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The Honorable Justin M. Johnson dies at age 88 Page A6

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www.newpittsburghcourier.com Vol. 112 No. 44 Two Sections

NOVEMBER 3-9, 2021

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GAINEY WINS

IN AN EVENING FILLED WITH ANTICIPATION, Ed Gainey led wire to wire, and just before 10 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021, at the Benedum Center, victory was declared. Ed Gainey was just elected the next mayor of the City of Pittsburgh, and the first African American to hold the position in the city’s history. (Top photo by Nick Childers/PublicSource; bottom photo by Rob Taylor Jr.)

HISTORY IS MADE AS ED GAINEY BECOMES PITTSBURGH’S FIRST BLACK MAYOR

by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer

The Benedum Center in Downtown Pittsburgh is reserved for some of the best productions the country has to offer.

And on Tuesday night, Election Night, Nov. 2, 2021, it did not disappoint.

Only this time, the tune was different.

This time, an African American man who was born and raised in Pittsburgh, who is proud of his high school, Peabody, proud of his East End roots, proud to be a servant

of the people...

On this night, this Black man made history.

Ed Gainey, the longtime state House member who had the confidence in himself to run for mayor of a city that’s never had a Black mayor in its history, was elected mayor in a landslide.

“We know how people have talked about Pittsburgh, have talked about how segregated it is, but today, you changed that,” the powerful speaking Gainey said to hundreds SEE GAINEY A5

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NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

’THE (PERFECT) UNION‘

“THE UNION” — DJ SELECTA, DJ BLAKK STEEL, DJ BIG PHILL (PHOTOS BY ASHLEY G. WOODSON)

THREE PITTSBURGH DJS COLLABORATED TO GIVE PITTSBURGH‘S BLACK, MATURE CROWD A PLACE TO PARTY

by Ashley G. Woodson For New Pittsburgh Courier

DJ Big Phill, DJ Selecta and DJ Blakk Steel.

Collectively, they’re known in Pittsburgh as “The Union,” and in this town where some Black professionals and mature adults say there’s not much of a nightlife, “The Union” has helped to fill that void over the past five years.

“Everyone in the crew brings something different to the table,” said Phillip “DJ Big Phill” Thompson, “but the one thing we have in common is that we all are beasts on those turntables, and we feed off each

other when we are on the stage together. No other DJ crew has the same type of synergy together on stage.

I love and make an extra effort to promote what my brothers do outside of ‘The Union’ because I feel that it’s a good look for the group.”

DJ Big Phill said that “we have created an experience that you can’t get anywhere else in the world. We sell out VIP tickets within minutes, no matter the price.”

Khari Mosley, former elected Democratic chairman of Pittsburgh’s 22nd ward and current Pennsylvania Regional Programs

Manager for the BlueGreen Alliance, called ‘The Union’ events “the city’s most popular Hip-Hop event series, hands down. It is the one event you can be sure to hear golden-age Hip-Hop and other classic records from various genres all night long. Big Phill, Selecta and Blakk Steel are all legends in their own right, but when they come together, they bring out Pittsburgh’s movers, shakers and trendsetters.”

DJ Big Phill is a Penn Hills High School graduate who has been deejaying since age 15 or 16.

“DJ Supa C, who is a year younger than me, taught me how to DJ,” Big Phill told the New Pittsburgh

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PITTSBURGH RESIDENTS LESLIE THOMPSON, MICHAEL TALLEY Courier. “It was my steppops, Arnold Stagger, who is a respected musician, that gave me my love for music. He was in the Real Silk Band...and they would practice in the basement and I would just sit there and soak it all in.”

Big Phill recalled how, one day, he was just messing around with some old records of Al Green’s “I’m Glad You Are Mine.” He sped the record up to “45” and kept extending the drum break. The following year, rap duo Eric B. and Rakim came out with the song, “Mahogany,” and Big Phil’s stepfather said to him: “I remember you did

this (beat) a year ago.”

As Big Phill attended Rust College in Mississippi, he was an air talent on the college radio station.

He honed his DJ acumen when classes weren’t in session.

Big Phill, who led the way in forming “The Union,” started doing the parties at Brillobox in Bloomfield with DJ Selecta, real name James Scioglietti.

Big Phill said it took about six months of consistent parties for the Pittsburgh crowd to catch on, but then it got to a point where it was a packed crowd for each event.

DJ Blakk Steel joined

“The Union” when DJ Selecta was unable to make one of the events, and the former WAMO radio personality brought his DJ and mic skills to the party.

Big Phill soon realized that all three DJs would now comprise “The Union.”

“The way all three DJs feed off each other is indescribable and the atmosphere is calm, cool, and collected and they put out nothing but the hits, from old school to new school,” said Greg Simmons, who was at the latest “Union” event, Aug. 21, at Thunderbird Music Hall in LawSEE PITTSBURGH DJ’S A3

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’THE UNION‘ GIVES PITTSBURGH‘S BLACK, MATURE ADULT CROWD A PLACE TO PARTY PITTSBURGH DJ’s FROM A2

renceville.

For DJ Selecta, he told the Courier he would lis-

ten to Pittsburgh radio legend Sly Jock on WAMO “on many late Sunday evenings to the point that I often was a zombie the next

DJ BIG PHILL, DJ BLAKK STEEL

BRANDI TAYLOR

morning at Reizenstein Middle School.”

An Allderdice High School graduate, DJ Selecta recalled getting into Pitt student radio station WPTS with Adam “DJ Blakk Steel” Lewis back in 1988 to make DJ tapes.

Two years later, Blakk Steel was officially on the air at WPTS (92.1), as DJ Selecta’s name continued to grow in the local HipHop scene.

“We instantly formed a musical bond and over the years transcended into ultimate brotherhood,” DJ Selecta said of DJ Blakk Steel.

DJ Selecta said he first met DJ Big Phill in the early ‘90s, when Big Phill sent Selecta a note inquiring about contributing a story about the graffiti scene in Pittsburgh. It was for a short-lived publication called “PHUNK” magazine.

“Much like with Blakk Steel, there was an instant musical symbiosis,” Selecta said of Big Phill.

DJ Blakk Steel, in addition to his on-air work at WAMO, worked for Underground Hip-Hop Video Magazine from 1993-2008.

The Schenley High School graduate was nominated for six Billboard Music Awards during that time.

Blakk Steel currently coowns an Internet-based Urban Adult Contemporary radio station, which can be heard at www.digitalanalogradio.com.

DJ Selecta streams on the social media platform Twitch (twitch.tv/ selecta720) every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and has a weekly radio show on WYEP-FM (91.3) Fridays from 6 to 8 p.m.

DJ Big Phill has been on the turntables for each of “The Union” events. He’s the one who books the parties with different venues, comes up with the flyer designs, and Danielle Robinson tailor-makes the flyers on Adobe Photoshop. Big Phill creates the videos that are on the big screen behind the DJs at “The Union” parties, too. “‘The Union’ experience takes me back to the good, fun, party days of the late ‘90s and early 2000s,” said Michael “Zanmme” Talley, who was at the Aug. 21 “Union” party. “It even puts me back on campus at NSU (Norfolk State University)

DJ BIG PHILL—Phillip Thompson concocted the idea of “The Union,” local DJs coming together to give events for Pittsburgh’s Black, mature crowd.

THESE LADIES ENJOYED THEMSELVES at “The Union,” Aug. 21, at Thunderbird Music Hall in Lawrenceville. (Photos by Ashley G. Woodson) as if it was homecoming!

Definitely what the city and the Hip-Hop culture needs! Keep it up, brothas, and please don’t stop.”

Pittsburgh resident Brandi Taylor said: “Any time ‘The Union’ is on the one’s and two’s it’s a guaranteed clean-cut, Pittsburgh party hard blast.”

Marty Childs said the events give him the chance to appreciate “the live DJ’s stage performances with the turntables, which has

taken me back to my era.”

“It took me back to a time where music had a message,” added Derrick “D-Dawk” Dawkins. “It was great to see them using vinyl still in this digital world. Overall, it was a great feeling, I saw a lot of people from high school.

The vibe was great.”

The next “Union” event is Saturday, Nov. 6, at Thunderbird Cafe in Lawrenceville. DJ Big Phill told the Courier it’s his de facto

50th birthday celebration.

“If someone wants to really know what Black Pittsburgh looks like, come to one of my ‘Union’ parties and soak in the ‘Union’ experience for yourself because it is unique,” Big Phill said. “I guarantee you can’t get it anywhere else.”

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NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

Robert B. Harper, first Black tenured law professor at Pitt, dies at 82

ROBERT B. HARPER

The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned that Robert B. Harper, Professor Emeritus of Law at the University of Pittsburgh, died on Oct. 12.

He was 82.

Harper, a product of Pittsburgh Public Schools, was the first African American tenured law professor at Pitt. He also served as dean of students at the university’s school of law.

The son of the late Frank P. Harper and Oneida Grigsby Harper, Robert B. Harper grew up on Webster Avenue in the Hill District. He graduated from Fifth Avenue High School in 1958, then earned a bachelor’s degree in education at Pitt. He then joined the United States Army, became an officer and served in Korea. Af-

ter his discharge, Robert B. Harper returned to Pittsburgh and taught math in Pittsburgh Public Schools.

Harper went on to attend law school at the University of Pittsburgh, graduating in 1971 and became the police legal adviser for the City of Pittsburgh. He left that job to become dean of students at Pitt’s school of law and later became the first Black tenured full-time professor.

As a young adult, Harper was active in Christian Tabernacle Church and most recently at Mt. Ararat Baptist Church’s “Saturday Night Live” service. His hobbies related to reading, writing, and traveling the world.

Harper, according to his brother, Henry, will be remembered as the patri-

arch of the Harper Family. He loved the Lord and attempted to follow His teachings. Robert B. Harper was preceded in death by sisters Gwendolyn Chapman, Natalie Tomlin, Margaret Harper, Barbara Harper Burns, Bernice Lancaster and brothers Frank Jr, James, Oliver, Theodore, George, Gearld, Harry, and Donald Harper, John Hairston, and Nathaniel Hairston. He is survived by his brother Henry (Yvonne), his best friend since high school Richard Lee M.D., and a host of beloved family members, friends, colleagues and former students in Pittsburgh and across the country.

A public memorial service will be held in Pittsburgh in late March 2022.

ROBERT B. HARPER, as a member of the U.S. Army.

