Homewood Nation

In Part 1, I shared comments from Derrick Lopez, president and CEO of the Homewood Children's Village, and Jerome Jackson, executive director of Operation Better Block Inc., regarding Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's withdrawal from this year's election.

Mr. Jackson's comment about the Mayor being "on board with what's happening in Homewood" regarding development harks back to an observation that Homewood's councilman, the Rev. Ricky V. Burgess, has made numerous times over the year and a half - that Homewood has (or has had) a unique window of opportunity in which our political representatives were all in agreement about the need to redevelop the neighborhood.

When Councilman Burgess made that declaration, he was referring to Mayor Ravenstahl, State Representative Joseph M. Preston Jr., State Sen. Jim Ferlo and himself. Now that Mr. Preston has been unseated by Edward C. Gainey and Mayor Ravenstahl will not seek re-election, the question arises, will the new political firmament align as strongly in Homewood's favor as Burgess said the last one did?

Rep. Gainey has already placed himself solidly in the camp of Councilman Bill Peduto, personally escorting him on a tour of Homewood's night spots last November (Mr. Peduto mentioned that when he visited the Save Race Street Committee's annual celebration on Nov. 4).

Councilman Burgess, a strong Ravenstahl supporter (as declared at the 2:16 mark in this video), declined to comment for this story, saying that he would make a public statement later regarding whom he might support for mayor. Given his relationship with the mayor, someone given to speculation might assume that he will support the unnamed third party referred to by Mr. Ravenstahl as a potential new candidate.

What do you think the certainty of a non-Ravenstahl administration means for Homewood? Give your thoughts in the comments below.