Reforming Government Through Transparency

Reforming Government Through Transparency and Civic Involvement

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl believes that when citizens better understand how their money is spent, they become more engaged with government. Luke is reforming the City’s decades-old procurement procedures and making sure that citizens and businesses are engaged in contracting practices. He is using 21^st-Century technology to track the performance of City departments and using the Internet to connect residents with the services they pay for. Partnering with the regions political leaders to adopt Campaign Finance Reform, Luke is ringing in a new era of transparency and accountability in Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh's Contracting Best Practices. When the City hires companies to repair a bridge or install cameras in City neighborhoods, Luke is making sure the process represents opportunity and transparency. He created a commission to bring together leaders of procurement to reform the City’s process and implement a best-practices model. Luke created an executive order which requires all departments to posts justification forms online stating which companies are receiving contracts and why. Through these efforts, Luke is changing the way that contracts are awarded in the City in an effort to create more transparency, efficiency and opportunity.

Limits to Campaign Donations. Luke joined forces with County Executive Dan Onorato to bring Pittsburgh the lowest campaign-finance limits in Pennsylvania’s history. The Mayor and County Executive are in favor of identical legislation at the county and city levels which would limit both personal and political action committee donations. Soon, campaign donations will be posted online. The intention of the proposed legislation is to level the playing field in upcoming elections and to align the city and county election processes with the rules for the federal government.

PittMAPS. Luke created the Pittsburgh Performance and Management System to improve the accountability of department managers and increase day-to-day operational efficiencies across City government. More importantly, residents can track online how the City is delivering services to their neighborhood.

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