Editorial: The to-do list for 2023
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As the clock runs out on 2022, we say goodbye to a year that has been jam-packed with significant events from the start.
The pandemic was still going on. There were booster shots and new variants to address.
The midterm elections made Pennsylvania a focal point for politics. The U.S. Senate race had the glitz of celebrity with Dr. Mehmet Oz emerging as the Republican candidate and viral internet sensationalism with John Fetterman’s stinging tweets. There was just as much attention on the gubernatorial contest.
In January, the state became a poster child for infrastructure failures when the Fern Hollow Bridge fell into the Frick Park ravine it crossed just hours before a scheduled visit to Pittsburgh from President Joe Biden to speak on that very issue.
In Harrisburg, all three branches of government seemed to be in constant battle as they struggled to assert their dominance over each other in a round robin of legislation, veto, lawsuit and judgment.
There was crime and violence — so much violence. Shooting interrupted Easter weekend parties and stole children from their parents on a busy Downtown street in broad daylight; it erupted at Kennywood and at a funeral.
However all of that is about to be left behind, right? It’s 2022’s problem. On to 2023.
Except all those issues are going to be waiting when we flip the page on the calendar.
It isn’t a midterm or presidential election year, but candidates are already announcing for seats that are on the ticket for 2023 in things like county and municipal races.
Before that even happens, we have to deal with three special elections in Allegheny County for the state House seats left open by the death of Tony DeLuca and the election of Summer Lee and Austin Davis to higher offices. That sets up the resolution to the ongoing legislative power struggle between the Republicans who have had control and the Democrats who narrowly won it — only to have three seats immediately emptied.
There is still infrastructure to address. The rebuilt Fern Hollow Bridge just opened but the state is littered with more bridges in desperate need of attention.
And the violence. Everyone agrees it needs to stop. We need our streets and our amusement parks and our children to be safe. We just continue to be stymied about how to get to that end.
These aren’t issues we can leave in the dust as we take on new challenges. They are still there in the new year. They won’t be forgotten and can’t be neglected.
Instead, they need to be faced, with 2023 being less about a clean slate than a new opportunity to tackle a very important to-do list.