Robert B. Harper graduated from Fifth Avenue High School in 1958, earned a bachelor’s degree in education at Pitt, and went on to become Pitt’s first Black tenured full-time professor.

METRO

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

NOVEMBER 3-9, 2021

ED GAINEY RESOUNDING WINNER OF MAYORAL ELECTION; BECOMES FIRST BLACK MAYOR IN PITTSBURGH’S 205-YEAR HISTORY GAINEY FROM A1

who congregated at the Mezzanine level of the Benedum Center, Downtown. “You made this city that we love believers and I couldn’t do it without you. And that’s why I know that when we come together, we can build the safest city in America. We can have a city where our kids don’t have to walk to school and see negativity, but see clean positivity, so when they enter the classroom, their minds can learn.”

While Gainey was the clear favorite to win the mayoral election, newcomer Tony Moreno was vying to take over the city’s big chair, too. Moreno lost the Democratic mayoral primary in May to Gainey, but decided to run in the General Election as a Republican.

That didn’t work too well.

Gainey had 70 percent of the vote as of 11 p.m., with most of the precincts reporting.

“Our goal is to ultimately leave our city in a better place for our children and our grandchildren, and the only way we can do that is if we get involved and stay involved,” Michelle Gainey, the wife of Ed Gainey, told the New Pittsburgh Courier in an exclusive interview at the Benedum Center. “It leaves an impression on my children that they can do what they want to do... it’s important for us to know that when you work hard, you put the time, the energy and the effort into it, and if you’re doing it for the right reason, in the right space, and you’re following what God’s plan is for you, you can do what you want to do.”

“This is a great day,” Ed Gainey told the Courier after his victory speech.

“The one thing that I want to have, is a city where everybody feels they can have success and opportunity, where nobody feels left behind. We have to empower our working-class families, and that is something we’re going to do.”

Current Pittsburgh mayor Bill Peduto, whom Gainey defeated in the May Primary, congratulated Gainey via Twitter: “I look forward to working with you and your team on a progressive transition for the betterment of all of Pittsburgh. Here’s to the next chapter. Do great

things!”

Gainey’s message of having a Pittsburgh that’s a city “for all” seemed to resonate with the natives and the newcomers. Although Pittsburgh is now less than 23 percent African American, it’s Gainey whose upbeat, positive, let’s-win-at-life mentality brought out significant numbers of Black and White voters to fill the oval next to his name at the polls.

Affordable housing is a critical issue in Pittsburgh, along with the uptick in crime. Gainey, as a Pittsburgh native, seemed to garner the trust of the voters that he could help fix those issues best.

“It’s a shift in power,” Jasiri X, leader of 1 Hood Media, told the Courier exclusively at the event. “Look who backed Ed during the Democratic Primary. It was brand new organizations; 1 Hood, Alliance for Police Accountability, etc... for us, as Black-led political groups, we’re just tired of being treated like second-class citizens by the City of Pittsburgh. So we just decided that we’re not going to sit silently and continue to be made promises and nothing happen.”

Jasiri X pointed out that most of the Pittsburgh City Council members supported Peduto over Gainey in the beginning.

“But the grassroots folk, the community came together, and we were able to push this brother on through,” Jasiri X said.

“We’re not going to just let people decide what our fate is going to be. We’re going to make sure Pittsburgh is livable for everybody, not just a select few.”

The masked partygoers at the Benedum Center got their wish. They witnessed history. But more importantly, they saw a Pittsburgh born-andraised Black man rise to a stage many people thought could never happen in this town.

People yelled for Gainey, stopping him in his tracks for a quick photo, treating him like Willie “Pops” Stargell, Jerome Bettis or Hines Ward.

But then again, on this night, it seemed fitting for Ed Gainey to be treated like a celebrity.

It was his night.

REV. GLENN GRAYSON SR., WITH ED GAINEY, at the Election Night victory party held at the Benedum Center, Nov. 2. (Photo by Rob Taylor Jr.)

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NOVEMBER 3-9, 2021

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

THE HONORABLE JUSTIN M. JOHNSON Pathbreaking jurist, community leader, advocate for social justice, dies at 88 The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned that The Honorable Justin Morris Johnson, retired Judge of the Pennsylvania Superior Court and respected community leader, died on Oct. 29, after a long battle with congestive heart failure. He was 88.

Born on Aug. 19, 1933, in Wilkinsburg, to Irene Olive Morris Johnson and Oliver Livingstone Johnson, Judge Johnson received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago in 1954.

There, he graduated with a Bond Medal.

During his time in Chicago as an undergraduate, he met Florence Elizabeth Lester. Judge Johnson was fond of telling the story of how much he admired Florence Lester’s “perfect teeth” and how he knew she was “the one” when they first met, his obituary read.

Judge Johnson had said that he told Florence Lester then and there that she would be his wife. The two were married on June 25, 1960, and had three children, William Oliver Johnson, Justin Llewellyn Johnson (deceased) and Elizabeth Johnson Barnes.

Following college, Judge Johnson joined the United States Air Force, reaching the rank of Major during 14 years of active and reserve duty. His service included two active duty flights into Vietnam as an aircraft commander.

Judge Johnson received

his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Chicago Law School in 1962.

Upon graduation, he and Florence Lester moved to Pittsburgh where he joined his father and brother, the Honorable Livingstone Morris Johnson, at the law firm of Johnson, Johnson & Johnson.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court appointed Judge Johnson to the Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners in 1969, making him the first African American to hold this position. He held this position for over two decades, including six years as chairman.

In 1970, Judge Johnson became the assistant solicitor and assistant secretary for the Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh-Mt. Oliver Board of Education, making him the first African American to head a major municipal law department in Western Pennsylvania.

He remained in that capacity until he became a partner at Berkman, Ruslander, Pohl, Lieber & Engel in 1978.

Judge Johnson was appointed to the Pennsylvania Superior Court in 1980 by Governor Richard Thornburgh, making him the second African American judge appointed to this Court.

Judge Johnson served on the Superior Court until his retirement in 2007. While on the bench, Judge Johnson also served as an adjunct professor at Duquesne

University Law School.

Judge Johnson was a fearless advocate for justice and equal rights and was in the forefront of many important civil rights battles in Western Pennsylvania. While he was never one to run from a fight, Judge Johnson was also known for his strategic thinking and willingness to listen and seek creative solutions. Civil rights pioneer, Wendell Freeland, had said of Judge Johnson, “Justin has been an ambassador from the Black community to the White community.

He has bridged the gaps between Blacks and Whites.

And in bridging the gaps, he has made them much smaller.”

Judge Johnson was passionate about education, mentoring young people, and teaching them about the critical importance of hard work, integrity and the pursuit of excellence, his obituary, sent to the Courier, read. His many students, law clerks and mentees speak of his tireless dedication and desire to see them achieve and make a positive impact on the world.

Among Judge Johnson’s other passions was working with and for the Presbyterian Church. He and Florence Lester were very proud members of Bethesda Presbyterian Church and, later, East Liberty Presbyterian Church. They held many local, regional, and national leadership roles within the Presbyterian Church over THE HONORABLE JUSTIN M. JOHNSON the years.

Judge Johnson served on many boards, including the board of trustees for Mercy Hospital, South Side Hospital, United Way of Alleghe-

ny County, and Princeton Theological Seminary. He was a life trustee of Carnegie Mellon University. He was also the recipient of countless awards and rec-

ognitions.

In addition to his wife, son and daughter, Judge Johnson is survived by four grandchildren: Sarah Elizabeth Cahill, Jerome Alexander Barnes, Justin Frederic Barnes, and Jaden Walter Oliver Johnson; his siblings: Judge Livingstone Johnson and Justine Gutzmer; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

The Johnson family asks that, in lieu of flowers or gifts, memorial contributions be made to one of the following scholarships funds, both of which facilitate higher education to financially disadvantaged students: The Oliver L. Johnson and William A. Lester Scholarship Fund—The Pittsburgh Foundation, 5 PPG Place, Suite 250, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15222. And/or: The Justin Llewellyn Johnson Memorial Fund—Carnegie Mellon University, P.O. Box 371525, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15251.

The public viewing for Judge Johnson is Tuesday, Nov. 9, from 4 to 7 p.m., at East Liberty Presbyterian Church, 116 S. Highland Ave. The funeral for Judge Johnson is Wednesday, Nov. 10, at 11 a.m., also at the church.

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

RELIGION/METRO

ED GAINEY’S HISTORIC NIGHT

NOVEMBER 3-9, 2021

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Praise & Worship ST. BENEDICT THE MOOR CATHOLIC CHURCH 91 Crawford Street Pgh., PA 15219 412-281-3141 Sunday Mass 11 AM effective October 3,2021 Rev. Thomas J. Burke- Pastor Rev. C. Matthew HawkinsParochial Vicar Rev. David H. TaylorSenior Parochial Vicar. www.sbtmparishpgh.com

East Liberty Presbyterian Church Rev. Dr. Randy Bush, Senior Pastor 412-441-3800

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

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

ED GAINEY, WITH FATHER, JAKE TALTON (PHOTOS BY ROB TAYLOR JR.)

ED GAINEY WAS THE STAR OF THE SHOW ON ELECTION NIGHT, TUESDAY, NOV. 2, 2021. HE WAS ELECTED MAYOR OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH.

Join our growing Praise and Worship Church Community!

For rate information, call 412-4818302, ext. 128. We want to feature positive youth from our Pittsburgh church community. Please mail their bio and photo to: New Pittsburgh Courier 315 E. Carson St. Pittsburgh, PA 15219 or email us: religion@newpittsburghcourier. com

TELL US ABOUT YOUR NEXT CHURCH EVENT! We want to place your event in our Church Circuit weekly calendar!

Send info to:

New Pittsburgh Courier 315 E. Carson St. Pittsburgh PA 15219

“And the Lord, He it is that goes before you; He will be with you, He will not fail you, neither forsake you; fear not, nether be dismayed.”

- Deuteronomy 31:8 REV. WALKER SAYS: Moses encouraged Joshua with these words of God. We also want the Lord to go before us and be with us. God will not fail or forsake us, therefore do not fear or be dismayed. BE ENCOURAGED. (Rev. A. Marie Walker is servant pastor of St. John Baptist Church in Wilmerding.)

The Courier is THE VOICE of Black Pittsburgh.

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ED GAINEY’S HISTORIC NIGHT...

