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Council rebukes planning director—or email to RCOs invoking 'make Pittsburgh great again'
Summary
Council members raised objections after City Planning Director Jamille Bay emailed Registered Community Organizations about proposed RCO program changes and used a slogan described as politically charged; Bay defended the outreach as a warning to community groups about pending legislation.
A political dispute over outreach to neighborhood groups overshadowed parts of the Nov. 10 post-agenda briefing when Director of City Planning Jamille Bay told council she had emailed Registered Community Organizations (RCOs) to warn them about legislation proposed by Councilwoman Kale Smith to eliminate the program.
Bay said the message warned RCOs that "this is coming down the road," and she included a line she described as a "wink" at national political rhetoric: "make Pittsburgh great again." Asked by council members to explain the phrase and the distribution, Bay said she used the wording to signal concern that the proposal would remove public input from planning and to reflect what she heard from councilmember Kale Smith.
Council members sharply criticized the outreach. Councilman Wilson said it was "unacceptable" for a department director to send that language to community groups without consulting council. "You just sent an email to all our community groups?" Wilson asked. "You have no idea what you're talking about... You just sent an email to our community groups."
Bay said she had discussed the matter with Councilwoman Kale Smith and that her email was intended to give RCOs notice and an opportunity to engage. "She never identified them by name... She has allies that are thinking about this," Bay said, describing the message as an effort to surface community concern.
Other members said the phrasing and distribution risked politicizing the planning process and harming department-council relations; some called the language "appalling." Council President said the post-agenda format is for council to ask questions and for staff to respond, but members said the email itself warranted additional scrutiny.
No formal disciplinary action or policy change was taken at the meeting, but several council members asked for better communication protocols between the planning department and council and for staff to refrain from politicized language when engaging community groups.
