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You're listening to The Right Side of the Rivers, hosted by Todd McCollum and Russell Dryer. This show tackles public issues from a Pittsburgh point of view, offering common sense conversations, right-of-center perspectives, and a focus on the people, policies, and principles shaping Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, and Pennsylvania.
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Hello again, everyone, and welcome to The Right Side of the Rivers. This is the official podcast of the City of Pittsburgh Republican Committee, and I am the chairman and the host, Todd McCollum, joined once again, to my left, by my good friend and, uh, vice chairman, co-host Russell Dryer. Yeah. Russell. Hey, Todd.
[00:38-01:02]
How's this weather treating you? This is wonderful. Wonderful. It's- Uh, just enjoying this beautiful stretch of, uh, gorgeous weather. Yeah. And I will tell you, I, I gave my brother a call a, a couple days ago and I said, "Hey, is there anywhere in the world that's more beautiful than Pittsburgh when the sun's shining?" And, you know, he had to think about that long and hard. And then he said, "Yeah." Then he said, "Yeah, there are." But it's been, it's been amazing.
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It has been a good stretch, and I think it's gonna continue for another day or 2. Uh, so Bob Crankovic was in the co-pilot seat. Yeah. Thank you, Bob. You, uh, special as- special assignment once again. Uh, Bob filled in. We had Noah. I assume you, uh, you, you saw it. I, I caught, I caught, I caught the show on the rewind.
[01:21-01:47]
Yes. Great, great show. I saw the Nielsen ratings were again up in my absence, so I've I know I need to step up my game, but I think tonight's gonna be a piece of cake because we have such a wonderful guest with us tonight. Sure thing. And Noah carried the show, as always. He's capable of doing that, Bob was a great wing man, as always, so- Bob, Bob's always, Bob's always- And he's always ready to step in he's always game. He's always ready to go. He's always ready to step in and talk.
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Uh- And he may be one of the, uh, hardest working candidates. Right. Now, he is the absolute, uh- I mean, he's definitely- Yeah, for sure he's definitely on the short list for a statewide campaign- He is- I think. He, he gets around he is taking, he's taken that, uh, state committee man very seriously, very seriously.
[02:05-02:23]
And, uh, 5star p- producer, Missy, who's making us look and sound great again, as- Yeah always, uh, had some nice, uh, snippets and vignettes of, uh, Noah talking too. So- S- saw those, yep if you haven't seen them, uh, go back and check 'em out. Uh- Thanks to both of those- Yeah great, great folks, uh- S- for the last episode.
[02:23-02:49]
So once again, we got Ike the Elephant, the mascot, is- Mm-hmm uh, pointing out the, uh, Foundry Dinner, which is tomorrow. And, uh, it's, uh Guys, it's, it's last call. It's time to, time to get your tickets. Uh, 5star producer Missy is gonna put that link in the comments. It is not too late. We are gonna have a robust crowd. Absolutely. The room is, uh, is, is gonna be full.
[02:49-03:08]
Uh, I spoke to Stacy Garrity's campaign today, and, uh, they are very excited about the, uh, podcast portion that, uh, we are gonna do in the VIP portion of the, uh, the event here, and where we have the 3 guests. So we're gonna have, uh, an abbreviated, uh, podcast.
[03:09-03:39]
So look for that coming up. Uh, like I said, tickets still available. Uh, we need to know what kind of dinner you want, and, uh, it's gonna be great. We're gonna have a great time. Erin McGuire's gonna kill it, kill it. Uh, Erin McGuire from Fox News, and, and probably a dozen other things that, that she's involved with. Uh, Treasurer Stacy Garrity, who is our governor's ca- uh, candidate, and Lieutenant Governor Jason Ritchie also gonna be there.
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So- We are looking forward to welcoming Stacy Garrity back to Allegheny County, City of Pittsburgh proper. That is a, a- She's gonna, she's gonna be well-received. Yes. That's like a power hitting lineup that the Pirates are putting out right now, huh? Uh, pretty much. Yeah, yeah. So that's great.
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Uh, before we bring our guest in, I know you, and we'll probably get into this here a little bit, but, uh, I know you attended the County Council, uh- Yeah subcommittee meeting, uh, health and services committee or whatever, whatever they got called at. Yep, yep. Uh, before we get into it, or, or why don't you give us your thoughts on that?
[04:15-04:40]
No, so- You were, uh, front row and center just so, just to bring everybody up to speed, um, there is a proposition that, um, is out there from Allegheny County, uh, Health Department, uh, through county They're gonna try to get this through County Council. They were looking for, uh, public, uh, comment last night. It is basically an 18-week paid parental leave.
[04:40-04:58]
So all employers, uh, small or large, will be, uh, required to, um, provide paid parental leave, uh, for those employees that, as they're calling it, invoke, in- invoke that. And you can invoke paid parental leave.
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You, you, you could essentially be working for a company for 30 days. You maybe just started- Mm-hmm and on the 31st day say, "Hey, uh, you know, bo- both parents, my wife's pregnant. Uh, I'd like to- Right um, spend some time at home." So you're gonna get more than 4 months, potentially. There's What, what they'd like to do is, is have employers, um, pay, pay that person 4 months to, to care for their child.
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And, and I think everybody, everybody agrees that the spirit of this, uh, proposal is, is very noble. Uh, we want to encourage families, uh, to grow here in the city, but, uh, there needs to be some balance. There We could, as, uh, one of our great, uh, candidates, uh, spoke last night, Thomas West said, uh, there, there are definitely gonna be some unintended consequences with- Yes um- Saw, saw Thomas' comments, uh- But we can, we can get into, we can get into the nitty-gritty, I guess, uh, a little bit later on, but I did, I did attend last night.
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It was well-attended. Um, I thought that there was a good balance of people that spoke uh, against, uh, the initiative and, of course, um-You know, there were people obviously there, um, that, uh, were in favor of it. The county executive, um, also made an appear- uh, an appearance, and, um, obviously pitched, uh, pitched her case The county executive showed up pitching her case for, uh, a laboratory for so, uh- Well, you- progressive experiments, uh, I believe was her uh, in her- Yeah.
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We can, we can g- let's, let's We can dive deeper into that and, uh, sort of go back to 2023 and, and her thoughts on, on exactly that. Hey, uh, we have a newly minted committee person with us today as our guest. Absolutely we do. And, uh, why don't we, uh, bring her in? Absolutely. Let's do that. Well, it is, it is my pleasure, uh, to bring in our friend, and as you said, uh, Todd, newly, newly minted, uh, committee person. Her name is Marjorie Tab.
