Mt. Lebanon Magazine article causing quite a stir on Nextdoor

Recently, Mt. Lebanon Magazine's Laura Pace Lilley wrote an article about overnight parking in Mt. Lebanon.  Overnight Parking Rules Could Ease Links to it also appeared on Facebook yesterday.


There is quite a discussion on Nextdoor about this "improvement." The initial post was:

As if we do not already pay exceptional property taxes, there may be a new rule that will require a nightly fee for a request to leave a vehicle on the street overnight if that particular vehicle has exceeded 10 nights in a given year. There are merits to the current ordinance, but is this next step warranted?

There are comments such as

• ...this is another example of how MTL is not really as 'rich' as they pretend to be and often must perform financial circus tricks to find the money to pay for ridiculous projects like killing deer at $80K/year and pursuing 'fields of turfed dreams' at $500K+ a pop. Nice to see the taxpayers waking up.
• I think mt. Lebanon is over reaching ag-ain! They will create any excuse to squeeze more money from home owners and the hard working class!!!
• ...if the article appeared in MTL Magazine -- which I believe it did -- you can count on a total white-washing of the facts. That magazine is published by the MTL Public (Mis)information Office - which, by the way is very expensive to run and if the expenses were even just cut in half would create many more resources for MTL than this additional burdensome tax.
• Yes, when I had pointed out the facts in their page I was told I was spreading out misinformation. I was also given a police officers nane and number and told to call him. I was treated rudely. I’ll never read another of their publications again.
• What next? Taxation on household animals?

On my street, there are homes which do not have driveways. Now what? Someone asked about the cost of the software. This reminds me of the parking app and parking space sensors, which cost taxpayers $25,000(?), along Uptown Washington Road. How many parking tickets are needed to justify the cost of that expenditure? 

Since the commissioners are willing to spend $771.10 per deer, they have to raise the money somehow. They are already double charging condominium owners for garbage collection. 

You voted for them, Mt. Lebanon.

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

More waste in the PIO UPDATED

I remember Susan Morgans saying that there are only two people in the Public Information Office who were full time employees, Susan and her administrative assistant. Lebo Citizens reader Nick M. filed two Right To Knows for Laura Pace Lilley's time cards from December 27, 2015 through July 9, 2016. LPL is a part time employee, but enjoys paid holidays, at least New Year's, Good Friday, Memorial Day, and July 4. Perhaps other time cards would show paid holidays for Labor Day, Columbus Day, Election Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. That would require another RTK.

Here are Laura's time cards, 12/27/15 - 6/11/16 and 5/29 - 7/9/16. I am not sure what 5/2/16's Time Off is for, and have my doubts that Laura Pace Lilley bothered to work for 45 minutes on May 11, 2016. Is it really worth coming to work for 45 minutes? What about working for one hour on May 4 and one hour on May 6? Anything is possible with a pencil, right?

Nick M. asked Finance Director Andrew McCreery for further clarification.

• All time is approved by an immediate supervisor.
• The finance department receives hours due to employees in a variety of ways: paper timesheets, electronic timesheet entry, summary of time spreadsheets, etc. Each department is different. Some departments use a time clock, while others keep a daily time log. 
• Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the direct supervisors to verify the time submitted to the finance department.

Do all Mt. Lebanon part time staffers get paid holidays? Or is this another perk for the Public Information Office? Dinners, conventions, breakfasts, trips to New York City, and printing costs of $12,000 per issue.

Our PIO manager, who is being paid over $108,000 plus $12,000 a year for health insurance plus free cell phone usage, has nothing better to do than to post updates on her personal Facebook page during work hours.

There is so much waste in our Public Information Office. This waste is all under Keith McGill's watch. From what I can see, the only restraint I see now, is the decrease of transparency and the increased costs for the right to know.

PA Office of Open Records Final Determination Record of Gillen v. Mt. Lebanon Township

Update August 8, 2016 12:40 PM I asked Finance Director Andrew McCreery if holiday pay on a per contract/agreement with part time staffers or is it across the board. Here is his reply:

Dear Ms. Gillen,

Part-time staff members are subject to the rules and regulations of our personnel manual. In the manual, eligible part-time employees will receive holiday pay if a municipally observed legal holiday occurs on a day which they are normally scheduled to work. An eligible part-time employee must be employed throughout the year and must be regularly scheduled to work more than twenty (20) hours per week.

Regards,
Andrew

I can't stand watching this anymore.

In yesterday's PG, Roycroft resident Kevin Kirkland wrote about Mt. Lebanon Magazine's Senior Editor, Laura Pace Lilley's kitchen remodel, Old garbage incinerator makes way for modern kitchen in Mt. Lebanon.

John Kendrick, a frequent commenter here on Lebo Citizens, voiced his opinion about the kitchen remodel. Another PG reader wrote, "Must be nice to have $50k to drop on a kitchen upgrade. Only in Mt. Lebanon I guess." Yet, Laura's husband Myles, responded only to John with "Mr. Kendrick, I would like to discuss your concerns regarding my kitchen project. Please post your contact information and I will reach out to you directly." Fortunately, John was smart enough not to share his contact information on the Post Gazette website, but Mr. Lilley asked for it a second time.

Through a RTK, one will find that Laura Pace Lilley and Mt. Lebanon Magazine Managing Editor, Merle Jantz are fascinated with Mr. John Kendrick. Perhaps Myles should check with his wife for Mr. Kendrick's contact information.

Please help the Public Information Office

This was not sent to me by the PIO, but I am doing my part.  I know they would do the same for me. ;)

From: Laura Pace Lilley <lpace@mtlebanon.org>
Date: Tue, Jun 25, 2013 at 1:21 PM
Subject: Mt. Lebanon Magazine in the Final Four of Social Madness!
To: All Employees, Commission


It’s been a great ride: since June 3, mtl — Mt. Lebanon Magazine has been participating in the Pittsburgh Business Times’ Social Madness contest…and we’ve made the FINAL FOUR of the local competition! If we win the national competition, we score $10,000 that will go directly toOutreach Teen & Family Services, a fantastic local service agency that helps children, teens, families --- everyone --- stay healthy and on track.

And the big benefit is we're getting lots of new people engaged on our social media outlets so the word is getting out about our town, from special events to things they need to know, like public meetings, construction and water issues.

But we need your help once again...this round is less than a week in duration and our competitor, ZBrand ad agency, is fierce.


Please vote for us DAILY in the MEDIUM category here: http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/socialmadness

Go to our Facebook page and like posts, share posts or comment on posts.

Go to our Twitter page and retweet Tweets!

Please share this on your social media pages, through email, etc. Send to your book clubs, your social groups, your plumber...EVERYBODY.

Once again, thank you very much.
--

Laura Pace Lilley
Senior Editor/Online Editor, mtl—Mt. Lebanon Magazine
Public Information Associate
710 Washington Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15228
412.343.3552
www.lebomag.com
www.facebook.com/mtlebanonmagazine
www.twitter.com/mtlmagazine
www.linkedin.com/company/mt-lebanon-municipality
http://www.youtube.com/mtlebanonpio