Ashley and Jonathan are back post-Thanksgiving, grateful to be joined by County Councilwoman Liv Bennett. Bennett dropped tons of knowledge about what the County Council has been up to, like passing a bill banning discrimination based on hair style, to what it will be considering, like a county Independent Police Review Board. 

CALL TO ACTION - Attend Allegheny County Council Committee on Public Safety to listen to discussion presented around creation of "Independent Police Review Board." Tune in on Tuesday, December 8th at 4 PM - https://alleghenycounty.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx

Ordinance 11670-20 was reintroduced on Tuesday November 24th and was sent to Committee on Public Safety for further discussion.  County Council Members were instructed to submit amendments prior to the Committee on Public Safety meeting scheduled for Tuesday December 8th.  Sponsors Council Member Bennett, Council Member Hallam, Council Member Prizio, and Council Member Klein hope to formally vote on ordinance during the next County Council Meeting (Tuesday, December 15th). 

We did it! 45 has been fired. Federally we won but on the state level across the country it was a different story. Tune in to our recap of the 2020 elections. We have a special cohost, State Representative Summer Lee, joining Ashley and Jonathan, to dig into what should come next in Southwest Pennsylvania. 

The countdown to Nov. 3 continues! This week, Ashley & Jonathan talk about mail-in balloting and provide information on drop-off locations and discuss UNITE's recent decision to endorse and support the ballot initiative in the City of Pittsburgh aimed to strengthen the Citizen Police Review Board. Ashley talks with endorsed state representative candidate Jessica Benham (PA-36) in the second half of the pod. 

With Nov. 3 less than six weeks away, Ashley & Jonathan talk about the recent events in Louisville and how they speak to the need for systemic change, starting with who is representing us at all levels of government. With that in mind, they welcomed in State Representative Sara Innamorato, one of UNITE's four endorsed candidates this election, to talk about how the state legislature can help impact change and how engaging in that process is important.

Ashley Comans and Jonathan Mayo are counting down to Election Day with a series of podcasts that will dig into how all of you can get involved, from voter registration to census outreach to issue-based work. On this episode, we welcomed in two dynamic members of the UNITE Board to talk about the work they are doing in/around the election: Monica Ruiz from Casa San Jose and Brandi Fisher from the Alliance for Police Accountability.

Ashley Comans and Jonathan Mayo begin a conversation with Pittsburgh Public School Board Director Pam Harbin about all things education. They cover topics from the decision to renew Superintendent Anthony Hamlet's contract to the laptop shortage and the lack of communication around the start of school during the pandemic.

Pittsburgh Public Schools in the News 

Johnson, T. (2020, August 27). Pittsburgh Public Schools board votes 7-2 to renew Superintendent Hamlet's contract - PublicSource: News for a better Pittsburgh 

Larson, M. (2020, August 29). Pittsburgh Public Schools pushes back start of school - Pittsburgh Business Times

Johnson, T. (2020, September 2) Will Pittsburgh Public Schools delay again? 8 answers to your most pressing delay questions - PublicSource: News for a better Pittsburgh

Schiller, M. (2020, August 28). Comcast Launches Program to Help Nearly 2,000 Pittsburgh Public Schools Students Connect To Internet For Free - KDKA 

Previous Pittsburgh Public Schools Meetings 

Education Committee Meeting // Wednesday, September 2nd // 5:30 PM // Watch here
Business and Finance Meeting // Tuesday, September 1st // 5:30 PM // Watch here 

Ashley Comans and Jonathan Mayo welcome in soon-to-be PA State Rep Emily Kinkead, a UNITE! endorsed candidate in District 20 who won her primary. We talked about the chances to flip the state house, co-governing (as always), priorities in the district and what Emily believes is an opportunity to really move the needle legislatively across the state.

Recent News Articles 

Blazina, E. (2020, June 3) Incumbent Adam Ravenstahl loses Dem no in House District 20 to newcomer Emily Kinkead - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Fontaine, T. (2020, June 3) Emily Kinkead leads incumbent state Rep. Adam Ravenstahl in primary challenge - Trib Live

Martines, J. (2020, January 19) State Rep. Adam Ravenstahl challenged by progressive attorney Emily Kinkead - Trib Live

Deto, R. (2019, December 30) Northside state Rep. candidate Emily Kinkead gets boost from progressive elected officials Bethany Hallam and Liv Bennett - Pgh City Paper

Lisa Middleman ran for DA in Allegheny County because she believed change in our criminal justice system was long overdue. Even though she lost that race, her work as a criminal defense attorney in helping activists who are arrested during protests in Pittsburgh now shows she's putting her money where her mouth is. Middleman joined Jonathan Mayo for a conversation about protests, rights and the need for criminal justice and law enforcement reform.

Tune in to listen to our third episode!

Our second post is live! This episode, Ashley and Jonathan talk about County Council, what it is, what it does, and what it can do. Current County Councilwoman Bethany Hallam (a UNITE! endorsed candidate) joins the pod to talk about what she's been trying to accomplish since she was elected along with County Councilwoman Liv Bennett.

Tune in to hear our second episode! 

Our first UNITE! podcast is live! We are happy to kick off our first episode of the UNITE! podcast with our founder and chair, State Rep. Summer L. Lee. Tune in to hear our hosts Jonathan Mayo & Ashley Renee chat with Summer Lee and discuss the history of UNITE!

Tune in to listen to our first episode!