Patrick Dowd
Encyclopedia
Patrick Dowd is a Democratic Party
politician in the United States. He is currently serving as a member of the Pittsburgh City Council from District 7, which includes the neighborhoods of Bloomfield
, East Liberty
, Friendship
, Garfield
, Highland Park
, Lawrenceville
, Morningside
, Polish Hill, and Stanton Heights.
and earned a B.A. from the University of Missouri
. He moved to Pittsburgh in 1991 to study with Fritz Ringer in the Department of History at the University of Pittsburgh
, where he earned his Ph.D. in 1999. He has taught history first at Winchester Thurston School
and then at The Ellis School
. He is married to Leslie Hammond, who also graduated from the University of Pittsburgh before becoming a lecturer in the history department. They have five children and live in Highland Park.
in an upset victory against Darlene Harris.
As a candidate for school board, Dowd pledged to restore accountability to the system and stuck to this commitment through the intensely heated January 26, 2005 board meeting when Dowd led a five members coalition to pass a resolution removing Dr. John Thompson from the Superintendency of the Pittsburgh Public Schools
. The board immediately launched a national search for a new superintendent who would accept the accountability standards Dowd advocated. Dowd's idea of an "Accountability Contract" clarifying the relationship between the school board and the Superintendent of Pittsburgh Public Schools
and setting clear performance standards was put into effect in 2005 between the Board and Superintendent Mark Roosevelt
. Even after Dowd's departure from the board in December 2007 the Accountability Contract and evaluation model remain in effect and at the center of the positive board-superintendent relations.
As a member of the board of the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, Dowd has made customer service and infrastructure reinvestment top priorities. In 2009, PWSA launched a controversial water and sewer line insurance program that has successfully provided coverage to nearly 100,000 customers That same year, Dowd was instrumental in the creation of the Distribution Infrastructure System Reinvestment Fund, which added 5% charge to customers bills and dedicated that revenue solely to infrastructure reinvestment. In 2010, Dowd supported the PWSA administration in bid to reinvest in its antiquated information system.
Dowd also serves as a member of the board of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh , Riverlife and the Pittsburgh Zoo.
in Pittsburgh's May 19 Democratic primary
. In his announcement, Dowd criticized what he saw as Ravenstahl's failures on campaign finance reform in light of the mayor's veto of a campaign finance reform
bill in the summer of 2008, a risky bond deal at the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, wasteful spending and the Lamar LED controversy. Dowd was endorsed by the Stonewall Democrats
and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
, among others, but lost to Ravenstahl by 31 points, receiving 28 percent of the vote.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
politician in the United States. He is currently serving as a member of the Pittsburgh City Council from District 7, which includes the neighborhoods of Bloomfield
Bloomfield (Pittsburgh)
Bloomfield is a neighborhood in Pittsburgh; it is located three miles from the Golden Triangle, which is the city's center, and is represented on Pittsburgh City Council by Patrick Dowd and Bill Peduto. Bloomfield is referred to as Pittsburgh's Little Italy...
, East Liberty
East Liberty (Pittsburgh)
East Liberty is a culturally diverse neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's East End. It is bordered by Highland Park, Morningside, Stanton Heights, Garfield, Friendship, Shadyside and Larimer, and is represented on by Patrick Dowd...
, Friendship
Friendship (Pittsburgh)
Friendship is a neighborhood of large Victorian houses in the East End of the City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, about four miles east of Pittsburgh's Golden Triangle...
, Garfield
Garfield (Pittsburgh)
Garfield is a neighborhood in the east end of the City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Garfield lies about three miles as the crow flies from the confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio Rivers at the City's heart. It sits on a bluff above the Allegheny River...
, Highland Park
Highland Park (Pittsburgh)
Highland Park is both a large municipal park and a racially diverse, mostly residential neighborhood in the northeastern part of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.The neighborhood has 6,749 residents according to the 2000 United States Census...
, Lawrenceville
Lawrenceville (Pittsburgh)
Lawrenceville is one of the largest neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is located northeast of downtown, and like many of Pittsburgh's riverfront neighborhoods, it has an industrial past. Lawrenceville is bordered by the Allegheny River, Polish Hill, Bloomfield, the Strip District and...
, Morningside
Morningside (Pittsburgh)
Morningside is a neighborhood on Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's east end. It has two zip codes, 15201 and 15206, and has a representation on Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 7 . It is bordered by the neighborhoods of Highland Park to the east, Stanton Heights to the west and...
, Polish Hill, and Stanton Heights.
Personal life and educational career
Dowd was raised in Chesterfield, MissouriChesterfield, Missouri
Chesterfield is a second-ring western suburb of St. Louis and is the largest city in west St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. As of the 2010 census the population is 47,484. Chesterfield also celebrated its 20th birthday in 2008.- Geography :...
and earned a B.A. from the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
. He moved to Pittsburgh in 1991 to study with Fritz Ringer in the Department of History at the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
, where he earned his Ph.D. in 1999. He has taught history first at Winchester Thurston School
Winchester Thurston School
Winchester Thurston School is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory school with two campuses: a Pre-Kindergarten through grade five North Hills Campus in Hampton Township and a Pre-Kindergarten through grade twelve City Campus in Shadyside, Pittsburgh...
and then at The Ellis School
The Ellis School
The Ellis School is an independent, age 3 – grade 12 college preparatory school in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1916, the school is a private all-girls institution with a current enrollment of 470 students.-Notable alumnae:...