A FESTIVE ATMOSPHERE TERRI BELL, MICHELLE GAINEY (WIFE OF ED GAINEY), AND MIRACLE JONES, AT THE BENEDUM CENTER, NOV. 2, 2021. (PHOTOS BY ROB TAYLOR JR.)

TERRI BELL, JANIS BURLEY WILSON, CRYSTAL MCCORMICK

JEFF MARION, DEBBIE NORRELL

New Pittsburgh Courier

False conflicts: The Achilles Heel of American debate

J. Pharoah Doss B4

BUSINESS

Classifieds

Find what you need from jobs to cars to housing B5-6

NOVEMBER 3-9, 2021

www.newpittsburghcourier.com

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5 tips for effective job hunting in 2021 (BPT)—Whether you’re actively looking for a job or are simply curious about a new career, you’re not alone. Millions of people nationwide are open to work, but it can be hard to know the most effective methods for finding the right job for you.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, almost half of all American job seekers are currently looking to transition careers, according to a new Morning Consult job-seeker insight survey commissioned by Amazon.

Many of those job seekers (43 percent) identified better pay and benefits as the top reason they are looking for new work.

“Whether you’ve been out of the job market for a while or have been working and want a change, this is a fantastic time to be looking for a new opportunity,” says Luli Chaluleu, hiring expert at Amazon. “Many companies are hiring, and with the right search tactics you’ll find a job that you not only love, but has ample benefits.”

Amazon is included in that list of companies eager to hire. Despite the pandemic, in 2020 they hired over 400,000 employees in the U.S., of which, more than 60 percent are now paid more than they were paid at their previous job.

Competitive benefits include health insurance, up to 20 weeks of parental leave and company-funded

career advancement opportunities.

“Amazon gave me a chance to branch into the IT field with no prior tech experience. The company really values us as employees, and it shows, from the pay to the benefits to the ability to learn and move into new careers—within Amazon or beyond,” said Erica Bozeman, data center technician at Amazon.

If you want to find a new job, knowing current job search strategies can help, including updating your resume and conducting virtual interviews. Research career events that allow you to learn, network and even apply for positions of interest. Career coaching can help as well.

Tips for job seekers To help supercharge your job search efforts, Luli

shares these important tips: Explore the company website: One of the best ways to learn more about an organization is through their digital presence. Look at the website, including careers pages, news sections and any applicable departmental information.

If you know where you want to work or what role you’d like to pursue, have

that information ready when you apply or speak with a recruiter.

Keep your resume short: Resumes should be compelling and concise.

Think about skills you gained at previous jobs and how they apply to future positions. No matter how long you’ve been working or how many positions you’ve had, a resume should be no longer than two pages.

Focus on the facts, communicate essential skills and highlight career achievements. When you interview, you can go into more detail.

Customize with keywords: Many companies use technology to discover and track the best candidates for open positions.

These applicant tracking systems look for important words and phrases within a resume to filter candidates, so be sure to use keywords in your copy. The job description is a good source for potential keywords. If you need more ideas, look at resumes and profiles for other people who have a similar position.

Apply even if you’re not 100 percent qualified: If you see a job post of interest, but hesitate to apply because you don’t have all the qualifications, think again. Hiring managers know that oftentimes candidates may lack experience in a few areas. If you have the majority of the skills listed and a willingness to learn the ones you don’t, apply anyway and then convey your enthusiasm about the opportunity during the interview.

Stay positive: Job searches take time and you may have to apply to many positions and interview numerous times before getting an offer. Don’t be discouraged, because if one role doesn’t pan out, there are plenty more opportunities to explore.

The only Black woman in the U.S. who owns her own bank Meet Kiko Davis, the majority owner and stockholder of Detroit-based First Independence Bank, one of the top 10 largest Blackowned banks in the United States. This makes her the only Black woman in the country who owns a bank.

During a 2018 interview with Rolling Out, she said that what makes her unique as an African American female leader is her ability to genuinely connect with people

and inspire a culture of synergy. “It’s a God-given talent that comes naturally,” she said. “People tend to lend the very best of themselves when they feel leaders are passionate about them and their environment.”

Her inspiration Kiko says that she is greatly inspired by Shirley Chisolm, the first Black congresswoman and the first major-party Black candidate to run for president in 1972.

She says her favorite

quote by Chisolm is, “In the end, anti-Black, anti-female, and all forms of discrimination are equivalent to the same thing: anti-humanism.”

She is also inspired by her late husband, Donald Davis. After his untimely death, she created a foundation in his name to perpetuate his legacy-building efforts and initiatives that he envisioned and developed.

How to win Kiko says that taking risks is very important if

you want to become successful. “Without risk,” she says, “there can be no reward... Your mistakes will bring invaluable knowledge that will ultimately become your strategy for winning.”

She also strongly believes in maintaining a positive attitude and attributes her success to prayer, eating healthy, and exercising.

KIKO DAVIS

The best advice on how to boost your credit score...ever!

Whenever I discuss credit scores, it gets the people going. No financial topic garners more attention than increasing your credit score. So when I came across a meme on Facebook posted by my good friend Nita, I jumped on it. It was short, insightful, impactful, common sense advice that was so glaringly obvious, it was funny. It read: Things to do to increase your credit score!

The answer was: PAY THEM PEOPLE!!

There you have it. Sound financial advice isn’t really that complicated. I ascribe to the K.I.S.S. model when it comes to doling out financial advice. Keep It Simple Stupid!

That advice is as simple as it comes. But we didn’t stop there. The meme sparked some conversation that I’ll share here.

“People who share their credit scores on social media are tricks to me!” ~ Maura Damon says: Whoa! I wouldn’t go that far. I would say we’ve been tricked into believing that a credit score is a leading indicator of financial success. It’s not. A good credit score simply means you pay your bills on time.

It does not take into account pillars of financial success—income, saving, investing, and assets owned. A credit score merely evaluates if you’re a person a lender can trust to pay them back their money. ***** “Make sure to get a ‘pay to delete’ letter first or the negative trade will stay on your credit as ‘paid collections’ which is why your credit score doesn’t go up like you thought it would. Be sure to get it in writing from them first before you pay, especially on a settlement. Note: (not all companies will agree to give you one especially if they’re taking a lowball settlement amount). Once you have a ‘pay to delete’ letter in writing it should take 30-45 days for the negative trade to fall off of your account. If it’s not

removed, send that letter to the credit bureaus and they will remove it.” ~Maura Damon says: The “pay to delete” letter is a new one for me. I never heard of it. It sounds reasonable. I’ll add when you pay a delinquent account, pay with either a cashier’s check or a money order. You don’t want to give them access to your personal account information for should they debit the full amount owed, what recourse do you have considering you legitimately owe the debt.

To provide some insight; last activity date reported for collection accounts on a credit report is the real trigger. The older the last activity date, the less of a negative impact it has on your credit score. When the last activity date is 7 years old, it falls off the credit report completely. When you make a payment to settle the account in collection— it makes the last activity date more current— causing a negative impact on your credit score and starting the 7-year clock all over again.

Based on that fact, a “pay and delete” letter as Maura suggested will be beneficial. ***** “I heard wealthy people file bankruptcy repeatedly!” ~Gabrielle Damon says: Think about that…. There’s a means test that you have to pass in order to be eligible for bankruptcy. If they pass the means test which is evidence of little means when factoring in income, debts, and assets, the question becomes, are they really wealthy?

Donald Trump is famous for filing bankruptcy. He filed bankruptcy on a casino he once owned. The Donald is a serial bankruptcy filer. He’s filed bankruptcy about 6 times. Here’s how wealthy people file bankruptcy.

They established corporations as its own unique entity. The business entity itself isn’t thriving so they’ll be able to file bankruptcy under it—not themselves personally. ***** “I’m sitting here wondering how things to boost your credit have anything to do with wealthy people and Donald Trump.” ~Justine Damon says: The meme is a joke!

It should be obvious that paying your bills on time is a big part of having a decent credit score. In fact 35 percent of your credit score is based on payment history.

A comment was made, regarding wealthy people filing bankruptcy repeatedly. Donald Trump is wealthy. He filed bankruptcy 6 times.

Since you’re curious about ideas to boost your credit score, I’ll provide some tips: Credit score is based on 5 factors: 35 percent ~ Payment history: Pay your bills on time!

30 percent ~ Credit Utilization: Don’t max out your credit—Pay it off...Keep balances low relative to limit.

15 percent ~ Length of history: Old debts carry more weight than new debt. Folks that still have those credit cards from college with balances, FICO loves you and so does that creditor. They make more on in-

terest on credit cards than they make on investments in the stock market.

10 percent ~ New Debt ~ Shopping for credit or having a lot of inquiries from multiple lenders in a relatively short period of time gives new meaning to the phrase shop until you drop.

10 percent – Credit Mix ~ or type of credit you have. Credit cards, student loans, car loans, mortgages etc…Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need an assortment of debt to justify boosting your score. It only accounts for 10 percent of the total score.

Most folks have way more than enough tradelines on their credit report to justify a decent credit mix. ***** “I was recently told that after a certain number (I think 760), there isn’t a difference in the interest rate you’re offered.

Is that accurate, or only the best interest rates are offered to those with 850?” ~ Fern Damon says: The most commonly used credit score known as FICO, which stands for Fair Issac and Company credit scores, ranges from 300 to 850. You’re right, once you get into the mid 700 range, there’s no added benefit. ***** In closing, I don’t discuss ideas to boost credit score that often. I focus on sharing ideas on how to boost your wealth score (net worth). Increasing your wealth score is how you create financial independence. A high credit score earns you the privilege of taking on more debt—opposite of independence. You’ll pay a ton of interest boosting your credit score. You’ll earn a ton of interest boosting your wealth score!

(Damon Carr, Money Coach can be reached at 412-216-1013 or visit his website at www.damonmoneycoach.com)

BUSINESS

B2 NOVEMBER 3-9, 2021

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

Federal student debt forgiveness program receives massive makeover (BlackPressUSA)—Atlanta Daily World | Black Information Network—President Joe Biden and his colleagues at 1800 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. are making strides toward alleviating the stress of student loans for thousands of Americans.

Biden and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona have made steps toward changing a troubled student loan program called Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

According to NBC News, the program launched in 2007 with the hopes of getting more college graduates involved in public service, but it has only helped 5,500 borrowers erase their student debt. Public Service Loan Forgiveness is designed to alleviate federal loans for those who spend 10 years working in public service after graduation. However, NBC News reports that more than 90 percent of borrowers have been rejected after making years of payments because their loans did not meet the program’s requirements.

The Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program promised to erase public servants’ student debt. But few have managed to navigate its rules. How difficult is it? We met a group of military lawyers who were tripped up by the rules and red tape.

The newly revamped Public Service Loan Forgiveness program will eliminate federal loans for all applicants after borrowers make 10 years of payments. An estimated 22,000 borrowers are eligible to

THE PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS PROGRAM promised to erase public servants’ student debt. But few have managed to navigate its rules. get their loans canceled and an additional 27,000 borrowers could be deemed eligible if they get their past payments certified. Overall, a total of 550,000 borrowers are expected to be positively impacted by these changes.

“Borrowers who devote a decade of their lives to public service should be able to

rely on the promise of Public Service Loan Forgiveness,” Cardona said, according to the Associated Press.

“The system has not delivered on that promise to date, but that is about to change for many borrowers.”

Active duty military members and federal workers will also have an opportunity

to join the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. In 2022, the U.S. Department of Education will automatically count payments by federal workers and military members toward the required 10 years.

Many of these changes are being categorized as short-term solutions as the federal government works toward long-term adjustments.

“Today we breathe a collective sigh of relief as the Kafkaesque system that dashed the dreams of far too many finally starts to be dismantled,” American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten told NBC News.

Unfortunately, all lawmakers were not on board with these changes. Several Republican lawmakers criticized Biden’s use of executive power to make this change rather than work with a divided group of legislators on Capitol Hill.

“We agree this program is in desperate need of reform; however, such reforms require congressional action, and we encourage you to work with us to fix the federal loan and repayment program,” Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina wrote in a letter to Cardona.

Moving forward, Cardona and several other top officials will participate in congressional hearings regarding the nation’s education system.

(The post Federal Student Debt Forgiveness Program Receives Massive Makeover appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.)

U.S. Black Chamber prez talks loss of African American businesses and a global future for the Black dollar

by Stacy M. Brown For New Pittsburgh Courier

(BlackPressUSA)—During the first three months of the pandemic, approximately 442,000—or 41 percent—of Black businesses shuttered.

As COVID continues to hamper progress, the overall decline of small and minority-owned firms remains striking.

Data culled from multiple studies revealed that Latinx business owners fell by 32 percent and Asian business owners dropped by 26 percent. Meanwhile, the number of White business owners fell by 17 percent.

While the current climate has exacerbated the wealth gap and unveiled the unimagined financial straits of Black and other minority companies, studies also revealed that about 58 percent of African American-owned businesses were at risk of fiscal distress even before the outbreak of the pandemic in February 2020.

“There’s no question it has been a challenge,” said Ron Busby, the president and CEO of the U.S. Black

Chambers, Inc. in Northwest, Washington, D.C. “Last year was a difficult time for the majority of businesses in America with COVID, the murder of George Floyd, and the Stimulus Package—or lack thereof, in our community,” said Busby, who visited the new state-of-the-art television studios of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) for an appearance on PBS-TV’s “The Chavis Chronicles.”

NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. hosts the nationally televised program.

“When you talk to Black business owners, very few received any stimulus money,” Busby continued. “We lost 41 percent of Black businesses, and many of them will never re-open, and many of those firms had employees, vendors, and customers.”

Such losses critically hurt the tax base in Black communities while White firms have stepped in to replace some of the lost businesses, Busby noted.

To better understand the alarming loss of Black-owned

RON BUSBY, the president and CEO of the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. in Northwest Washington, D.C. firms, some have reflected on pre-pandemic statistics, which revealed that between 2012 and 2017, Black-owned businesses with no employees in the United States increased 19.2 percent.

According to BlackDemographics.com, receipts generated by Black-owned businesses with no employees during the same period increased from $46.8 billion in 2012 to $65.7 billion in 2017.

Overall, Black-owned employer businesses in the United States increased 13.6 percent, while the number of employees at those firms

rose by 23.9 percent.

“It’s difficult to start a business out of the gate, and it’s going to be tough to try and have them come back,” Busby stated.

He said the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. provides leadership and advocacy in the realization of economic empowerment.

The organization supports African American Chambers of Commerce and business organizations by helping them develop and grow Black enterprises.

Busby said the U.S. Black Chamber also works with

the U.S. Chamber of Commerce by joining quarterly discussions on issues pertinent to African American business owners.

“We also have an entire economic conversation about America,” Busby remarked.

“For us to have a great America, there must be a great Black America. So, to have a great Black America, we’ve got to have great Black businesses,” he asserted.

Busby also bristled at the continued conversation surrounding the more than $1 trillion Black Americans reportedly contribute to the economy.

“It’s an interesting number,” Busby contemplated.

“Usually, it’s corporate America saying Black consumers have $1 trillion.

How can we market to them to make sure that they get their share? The U.S. Black Chamber says, ‘we as Black consumers have $1 trillion, how can we keep that in our community to make sure that our communities have sustainability?’”

Born in Houston, Texas, and raised in Oakland, Calif., Busby said the Black

Panthers, which his father served as a member, displayed a commitment to the Black community that has helped him keep his resolve to better the plight of African Americans.

“I saw the impact that Black men have on communities, making sure that we are leading each other in a positive environment,” Busby reminisced.

“That stayed with me all my life, and I’ve been involved in fraternities and 100 Black Men. Then, I moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where [Arizona Informant Publisher] Cloves Campbell allowed me to know more about the NNPA and national news. Then, in 2009, I got the call to come to Washington for the U.S. Black Chamber.”

Busby added that the Black Chamber also focuses on expanding throughout the globe.

“We think about the Black dollar globally because that’s the future for Black businesses,” Busby concluded.

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

Savoy Magazine announces the 2021 Most Influential Black Corporate Directors in a landmark dual-edition fall issue Savoy magazine announced the release of its 2021 Most Influential Black Corporate Directors listing in the upcoming fall issue, the New Pittsburgh Courier has learned. Savoy’s fall issue features a directory of 704 directors serving on the boards of public companies. As the leading business magazine reporting on African American success and achievement, Savoy’s Most Influential Black Corporate directory is a prestigious listing of executives, influencers, and achievers active on the boards of the world’s leading corporations and organizations.

“Savoy is proud to present the 2021 Most Influential Black Corporate Directors. In this issue, we assembled an elite representation of African American men and women recognized for their executive and business leadership in national and global-leading corporations,” said L.P. Green II, CEO & Publisher of Savoy magazine. “These innovative trailblazers have led efforts to foster growth for some of the country’s highest-performing companies throughout and beyond the US market. It is our duty and honor to chronicle these inspiring executives, their distinguished careers, and the corporations that demonstrate

KENNETH CHENAULT, former Chairman and CEO of American Express. inclusive board composition in Savoy.”

This 2021 dual cover, double edition spans two magazines, one featuring Kenneth Chenault, former Chairman and CEO of American Express, on the cover, and Kenneth Frazier, Executive Chairman of Merck, gracing the other. The Chenault edition contains 452 pages, including the prestigious directors listed by last names A-J. The Frazier edition contains 436 pages, including directors listed by last

names K-Z. Totaling 888 pages combined, the fall issue of Savoy ranks as the largest magazine by pages targeting the African American consumer ever published. The second largest was Savoy’s 2016 summer issue, with dual covers totaling 532 pages.

As a co-founder with Frazier, Chenault launched the OneTen Coalition in 2020 to build a robust opportunity pipeline for Black talent in America. With an unwavering commitment to diversifying the workforce and a strong stance against racial injustice, Chenault makes a meaningful difference in people’s lives. A visionary change agent, Frazier leads diverse teams and businesses committed to equally serving every community, brings better health initiatives to those who may not otherwise receive the resources, and stands strong on social injustice and racial inequality issues across the nation.

The prestigious trailblazers active on boards of global-leading corporations and organizations are listed by last names A-J in the Chenault cover publication.

The second half listed by last names K-Z appear in the Frazier cover publication. Also included in this 2021 Most Influential Black Corporate Directors list are celebrities and athletes serv-

KENNETH FRAZIER, Executive Chairman of Merck. ing on corporate boards, such as Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter (Square), Larry Fitzgerald Jr. (DICK’s Sporting Goods), Shaquille O’Neal (Papa John’s International) and Serena Williams (Momentive & Poshmark).

“Savoy continues to be at the forefront of comprehensive coverage of the professional success and achievements of African Americans,” added Green. “We offer congratulations and appreciation to the directors recognized in Savoy’s 2021 Most Influ-

ential Black Corporate Directors edition for their inspiring leadership.”

As Founder & CEO of Savoy Venture Partners, Green recently published a thought leadership booklet, 12 Best Practices to Cultivate Board Excellence: Knowledge and Insights from Conversations with More Than 300 Corporate Directors Currently Serving on Public Boards.

The publication outlines 12 best practices based on his conversations with leaders active on boards of some of the nation’s leading public companies. Green has also founded the Savoy Directors Forum, an inaugural event planned for fall 2022 in Naples, Florida. The Savoy Directors Forum will offer two days of sharing best practices from influential, diverse board directors and thought leaders on navigating boards and companies into the years ahead.

The full 2021 Most Influential Black Corporate Directors listing is available online as of Wednesday, Oct. 27, exclusively at savoynetwork.com, where the fall issue is available for purchase. The magazine is also available nationwide via Amazon.com.

OPINION

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

NOVEMBER 3-9, 2021

B3

Senate Republicans block this generation’s Voting Rights Act: Will President Biden meet the challenge?

Guest Editorial

Fighting fake ‘facts’ Lately, there have been a lot of challenges in understanding how science works. The issue is that the average person has not yet caught up with current scientific knowledge, OR, there is a disbelief in the truth of new scientific paradigms. Some of this is connected with fake news distributed by the previous political administration in the U.S. As a result of a very narrow worldview coupled with fake news propaganda, people don’t know what to believe. A lot of folks are starting to disbelieve everything.

One of the most striking and surprising examples of this notion is the recent launch in space of Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. During that launch, former Star Trek actor William Shatner became the oldest individual to go into space, at 90 years of age. The launch was televised, and the civilian crew spent between 10 and 11 minutes in space. The entire event ended without a hitch, yet a number of observers are convinced that no one actually went into space—they are convinced that the entire thing was staged. Never mind that major television networks covered the entire event live!

Interestingly, those who were attempting to convince people that what they had seen had not happened, they did not give a good reason as to why someone would spend huge amounts of money as civilians to create and launch a complex rocket; what would be the motivation to fake this extremely expensive venture?

