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Austin Davis announces campaign for Pa. Lieutenant Governor If he wins, he’ll make history by becoming the state’s first African American to hold the position

by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer

History is being made all over the place these days.

Ed Gainey became the first Black mayor in Pittsburgh history a few weeks ago, and Kamala Harris is the first Black vice president in U.S. history, so why wouldn’t state Rep. Austin Davis, who made history a few years ago by becoming the first Black state Rep. in Western Pa. outside city limits, want to make history by becoming Pennsylvania’s first Black Lieutenant Governor?

The 32-year-old heart and soul of McKeesport announced on Jan. 4 his campaign for lieutenant governor, with a big endorsement by his side — Josh Shapiro, the current state attorney general who is also running for governor of the state.

In May’s primary elec-

tion, candidates for governor and lieutenant governor run independently, meaning that Rep. Davis could win the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor and Shapiro lose the Democratic nomination for governor, or vice versa. But obviously, the two want to win the Democratic nominations in a few months, and then they’ll be paired as a duo in the November general election to battle the Republican candidates.

“I’m running for lieutenant governor because I think I can be a strong governing partner for Josh Shapiro,” Rep. Davis told the New Pittsburgh Courier in an exclusive interview, Jan. 14. “He has often said that he wants to build an administration that is diverse, people that come from different walks of life other than his own, so I think I bring a unique per-

STATE REP. AUSTIN DAVIS announces his candidacy for Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor, Jan. 4, at Kennedy Park in McKeesport.

(Photo by J.L. Martello) spective to the ticket, both as a Southwestern Pennsylvania Democrat but also

someone who comes from a strong working-class background. I’m the proud son

of a union bus driver and a hair dresser and I want to be a strong advocate for

working-class families in SEE DAVIS A7

‘Big Tom’ aims to uplift the Hill District, just like Walter Hamm did New barbershop location will include affordable housing

by Ashley G. Woodson For New Pittsburgh Courier

Thomas Boyd Sr., of TomTom24 Development, LLC, was joined by the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh, Neighborhood Allies, the Boyd family, elected officials and members of the community to a groundbreaking ceremony at 2178 Centre Ave., the future site of Big Tom’s Barbershop and much more. It’s the location where a community fixture, Hamm’s Barbershop, once stood for decades.

“This lot that we’re standing on is going to be beautified and used for community benefit and to allow for home-based businesses and pop-up sales. You are

starting to see that legacy of Mr. (Walter) Hamm be built upon here by Tom,” said Diamonte Walker, Deputy Executive Director of the URA, at the Nov. 30, 2021, groundbreaking.

“This is the type of development that we all talk about from someone born and raised in the neighborhood. You can’t get to this place without integrity, social capital and the way you’ve lived your life all of these years. I think someone like Mr. Tom Boyd is the epitome of what our neighborhoods should be,” added Neighborhood Allies President Presley L. Gillespie.

Boyd is going to relocate his barbershop from 2042 SEE HILL DISTRICT A6

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A NEW BEGINNING — Elected officials, along with Thomas Boyd Sr., fourth from left, celebrate the groundbreaking of a new location for Big Tom’s Barbershop and four units of affordable housing at 2178 Centre Ave. in the Hill District. (Photo by Ashley G. Woodson)

METRO/SPORTS

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The Steelers need a Black quarterback who can run and pass, like Mahomes, Kordell

KORDELL STEWART

The Pittsburgh Steelers traveled to Kansas City to compete in; oops, I meant to “complete,” a wild card playoff game this past Sunday, Jan. 16. To say anything other than that about their 42-21 wild card defeat by the Chiefs other than the putrid performance of the Steelers offense featuring QB Ben Roethlisberger would be a total misrepresentation of the game; well, except for the valiant effort by the Steelers defense.

Even though the team put forth a maximum effort, their energy was again depleted and their effort was thwarted by an inept and incompetent “starting” quarterback. The usual “wait until the offense gets untracked” approach finally took its toll.

Roethlisberger could only muster up 19 yards

passing in the first half, the time of the game that has proven to be of the utmost importance in an NFL game, any NFL game, period. The magic excuse again in the 2021 season was the Steelers offense being “slow starters.” Let’s be real.

It wasn’t the offense, but the Pittsburgh starting QB was generally proven to be the source of the “molasses” type of beginnings for the team this season. Although there were a couple of untimely “drops” by Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson, there were also a minimum of 7 to 9 errant passes by Roethlisberger.

Outside linebacker T.J. Watt and defensive lineman Cameron Heyward didn’t have slow starts in the game against the Chiefs because if they did, a chill runs down my

spine just contemplating the “scalping and massacre” that would have occurred.

The Chiefs’ head coach, Andy Reid, has a preference for mobile quarterbacks. Reid showed that when he drafted Donavan McNabb out of Syracuse in the first round

terbacks. In 2017, Reid drafted phenomenon Patrick Mahomes out of Texas Tech, signaling the beginning of the end for Alex Smith. Reid and his talent evaluating personnel understand that if your quarterback can read defenses and is able to run or pass to keep

Inside Conditions

Aubrey Bruce in 1999 when he was head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2013, when Reid was hired by the Chiefs his first starting QB B.M. (Before Mahomes) was San Francisco 49ers standout Alex Smith. Reid seems to gravitate towards mobile African American quar-

the chains moving all the way to the end zone, you’ll win games more often.

I cannot read the mind of Andy Reid but it seems to me that he embraces change. Ex-Steelers head coach Bill Cowher was hired by the Black and Gold in January 1992.

He had far more time to get ahead of the head coaching curve and talent evaluating process than Andy Reid who was hired by the Philadelphia several years later.

Who did the Steelers choose in the 1999 draft?

Wide receiver Troy Edwards, that’s who. I surmise that Edwards was drafted to complement the Steelers starting QB in 1999, Kordell Stewart.

Edwards went on to play seven less-than “hall-offame” career years for the Steelers, accumulating 203 receptions, which averaged out to be 29 receptions per season and 2,404 yards, which amounted to an average of 343 yards per season. At the beginning of his career, Stewart was viewed as the ultimate hybrid quarterback/running back. In today’s NFL Stewart would be viewed as just another QB that can run and pass, a Lamar Jackson type. It is possible that Stewart was the Lamar Jackson prototype before Jackson (the Baltimore

Ravens’ QB) could even pick up a football. Stewart was viewed as more of a football improviser as opposed to football intellectual. Was he the excuse for the Steelers fan base to become anti-African American QB as far as future Black starting QBs are concerned?

Also, aside from his so-called lack of understanding the finer nuances of being a starter in the NFL, Kordell Stewart was eventually run out of town for other reasons, such as tall tales of his homosexuality as well as being accused of other deeds too stupid and graphic for me to expose to your “eyes of innocence.”

No one knows who is destined to be the starting quarterback to step under center for the Steelers in 2022; but maybe, just maybe, they should consider going back to the future.

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Progress in one area... regression in another Black head referees in NFL are increasing, while Black head coaches are decreasing The National Football League has pretty much taken over. The marketing is outstanding, the games are full of drama (except that butt-kicking the Kansas City Chiefs gave our Steelers on Sunday night, Jan. 16, 42-21), ratings are through the roof, and we’re sure to have our eyes glued to the TV in the coming weekends up until Super Bowl LVI (56) in Los Angeles, Feb. 13.

The NFL, as a company, has loosened up its Texas-style conservatism, too.

If you haven’t heard, this year’s Super Bowl halftime show will feature wellknown African American musical acts like Mary J. Blige, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Kendrick Lamar. Rapper 2 Chainz is all over commercials right now promoting the NFL postseason. And of course, you can dance again in the NFL, after the league tried to stop players from celebrating after touchdowns.

Watching the Super Wild Card games this past weekend, I noticed that Jerome Boger and Shawn Smith were head referees (the ones with the white hat that make the calls on TV and are leaders of the officiating crews) for two of the six games. They are both Black. Then I noticed the head coaches of all 12 teams who played this past weekend, and only one was Black — our own Mike Tomlin.

Let’s take a deeper dive

PITTSBURGH STEELERS HEAD COACH MIKE TOMLIN is the only Black head coach in the NFL right now, after the Miami Dolphins fired Brian Flores, and the Houston Texans fired David Culley. into this. The NFL actually has four Black head referees (Adrian Hill, Ron Tolbert), which means that nearly 25 percent (4 of 17) of the league’s head referees are now Black.

crew, Nov. 23, 2020, on a Monday Night, for all to see. And this past September, Maia Chaka became the first Black woman to officiate an NFL game, working as a line judge

Commentary Rob Taylor Jr. It’s definitely a step in the right direction, because for a minute there, I thought Johnny Grier and Mike Carey would have to referee forever (they were the league’s first two Black head referees).

The NFL even had its first all-Black officiating

for a New York Jets/Carolina Panthers contest.

She was the third woman in NFL officiating history, following two White women, Shannon Eastin (2012) and Sarah Thomas (2015).

So, as things are headSEE BLACK COACHES A5

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Black head referees in NFL are increasing, while Black head coaches are decreasing BLACK COACHES FROM A5

ing in the right direction as far as referees are concerned, things are going backwards in the NFL’s Black head coach count.

Two Black head coaches were fired recently, one almost shockingly. Brian Flores’ Miami Dolphins team won 8 of their final 9 games to finish 9-8, all with an often-injured starting quarterback; but he was dismissed. David Culley was the head coach of the Houston Texans, who never, ever had its starting quarterback, DeShaun Watson, this season due to legal troubles.

Still, in 2021, his first year as head coach, the team played hard and won four games. He was shown the door, too.

And as for Tomlin, the man only has had 15 straight seasons without a losing season, has won a Super Bowl and been to another, kept the Steelers respectable two years ago when Ben Roethlisberger was injured for the season, and got the Steelers to the playoffs this season with Roethlisberger literally on his last leg. Yet, phones ring off the hook around Western Pa. from fans wanting Tomlin fired, saying he’s not a good coach, or that they’ve had enough of the mediocrity.

Thankfully, the Rooneys

man manning the sidelines for their team? Why have they been allowed to create such a dearth of Black head coaches in the NFL, even if there wasn’t “pre-meditated intent” to do so?

Simple. The NFL’s White commissioner, Roger Goodell, works for the White owners. Not the other way around. The owners rule their own roost — if they want to fire a Black head coach after one season, or get rid of a Black coach who just had a winning record, they can do it, and Goodell can’t do a thing about it.

And the fans can’t (and won’t) do anything about it, either. Not surprisingly, every NFL team’s fan base is majority-White (yes, that includes the Atlanta Falcons). I’m not saying there is prejudice within a team’s fan base, but you won’t be seeing any “Black Head Coaches Matter” rallies being attended by a stadium full of White fans.

It’s not just me saying this. Troy Vincent, the NFL’s executive vice president of football operations, recently told the Washington Post that teams have a “double standard” when judging the performance of Black head coaches.

