Finally! A Turf Project Update from Mt. Lebanon

During Citizen Comments at the September 9, 2014 Commission meeting, I expressed my frustrations over the lack of transparency with the Turf Project Field Enhancement Project. I have had to ask repeatedly for non-municipal funds updates, file Right To Knows, and hear too many times, that the municipality is hoping to receive the NPDES permit soon. I ended up filing a RTK with a government agency outside of Mt. Lebanon, in order to get answers. I learned that a letter was sent to Recreation Director, David Donnellan highlighting six deficiencies with Mt. Lebanon's NPDES permit application. At the commission meeting, Manager Steve Feller agreed to publishing that letter along with Mt. Lebanon's response to the Allegheny County Conservation District on Mt. Lebanon's website, along with a hard copy for my records. Here is Gateway's response.* Copies were also sent to Representative Dan Miller and Senator Matt Smith. Thank you, Steve.

*Large document

Right To Know Information Session

State Representative Dan Miller is hosting a timely event for his constituents. On Thursday, November 7, 2013 at 6 PM, Dan is hosting a Right To Know Information Session at the Mt. Lebanon Municipal Building. This informational session on PA Right To Know law will feature:

• Panelist Nathan Byerly, Deputy Director of the Office of Open Records.
• Panelist Matt Smith, Minority Chairman of the Senate State Government Committee.
• Public Q & A and discussion with panelists.

Dan has always been a proponent of Open Government. He posted regularly on his blog and encouraged me to record his meetings during his term as Commission President. Dan also opposed closed Joint Discussion Sessions which were held between the Commission and School Board.

Please join Dan at his Right To Know Information Session and learn about updates to the law and best practices for both requestors and officers.

Updated change orders for May UPDATED 2X

The agenda for tonight's school board meeting includes an additional change order.

*j. GC-43-93 to Nello for $580 for partition wall with recessed shower and plumbing in Buildings J and K,

I updated the list with number 96 being the additional change order.

Speaking of change orders, $75,000 for winterization costs is getting Dan Remely fired up. The Almanac (Saved in Google Docs) writes:

“I cannot believe the contractor did not include any winterization costs for a four-year project,” said board member Dan Remely. He requested more detailed information about the change order or that it be removed from the agenda for the May 20 school board meeting.

Well, Dan Remely, it is still on the agenda for tonight. So much for trying to get the change order totals on the district website, Dan. At the January 21, 2013 school board meeting, you said that "the blogs" just have numbers for change orders. I guess we still have to rely on "the blogs," Dan.

This email is being circulated by Remely's campaign manager:

All,

Please feel free to share with all of your friends. This is the truth not the misleading misconception that Dan Miller put out in his mailer.

Dawn


When a Democrat tells you he’s the “low tax” candidate, be suspicious.
Look at what he’s done, not at what he says.

FACT: During Dan Miller’s tenure as a Mt. Lebanon Commissioner, taxes rose 14% - without any State mandates - and he still thinks taxpayers are getting a “bargain.”

Dan Remely Stands on his Record

FACT: Dan Remely was instrumental in cutting the cost of high school renovations by half.

FACT: Dan Remely has worked tirelessly to maintain quality education at the lowest reasonable cost.

FACT: Dan Remely has helped hold down school costs and has only voted to raise taxes when absolutely necessary to pay for State required pension contributions, unfunded state mandates and much needed high school renovations

NOW, Who do you think will keep taxes lower?

Vote for Dan Remely, the responsible choice for State Representative, he's made the tough decisions!

If anyone votes for Dan Remely for any seat, you are seriously misguided. Watch Dan vote against the budget tonight. He should have started doing this seven years ago, not the eve of the Primary!

Update May 20, 2013 12:04 PM  Here is a 2009 document that details much of the early direction from the board on the cost of the project. The project is about where the board wanted it all along - at the borrowing limit - no matter what.  I don't see where Remely made any difference.

Update May 20, 2013 5:23 PM Agenda has been updated today, but I can't tell what has changed.

Final weekend before the Primary and Special Election

I was considering having another poll about the candidates, but since the Blogger poll gadget is so unreliable, I thought it would be better to allow readers to write about their choice of candidates.

