This letter is to address concerns raised about my “no” vote on City Council Bill 1426 (“Pittsburgh government must focus on issues, not battling ideologies,” Feb. 6, TribLive).
I voted yes on Bill 1425, introducing a ballot referendum to amend the Home Rule Charter to prohibit discrimination in who may conduct business with the city of Pittsburgh. But given the current climate in Washington, its companion bill, 1426 — which prohibits the use of the Home Rule Charter Amendment process to “add duties or obligations beyond the lawful scope of the city’s authority” — gives me pause.
The current administration and the Republican Legislature supporting it are doing everything in their power to normalize and codify discrimination and bigotry at the highest level of government, with the intent of overriding the power of states and local municipalities. For this reason, I believe it is ill-advised to proactively hamstring Pittsburgh voters’ ability to pursue ballot referendum measures to amend the Home Rule Charter in ways that a higher body of government may deem illegal. Also, 1425 and 1426 will have no impact on whether the “Not on Our Dime” referendum measure appears on the ballot, as all three measures would appear together for voters in May — leaving it in the hands of the courts anyway.
Basic protections for all sorts of disenfranchised and minority groups are at risk of being outlawed nationally by the Trump administration. If Pittsburghers want to address that through the Home Rule Charter referendum process, we should preserve our ability to do so.
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Barb Warwick
Greenfield