[07:06-07:28]
Um, she is a City of Pittsburgh Republican Committee newly elected, um, committee person. She lives downtown. Um, she has, since she's gotten involved, uh, with the City of Pittsburgh Republican Committee, uh, she's been at every meeting. And, uh, she wants, you know, she's learning all the time, and she is ready for just about anything.
[07:28-07:52]
Uh, how to get involved, how to help, uh, our community, uh, how to grow the city of Pittsburgh, um, with some ideas that, um, you know, aren't in the majority, uh, especially here, uh, in, in this progressive bastion. So it is, uh, without further ado, uh, it is my great pleasure to bring in, um, our dear friend Marjorie Tab. Welcome in, Marjorie.
[07:52-08:15]
How are you? great. Thanks for having me. Great, great to, great to have you in, in studio, uh, with us tonight. Um, so how did you, how did you find us? You know, we always ask people like- Oh, yes how did- Was it the podcast? Actually, yeah, I learned about the podcast later, so I was thankful for that.
[08:15-08:42]
But I think I just went on this search mission to find my tribe because- Yeah um, it's been, you know I'm, I'm kinda like a minority within a minority, in, in this city, especially downtown. And, um, I wanted to stop standing alone basically, um, where, w- within my circle of family, circle of friends.
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And I said, "I gotta find somebody." So I just started going online and looking for local Republican, um, committees and, what I can do, where to find you guys. And, um, I found you guys, um, and I reached out and- Thank goodness you found us. you told me when the meetings were and where they were.
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I was like, "What?" "There's a meeting?" We do exist. Um, so, um, I've been happy ever since just to have found, um, this group and, uh, want to do more to get involved and represent the city, so. Well- Marjorie, uh, I, I believe, I'm sorry, Russell.
[09:24-09:54]
You d- you showed up at a, at our Pirate game one time, right? That's right. That's right. Right? That's right. Now that you mention it, yep. That was my first encounter. Um, I saw s- I don't know if it was Facebook or somewhere, um, there was a poster about a Pirate game that, um, the Republican committee was hosting. And I said, "Oh my gosh, I'm going to that." And, um, so I went.
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I didn't really know what to expect, um, but I'm so glad I went. Everybody was so friendly and so welcoming, and that first impression was just enough to win me over. Uh, that's great. Uh, and you had your, uh, your, your puppy with you I believe, right?
[10:14-10:34]
I did. And, and- Well, they, somebody, um think I went back to get my puppy. I don't remember. I think I did have my puppy with me. Emory? E- Emory. Emory. Emory. Yeah. She's, she's a year old now. I think she was- Oh only a few months back then. Yeah, yeah. yeah. Yeah, you were worried about her paws on the, uh, hot- It was a hot, it was a hot- Yeah it was a hot, hot day. I had her in the stroller.
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Yeah. She's too big now, but yeah, yeah, I've been happy ever since. This is a really great group, and, um, want to help people, um, get more involved and know more about it, so. Go ahead. Yeah, no, it was, uh I, I reme- now that you mention it, I do, I do remember that that was the first, our first encounter together. And, um, I was trying to go back and remember, w- was that, were the Phillies in town?
[10:58-11:28]
Or was that another That might've been another, uh- No, I believe that was last year when we, uh- It was a couple years before that. But, uh, it w- it was a great night, and it was great to, uh, great to meet Marjorie for the first time. Mm-hmm. And, um, Marjorie's ready to, Marjorie's ready to- Yeah to, to grow with us. Mm-hmm. And we love that. We, we, we knew that, we knew that as soon as we met her. Yeah. Marjorie, why don't you tell everybody about yourself, what you do, and, uh, you know, all that good stuff.
[11:28-11:47]
Well, um, my name is Marjorie Tebb, and I am, have been, um, born and bred in Pittsburgh, raised here. Um, I've been working in healthcare for the past, I guess, 10 years, healthcare administration. I recently transitioned to healthcare data analytics and informatics.
[11:47-12:04]
Really like that. I don't like it more than politics, but it is my job. It is my job. Um, and, uh, I'm from the east. I'm actually originally from east side of, um, Greater Pittsburgh, from the Wilkinsburg area. That's where I graduated.
[12:04-12:22]
Um, went to Carlow, did graduate school, went to Slippery Rock. Um, and, uh, have a master's degree in professional leadership, and I'm finishing de- a degree in, uh, um, information management and health informatics.
[12:22-12:50]
Um- And you find time to, you find time to squeeze in- Oh, yeah squeeze in- Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah squeeze in the c- the city committee- Um- uh, events. And, uh, oh, so there was something else I wanted to mention about Oh, but I did wanna mention that I have lived in a couple other cities, um, during my lifetime. I've lived in Phoenix before, Phoenix, Arizona, and, um, very different out there.
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And I've lived in Atlanta. Um, well, Cobb County, which is not exact- They will tell you that is not Atlanta. County. Atla- the Atlanta metro area is just huge, right? I mean- Yes Atlanta's a big- Yes, so- big area down there but I always came back to Pittsburgh, always ended back here. Um, and so this is where I am. I said, "Well, this must be where I'm meant to be," so, um, so here I am.
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Marjorie, you've, um, you've, you've probably seen, like, like the rest of us, um, you've seen sort of the ebb and flows, um, of the city, um, you know, our highs and lows also. Um, uh, you know, just walk us through, uh, walk us through, walk us through Pittsburgh as you've lived it and, and, you know, uh, the trajectory that we're on right now, um, and, and some of the challenges that, uh, that the city faces.
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And you have a, you have a, obviously a, a different perspective 'cause you live, you live in downtown. Mm-hmm. Um, so just, uh, just kind of walk us through, um, you know, Pittsburgh as you've lived it. And, um, how, how do you What's, what's the trend look like for you? And, um, yeah, just a little. Um, well, I've actually, I've lived in, uh, I've lived downtown for 6 or 7 years now.
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Okay. Um, and- So you were there during COVID. Oh, yes. I, I think I actually moved downtown- In COVID when COVID started. Okay. Yeah. Wow, okay. Um, because- So it was quiet. I got a new job working from home because they sent everybody home, and I said, "Okay, I, I'm, I'm, I'm moving." And, um, I moved to 7th Street, and then, um, I was there for a few years, and then I moved to, um Ethan, Penn, and I live on Wood Street. Um, always, um, a better place. I was just trying to find a place to settle in.
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Um, but I remember Pittsburgh as a girl as, especially downtown, as a magical place. Oh, yeah. Um, when I was a little girl, um, you, you got dressed and you went downtown to go shopping. And you, um I mean, my family was poor, so our shopping was Woolworth's and McCrory's. Um, but still, you remem- I remember the windows of Horne's- Yeah.