If you attended the 42nd Pennsylvania House District candidates forum at the Bethel Municipal Building, or listened to the podcast on Lebo Citizens, who do you think made the best overall presentation?

George Brown - Libertarian
Dan Miller - Democrat
Dan Remely - Republican

If you want to sign your name, great. If you choose to remain anonymous, that is your right.

Who are you supporting in the Special Election? Just say why you are supporting your candidate without trashing any of the others. No negative comments. Who should win the Special Election?  

Care to comment about the County Council race between Krista Harris and Sue Means? I would like to hear some good, solid facts. No fluff. Who deserves our vote?

Finally, not much of a choice, but if you have something positive to say about the school board candidates, now is your chance. 

Don't forget to vote on Tuesday.

Legend...wait for it...ary UPDATED 2X

Last night, The Trib ran this editorial. Primary 2013: Remely in the 42nd The Trib writes:

But it is Dan Remely who, clearly, is the better choice and on a variety of levels.

The Trib has totally lost it. Clearly, Remely is the worst choice and on a variety of levels. How much did the good old boys pay the Trib for this one?  The classic line in that editorial is:

His engagement in the community is almost the stuff of legend.

THE STUFF OF LEGEND? How is this for engagement in the community? Side 1 Side 2 

Decide for yourself tonight at the Bethel Municipal Building, 5100 W. Library Road, near St. Valentine's.  The Candidates Forum will begin promptly at 7:00 PM.

Update May 16, 2013 7:03 AM The Trib's South Hills candidates for 42nd District seat want smaller House

Update May 16, 2013 9:30 AM The podcasts to last night's forum are available here.
http://lebocitizens.com/Lebo_Citizens/Podcasts/Podcasts.html

A moral compass for the town?

One of the good old boys from the RCML strikes again. This time, T. Michael Brown submitted this opinion to the PG. Political boasting In case he has forgotten, Dan Miller was first on the scene of a burning house, while driving through Ohio. Firefighter makes valiant effort Is Remely proud of himself for wanting to relax the fire codes standards for our high school renovation? They push...and push...and push Is this why he sent one of his henchmen to attack Miller?

Does the name T. Michael Brown sound familiar? It should. Is this the same T. Michael Brown I knew it was the same T. Michael Brown all along. Ironically, I had contacted then president of the commission, Dan Miller, since I didn't know what to do about the packet. President Miller recommended that I not make any accusations toward T. Michael Brown. Then this article came out. Candidate withdraws from Mt. Lebanon commission race

T. Michael Brown's letter is laughable. He certainly is no moral compass for Mt. Lebanon.

Primary and Special Election News UPDATED

The League of Women Voters is sponsoring a debate for the 42nd State House District special election. It will be held on May 15, 2013, 7 PM, at the Bethel Municipal Building. If you have questions for George Brown, Dan Miller, or Dan Remely, this is your opportunity to submit questions. All questions submitted that evening will be subject to the approval of the League of Women Voters moderator(s).

Finally, some news about the school board race! The League of Women Voters will be sponsoring a "Meet the Candidates" night at Jefferson Middle School on May 8, 2013 at 7 PM. Again, you can submit questions on index cards which will be subject to the approval of the League of Women Voters moderators.     [Note: Event has been canceled. See update below.]

It is been an extremely quiet race for school board. Dan Remely is running alone, but there is a slate for the four remaining candidates.  Their website is here. I received an email this morning about one of the candidates, Durwood Hill.

Durwood Hill is running for school board and kicking off his campaign with a series of community meetings. These are intended to be informal and honest conversations. Attached is a flyer with meeting information, hope you are able to join Durwood at one of these times. Also, please feel free to pass along to other community members, especially friends and family outside the Lincoln area.


Durwood is running as part of a slate (http://www.leboeie.com/durwood-hill/); however, these meetings are set up by Durwood alone. If you have any questions, you can contact me at montoyase@verizon.net.

When I met Durwood, I told him that I would never vote for Mary Birks and that I really didn't know anything about him. I promised that I would share his information here on Lebo Citizens. I am glad to see that he is reaching out to the community.

