NOV. 1, 2018 | The effects of thousands and thousands of job losses came into focus in Monessen, Penn., where decaying buildings and blight fill a once-vibrant downtown. Later on this gray day, the crew traveled to Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa., to talk with a respected pollster about what’s happening across the country.
In Monessen, a former steel town about 30 miles south of Pittsburgh, former Mayor Lou Mavrakis took the crew on a stroll through the town, where abandoned buildings loomed over a gloomy landscape. Mavrakis has been pushing for municipal infrastructure investments to tear down the buildings, which would clean up the downtown area and make it more attractive for potential investors. Monessen’s blight was the backdrop of a June 2016 speech by then candidate Donald Trump, who launched a vigorous America First agenda that included tariffs and more. Read the speech here.
At Franklin & Marshall College, Professor Terry Madonna outlined the politics of what happened in the U.S. in the 2016 election and offered insights into what is happening now as the nation approaches the midterms. He noted that a president’s party generally lost House seats at the midterms. Following this discussion, the crew took a drive through the area’s Amish country bursting with reds, oranges and yellows of autumn.
Facing blight, Monessen seeks renewal
A Lancaster college
In Amish country
