Coincidence or fate?

I thought that this front page report from the Post-Gazette was interesting, considering yesterday's post.

In an event that was equal parts news conference, interagency meeting and very early campaign event, Mr. O'Connor led a gaggle of officials, police and news media representatives down Penn Avenue in Garfield, highlighting problems, giving orders, taking suggestions.

Told North Evaline Street was a drug market, he turned to city police Cmdr. Linda Rosato-Barone: "You going to get 'em tomorrow?" he asked, referring to the dealers, who weren't in evidence.

"We're going to get 'em tomorrow," the commander promised.

He huddled with Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr., soliciting promises of manpower, wiretaps and grand jury investigations.

"I'm following the mayor's lead," Mr. Zappala said, adding that he was already deputizing city police so they can pursue investigations countywide.

Mr. O'Connor took suggestions from Aggie Brose, deputy director of the Bloomfield-Garfield Corp.

"For [police cars] to stop, and [the officer] walk makes a huge difference," she said.

The mayor issued the order: Cops will park and walk.

He came in part to show off the closure of the Horoscope Lounge, a trouble-plagued Penn Avenue bar padlocked on Friday thanks to pressure from community groups, the district attorney and the city.

Consider what O'Connor is presenting here as compared to his predecessor: a mayor focusing on the so-called "broken windows" syndrome instead of mass development projects.

Now consider what we posted yesterday... more specifically page 27, in which the CED proposes a graduated solution to the problems of blight.

Is O'Connor tapping the wisdom of CED? Or is he just lucky? Or is he reading this blog?

Probably not the latter.