Update April 30, 2013 11:00 AM The Candidate's Forum scheduled for May 8, 2013 has been canceled. It is my understanding that the PTA canceled the forum due to lack of interest. In its place, the school board candidates will provide written responses to a uniform set of questions and the responses will be posted online.
In addition, Durwood Hill asked me to share this with Lebo Citizens readers:

I took a look at the blog and it probably should be noted that, while friends of mine organized the events, I am running with a slate of candidates and they all plan to attend some of the events. I will be at every event and will be accompanied by various members of our slate.

Announcement from Dan Miller

I received the following email this morning.

 

Dear Friends and Neighbors-

I am proud to announce that I am running to be our next State Representative from the 42nd House District. Our former Representative Matt Smith has moved on to represent us in the Senate which means that a winner-take-all special election for that seat will now occur on May 21st. 

These are challenging times, but that is exactly why I am interested in serving you in the State House. I am not interested in going to Harrisburg to talk about the small things or to get embroiled in the typical partisan fights. I want action on the issues that grow and strengthen our middle class. I want real policies that keep jobs and opportunity in Pennsylvania. I think we need to change the way education is currently being funded and prioritized. We need initiatives that recognize our long term needs. Sometimes that means reforming the way our government operates. 

When I served as Commissioner in Mt. Lebanon we changed the way things were done. I fought to minimize public debt for routine expenditures and authored a real balance budget ordinance. We stopped short-sighted, damaging policies that ignored our pension costs and short-changed our infrastructure needs. We knew times were tough, but in passing such key reforms we didn’t act as if it was the end of times. 

Many of the Commission accomplishments that I am most proud of came from conversations with you. It was a WWII veteran that asked me to help him build a Veteran’s Memorial. It was local residents that encouraged me to fully review the necessity of maintaining the Parking Authority. It was a younger person who asked me why we had such a limited recycling program. I altered some ideas, combined others, and didn’t use some at all.  But I actively listened, debated, and worked in a largely bipartisan fashion to improve our community. And we did it all for you to see: televised on our public access channels and promoted on my website where I not only listed every major vote but also explained them. I recognize not every vote or position was or will be universally praised, but I promise you my sincerest effort to get things done and I will not be out-worked.

My wife and I love living in this area. My son attends public school in Mt. Lebanon and I continue to serve as a volunteer firefighter. I will work hard over these next couple of months to be worthy of your vote on May 21st. I invite your participation and urge you to follow my campaign at www.VoteDanMiller.com or at facebook.com/VoteDanMiller.

Best,

Dan

Independents can vote too!

I had a panic attack this morning. I was worried that I would only be able to see Dan Remely's name on my Republican ballot for the House seat.  No worries! There will be no D or R ballot for that race. Since it is a special election, there is only one ballot. Good news - not only can Democrats and Republicans vote for either Dan Miller or Dan Remely, but Independents can actually come to the polls and vote for the State House race. Typically they are not allowed to vote in primaries.

Keep that in mind and take a minute to cast your vote in the latest, unofficial poll here on  Lebo Citizens.

Additionally, someone sent me Dan Remely's campaign brochure.  I will wait until I hear from Mr. Remely before I post it. Dan, you know how to reach me.

Want to hear a good one?

The Republican Committee is considering School Board Director Dan Remely as the Republican hopeful to run against Dan Miller for Matt Smith's old House seat. I understand Remely will be running for reelection with Dale Ostergaard for School Board. Does the MLRC think that Dan is doing such a bang up job with the high school renovation, to be a viable candidate for higher office? Still not going through the vetting process, guys? When will the MLRC break up the good old boy network? I wish I could be a member of a party I respect.

Dan Miller to run UPDATED

From Facebook:

Friends and Family -

I was recently contacted by the media regarding my interest in the upcoming vacancy in the 42nd state house district.  To keep it short and sweet, I will indeed seek my party’s nomination for that position.

During my term as Commissioner in Mt. Lebanon, I was honored to receive so much support and pleased to work in a bipartisan way.  We were able to make long-term investments in our community and increase government transparency while achieving greater fiscal responsibility. This is why a diverse coalition that includes Democrats, Republicans and Independents is already forming as I make these next steps.

