Black History Month and Community Relations Board 2001

So much has changed since the PG published this article sixteen years ago. Black History Month: Mt. Lebanon's past of not selling homes to minorities is highlighted by Muhammad Ali's effort to buy in Virginia Manor

• Laura Pace has a different last name, is now Senior Editor/Online Editor for mtl Magazine, and has fifteen minute workdays.
• Susan Fleming Stroyd has a different last name, and approves Laura's fifteen minute workdays.
• Mt. Lebanon's population in 1970 was 39,356, down 6,000 in 2001, and seems to be flat at 33,477 in 2010.
• "Mt. Lebanon often wears a polished veneer, but even municipal officials do not pretend the environment is perfect." In 2017, municipal officials pretend the environment is perfect. However, the Community Relations Board (CRB) with Susan Morgans as staff liaison, is continuing its diversity efforts from 2001 with Unity Programs in 2017.
• "We really make a special attempt to get more people of color in the magazine," said Susan Fleming Stroyd, editor-in-chief of Mt. Lebanon Magazine. Like this, Susan? to market, to market, to buy a...
• The 2001 article boasts that CRB members were proud of Mt. Lebanon's acceptance of Sanders consent decree homes. Now retired Federal Court Judge Gustave Diamond issued a court order for six Sanders Task Force homes in Mt. Lebanon in 1998, a temporary program to be reevaluated in ten years, and was never reevaluated. At one time, there were eleven Mt. Lebanon tax exempt homes owned by the Allegheny County Housing Authority. I believe there are seven tax exempt Sanders homes remaining, two within 200 feet of Rockwood Park. 
• The CRB held a May 6, 2001 Walk to Celebrate Diversity that included a 2-mile stroll with a theme of "You Belong Here." Now, we're told that if you don't like it here, move.
• "As long as you keep on plugging away, there is going to be some change. I believe in accentuating the positive and it will eventually make its way into the minds of the people." - February 21, 2001

The plan was always more deer killing this Fall

Somehow I missed the minutes from the April 8, 2015 Community Relations Board meeting.

Commission Liaison’s Report: Commissioner Silverman recapped this year’s deer cull. He said there would be another cull next year, but not necessarily one using the same method. A lengthy discussion followed during which members shared some of the comments they heard about the cull from residents and debated whether the board should have any role in the deer issue. Dianne Wainwright suggested that the board limit its role to encouraging people to call their commissioners. Bob Taylor and Susanne Wagner reminded Mr. Silverman that the board previously had decided it could not take a position on the issue but would support the Commission if and when it made a decision. Susanne Wagner said that she does not think the board should have a role in a deer-related project.

Steve Silverman gave his report days after Merlin Benner left town. Also in attendance was staff liaison PIO Susan Morgans, who told the press days before the meeting, that there was going to be "a cooling off period." Some cooling off period. You also told us that both lethal and non-lethal options will be considered. It was always going to be lethal methods only. John Bendel, were you aware that Steve Silverman was not resetting the dialogue as you were quoted as saying in the PG's Commissioners lament 'divisiveness' of Mt. Lebanon deer culling debate? It is right there in the Community Relations Board minutes of April 8, 2015.

The next commission meeting will be on July 14. Just like the June 22, 2015 farce, the July 14 commission meeting will also be held at the high school. This is when we have an opportunity to comment on the deer killing plan. Not that it will matter since it was decided back in April, according to Steve Silverman, that there will be more deer killing.

How does The Lebo Citizens Team sound?

I have been curious about the Lebogreen.org website ever since I posted their call for action on my post, Just so you know, Pay As You Throw.

Kristen Linfante answered my questions to the commission, "Who funds lebogreen.org and who is the Mt. Lebanon Environmental Team?"

"The Environmental Team is not a municipal board - it is a group that works often with the ESB, and they have a rep on the ESB, but they are not affiliated.
Kristen Linfante"

Still wanting more information, Kristen responded to my second email.

"Not a single tax dollar goes to the Environmental Team or their website. It is a completely volunteer group. One of their members created the site and manages it. This group is not affiliated with the municipality or the SD.
Kristen Linfante"

Under Rob Papke's beautiful photo on About Us, I learned more about The Mt. Lebanon Environmental Team.