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Mm-hmm of Gimbels, of Kaufmann's, all the department stores, and that was, like, the highlight of the whole visit, especially if you were down there in the evening, like, for the holidays or something like that. Um, I got my first ear piercing downtown. There was just so many It was just magical. All the can- good candy stores were downtown.
[15:40-16:24]
Yeah. Um, and it was just a nice place to be. And, uh, it's, it's day and night from what I see now. yeah. Yeah, it was obviously, us- that's a great word, magical. Mm-hmm. Um, I think, I think when we all, we all think, think back to, to Pittsburgh in an earlier time, there is certainly that, that, that image of, of magic and awe and wonder. Uh, certainly does paint a, paint a different picture than what we see today.Um, so tell us about, you know, tell us about w- how you think we went from, from a magical downtown to, um, you know, a place that probably looks a little bit different than it did, uh, when you, when you visited as a girl.
[16:25-16:56]
Um, I don't exactly know when the transition started happening. Um, I would say probably when, um, a lot of the stores started closing and, um, it just left this emptiness- Yeah downtown. And, um, and then there was like no sense of urgency to, um, to revitalize it, and it just kept going down from there.
[16:56-17:29]
Um, and what I see now is this hollowing out of downtown. Um, I don't know how else to explain that. Um, I, I didn't see it as much, I didn't see the illus- the full illustration of that until the draft came. Mm-hmm. And you kind of gotten used to the vacant storefronts and, you know, if you live downtown, you know, you just, it just became a part of the tapestry.
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Mm-hmm. And you didn't realize sometimes how far gone things were. Um, but then when the draft came to town, I said, "Oh my God, they're, um, they're dressing up these vacant storefronts," and I think this place has been like this for 20 years. Yes. I think some of these places have been sitting for at least 20 years with just a ghost- We've been- inside we've been in this.
[18:02-18:19]
Like I- And it was such a slow- Yeah such a slow process, and then the next thing you know, I think COVID then just exacerbated things. COVID did. COVID did. You know? Did not help. Um, so yeah, that was kind of like, I don't know if that was, like, the, I don't wanna say the nail in the coffin, but- Yeah.
[18:19-18:59]
Yeah um, and, and I do appreciate some of the companies bringing back some of the workers, um, like PNC. Um, UPMC did do some, to have some efforts in bringing people back downtown. But it's I don't know what to say about that now, because there's no infrastructure. There's no, there's no stores. Mm-hmm. Um, there, you know, it's very, the restaurants aren't what they used to be as far as, you know, being able to go at lunchtime and go get a hoagie or a gyro or- Yeah you know, the hotdog stand or all the things that made Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, um, the pierogies or whatever.
[18:59-19:28]
All of those are gone. Yeah. Family It was certainly, certainly family-friendly. Right. Uh, and then at some point, uh, pre-COVID, like you said, we were in this steady, steady slide, and then, and then COVID kind of really, um, I guess would, the word would be, you know, exacerbated things. Um, and, and here we are today trying to figure out how are we gonna pick up the pieces and, and, and bring back, bring back the magic.
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Yeah. You know? That's what e- hey, that's what everybody wants. That's not a- Mm-hmm a, uh, a, a political party, um, agenda, that, you know, everybody- Yeah everybody wants, everybody wants the best for, for our dear home here. So I have a couple questions that, first of all, to the people that, that say downtown isn't as bad as, as the media makes it or certain people make it, uh, you know, our friend Max, uh, talks about how bad it is, the, the, the open defecation and, uh, open drug use, it, in your opinion, is it as bad as they say, or is it worse or not quite as bad as they make it out to be?
[20:07-20:31]
Or is it- I would say- has it improved? No. I would say it's actually worse. Um, all those things he said is true. um, but when you live there, um, not too many pe- everybody has an opinion, but not too many people actually live there. Um, y- you don't have to live there to have an opinion.
[20:31-20:59]
That's not what I'm saying. Right on. But when you try to paint a picture that's rosier than the actual reality, I would say that's probably somebody that does not live downtown- Yeah or they're not from, this city. They might be from another city, and they moved here, and they think it's fine. Yeah, yeah. Because if you're from Chicago, and, you know, and, and you, you used to live among, um, a worse environment- Hmm then you don't think Pittsburgh is so bad, you know?
[20:59-21:15]
So that's, yeah- Yeah it's a low bar then- Yes at that point. But by Pittsburgh standards, it is- It's, it's, it's, it's- undesirable it's, yes. Um, and I have personally seen people, um, use the sidewalks as toilets. Mm-hmm.
[21:15-21:46]
I mean, I've seen it with my own eyes. You know, I've had to rush my dog past. I've screamed at people. Um, just the other day, I was bringing my dog from the vet, and there's somebody at a bus stop in front of my building, and I'm up Rent is not cheap. I pay a lot of money to live here. So obviously this is, this is during the day we're, we're talking. This is during the day. Yeah. It's 4:00 in the afternoon, and- Yeah they're actively, um, urinating in the, um- Hmm in the, uh, in the waste basket or whatever you call Is that the garbage?
[21:46-22:07]
gosh. Um- my gosh now, they were trying to be secretive about it, but I see you unzipping your pants and zipping your pants back up. Mm-hmm. And it's, it's ridiculous, and there's, like I don't understand why they're not doing more to curb that. Why it's, why it's tolerated- Yeah the way that it is. Why it's tolerated, yeah.
[22:07-22:39]
You know, because you Pick a n- pick any neighborhood. I mean, pick any neighborhood in the city or, or outside the city, I mean, for that matter, but pick any neighborhood. If, if, if someone is, uh, behaving like that, uh, you know, I gotta believe that, uh, there'll be some, uh, swift action taken either by, either by the good people in the neighborhood or, um, you know, by, by, um, by law enforcement. So yeah, it is, it is unfortunate that we're, that we're t- that we're tolerating this kind of behavior.
[22:39-23:12]
I don- and I really don't, I don't have an answer apart from let, you know, let law enforcement do their jobs- Right I think is, uh, is, is- Exactly is sort of a simple way to say it, but- And I, and I love my law enforcement. I- Yeah support the police. Um, I am not sure if, um I talked to a retired state trooper last night, and he was saying that he just believes it's just, uh, there's lack of, um, staff- Uh-huh and there, that there's just not enough police.
[23:12-23:45]
And so they are picking and choosing- Sure their battles. They're, they're short-staffed. And then they're not- It's a perfect storm. It's, uh- You know of short staff and this and, and unwillingness to, to let them do what they have to do. And not empowered to do it. And the courts- Yeah. And the courts moving things along and not, uh, keeping people, uh, holding them accountable- Sure we'll say. Uh, Marjorie, um, with all the stores closing down out there, how do you, how do you come across your essentials, the, the, the milk, the eggs, the- Um, well thankfully, Target is a lifeline for a lot of residents.
