Oakland could host part of G-20

If the White House allows it, local officials would like to hold part of the Group of 20 summit… If the White House allows it, local officials would like to hold part of the Group of 20 summit on Pitt’s campus.

The event, during which leaders from 19 nations and the EU will discuss ways to promote economic development, will be held in Pittsburgh Sept. 24 and 25.

Bill Flanagan, an executive vice president of one of the groups helping to coordinate the summit, said it was too early to start pinning down the details of the event.

Right now, he said, members of the Pittsburgh G-20 Partnership, the group of businesses and government officials organizing the conference, are simply collecting ideas for the summit. The White House will determine its final schedule.

But Flanagan said he was sure he’d like to see it come to campus.

County officials have noted in news releases several times that part of the reason Pittsburgh was chosen for the summit was because of its transformation from a steel-mill-covered city into a center for education and medical research.

Kevin Evanto, a spokesman for Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato, said earlier in the week, “Oakland is one of the areas that will be highlighted,” at least during the summit’s planning process, if not during the actual event.

“Oakland’s the cultural and educational center [of the city],” he said.

University officials declined to comment on Pitt’s preparations for the G-20 summit earlier this week, saying they were still too early in the planning process.

Flanagan said Pitt students will be able to volunteer to help prepare for the summit, most likely by cleaning up the city. He added that the summit could provide them with an opportunity to learn about international economics.

Even if the summit doesn’t come to Oakland, he said, it should “put on quite a show” as the thousands of visitors try to make their way through Pittsburgh.

Last night, the University hosted the partnership’s third public brainstorming session, during which Pittsburgh residents shared their ideas for welcoming the world leaders and 2,000 to 3,000 expected journalists.

Many of the 200 or so people gathered in the Connolly Ballroom in Alumni Hall gave suggestions ranging in scope and level of seriousness.

Some local business owners promoted their products, offering to donate candy to the diplomats or proposing that they use their rickshaws to avoid gridlock and help save the environment.

Several people said they were concerned that the city needed to be cleaned before the summit.

One woman offered to organize a clean-up effort, while another suggested that the city try to be environmentally friendly by giving G-20 members and their entourage pitchers of water instead of water bottles.

Others said they were concerned about the potential for riots, which have occurred at many previous G-20 summits.

One man suggested that local officials should pay to have people who protested during the last summit, in London, fly to Pittsburgh. These people, he said, could teach police working in Pittsburgh how to most effectively work with protesters.

Another person suggested that the city hold a referendum to see whether Pittsburgh residents really want to hold the G-20, or whether it’s simply something being promoted by businesses and special interest groups.

Many people also expressed concern that Pittsburghers won’t know what the G-20 is and will thus embarrass the city.

One woman suggested sponsoring 60-second time slots on the nightly news to explain what the summit is and what city residents should expect. These announcements, she said, could run during the weeks leading up to the summit.

Another person said he’d like to see students from local universities create presentations explaining what the G-20 is and present them to local elementary school, middle school and high school students.