A Better Pittsburgh is basically a platform or collection of positions, actions, and policies which can have Pittsburgh become a better place to live, learn, work, raise a family, and enjoy the benefits of quality urban living.

The concept of, A Better Pittsburgh is modeled after the Pittsburgh Area New Direction Alternative ("PANDA").  PANDA was an effort by me, David Tessitor, in 1999  to offer candidates a platform of new actions,  policies, practices, and procedures from which they could pick and choose to advocate as part of their campaigns.  First-time candidates often lack an awareness of many public problems and potential solutions.  So a quarter century ago PANDA hoped to provide a collection of solid proposals and real solutions that would have a greater chance of being discussed, considered, and potentially implemented.  Unfortunately, some candidates merely wanted to be endorsed by PANDA, missing the point of it instead being made available to them for their endorsement of some or all of its proposals.

The offerings of A Better Pittsburgh as made on this website are once again open for use by all – from currently seated public officials, to candidates for public office, to civic organizations, and members of the general public.  In addition, demonstrative actions are intended to illustrate the viability and encourage wider support.

The most important factor to understand about the A Better Pittsburgh approach is that it does not target or blame individuals, but rather it addresses the structures – including present administrative, legal, and organizational constraints – which are ultimately responsible.  A relevant comparison is the approach of competent accident investigators:  In plane crashes it is all to easy to simply list the cause as pilot error, but pilots function within a structure which includes the mechanical functions of their planes, the framework of their training, accepted operating procedures, as well as the organization arrangement and practices of all the support entities.  Good accident investigators know that to prevent similar accidents in the future they must address the auxiliary contributing factors devoid of personalities and identify any structural changes that may be needed.

Therefore, nothing proposed herein should be taken as an attack upon any individuals, whether incumbents or candidates.  To the contrary, everything proposed is intended to address our needs by holistically implementing viable structural changes – administratively, legislatively, and within the organizational and built environment of our communities.

The condition of City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County parks provides an excellent starting example.  Another prime area for evaluation is our transportation system – including its planning process, the impacts upon the rest of the city and surrounding region, and the future it portends for our communities.  There are also numerous other areas, from housing, to health care, to education, to quality of life, etc., all of which exist within the social, physical, economic, and governmental constraints.  The factors involved constitute the structural parameters responsible for the status quo and its perpetuation.  

To institute meaningful progress, there must be structural changes.  Electing good people to fit into bad structures only perverts their efforts, at best producing only marginal benefit and usually much less than that.

This is my personal approach for implementing real solutions and the basis of my pledged commitment to pursue the best practices and proposals provided herein in order to build A Better Pittsburgh.  I invite any and all to join me in this effort.

Thank you, 
David Tessitor 
(412) 326-7000