On April 19, 2007, Pittsburgh City Councilman
Bill Peduto spoke to the members of the Entrepreneurial
Studies Program's (ESP) student-run organization,
the Duquesne Entrepreneurial Alliance (DEA).
 Peduto, hailed by many as a rising star in western
Pennsylvania politics, discussed a variety of
topics dealing with his take on the region's
business climate, where it's headed, and
the role that entrepreneurship will play in that
direction.
First Peduto offered exclusive insights into
his recent headline making political decisions.
Peduto, a Democrat, discussed his decision to
withdraw from the Pittsburgh mayoral race for
2007, against incumbent Luke Ravenstahl.
Peduto, after taking a good look at the popularity
numbers, felt that his only chance of success
would be to run a negative political campaign
against Ravenstahl
"Going negative on Luke would be an inevitable
consequence this year," said Peduto. "It
would tear the (Democratic) party apart, and
I couldn't do that."
He is now developing plans for improving not
only the city of Pittsburgh, but also the surrounding
regions that make up Allegheny County.
Peduto made comparisons between what he felt
was Pittsburgh's old economy and the region's
new economy, lamenting the fact that the reluctance
of the old economy to change its ways was holding
the region back.
Citing the recent struggle between two Western
Pennsylvania towns over the location of the Westinghouse
office facility, Peduto said, "The core
problem lies in western PA, not Pittsburgh alone.
We have towns fighting against each other over
who moves where or who gets certain resources,
when we should work together for the betterment
of the region as a whole. We need one alliance.
Then we all win."
Peduto also cited the potential economic impact
of a shift from the old economy use of resources
such as railways (to transport goods from one
region to another) to the new economy use (transporting
people from home to work and back).
After the presentation, Peduto stressed the
importance of political awareness, even with
the hassles of running a business looming on
a daily basis.
"By being in an entrepreneurially-minded
student organization like the DEA, these students
have a heightened sense of what's important
in the business community, Peduto said. "A
critical part of that sense is knowing the role
that the political climate plays in running a
business."
Though the DEA focuses on bringing in entrepreneurs
and business-minded people to speak to its student
members, DEA Faculty Advisor Ron Morris sees
the importance of bringing in political leaders
such as Peduto.
"Bill Peduto's ideas on how politics
and business should interact to benefit Pittsburgh
are a refreshing break from the traditional ‘machine' mindset
the region has adopted over the years," Morris
says. "It's good for students to
hear that there are fresh ideas out there."
Dozens of ESP students showed up to hear Peduto
talk, all interested in what the future of Pittsburgh
holds for them. A few students from the University
of Pittsburgh even attended this meeting for
a chance to talk with Peduto.
DEA President and senior ESP major Mark Zini
said that he wished Peduto had talked a little
more than he did about entrepreneurship and the
role that young people will play in bringing
Pittsburgh's economy back.
"It was still a fresh of breath air to
see a politician even mentioning the word entrepreneurship!
Put it this way... a politician is a politician,
but he definitely sparked my interest more than
most of them," Zini said.
ESP junior major Carmen Williams was also glad
to see someone from the city looking out for
small business and entrepreneurship.
"It's great that he understands that big
business isn't the only thing for politicians
to focus on," said Williams. "The
real benefit is when a few small companies explode
and cause rapid job growth. It's nice to know
what kind of talent we pull in."
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