Critiquing Bill Peduto

I don't want to sound like an ungrateful host, but Bill, you didn't really answer the question. Of course, partly this was my fault: I didn't ask a specific question. I asked about in-migration.

I should have asked about recruiting large numbers of immigrants willing to work as laborers and start small businesses, and work their way from the lower class up to the middle class. But Pittsburgh needs those people. How do we get them to move here?

I should have asked about white collar managers willing to relocate their families to Pittsburgh to start new companies, and grow and lead existing ones. Pittsburgh needs those people, too. How do we get them to move here?

The answer talks about stopping out-migration, but I didn't ask about stopping out-migration. I'm not particularly concerned about that, and I think that our political leadership should stop wringing their hands over it. Let the young people go! If we've trained them properly, a lot of them will come back, and those that don't will speak well of the City.

The answer talks about neighborhood self-determination, but I didn't ask about that. It looks to me like a lot of Pittsburgh neighborhoods are thriving. It's the City government that's terrible; neighborhood government, by and large, is in good hands.

The answer talks about attracting and retaining the Creative Class. Again, that's not something I asked about -- not because it isn't important (though I'm not a Floridian), but because the arts community is something that the university and nonprofit sectors should be nurturing. The Mayor's Office can reach out to artists once the rest of the City is employed.