Hard urban decisions topic of speech

A former Pittsburgh mayor will speak to members of Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress about making the hard decisions about policies and strategies that urban leaders face.

Tom Murphy will be the keynote speaker at the June 21 event, “Decisive Leadership: The Time is Now.”

Murphy, 72, was mayor of Pittsburgh from 1994 to 2006. He is credited with transforming more than 1,000 acres of blighted industrial properties into commercial and residential developments. He led the development of more than 25 miles of riverfront trails.

He helped secure $1 billion in funding to build two stadiums and a convention center. He initiated a downtown redevelopment plan that has since flourished.

Murphy also used public money to attract prestigious retailers whose stores have since failed, and during his tenure the state declared Pittsburgh financially distressed.

He has been a senior resident fellow at the Urban Land Institute since 2006. Before he was elected mayor, he served 14 years as a state representative, worked as a neighborhood organizer and served in the Peace Corps in Paraguay.

The June 21 event will begin at noon at the Poughkeepsie Grand Hotel at 40 Civic Center Plaza, Poughkeepsie. Admission is $35 for government and school officials, $45 for members and $55 for non-members. Reservations can be made online at pattern-for-progress.org or by contacting Robin DeGroat, 845-565-4900 or rdegroat@pfprogress.org.