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. He is a member of the Democratic Party. When he became mayor in September 2006, he was only 26 years old. This made him the youngest mayor in Pittsburgh's history. He was also 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 reelection in the 2013 election. Bill Peduto was then elected to be the next mayor. 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. He also led the Democratic Party in the North Side area. Luke's mother is 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 baseball and football. He then went to Washington & Jefferson College. He graduated with honors in December 2002 with a degree in business. He played as a place kicker on the college's football team for three years. He was also team captain in his last year. He holds the school record for the most extra points made 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 neighborhood. Luke Ravenstahl is a Roman Catholic and attends church weekly.
Luke and Erin had one child, Cooper Luke Ravenstahl, who was born on October 31, 2008.
On May 19, 2007, Ravenstahl gave the main speech at Washington & Jefferson College's graduation ceremony. He also served as an honorary co-captain for a football game in 2006.
To show support for the Pittsburgh Steelers football team, Ravenstahl jokingly changed his name to "Luke Steelerstahl" on January 14, 2009. This was before the Steelers played against the Baltimore Ravens.
In November 2009, Ravenstahl announced that he and his wife, Erin, had separated. He said she did not like being in the public eye as the mayor's wife. 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.
Time on City Council
In April 2003, Ravenstahl ran for a seat on the Pittsburgh City Council. He ran against the person already holding the seat, Barbara Burns. Ravenstahl won with 54.5% of the votes. He said his win was due to talking to many people, getting young people to register to vote, and general unhappiness with the mayor at the time. In January 2004, Ravenstahl became the youngest person ever to serve on the Pittsburgh City Council. Early in his term, he tried to lower a new parking tax. However, the mayor did not approve his plan.
Becoming City Council President
On December 6, 2005, Ravenstahl became the youngest President of the Pittsburgh City Council. The previous president, Gene Ricciardi, stepped down. Ravenstahl was chosen as a compromise candidate. He was re-elected unanimously in January 2006. One of his first big challenges was working with two state boards that oversaw the city's budget.
Mayor of Pittsburgh
How He Became Mayor
According to Pittsburgh's city rules, Ravenstahl became mayor on September 1, 2006. This happened after Mayor Bob O'Connor passed away. There was some confusion about how long Ravenstahl could serve as mayor before a new election was needed. Ravenstahl wanted to finish the rest of O'Connor's term.
The city's rules said a new election should be held "at the next election permitted by law." But it was not clear what "permitted by law" meant.
Ravenstahl asked the city's legal team to find out when the election should be. On October 12, 2006, the Allegheny County Board of Elections decided. They said mayoral candidates would run in a primary election on May 15, 2007. Then, a general election would be held on November 6, 2007. The winner of the general election would become mayor right away and serve until 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 deputy mayor Yarone Zober had been managing the city government since July 2006. This was when Mayor O'Connor became ill.
Media outlets like The New York Times and Late Show with David Letterman featured Ravenstahl. He was worried about how this attention would look after O'Connor's death. But O'Connor's widow encouraged him to participate. She wanted him to continue O'Connor's work as a "cheerleader" for Pittsburgh.
For his first few months, Ravenstahl mostly followed O'Connor's plans. Then, he started his own projects. These included a tax break for new homes 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" cleaning crews.
2007 Special Election
Ravenstahl ran unopposed in the Democratic primary election on May 17, 2007. This election was to finish Bob O'Connor's term. His main opponent, City Council member Bill Peduto, dropped out before the primary. His Republican challenger, Mark DeSantis, won his party's nomination by write-in votes.
DeSantis's campaign gained 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 63% to 35%.
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 general election, he defeated two independent candidates to win 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 withdrew from the race for personal reasons. Democratic candidate Bill Peduto was then elected mayor.
Mayor's Projects and Events
Ravenstahl helped other local leaders, like Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato and Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell. They worked together with the Mario Lemieux-led Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team owners. Their goal was to keep the team in Pittsburgh.
The Pittsburgh Promise
On December 13, 2006, Mayor Ravenstahl started a big project called 'The Pittsburgh Promise'. This program helps students from Pittsburgh Public Schools go to college. It aims to make higher education possible for all students, no matter their family's income. It also helps the city's economy grow.
By September 2011, the scholarship fund had $12.5 million. Students could get $40,000 scholarships if they kept good attendance and grades. The Pittsburgh Promise also aimed to help with the city's declining school enrollment and population. By 2009, kindergarten enrollment had grown, and the drop in public school enrollment was slowing down.
Free Tree Give-away
Every year, Ravenstahl hosted an event to give away free trees. This was supported by several groups, including the Shade Tree Commission and Tree Pittsburgh.
Ravenstahl started the tree give-away to help plant 20,000 trees by 2012.
G20 Summit in Pittsburgh
In 2009, the Obama Administration announced that leaders from the world's largest economies would meet in Pittsburgh for the G20 Summit. Pittsburgh was chosen because it had changed a lot after the steel industry declined. The city had focused on new ideas in environment, economy, and technology. Mayor Ravenstahl saw the G20 as a chance to show the world the "new Pittsburgh." He wanted to share the story of the city's great comeback.
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. Their support, along with that from Governor Ed Rendell and Lt. Governor Catherine Baker Knoll, showed Clinton's strong support in Pennsylvania. Ravenstahl marched with Clinton the next day in Pittsburgh's annual 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 the city's long-term costs and support healthcare and education. It also focused on using the best technology and developing the riverfront. Other goals included improving public education, connecting people to jobs, and making government more open. The plan also aimed to keep neighborhoods clean and safe, make the city greener, and promote diversity.
Pittsburgh started many projects and programs. These included Redd Up Zones, the North Shore Connector, and riverfront development. They also worked on redeveloping old industrial sites. Programs like ServePgh and Love Your Block helped improve the city. Ravenstahl also worked on financial problems. He did this by sharing city services and resources with the county and other groups.
Market Square Renovation
To continue Pittsburgh's "Third Renaissance," Ravenstahl reopened the newly renovated Market Square on October 26, 2010. This $5 million project improved the area. It was made possible by the city, local organizations, and foundations.
servePGH Program
On September 10, 2009, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl joined other mayors to launch the Cities of Service coalition. He promised that Pittsburgh would help achieve the goals of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. By signing the Declaration of Service, he committed to using volunteers to help solve local problems.
Pittsburgh's service plan, called servePGH, aimed to use local volunteers. It focused on two of Mayor Ravenstahl's main goals: improving neighborhoods and helping youth.
The 'servePGH website' was created to connect volunteers with important service projects. These projects included:
- 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: The city's first program where city employees could volunteer to mentor middle school students.
- Civic Leadership Academy: A free program about local government. It was created by Mayor Ravenstahl to help people become better community leaders.
After Being Mayor
In 2015, Ravenstahl started working for Peoples Natural Gas. In 2017, he became the company's vice president of sales and marketing.
Images for kids
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Luke Ravenstahl
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Luke Ravenstahl's signature
See also
In Spanish: Luke Ravenstahl para niños
- City of Pittsburgh
- Pittsburgh Public Schools
- Youth politics
