Luke Ravenstahl facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Luke Ravenstahl
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| 59th Mayor of Pittsburgh | |
| In office September 1, 2006 – January 6, 2014 |
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| Preceded by | Bob O'Connor |
| Succeeded by | Bill Peduto |
| President of the Pittsburgh City Council | |
| In office December 6, 2005 – September 1, 2006 |
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| Preceded by | Gene Ricciardi |
| Succeeded by | Doug Shields |
| Member of the Pittsburgh City Council from the 1st district |
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| In office January 5, 2004 – September 1, 2006 |
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| Preceded by | Barbara Burns |
| Succeeded by | Darlene Harris |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Luke Robert Ravenstahl
February 6, 1980 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Erin Lynn Feith
(m. 2004; div. 2011) |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | Washington & Jefferson College |
| Signature |  |
Luke Robert Ravenstahl (born February 6, 1980) is an American politician. He served as the 59th Mayor of Pittsburgh from 2006 to 2014. As a Democrat, he became the youngest mayor in Pittsburgh's history. He was only 26 years old when he took office in September 2006. This made him one of the youngest mayors of a major city in American history.
Luke Ravenstahl went to North Catholic High School. He then studied at the University of Pittsburgh before graduating from Washington & Jefferson College. Just four months after college, at age 23, he ran for a seat on the Pittsburgh City Council. He won the election and started his term in January 2004. In December 2005, he became the City Council President. After Pittsburgh Mayor Bob O'Connor passed away, Ravenstahl became mayor on September 1, 2006. This happened because of the city's rules. He later won a special election in 2007 and a regular election in 2009. He decided not to run for mayor again in 2013. Bill Peduto was elected to take his place. Ravenstahl's time as mayor ended in January 2014.
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About Luke Ravenstahl's Life
Luke Ravenstahl's father, Robert P. Ravenstahl Jr., is a local judge. He also coached the football team at North Catholic High School. His grandfather, Robert P. Ravenstahl Sr., was a state representative. Luke's mother works as a teacher's aide. Luke was the oldest of three brothers. One of his brothers, Adam Ravenstahl, also served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
Luke Ravenstahl finished high school at North Catholic High School in 1998. He was the class president and played both baseball and football. He then went to Washington & Jefferson College. He graduated with honors in business administration in 2002. He was a starting place kicker for the college football team for three years. He was even team captain in his last year. He still holds the school record for the most extra points in a row. After college, Ravenstahl worked as an account manager for a delivery service.
In August 2004, he married Erin Lynn Feith. They had started dating in high school. They lived in the Summer Hill area of the Northside. Ravenstahl is a Roman Catholic and goes to church every week.
Luke and Erin had one child, Cooper Luke Ravenstahl, born on October 31, 2008.
In May 2007, Ravenstahl gave a speech at Washington & Jefferson College's graduation ceremony. He also served as an honorary co-captain for a football game in 2006. This was with another college graduate, Roger Goodell.
To show his support for the Pittsburgh Steelers football team, Ravenstahl jokingly changed his name. On January 14, 2009, he became "Luke Steelerstahl." This was before a big game against the Baltimore Ravens. He wanted to show he was not on the side of the Steelers' opponents.
In November 2009, Ravenstahl announced that he and his wife, Erin, had separated. Their divorce was finalized in July 2011.
In 2012, Ravenstahl had a small role in the movie The Dark Knight Rises. He played a member of a fictional football team.
Becoming a Leader in Pittsburgh
In April 2003, Luke Ravenstahl ran for a seat on the Pittsburgh City Council. He was running against the person already in office, Barbara Burns. Ravenstahl won the election. He said his win was due to talking directly to voters and getting young people to register to vote. He also mentioned that people were not happy with the current mayor. In January 2004, Ravenstahl became the youngest person ever to serve on the Pittsburgh City Council.
Leading the City Council
On December 6, 2005, Ravenstahl became the youngest President of the Pittsburgh City Council. He was chosen as a compromise candidate. He was re-elected unanimously in January 2006. One of his first big challenges was working with state boards that watched the city's budget.
Serving as Mayor of Pittsburgh
How Luke Ravenstahl Became Mayor
According to the city's rules, Ravenstahl became Mayor on September 1, 2006. This happened after Mayor Bob O'Connor passed away. Ravenstahl was the City Council President at the time. There was some confusion about when a new election should be held. Ravenstahl wanted to finish O'Connor's term.
The city's legal team worked to figure out the election date. On October 12, 2006, it was decided that an election would be held in May 2007. The winner would then take office after the November 2007 general election. Their term would end in January 2010.
As his first official act as mayor, Ravenstahl ordered the city flag to be flown at half-staff. He also declared a period of mourning for the city. Ravenstahl and his deputy mayor had been helping to run the city since July 2006. This was when Mayor O'Connor became ill.
