
USC is close to getting a new daycare center/school on Painter's Run. Why do you think the Goddard School hasn't considered Lebo for development? There's a shortage of daycare here...we had a big center close a few years ago (on McFarland)....
“'It is, without a doubt, the most interesting and potentially beneficial development project in Mt. Lebanon,' said Commission president Dave Brumfield."
Quote from The Trib, Wednesday, July 11, 2012
What happened, Dave? How did artificial turf become a more beneficial project than the TOD?
Elaine
When did it become the responsibility of municipal government - therefore taxpayers - to become real estate developers?
A number of questions that need to be discussed regarding the development of the air space.
Has anyone sudied what effect the project will have on vehicle and pedestrian traffic on Washington and Shady Roads?
To make a profit and sustain a $36 million development what kind of retail operations are slated for the project-- more nail salons and karate shops?
Plus, whatever happened to the project planned for the main T stop at Castle Shannon & MTL Blvds.?
Is there that much demand for T-line oriented condos and shops that 3 are being discussed within 3 miles of each other?
This looks to this observer like an effort to by the transit authority- to increase ridership andkeep the T operating without raising fares- by using the backs of communities and their taxpayers.
As evidence, there is plenty of land adjacent to the T and up for sale, ripe for development of condos or retail space on Castle Shannon Blvd. Its right behind the post office and the Rite Aid. I wonder what the landowners that are paying taxes on that property think of the gov't. competing with them to sell or develop their property?
Raja's Port Authority Plan
http://gallery.mailchimp.com/f81ebba6a5835bb0a6f463884/files/Raja_Port_Authority_Plan.pdf
Funny, isn't it, all these years the T has been in existence and suddenly the air above South Hills T stations is "ripe" for development while private land along the line sits unused and undeveloped.
I happen to know that one developer had plans for condos along the T line but gave up because the EPA and municipal constraints and taxes made it impossible for them to make any money. They abandoned the idea.
Something odd, Lebo 'bought' the air rights above the T station. From whom and if this project ever gets developed who will probably benfit most from it? You got it, PAT.
So why didn't they give Lebo the air rights. What were they going to do with? On top of that the municipality and PennDot will have to shell out money to manage traffic, roads, traffic lights and pedestrian crossings because of the project.
On Fakelebo there is post showing photos of a Lebo commercial property, then and now.
I'd be willing to bet that property was built and sustained without government assistance in its long history.
Why now do we need government priming for Washington Road if things are so 'ripe?''
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