[23:45-24:08]
I was talking to another, um, woman on my floor yesterday, and, um, she was hauling in her, um, grocery delivery from Whole Foods. A lot of people get their food delivered- Okay um, downtown. Okay. They don't personally go out to the grocery store. I, I, mean, I do, but, um, and, you know, a lot of people get their food delivered, um, or they have Target.
[24:08-24:24]
It's a very limited grocer. Mm-hmm. Um, you can't get e- everything there, just your essentials, eggs- Right milk, butter. No fresh vegetables, no, uh- Um, they do have some fresh vegetables, some fresh produce, but it's very limited. Yeah.
[24:24-24:45]
Now, obviously as we, as we move into, uh, you know, the growing season here, the, the city markets will be and the farmers markets will be back up, and, and they'll be, they'll be around neighborhoods. What, what about downtown or, uh- Right 'cause I've never Obviously, not living down in the center city, um, I've not been to a farmers market. Is it, is it a, is it an option for you?
[24:45-25:09]
It is a thing. Um, I believe it comes to Market Square- Okay on Thursdays, but it's at a time where it's pretty busy at work for me, so- Okay I haven't been over there yet- All right All right. But I, I do know a few people who do. So if your schedule permits and if- If your schedule permits. It's, but it's like, it's like 10 something in the morning or something like that, some- Hmm you know, when usually people Okay.
[25:10-25:45]
Uh, Marjorie, are you gonna be, uh, doing some stuff here with us in the, in the future? And d- do you have some thoughts maybe long range? Do, do you- I do have thoughts longer range. I mean, I do want to, um, eventually run for office, and, um, I would like to pursue, um, a state representative spot, um, um, in Harrisburg and start making, um, start being more involved in legislating and- Mm-hmm um, and with- in budgeting for our district.
[25:45-26:32]
That would be for my district, 19, for state. Um, there's just some things that I would like to see some change about, and it's having more accountability. Right. Um, and that includes the school system. Mm-hmm. Um, you know, especially with the- quote unquote teen takeover. I don't know why that's a thing. Yeah. Um, but it's multi-layered. of course it's the parents. But I can't also excuse the, um, the school system, who tolerates this and, um, because when I was in school, if you got caught, you know, in some brawl down the street or whatever, you were being held accountable by the principal.
[26:32-27:01]
You might get expelled. Mm-hmm. Right. You know, you can't come back. Yeah. And, you know, attending school- There, there were consequences, you know? Yes. Attending school- downtown, I don't know why everybody just thinks it's, you know, this is so, it's a privilege. If you come downtown and you're attending school, you had to have had some, go through some type of application process to, you know, to, um, get enrolled and to be accepted. Mm-hmm. Um, but I'm not seeing the other way around.
[27:01-27:27]
It's just, you know, people treated like they're entitled and it shouldn't be that way. There should be consequences. And the Pittsburgh Public Schools, sadly, I don't see them taking enough action. Yeah. Um, and I don't see the, um And I would like to see the, um, Pittsburgh Regional Transit also be more involved and take more responsibility. These kids are basically operating, um, on a unlimited bus pass.
[27:27-27:53]
Mm-hmm. And that's why they're down there. Because they can take their bus pass issued by the pub- public schools, um, and PRT, and they're out all hours of the night on that bus pass, free. I see. I see what you mean. So yeah, it's not a- That's how they're getting around it's not, there's not like a, okay, this pass will work until- Right 5:30 at night- Right or some, some- Right I don't know how you do that, but I hear what you're saying.
[27:53-28:20]
Yeah. Okay. And they can do it. I don't know why you, they, they don't, wouldn't have the technology to disable a bus pass after a certain time. Right. Yeah. With, with, with all the technology. Yeah. It would seem that that's not a problem. I mean, the, the boots, did you see the story about, uh, the, you know, if you get your vehicle booted, they usually, you know, usually that boot, it was a, a low tech mechanical boot, and your car would be towed after that. Yeah.
[28:20-28:41]
Well, now I just saw on the news, um, with the rise in technology, this boot that's on your vehicle has a, basically a QR code that you can scan, and you can pay the fines that you've accumulated- There you go that that's why the boot is on the vehicle- Right and get the boot- Then the will remove- get the boot removed like- Almost remove itself in, in real time.
[28:41-28:58]
And then, and then there are half a dozen, uh, locations around the city where then you're required to re- put a return the boot. But I think to your point, we have enough technology- Right uh, available to us that if it's well thought out. I, I think it's, I think it's dangerous. I, I think- Yeah it's dangerous for the children.
[28:58-29:18]
Um, I was out the other night, uh, I left you guys late the other night when we were at, um, uh, at Coach's, and I said, "Oh, I gotta go home." And so I went to take my dog out, um, and, uh, yeah, I, there were still kids downtown, and it was after 10:00 PM.
[29:18-29:37]
And the one, I saw one little boy, he couldn't have been any more than 10 years old. Wow. They're, they're downtown just, just running around, and there's nothing open. Yeah, there's nothing open. You know, they're still running through markets, but there's nothing open over there. What are you doing? At 11:00 PM I went to the store.
[29:37-30:08]
I was like, "I need some juice." There was kids in the store, no, no more than 13, 14 years old. It's 11:00 at night on a Monday. Yeah, that's, that's- That is very much that's, that- That's much- Yeah, that didn't happen, I mean, we're Well, apart from you, Margie, we're all a certain age here, and that's sort of a foreign concept to us, I think. Yes. Yeah, streetlights being on and you being home, that, that is well, well past us now at this point.
[30:08-30:34]
Uh, but it is not just downtown. We have something in our list here of, of things to cover and, uh, it has caused the, uh, Jam on Walnut Street- Oh, yeah to be, uh, suspended, I guess, for lack of a better term. I don't know what term we want to use here, but, uh, they are not gonna have the, the Jam on Walnut Street in Shadyside. uh, because of the fears of, of the same thing, kids running at large.
[30:34-31:04]
And, uh, and I'm not saying that like they're a bunch of dogs, but, uh, you know, that's what they're doing. They're, they're running, uh, uh, wild throughout all the neighborhoods. And, uh, the, the people of Shady- Shadyside have decided, uh- Yeah that they don't want to participate in, in this and, and have it be an attraction to come to their- And that's a long- running, that's a long-running, uh, festival- Yes in, in the East End of Pittsburgh up there. Uh, so yeah, I, I, I don't know what the answer is.
