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Thank You Pittsburgh!Our great City has once again made history and in the process let our residents, our country and the world know- that Pittsburgh is a place where anything is possible. Last week, with hard work, sacrifice, and patience, we together as a City hosted one of the safest international events of our time. In true Pittsburgh fashion, the public and private sector worked as a team and rallied together to make our City of Champions shine. Our public safety officials, agencies, and City service departments worked tirelessly to create and implement plans to keep our City safe and clean. We were prepared for any possible scenario and equipped with the necessary resources and training to respond swiftly and effectively. Our officers with help from outside law enforcement did a tremendous job. They are to be commended for their service. Standing beside our officers, were our firemen and women and paramedics, ready to assist the team, ready to protect our town. And it didn't stop there. Public works crews worked around-the-clock to ramp up beautification efforts, and assist public safety whenever necessary. Our City Information Department worked tirelessly to make sure that our communication infrastructure was top-notch. City employees volunteered to support 311 with extended hours. And City lawyers negotiated agreements with law departments around the country to secure outside officers. We all worked together as one Pittsburgh team. To every City employee who worked long and hard to make our City shine - I thank you. I stand equally amazed at Pittsburghers. The amount of support you have shown through every challenging circumstance is what makes our City so special. We care for and rally for one another. We are the "underdog" City that always rises to the top. All in all, I believe we achieved a successful balance in hosting the summit. We impressed out of town visitors, world leaders, and proved to our president that he made the right choice in choosing Pittsburgh. As President Obama said in his closing remarks: "Pittsburgh was a perfect venue for this work. This city has known its share of hard times, as older industries like steel could no longer sustain growth. But Pittsburgh picked itself up, and it dusted itself off, and is making the transition to job-creating industries of the future -- from biotechnology to clean energy. It serves as a model for turning the page to a 21st century economy, and a reminder that the key to our future prosperity lies not just in New York or Los Angeles or Washington -- but in places like Pittsburgh." I want to thank every resident, business, and partner agency who worked collaboratively with us to help us show the world that we are indeed one of the most livable cities in the world. With the eyes of the world upon us, Pittsburgh hit a home run. Pittsburgh's Third Renaissance is in full swing, and we are ready to continue the good work of our City, growing the jobs of the future, greening our environment, and growing prouder and thankful to live in the City we call home. Let us now prove furthermore to the world, that Pittsburgh isn't just the model City today, but that Pittsburgh will be the model City for years and years to come. Over the next couple of months, we will continue the private/public partnership, leveraging the exposure this summit has lent us, seeking to draw more companies, residents, and visitors into our livable city. Luke Ravenstahl |