Pat Ford Resigns, Blasts Ravenstahl, Zober

From an e-mail moments ago:

Excerpted below is the text of Mr. Ford's letter of resignation. You
may contact me to discuss this matter.

Lawrence Fisher

27 August 2008

Mr. Yarone Zober, Chairman
Board of Directors
Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh
200 Ross Street, 12th Floor
Pittsburgh, PA 15219-2069

RE: Letter of Resignation Patrick B. Ford, Executive Director Urban
Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh

Dear Mr. Zober,

I am resigning from my position as Executive Director of the Urban
Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh (No. 6 of contract) effective
the end date of my contract term. Per the term of my contract, I
expect to be compensated for the remainder of 2008 (No. 3 of
contract).

When I returned to work for the late Mayor Bob O'Connor, I believed
that great things were about to happen in this City. I hoped for those
same things when I was promoted by Mayor Luke Ravenstahl.
Unfortunately, I have not seen that to be the case.

To this day, my wife and I are being persecuted with no support from
the administration I served, for no real reason whatsoever. Although I
was cleared nearly two weeks ago by the State Ethics Commission, no
discussion has occurred in regard to my future. Today, I want to set
the record straight that I do not support the actions of what I
believe to be a failed administration and no longer desire to return
to a position where I will again be forced to serve as a scapegoat for
the inappropriate affairs and activities of others.

Over the past two years I have told myself that I was a "good
soldier," and that I did what was asked of me by the Mayor I served. I
believed that by working together we could have a positive impact on
this City, embracing all that it has to offer. But that vision never
materialized, and as I have always said, "Where there is no vision,
people perish." I have no desire to perish along with Luke
Ravenstahl's Pittsburgh.

It is clear to me that as long as I continue to fight to have my name
restored by this administration, I will only be further tarnished by
this culture of deception and corruption. I have stood by recently and
watched as you personally retaliated against those who tried to
support me, and I cannot allow others to be penalized for not
understanding that, when it comes to Pat Ford, honesty is not
appreciated.

I have worked for 20 years as a city planner, zoning official and
planning consultant, and I, as I have said from the beginning, want to
get back to work. However, it has become clear to me that I will not
be able to continue my career in this town, and I hereby tender my
resignation. I will contact Rob Stephany to make arrangements to
remove all personal items from my office.

Sincerely,

Patrick B. Ford

CC: Luke Ravenstahl

Don Kortlantdt