Transportation and the Mayoral Race Part 3

The last of the three democratic candidates is Patrick Dowd (I will cover "Dok" Harris, and any Republican who might decide to come along later.)

I had an interesting interaction with Mr. Dowd's campaign, I was somewhat frustrated at first, but his campaign contact was very polite and helpful. Using his website, I sent the same question that I have sent the other two democratic candidates. "What are your plans for transportation infrastructure and transit if elected as mayor?" I received an e-mail several days later, but instead of it being an answer to my simple question, it was an e-mail soliciting me to contribute to Mr. Dowd's campaign. I was naturally a little miffed, the campaign did not answer my question, but has assumed that Mr. Dowd now has my vote and needs my money.

So far, off to a bad start...

I quickly responded with an e-mail of my own stating, in a nutshell, that the campaign was making a pretty big assumption if they believed I would support Mr. Dowd without even a reply to my question. As I said before, the campaign rep I spoke to was very courteous and helpful in his reply where he answered my question.

"Patrick's plans for transportation and infrastructure fit within his broader vision for smart, strategic development of the city...you'll see that Patrick wants to invest in mass transit corridors that will promote dense development and a more sustainable city. He's very interested in projects like the Oakland - downtown corridor and working closely with the Port Authority to provide the most efficient and effective public transit system possible."

He also wrote about Mr. Dowd's stance on bike-ped initiatives (Bike Pittsburgh will be pleased).

Lastly, he wrote about a much needed re-vitalization of Pittsburgh's infrastructure "...whether it's for transit, or water and sewage..." Can't argue with that.

Mr. Dowd shares the opinion of Carmen Robinson that reform is needed within the Port Authority to improve efficiency. Additionally, Mr. Dowd seems to be the only candidate to have a specific vision for transit and transportation relating to their potential administration and to note their support of a specific tranit plan (The Spine Line). These points are certainly positive, but as with all politicians, there remains the looming shadow that this is all just campaign fluff and nothing will be addressed. This is nothing against Mr. Dowd, but just the nature of politics.

Mr. Dowd's website is also the only website of the three candidates that directly addresses transit issues. His website includes a paragraph entitled "Investing in mass-transit corridors". He states that "I intend to work closely with the Port Authority in order to promote development that increases ridership, fosters community and neighborhood revitalization, and supports local economic development." Now that's right up my alley! He's saying alot of the right things; talking about T.O.D., neighborhood revitalization, and creating a better transit system. Although it is a short paragraph, and generally broad like most information on all three candidate's websites, it is well thought out and clearly provides the greatest vision for transit of all three candidates.