That answer, with one exception, was not broached.

One person said that no one could possibly go into space because there is a FIRMAMENT!! So, basically, it is impossible to go into space because the firmament serves as a barrier.

This brings to mind the fact that there are many people who today refuse to believe that the Moon landing ever happened. They are convinced that the entire thing was staged in a movie studio. These apparently are the same type of anti-science people who are making it difficult for people to believe in the “science” of vaccines.

The foregoing wouldn’t be so bad, maybe, if people had alternate belief systems that were uplifting. Quite to the contrary, there is also a streak of mean-spiritedness that is part and parcel of this anti-science movement. Instead of finding solace in alternative ideas, people of this ilk are attacking people whose ideas differ from their own.

This is probably what is being reflected in the situation that we find ourselves in regarding the Coronavirus anti-vaxxers and anti-maskers.

In the past, the vaccine movement has resulted in the eradication or control of a number of serious diseases including, but not limited to, polio and smallpox.

Students in public schools have been required to be vaccinated for years; they are not able to attend classes without being vaccinated, which has saved many lives.

Today, surprisingly, grown people are threatening school board members with violence because certain school boards are mandating that students wear masks; the districts are not even requiring vaccinations. Moreover, in one large city, police officers who have been mandated by the mayor to become vaccinated have been encouraged by political opponents to resist the mandate.

Why is all of the foregoing important? It is because people are becoming so anti-science that it is resulting in deaths. If people don’t believe in the science behind vaccines, or even masks, it works against the common good.

People who are easily hoodwinked by purveyors of fake news will ultimately work against other people. It is understandable why some African Americans might be leery about vaccines because of a distrust in authorities based on previous irresponsible behavior, but the refusal to wear masks is another case altogether.

All of this points to the dangerous situation that Americans, and especially Black Americans, are facing as a result of being hoodwinked by false scientific information. It is resulting in the demise of vulnerable individuals. The anti-science movement is being used as a tool that is causing people to work against their own best interests.

Fake news and phony “facts” are anything but benign; they are deadly, and we need to do whatever is possible to fight this malevolent trend.

(Reprinted from the Chicago Crusader)

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)—Across the country, Republican state legislators have been busy imposing new voting restrictions and devising corrupt redistricting schemes to give their party more power than they could win under a fair system. Republicans in the U.S. Senate protected that wrongdoing again in October by using filibuster rules to stop federal voting rights legislation from coming up for debate. This is political obstruction of justice, and President Joe Biden and Senate Democrats must not allow it to stand.

One day before Senate Republicans made it clear that they have no interest in protecting the right to vote or a healthy democracy, 25 religious and civil rights leaders and voting rights activists were arrested in front of the White House. Hundreds more joined us in solidarity as we marched, sang, prayed, and demanded stronger leadership from President Biden.

We know that President Biden is a supporter of voting rights. His stirring speech at the National Constitution Center called voting rights the test of our time and brought moral clarity to our cause.

Now we need presidential action that matches the urgency of Biden’s words and the urgency of our time.

In the eight years since the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act, dozens of states have erected new barriers that target voters who are Black, brown, female, and young. A flurry of new laws was introduced this year after record voter turnout contributed to the

Ben Jealous

Commentary defeat of President Donald Trump and the loss of Republican control in the Senate.

The new wave of voter suppression is a direct response to last year’s expansive voter participation. These laws do more than undermine democracy. They defile it. Rather than celebrating efforts to broaden citizens’ participation, they seek to squelch it. Rather than expand the franchise, they seek to narrow it.

The Freedom to Vote Act would reverse many of the new anti-voter laws. It would expand access to voting by mail and early voting, make voter registration automatic, and make Election Day a federal holiday. Together, these measures will increase access to voting for working people, Black and brown voters, women, and people with disabilities. The bill will also end abusive partisan redistricting and help stop billionaires from buying our elections.

All 50 Senate Democrats support the Freedom to Vote Act, as does Kamala Harris, our nation’s first woman Vice President, who is prepared to cast the 51st vote. But Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell

has demanded that his colleagues keep that vote from happening. They are preventing the will of the people from being realized.

With voter suppression and partisan redistricting threatening next year’s elections, we don’t have time to wait. . The Freedom to Vote Act must become law now.

President Biden must use all his personal influence and the power of his office to protect voting rights. He must publicly call on Senate Democrats not to let Republicans’ resort to the tactics of Jim Crow succeed in blocking voting rights protections for our generation.

Those of us who have gathered at the White House are keenly aware of the generations of activists who put their bodies on the line to secure and expand the right to vote—including suffragists who faced beatings for having the audacity to demand the right to vote for women, and activists who risked and sometimes gave their lives to protect Black Americans’ right to vote. And we know the essential role that presidential leadership has played in overcoming resistance to voting rights.

This is a time for the “good trouble” that the great John Lewis called for at the height of the civil rights movement. We will be back at the White House throughout the fall, in greater numbers, to demand that President Biden do what it takes to get voting rights legislation onto his desk and signed into law this year.

(Ben Jealous serves as president of People For the American Way.)

Will it be déjà vu for 2022?

(TriceEdneyWire.com)—It was great to see President Barack Obama in Richmond, Virginia, campaigning with former governor and current gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe on October 23. He reminded me of a college pep rally cheerleader in some ways, encouraging people to get out and vote for McAuliffe and do it now since Virginia has early voting. The cheerleader description is not meant to be disparaging. Except for the gray hair he joked about, Obama appeared youthful and energized as he moved around the stage, voice booming. He also seemed wise as he talked about what is at stake in Virginia, nothing less than our democracy.

Can Obama’s enthusiasm overcome Virginia’s historical pattern?

Their odd-year elections usually yield a governor in the opposite party of the presidential winner, which means that McAuliffe’s opponent, an acolyte of the former President, is giving the former governor a run for his money. Virginia went blue in 2020, with President Biden carrying the state by 10 points. Since then, though, Biden’s approval ratings have plummeted.

That, combined with the historical pattern, suggests that the race is a toss-up. If Democrats lose governor’s races in Virginia and New Jersey on November 2, both of which pollsters describe as close, that may bode ill for 2022 congressional elections.

Democrats already hold a very narrow margin in the House of Representatives. Historical patterns suggest that the President’s party is likely to lose seats in mid-term elections. If Democrats lose more than xx seats, they lose control of the House. The 2022 electoral outcomes hinge on turnout, which

Julianne Malveaux

Commentary is why redistricting is a matter of extreme concern and why the voter suppression measures Republicans are introducing in state after state may influence electoral outcomes.

Voter turnout will make the difference between whether Democrats can maintain majorities in the House and Senate, but Democratic enthusiasm, over the top in 2020, maybe muted in 2022.

President Biden made big promises during the 2020 campaign.

Among other things, he told Black voters that he had our backs. What can activists tell Black voters in 2022? Will people who yearn for economic security, better jobs, and voting rights be satisfied if all Biden and his team can say is that “we tried.” Republican intransigence and the rigidity of Democratic Senators Joe Manchin and (WV) and Krysten Sinema (AZ) have resulted in alterations to Biden’s ambitious Build Back Better legislation. The free community college proposal has already been withdrawn. Will voters be left with enough to motivate them to vote in 2022?

President Obama came into office in 2009 with lots of legislative ideas. He pushed the Affordable Care act hard, and it passed, expanding health care opportunities for tens of millions of our citizens.

But he advocated for that legislation during a recession when many

were more eager for jobs than for health care (the two go together, but jobs are a priority in the middle of a recession). The result? Flawed Republican messaging combined with general electoral malaise turned a Democratic Congress into a Republican one. Obama spent the next two years fighting folks who promised to make him a one-term President. He got much less done than he might have, and Republicans set the stage, with their opposition, for the victory of the 45th President.

That former President would love to make a comeback, and although Republicans know better, many are rallying around him. Will the 2022 elections set the stage for a recidivist comeback? Our nation seems hopelessly divided, Republicans are increasingly extremist, Democrats are both apathetic and estranged.

Progressive Democrats have allowed the great to get in the way of the good, insisting on things that have no possibility of passing in the Senate, tanking legislation before it is even introduced.

Progressives aren’t entirely wrong to insist on a higher minimum wage, expanded health care, child tax credits, and economic relief. Still, politics is the art of compromise. How do we compromise on our fundamental rights, like our voting rights? Bravo to Biden for backing off his embrace of the filibuster, but have his comments (not actions) been too little, too late.

If the electorate is not motivated by these first months of the Biden administration, will they be inclined to vote in 2022? If they aren’t, we are dealing with 2010 déjà vu. And if that déjà vu returns the former grafter and morally bankrupt President to office, the entire nation will suffer.

B4 NOVEMBER 3-9, 2021

Fighting the cycle of violence with stipends and mentorships (NNPA)—More than 117,000 people are shot in America annually, and gun homicides disproportionately are concentrated in urban areas, particularly in impoverished and underserved communities of color.

According to officials at Advance Peace, a program that provides mentoring, job training, and a $1,000 per month stipend to participants, such neighborhoods often are plagued by homicide rates on par with warzones.

“Frequently, both public and community-based systems of care fall short in their efforts to provide responsive opportunities and resources to those most involved with and affected by urban gun violence,” officials at the program wrote.

“Because those who are suspected of gun crimes in urban communities have often already been failed by the available systems of care, those who need the services most are least likely to trust the systems that provide them.”

A recent example of how the program works centered on 17-year-old Devrick Hill, arrested for allegedly firing multiple weapons out of a car in a fight with gang members.

Advance Peace change agents recruited Hill for the program to help to turn his life around.

The program seeks to steer vulnerable individuals like Hill away from violence.

It provides participants as much as $1,000 each month to meet anti-violence goals like completing classes or acquiring a job.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Advance Peace’s fellowship program is now running or set to launch soon in nine cities, including Rochester, N.Y.; Fort Worth, Texas; and Fresno and Sacramento, Calif.

Another 18 cities are using elements of the program, according to Advance Peace and law-enforcement officials.

“I know a lot of people who got allowances growing up. I know a lot of people who got a little extra dough when they did well in school,” DeVone Boggan, chief executive of Advance Peace, told the newspaper.

“These guys haven’t had a childhood.”

The publication reported that Boggan founded the program more than a decade ago in the Bay Area city of Richmond, Calif., to address a growing murder rate.

“He hired former gang members and ex-cons to identify and mentor young men who had spent time behind bars for shootings, had been shot themselves, or suspected in recent shootings,” the report’s author wrote.

