Long before Obama squashed long-held presumptions about identity politics on a national stage, John Fetterman was tackling what even the least wearied amongst us would’ve considered ridiculous odds when he ran for mayor in the city of Braddock, Pennsylvania, nearly a decade ago. He describes himself and his initial obstacles bluntly, “I’m about six-foot-eight, 300 pounds, with a shaved head, and white, in a community that is 75- to 85-percent African-American.”
Like a pair of New Balance, his campaign was “Endorsed by nobody” that held stature in the town. No respected minister or City Council member was going to back the tattooed politician (he gets a new one everytime there’s a murder in his town.) But he did knock on “every door—and in most cases twice.” Alongside him was a legion of young women and men whom he’d worked with in a youth program that he ran. “These kids, 18-19 years old, say, ‘Hey, this guy’s alright, he helped me get my GED.’ The endorsements and votes of young people is what made my election possible.”
That was back in the summer of 2001, before 9/11, the Iraq war and a recession would bring financial hardships and jarring exoduses from towns like Braddock, which was rocked harder than even a hurricane.
“Consider the 9th Ward in New Orleans, which on a socio-economic and racial background is similar to ours,” explains Fetterman. “After Katrina, they lost maybe 50% of their buildings, their population—and that’s devastating, make no mistake. But they’re getting billions to re-build and there’s a lot of focus and energy on that. Our community took a 90% hit; I mean, think about that! Can you imagine the town that you live in, and over the next four years, 90% of everything goes away?”
Braddock is, in fact, a storied town from the heyday of the Industrial Revolution. It’s where Andrew Carnegie started his empire, and is still home to one of the oldest operating steel mills in the country. Mayor Fetterman has also brought in 21st century businesses, including a thriving bio-diesel conversion company.
“These guys, they’re in their early 20s and are recognized as national leaders in converting diesel cars to run on vegetable oil,” says the mayor with pride. “I had no idea how ingenuous it was until diesel reached $5.20 a gallon.”
Fetterman also launched some old-fashioned common sense initiatives: “What do you do with a vacant lot that’s overgrown with garbage? You turn it into an urban farm and that creates jobs for young people in the summer; it provides fresh, organic produce for people that live in the city; it brings people from the outside to buy produce, and it also beautifies.”
Fetterman’s more recent efforts includes renovating abandoned warehouses and homes to attracting new citizens, especially the creative class. “Artists are open-minded and see value in areas where other people see none, so they’re a natural group of people that would move into the community.” As for the specter of gentrification, Fetterman insists that Braddock is “gentrification-proof,” as there’s room for everybody.
“This is a town that had over 20,000 residents and now we have around 2,800,” remind Fetterman. “Our greatest problem is trying to save what we have left.”
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