April 29 saw the completion of the city of Pittsburgh’s month-long series on diversity and inclusion. As part of the DiverseCity 365 initiative, women in leadership positions around the city led the HerStory Discussion at the YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh, giving others insight into how they had shattered the glass ceiling.

LUKE RAVENSTAHL

DiverseCity 365 began in October 2007 as a means of increasing diversity and inclusion throughout the city. The Department of Personnel & Civil Service Commission created a taskforce to develop strategies toward this goal and establish monitoring programs.

With most of the gubernatorial candidates having participated in multiple public forums prior to the African American Chamber of Commerce event April 29, there was little chance anyone would hear something new.

But independent candidate Robert Mansfield, an African-American U.S. Army veteran from Phila­delphia, took that little chance and ran with it as far as he could, which led to a few raised eyebrows from those previously unexposed to Libertarian viewpoints.

AIRING DIFFERENCES—State gubernatorial candidates prepare to make opening statements during the candidates’ forum at the Rivers Club. From left: Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel, Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato, independent candidate Robert Mansfield, state Auditor General Jack Wagner, state Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams and state Attorney General Tom Corbett.

“The old way is over. We need a ‘new normal,’” he said. “We need less regulation and less tax. We should phase out business taxes by 2016.”

When Marilyn Hall first started losing her sight to Retinitis Pigmentosa, she could cope. She was in her own home and had children to help. Now, however, her children are grown, she is divorced and living in an apartment, and her disease has progressed to the point where she cannot read her mail, pay bills or do laundry without help.

DO THE RIGHT THING—Urban League of Pittsburgh President and CEO Esther Bush asks legislators not to cut human service funding to nonprofits when the need for services is increasing.

Thanks to Catholic Charities’ Neighborhood Based Services program, she gets that help. But she may not for much longer. Mid-year state budget cuts have already forced service reductions and if the next budget is not delivered on time or reduces allocations to nonprofits further, Hall could be dropped from the program entirely.