The initiatives I spearheaded in Mt. Lebanon made our town stronger, bringing people together over common goals. I intend to fight for those types of issues in Harrisburg and remain a strong voice for education and quality jobs.  

Kim and I spent a lot of time discussing this step and I can assure you that I will not be away from my family to avoid tackling the challenges our state faces. I will seek compromise where I can, and work every day to move the ball on issues that strengthen and grow our middle class. I am not interested in gridlock and I have no intention on being a silent advocate for this community. If given the opportunity to serve again, you will know where I stand.

We will make a more formal announcement once the process actually begins, but I wanted you to hear this from me.

Hope you all had a great holiday!

Best,

Dan

Update November 26, 2012 5:15 PM  Lineup in 42nd District race may include new faces

Pippy resigns

Last night, Senator John Pippy resigned at 11:59 PM following the budget vote. State Sen. Pippy resigns from legislative seat following budget vote This followed Democratic Nominee Greg Parks' filing papers to withdraw from the race. According to the PG, Matt Smith could run against Raja in the November election. Dems to pull switcheroo in state Senate election?  Nothing would make me happier than to see a strong candidate run against Raja.  Yes, I know that I am a Republican, but I think Matt Smith would be the better candidate. And if Matt wins, then I would love to see Dan Miller fill his seat as representative. Time will tell.  The Democratic committee has to nominate Matt Smith first.  Selfishly, I want Dan Miller as our representative since he did a fantastic job when he was a commissioner.  After his term as president was over, everything went to hell, as far as I am concerned.

An open letter to the commissioners

Commissioners,

As promised, I am sending the USDA APHIS Wildlife Services Firearm Safety Review.   http://www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife_damage/nwrc/Safety_Review/content/Firearms_Report.pdf I don't think I saw this in your deer management status report. It was discussed at length during several meetings. I had sent this to the prior commission.

Seven accidents were reported, from shooters shooting themselves in the foot to shooting through floor boards of their vehicles, all classified as Negligience, Ignorance or Carelessness.  On page 9, only 2% were randomly drug tested. Page 13, "firearm safety incidents were perceived as "no big deal." Check out page 14, 100% of the employees could not list all four WS fundamental gun safety rules. Notice on page 28, "Wildlife Services is being faced with the possibility of hiring Biologists or Field Employees with little or no firearm experience." THEY ARE NOT SHARPSHOOTERS!   As Tom Kelley reported last night, Wildlife Services shot from the back of pick up trucks. Page 30 indicates that WS Directives should clearly address whether shooting out of vehicles is allowed.  The recommendation is terra firma.

Now let's bring this back to Mt. Lebanon. Wildlife Services provided no insurance.  They take no responsibility. It would have been Mt. Lebanon's responsibility. As Dan Miller said, he would never use Wildlife Services again. They mishandled the Lindendale incident.  They lied to our police. They lost all credibility with our former commission. Craig Swope, from Wildlife Services was asked every year by Dale Colby, were there ever any accidents and Craig Swope would answer, "No sir."  I found SEVEN.

Kristen, you are doing a great disservice to the community by "reinventing the wheel." We have spent thousands of dollars doing surveys and studies on deer culling. As Dave Brumfield suggested last night, you have not explored all options. We know that there are deer here.  You will NEVER get rid of every single one. The ones that are permitted to stay could be the ones that jump in front of cars. They could be eating your neighbors' hosta (which by the way are their favorite food, so why plant hosta?) You mention that there was a herd of deer in Rockwood Park, which as you know is next to my house.  Come over some time and look at my untouched hosta. If there are so many and hosta are their favorite food, why are mine untouched? You are afraid of guns, Kristen? Try having men literally outside your bedroom window shooting deer. 

Elaine Gillen

Update May 30, 2012 12:10 pm
From: Kristen Linfante <klinfante@mtlebanon.org>
To: egillen476 <egillen476@aol.com>
Sent: Wed, May 30, 2012 11:22 am
Subject: Re:

Thanks for the link, Elaine.
Kristen

Update May 30, 2012 4:44 pm
From: Kelly Fraasch <kfraasch@mtlebanon.org>
Date: Wed, May 30, 2012 at 4:12 PM
Subject: Re:
To: commission@mtlebanon.org, "Weis, Philip" <philip.weis@bipc.com>, Stephen Feller <sfeller@mtlebanon.org>, Tom Kelley <tkelley@mtlebanon.org>

Ms. Gillen,

Thank you for the information.