In the first five years of the program, 94 percent of the 68 fellows were alive, 79 percent hadn’t been ar-

Stacy M. Brown

Commentary rested or on gun-related charges, and 60 percent had received monetary incentives, according to an evaluation by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, a nonprofit research group.

Jason Corburn, a University of California, Berkeley professor who has evaluated the group’s work in Sacramento and Stockton, Calif., noted in the article that throughout an 18-month Advance Peace fellowship, less than $20,000 is typically spent on a cohort of 30 to 50 individuals and an average of 20 to 50 shootings are prevented.

“If you were an economist, you’d say that’s a great return on investment,” he said.

Advance Peace officials noted that its program interrupts gun violence in “American urban neighborhoods by providing transformational opportunities to young men involved in lethal firearm offenses and placing them in a high-touch, personalized fellowship—the Peacemaker Fellowship.”

Officials wrote that Advance Peace bridges the gap between anti-violence programming by working with and supporting a targeted group of individuals at the core of gun hostilities.

They also work with a hard-to-reach population at the center of violence in urban areas, thus breaking the cycle of gun hostilities and altering the trajectory of these men’s lives.

Advance Peace works with public and community-based stakeholders to establish responsive community-driven strategies that achieve high-impact outcomes for those caught in the cycle of urban gun violence.

Julius Thibodeaux, program manager of Advance Peace Sacramento, and his team of neighborhood change agents co-authored a blog detailing the importance of Advance Peace.

“What we used to hear, and our young boys today hear too often, is: ‘Be a man, you little punk. Quit crying and be a man. Wipe those tears and shut up before I give you something to cry for,” Thibodeaux asserted.

“Yet he’s only four years old. Even if he can afford to go to the doctor when he gets older, he probably won’t. We’ve been conditioned to be tough. To suppress our pain and hide our emotions. All this combines to damage our immune system and our brain’s ability to make healthy choices. It’s no wonder we are suffering from dual epidemics: gun violence and coronavirus,” he explained.

The group of change agents led by Thibodeaux insisted that the goal remains to offer “real nutrition” to the community, which they define as daily doses of love, caring, and support.

“We work to boost the immune systems of those traumatized and at the center of gun violence through healthy food and housing, but also through stable mentorship,” the agents declared.

“We are breaking the cycle of a response to trauma that says, “I don’t give a [damn]” to a healing approach that treats our most vulnerable to get to a place where they say, ‘Maybe I do.’”

No juvenile has lost life because of gun violence in Sacramento over the past two years that the program has operated there.

“We have a long way to go to stop our young people from continuing to solve their problems by pointing a gun at someone who looks just like them and squeezing the trigger,” Thibodeaux wrote.

“This pandemic hasn’t changed much since it’s still just another day in the hood, and interrupting death is needed more than ever.”

FORUM

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

False conflicts: The Achilles Heel of American debate In 2011, Kelli Stargel, a RepubJ. lican Florida state representative, wrote a bill that required public school teachers to grade parents of students in Kindergarten through the third grade. According to Stargel, there was accountability for students, teachers, and administrators, but parent accountability was the missing link. A parent grade of “satisfactory,” “unsatisfactory”, or “needs improvement” was proposed to go along with student report cards.

Steve Perry, the founder of Capital Preparatory Magnet School in Hartford, Connecticut, didn’t care for the bill. He said a good education was based on what a child learns in the classroom and not what a parent might know. Perry also said, “There is nothing in any teacher’s training that would put them in a position to be able to effectively judge the parenting of one of their students.”

Perry was right. The bill didn’t pass.

Since politicians are rarely proactive, what exactly was Stargel’s bill an overreaction too?

That same year, Psychology Today published an essay called: A Lack of Parent Engagement Helps Create Failing Schools. The author wrote, “For the first time in history, a generation of American students will be less well-educated than their parents.

Teachers are getting the blame (but) not much is being said about disengaged parents.”

The 1996 book, Beyond the Classroom: Why School Reform Has Failed and What Parents Need to Do, had some disturbing data that remained constant 15 years after it was pub-

Pharoah Doss

Check It Out lished.

1). Nearly one-third of students say their parents have no idea how they are doing in school.

2). About one-sixth of students report that their parents don’t care whether they make good grades in school or not.

3). Only about one-fifth of parents consistently attend school programs, while more than 40 percent never do.

It was easy for Stargel to take this data and translate “disengaged parents” into “bad parents.”

However, studies published in 2009 and 2010 explained there were barriers to parent involvement such as inflexible work hours, insufficient financial resources, and lack of transportation. Other barriers included feelings of inadequacy, limited school background, and preoccupation with basic necessities.

This proved “disengaged parents” shouldn’t be translated into “bad parents.”

But the Psychology Today essay about failing schools asked: Who was more at fault, teachers or parents?

This question demonstrates the Achilles Heel of debate in America. It’s dominated by false conflicts, two sides placed in opposition that ordinarily wouldn’t have friction. For example,

during the 1990s parenting magazines debated spanking vs. timeout.

Parents took sides, but once the sides were taken, neither side could see that it was a false conflict, nor were the side takers willing to accept that the other side had utility.

A decade after Stargel’s failed bill and Psychology Today presented the public with a false conflict between parents and teachers, it appears the political parties have taken sides in a false conflict between parents and school boards.

The instigators of this false conflict were Virginia’s gubernatorial candidates.

During their final debate, Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin remarked that parents should be more involved in the decision of local school districts. In response, the Democratic candidate, Terry McAuliffe, argued that parents should not tell schools what to teach.

Both positions made national headlines and partisans took their respective sides.

Then the USA TODAY/Suffolk poll asked voters, “Should parents or school boards have more of an influence on a school’s curriculum?”

Overall, 50 percent answered parents while 39 percent answered school boards. But the breakdown by political party reveals the Achilles Heel in American debate. The Republican side was 79 percent to 12 percent in favor of parents while the Democratic side was 70 percent to 16 percent in favor of the school boards.

It’s a fact that elections have consequences. So does taking sides in false conflicts.

Facebook needs a whole new algorithm (Indianapolis Recorder)—Facebook is a mess.

If you’ve been paying attention to the news as of late, you know Facebook has more than an image crisis on its hands.

A few weeks ago, former Facebook employee Frances Haugen blew the whistle on Facebook’s shady practices. Haugen has testified in the U.S. and United Kingdom, divulging all of the social media platform’s dirty little secrets. Haugen shared internal discussions with the Securities and Exchange Commission as well as provided Congress with redacted documents.

We’ve heard rumblings over the years of Facebook’s dubious algorithms and accountability standards.

We’ve seen organizations and legislators call for more transparency and government oversight for Facebook.

The deeper we get into these papers, the more we learn just how horribly Facebook and CEO Mark Zuckerberg operated and why some of those early concerns about Facebook are not unfounded.

Zuckerberg seems to have the makings of a wannabe dictator. He has a majority of the company’s voting shares, controls the board and is surrounded by yes men. He also thinks he’s above government regulations.

I’ve often said he’s trying to take over the world because Facebook keeps moving into spaces inhabited by other social media platforms and killing them—or at least trying to if not outright buying the competition.

Initially, Facebook tried to discredit Haugen by saying she didn’t have firsthand knowledge of the issues she leaked since she didn’t work in those areas. But then came the hard

Oseye Boyd

Commentary evidence and Facebook is on the defense. Seventeen newspapers across the country have united to form The Facebook Papers project to report on the leaked documents. In addition, a separate collaboration happened with European newspapers.

The newspapers found Facebook violated its own policy when it allowed former President Donald Trump’s post about George Floyd on May 28, 2020, to stand.

According to The Associated Press (AP), “By June 2, ‘we can see clearly that the entire country was basically ‘on fire,’ a Facebook employee wrote of the increase in hate speech and violence reports in the June 5 memo.’”

Facebook claims there’s no way to know just how many hate speech reports stemmed from Trump’s post or how many stemmed from the controversy over Floyd’s death.

But that’s not totally true. “‘Our violence and incitement classifier was almost 90 percent certain that this (Trump) post violated Facebook’s … policy,’ the June 5 analysis read,” according to AP. I, like many people, have a love-hate relationship with the social media platform.

Professionally, a Facebook page is vital for businesses—especially a media business. The Recorder uses the platform to share articles, promote our events and host virtual events. It’s a

great tool to use to communicate with a large number of people. Facebook is where the action’s at for businesses.

Personally, I love how Facebook keeps me connected to family and friends, especially those who live outside Indiana, or who I lost contact with over the years. I can share news about the latest happenings in my life as well as pictures. I can see what’s happening in their lives as well. I enjoy reading posts about good news or watching children grow up over the years.

Like anything else in life, what can be used for good can also be used for bad, which is why there are days I avoid Facebook. Too many people use it to attack and bully those who disagree with their views. The COVID-19 pandemic and social justice protests of 2020 forced me to take mini breaks from it as I grew tired of misinformation being spread in the name of “truth” and “research” on COVID-19.

I couldn’t stomach the vitriol people typed because Black people were protesting against state-sanctioned murders of other Black people.

My instincts were right to limit my interaction with Facebook. We now know Zuckerberg and other executives knew the platform was being used to radicalize and spread misinformation and did very little to mitigate the problem. This is a classic case of ego and arrogance. Americans love to take down someone who’s gotten too big for his britches. Facebook is supposed to announce a name change yet this week. At this point, it will take more a public relations ploy of a name change to fix Facebook’s problems.

Facebook needs a whole new algorithm.

On the issue of ‘vaccinate or terminate’ It has now been established that those who have been vaccinated against the COVID-19 and its variants are not as likely to get the viruses, and if they do, they are more likely to live and recover. It has also been established that the only way to save lives and reduce the spread of this virus is to get vaccinated and wear a mask.

Now employers, municipalities and governments are taking the position that one either gets vaccinated or gets terminated from their employment. This position should be extended to all those employed in positions of having contact with others.

But there is an additional step that should be taken. Hospitals should begin a process of what we know as “Triage”. That is, screening those seeking health care so that non vaccinated persons, who have refused the vaccine, should

John E. Warren

Commentary not be given health care over people with other emergency health needs such as surgery. “ICU” or Intensive Care Units should be a priority for those in need and those who have been vaccinated.

Those who chose not to be vaccinated have a right to their positions, but not a right to put the lives of others at risk. Those who have not been vaccinated can carry and transmit the virus to others.

