Some members of City Council like to sit on their hands until it’s time to point fingers. We hope you’ll think of them (and whose interests they choose to represent) the next time snow begins falling. Our common sense solution lacked votes to move forward this time, but we’re not done.

Agility agreements can’t solve everything and we remain committed to investing in our own fleet. It will take years of investment though, for noticeable improvement. Meanwhile, residents are rightly demanding better service the very next time it snows.

To that end, earlier this year, Councilperson Warwick began discussions with leaders from Pittsburgh DPW and the Borough of Munhall. Last week, however, other members of City Council voted against authorizing the mayor to further negotiate such an “agility agreement.”

Neighboring municipalities often have 10x the plows per road-mile than Pittsburgh, clearing 100% of their streets in mere hours. It’s common sense: we should strike deals with these neighbors, allowing their plows on Pittsburgh’s streets, digging out residents many days earlier than last winter.

This was not a personnel issue – DPW crews worked 24/7 and should be celebrated for their dedication. The bottleneck was with Pittsburgh’s old and broken down plows and blame belongs to City leaders who failed to maintain our fleet over recent decades.