[31:04-31:42]
Um, I think as adults, you know, um, we have to, I think, step up and say, "Look, kids, uh, certain behavior is unacceptable and there will, you know, there will be consequences." Um, and until, I think until adults do that, you know, I Children push limits. Mm-hmm, sure. They're gonna pu- they're gonna push every limit. It's just the nature of, of any child. Uh, so until adults, uh, step forward and say, "Yeah, that's, that's the limit on, on this behavior right there," until, until we do that, uh, I think unfortunately you're gonna see this.
[31:43-32:06]
Right. It- Because these stre- street festivals like this are, uh, important economic drivers as well too. Because they're, they're going in the small businesses, having a cup of coffee, having a beer, what- whatever it is, uh, you know, maybe picking up- uh, you know, some clothing wear in, in some of the, buildings. It, it's meant to draw- uh, to, to the business district- Mm-hmm and, and supplement the, the business district.
[32:06-32:27]
So that's gonna hurt that. And, uh, you know, this is not gonna be the only festival- Mm-hmm that, that shows up. Now, are they gonna do that at International Village? I don't think the, the inter- or, uh, I'm sorry, uh, interna- I was thinking, uh, McKeesport, but, uh, uh, Bloomfield. Oh, uh- Little, Little Italy Days Little Italy Days Little, Little Italy Days.
[32:27-32:58]
Yeah, that's not gonna be tolerated there. Mm-hmm. You would think. Well, I think, you know, this, this, this, uh, you know, you talked about how this affects businesses and the economic im- impact of it, but I think there's a bigger issue here and that's the quality of Mm-hmm. Um, when people move to a city, um, there's a quality of life score. And if people feel uncomfortable about leaving their, their domicile at 10:00 at night because, whatever the reason is- Mm-hmm.
[32:59-33:23]
um, that's a quality of life issue. Mm-hmm. If we can't have festivals- in our neighborhoods because of potential unruly behavior, well, that's a quality of life issue. Mm-hmm. I mean, how do you attract, how do you make the case that we are a, a city that's growing, uh, that's w- that's welcoming, uh, that we like to have fun? I mean, Pittsburghers love to have fun. Right.
[33:23-33:41]
So if we can't, you know, if we can't have, if we can't have fun, uh, that's kind of a, that's kind of a problem, especially for, for the good folks in Pittsburgh. So, um, yeah, I, uh, I know that the, the, the Jam on, on Walnut is, is, is suspended until further notice.
[33:41-34:22]
Um, now the flip side of that is, which will be interesting to see, there is a new Southside Street Festival that has been announced, and we all, and we all know what's been going on in the Southside. Right. So I'm curious to see, um, how on the one hand we're gonna close, um, a great festival because of, you know, uh, the potential for interruptions, and then open a festival in the heart of a neighborhood that's been having some of the, some of the biggest disruptions to the business district.
[34:22-34:59]
Not to mention the Southside is dense residential area. Mm-hmm. Right. You know? So, um, I'm not sure Look, I hope it's a success. Yeah. You know, I hope that this works. Um, but I know that the mayor, the unofficial mayor of the Southside- um, has been- We love you, Rich has been, has been weighing, has been weighing in on this. Mm-hmm. And, um, he's got some real concerns, and he's hoping that the people, uh, the city council people, um, that are promoting this are actually in attendance so they can- Right.
[34:59-35:25]
And he's right. You only take 2 steps off of Carson Street and you're, you're in a neighborhood. Mm-hmm. It is, it is the neighborhood. Yeah. It's a- Yeah it's a neighborhood business district is. And I believe this is a, I believe this is scheduled for, for the evening or for the night, this, this Southside Street Festival. I think it's June 20th. And then you're rerouting bus traffic and, and a lot of other traffic into- That was, uh- neighboring residential areas well, that was the question Well, and you're closing down Par- Carson Street.
[35:25-35:51]
That was, that was the question. I think, I think they, I think, um, Rich was asked, uh, specifically how, you know, what kind of police presence do you need? Do you think 30 officers are enough? He said, "30 officers are not nearly enough." Mm. You need 30 officers. Um, in a perfect world you'd need 30 officers on Carson Street, um, in the- Just kind of regular in the evenings. Mm-hmm. You know, now we're talking about rerouting traffic into, into residential.
[35:51-36:27]
So, um, we're talking out of both side, the city seems to be talking out of both sides of its mouth right now. Mm-hmm. We're going to suspend the long-running festival, uh, in Shadyside, and then we're gonna try to have a festival-Uh, in, in, in the heart of the South Side where, where we've been having a lot of trouble with, um, um, in the streets, you know? Okay. But you did mention, uh, the adults in the room. Well- And, and we know that James Hayes spoke out against this because this is his- There you go neighborhood that this, uh, that this is being stripped away from, and he, uh- And Shady Side, yeah he had some good comments.
[36:27-36:46]
I would, uh, invite you to go to his Facebook page and, uh, or his, or his X account and check that out. We love James Hayes, right? Oh, yes. James- You know, you've, you've met him several times. He's James Hayes for PA 12. Yeah. That's, uh, yeah, that's certainly an adult in the room there- Oh uh, taking care of business. Yes. Yeah.
[36:46-37:23]
Um- We love J- we love James but we are, uh, we are talking about kids, and there's some school district news as well too. Correct. Uh, the school district has voted to, to close, uh, some schools, I believe. And, uh, it, it's, uh, it, it had been a problem in the, at the end, in the fall of last year, and they kicked the can. Sure. And, um- Yeah, no one wants to you know, now we're, we're in- into it again, and it seems that, uh, there's more of a stomach to, uh, by, by the school d- school board to close some schools.
[37:23-37:46]
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. And I think it's needed. It's spread too thin. And, uh, you know, as, as a police officer, it was the same thing. Everybody wants you to stop at, at the stop sign in their neighborhood- until they're And, or if they don't, you, they want a ticket written until it's their kid or their- Yeah you know, friend- I know who's coming to visit them. You know, we, it's we meant everybody else.
[37:46-38:05]
Don't close our schools, uh, because, uh, you know, they're right there. But- This is- you know, they're outdated. They don't have air conditioning. Uh, they don't have the, the facilities, the, uh, the infrastructure inside the school to, to, to have classes in, in today's- Yeah society.
[38:05-38:24]
Yeah, and, and it's the, you know, the kids, ultimately it's, it's the kids that are, that are hurt by this and, and the, and the parents that, uh No parent wants, wants their children's school closed, uh, in anywhere in the Commonwealth- Mm-hmm let alone, uh, Pittsburgh Public Schools. No- Right no parent wants to see that happen.