Both the NFL and National Basketball Association (NBA) have ma-

ADRIAN HILL is one of the NFL's four Black head referees. The four Black head referees are the most the NFL has ever had at one time. are not moved by the haters, and Tomlin’s job is secure in Pittsburgh.

But what about the other owners of NFL teams across America, all of whom are White except Jacksonville’s Pakistan-American owner Shad Khan, who have, for the most part, a White

jority-Black players. But it’s the NBA that has a whopping 12 Black head coaches right now out of 30 teams (40 percent). Before this 2021-22 season began, six new Black head coaches were hired in the NBA. The NFL currently has eight head coaching va-

JEROME BOGER is one of the NFL's four Black head referees. Boger worked the Wild Card game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday, Jan. 15.

cancies, though two of them have an interim coach (Las Vegas Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars), though the Jaguars are almost certain to hire a brand new head coach.

That leaves the Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants and Houston Texans with time to fully evaluate head coaching candidates, and hire who they think will lead them to football’s promised land starting next season.

The question is, will they hire the best candidate for the job, even if he’s Black?

(Rob Taylor Jr. is the managing editor of the New Pittsburgh Courier.)

MAIA CHAKA made history as the NFL's first Black female referee, working as line judge during a game in September 2021.

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Big Tom's Barbershop moving to 2178 Centre Ave. — and new apartments are coming, too HILL DISTRICT FROM A1

Centre Ave. to the first floor of the rehabilitated structure at 2178 Centre. The second and third floors will become four one-bedroom apartments available to those at or below 80 percent Area Median Income. The nearby lots will be beautified and used as open space for the community.

“The Hill District has always been a proud community,” voiced Boyd. “My family has

THE BOYD FAMILY, at the groundbreaking ceremony, Nov. 30, 2021. (Photos by Ashley G. Woodson) WALTER HAMM, the Hill District institution who owned Hamm's five generations in this Barbershop at 2178 Centre Ave. community by going to all the way up until his death in school, working, playing 2011.

and all of that. It started with my grandfather, Rev. Jesse Thomas Boyd.

In his older life he was a pastor and he had a restaurant on Centre

Avenue and a jitney station and rest in peace to my grandfather but he

didn’t own any of those things. That is one thing that always bothered me because I’ve been at my barbershop for 16 years but I don’t own it. I’m paying rent to a landlord that I don’t like. I always looked up to Mr. Hamm because he was a proud man, business owner and he always supported the community and I hope I can live up to that. I want to thank Sam because he is one of the main reasons the shop gets the love it gets and all of the staff that make Big Tom’s what it is today. I want to thank everyone for all of their hard work in making this a reality.”

The project has received more than $1.94 million in funding from First National Bank, Lower Hill Group, Neighborhood Allies, Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency and the URA. “I’m so excited for him (Boyd) because he symbolizes a lot of what we’ve been saying to authentic Hill residents and those who have seen our neighborhood go through different changes,” said Rep. Jake Wheatley. “I have a personal relationship with him and I’ve heard about his struggles, visions and dreams about why he wanted to do this. I’ve also seen his walk from years ago to now wanting to be an example of how you can take whatever people throw at you and turn into something so much greater.”

“BIG TOM,” THOMAS BOYD SR.

RELIGION/METRO

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“I am the vine, you are the branches; he that abideth in me, and I in him the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me you can do nothing. If a man abide NOT in ME, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and are burned.”

- St. John 15:5-6 REV. WALKER SAYS: My answer lies in what Jesus says in verse St. John 15:4 — Abide in ME and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can you, except you in ME. Without Jesus we cannot do anything.

JANUARY 19-25, 2022 A7

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Worship in person or Online on Facebook/YouTube www.ELPC.church Journey Worship..........8:45am Sanctuary Worship.......11:00 a.m.

Taize -Wednesdays.........7:00 p.m.

Austin Davis announces campaign for Pa. Lieutenant Governor DAVIS FROM A1

the lieutenant governor’s office.”

“Pennsylvanians – from Westmoreland to West Philadelphia – deserve leaders who understand the issues they’re facing and can bring people together to get things done. Throughout his career, Austin Davis has fought for the people of Western Pennsylvania, standing up for families who work hard to make ends meet and communities that have been forgotten,” Shapiro said in a statement to the Courier and other media outlets.

“Whether it was leading Montgomery County or now as attorney general, I’ve always surrounded myself with people who bring different life experiences to my team – and I’m proud to endorse Austin Davis because I know he will make my administration stronger as our next lieutenant governor.”

Committed to public service, Rep. Davis told the Courier he’ll be on the ballot for both lieutenant governor and state representative.

A successful run to the lieutenant governor’s seat, and he’ll relinquish the title of state representative.

Representative Davis

stays active in fighting for his constituents in the 35th House District, which includes Clairton, McKeesport, Duquesne and other areas of the Mon Valley. His office announced a $1.25 state grant to jumpstart a major redevelopment project in Clairton on Dec. 6, 2021. On Dec. 2, 2021, his office announced $1.8 million in state funds to go towards combating violence in the Mon Valley via on-the-ground programs. Representative Davis helped give 400 turkeys to Mon Valley families this past Thanksgiving holiday with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, and he forever continues fighting for more affordable housing in the Mon Valley.

“I’ve been fighting for family-sustaining jobs to improve our education system and make sure we’re creating ladders of opportunity for folks,” Rep. Davis told the Courier exclusively. “I would continue to fight for those things as lieutenant governor, just on a bigger scale. Josh and I had a number of conversations and he really wants a lieutenant governor who’s active in the day-to-day governance of this commonwealth, which would be different from previous

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STATE REP. AUSTIN DAVIS announces his candidacy for Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor, Jan. 4, at Kennedy Park in McKeesport. (Photo by J.L. Martello)

STATE REP. AUSTIN DAVIS announces his candidacy for Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor, Jan. 4, at Kennedy Park in McKeesport. He is endorsed by Attorrney General Josh Shapiro, who is running for governor. (Photo by J.L. Martello)

relationships between governors and lieutenant governors. I plan to take a very active role in the day-to-day operations of a Shapiro/Davis administration.”

While there are more than 10 candidates vying for the Republican nomination for governor of Pennsylvania, Shapiro is by far the leading candidate on the Democratic side. His endorsement of Rep. Davis could go a long way towards Rep. Davis securing the party’s lieutenant governor nomination. While not looking too far ahead, Rep. Davis is well aware of the significance of his campaign, as he could become the first Black lieutenant governor in Pennsylvania history.

“I feel a great sense of responsibility to continue to break down barriers so that people who come behind me have a little bit of an easier path to walk through the trails that I’ve blazed,” Rep. Davis told the Courier. “It would be great to be the first Black lieutenant governor, but it won’t mean anything if there’s not a second or a third or if we don’t elect a Black governor ever.

It’s a humbling responsibility that I have to the

generation that comes behind us, but I think I show them what you can achieve through hard work and perseverance.”

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The Executive Leadership Council names Lori Walker Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer WASHINGTON, Jan. 12, 2022 / PRNewswire/—The Executive Leadership Council (ELC) today announced the appointment of Lori Walker as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (COO), effective January 10, 2022. The ELC is the preeminent global membership organization for Black current and former CEOs, senior executives and board members of Fortune 1000 and equivalent companies, top-tier entrepreneurs and global thought leaders.

The organization advocates for advancing Black leadership by increasing the number of Black corporate CEOs, C-Suite executives and board members, and building the pipeline of the next generation of Black corporate leaders.

Ms. Walker will support Michael C. Hyter, President and CEO of The ELC, in addressing a range of strategic issues including enhancing organizational effectiveness and integrity, providing staff leadership, and over-

all strategic planning for the organization as a whole and for individual programs and initiatives. She is responsible for day-to-day operations of the organization, implementing best practices in management systems, including appropriate integration and collaboration of teams and functional areas, to ensure strong organizational performance to meet ambitious goals.

She will manage three programmatic departments: Corporate Partnerships, Member Services & Events, and The Institute for Leadership Development and Research.

“Operational excellence is a key priority for The ELC. Hiring the right COO is critical to the success of our organization and our ability to successfully serve our members and multifaceted stakeholder groups. It was important to identify someone who not only has the skills required to do the job but can serve as an effective leader for the membership and staff.

Lori’s talents and expertise make her

our ideal candidate and we are excited to welcome her to our leadership team,” said Hyter.

Ms. Walker comes to The ELC with 1.5 years of experience at Cigna, serving as COO for CuraScript Specialty Distribution. She previously spent 18 years at Cardinal Health in various leadership roles, including General Manager & Vice President of Distribution Services; Vice President, Supply Chain-NASCF & Global Supply Chain Integration Lead for Patient Recovery; and Vice President, Strategic Planning and Execution/Chief of Staff for the Medical Segment. She has prior Finance and Strategy experience at Ashland Oil, Mead Westvaco, and Limitedbrands.

Ms. Walker has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and Finance from Eastern Kentucky and a Masters of Business Administration from Benedictine College. She is a Certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt.

LORI WALKER named EVP & COO of The Executive Leadership Council, effective January 10, 2022.

U.S. inflation soars to record highs

by Stacy M. Brown For New Pittsburgh Courier

(NNPA)—The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers increased 0.5 percent in December on a seasonally adjusted basis after rising 0.8 percent in November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Wednesday, January 12.

Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 7.0 percent before seasonal adjustment.

Increases in the shelter and used cars and trucks indexes were the most significant contributors to the seasonally adjusted all items increase.

The food index also contributed, although it increased less than in recent months, rising 0.5 percent in December, BLS officials stated in a release. In December, the energy index declined, ending a long series of increases; it fell 0.4 percent as gasoline, and natural gas indexes decreased.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.6 percent in December following a 0.5-percent increase in November.

It marked the sixth time it has increased at least 0.5 percent in the last nine months.

Many viewed the news overall as unfavorable for the Biden-Harris administration, as the quick increases in prices have helped erode consumer confidence and cast doubt over the future of the U.S. economy.

President Joe Biden offered a more positive spin.

“Today’s report, which shows a meaningful reduction in headline inflation over last month, with gas prices and food prices falling, demonstrates that we are making progress in slowing the rate of price increases,” President Biden offered in a statement.

“At the same time, this report underscores that we still have more work to do, with price increases still SEE U.S. INFLATION B2

VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS AT FREEDMAN’S BANK FORUM.

VP Kamala Harris unveils multi-billion dollar plan to fund Black businesses (Black Information Network)—Black-owned businesses are getting a major boost from the Fed. At the Freedman’s Bank Forum on Tuesday (December 14), Vice President Kamala Harris and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen unveiled the US Treasury’s plan to distribute $8.78 billion—with a capital “B”— to help increase lending to Black-owned business and access to banking in low-income communities.

The funds are coming from

the Emergency Capital Investment Program—an initiative formed this year— and will be distributed to 186 community-based financial institutions.

“The wealth gap persists today, the homeownership gap persists,” Harris said, emphasizing the need for these major investments. “Black entrepreneurs are three times more likely to report that a lack of access to capital negatively affects their profit margins,” she added.

Black businesses have been disproportionately impacted by the economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic, evidenced by higher rates of business closures, and more.

