The three-member staff of Neighbors in the Strip, a 15-year-old advocacy organization for Pittsburgh’s Strip District, has resigned over differences with the group’s board of directors.
Don Orkoskey, president of the group’s board, said Monday the board was “surprised” by the March 3 resignation of executive director Becky Rodgers, economic development manager Cindy Cassell and public relations coordinator Cindy Helffrich.
Mr. Orkoskey said the group was “thankful” for the work of Ms. Rodgers but also “excited to meet the challenges that we’re facing and believe that Neighbors in the Strip will come through this transition period stronger, more focused, and better than ever.” Treasurer Sara Moeller also said she wasn’t aware of any friction with staff.
But Ms. Rodgers, one of the original organizers of the group, said she and her colleagues had philosophical differences with the board that reached the point where they were told they weren’t allowed to enter Pittsburgh Public Market — a group of small businesses Neighbors in the Strip put together — without a board member because they “created a toxic environment” there.
At her job review in February, Ms. Rodgers said, she received unsatisfactory grades in more than 40 of 52 categories. “For Don to say [there were no problems] sounds good, but it’s not true,” Ms. Rodgers said. “It rips my heart out to see the direction [the group] is going in.”
Ms. Rodgers, 61, said the board in recent years has stopped following bylaws that require board members to be stakeholders in the Strip, business owners or residents. As that has changed — Mr. Orkoskey no longer lives in the neighborhood — she believes the group no longer represents all businesses, residents and property owners there.
All parties involved agreed the resignations had nothing to do with differences over projects under consideration in the Strip — the proposed refurbishing of the produce terminal and the $450 million Buncher Co. redevelopment project,
Kevin Acklin, Mayor Bill Peduto’s chief of staff and chairman of the Urban Redevelopment Authority board that helped to finance Pittsburgh Public Market, called the resignations “an internal matter” and said they haven’t caused any problems between URA and the group. The group continues to participate in discussion about the terminal building, he said.
Ms. Moeller said the agency has office staff in place but won’t hire an executive director until it finishes a strategic plan later this year.
Ed Blazina: eblazina@post-gazette.com.
First Published: April 14, 2015, 4:19 a.m.
