Letter to the editor: Let's work together to better City of Pittsburgh

In February, I started a new job in the City of Pittsburgh. I was thrilled to start working downtown in a bright new space.

I’ve made Allegheny County my home for more than 30 years. I have seen and heard from various media outlets that the City of Pittsburgh “is a disaster” or “ has gone down a bad path.” Now was an opportunity to see what is going on firsthand. As I recognize and understand the concerns of residents and business owners, coming from the suburbs, I have a different perspective.

One recent day I had meetings from one end of town to the other. I walked from Grant Street to Eighth Street through the Cultural District and then to the Highmark Building on Penn, then back through downtown on Fifth Avenue. It was quite pleasant. Professional people were speed-walking to meetings or lunches, and residents were heading to shops and restaurants. It’s nice to see places like the Speckled Egg in the Union Trust Building crowded and a busy Target downtown.

There’s so much opportunity to collaborate and work through issues to grow the City of Pittsburgh. I hope everyone can work together on behalf of its betterment. It’s important to embrace the city instead of trying to take it down. Our Allegheny County seat has a ton of history, a vibrant community with many people to meet and beautiful areas to enjoy. Identifying problems and fixing them can be a collaborative effort.

Carrie Lewis DelRosso

Oakmont

The writer is a former state representative in District 33.