Secretary Yellen said the funding will help “prevent small business owners of color from closing two of their locations. And better yet, it will help people open two more.”

The nearly $9 billion will be distributed to financial institutions in 36 states,

Washington, D.C. and Guam.

An estimated 54 percent of funds will be going to banks and 46 percent is set to go to credit unions.

The largest firms will see more than $200 million each while the smaller ones will receive less than $100,000.

The forum was attended by Rev. Al Sharpton, Rep. Maxine Waters, NAACP President Derrick Johnson, HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge, and more.

Never spend more than half your salary on cars!

Shannon Sharpe recently shared a story on his show “Undisputed” about the time he was earning $325,000 per year while playing in the NFL. During this time he purchased a $250,000 car. He admits that it wasn’t a sharp decision at the time to purchase a quarter of a million dollar, black on black Ferrari 512 TR—but he had to floss. He wanted to look sharp in those streets. Shannon said he was looking like Batman when he pulled up in his decked out car. Hindsight 2020, he posed the question to himself how big of a fool was he to purchase a car that cost him more than 75 percent off his salary. Moral of the story. Don’t be out there flossing.

I recently read an article on gobankingrates. com. This article quoted reports from Kelley Bluebook and LendingTree revealing that the average cost of a car in the year 2021 was $42,258. The average car payment was $563 per month. This article goes on to quote that according to the US Census Bureau, the median salary in the United States is $41,535.

The article closes with this statement. “It’s easy to see why so many people are trapped in the cycle of consumer debt. Just because you can spend more than your annual salary on a car doesn’t mean that you should.”

That’s great advice! I concur. $563 per month is the average car payment. I’ve observed double that. I recall putting together a plan for a hair stylist who financed a luxury vehicle. This whip (car) was fire! Payments were $1,200 per month. I told her it was a nice car but I know that car payment produces tears in your eyes like onions! I asked, how many heads do you have to braid and perm to clear enough for that payment alone? I

know which clients I can be direct with. I sometimes make provocative statements to ensure they’re paying attention and to ensure they understand my point. In the end, I gave her fair, honest advice.

I posted both the Shannon Sharp story and gobankingrates.com article on my Facebook page. Below are some comments: I can’t imagine. This is Exactly why I’ve NEVER had a car payment. ~ Lovely Breeze No car payment - 1 year and counting ~ L. Martin Yeah I hate car payments.

I rather travel and do other things with my money. ~ Chauncey I’m guilty of this. It’s not a good investment, but you can set it up in a corporation and use it as a tax and depreciation write off. Cars are my passion. It’s true, they can be a big liability. A $42,000 car demands way more than $563 monthly payment ~Benard Damon says: Bernard, they’re doing car notes out to 7 and 8 years these days. In an effort to keep car payments low, 70 percent of cars that move from the car lots are sold under Lease Agreements.

I haven’t had a car note in over a decade. I bought a get around car twice. I only spent an average of $1,000 per car. Before that, I had a car note for $142 a month. I always paid more and my last 1 or 2 months were free.

I bought my current car with cash. There was a time I couldn’t afford a car. During this time, I used public transportation. ~ Irene I’m going on year 5 with no car payment.

My car has under 80k miles. I’m driving my car until the wheels fall off! ~ Alicia Right now it’s a “Dealers Market”. They’re using the shortage in the supply chain as a way to hike up prices. Kelly Blue Book says profits in the Auto Industry are up 120 percent! They’re selling & leasing cars before they hit the parking lot, while using the strategy of “Just In Time Inventory”. They are not cutting any deals!

They used to have “leftover inventory” they would negotiate with. Not any more.

Ford was supposed to bring back their workers in December, but they postponed it until March.

They’re making record profits without personnel, with all these marked up prices.

Right now “Used Cars” have an unbelievable mark up! Dealers are buying back used cars to sell them at record prices. For the first time in history, used cars are appreciating in value.

Dealers are making money hand over fist with no end in sight. It might take a year or two to even out the market.

Incidentally all I do is lease “base model”

cars. I use my smartphone to give me all the useful bells & whistles. But even now that lease price is substantially higher than in the past. ~ Pastor Peter Joseph I love cars and will probably always have a hefty note. Am I supposed to pay in full cash?

No I’m going to put something on it! ~ Nicole Damon says: Nicole, I have a couple of rules that I ascribed to and teach others to follow when it comes to buying cars • All cars, boats, motorcycles total value should not equal more than half your annual income.

• Strive to put a minimum 20 percent down.

• All car payments should not exceed more than 15 percent of your take home pay.

• Terms on the car note should not exceed 3-years.

• No car leases: Car leases = Forever Car Payment with no ownership Violating these core tenants will put a person in a predicament where they have too much money tied up in cars—a depreciating asset. In other words, they purchased more cars, SUV’s trucks, motorcycles than they can realistically afford. They end up having negative equity. They take on huge car payments that hinder their ability to save for future goals and have a life without running up mountains of credit card debt.

To your point, 100 percent cash payment is the best route to go. But I know most people don’t have the patience to take that route.

(Damon Carr, Money Coach can be reached at 412216-1013 or visit his website at www.damonmoneycoach.com)

BUSINESS

B2 JANUARY 19-25, 2022

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

2022 WILL BE A TRANSFORMATIONAL YEAR for Blacks and people of color, and we will create a new order with the national protection of voting rights, and labor reforms.

2022 will be a great year for Blacks and people of color in America (BlackPressUSA)—With the election of President Biden and Vice President Harris, they have quickly delivered for the American people, while helping our country recover from a pandemic, and an economic crisis. It is very easy for the Republicans to talk about what the Biden team has done wrong, but with the passing of the American Rescue Plan, and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, their first year in office has been

Roger Caldwell

Commentary extremely successful.

These two pieces of legislation will rebuild the economy and put money in the pockets of hard-working American families.

Many businesses received stipends from the government, and many Americans were able to keep their businesses in the black and afloat. The American Rescue Plan was passed in March 2021, and it provided stimulus aid for families, state,

local areas, and Tribal nations.

Many have forgotten the $1,400 stimulus check every family got for each family member and the expanded tax credit for each child. President Biden and the Democrats delivered big for America, but everyone has appeared to have forgotten, especially the Republicans.

The economy under President Biden is doing extremely well, and the Democrats must blow their horn loud and clear. “Today, America is the only leading economy in the world where household incomes and the economy as a whole are stronger than they were before the pandemic, even accounting for price increases,” says President Biden.

When Americans look at the president’s cabinet there is a diversity of people of color, which is an accurate representation of the country. This is the first reason that in 2022 Blacks and people of color will operate and grow successfully: because the economic track record is the strongest in 50 years.

When leadership reflects people of color, America is in a better place for opportunity and progressive ideas for Black people. Whether you’re looking forward to them, or dreading them, the midterm elections will take place in November 2022. There will be more Blacks and people of color running for office than ever before in the history of America, and there will be more millions in circulation, than ever before.

In Florida, Val Deming’s campaign will raise over $60 million dollars and other races of color will raise between 10 to 50 million dollars. The opportunity for Black public relations companies, campaign jobs, the Black Media, will be tremendous, with

an opportunity to make millions of dollars.

In entertainment Black companies will be given more opportunities to grow their companies and make millions of dollars in 2022. Black professional sports figures, which are making millions of dollars already, will start investing their money with other Black sports and entertainment millionaires and build major corporations, which will operate nationally and internationally.

As Blacks in America build major corporations, they will start to invest their money in Africa—The motherland. 2022 will be an exceptional year for Blacks and Africans on many different levels, and the opportunities will expand and grow exponentially.

Buying Black in 2022 will become a grassroots campaign for Blacks in America, and the fight for social, racial, and economic equity will bring Black organization and communities together. Young Black college students will take leaderships roles in political campaigns and will create change.

2022 will be a transformational year for Blacks and people of color, and we will create a new order with the national protection of voting rights, and labor reforms. Vice President Harris as the first woman and the first woman of color in that office, will create new political power, and empower workers to take collective action in the workplace.

Finally, the Black Family will come together, because we are only as great as the Black family is together. So now pick up the phone, resolve family issues, and remember to Love…

U.S. inflation soars to record highs U.S. INFLATION FROM B1

high and squeezing family budgets,” the President stated.

Along with the indexes for shelter and used cars and trucks, the indexes for

household furnishings and operations, apparel, new vehicles, and medical care increased in December.

According to the report, the all items index rose 7.0 percent for the 12 months ending December, the most

significant 12-month increase since June 1982.

The all items less food and energy index rose 5.5 percent, the most considerable 12-month change since the period ending February 1991. The energy index

rose 29.3 percent over the last year, and the food index increased 6.3 percent.

“Inflation is a global challenge, appearing in virtually every developed nation as it emerges from the pandemic economic slump,” the

President asserted.

“America is fortunate that we have one of the fastest-growing economies— thanks in part to the American Rescue Plan—which enables us to address price increases and maintain

strong, sustainable economic growth. That is my goal, and I am focused on reaching it every day.”

(Stacy M. Brown is NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent)

Black America salutes CEO Robert F. Smith for accelerating racial equity and the spirit of giving (BlackPressUSA)—Today we are witnessing an increased spirit of giving to help underserved communities across the United States. The Black Press of America acknowledges and takes public note of both the responsibilities and the opportunities for corporate leaders to be “Thy Sisters and Brothers Keepers.” Good social corporate responsibility matters.

This is particularly true in communities of color, which continue to be mired in poverty and insufficient access to transformative economic improvement opportunities. One of the

Benjamin F. Chavis Jr.

Commentary key indicators of economic advancement and sustainability in today’s global marketplace is the extent to which effective community-based organizations have access to equity funding and high-tech innovations.

With 2021 behind us and preparations and commitments now being made for 2022, we are revisiting the progress accomplished by a leading African American entrepreneur and corporate leader, Robert F. Smith, who is helping to increase racial equity funding and bridge the digital divide in six southern cities where a large percentage of African

ROBERT F. SMITH AT US EMBASSY IN BERLIN, 2018 Americans now reside: Atlanta, Birmingham, Memphis, Houston, New Orleans and Charlotte.

Earlier last year, we highlighted the game-changing initiative that, along with PayPal CEO Dan Schulman, and BCG CEO Rich Lesser launched called the Southern Communities Initiative. This initiative is “A catalytic effort to coordinate and accelerate racial equity funding, programming, and convening organizations in six southern communities that are home to approximately 50 percent of the African American population.”

According to information recently posted on Smith’s dedicated website, we were pleased to learn that the Southern Communities Initiative already has identified, embraced and activated the following local leadership appointments and activations in those six states.

There are four racial equity pillars for the initiative: Wealth Creation—supporting Black-owned business growth and access to capital; Housing—providing access to resources that enable home ownership at fair rates and terms; Education / Workforce Development—creating advancement opportunities via formal education/skills training for minorities; and Health Equity—eliminating health disparities through equal access to quality, affordable healthcare.