The U.S. Supreme Court has long held that our personal rights stop at the point at which they interfere

with the rights of others. It is better to live and litigate this issue than to die on an assumption that someone else’s rights to life are greater than yours because they share a different belief on the right to vaccinate.

We as a nation have lost too many lives to a virus. We are practically the only country capable of vaccinating our entire population. Its time to put pride and ego and politics aside and concentrate on saving lives even as we work on saving our children, the next most endangered group among us. Let’s get vaccinations, including booster shots for those 65 and older; let’s mask up indoors and out and save lives. There are enough other real political issues to fight another day.

(Dr. John E. Warren is Publisher, The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint.)

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JOB OPPORTUNITIES

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AURORA INNOVATION, INC. seeks positions in Pittsburgh, PA. TLM (Tech Lead/Mgr) - Perception Metrics and Scenarios for designing technical architecture. Product Mgmt Specialist to define overall expected customer exp. Dom travel req. Software Eng to design computer software for self-driving vehicles.

Systems Eng I to design test software applications Mail resumes to Mary Ellen Mahoney: 50 33rd Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15201.

SENIOR HARDWARE ENGINEER HITACHI RAIL STS USA, INC. is seeking a Senior Hardware Engineer to work in ittsburgh, ennsylvania.

The Senior Hardware Engineer will be required to develop cost effective and innovative products and platforms with longevity, versatility, and inter-operability through the use of railroad specific industry standards.

Apply at: https://careers.hitachi.com/ TELECOMS ENGINEER – WORK PACKAGE LEADER HITACHI RAIL STS USA, INC. is seeking a Telecoms Engineer Work Package Leader to work in ittsburgh, ennsylvania. The Engineer will be required to perform as a Work Package Leader of radio communications design packages at project levels Apply at https://careers.hitachi.com/ APPLICATION ANALYST IV The United States Steel Corporation is seeking an Application Analyst IV to join our Digital Technologies Team located at our Pittsburgh Service Center in ittsburgh, A. The Analyst will be responsible for developing, testing, deploying, and supporting our Hyperion Enterprise Performance Management software used for planning and forecasting at U. S. Steel. Apply at: https://www.ussteel.com/careers/ careers-in-steel BUILDING FOR SUCCESS DIRECTOR UNITED WAY OF SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA PITTSBURGH OFFICE We are seeking a Building for Success Director who is a passionate leader, strategic thinker, and compelling communicator to join the Community Impact team.

The Building for Success Director leads United Way of Southwestern PA’s work to help children and youth achieve success in school and life, particularly through early childhood engagement, out of school time programming, and connections to resources to successfully graduate from high school and pursue post-secondary options. Working in collaboration with corporate and civic leaders, foundation leaders, service providers, and other United Way staff, the Building for Success Director shapes and manages a diverse portfolio of grants to agencies, community partnerships and community change and policy initiatives to achieve measurable success for the target population.

The Building for Success Director will support and mentor a small team of direct reports, work collaboratively across all United Way departments, have deep respect for diversity and a strong commitment to equity, and embody a creative and solutions-oriented approach.

Required BS in related field. referred Master’s in non-profit management, public administration, social work, or the equivalent.

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.

SOUTH FAYETTE TWP. SCHOOL DISTRICT is seeking an INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL PERMANENT SUBSTITUTE CLASSROOM TEACHER -POSITION is available December 16, 2021 through May 18, 2022 Complete job description and directions on how to apply are available at www.southfayette.org Applications must be received by 4:00 PM November 10, 2021 SOUTH FAYETTE TWP. SCHOOL DISTRICT is seeking a DIRECTOR OF CURRICULUM Complete job description and directions on how to apply are available at www.southfayette.org Applications must be submitted by 4:00 PM, November 10, 2021 SOUTH FAYETTE TWP. SCHOOL DISTRICT is seeking: INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL CLASSROOM PARAEDUCATOR -Deadline 4:00 PM, November 10, 2021 SUBSTITUTE PERSONAL CARE PARAEDUCATOR -Deadline 4:00 PM, November 15, 2021 Complete job descriptions and directions on how to apply are available at www.southfayette.org

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Estate of MARK AUSTIN NATH, Deceased of Bridgeville, Allegheny County, ennsylvania, Estate No. 02-21-07432 ,William L. Nath, Administrator., Chestnut Street, Bridgeville, PA 15017, or to Robin L. Rarie, Atty; BRENLOVE & FULLER, LLC., 401 Washington Avenue, Bridgeville, PA 15017 Estate of EILEEN D. KNOEPP, Deceased of Baldwin, Allegheny County, ennsylvania, Estate No. 02-21-07448 ,Marlene A. Bridge , Executor, Centennial Drive, Carnegie, A 15106, or to Todd A. Fuller, Atty; BRENLOVE & FULLER, LLC., 401 Washington Avenue, Bridgeville, PA 15017 Estate of JOSPEH A. MILANO, Deceased of Mount ebanon, Allegheny County, ennsylvania, Estate No. 02-21-0777 ,Margaret Milano , Executor, 808 Northstream Parkway, Point Pleasant, NJ 08742, or to Aubrey H. Glover, Atty; BRENLOVE & FULLER, LLC., 401 Washington Avenue, Bridgeville, PA 15017 Estate of SHIRLEY M. BOUR, Deceased of Forward Township, ennsylvania, Estate No.: 02-21-07868, Diane Korber & Linda Buono, Co-Executors or to Travis J. Dunn, Atty, 6 Clairton Blvd. Pittsburgh, PA 15236 Estate of MS. VIRGINIA LEE MARTIN , Deceased of Merrick Avenue, ittsburgh, A 15226, Estate No.: 02-21-07444, Ms. Dinelle L. Steiner, Executrix, c/o Max C. Feldman, Esquire and the Law Office of Max C. Fedlman, 1322 Fifth AVenue, Coraopolis, PA 15108 Estate of MR. BASIL J. VECCHIONE , Deceased of ocust Drive, Moon Township, A 15108, Estate No.: 02-21-07437, Ms. Sandra Baird, Executrix, c/o Max C. Feldman, Esquire and the Law Office of Max C. Fedlman, 1322 Fifth AVenue, Coraopolis, PA 15108

LEGAL ADVERTISING Bids/Proposals

OFFICIAL ADVERTISEMENT THE BOARD OF PUBLIC EDUCATION OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PITTSBURGH Sealed proposals shall be deposited at the Administration Building, Bellefield Entrance obby, South Bellefield Avenue, ittsburgh, a., , on November 30, 2021, until 2:00 P.M., local prevailing time for: Pittsburgh Whittier K-5 Play Area Upgrades General Prime Pittsburgh Brashear High School Finish Floor Replacements and Miscellaneous Work General Prime Project Manual and Drawings will b e a v a i l a b l e f or purchase on November 1, 2021, at Modern Reproductions (412-488-7700), 127 McKean Street, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15219 between 9:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. The cost of the Project Manual Documents is non-refundable. Project details and dates are described in each project manual.

To place a display ad in the New Pittsburgh Courier call 412-481-8302 ext. 128 or 129

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

Proposals/bid submittals will be due 11:00 a.m. on November 30, 2021 and will be read at 11:15 a.m., the same day, at Port Authority’s Heinz location (Please contact the respective Contract Specialist for Tele-Conference dial-in information for the Bid Opening), for the following: Electronic Proposal - Ebusiness website (http://ebusiness.portauthority.org)

1

Bid Number B21-04-26R

Bid Name Uninterruptable Power Supply Enclosure Panels

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

A re-Bid Conference will be held via tele-conference on each of the above items at 10:00 a.m. on November 16, 2021. lease contact the respective Contract Specialist for Tele-Conference dial-in information. 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 ort 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. ort 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 ort Authority reserves the right to reject any or all bids.

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA November 1, 2021 The Office of the County Controller of Allegheny County, Room , Court ouse, ittsburgh, A., will receive separate and sealed Bids until 11:00 A.M. prevailing local time, Wednesday December 8, 2021, and a representative of the Department of ublic Works will open and read the roposals in the Conference Room , Court ouse, ittsburgh, A., onehalf hour later, 11:30 A.M., for the following: DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS RECONSTRUCTION OF ROBINSON RUN BRIDGE NO. 3 WITHIN NORTH FAYETTE TOWNSHIP AND SOUTH FAYETTE TOWNSHIP COUNTY PROJECT NO: RS03-0609 As a prospective bidder please note the following general roject information regarding re-Bid Information, Bidding Requirements, and Contract Conditions. See the roject Manual and Drawings for detailed information, responsibilities and instructions.

PRE-BID INFORMATION: iew the roposal, Specifications and Drawings at the Office of the Contract Manager, Room , County Office Building, Pittsburgh, PA. Please adhere to all COVID-19 safety procedures. The non-refundable charge for the roposal and a disc containing the Specifications and Drawings is $107.00 including sales tax. The Contract Manager will accept only check or money order to the “COUNTY OF ALLEGHENY” in that amount and WILL NOT ACCEPT CASH OR EXTEND CREDIT. rospective bidders may request to have their bid documents mailed. An additional fee of $16.05 for handling costs for each requested proposal must be paid in advance. The fee must be received at the office of the Contract Manager prior to mailing of any documents.

Interested bidders planning to purchase bid documents or attend the public bid opening are advised to follow Self-Monitoring and Social Distancing guidelines when entering the Allegheny County Courthouse or County Office Building. Interested bidders should also be aware that when entering either the Allegheny County Courthouse or County Office Building, a face mask meeting the guidelines set by the ennsylvania Department of ealth, must be worn at all times.

BIDDING REQUIREMENTS: The County requires pre-qualification of bidders, including subcontractors, as specified in Section 102.01 of Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Specifications, Publication No.408, 2020 Edition, Change No. 2, Effective April 9, 2021 on this project.

Submit bid on the supplied Bid Forms in accordance with the Instructions to Bidders and eneral and Supplementary Conditions; include the following documents with the Bid Form, ALONG WITH ONE COMPLETE PHOTOCOPIED SET OF PROPOSAL: Bid Security - certified check or surety company bond on County’s form to the order of or running to the County of Allegheny in the amount of five (5%) percent of the Bid as evidence that you, the Bidder, will accept and carry out the conditions of the Contract in case of award. The County will accept only bonds written by Surety Companies acceptable on Federal Bonds per the current Federal Register Circular 570. Federal Register Circular 570 is available for inspection in the Contract Office, Room , County Office Building, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.