I do think we made a positive step forward last night by having all present Commissioners share support in having Phil draft an ordinance against the feeding of deer.

I firmly believe we need to stop feeding the deer immediately.  It's truly not helping the deer and actually hurting them in the long-term.  Not to mention, putting humans and deer at risk.

Secondly, I do have safety concerns about culling. 

I've had lengthy conversations with the previous Ward 5 Commissioner and find that services rendered for culling were alarming at best.

As a community, we can do better to co-exist with our wildlife and I would like to invest in those methods and educate our community before jumping into a management program.

Kelly

Commission Financial Reforms and then there is the School District

Dan Miller's December 9 post on his blog, is Financial Reforms.  Dan writes:

But as our budget vote quickly approaches I have worked with staff, other Commissioners, and citizens to put together a series of financial reforms that I believe will make sure that we do not repeat the same mistakes that have gotten us here. And to be clear- this failure in my opinion rests on the Commission majority. While acknowledging that an overwhelming amount of residents are happy with Municipal services- the Commission majority has been unwilling to tell you that these services cost more then you are being billed. I believe that simply voting for a tax increase alone does not “fix” this problem. In my opinion any tax increase must be accompanied by such fiscal reforms listed below that will mandate real responsibility from elected officials- regardless of whether service levels are cut or increased moving forward.

Dan goes on to list his eight proposed ordinances and comments but adds:

* Note: These ordinances may not yet be finalized completely. While I do not expect the intent of them to change it is possible that in order to receive majority support some words or items may have to be altered. I also have included a couple areas where I believe it is reasonable to negotiate. Additionally I have offered some brief comments after each one to help give context for them- believe me, I have more to say on every one.

Dan, I want to publicly thank you for all your hard work - even up to the bitter end of your term.  You have been fair and open.  You have adopted constituents outside of your ward (like me) and have been an excellent role model for our new junior commissioners, current commissioners, and hopefully has made an impact on our school board directors.  Thanks, Dan.

Now the School District, on the other hand, has this on their next agenda.

2012-2013 Preliminary Budget – The Board must prepare and approve a final budget for
2012-13 in May of 2012. In preparation for this final budget, the Board’s first action
must be to determine what potential millage increase will be required in that final budget.
There are still many uncertainties in preparing the budget for 2012-13 so early in the
year. We do not yet know our staffing needs, student course selections, numbers of
retirements, health care cost increases, earned income tax trends or state funding
parameters. Without these critical pieces of information, any budget projection at this
time includes inherent inaccuracies due to estimates without factual basis. Act 1 of 2006
gives the Board the option to pass a resolution in December of 2011 stating it will not
exceed a millage increase permitted under the approved Index which calculates to about
.37 mills if the Index is 1.4%, or .45 mills if the Index is 1.7%. We believe that we will
require significant budget cuts to meet Index limitations. If the Board wants to preserve its rights to raise millage to include both the increase for the Index plus the three allowable exceptions for PSERS cost increases, Pre-Act 1 Debt and special education cost increases, the Board must pass a preliminary budget at the January Board meeting. That preliminary budget must include a millage rate high enough to require exceptions to the Index. Note that even if the Board approves such a preliminary budget in January, the final budget in May does not have to include the same millage rate. It can be approved at any millage rate up to the one allowed by the Index plus any approved exceptions

Granted there are still many uncertainties on the District budget side, but I would like to add something to the equation that needs mentioned, a presentation made by former School Board Director, James Fraasch. Perhaps James will update the numbers if, or when the bids come in too high.

This is how it works, Josephine

Remember this?  Baldwin's McNeilly Park Dan Miller sent me a map showing the boundary lines. I asked him about it yesterday.  I got it today.
Map of McNeilly Park
Dan explained that the red corner of the property is in Baldwin.  It is in the lower right hand corner of the park. 