Ravenstahl received a lot of media attention. He was featured in The New York Times and appeared on Late Show with David Letterman. He was worried about how this would look so soon after Mayor O'Connor's death. But O'Connor's wife encouraged him to continue promoting Pittsburgh.
For the first few months, Ravenstahl followed Mayor O'Connor's plans. Then, he started his own projects. These included tax breaks for new housing downtown and college aid for city high school graduates. He also worked to make city government more diverse. He continued O'Connor's "311" city help line and "Redd-Up" cleanup crews.
Winning Elections
2007 Special Election
Ravenstahl ran unopposed in the Democratic primary election on May 17, 2007. This election was to finish the rest of Bob O'Connor's term. His main opponent, Bill Peduto, left the race before the primary. His Republican challenger was Mark DeSantis. DeSantis got on the ballot by getting people to write in his name.
DeSantis's campaign got a lot of attention. No Republican had been elected mayor in Pittsburgh since the Great Depression. He was supported by Pittsburgh's two main newspapers. He also had the support of the city's police union. Ravenstahl won the election, defeating DeSantis.
2009 Election
On May 19, 2009, Ravenstahl won the Democratic nomination for the 2009 election. He beat City Councilman Patrick Dowd and attorney Carmen Robinson. In the main election, he defeated two other candidates. This earned him a full term as mayor.
2013 Election
On February 19, 2013, Ravenstahl announced he would run for mayor again. But just 11 days later, he decided to withdraw from the race. He said it was for personal reasons. Bill Peduto was then elected mayor.
Key Projects and Events as Mayor
Ravenstahl helped local officials keep the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team in Pittsburgh. He worked with Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato and Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell.
The Pittsburgh Promise
On December 13, 2006, Mayor Ravenstahl started "The Pittsburgh Promise." This was a big project with the City of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Public Schools. It aimed to help students go to college.
The Pittsburgh Promise wanted to make higher education possible for all Pittsburgh Public Schools students. It didn't matter how much money their families had. It also aimed to help the city's economy grow. By 2011, the scholarship fund had $12.5 million. Students could get $40,000 scholarships. To qualify, they needed good attendance and a certain GPA. The Promise also aimed to help the city's declining school enrollment and population.
Tree Give-Away
Every year, Ravenstahl hosted an event to give away free trees. This was supported by the Shade Tree Commission and other groups. He started this to help plant 20,000 trees by 2012.
G20 Summit Comes to Pittsburgh
In 2009, the Obama Administration announced that the G20 Summit would be held in Pittsburgh. This meeting brings together leaders from the world's largest economies. Pittsburgh was chosen because it had changed a lot after the steel industry declined. The city now focused on environmental, economic, and technology growth. Mayor Ravenstahl saw the G20 as a chance to show the world the "new Pittsburgh."
2008 Democratic Presidential Primary
Ravenstahl and Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato supported Senator Hillary Clinton. They did this at a rally on March 14, 2008. This support, along with that from the Governor, showed her strong standing in Pennsylvania. Ravenstahl marched with Clinton the next day in Pittsburgh's St. Patrick's Day Parade.
Pittsburgh's Third Renaissance
Mayor Ravenstahl introduced an 11-point plan for Pittsburgh's "Third Renaissance." This plan aimed to solve city costs and support healthcare and education. It also focused on using technology, developing riverfronts, and improving public education. Other goals included connecting jobs with people and making government more open. He also wanted to ensure clean and safe neighborhoods, make the city greener, and promote diversity.
Pittsburgh started many projects like "Redd Up Zones" and the North Shore Connector. They also worked on riverfront development and new buildings. Programs like ServePgh and Love Your Block helped with the city's rebirth. Ravenstahl also worked on financial issues. He did this by sharing city services with the County and other groups.
Market Square Revitalization
On October 26, 2010, Ravenstahl reopened the newly renovated Market Square. This was part of Pittsburgh's Third Renaissance. The project cost $5 million and took several years to complete. Many groups helped make this improvement possible.
ServePGH Initiative
On September 10, 2009, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl joined the Cities of Service coalition. He promised that Pittsburgh would help reach the goals of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. By signing the Declaration of Service, he committed to using volunteers to solve local problems.
Pittsburgh's plan, called servePGH, uses volunteers to help with neighborhood development and youth programs. The servePGH website helps connect volunteers with these important projects. These include:
- Love Your Block: Helping volunteers improve the city, block by block.
- Redd Up Zone: Getting volunteers to clean up litter and make streets safer and cleaner.
- Snow Angels: Connecting volunteers with neighbors who need help shoveling snow.
- Mayor's Mentoring Initiative: A program where city employees mentor middle school students.
- Civic Leadership Academy: A free program created by Mayor Ravenstahl. It teaches people about local government.
After Being Mayor
In 2015, Ravenstahl joined Peoples Natural Gas. He became the company's vice president of sales and marketing in 2017.
Images for kids
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Luke Ravenstahl
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Luke Ravenstahl's signature
See also
- City of Pittsburgh
- Pittsburgh Public Schools
- Youth politics