[38:24-38:47]
Nobody wants their kid, uh, you know, tracked across town, but, you know, if the school that's in the neighborhood, uh, is not facilitating a good learning environment or, or is not- Yeah uh, you know, doesn't have the, the capacity, the capacity isn't in the school to- Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm uh, make it worthwhile to keep open, we're, we're maintaining too many buildings.
[38:47-39:15]
Mm-hmm. Marjorie, you had talked about, uh, you know, keeping an eye on the schools, and, uh, it's, it's one of the things that you would have an interest in, in the long run. What's your, what's your thoughts here on, uh, what's going on in the city? Well, uh, the population in Pittsburgh has shrunk dramatically since a lot of these schools- Yeah have, you know, been built. Um, we're talking about some of these schools were built back in the '50s and the '60s, uh, maybe earlier, um, where we had a bigger population.
[39:15-39:40]
Mm-hmm. Um, uh, I mean, since that time I think we've shrunk to half what we used to be. Yeah. Um, and, and then the birth rate is also, um, declining. Um, and then, like you said, just the quality. Uh, a lot of people are, uh, have dis-enrolled their children from Pittsburgh Public Schools to have other options, maybe a charter school, maybe private.
[39:40-40:00]
Mm-hmm. Some people have left, just left the city. Mm-hmm. Um, they've moved out to the suburbs. Uh, so it's not sustainable, the model that we were operating, just not sustainable. And, and a lot of them are showing up in, in private schools, like you said. Mm-hmm. Uh, you know, Seton La Salle and, uh- Mm-hmm Bishop Canevin, just to- Mm-hmm to name a couple.
[40:00-40:29]
Uh, uh, they're You know, I'm a, I'm a football official, so- Oh, yeah you gotta tread lightly here accusations. But, uh, I mean, it, it's I, I hope some of those kids realize that how fortunate of a situation that they have, that they could be in- Mm-hmm their neighborhood school that is grossly underperforming. And they are going to a school where- Mm-hmm they have air, uh, a lot of things at their fingertips.
[40:29-40:52]
Mm-hmm in, in athletics and, and other clubs and interests. Absolutely. Uh, and, and- Mm-hmm the interest of people who are willing to teach them. Mm-hmm. And that's not putting a bad mouth on, on city school teachers. No. They have the hardest job in the world, absolutely. Well, you know, Todd, you bring up, you bring up a couple interesting things there. Um, talk about, you know, enrollment and options.
[40:52-41:14]
Um, I, I believe the number is something like 80% of the folks that teach in Pittsburgh public schools who, or who are administrators in Pittsburgh public schools don't send their children to Pittsburgh public schools, so- Mm. How about that? You know, I don't, I don't, uh- That pretty much tells you everything you need to know.
[41:14-41:32]
Mm-hmm. Right? You know. Yeah. Um, that's, uh And th- this kind of circles back to we were talking about quality of life and, and why you move into certain neighborhoods- Mm-hmm or cities. Um, you want to have, you want to have quality of life. You want to have, uh, safe streets that you can walk.
[41:32-41:56]
If you, if you have a family, um, the most important thing that you look at when you move into a neighborhood are what are the quality how, how are the schools where I'm moving? And like when you l- look to buy a new home, that's one of the first things a family will look at. Sure. Or, or folks that are, are looking to start a new family. Mm-hmm. What are the schools like- Mm-hmm in this area? Mm-hmm.
[41:56-42:13]
Um, so yeah, this is all kind it all kind of feeds on itself here. Right, and that was one of the main arguments, uh, for, uh, city employees to not be, not be forced to live within the city is because of the school district. Right.
[42:13-42:31]
And that's a, that's a top reason why- Right uh, you know, th- they, they, they don't make a- as much, enough as a city employee to send them to a private school- Mm-hmm or if you have multiple kids- Mm-hmm you can't afford to send them to a, to a private school. Uh, so you're, you're held hostage in the city.
[42:31-43:07]
Now with, with residency lifted, that, that frees up a lot of people to go to Hampton, go to Shayler, go to- Mm-hmm uh, you know, Upper St. Clair and live outside the city for the purposes of having a better school. And, and, uh, this, you know, this does ultimately, um, with respect to choice for education. Mm-hmm. This comes right back to Governor Shapiro and his failure to sign a, uh, school choice act.
[43:07-43:36]
He, he campaigned on that in '22. That was a, a huge campaign, uh, commitment that he made when he ran for governor in '22, that he was going to, um, give every child, uh, the same opportunity that he had and that he and his children- Mm-hmm uh, have to go to, um, a private school, for example. And he has, um What's the word I'm looking for here? He is, uh, he broke that promise.
[43:36-44:10]
Okay? He broke that promise. And right now I believe, um, now our, our, our governor candidate, Stacey Garrity, will, will speak to this with much more clarity. But I believe there is about a billion dollars available from the federal government, and all Josh Shapiro has to do is sign up for this school, uh, school fund program that would allow any parent, uh, to choose which school they would want to send their children to.
[44:10-44:28]
And, um, a school like New York Uh, pardon me, a, a state like New York State- Mm-hmm that, um, Governor Hochul. Hochul, yep. You know, she's, um, I would say she's, she's to the left of moderate Democrats, I'd say. She's not a moderate Democrat. She, she's almost a, a progressive.
[44:28-44:45]
Now, she signed up for the, for the federal program. Josh Shapiro could do it, too, but he, he won't. So we, you know, if the governor's listening, we, we encourage him to, to, to sign up for the program and, uh- You're welcome on the show, Governor anytime.
[44:45-45:09]
Um, so this is, you know, this is, uh, this is some challenges that we have here in the city of Pittsburgh. Um, I think we've lost in terms, in terms of public schools in the past 15 or 20 years, um, you know, uh, we've lost about 15,000 students. So the system was bigger. Mm-hmm. We have fewer students, so we have to consolidate.
[45:09-45:36]
Mm-hmm. Um, it's hard on the kids. Mm-hmm. It's hard on the families. Um, so we need, but we need, uh I think if the quality, if the quality of education would come up- Mm-hmm I don't think this would e- we would even be talking about this. Right. You know? Mm-hmm. Um, I believe the s- uh, city of Pittsburgh public schools spends about $40,000 per student.
[45:36-46:02]
It's- And we wouldn't have so many, uh, discipline issues as well, probably have less discipline issues as well. But the City of Pittsburgh schools spend f- a lot on one child. Teach- And, and our You know, if you compare that to some other districts around the area, um, who don't spend quite as much, um, you can actually get a be- better education for less cost- Yeah, mm-hmm in other places.
[46:02-46:28]
So we-There's some big, big challenges, uh, we have in the city, and I, I think it does start with, uh, encouraging, uh, quality people to run for, uh, uh, office, you know? Marjorie, we're looking forward to, uh, that, that day when that, when that comes for you, that, uh, we get quality people in there, um, c- and find some common sense solutions to, uh, to some of these challenges.