There are also two racial equity enablers that are part of the initiative: Digital Access— providing access and adoption of affordable high-speed Internet solutions for low-income and minority households; and Physical Infrastructure—providing access to affordable, reliable real-estate and civil infrastructure to support minority families and businesses.

In each of the six states, there is a well-

known community servant and leader who has been designated as the “Community Lead” of the Southern Communities Initiative. In Atlanta, The Reverend Dr. Bernice King, Chief Executive Officer at The King Center, is the Lead. In Houston, the Lead is LaTanya Flix, Senior Vice President, DEI at Greater Houston Partnership. In Memphis, there is Sarah Lockridge-Steckel, Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder at The Collective Blueprint, while the Lead in Charlotte, NC is Janet LaBar, President & CEO at Charlotte Regional Business Alliance. In Birmingham, the Lead is J.W. Carpenter, Executive Director at Prosper Birmingham, and in New Orleans, it is Judy Morse, President & CEO at Urban League of Louisiana.

The philanthropy and corporate leadership of Robert F. Smith is appreciated by numerous recipients and Smith should be applauded for helping make a difference and providing hope to millions of people in underserved communities. The issues of economic equity and racial justice are still critical for the future of the nation.

Yet, the contributions of Smith and others appear to be gaining support because as of today more than 70 major corporate entities have now endorsed the Southern Communities Initiative.

The truth is there can be no real racial justice without the reality of sustainable racial equity and economic advancement of communities of color. We, therefore, without hesitation salute Robert F. Smith.

(Dr. Benjamin F, Chavis, Jr. is President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) and Executive Producer/Host of The Chavis Chronicles on PBS TV stations across the U.S. He can be reached at dr.bchavis@nnpa.org)

OPINION

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

JANUARY 19-25, 2022

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Enough to share

Guest Commentary More Pennsylvanians vaccinated will help fight the coronavirus The Wolf administration is right to point out that having more Pennsylvanians vaccinated is the best strategy to fight COVID-19 and avoid shutdown of schools, businesses and other institutions.

The administration said Jan. 11 that it has no plans to pursue another COVID-19 emergency declaration, or attempt new statewide mitigation measures or vaccine mandates, as the highly contagious omicron variant spreads quickly and overloads Pennsylvania’s hospitals.

“We are not considering further mitigation at this time,” Acting Secretary of Health Keara Klinepeter said at a news conference. Instead, she said, the Health Department is pushing more residents to get vaccinated and taking steps to support hospitals hit by severe staffing shortages and a wave of COVID-19 patients.

Gov. Tom Wolf, appearing on KDKA-AM radio in Pittsburgh, reiterated that vaccines are his administration’s strategy for fighting the spread of COVID-19.

“We can live lives a lot more freely than we could before and we don’t have to make the same harsh decisions we did two years ago. So we’re in a different place,” Wolf said.

If more Pennsylvanians are vaccinated, shutdowns particularly of schools will not be necessary. At the start of the pandemic nearly two years ago, Wolf ordered schools to shut down in-person instruction, issued a broad stay-at-home order, closed businesses deemed “non-life-sustaining” and ordered masks to be worn indoors and in public places where social distancing was impossible.

The governor has limited authority to order another statewide shutdown after a pushback from Republican lawmakers and voters.

Voters handed more authority over emergency disaster declarations to the General Assembly, and the state Supreme Court ended Wolf’s masking order in schools and child care centers, saying it lacked legal justification after the Republican-controlled Legislature voted in June to terminate Wolf’s COVID-19 emergency disaster declaration.

“I think certainly the constitutional authorities that the governor and that the secretary of health have are different at this time, and we’ve certainly heard people’s perspectives that they would like to be able to make local decisions,” Klinepeter said Tuesday.

“And so that’s really what we’re leaning on, is for people in local places of authority to make good public health decisions.”

The strategy of relying on increased vaccinations takes on a greater sense of urgency considering the fact that the Health Department expects new cases to peak in January, followed by a peak in hospitalizations in February and a peak in deaths in late February to early March.

Hospitals and nursing homes hit by severe staffing shortages have been sounding the alarm as largely unvaccinated COVID-19 patients fill hospital beds.

The Wolf administration said it is working to bring health care workers from out of state to help.

Statewide, more than 7,100 people are hospitalized with COVID-19, a pandemic record.

Republican lawmakers and voters who pushed back against statewide shutdowns should now be leading the push to get Pennsylvanians vaccinated.

(Reprinted from the Philadelphia Tribune)

Founded 1910

Rod Doss Editor & Publisher Stephan A. Broadus Assistant to the Publisher Allison Palm

Rob Taylor Jr.

Ashley Johnson

Office Manager

Managing Editor

Sales Director

John. H. Sengstacke

Editor & Publisher Emeritus (1912-1997)

(TriceEdneyWire.com)—Arguably, the two Democrats held in the greatest disdain nationally are Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema. Those two have single-handedly obstructed the President’s Build Back Better Bill (BBB), the agenda of the administration, and have frustrated objectives of the House and Senate Democratic caucuses. Their obstruction has caused the dreams of millions of rank-and-file Americans, who voted in support of President Biden and/or against the incompetence and vulgarity of Trump, to vanish in the proverbial “puff of smoke.”

Attitudes and opinions about them might differ if Americans had been given a cogent explanation of their obstruction of BBB. Instead, both have only offered the vaguest of rationales for their disagreement without a clue as to what substantive changes, short of scrapping significant portions of BBB, would mollify them. Disturbingly, their objections center on parts of BBB which provide the greatest benefit to large swaths of the citizenry, their own political party, and their own political futures.

Now, in the life of the nation, fewer critics are able to argue against global warming and the human impact on our environment. The emergence of a year-round wildfire season, catastrophic tornadoes in December, increasingly severe storms and atmospheric disturbances, melting glaciers and the resulting rising sea levels which threaten to submerge coastal cities, and deteriorating air quality have all been connected

Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.

Commentary to the human mismanagement of fossil fuels and natural resources. Yet Manchin, in the interest of the citizens of West Virginia, is opposed to enacting reforms in environmental laws that would have a remedial effect on the damage already done by humans. Although Sinema has been described as a supporter of environmental protection, her position on the environmental reforms in BBB has been described as uncertain.

Both Manchin and Sinema have expressed unwillingness to support legislation that lacks bi-partisan cooperation and reject modification to the current Senate filibuster. Yet, without the intervention of new Federal laws to protect voters rights, recent restrictive and suppressive laws passed by multiple Republican state legislatures will preemptively control the outcome of their state elections. These laws have the potential to reverse the outcomes of any election which displease state Republicans.

In a futile attempt to garner bi-partisan support for voter protection reform and thus avoid any consideration of filibuster revision, Manchin rejected

the For the People Act and advanced the Freedom to Vote Act. The Freedom to Vote Act offered sufficient voter protections to earn the endorsement of Stacy Abrams, but was summarily rejected by the same Republican Senators from which Manchin had assured his ability to gain support. Thus, this outcome requires Manchin and Sinema to choose between voter’s rights and the future security of our democracy or the Senate filibuster rule and destruction of their party’s platform.

The Biden/Harris team has made significant achievements during its first year and it would be an over-simplification to only blame any perceived shortcomings or the current legislative stagnation on the two recalcitrant Democratic Senators. Placing blame only provides a conjecture for failure and offers a target for our anger and frustration.

While I do not excuse the obstruction of Manchin and Sinema, there’s enough blame to share. This blame must be shared with the 50 Republican Senators who also fail to serve the interests of The People. The same imperatives that impact the constituents of their Democratic colleagues impact their own.

As we criticize Manchin and Sinema, we must be generous in our criticism of Republicans. Focusing our frustrations on Manchin and Sinema only insinuates a psychological pass to the Republicans and gives continuing permission to their organized obstruction.

(Dr. E. Faye Williams is National President of the National Congress of Black Women, Inc.)

The big truth: The big problem is the Big Lie (TriceEdneyWire.com)—It’s been a year since a mob of Trumpists violently attacked the U.S. Capitol. They wanted to stop Congress from affirming President Joe Biden’s victory. Some of them were out for blood. All of them were motivated by the former president’s Big Lie that he won the election but that his victory was stolen from him and his supporters.

That lie has been debunked by journalists and election officials—both Republicans and Democrats. It has been rejected by courts. But it has never been abandoned by Trump or his right-wing allies. And so one year after it fueled an attack on Congress and the Constitution, the Big Lie is still a big threat to our democracy.

The Big Lie causes big harms in lots of ways by fueling anger and mistrust about our elections among Trump’s base.

Many if not most Republican officials know that Trump’s Big Lie is not true. But they are cynical and corrupt enough to use it to justify new voter suppression laws and other schemes to overturn the will of the voters. Far-right activists have harassed and threatened election officials across the country. And they are trying to get elected to state and local positions that will give them the power to oversee future elections.

Donald Trump would love to go into the 2024 elections knowing that he has loyal Trumpists in place to reject or “find” as many votes as he needs to declare victory. That’s why Trump has endorsed the effort by Rep. Jody Hice to replace Georgia’s Republican secretary of state Brad Raffensperger. Raffensperger refused to embrace the Big Lie, stood up to Trump’s bullying, and respected the will of the voters. Hice has

Ben Jealous

Commentary promoted the Big Lie. That’s the kind of guy Trump wants deciding which votes to count—and not count—in 2024.

Trump has endorsed other secretary of state candidates, and his political henchman Steve Bannon in encouraging Trumpists to try to replace election officials at the local level.

Meanwhile, state legislators are making it easier for partisan Republicans in state legislatures to mess with vote counting by taking control from local officials—and even to simply override the will of the voters.

That is why we urgently need new federal voting rights legislation—and why we need senators and President Biden to work together to overcome “states’ rights” Republicans and their use of filibuster rules to block the Freedom to Vote Act and John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Both pieces of legislation take on both voter suppression and election subversion. The John Lewis Act would make it illegal for a public official to “willfully fail or refuse to certify” an election victory by the candidate who gets the most votes. The Freedom to Vote Act only allows local election administrators to be removed by the state if they have a legitimate cause to do so.

As Sen. Raphael Warnock said on Jan. 4, “Our democracy is in peril and time is

running out.”

“This is a moral moment,” Sen. Warnock said. Indeed it is.

There’s also another moral duty facing our elected leaders. And that’s finding out the truth about the Capitol insurrection and those who incited it, planned it, facilitated it, and have since tried to downplay or cover-up that assault on our democracy. Criminals need to be held accountable for their crimes—and not just those who smashed windows and attacked Capitol police.

Republicans love to talk tough about the rule of law, but now many of them are resisting the rule of law by trying to undermine and obstruct the House committee investigating the insurrection. And they’re trying to rewrite history, downplaying the violence and portraying its perpetrators as patriots.

The problem for them is that the violent reality of that day has been well documented. The same is true for other casualties of the Big Lie, including harassment and threats against election officials.

The Big Lie and all those who have spread it have created a dangerous reality in which millions of Americans falsely believe that President Joe Biden’s election was illegitimate and that Donald Trump should still be our president. And that makes them more willing to determine the outcome of elections through violence or the raw exercise of power.