. He is married to Leslie Hammond, who also graduated from the University of Pittsburgh before becoming a lecturer in the history department. They have five children and live in Highland Park.
Pittsburgh Board of Education
In 2003, Dowd won a four-year term on the Board after defeating incumbent Board President and Democratic PartyDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
in an upset victory against Darlene Harris.
As a candidate for school board, Dowd pledged to restore accountability to the system and stuck to this commitment through the intensely heated January 26, 2005 board meeting when Dowd led a five members coalition to pass a resolution removing Dr. John Thompson from the Superintendency of the Pittsburgh Public Schools
Pittsburgh Public Schools
Pittsburgh Public Schools is the public school district in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA and adjacent Mount Oliver.The combined land area of these municipalities is with a population of 342,503 according to the 2000 census. In August 2005, the superintendent became Mark Roosevelt. His tenure ends...
. The board immediately launched a national search for a new superintendent who would accept the accountability standards Dowd advocated. Dowd's idea of an "Accountability Contract" clarifying the relationship between the school board and the Superintendent of Pittsburgh Public Schools
Pittsburgh Public Schools
Pittsburgh Public Schools is the public school district in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA and adjacent Mount Oliver.The combined land area of these municipalities is with a population of 342,503 according to the 2000 census. In August 2005, the superintendent became Mark Roosevelt. His tenure ends...
and setting clear performance standards was put into effect in 2005 between the Board and Superintendent Mark Roosevelt
Mark Roosevelt
Mark Roosevelt has been since January 2011 the President of Antioch College. He was previously the superintendent of the Pittsburgh Public Schools, the second largest school district in Pennsylvania, until December 31, 2010....
. Even after Dowd's departure from the board in December 2007 the Accountability Contract and evaluation model remain in effect and at the center of the positive board-superintendent relations.
Pittsburgh City Council
Patrick Dowd was elected as the Democratic nominee to represent District 7 on the Pittsburgh City Council on May 15, 2007, and won the seat unopposed on November 6, 2007. (Primary elections are generally decisive in the heavily Democratic city of Pittsburgh.) He began serving on January 7, 2008. Shortly after taking office, Dowd drafted and successfully encouraged his colleagues to sign a Proclamation to Improve Governance in Pittsburgh. Dowd also crafted and council passed a resolution calling for a task force on intergovernmental cooperation which led to the creation of CONNECT, a Pittsburgh-based development initiative to increase cooperation between Pittsburgh and its adjacent municipalities. In May, 2008, Dowd also started an innovative constituent outreach program called Council-to-Go which enables him to stay in regular contact with residents of his council district. Dowd has consistently worked with Ravenstahl to bring increased focus on bike and pedestrian initiatives. Dowd most recently led a coalition that included Council President Harris, Councilwoman Rudiak and Controller Lamb and that offered a viable alternative to Ravenstahl's proposed 50 year lease of all public parking assets in the Pittsburgh. In the fall of 2011 the state accepted this plan.As a member of the board of the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, Dowd has made customer service and infrastructure reinvestment top priorities. In 2009, PWSA launched a controversial water and sewer line insurance program that has successfully provided coverage to nearly 100,000 customers That same year, Dowd was instrumental in the creation of the Distribution Infrastructure System Reinvestment Fund, which added 5% charge to customers bills and dedicated that revenue solely to infrastructure reinvestment. In 2010, Dowd supported the PWSA administration in bid to reinvest in its antiquated information system.
Dowd also serves as a member of the board of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh , Riverlife and the Pittsburgh Zoo.
Bid for mayor
Patrick Dowd announced on February 19, 2009 that he would challenge mayor Luke RavenstahlLuke Ravenstahl
Luke Robert Ravenstahl is the current Mayor of Pittsburgh. In September 2006, he became the youngest mayor in Pittsburgh's history at the age of 26. He is among the youngest mayors of a major city in American history....
in Pittsburgh's May 19 Democratic primary
Pittsburgh mayoral election, 2009
Pittsburgh held a mayoral election on November 3, 2009. Incumbent mayor Luke Ravenstahl, a Democrat, defeated his two independent challengers by a wide margin...
. In his announcement, Dowd criticized what he saw as Ravenstahl's failures on campaign finance reform in light of the mayor's veto of a campaign finance reform
Campaign finance reform
Campaign finance reform is the common term for the political effort in the United States to change the involvement of money in politics, primarily in political campaigns....
bill in the summer of 2008, a risky bond deal at the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, wasteful spending and the Lamar LED controversy. Dowd was endorsed by the Stonewall Democrats
Stonewall Democrats
The National Stonewall Democrats is an LGBT-rights group based in Washington, D.C. with a political affiliation to the Democratic Party. The word "Stonewall" in its name refers to the 1969 Stonewall riots, a pivotal event in the history of gay rights....
and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, also known simply as the "PG," is the largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.-Early history:...
, among others, but lost to Ravenstahl by 31 points, receiving 28 percent of the vote.