George Dougherty:
CLASS OF 1987
Archbishop Shaw High SchoolClass of 1987
Marrero, LA
University of Georgia - Public AdministrationClass of 2000
Athens, GA
Georgia Institute of TechnologyClass of 1992
Atlanta, GA
St. Mary's Dominican High SchoolClass of 1988
New orleans, LA
Terrytown Elementary SchoolClass of 1981
Gretna, LA
George's Story
Life
I live with my wife and two kids (3 yr old boy, 8 yr old girl) in a nice little township called Mt. Lebanon right outside Pittsburgh. Our house was built in 1932 and sits on a tree lined street that reminds me of Five Points in Athens, GA. It has a freakin' original slate roof! I've learned first hand that old houses require CONSTANT work. We moved to Pittsburgh 2 years ago after 16 years in Georgia and were able to renovate much of the house. But it still has only one bathroom and a tiny kitchen, although the basement is finished (adding a bath there before my daughter hits puberty), we have a great side porch, and a fully stocked back yard for the kids. It is a great little house!
Most of our friends back in Georgia and Louisiana cannot believe it, but we really like Pittsburgh for the most part. It is a cool city with spectacular views from the mountains down onto the rivers. The old wealth from the steel mills is still seen in the incredible architecture, the huge public parks, tons of museums, and festivals.
Parts of the city are falling apart and the City government is in state bankrupcty, but Mt. Lebanon is in pretty good shape. It is considered a pretty elite place, mostly because its public schools are among the best in the country (and for $3,500 a year in property taxes, why the F%$# not) and some of the houses are huge beyond belief - like slightly smaller Biltmore houses - and sell for $1-3 million. I, of course, don't live in a huge or super expensive house, but the area is pretty nice. My daughter and I walk to her school most days and I can take a bus or trolly to...Expand for more
work with only a 20 -30 minute commute. Driving takes 20 minutes, but costs $15 per day, so I ride as often as possible.
All in all, we've been given a pretty good life here in Pittsburgh.
Workplace
I'm a professor at the University of Pittsburgh in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. I teach government and nonprofit administration, mostly at the undergraduate level. I am also coordinator of the Public Service Degree, in which students focus on either the government or nonprofit sectors.
My research is mostly about court administration and local government finance. The courts always fascinated me. After doing a few projects for the Georgia Supreme Court, I found myself overloaded with data that could prove useful. So I am mining it right now and expect a few publications over the next year or two.
My interest in local government finance comes from the sorry state of Pennsylvania's local governments. The state has over 2,000 cities, towns, and boroughs - the most in the nation. Most of them are so small and poorly managed, they constantly run deficits or borrow money to cover spending. The police and fire unions are so strong that they get most of what they want at the bargaining table or arbitration, even if the city cannot afford to pay for it.
So my quest is to better understand local government in PA to make a difference. Turns out the state sees the same problem and has made $ available to work with the local governments, so I spend a lot of my research time consulting with them and collecting data for future publications. It should be a gold mine!
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