This paper discusses the controversy between a localized and centralized government. It talks about how there are different police zones assigned to each neighborhood for cops to patrol. Also discussed is the crime rate for low-income areas versus high-income areas and how they are different from each other. Next talked about in the paper is the job of the mayor and the process that is taken when setting new laws. Implementations also take place in these processes and the city council has a role in this process. The next discussion is about how many jobs would be cut if there was no longer a localized government since the city provides an extensive amount of money and jobs to individuals. Lastly about how our taxes pay city workers and the supplies they use to fix the streets or other city property sites.
Localized Government vs Centralized Government
The city of Pittsburgh consists of about ninety unique neighborhoods. Neither are alike and they each were founded in their way. Each neighborhood is divided into a specific district to determine how the police force and mayor will keep them functioning smoothly. The city is divided between the city of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. The mayor of the city of Pittsburgh is Bill Peduto. Oppose the idea of eliminating all local governments in Pennsylvania in favor of a centralized government.
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In the city of Pittsburgh, there are different police zones. This means each police station is in charge of covering their zones. Each zone consists of a few neighborhoods in the city of Pittsburgh. This graph shows the city of Pittsburgh's districts:
This allows the police officers to have fewer areas to cover so they can be more flexible when handling crimes. This is also the method that the city uses for fire stations. Each fire station is also assigned a region and they are in charge of making sure they reach all of the needs in their assigned neighborhoods. In my neighborhood I know the police station “Zone 5” is in charge of covering our area, as well as the Stanton Heights fire department because my neighborhood, Morningside, is too small just for one police force and one fire department. That is why the city combines multiple neighborhoods. CBS News states “Zone 5 covers the Highland Park, East Liberty, Lincoln-Larimer and East Hills sections of the city” (Pittsburgh, 2016). My neighborhood, Morningside, would be classified in the East Hills section. These neighborhoods are all relatively small, and some have higher crime rates than others. Most of the time when a zone 5 police officer goes to a crime scene, they have another officer with them. CBS states “All police cars are doubled up, so they’re all two-person cars” (Pittsburgh, 2016). This allows the police officer to have an on-site backup as well as another opinion on an issue that might arise. This also protected the officer and another pair of eyes on a crime scene.
[image: ]The way a neighborhood is deemed low income or high income is by the average income from each family, the net worth of the houses, and the population in that neighborhood. Low-income areas have a greater crime rate than high-income areas. This graph shows crimes in Pittsburgh as well as the extent of the crimes committed:
High-income areas tend to have more petty crimes such as theft or robbery whereas the low-income areas have more aggravated assault crimes, murders, and robbery. An example of a low-income area would be the neighborhood “Homewood” which is located in the city of Pittsburgh. Wpxi states “About half of the homicides happened in the city of Pittsburgh, where Homewood South had the highest rate of about 147 slayings per 100,000” (Cox, 2018). Homewood is known as one of the lower-income areas in Pittsburgh. This neighborhood is classified as a low-income area due to the number of crimes and the money the families on average take home in that area. Most individuals classify Homewood as a low-income area due to the numerous times this specific neighborhood is on the news.
The current mayor of the city of Pittsburgh is Bill Peduto. The job of mayor is an elected four-year position. Mayor Peduto was elected into office in 2014. The mayor is responsible for many things in city government. Villanova University states “Being mayor is a high-profile position, with plenty of interaction with both government officials and the community. Mayors typically run their city or town’s day-to-day administration and work with the legislative body to enact laws” (Villanova, 2015). The mayor has to work closely with the city council to keep them informed of the city’s finances, so they can make long- and short-range plans for improvements for city neighborhoods. Many of the improvements are funded by city, federal, and state grants, and the mayor has to meet with other elected officers to secure those funds. Villanova University States: “Depending on the municipality’s needs, the mayor may serve as an official representative to other local and state governments and federal agencies. They often promote the city’s arts, recreational, and business climate. Mayors establish goals, objectives, and public policies, review and approve annual budgets, and approve capital expenditures” (Villanova).
The mayor also has to prepare and submit to the council yearly operating and capital budgets.
The mayor also appoints all administration for the city’s departments and bureaus. They remain in office for the length of the mayor's term. The mayor also appoints the members of all boards, authorities, and commissions. Villanova University states “Mayors often appoint management staff, such as City Manager, City Attorney, and City Administrator, and create advisory boards comprised of community members and local business and industry representatives” (Villanova, 2015). These boards often assist in making important decisions for the better interest of our city.
Each council member represents a district in the City of Pittsburgh. Each council member is also appointed by the mayor to a chair position and represents a department in the city.
The City council meets weekly, and all meetings are televised on the city's network station. All legislation is public knowledge and is voted on in the weekly meetings. Legislation has to be submitted to the mayor for approval before the weekly meeting. The city council also approves or disapproves new city-wide laws and bills. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette states: “Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday tentatively approved three gun-control bills that would ban the use of assault-style weapons and accessories in public places in the wake of October’s Tree of Life massacre in Squirrel Hill” (Murray, 2019). After the Tree of life massacre, the city of Pittsburgh communities went into a state of depression. Individuals were feeling unsafe in their neighborhoods and our city. Peduto was then contacted by President Trump and was told the white house would be of any assistance if needed. So, to fix this depressive state, the city council passed a law that would hopefully make the citizens of the city of Pittsburgh feel more comfortable in their homes. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette states: “Council members Anthony Coghill, Darlene Harris, and Theresa Kail-Smith voted “no,” expressing concerns about a state preemption law prohibiting municipalities from regulating firearms at the local level” (Murray, 2019). These city council members submitted their concerns, brought them to the weekly meeting, and had their ideas approved. This is an example of a localized government in the works due to how the massacre resolution was handled in the city of Pittsburgh.