In the year ahead, we need to defend democracy by answering the Big Lie with the truth, and by acting to defend our democracy at the ballot box.

(Ben Jealous serves as president of People For the American Way and Professor of Practice in the Africana Studies Department at the University of Pennsylvania.)

Democratic Sens. Manchin and Sinema kill any hopes for voting rights legislation (NNPA)—President Biden has whiffed in his attempts to persuade hold out Senate Democrats to go around or abolish the filibuster to get voting rights legislation through Congress.

The White House, led by the President, had engaged in a fiery campaign to push bills through that would protect voters against the cavalcade of suppression laws that have passed in Republican-led states in reaction to former President Donald Trump’s loss in the 2020 election.

Any hopes of getting legislation through was quashed when Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Arizona), and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) reiterated their refusal to change Senate rules so that the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act could pass.

The two renegade Democrats pre-empted President Biden’s visit to the Capitol in embarrassing fashion. Before he arrived, the duo took to the Senate floor to declare

Stacy M. Brown

Commentary they would not support any changes to the filibuster under any circumstances.

Unless the President and other Democrats miraculously find at least two Republicans vote favorably for changing the rules and cast ballots in favor of voting rights legislation, the push to blunt suppression through lawmakers will have died.

President Biden and administration officials had declared to get the bills passed by any means necessary.

“Like every other major civil rights bill that came along, if we miss the

first time, we come back and try it a second time,” President Biden offered. “We missed this time.”

In a conciliatory tone, the President described the harm that anti-voting laws may cause.

“And the state legislative bodies continue to change the law not as to who can vote, but who gets to count the vote—count the vote,” President Biden asserted.

“It’s about election subversion, not just whether or not people get to vote. Who counts the vote? That’s what this is about. That’s what makes this so different than anything else we’ve ever done.”

He continued: “I don’t know that we can get it done, but I know one thing: As long as I have a breath in me, as long as I’m in the White House, as long as I’m engaged at all, I’m going to be fighting to change the way these legislatures have moving.”

(Stacy M. Brown is NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent)

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FORUM

JANUARY 19-25, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

Even without the John Lewis Act, the Black vote is still feared (TriceEdneyWire.com)—Any potential legislative victory or success favoring a Democratic president and a Democratic-controlled House and Senate will automatically receive Republican obstruction. That is an undisputable fact.

Good-willed Republicans and Democrats must face this truth and accept the true motivations behind a lawmaker’s obstruction. This obstruction is a strategy borne out of fear.

The fear of losing Republican and Independent voters, along with the fear of having a bold and energized Black electorate, there is no doubt that people of all races and economic classes will benefit in different ways from bills like the Build Back Better Act. If you are a Republican lawmaker, unanimous opposition must be displayed against certain legislation. The truth lies in the belief that you cannot have the lives of your Republican constituents made better by laws initiated by Democratic lawmakers. The same Democratic lawmaker group whom you previously portrayed as being the “enemy”. Unfortunately, when a strategy of obstruction comes without any form of realistic alternatives, all of us (Republicans and Democrats) lose.

There have been very few U.S. presidents impeached throughout our history. Only one has the clear dishonor of being impeached twice within one four-year term. Americans have short memories when it comes to former President Trump and Ukraine. We must remember how the first impeachment centered on a phone call in which Trump pressed the president of Ukraine to find incriminating information on Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Nearly $400 million in security aid was withheld as a means of pressuring the Ukraine president. While no evidence of wrongdoing by Biden and his son was found, the events revealed how much Trump saw the former vice president as a potential threat. So why was Biden so much of a threat to force this type of reaction by Trump and his enablers?

There was a period during the crowded Democratic presidential primaries when the front-runner was not Joe Biden, but rather Senator Bernie Sanders. Sanders was an avowed socialist who received much of his support from millions of young voters. Biden, on the other hand, received much of his support from millions of Black voters. With Biden came the power of the Black vote. As a result, Biden as the Democratic nominee had the best chance of beating Trump in the general election, and the former president knew it. If you are a person of color, you are feared as a voter. Republican leadership will always fear the consolidation of the Black vote along with the candidate who shows the best ability to it unite and mobilize it.

Today Black voters are greatly concerned and

David W. Marshall

Commentary frustrated. There are two bills that are important to the hearts of those in the Black community which passed the Democratic-controlled House but were unable to make it through the Senate. President Biden is seen by many as someone who has not delivered on voting rights and police reform. For Republicans, it will be mission accomplished if they can continue to weaken Biden’s current standing among Black voters while eroding the enthusiasm of Black voters in upcoming elections nationwide. We already seen the enthusiasm gap and its impact on the Virginia gubernatorial race. The state house went from the Democrats to a Trump hand-picked Republican.

But is this really all Joe Biden’s fault? We should remember our civics lessons when considering the roadblocks by Democratic Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin. Where Senate Republicans are unwavering in their opposition to The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, Democrats are not one hundred percent unified in their support of the president’s domestic agenda. Our civic lesson reminds us that it takes both the executive and the legislative branches to get bills into law. Any person who is president and is looking out for the interest of the Black community will also need the support in Congress and the Senate. Biden does not have the needed support in the legislative branch. There are five sitting U.S. Senators and a sitting Vice President who like Joe Biden sought the Democratic nomination. If Biden was not the nominee, it is likely Donald Trump with his 70 million votes would have won reelection.

Suppose Bernie Sanders won the presidency.

Could he as president get Sinema and Manchin to shift their positions on filibuster reform? He was unable to do so as Senator.

After all of the talk about the Big Lie and the stolen election, South Dakota Republican Senator Mike Rounds came clean. When the Senator was asked about Republicans who believe the election was stolen he replied, “We looked—as part of our due diligence, we looked at over 60 different accusations made in multiple states.

While there were some irregularities, there were none of the irregularities which would have risen to the point where they would have changed the vote outcome in a single state.” Some Republicans are beginning to realize that with the Big Lie comes the potential for it to backfire.

There is growing concern that GOP turnout can be suppressed because of the falsehoods being spread. This is blamed for Republicans losing two Georgia Senate races in 2020. Black Americans have always been resilient people. There are some who will lose hope because of recent political setbacks, but if ill-willed Republicans are scared to death of Black people voting then why stop?

(David W. Marshall is founder of the faith based organization, TRB: The Reconciled Body, and author of the book “God Bless Our Divided America”. He can be reached at www.davidwmarshallauthor.com)

Can progressive district attorneys save America’s soul?

Ta-Nehisi Coates became a nationally known figure after writing the reasons why America needs to atone for the original sin of slavery by paying reparations to Black Americans. But in My Heroes Your Stamps an essay Coates wrote for The Atlantic, he discussed the pushback he received for admitting he never heard of Augustine of Hippo.

Augustine of Hippo, also known as Saint Augustine, is considered the most influential theologian in Christian history. More importantly, Saint Augustine is best known for developing the Christian doctrine of original sin. That means there was a time Coates chastised America for its original sin of slavery, but he didn’t know the origin of the doctrine.

Of course, one doesn’t need to know the history of original sin to use it as an analogy, but it proves that many thinkers are heavily influenced by Christian doctrines without being aware of it.

John McWhorter’s new book Woke Racism: How a New Religion has betrayed Black America compares aspects of today’s progressive movement to aspects of Christianity. America’s original sin of slavery has morphed into systemic racism. White people are born with the stain of unearned privilege and they need to repent. The victims of White supremacy and power differentials shall inherit the redistribution of America’s wealth. Finally, progressives that insist “America must come to terms with its past” are conjuring up images of judgment day.

However, McWhorter doesn’t expound on

J. Pharoah Doss

Check It Out the core doctrine of Christianity.

That doctrine states humanity is in a fallen state due to the original sin that took place in Eden. Therefore, every human being is born in sin and incapable of following The Law. Then God sent his son to die for the remission of sin saving humanity from its fallen state.

A “woke version” of this core doctrine may have influenced newly elected officials that are dedicated to criminal justice reform.

That version states it’s not humanity that needs redemption, it’s America, and those that can’t follow the law need to be saved from mass incarceration, which are the remnants of America’s original sin.

For example, Alvin Bragg, Manhattan’s newly elected progressive and first Black district attorney, announced his plan to make the city safer and the criminal justice system fairer. Bragg’s office will no longer prosecute not paying public transportation fare, trespassing, prostitution, obstructing governmental administration in certain cases, and resisting arrest. Bragg will also insist on lesser charges for low-level drug offenders, burglaries, and low-level store

robberies, and lesser charges if a suspect “displays a dangerous instrument but does not create a genuine risk of physical harm.”

Bragg stated the policy changes will make his district safer and free up prosecutorial resources to focus on violent crimes.

He emphasized his commitment to making incarceration a last resort and said, “We will be tough when we need to be, but we will not be seeking to destroy lives through unnecessary incarceration.”

Of course, New York City’s Police Commissioner, Keechant Sewell, a Black woman, and the first woman to hold that position in New York, voiced her concerns.

Sewell stated she studied what the DA’s office would decline to prosecute or downgrade and is very concerned about the safety of the New York police officers, the safety of the public, and is concerned about justice for victims. She also stated she believed in criminal justice reform, but in reform that makes sense when applied collaboratively. Sewell added, “I am concerned about sweeping edicts that seem to remove discretion, not just from police officers but also from Assistant District Attorneys regarding what crimes to prosecute and how to charge them.”

The president of the Police Benevolent Association complained, “There are already too many people who believe they can commit crimes, resist arrest, interfere with police officers, and face zero consequences.”

Bragg told the press he didn’t understand the pushback.

It’s simple, those pushing back don’t want America’s soul saved at the city’s expense.

Wilkinsburg residents should be able to vote our own future What does the future hold for Wilkinsburg? We are at a critical tipping point —right now Pittsburgh City Council is deciding the fate of our community. Will we be given the right to vote? Will they allow us to have a say in the future of our community and decide what’s best for our Black residents?

The truth is the people of Wilkinsburg have been silently voting on the borough’s fate for years by leaving, or by sending their children to charter schools. Wilkinsburg’s population has declined by 25 percent in the last two decades, with my fellow Black neighbors leaving at TWICE the rate of other residents. But we don’t need census data to tell us people are leaving Wilkinsburg, we can just walk down any street and count the vacant properties. Whether you’re a renter or a homeowner—vacancy, blight and population loss affects all of us. We can’t just sit back and allow our neighborhood to decline until the borough runs out of cash (and is forced to raise taxes again) - we

Michael Rose

Commentary need to rebuild a Black community like Wilkinsburg on the strongest foundation possible for all of its residents.

Forget business development. Forget tax rates. Let’s focus on real, tangible things—the people of Wilkinsburg. The oldest and sometimes only avenue to wealth accumulation for Black people is property ownership, yet the majority of residents are renters—coming in and out of Wilkinsburg and sharing no sense of community pride or ownership. Let’s help to give them roots.

