Warning against the process turning into a “shotgun wedding,” the Pittsburgh city councilor whose district borders Wilkinsburg said that for the nine-member body to consider voting to annex the borough, they need to hear more from the people who will be impacted — not outsiders.
The Rev. Ricky Burgess, acknowledging that he has rarely spoken publicly about the proposed annexation, told his fellow councilmembers in a meeting on Tuesday that his district is the one that would take in a majority of Wlikinsburg’s residents, so he is going to “assert his right” to control some of how this process unfolds.
Drawing out a long-winded metaphor about his own marriage and how “you don’t just marry the person, you marry the family,” Mr. Burgess said so far, the process has been led by outsiders telling the “groom and bride what’s best for them.”
“Make no mistake, this is an African American issue that affects African American people disproportionately,” he said.
Mr. Burgess added, “I do not propose to have a shotgun wedding with Wilkinsburg either. I intend to court her and to listen to her and to find common ground.”
Mr. Burgess’s comments came as council officially introduced the ordinance that it will eventually vote on: whether or not Pittsburgh will recommend annexing Wilkinsburg, an action that will send it to residents of the borough to decide for themselves.
The ordinance, introduced by Council President Theresa Kail-Smith, notes — in its text — that council “does not oppose the idea of uniting the two communities,” but only after “due diligence” to investigate if unification is in the best interest of the residents of Pittsburgh.
“City Council is generally interested in investigating whether or not unification(s) with other territories would be the desire of and in the best interest of the citizens of Pittsburgh,” the ordinance reads.
Council was mandated by court order to vote by April 5 on the annexation, which would effectively dissolve Wilkinsburg’s government and give Pittsburgh its 91st neighborhood. If approved, Wilkinsburg residents would get to vote via ballot referendum in the 2022 primary, officials anticipate.
Tracey Evans, executive director of the Wilkinsburg Community Development Corporation, accused Mr. Burgess and Ms. Kail-Smith of trying to halt public debate on the topic, saying that “introducing a vote before this public process takes place is not democratic.” The development group has been a main driver of the annexation.
“Pittsburgh City Council and city residents deserve the opportunity to review objective fact-finding reports and have their questions answered,” Ms. Evans said. “Many City Council members believe in this democratic process and it’s unfortunate that some council people are seeking to stop public debate.”
Ms. Kail-Smith said council will schedule a post-agenda meeting to hear from experts on the annexation most likely within the next two weeks.
She said so far, Wilkinsburg residents have said “loud and clear” that they feel the process is being rushed. She said council will continue to have conversations about the effects of the annexation, adding that she wants to see data on specific impacts.
“I just want to say, I don’t think our residents are ready for this right now, not until we perfect what we’re doing right here or get better in some areas,” Ms. Kail-Smith said.
Advocates for annexation, including Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and Pittsburgh Controller Michael Lamb, say that it will expand Pittsburgh’s tax base and population, give Wilkinsburg residents access to a wide variety of city services and save borough residents money on property taxes.
Opponents argue that annexation would take autonomy away from a borough that is already working to improve its schools and lower taxes, risk gentrifying neighborhoods at the expense of Black residents and increase the burden on a city government that already struggles to deploy resources equitably.
Julian Routh: jrouth@post-gazette.com; Twitter: @julianrouth
First Published: January 18, 2022, 5:56 p.m.
Updated: January 18, 2022, 6:01 p.m.