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Ravenstahl Faces Difficult Issues In Months Ahead

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Nov 4, 2009 6:37 pm US/Eastern

Ravenstahl Faces Difficult Issues In Months Ahead

Reporting
Jon Delano
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ― After a night of celebration, Luke Ravenstahl was back in his office Wednesday afternoon with several meetings on the agenda.

The joy of winning his first four-year term as mayor of Pittsburgh is tempered by the fact that he knows he's got to deliver on a lot of difficult issues in the months and years ahead.

A day after voters of Pittsburgh gave him thumbs up as mayor, Luke Ravenstahl was still savoring his victory.

"I'm fired up and ready to go absolutely," he told KDKA Political Editor Jon Delano in his first sit-down interview since reelection. "I'm energized. I'm excited."

After four elections in just three years, this victory is liberating.

"When I took the office from the day that I walked in, literally, I was a candidate for office. It's already a daunting task to be the mayor, but on top of that to be a candidate for that office over the past three years has been increasingly, and to sit here today and finally know you can take a deep breath and have four years is something I waited a long time for."

Ravenstahl says he wants to govern, not politick, knowing the city has great challenges ahead.

"First and foremost, we have to be financially responsible -- to make sure that we are living within our means, but then also making sure we deal with our difficult legacy cost issues -- pension, debt," he said.

On Monday, with no help from Harrisburg, the mayor will present a budget that raises some taxes, including "tax increases on college students potentially, hospital patients, water surcharge on non-profits in the city, parking surcharges on people who park in Pittsburgh."

Through tougher fiscal measures, Ravenstahl wants to end Pittsburgh's embarrassing Act 47 distressed city status.

"That's a goal of our administration and I think it's a realistic one if we make some difficult decisions we can achieve."

He also wants to reverse the population decline in Pittsburgh.

"We've seen it start to decline at a lesser rate. It's our hope that at one point it stabilizes and then ultimately grows."

But to reach his goals, Ravenstahl knows he must improve his relation with city council.

"It's my hope that in this next four years we can have a fresh start with city council. We can put some of the political differences behind us," he said.

Of all his goals, making nice with city council may be his toughest.

After all, they're politicians just like he is and several have coveted his job for years.

Ravenstahl isn't wasting any time.

After the TV interview, he went into a meeting with university presidents to pitch for their help to meet the city's financial crisis.

It's a sign the election is over. Now it's time to govern.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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