This is how it works, Josephine.  We had questions about McNeilly Park and we got answers.  I am still waiting to get a response from SOMEONE on the board about the 25 questions that I sent last Saturday, October 1. We have ten optimistic voters who believe you will answer our questions about the high school project.  In fact, five sincerely believe we will get nine individual responses from the board.

Thanks again, Dan. 

Two commissioners commenting within 24 hours!

Thanks goes out to Mt. Lebanon Commissioners.  Two of them took time out to comment on this blog. Thank you for the open dialogue, Dave and Dan. We may not agree, but it is refreshing to see open and direct responses from our elected officials. This is the way government should work.  Thank you!

Commissioner Miller needs your help.

I emailed the results of the storm water fee poll to the Commissioners today. I was disappointed in the number of votes, but this is vacation time.  Dan Miller called me today to discuss the results.

I think it should come out of the General Fund and other services should be cut.  14 (60%)

Raise our taxes instead of charging us a fee. 1 (4%)

It isn’t fair and equitable 1 (4%)

I am not crazy about it, but do see the need. 3 (13%)

No problem. It is only $8 a month. 4 (17%)

 

Votes so far: 23
Poll closed

Dan would like to hear from the fourteen who voted to cut services, which services should be cut.  Please leave comments.  I will publish anonymous ones, if they are appropriate, for those who would feel more comfortable doing so.  Thanks!

Thanks, Dan, for working on my Rockwood Park idea.

I got a voice mail yesterday from Dan Miller concerning my idea of developing the upper parking lot of Rockwood Park.  As I had written in an earlier post, I emailed the Commission, and as always, Dan Miller followed up, even though he is not from Ward 3.  The neighborhood has adopted Dan as our adopted commissioner these last four years, since he always responds to our needs.  That is why we all "heart" Dan Miller.
Dan went to Keith McGill, the Municipal Planner, who did the research.  Thanks, Keith!  Keith found that the property came to Mt. Lebanon in April and May 1972 from the Hofer estate.  It was taken to construct a public park FOREVER due to the severe parking problem in the immediate area.  Unfortunately, that house is long gone and now, a house is being built with a two car garage.  Dan agreed that it would have been perfect for at least three lots, but Mt. Lebanon cannot do anything else with the land.  The neighborhood is disappointed since the parking lot is just an invitation for illegal activity.
Dan, thank you for your response, as always.  I hope to pick up where you leave off in Ward 3.  You have spoiled us.

Repeat after me: "It's going to be great for our community."

Repeat after me:  "It's going to be great for our community."

That was Dr. Steinhauer’s great thought after last night’s meeting.  It didn’t matter that they had to lie, fool with the numbers, raise our taxes astronomically, focus on construction and litigation rather than education, and ignore what the majority of citizens of Mt. Lebanon wanted.  I looked around in that meeting room that holds eighty people and saw the smiling faces of the proponents of the High School renovation.  I thought to myself, "These are the people who wanted it.  They’re all in this small room."  

Repeat after me:  "It's going to be great for our community."

I went downtown yesterday and paid my county taxes.  I had to wait for the man in front of me to remove his shoes before going through the metal detector.  That gave me time to take off my coat and place it and my purse on the belt.  I felt sorry for him.  The County taxes are the “easy” ones to pay. 

Repeat after me:  "It's going to be great for our community."

Dan Miller was trying to cap the amount of parking spaces in the Discussion session.  His point was that you can’t put ten pounds of potatoes in a five pound bag.  It didn’t matter if they were Russets or sweet potatoes (or students or faculty.)  It was a basic concept, which couldn’t be grasped by Raja, Dave, or Joe.

Repeat after me:  "It's going to be great for our community."

Matt Kluck quoted “The Mt.Lebanon Comprehensive Plan” which can be found at http://pa-mtlebanon.civicplus.com/DocumentView.aspx?DID=13 . He reminded his peers of the community development objectives that were identified as the vision for the Comprehensive Plan as printed on page 1-3.   This Plan also identifies “Rising school taxes” as the number two threat to Mt. Lebanon.

Repeat after me:  "It's going to be great for our community."

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_722033.html