In the city of Pittsburgh, we have many different levels of localized government or we have a lot of jobs that are funded by the local government. If localized government was no longer in the city of Pittsburgh, then we would no longer have a mayor. This means everyone who works in the Mayor's office would be out of a job. Even most people who work in the Pittsburgh City County building would be without a job. Also, any individual who works in that building serves a purpose to uphold our city. Some people are in charge of hiring, making salt routes, paperwork, and campaigning for the mayor. All of these people would no longer serve a purpose. Most of our local cops, firefighters, Pittsburgh water company workers, Pittsburgh port authorities, and all of those who work for the city would also be without a job. Public Works states: “The mission of Environmental Services is to establish and maintain a refuse and recycling system that promotes a safe, litter-free, and environmentally friendly City for all of its residents and customers. Environmental Services has two main divisions:” (Public Works, 2019). This is an example of one of the jobs that the city is in charge of. The city provides trucks and equipment for the environmental department. This is also a part of the forestry departments and they are in charge of planting and cutting down trees. I know personally that my family has had many issues with the city trees due to the roots growing into the pipes underground and causing plumbing and drainage issues. If we were not have this department then maybe this issue would not be resolved. Public Works states: “The City of Pittsburgh Street Maintenance Bureau takes care of the City's needs in street resurfacing, snow and ice removal, street sweeping, disaster response, and land records to help ensure safe and clean streets in our City” (Public Works, 2019). If you live in the city you may see the “Pittsburgh Public Works” salt trucks in the winter salting roads. They are also in charge of filling and patching any potholes in the city. If there are any issues regarding the road, street signs, or street lights you call them. Without this force, we may not have some of the issues resolved as quickly as they do.
Every individual pays taxes. Taxes pay for materials as well as some Pittsburgh city employees. Most of the city employees are paid directly from the city like Pittsburgh police officers. “A local tax is usually collected in the form of property taxes and is used to fund a wide range of civic services from garbage collection to sewer maintenance” (Kagan, 2019). By paying your taxes you are paying an individual to do their job and you are paying them for the supplies they need to do their specific job. Having city workers is extremely important so the city stays clean and functions properly. “State taxes are collected to fund local government projects, such as water and sewer improvements, law enforcement and fire service, education and health services, road and highway construction, public servants, and other services which benefit the community at large (Kagan, 2019). These factors better our city and benefit each individual who resides in the city. Without highway construction, all of our roads would have potholes and they would not be paid. If we did not have city workers, then there would be no police officers to fight crime or firefighters to put out fires and rescue individuals. Everyone's tax dollars pay for these individuals to do their jobs.
Overall, taxes would be raised because induvial would be paying money to fund state government and not government. Many providers in families would be out of jobs which would cause the unemployment rate to spike and many people would be filing for compensation which would make the insurance companies up their payments per month. Getting rid of localized government would save our city a tremendous amount of money. There would be no need for a mayor or city council. They would get rid of most of the city workers they deemed unnecessary because most of their funding would be gone. It would then be the state's job to employ individuals and set their new pay rate. By having the state do this they could set a new lower pay rate to save money. According to CBS: “Pittsburgh ranked No. 2 in a new study of the 50 biggest metro areas in the country by LendingTree on millennial debt. The average debt of a Pittsburgh millennial is $26,403, behind San Antonio ($27,122)” (Pittsburgh, 2018). They could combine multiple districts in the city of Pittsburgh so there would not need to be as many police stations and fire stations in the city of Pittsburgh. They would cut back on their salt usage in the winter for the roads as well as the tar for the pavement. They would need to set these new implications into action due to the employment cut.
In conclusion, I oppose the idea of eliminating all local governments in Pennsylvania in favor of a centralized government. I think eliminating local government would spark controversy for the city of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. It would cause many individuals to be out of jobs and our taxes to be raised.
References
- City Council gives tentative approval of gun-control bills in wake of Tree of Life shooting. (n.d) Retrieved from https://www.post-gazette.com/news/crime-courts/2019/03/27/pittsburgh-city -council-gun-control-bills-Tree-of-Life-mass-shooting/stories/201903270104
- Cox Media Group National Content Desk. (2018, April 06). PITTSBURGH CRIME: Pittsburgh crime rate: Find the latest statistics. Retrieved from https://www.wpxi.com/station/search/pittsburgh/-crime-rate-find-the-latest-statistics/688339695
- Kagan, J. (2019, March 12). Local Tax. Retrieved from http://www.investopedia.com/terms/l/localtax.asp
- Neighborhoods. (n.d). Retrieved from http://www.pittsburghcityliving.com/neighborhoodList.php
- (n.d). Retrieved from https://www.villanovau.com/resources/public-administration/mayor-job-description/
- Pittsburgh Police Zone 5 Announces Additional Safety Measures. (2016, July 13). Retrieved from https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2016/07/13/pittsburgh-police-zone-5-announces-additional-safety-measures/
- Pittsburgh Ranks No. 2 in Millennial Debt. (2018, September 15). Retrieved from https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2018/09/15/pittsburgh-ranks-no-2-in-millennial-debt/
- Public Works- Street Maintenance. (n.d). Retrieved from http://pittsburghpa.gov/dpw/street- maintenance
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