The City of Pittsburgh offers a variety of critical resources, including down

payment and closing cost assistance programs that can make the dream of owning a home a reality for more residents. The City also offers programs like the small landlord fund, which provides low-interest loans for much-needed improvement projects.

As a former Wilkinsburg councilman, I was on the financial committee for four years. I crunched the numbers and strongly believe that merging with Pittsburgh is our best and only solution. There are too many small townships trying to go it alone, and failing. Now is the time to come together and forge a path toward growth and prosperity for our region, and for the people of Wilkinsburg.

Pittsburgh City Council—please let our voices be heard. The members of Council don’t know what’s best for the Black residents of Wilkinsburg. Support the annexation referendum and let us vote on the future of our own community.

(Michael Rose is a former Wilkinsburg Councilman and Wilkinsburg Resident for 35 Years.)

The maladjusted madness of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (TriceEdneyWire.com)—From the third Monday of January, the federal holiday commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, through the end of February, Black History Month, Dr. King will be quoted, lionized, referenced, and deified by the kleptomaniacs who sample Dr. King as blatantly as hip-hop artists sample classic Motown. He will be taken out of context, a moral giant whose words are often distorted by the moral midgets who can only quote one or two lines from his “I Have A Dream” speech. As the battle around voting rights rages in the United States Senate, there are likely those who have forgotten how dedicated King was to voting rights and how often he risked his life for the right to vote.

As people celebrated Dr. King’s birthday on January 17, few will remember how long it took for the day to become a holiday.

Thousands thronged to Washington, DC every cold January from King’s death until Stevie Wonder’s Happy Birthday song propelled the federal holiday from a concept to a reality in 1983. How many remember the warrior Congressman John Conyers, the indefatigable leader who rallied folks to advocate for a holiday, also tirelessly introducing reparations legislation every congressional session from 1989 until his 2017 retirement from the House of Representatives?

Many now view the King holiday as a day off work, not a moment of civic reflection.

Some retail establishments even make a sale date out of it. On January 17, the King holiday, USA Today listed “the 48 best MLK Day sales to shop right now.” Turning the King holiday into the ultimate capitalistic playground captures our nation’s ambivalence with King. While he struggled to free people from the predatory capitalistic bondage of the “thingification” of life, many in our country have embraced his legacy as

Julianne Malveaux

News Analysis another shopping opportunity.

As long as we embrace only the surface King, we can smooth out his edges, ignore his passionate opposition to the Vietnam war, forget his searing criticism of poverty, and turn him into a kumbaya King. King elevated the “creative maladjustment of a nonconforming minority in a country that encourages conformity.” He spoke of this maladjustment, often, in his speeches, about preferring to be a “drum major for justice” than a follower of consumer trends.

He spoke of the “audacity,” the temerity, the nerve, the sheer madness of believing that in a capitalist economy, people could eat, learn and thrive.

King’s commitment to maladjustment was partly his dissatisfaction with the status quo, but some psychiatrists suggest that his embracing maladjustment may also have had to do with the several depressive episodes he had. It takes nothing from his legacy but instead elevates it when we speak of the depression that King may have experienced. He attempted suicide twice as a teen and was occasionally hospitalized for nervous exhaustion, which Tuft University Professor of Psychiatry Nassir Ghaemi suggests is evidence of manic depressive tendencies. He explores King and other leaders in his book, A First-Rate Madness: Uncovering the Link Between Leadership and Mental Illness (Penguin Books, 2012).

In 1967, some of his inner circle spoke to Dr. King about his depression and suggested he seek help. But with the FBI racist psychopath J. Edgar Hoover bugging his offices and bedrooms, King could not be sure of confidentiality, even from a trusted therapist.

Further, there was such stigma about mental illness that vice presidential candidate Thomas Eagleton was dropped from the McGovern ticket when his bouts with depression were made public.

Imagine the derision King might have encountered when, at the nadir of his popularity (with 72 percent of Whites and 55 percent of Blacks disapproving of him), he sought help for mental health. Today, mental health professionals estimate that as many as 5 million Black men experience depression. Most do not seek help. We need to see Dr. King as brilliantly accomplished and marvelously human, with all the imperfections that come with humanity.

To be maladjusted is to be discontent.

Activists are, by nature, discontent. They want our nation to be better, to be the democracy it pretends to be. They want our country to be fairer, to provide opportunities for everyone, not just the wealthy. Dr. King’s dear friend, Rev. Joe Lowery, said, “to achieve social change, you have to be maladjusted. All of the leaders of the movement were a little crazy, including Martin.”

We must embrace Dr. King and his maladjusted madness in all of its complexity.

We must examine the burden of leadership, the mental health challenges so many leaders face, and the ways we must prioritize self-care even as we struggle for social and economic justice. It is not the kumbaya King, but the brilliantly imperfect one, that ought to be our role model.

(Dr. Julianne Malveaux is an economist, author, and Dean of the College of Ethnic Studies at Cal State LA. Juliannemalveaux.com)

New Pittsburgh Courier

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JANUARY 19-25, 2022

www.newpittsburghcourier.com

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HUMAN RESOURCE/PAYROLL & BENEFIT SPECIALIST UNITED WAY OF SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA PITTSBURGH OFFICE The Human Resource/Payroll & Benefit Specialist administers the full suite of human resources and payroll services to the entire regional organization, including employees and contingent workers. They engage with staff at every phase of the employment cycle while also managing back-end processes like bi-weekly payroll, invoice reconciliation, audit requests, and data entry/reporting for HR systems. The Specialist manages vendor relationships and negotiates rates with health insurance companies, insurance brokers, staffing agencies, and other suppliers.

Required: Bachelor’s degree and experience in human resource, payroll and benefit administration. 5 to 10+ years of experience in a variety of human resources disciplines with a solid understanding of legal and regulatory requirements.

Preferred: Advanced degree preferred (or equivalent combination of education and experience) PHR (Professional Human Resource) or SPHR (Senior Professional Human Resource) certification desirable.

Visit our website at https://uwswpa.org/careers/ to view job description and apply for this position. Submissions will only be accepted electronically.

The United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer committed to workplace diversity, serving Allegheny, Butler, Westmoreland, Fayette, and Armstrong counties.

211 CONTACT CENTER TECHNOLOGY SPECIALIST UNITED WAY OF SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA PITTSBURGH OFFICE 211 is a nationally recognized service that connects people in need to community resources. The Pittsburgh office that currently services 30 counties across PA, including the Erie and Philadelphia regions, is seeking a 211 Contact Center Technology Specialist. This professional should be a highly motivated, energetic, and technologically driven person to help the 211 Contact Center continue to evolve and grow. If you are a “techie”, then 211 is looking for you! Under the direction of the Operations Manager, the Technology Specialist will focus on the technology side of the 2-1-1 system, assisting with automated D a t a Tr a n s f e r s a n d s p e c i a l reporting, IVR/EIVR and Telephony Services, and the Workforce Management System. The Technology Specialist must have excellent communication and organizational skills including the ability to manage priorities to meet strict deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

Required BS or AD in technology-related field or the equivalent combination of education and experience.

Preferred non-profit or volunteer experience, workforce management experience, and WordPress or other CMS website management tools are a plus.

Visit our website at https://uwswpa.org/careers/ to view job description and apply for this position. Submissions will only be accepted electronically.

The United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer committed to workplace diversity, serving Allegheny, Butler, Westmoreland, Fayette, and Armstrong counties

CONTACT CENTER SUPERVISOR UNITED WAY OF SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA PITTSBURGH OFFICE 211 is a nationally recognized service that connects people in need to community resources. The Pittsburgh office that currently services 30 counties across PA, including the Erie and Philadelphia regions, is seeking a 211 Contact Center Supervisor. The Contact Center Supervisor will supervise the day-today activities necessary to operate the PA 211 Southwest Contact Center and should be analytical, flexible, and prepared to act as the primary support for his/her navigator team under the direction of the Human Services Senior Manager. This position will utilize call center technology such as Work Force Management, Telephony Reporting tools and Quality Metrics to ensure their team is operating to their full potential.

As the Contact Center Supervisor, you will be supervising both people and processes: Interviewing potential candidates for Contact Center positions, monitoring schedule adherence to insure adequate staffing, and act as the first point of contact for Lead Resource Navigators wit escalation concerns. This position will continue to support the navigator team after training by monitoring their progress, ensuring that they understand and meet the UWSWPA expectations while providing them with ongoing coaching opportunities for success.

Required BS in social work or human services related field. Preferred AD or High School Diploma with minimum of 3 years’ experience as a 211 Resource Navigator.

Visit our website at https://uwswpa.org/careers/ to view job description and apply for this position. Submissions will only be accepted electronically.

The United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer committed to workplace diversity, serving Allegheny, Butler, Westmoreland, Fayette, and Armstrong counties.

ACCOUNTANT III Maintain financial records and ensures that financial transactions are properly recorded. Ensures the accuracy of entries to the general ledger. Seeking an independent, self-starter who is detailed oriented and highly adept at problem solving. Degree in Business, Accounting, or Finance with 5 years exp. Details at www.spcregion.org EEO/AA/M/F/Vet/Disability Employer SOUTH FAYETTE TWP. SCHOOL DISTRICT is seeking an ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LONG-TERM SUBSTITUTE CLASSROOM TEACHER Complete job description and directions on how to apply are available at: www.southfayette.org Applications must be received by 4:00 PM January 25, 2022 SOUTH FAYETTE TWP. SCHOOL DISTRICT is seeking a MAINTENANCE MANAGER: Complete job description and directions on how to apply are available at: www.southfayette.org Deadline 4:00 PM, January 21, 2022 EOE

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APPLICATION SOFTWARE PRODUCT MANAGER Port Authority is seeking an Application Software Product Manager to oversee application software lifecycle and allocation, including requirements definition, purchase coordination, licensing management (both vendor and internal customer), quality assurance, and contract renewals.

Systems include extranet, intranet, mobile applications, administrative, collaborative and communications applications.

Essential Functions: •Responsible for overseeing software application lifecycle. This includes doing needs analysis with internal customers, defining purchase requirements (or coordinating same for internal development), coordinating purchasing documentation, managing licensing and contract renewals, and ensuring quality assurance testing is completed on both internal and purchased software.

Active and hands on involvement in the entire lifecycle of the applications management process in a team environment.

•Allocate, track, and ensure that software licensing is granted as needed to internal customers and is within contract terms.

•Leads projects to achieve roadmap goals: interfaces, coordinates efforts with consultants, vendors and internal personnel to assist in successful project completion.

Job requirements include: •BS in Computer Science or related field from an accredited school. Related experience may be substituted for education on a year-for-year basis.

•Two years of quality assurance & testing plan development and execution •Three years of software license management experience •Prior system architecture design experience.

•Experience with modern Windows desktop and server environments.

Preferred attributes: •Experience with Microsoft Enterprise, Oracle or Adobe VIP/LGA or similar licensing programs and management systems.

•Strong organizational skills, including attention to detail.

•Strong communication skills in written and verbal modes.

