Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh
Annexations
Fig. 1. Photograph by author, November 25, 2020.
If I had to guess, a Commonwealth Court ruling affirming a lower court ruling that referendums to approve a proposed annexation of Wilkinsburg to Pittsburgh must be held in both municipalities[1] will be the end of it. Advocates (presumably mostly property owners, including landlords) will need to offer a much better deal to renters and poor people in Wilkinsburg than raising individual local income tax rates from one to three percent while property taxes go down.[2]
In the lower court,
[Allegheny County Common Pleas Senior Judge Joe] dismissed the [annexation] petition, writing that the only acceptable procedure for annexation comes from the state constitution, which requires a referendum in which a majority of voters from each municipality approve the merger.
The group seeking annexation appealed, arguing that the 1903 Annexation Law governed the process. That law allowed for annexation if a petition was signed by at least 5% of qualified voters from the community seeking to become annexed to another. It did not require voter approval from the other municipality, but did require consent from city council.[3]
The Pittsburgh City Council rejected the proposed merger early in 2022.[4] Advocates restarted the process in September.[5]
I had not been aware that the state constitution specified an annexation procedure. I am mystified as to how advocates imagine that an old law, which has been repealed, supersedes the state constitution.[6] But I am real clear that they were hoping to bypass popular elections and now I’m pretty sure it wasn’t because of campaign costs.
Paula Reed Ward, “Wilkinsburg merger with Pittsburgh must be approved by voters, court affirms,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, July 14, 2023, https://triblive.com/local/wilkinsburg-merger-with-pittsburgh-must-be-approved-by-voters-court-affirms/
Gilead
Fig. 1. “Elon Musk shared a video of his entrance on his Twitter account.” Photograph attributed to Elon Musk, October 26, 2022, via the New York Post,[7] fair use.
Ramishah Maruf, “Elon Musk says Twitter’s ad revenue is down 50% and cash flow is negative,” CNN, July 15, 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/15/business/twitter-cash-flow-elon-musk/index.html
- [1]Paula Reed Ward, “Wilkinsburg merger with Pittsburgh must be approved by voters, court affirms,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, July 14, 2023, https://triblive.com/local/wilkinsburg-merger-with-pittsburgh-must-be-approved-by-voters-court-affirms/↩
- [2]Charlie Wolfson, “If Wilkinsburg is annexed into Pittsburgh, what would happen to its residents’ taxes?” Pittsburgh Public Source, November 16, 2021, https://www.publicsource.org/wilkinsburg-pittsburgh-annexation-merger-property-taxes-school-pennsylvania/↩
- [3]Paula Reed Ward, “Wilkinsburg merger with Pittsburgh must be approved by voters, court affirms,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, July 14, 2023, https://triblive.com/local/wilkinsburg-merger-with-pittsburgh-must-be-approved-by-voters-court-affirms/↩
- [4]Julia Felton, “Pittsburgh City Council votes down Wilkinsburg annexation, for now,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, February 8, 2022, https://triblive.com/local/pittsburgh-city-council-votes-down-wilkinsburg-annexation-for-now/↩
- [5]Ryan Deto, “Wilkinsburg group restarts Pittsburgh annexation process,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, September 30, 2022, https://triblive.com/local/wilkinsburg-group-restarts-pittsburgh-annexation-process/↩
- [6]Paula Reed Ward, “Wilkinsburg merger with Pittsburgh must be approved by voters, court affirms,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, July 14, 2023, https://triblive.com/local/wilkinsburg-merger-with-pittsburgh-must-be-approved-by-voters-court-affirms/↩
- [7]Thomas Barrabi, “Elon Musk barges into Twitter HQ as deal nears: ‘Let that sink in,’” New York Post, October 26, 2022, https://nypost.com/2022/10/26/elon-musk-barges-into-twitter-headquarters-as-deal-nears/↩