[46:28-47:21]
Actually, you were reading my mind there because I was, I was about to mention that as a committee- Yeah you know, in 4 years that we've been, uh, you know, working, uh- Time flies, buddy. We've, we've barely broached the topic of school board people, and they're, uh, and- Mm-hmm there's an argument to be made that that may be one of the most influential seats that you could have- I- in, in politics. I know that, uh, we surround ourself with good people, and I know there's, um, a particular person, um, that I'm looking forward to having a conversation with here in the, in the near future about, you know, uh, really having a focused look at some of these different races, uh, where, where we could get people in there that maybe, uh that, that also want the best for the children in the City of Pittsburgh, but have a, have a different approach.
[47:21-47:58]
Mm-hmm. So, um, but yeah, Todd, we, we definitely need to look at some of these school board races. And it's also unfortunate that, that as a school board member you can cross-file and run on- Yeah on both tickets, and it kind of puts the- Yeah. uh, a Buffalo situation in place where the Republicans say, "Well, we finally have somebody with an R next to their name to vote for," but they're, those people are hardly Republicans. Yeah, yeah. Uh, and, and we've talked to some of those people, uh, you know, and then, and there, there's some, even though they're cross-filing, they won't even come and talk to us.
[47:58-48:28]
Mm-hmm. Or they'll talk to an individual. And we've had this. I've written- Yep I've written about this. Y- yep. Uh, actually had a qualified person, uh, in, in, in, in a primary, and they, they both had cross-filed. The 2 people both cross-filed as Republicans and Democrats, and I said, "You know what is gonna happen here?" Uh, and I won't say his name, but it was, it was a man running against a woman.
[48:28-48:48]
I s- and the woman was backed by, uh, Mayor Gainey at the time, and, uh, I said, "You're gonna win on the Republican ticket, and she's gonna win on the Democrat ticket. And you're still gonna be going at it in the fall." Mm-hmm. And like Nostradamus, that, that's exactly what happened.
[48:48-49:20]
And then he withdrew. He withdrew and said they'll pro- "I'll never have another political run if I, if I run as a Democrat," or, uh, as, run as a Republican or as a Democrat. Yeah. And he was clearly the more qualified person, clearly the more qualified person. Uh, I know you're looking at me in shock. But what's your, what's your reaction to that? I think that's sad.
[49:20-49:43]
Mm-hmm. Um, it's, it's, it's really sad, and I think it's sad for our students- Mm-hmm um, because they deserve to have, um, a diversity of perspective and policy- Yeah um, influence. And, um, right now- Mm-hmm it's, you know, it's, it's a one-party rule.
[49:44-50:09]
And I, I'm so inspired by the way that, um, uh, what's his name? The, the, uh, Pratt in, in LA. Oh, yeah. Okay. Spencer Pratt. Uh, Spencer Pratt. He's, he's, he's very, he's been very inspiring these past 30 days I've been f- um, watching him, and, uh, here he made the runoff. Right. And- Right um, so I was talking to you.
[50:09-50:37]
I don't know if I s- mentioned it to you guys on Monday, but, uh, I was talking to a few other people, and they were like, "Oh, he's not gonna make it 'cause-" you know, it's California. And I said, "I don't know. He's, you know, he's, he's been pushing up, pushing back." And, um, and he made the runoff, so I'm It's really, really encouraging- Mm-hmm that place like California, even I don't know if he'll win. But he made it that far- Sure um, in a blue state.
[50:37-50:58]
Mm-hmm. And, um, why can't we do that? At, at some point, the pendulum has to swing back- Mm-hmm in our direction. It just- Well, if we You know, you guys talked about one-party rule and, um, quality of candidates. This is, this is the conundrum, right? We have one party rule, so we don't get the best candidates.
[50:58-51:30]
Mm-hmm. There are great candidates that run on the other side, and I'm thinking back to 2023- Mm-hmm Mr. Joe Rockey, the quintessential executive, a man who has spent his whole life, um, as an executive, who ran for county executive and got the, you know, got the party to a place where it's actually never been, um, in terms of, in terms of turning out the vote and, and, and almost, almost winning that race.
[51:30-52:00]
But instead we have, um, you know, we do have a, a DSA, uh, county executive. And this week, one of our l- local, uh, ra- uh, radio hosts, um, had a tweet that he put up that I thought was very interesting. If you didn't list the party, but you just listed the qualifications- Yeah of Sarah Innamorato- Yeah versus Joe Rockey, don't list their- Yeah party affiliation.
[52:00-52:23]
Would there even be a question who, who the, who the people would pick to run this great county? There, there, there would be, there would be no question. I want to say I've heard that proposal before, maybe in another city. You know, this is- To take the, the party designation off and just run them.
[52:23-52:40]
Mm-hmm. It's a challenge. I was gonna say, that goes back to last night, though, where, you know, uh- Oh, yep. Thank you didn't, didn't she say that, uh, you know, she, she's tired of waiting around? Well, I- Why was TikTok She's got an election coming up next year. No wonder she's tired of waiting around, 'cause she hasn't done anything yet.
[52:40-53:04]
Yeah, like I said- Except raise our taxes if you wanted to talk a little bit more about it, I w- I was there last night, and, um, she basically, she thinks, she characterized it this way, that it's barbaric for businesses to oppose 18-week parental leave. Barbaric?
[53:04-53:26]
She's That was the word she used. She used the word barbaric. Multiple speakers, multiple speakers after her parroted that word. So I think there was a, there was a bit of, uh, filmmaking that went on there. They had their talking points. They all used the s- They all used that word barbaric. Multi- Do they, they know what that term means, barbaric?
[53:26-53:45]
Do they, they understand- That w- the severity of that term? That, that was the term. That was the term. And, um- They put you out the hospital in 3 days. I mean, right you don't even get a week in the hospital. So, but you want to- We could've u- we could've used you last night.
[53:45-54:13]
......... No, that's a great I mean, look, and that's a great point. And, uh, we had There were, there were people from the business community that came and, and, and, spoke out against this, that this is You know, the unintended consequences of this are, uh, could actually be harmful to families, uh, in the long run. You know, I appreciate your, your use of that word unintended, but it's very much intended.
[54:13-54:42]
And if we're just- No calling it what it is, this is a tax on parents, or it's tax on business. It's a, it's a, it's a tax. Just if we're gonna call, call it something, call it what it is. They're taxing business, uh, w- without- Mm uh, without running the, the, through the filter of government. Mm-hmm. It's just government force to use it, uh, to impose it, and then, uh, you know, say that, "Okay, s- business, you will, you will do that." It's a tax on business.