Experience with Microsoft collaborative and communications technologies, such as SharePoint, Teams, M365 and O365 components.

We offer a comprehensive compensation and benefits package. Interested candidates should forward a cover letter (with salary requirements) and resume to:

Amy Giammanco Employment Department 345 Sixth Avenue, 3rd Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15222-2527 AGiammanco@portauthority.org EOE WOMEN’S CENTER & SHELTER OF GREATER PITTSBURGH (WC&S) is a comprehensive domestic violence program hiring a wide variety of positions right now. If you’re energized by survivor-centered advocacy, go to wcscanhelp.org to learn more and apply. Competitive wages, comprehensive benefits package, and a supportive environment!

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Unfurnished Apartments

MANAGER OF ADMINISTRATIVE APPLICATIONS Port Authority is seeking a Manager of Administrative Applications to be responsible for managing the software application lifecycle, project requests and licensing of ERP and related systems. Supervises a team that is responsible for the day-today management of these systems Essential Functions: •Responsible for overseeing software application lifecycle. This includes doing needs analysis with internal customers, defining purchase requirements (or coordinating same for internal development), coordinating purchasing documentation, managing licensing and contract renewals, and ensuring quality assurance testing is completed on both internal and purchased software and, setting the technical standards for software development. Active and hands on involvement in the entire life-cycle of the development process in a team environment.

•Supervise and manage application developers and related staff. Adhere to standards and project roadmap timelines. Provide guidance and training of team members. Establishes goals and objectives for staff and evaluates performance on a timely basis.

•Work with IT leadership to develop and maintain a project roadmap.

Job requirements include: •BS in Computer Science or related field from an accredited school.

Related experience may be substituted for the education on a year-for-year basis.

•Strong communication skills, both in verbal and written modes; ability to analyze customers’ needs through effective communications.

•Two years of quality assurance & testing plan development and execution experience.

•Two years of experience in a supervisor or project management role (team lead, manager, or similar).

•Prior system architecture design experience.

•Experience with modern Windows desktop and server environments.

Preferred attributes: •Experience with Microsoft collaborative and communications technologies, such as SharePoint, Teams, M365 and O365 components.

•Development experience with ERP software such as PeopleSoft PeopleTools and related application development tools.

•Software license management experience.

•Experience with integrating packaged and custom software.

•Experience with Agile SCRUM development.

DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC PLANNING Port Authority is seeking a Director of Strategic Planning who will be responsible for developing and implementing an enterprise performance approach, using data and analytics, to support Port Authority’s current and future operations, planning, and capital projects. These functions would be performed to identify innovative opportunities to lower organizational costs, develop and maintain enterprise management tools for executing organizational plans, expand Port Authority’s funding toolkit, and serve as the organization’s Champion for establishing and meeting performance goals and measures. This position will provide leadership and direction to staff in implementing strategic planning initiatives and objectives.

Advises and collaborates with the Leadership Team, Directors, and Managers on program management strategies for financial sustainability, interagency coordination, policy development, decision support systems and data programs. The incumbent will oversee major organizational initiatives based in Strategy; knowledge management fra m ewor k, or ganizat ion r isk assessments, change management processes and represent agency interests at public hearings, board/ council meetings and regional transportation forums.

Essential Functions: •Engage in long-range strategic planning on planned and prospective agency capital projects.

•Quantitative data analysis to support Port Authority operations, planning, and project development.

•Management of strategic initiatives such as, but not limited to, grants administration, value capture and/ or joint development strategies, and similar long-range strategic initiatives.

Job requirements include: •Bachelor’s degree in business, planning, public administration, organizational leadership, or a related field is required.

•Minimum of five (5) years of professional experience leading key business activities related to strategy improvements, risk assessment and mitigation, project management, contract administration or budgeting and scheduling.

•Minimum three (3) years of staff supervisory experience is required; emphasis on transit operations is preferred.

•Knowledge of laws, ordinances, rules, and regulation related to transportation and standards for public works and public transportation.

•Knowledge of advanced enterprise performance management; methods and techniques of tracking, recording, and presenting statistical data.

•Knowledge of project life cycle of conceptualization, planning, execution, and termination.

•Ability to define problem areas and evaluate, recommend, and implement alternative solutions to resolve complex organizational challenges.

•Ability to establish cooperative relations with staff, contractors, consultants, technical committees, community and industry organizations, representatives of federal, state, regional, and city agencies and the general public.

•Ability to lead a team of diverse individuals though successful implementation of special projects and initiatives.

•Knowledge of project scheduling and budget administration.

•Strong written and verbal communication skills; strong listening skills.

•Strong presentation skills and the ability to communicate to groups; ability to convey technical information to non-technical audiences.

•Exceptional strategizing, decision-making, and problem-solving abilities.

•Ability to work well without close supervision and demonstrates initiative.

•Ability to manage stress in fast-paced work environment.

Preferred attributes: •Master’s degree is preferred

NORTH SIDE RESIDENCES Project-Based Section 8 Affordable Housing on the North Side of Pittsburgh 1-, 2-, 3-, 4- AND 5- BEDROOM Waiting List will be open from February 14th-28th 2022!

Call 412-322-7533 Or Stop by the Management Office: 1300 Brighton Road Pittsburgh, PA 15233 Criminal and Credit Check Required

We offer a comprehensive compensation and benefits package. Interested candidates should forward a cover letter (with salary requirements) and resume to:

Employment Department 345 Sixth Avenue, 3rd Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15222-2527 @portauthority.org EOE

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America’s Best Weekly 315 East Carson Street Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Classifieds 412-481-8302 Ext. 140

E-mail:

ads@newpittsburghcourier.com Deadline/Closing/Cancellation Schedule for copy, corrections, and cancellations: Friday

noon preceding Wednesday publication

We offer a comprehensive compensation and benefits package. Interested candidates should forward a cover letter (with salary requirements) and resume to: Missy Ramsey Employment Department 345 Sixth Avenue, 3rd Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15222-2527 MRamsey@portauthority.org EOE

LEGAL ADVERTISING Legal Notices

Estate of GEORGE SWOPE, a/k/a GEORGE TINO SWOPE, Deceased of Pittsburgh, PA 15235, No. 08511 of 2021, Jennifer Swope McCracken, Adm., 10703 Enclave Court, Louisville, KY 40229 or to Sheila M. Ford, Atty, 6419 Stanton Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206

NOTICE FOR PUBLICATION

In the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny, Orphans’ Court Division, Estate of MARIE M. STUBBS, deceased, Case No. 022108959: Notice is hereby given that on December 10, 2021, a Petition was filed by Cierra Stitt to terminate the interests of the heirs and devisees of Marie M. Stubbs, deceased, in the real estate located at 1421 Marlboro Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15221 and to determine that fee simple title is in Cierra Stitt. If no exceptions to the Petition are filed prior to February 9, 2022, Cierra Stitt will seek an Order adjudging that she is vested the title of Marie M. Stubbs.

Estate of BEATRICE E. COLEMAN, Deceased of Pittsburgh, PA, Estate No.: 07294 of 2021, David A. Coleman, Sr. Executor, C/o A. Jean Cason-Wynter, Esq., 504 Arthur Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219

ANNOUNCEMENTS Meetings

The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh’s Board of Commissioners passed a resolution on 12/16/21 to hold its 2022 monthly meetings on the following Thursdays in 2022.

The meetings will be held via Zoom Teleconferencing., on the following dates: Thursday, January 27, 2022 Thursday, February 24, 2022 Thursday, March 24, 2022 Thursday, April 28, 2022 Thursday, May 26, 2022 Thursday, June 23, 2022 Thursday, July 28, 2022 NO BOARD MEETING IN AUGUST Thursday, September 22, 2022 Thursday, October 27, 2022 NO BOARD MEETING IN NOVEMBER Thursday, December 15, 2022 MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY The Community College of Allegheny County Board of Trustees will hold a meeting on February 3, 2022. The meeting will be held virtually beginning at 4:30 p.m. and streamed on CCAC’s YouTube page. A copy of the Board meeting agenda will be made available for review on the College’s website (www.ccac.edu) Comments regarding items scheduled for action by the Board may be submitted via email to brichardson@ccac.edu by no later than 3:00 p.m. on the date of the meeting. Comments will be read into the record, up to a maximum of three minutes each.

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JANUARY 19-25, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

LEGAL ADVERTISING

LEGAL ADVERTISING

Bids/Proposals

Bids/Proposals

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LEGAL ADVERTISEMENT INVITATION FOR BID CONTRACT NO. ACHA-1670, LAWNCARE SERVICE Allegheny County Housing Authority (ACHA) is seeking bids from qualified vendors to provide lawn care maintenance for two ACHA properties, Meyer Ridge and Pleasant Ridge both located in McKees Rocks, PA. ACHA is now conducting all competitive solicitation on an internet-based eProcurement Housing Marketplace. ACHA is paying for all costs for the use of the Marketplace so, there will be no additional charges for your company to use the Marketplace to download documents or submit responses to ACHA. AGENCY CONTACT PERSON (NOTE: Unless otherwise specified, any reference herein to “Contracting Officer” or “(CO)” shall be a reference to Guy Phillips.)

Guy Phillips, Purchasing Manager Telephone: (412)402-2435 E-mail: gphillips@achsng.com

HOW TO OBTAIN THE IFB DOCUMENTS ON THE EPROCUREMENT MARKETPLACE

Download and Respond to this Solicitation 1.Access ha.internationaleprocurement.com (no “www”).

2.Click on the “Login” button in the upper left side.

3.Follow the listed directions.

4.If you have any problems in accessing or registering on the eProcurement Marketplace, please call customer support at (866)526-9266.

PRE-BID CONFERENCE NOTE: Job Walk Attendance is not Mandatory but Highly Encouraged.

Prospective bidders should attend the pre-bid conference (job walk).

The purpose is to consider prospective bidders’ questions and concerns on the proposed project(s).

Friday, February 4, 2022 @ 1:00 PM ET Meyers Ridge 901 Gray Street McKees Rocks, PA 15136

QUESTION SUBMITTAL DEADLINE

Friday, February 18, @ 2:00 PM ET

HOW TO FULLY RESPOND TO THIS IFB BY SUBMITTING A BID SUBMITTAL

1.As directed within Section 3.2.1 of the IFB document, submit proposed pricing, where provided for, within the eProcurement Marketplace.

2.As instructed within Section 3.0 of the IFB document, submit 1 copy of your “hard copy” proposal to the Allegheny County Housing Authority, Attn: Guy Phillips, 301 Chartiers Ave, McKees Rocks, PA 15136

BID SUBMITAL RETURN & DEADLINE

*Friday, February 25, 2022, 10:00 AM ET 301 Chartiers Ave, McKees Rocks, PA 15136 (The proposed costs must be entered within the aforementioned eProcurement Marketplace and the “hard copy” documentation must be received in-hand and timestamped by the Agency by no later than 10:00 AM ET on this date).

