OpenLebo

Category: Public Safety

  • Public Safety and the Vibrant Uptown Project

    Public Safety and the Vibrant Uptown Project

    Last Monday, after the police chief community forum, Commissioner Ranney informed me of a conversation she had with an uptown business owner in which she was asked whether she was aware that a person had fallen on an uptown sidewalk who then later died. Commissioner Ranney had not been aware, nor was I.

    I was not aware, but it didn’t surprise me. The picture above was taken uptown just a few days ago – that is not a stock image. It’s one of the reasons I have sent several emails over the course of several months to our manager, solicitor, commission, and other staff members about my concerns with the vibrant uptown project. I voiced those same concerns at many meetings we’ve had since the project started. To date, those concerns have seemingly been ignored, which is why you are reading about it here.

    Following that conversation with Commissioner Ranney, I sent an email to the municipal manager, municipal solicitor, and the rest of the commission asking for more information about the person who fell and trying to understand why that information had been kept from the commission. To date, those questions have not been answered. Not by the manager, the solicitor, or other members of the commission whom might have known about this incident and kept it secret.

    At the last Commission meeting, it was announced the Pumpkin Patch Parade would continue as regularly scheduled. For those unfamiliar with the route of that parade – it normally starts at the cemetery and continues south on Washington through uptown ending at Mellon Middle School.

    On Wednesday, I took some photos of Washington Road where hundreds (and possibly thousands) of our family members would be standing during a parade. They’re included the link below:

    https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0o5nhQSTdRkbP;22627329-D4BF-4702-BD23-64BF49FB64B5

    Since then, I have pleaded with the other commissioners and staff to move the parade away from uptown, or to hold “trunk or treating” in an alternate location; a suggestion our State Representative also made, and smartly so, in my opinion.

    I’ve gone to every Pumpkin Patch Parade we’ve held since moving to Mt Lebanon more than 10 years ago. For several of the last events, I was the person dressed up as McGruff the Crime Dogg giving out high-fives throughout the parade route. It’s an important and fun event for our families and my kids absolutely love it.

    I am not an alarmist. I think those who know me would consider me a reasonable person who searches for practical solutions to the issues we face. No one wants to be the person to cancel such a fun event for the community, but that’s what responsible people do – when they see something amiss they call attention to it. To do otherwise, or to conceal information from elected officials charged with making important decisions about the safety of our community is irresponsible and lacks sound judgement.

    So much goes into this parade, not only from the municipal side of things, but also from the many organizations, nonprofits, and community groups that are making plans and spending money to be in this parade. Waiting until the last minute to cancel this event makes it nearly impossible to execute an alternative, and it might even create a situation where those community groups can’t get refunds on expensive purchases they made for the event, including candy, costumes, floats, and other parade items.

    So, after seeing those images linked above, I have two questions:

    1. Can you get your kids to stand absolutely still during a parade and not play near elevation changes of several feet with nothing in their way but a single piece of yellow caution tape?
    2. While we do not know the root cause of that person’s death or whether it was even related to the fall uptown, why would the manager and other commission members refuse to answer questions about what they knew and when they knew it?

    If you’d like to know more about the questions I’m asking which are currently being withheld – text me at 412-444-8675.

    In the meantime, call your local commissioner and let them know what you think. You can find their contact information on the official Mt Lebanon website under the Meet Your Commissioners heading.

    Perhaps you will get answers to the questions above or others that you might have related to the Vibrant Uptown project and the parade.

  • Selecting a New Chief of Police for Mt Lebanon

    Selecting a New Chief of Police for Mt Lebanon

    The Chief of Police of Mt Lebanon is a position hired by the manager with the advice and consent of the commission. It is an important position as this person directs the police force which includes officers and non-officers like crossing guards and police admin team members.

    There is no timeline with which the municipality must hire a chief of police, but the commission and municipal staff have signaled this is a priority and the plan is to put that person in place as soon as possible. To that end, the municipality put a process in place to recruit and select a chief of police and is using an outside consultant, GovHR, to aid in that effort.

    The process was communicated to the public on several occasions including at commission meetings, in discussion sessions, and on the municipal website. The following links are publicly available at the time of the writing of this article:

    The staffing consultant worked with the commission, municipal staff, resident volunteer board members, and members of the public to get a better understanding of the type of person that would be a good fit for the police chief in our municipality. The consultant was also given information from the various diversity equity and inclusion groups which worked to provide recommendations for police engagement and staffing processes, among other issues.

    They began a national search for qualified candidates shortly after the commission meeting approving the consulting contract. The consultants put the candidates through interviews and tests and then the municipal manager, HR Director, and members of the commission met with those candidates to further narrow the list.

    In September, the municipality arrived at a list of several candidates who were invited to take part in an all-day assessment where they would complete presentations, answer questions, perform mock press conferences, and discuss how they would handle situations they are likely to encounter as chief of police in Mt Lebanon. Commissioners and staff attended that session along with the consultant, GovHR, and a panel of individuals with law enforcement experience who could further advise the commission and manager.

    Two candidates were then chosen from that assessment to speak with members of our community in a forum which occurred in early October. The community forum took place in person at the municipal building and was streamed online. It was attended by members of the public, commission, staff, and leaders of local and regional organizations and community groups. The video of the community forum is embedded below:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DX4Tc2NaghQ

    Now, it is up to the manager to make the final recommendation to the commission which will then consent to the choice of the manager or, in the case of non-consent, start the process over with new candidates.

    Public comment is now closed on the community forum but you can always speak to your commissioner with additional questions or concerns that you might have.

  • An Ambulance Is Just a Phone Call Away. Or Is It?

    An Ambulance Is Just a Phone Call Away. Or Is It?

    Have you ever called for an ambulance? If so, you’re just like me, several of my neighbors, and more than 30 other people who call for an ambulance every day in the South Hills. All of those calls are answered my MRTSA, formally known as Medical Rescue Team South Authority, which serves the following communities:

    • Mt. Lebanon
    • Whitehall
    • Greentree
    • Baldwin
    • Castle Shannon
    • Dormont

    How MRTSA Is Funded

    MRTSA is only partially funded by the municipalities it serves. Other funding comes from billing insurance companies for ambulance services and the rest is from membership drives and the generosity of residents in the neighborhoods it serves.

    What most people don’t know is that because of the way our insurance industry works, MRTSA is actually unable to collect a portion of the money it is owed for transporting and providing care to people who call for an ambulance.

    In some situations, insurance companies pay the money directly to the person who was transported — not to MRTSA — and the resident then uses that money for things other than paying their MRTSA bill. This is an unfortunate consequence of the current laws in place at the federal and state levels.

    Advocating at the federal and state level for a change in the laws that affect our emergency services is also a good idea.

    2022 MRTSA Member Drive

    MRTSA is currently holding its 2022 member drive. You can become a member or donate at http://mrtsa.com.

    Your membership helps support the emergency services and can also be a saving to you if you ever need to call for an ambulance. I just renewed my annual membership for our entire family – the cost was $80 for the year.  

    MRTSA is an essential and invaluable service to our community and they need and deserve our support.

    Sign up to be a member and support our community EMS: http://mrtsa.com.