[54:42-55:09]
I, I, uh, I made some notes from last night. I'll just give you the, I'll just give you the quick, the quick rundown here. Matt Napper, uh, spoke. Matt Napper is the chairman for the Northside North Shore Chamber of Commerce. Uh, they represent over 400 businesses. And he absolutely said this is going to hurt the 400 businesses on the north side and the north shore.
[55:09-55:39]
Those same businesses that, uh, were hoping to receive this influx of, uh, cash, if you will, business from the NFL Draft, that the, you know, all these folks were in town, and they spent most They I mean, the whole thing was on the north side, on the north shore. This gentleman represents 400 businesses, and he, he told them flat out, "This is " Like you said, Todd, "This is, uh, this is gonna be a tax, uh, on businesses." Eric Schmitt.
[55:40-56:08]
Now, I know this is near and dear to you. He's with Allegheny County EMS. He said the same thing. He said, "Allegheny County EMS, um, stands against this." Well, it's in, in spirit, you know, we can all agree that, uh, we need to help families as much as we can, but not putting the burden, uh, on small businesses like this. And then, um, another speakerWho, this was an interesting take.
[56:08-56:28]
His name is Matt Barbee. Um, he is with the He's a PA regulatory spokesperson uh, home healthcare providers. P- it's called the PA Home Care Association. Mm-hmm. So the PA Home Care Association has basically fixed revenue, right?
[56:28-56:47]
They get their money from Medicare and Medicaid. Mm-hmm, sure. If, if you all of a sudden add this additional cost on to them, well, they have a fixed budget- Mm-hmm, mm that they get from the federal government. So that, y- and they come into your home and take care of your family members. So that's gonna hurt.
[56:47-57:07]
This is- Right this is gonna hurt families in the long run. Right. And, uh, to quote Ross Perot, "There's gonna be a giant sucking sound"- Mm-hmm uh, you know, leaving. Businesses are gonna leave- Allegheny County. They're gonna go to, they're gonna go to Westmoreland County. They're, they're gonna go to Butler County. Uh, they're gonna go to Washington County.
[57:07-57:34]
So, um, th- there were some heavyweights that showed up to speak out against this. So I'm hopeful that, uh, when the time comes, uh, there's some s- sense and sensibility to this issue, um, from County Council. Um, otherwise, I, I really do think that, um, this is gonna hurt, this is gonna hurt, this is gonna continue to hurt Allegheny County in the, in the long run here.
[57:34-57:54]
That's almost insidious. I, I don't under- What is, what is the upside that they're saying this, this does? Just because it's, um, it's, it's helping families or I, I don't understand why they're proposing this at all. Well, they, they, they Okay, so they made a, they made a couple, um, a couple great points.
[57:54-58:17]
Um, you know, the bond between the mother and child. Okay. You know, those kind of things which are are, are, um, of the highest importance to, to family structure and to a child's development. That, you know, there's a certain, there's a certain timeframe that a child needs with his, with his, either his mother or, or his, uh, you know, the father also, um, to develop in the right way.
[58:17-58:44]
Um, there were some speakers that got up that said that, um, you know, their pregnancy was complicated and they did need more time, um, away- That's why you have FMLA away from work. So- Mm-hmm look, there are, there are, there are solutions to this, and, uh, we c- we have to find those solutions. We just can't, we just can't burden small, the 23,000 small businesses in Allegheny County with this, is, is basically what- we can't do.
[58:44-59:07]
Uh, well, Marjorie, it's been great having you- with us here. That was a fast- That was a fast- Hour yes, indeed. Uh, we look forward to doing a lot of work with you, a lot of fun stuff, and, uh, it's great having you aboard for sure. Absolutely. I look forward to the dinner tomorrow, and, uh, thanks for having me here this evening.
[59:08-59:29]
That's right. Marjorie has her ticket. She was one of the first ones. Uh, like I said, it's, we're kinda at last call here, so, uh, get your tickets. Uh, Erin McGuire from Fox News, uh, Newsmax, and everywhere else under the sun, uh, she's great. We had a talk with her, uh, earlier in the week.
[59:29-59:54]
She's very much looking forward, very excited coming back to Pittsburgh. This is Pittsburgh's premier political event, okay? This- Can we say, can we just say it like that? You can say that. Pat ourselves on the back a little bit. We can, we can say that. We'll say that. Uh, so come on out, everybody. Uh, there will be a special edition, uh, Right Side of the Rivers, and we look forward to that, um, talking to, to all those people tomorrow.
[59:54-60:22]
Uh, Russell, we have social media that is growing by leaps- Oh and bounds. We do. Um, and I wanna, I wanna thank our 5star producer, Missy, who is, um- Shout out to Missy she wears, she wears many hats, um, in the committee, and we couldn't do half of what we do without her. Um, but if you like, if you like what you heard tonight and want to learn more, more about the committee, um, you can follow us on all our socials, PGHGOPCommittee.
[60:22-60:46]
That's PGHGOPCommittee on X, Facebook, and the Gram, as the cool kids like to say. And we do have a website, too, and if you cannot make it to the Foundry Dinner and still wanna support us, uh, there is a link in our website to, uh, donate as well to- Pittsburgh Republicans Yes. Uh, Marjorie, once again, it's been a blast having you.
[60:46-61:02]
We look forward. Uh, do not be a stranger here at The Right Side of the Rivers. Uh, 24, right? 24. Be careful with that. 24. Oh, okay. Show- show 24. Show 24 is now, uh- Great show wrapping up. Really a great show. It's been great.
[61:02-61:17]
Uh, so let's end it off, and- Okay uh, get ready for the, uh, Foundry Dinner. Get our duds- duds ready, our hair done, hair did. And, uh, we'll- we'll- we'll see everybody tomorrow at the Foundry Dinner, so.
[61:17-61:35]
Thank you, Marjorie. You're welcome. Uh, for my co-host Russell Dryer and Marjorie Tab, uh, my name is Todd McCollum. I am the chairman of the City of Pittsburgh Republican Committee. This is the official podcast thereof, and we call it The Right Side of the Rivers. Be good, everybody.
[61:35-61:55]
We'll see you in 2 weeks. Thanks for tuning in to the Right Side of the Rivers. We appreciate you spending your time with us as we talk about the issues that matter to Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, and beyond. Be sure to visit us online at pittsburghrepublicans.com for more updates, events, and ways to get involved.
[61:55-62:07]
And don't forget to follow us on social media. We're on X, Facebook, and Instagram, @PGHGOPCommittee. Until next time, stay informed, stay engaged, and stay on the right side of the rivers.