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Jan 26, 2007 8:45 pm US/Eastern
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Ravenstahl To Pass On Chance To Cut Fire Bureau
by Andy Sheehan
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―
The Pittsburgh Fire Department has long been a target for those who would like to cut the size of city government.
But now, is Mayor Luke Ravenstahl passing up a chance to cut the fire bureau?
KDKA Investigator Andy Sheehan reports Ravenstahl has the option to reopen the firefighters contract this month and try to reduce the size and cost of the fire bureau.
The mayor says he won't do that but he says it has nothing to do with the fact that there's a special election for mayor just 16 weeks away.
The Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire is smaller than it used to be with the closing of five station houses.
The budget has been reduced from $60 to $48 million dollars.
But overtime costs are still out of control and still Mayor Ravenstahl says he won't be reopening the union contract anytime soon.
"There is no, in our opinion, no financial savings to do so," said Ravenstahl.
The problem says Ravenstahl is the city still has no plan to reduce or reorganize the bureau although the state oversight board has certainly spent enough money to try to come up with one.
Two years ago the board spent $125,000 on a study but rejected the plan as too expensive to implement.
Now the board is spending an additional $193,000 on a new one.
Although he doesn't like the situation, Ravenstahl says the city can't reopen the contract until it has the new plan.
Ravenstahl says the decision has nothing to do with politics.
So does Firefighters' Union President Joe King.
"I have not and I want to make that perfectly clear, I have not met with Mayor Ravenstahl since he's been placed in the position of mayor," said King. "I have not met with Luke at all."
Not surprisingly Ravenstahl's opponent Bill Peduto chided the mayor for making a decision not to rankle King and the politically powerful firefighters union.
Peduto referenced a federal investigation into an alleged deal between King and former Mayor Tom Murphy.
"I'd never suggest that politics has anything to do with city hall," said Peduto. "I certainly don't want to see us go down that same road when a fire contract could have been used in a political manner."
But while Peduto supports an immediate reopening of the fire contract to reduce the size of the fire bureau, King says the union will fight such a move now or later.
In fact, King's calling for an expanded fire bureau and the reopening of closed fire stations.
He argues that the hiring more firefighters will reduce the need for overtime.
"The job opportunity is there… put them on," said King. "Let's start new careers for new young men and women. Become professional firefighters. It's there."
But it's not likely that any new plan will call for increasing the size of the fire bureau -- a reduction in size is much more likely.
Mayor Ravenstahl says he will consider reopening the contract when this new study is completed in six to eight months.
And he is supported in decision by the both the state oversight committee and the state administrator.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)