The Mt. Lebanon Environmental Team is a group of local Mt. Lebanon (Pennsylvania) citizen volunteers devoted to improving the environment by working with residents, elected officials, institutions, businesses and the Mt. Lebanon Environmental Sustainability Board. The team is dedicated to responding to the global and local economic, social and environmental challenges associated with energy demand and human contributions to climate change and to improve the effects of these changes on our community and neighbors.
Get involved by joining the team. Sign up by sending us an email.

Then it hit me. Here is a group of citizen volunteers who work with elected officials and the Mt. Lebanon Environmental Sustainability Board. Elected officials who push their personal agendas with boards who are appointed by ELECTED OFFICIALS. How does this citizen group get to work with elected officials and the ESB? Is it because they are friends of elected officials?

What about the hundreds of people who read this blog? I can't say there are hundreds who disagree with our elected officials, but why can't we have a say in things? We have a board chosen by elected officials who work with friends of the elected officials. How fair is that? Who is representing those who  disagree with these people? Why can't there be boards who represent the rest of us?

Look at the whole PAYT debate. The Environmental Sustainability Board and The Mt. Lebanon Environmental Team are pushing it. Who is representing those who don't want it? What about the storm water fee? Who represented the folks who didn't want to get stuck with that fee?

We're told by the Commission that the Community Relations Board (staff liaison is Susan Morgans, commission liaison is Dave Brumfield) will be sponsoring a public discussion about deer in Mt. Lebanon.  Community Relations Board Minutes from July 10, 2013 Funny how the two CRB women at the discussion session never heard about Lebo Citizens. Dave Brumfield, you know the guy who was against killing deer, who suddenly thinks that a deer cull is a good idea, and Susan Morgans, who asked me in 2006 and 2007, "How many times are you going to tell us that deer culling isn't safe? You tell us over and over." are asking the Community Relations Board to sponsor a meeting about deer. Puleeze. That is as bad as Dave Brumfield organizing a "Sports Advisory Board" which is represented by primarily by field sports dads who are drooling for artificial turf.

It isn't just on the municipal side of our local government. It is happening with the school district too. Who represents the math parents? How about the four thousand people who wanted to scale down the renovation project? Or how about all the fees that parents are now facing? The teachers can't help. The administrators? The school board? I don't think so. There are no groups representing us, the non elected, non appointed members of the community.

So how about it? What about a Lebo Citizens Team? When are the rest of us going to have a say in things? The elected officials and the soon-to-be elected officials claim they don't read the blog. And please don't tell us that we can do that at the polls. That is a bunch of dog crap from Williamsburg Park.

CRB Forum "Can We Disagree Without Being Disagreeable?"

The Community Relations Board’s forum “Can We Disagree Without Being Disagreeable?” held on September 21, 2011 will air on Verizon Channel 34 and Comcast Channel 17 on Mondays and Thursdays at 8 p.m. and Saturdays at 10 a.m.  The podcast is here:

“Can We Disagree Without Being Disagreeable?”

Mt. Lebanon to Address Conflict Resolution

Laura Pace Lilly asked me to post this on Lebo Citizens.  I think the timing for such an event is perfect, especially in the area concerning conflicts on the playing fields.

Mt. Lebanon to Address Conflict Resolution

The increase in hostility these days is palpable. In the media, on the playing field, in the halls of government and in our neighborhoods, conflict is on the rise and the reactions range from less-than-cordial to downright shocking.

To counter this trend, the Mt. Lebanon Community Relations Board is presenting the forum “Can We Disagree Without Being Disagreeable?” on Wednesday, September 21, from 7 to 9 p.m. in Commission Chambers, 710 Washington Road, in Mt. Lebanon. Admission is free and the public is welcome.

Moderated by KDKA’s Jon Delano, the panel will include: Ellen DeBenedetti, a mediator, trainer, conflict coach and facilitator; David Miller, professor at Pitt’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs; Tony Norman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist; The Rev. Kris Opat, assistant rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and Emily Stevick, psychologist.

“Our community relations board has put together an outstanding panel, who will share their own experiences, answer questions from the audience and talk informally with people after the meeting, “ says Susan Morgans, staff liaison to the board. “We hope to raise awareness among the public that respectful disagreement can often lead to new ideas and workable compromises.”

Since I will not be able to attend this meeting, I am willing to post a recording of it on the Lebo Citizens website, if there is someone out there willing to record it.  I do have an extra recorder, if needed.