So maybe I missed something not living in Pittsburgh proper, but this exemplary article from the Washington Post informs me that Pittsburgh’s incumbent mayor was, at 26 years old in 2006, the youngest person to ever be elected as mayor in a major U.S. city. Pretty cool, right? Oh, he gets cooler — so much so that I couldn’t really be bothered to pay attention to the main point of this article.
It says of Ravenstahl’s renegade history:
In October, Ravenstahl borrowed an SUV that had been purchased by a federal Homeland Security Department grant and used it to drive friends to a Toby Keith concert. When confronted, he paid the city for use of the car and apologized. But Ravenstahl also said he planned to keep going to concerts and bars, because “that’s what 27-year-olds do, and I shouldn’t be any different.”
Is Pittsburgh the new Party City, USA? Also, the article takes a great turn when it makes this offensive (though probably accurate, I’m embarrassed to say) statement about Pittsburghers’ priorities:
His youthful good looks have helped make him a sort of crossover celebrity — the Britney Spears of Pittsburgh, his spokeswoman says — who faces incessant demands for interviews and appearances unprecedented for a Steel City mayor. Seeking privacy last year, he made what this city considers the ultimate sacrifice: Ravenstahl temporarily stopped attending Steelers games and watched from home instead.
Well, I’m glad to know America’s still America. See you in June.
1 Comment
April 9, 2008 at 7:56 pm
party bus to pittsburgh, i would say