Bidder Certification of re-Qualification, Classification and Work Capacity.

•List of Subcontractors •Statement of Joint Venture Participation •MBE and WBE oals Attainment Certification - (ONLY NECESSARY IF YOU CAN NOT MEET THE SPECIFIED MBE AND WBE GOALS) Work Sheet Required Amount erformed by Contractor (Non Federal Project) •MBE/WBE Subcontractor and Supplier Solicitation Sheet MBE WBE Subcontractor and Supplier Commitment Sheet THE COUNTY WILL REJECT BIDS THAT DO NOT INCLUDE THE EXECUTED DOCUMENTS SPECIFIED ABOVE WITH THE BID FORM. You may not withdraw your bid for a period of Sixty (60) days after the scheduled closing time for receipt of bids. The County Manager reserves the right to reject any and all bids or waive any informalities in the bidding.

CONTRACT CONDITIONS: In accordance with the provisions of the “Pennsylvania Prevailing Wage Act” of August 15, 1961, P.L. 987, as Department of abor and Industry, the prevailing minimum wage predetermination requirements as set forth in the Attachments apply to this Project.

For technical questions, contact Kristen Hash, Project Manager, at 412-350-2480.

For contract related questions, contact Michael Burdelsky, Contract Manager, at 412-350-5914.

Project completion is to occur by August 10, 2022.

The County of Allegheny County hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively ensure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, minority business enterprises / women business enterprises [MBE/WBE] will be afforded the full opportunity to submit bids on the grounds of race, sex, color or national origin in consideration for an award. It is a condition of the bidding process contract that all responsive bidders contractors shall follow the minority business enterprises/women’s business enterprises [MBE/WBE] procedures set forth in the project manual/contract documents.

Chelsa Wagner Controller County of Allegheny

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Bids/Proposals

Bids/Proposals

PORT AUTHORITY OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY ADVERTISEMENT Separate sealed Bids for the Work as listed hereinafter will be received at the Purchasing and Materials Management Department of Port Authority of Allegheny County, (Authority) Heinz 57 Center, 345 Sixth Avenue, Third Floor, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15222-2527 until 1:30 p.m. on December 6, 2021 (Please call David Hart at (412) 566-5415 prior to arriving at this location – all participants must provide and wear a mask at all times and practice minimum social distancing of 6 feet between other individuals) and will be opened and read at 2:00 PM December 6, 2021 via teleconference at: (toll free number) 1-855-453-6957 and conference ID #4485786. Each Bidder shall be solely responsible for assuring that its Bid is both received and time stamped by a representative of the Purchasing and Materials Management Department at or before the advertised time for submission of Bids. Bidders submitting bids via FedEx, UPS, USPS or other carrier must immediately provide tracking information to the assigned contract specialist via e-mail. Upon delivery, bidder will notify the assigned contract specialist with an e-mailed receipt. Bids received or time stamped in the Purchasing and Materials Management Department after the advertised time for the submission of Bids shall be non-responsive and therefore ineligible for Award.

GENERAL ANCILLARY SERVICES CONTRACT NOS. SYS-21-09 GH, GB, P, E, H & RR GENERAL HEAVY HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION – CONTRACT NO. SYS-21-09 GH GENERAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTION – CONTRACT NO. SYS-21-09 GB PLUMBING CONSTRUCTION – CONTRACT NO. SYS-21-09 P ELECTRICAL CONSTRUCTION – CONTRACT NO. SYS-21-09 E HVAC CONSTRUCTION –CONTRACT NO. SYS-21-09 H RAILROAD CONSTRUCTION –CONTRACT NO. SYS-21-09 RR The Work for these Contracts includes, but is not limited to, all labor, materials, and equipment necessary to perform assignments as identified by Authority pursuant to written Work Orders issued by Authority. The nature of the Work to be assigned may include, but is not limited to: General Heavy Highway Construction - providing asphalt and concrete paving, drainage system installation and repair, minor bridge repairs, landslide removals and other heavy repairs; General Building Construction - providing building foundations and floor slabs, steel fabrication and erection, doors, windows, roofing and other improvements to facilities; Plumbing Construction – domestic water and sanitary plumbing, oil water separator replacement, fire protection and suppression systems and other facility plumbing; Electrical Construction - transformer replacement, circuit breakers and panelboards, conduit / raceway installation, wiring, lighting installation, substation bus duct replacement; fire alarm systems, UPS systems and other electrical improvements; or performing other construction activities at other Authority facilities and/or Work as requested.

HVAC Construction -- HVAC Unit replacement, Duct work, control work, Unit heater replacement, Chiller Replacement, Duct Cleaning and troubleshooting all HVAC systems within the Port Authority System. Railroad Construction – rail and tie replacement, ballast replacement, minor rail repairs, turnout and crossing panel replacement and other railroad repairs.

Bid Documents will be available for public inspection and may be obtained on or after November 3, 2021 at Authority’s offices at the following address Port Authority of Allegheny County Purchasing and Materials Management Department Heinz 57 Center 345 Sixth Avenue, Third Floor Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-2527 Bid documents are available for purchase as follows: Bid Documents are available in an electronic form on compact disk upon payment of $15.00 per set. Payment shall be by Check or Money Order (NO CASH), payable to “Port Authority of Allegheny County”. No refunds of payment will be made. Upon request, Bid Documents can be mailed upon receipt of payment in full. Should the purchaser wish to have the Bid Documents delivered via special delivery, such as UPS or FedEx, the purchaser shall provide its appropriate account numbers to Port Authority for such special delivery methods.

This Project may be funded, in part by, and subject to certain requirements of, the County of Allegheny and/or the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Authority, in compliance with 74 Pa C.S.§ 303, as may be amended, require that certified Diverse Businesses (“DBs”) have the maximum opportunity to participate in the performance of contracts and subcontracts for this Project. In this regard, all Bidders shall make good faith efforts in accordance with 74Pa C.S.§ 303, to ensure that DBs have the maximum opportunity to compete for and perform contracts. Bidders shall also not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, age, disability, national origin, sexual origin, gender identity or status as a parent in the award and performance of contracts for this Project. If aid is required to involve DBs in the Work, Bidders are to contact DB Representative Eric Wells at (412) 566-5262.

The Bidder’s attention is directed to the following contacts for Bidder’s questions: Procedural Questions Regarding Bidding: David Hart - Port Authority (412) 566-5415 All other questions relating to the Bid Documents must be submitted by email to: Port Authority of Allegheny County Heinz 57 Center 345 Sixth Avenue, Third Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15222-2527 Attn: David Hart Email: DHart@PortAuthority.org In addition, the Bidder’s attention is directed to the following schedule of activities for preparation of its Bid: 9:00 AM November 18, 2021

Pre-Bid Conference Port Authority of Allegheny County Teleconference Toll Free 1-855-453-6957 Conference ID#: 4485786 (Attendance is not mandatory, but strongly recommended)

1:30 p.m.

December 6, 2021

Bids Due Purchasing and Materials Management Department Bids submitted via Fed Ex, UPS, USPS or other carrier are subject to the notification re uirements indicated above.

2:00 p.m.

December 6, 2021

Bid Opening Teleconference Toll Free 1-855-453-6957 Conference ID#: 4485786

Authority reserves the right to reject any or all Bids ARTICLE 2 – PRE-BID CONFERENCE A Pre-Bid Conference may be held with prospective Bidders to review the Bid Documents and generally discuss the Project. The time and place will be specified in the Advertisement. All Bidders are encouraged to submit their questions in writing to the respective individuals listed in the Advertisement prior to the time specified in the Advertisement for the re-Bid Conference.

A response may be provided during the Pre-Bid Conference or by Addendum thereafter.

ARTICLE 3 – PRE-BID TOUR There will be no Pre-Bid Tour.

ARTICLE 4 – PUBLIC OPENING OF BIDS Bids will be publicly opened and announced at the advertised time and place set for such Bid opening.

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COUNTY OF ALLEGHENY PITTSBURGH, PA October 27, 2021 The Office of the Director of the DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY will receive Letters of Interest with current Federal Standard Form 330 (SF) Architect-Engineer Qualification, until 4:00 p.m., on December 10, 2021, for the following assignment: ALLEGHENY COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND MISCELLANEOUS ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES COUNTY PROJECT NO. AA00-PMAS Submit five (5) hard copies and one (1) electronic copy on either a CD or USB Flash Drive of your Letter of Interest and current SF 330 to: Stephen G. Shanley, P.E., Director Allegheny County Department of Public Works oom 5 1, County Office uilding Pittsburgh, PA 15219 The scope of work includes but is not limited to the following tasks in connection with bridge and roadway design and construction projects: Project programming; reimbursement agreement development; consultant coordination; project tracking; technical design reviews; right-of-way, utility and railroad coordination; and construction administrative assistance.

Place a Letter of Interest with required forms in a sealed, opaque envelope with firm’s name, the title and number of the roject, and the words “Letter of Interest” on the front. If you mail the Letter of Interest, insert the sealed, opaque envelope containing the Letter of Interest and standard forms inside a separate mailing envelope.

The Director will receive Letters of Interest for each project, with accompanying SF 330 until the day and hour stated in the Public Advertisement. The Director will not consider any Letter of Interest received after the set day and hour and will return it to the addressee unopened. The firm is responsible for ensuring that the Director receives its Letter of Interest by the set day and hour.

The County will use only SF 330’s of firms responding with etters of Interest to prequalify firms for consideration for these services.

The County encourages responses from small firms, minority and women owned firms, and firms that have not previously worked for the County. Any inquiries into this Advertisement are to be directed to Mike Burdelsky, P.E. at 412-350-5914 or mburdelsky@alleghenycounty.us.

The County will preselect or short-list three firms for consideration for this Project assignment on the following evaluation criteria: Experience, Record, Size, Workload, and Related Work. By a Request for Proposal the Department of ublic Works will notify the top three short-listed firms to submit proposals. The County will base final selection of a firm for this assignment on the following evaluation criteria: Project Proposal, Organization, Design/Construction/Project Management Ability, and Experience. The County’s minority and Women disadvantaged goals for this Project will be 13% of the total price for MBE participation and 2% of the total price for WBE participation. Certification of MBE’s and WBE’s by the County is mandatory on or before proposal due date.

The Director may reject any or all Letters of Interest/Proposals and may waive any irregularity in the Submission of Letters of Interest/Proposals.

Stephen G. Shanley, P.E., Director Allegheny County Department of Public Works

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