ALLEGHENY COUNTY HOUSING AUTHORITY Frank Aggazio, Executive Director

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SERVICES FOR SEED PROPERTIES The Board of Director of the SIXTH ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT DEVELOPMENT INC. (SEED) is seeking qualified bidders for its Property Management Services Agreement.

Background The SEED Board of Directors is seeking proposals from property management companies, to provide Property Management Services for SEED Properties, a 37-unit Permanent Housing Development. The property is in Elmer Williams Square, which is in the Larimer community of the City of Pittsburgh.

The Property Management Services agreement will include, but not be limited to, the following duties and responsibilities: 1) Lease execution, including explaining the lease and all attachments.

2) Collection of rent and charges in addition to rent.

3) Lease enforcement.

4) Full maintenance repair of the development.

5) Full responsibility for hiring and firing of staff, and staff training.

6) Annual unit inspections.

7) Unit turnover, including preparing vacated units for re-leasing and leasing.

8) Capital improvements and repairs.

9) Purchase of all required supplies and services. Full fiscal management responsibilities including preparing annual operating budgets, monthly financial reporting and keeping expenses and income within approved budget expectations.

10) Providing weekly and monthly reports as specified by the SEED Board of Directors.

Contract Term The Owner will enter a two-year contract for Property Management Services, with an option to renew the contract for an additional two years. All contract renewals will be at the Owners discretion.

Letter of Interest Prospective bidders should submit a Letter of Interest to SEED PO BOX 27086 Pittsburgh PA 15235 or send an email to seedevelopmentinc@gmail.com , no later than 5:00 pm on Friday January 28, 2022.

SEED will conduct a pre - bid conference for those parties who wish to participate in this procurement and submit a Letter of Interest. Please be advised that submission of a Letter of Interest and attendance at the Pre bid conference are mandatory requirements.

2022 ANNUAL CRACK SEALING CONTRACT 2022 ANNUAL STREET RESURFACING PROGRAM Please refer to https://www.twpusc. org/business/bid_information.php, for details regarding specifications and Bidding requirements.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL HEALTH BENEFITS CONSULTING SERVICES The Westmoreland County Housing Authority (WCHA) is seeking qualified consultants/individuals who specialize in health-related benefit consulting services for the Au th o ri ty ’s b e nefi t programs (excluding pension). Respondents must be licensed and/or registered to provide such services in Pennsylvania.

Interested respondents can obtain hard copy bid documents from the WCHA Administration Office at the address listed above. Electronic bid documents are available for download at www.wchaonline.com. Inquiries and registration can be emailed to lindam@wchaonline.com.

Prospective bidders shall register with WCHA via email in accordance with the bid requirements.

Matthew R. Serakowski Township Manager

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Bids/Proposals

Bids/Proposals

Public Notice

PORT AUTHORITY OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY Electronic Proposals will be received online at the Port Authority of Allegheny County’s Ebusiness website (http://ebusiness.portauthority.org).

Proposals/bid submittals will be due 11:00 AM on February 11, 2022 and will be read at 11:15 AM., the same day, at Port Authority’s Heinz location (345 Sixth Avenue, Third Floor, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-2527) as well as through your web browser via Microsoft Teams video conferencing, for the following:

Electronic Proposal - Ebusiness website (http://ebusiness.portauthority.org)

1 2 3 4

Bid Number B21295 B220101A B220102A B220103A

Bid Name LRV Control Printed Circuit Boards Equipment Cleaner Coach Radiator Assemblies Janitorial Supplies - General

To join by Microsoft Team video conference: https://bit.ly/3qbUQ7q

The Authority encourages responses from §3 business concerns, small firms, minority firms and firms that have not previously performed work for the ACHA. The Allegheny County Housing Authority reserves the right to reject any and all submissions.

OFFICIAL BID NOTICE TOWNSHIP OF UPPER ST. CLAIR Sealed and separate bids will be received by the Township of Upper St. Clair, 1820 McLaughlin Run Road, Upper St. Clair, PA 15241, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania until 9:00 a.m., Tuesday, February 15, 2022 and the BIDS will be publicly opened and read thereafter in the Lower Level Training Room in the Township Building at the same address for the following:

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To join by Microsoft Teams call-in number: • 412-927-0245 United State, Pittsburgh (Toll) • Conference ID: 321 018 769#

No bidder may withdraw a submitted Proposal for a period of 75 days after the scheduled time for opening of the sealed bids.

A Pre-Bid Conference will be held via tele-conference on each of the above items at 10:00 am January 27, 2022, as well as through your web browser via Microsoft Teams video conference.

To join by Microsoft Team video conference: https://bit.ly/3f92OYF To join by Microsoft Teams call-in number: • 412-927-0245 United State, Pittsburgh (Toll) • Conference ID: 349 430 360# Attendance at this meeting is not mandatory, but is strongly encouraged.

Questions regarding any of the above bids will not be entertained by the Port Authority within five (5) business days of the scheduled bid opening.

These contracts may be subject to a financial assistance contract between Port Authority of Allegheny County and the United States Department of Transportation. The Contractor will be required to comply with all applicable Equal Employment Opportunity laws and regulations.

Contractor is responsible for expenses related to acquiring a performance bond and insurance where applicable. All items are to be FOB delivered unless otherwise specified. Costs for delivery, bond, and insurance shall be included in bidder’s proposal pricing.

Port Authority of Allegheny County hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively insure that in regard to any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprise will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in consideration for an award.

The Board of Port Authority reserves the right to reject any or all bids EAST LIBERTY PENN CIRCLE TWO-WAY CONVERSION SITE PREPARATION NO. 6 BID INVITATION: The URBAN REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY of Pittsburgh will receive bids from PennDOT Pre-Qualified contractors only for the two-way conversion of Penn Circle along Station Street and Euclid Avenue; in the East Liberty neighborhood of the City of Pittsburgh, and all work incidental there to required to complete the East Liberty Penn Circle: Two-Way Conversion Site Preparation Contract No. 6.

Respondents will be required to submit their PennDOT pre-qualification number with their bid submission.

Bids will be accepted no later than 12:00 p.m. prevailing time on Tuesday, the 8th day of March 2022, via IWT (Ion Wave Technology).

The contractor is to notify the URA via phone or email at least 30 minutes before bids are due if there is a problem encountered while submitting through the IWT portal. No latebids will be accepted.

Contract documents will be electronically available after 12:00pm on Wednesday, January 26, 2022, only on IWT. Paper copies will not be available for pickup. Contract documents will not be mailed.

Bids will only be accepted through IWT. Instruction to register for IWT can be found here: https://www.ur a.or g/m edia/ W1siZiIsIjIwMjEvMDEvMDYvM2x hbnkyMWE0cF9OT1RJQ0VfVH JhbnNpdGlvbl9mcm9tX1B1Ym xpY19QdXJjaGFzZV90b19JV 1QucGRmIl1d/NOTICE_Transition%20 from%20Public%20Purchase%20 to%20IWT.pdf A pre-bid meeting will be held virtually on Thursday, February 10, 2022, at 1:00 p.m. through Zoom.

Please email McGarry Luginski, Senior Project Engineer mluginski@ura.org to obtain information for this meeting.

All interested parties are strongly encouraged to attend.

LEGAL ADVERTISEMENT INVITATION FOR BIDS: The A l l egheny Count y Housi ng Authority (ACHA) is requesting bids from qualified contractors for MOVING SERVICES – ACHA WIDE. CONTRACT: #ACHA-1668 MOVING SERVICES – ACHA WIDE DOCUMENTS: Bid documents & specifications for review, will be available after January 18, 2022 on the Pittsburgh Builder’s Exchange, or the McGraw-Hill websites. Complete IFB Documents with Bid Package may be obtained from the Allegheny County Housing Authority, 301 Chartiers Avenue, McKees Rocks, PA 15136, or by contacting Dean Allen, Project Manager dallen@achsng.com or 412-402-2469 FEE: No Charge for Emailed documents.

NON-MANDATORY PRE-BID CONFERENCE: Wednesday, January 26, 2022, at 10:00AM EST at the ACHA Central Office, 301 Chartiers Avenue, McKees Rocks, PA 15136 QUESTION SUBMITTAL DEADLINE: Wednesday, February 2, 2022, at 3:00PM EST BIDS DUE: Wednesday, February 9, 2022 at 2:00 PM EST at the ACHA Central Office, 301 Chartiers Avenue, McKees Rocks, PA 15136 Section 3 Businesses, MWDBE, VOSB are encouraged to respond.

Frank Aggazio Executive Director ALLEGHENY COUNTY HOUSING AUTHORITY

PUBLIC NOTICE OPENING OF WAITING LISTS Effective Monday, January 24, 2022 at 8:00 a.m. until Monday, February 14, 2022 at 11:59 p.m., the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) will be accepting pre-applications online ONLY for the following Project Based Voucher Site Based Community: • Cornerstone Village Phase IV – (one (1), two (2) and three (3) bedroom only) – 185 Larimer Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206.

Phase IV includes the Larimer School building.

Not all households will be eligible for a one (1), two (2) or three (3) bedroom unit, as the age, gender and relationships of household members affect the number of bedrooms for which a household is eligible. Income and eligibility restrictions of the Housing Choice Voucher Program apply.

Pre-applications for Cornerstone Village Phase IV will be accepted online ONLY at www.hacp.org and can be submitted from any computer, laptop or smartphone with internet access. No pre-applications will be accepted before 8:00 a.m., Monday, January 24, 2022, or after 11:59 p.m., Monday, February 14, 2022.

Printed pre-applications will not be available at any of the HACP properties or offices.

Effective Monday, January 24, 2022 at 8:00 a.m., the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) will open the waiting list for the following Project Based Voucher Site Based Community: • Hillcrest Senior Residences – (one- (1) bedroom units only) – 2948 Brownsville Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15227.

These units require the head of household, spouse or co-head of household to be at least 62 years of age. Not all households will be eligible for a one- (1) bedroom unit, as the age, relationships and number of household members affects the number of bedrooms for which a household is eligible. Income and eligibility restrictions of the Housing Choice Voucher Program apply.

Pre-applications for Hillcrest Senior Residences will be accepted online ONLY at www.hacp.org and can be submitted from any computer, laptop or smartphone with internet access.

No pre-applications will be accepted before 8:00 a.m., Monday, January 24, 2022. Printed pre-applications will not be available at any of the HACP properties or offices.

Position on the waiting list/s will be determined based upon date and time the completed pre-application/s is/are accepted by the on-line system.

Persons with disabilities requiring accommodations to submit a pre-application can contact the HACP’s Disability Compliance Office at 412-456-5282. For those that are deaf or hard of hearing, you can also contact HACP at TDD: 412201-5384.

Additional information is available by contacting the HACP Occupancy Department at 412-456-5030 or by visiting our website at www.hacp.org.

This event is for Project Based Vouchers for Cornerstone Village Phase IV and Hillcrest Senior Residences ONLY and is completely separate from the HACP Housing Choice Voucher and Low Income Public Housing Programs.

Housing Authority Of Pittsburgh City Of Pittsburgh 100 Ross Street, 4th Floor / Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219 www.HACP.org

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