Pittsburgh City Councilwoman Tonya Payne apologized today for "dropping the ball" when she failed to nominate the childhood home of playwright August Wilson as a protected historic structure.
City Council held a public hearing today at the request of Wilson's nephew, attorney Paul Ellis, to discuss the status of the historic nomination and his belief that Payne tried to delay the nomination as political retaliation.
Ellis and his supporters asked City Council to investigate how Payne, as chairwoman of council's Planning, Zoning and Land Use Committee, delayed for weeks the historic designation from reaching a City Council vote after the city's Historic Review Commission had approved it.
Ellis said he doesn't accept Payne's apology because she didn't offer it to him directly.
"For whatever reason, Tonya Payne has not said a word to me about this whole incident," Ellis said.
Payne said the delay was inadvertent.
"I juggle a million balls all the time and unfortunately one of the balls happened to fall ... it happens that the ball was one of my adversaries," Payne said. "It's human to err. I've apologized."
Under city law, historic designations must be approved within 90 days of the Historic Review Commission's OK. If it they are not, the nominations can't be reintroduced for five years.
The deadline has passed, but the city's Law Department issued a ruling last month that said City Council may still approve the designation.
City Council plans to take a preliminary vote Wednesday. A final vote could happen Feb. 26. Payne said she expects the vote in favor of the designation to be unanimous.
If the home receives historic designation, Ellis hopes to turn it into a library and artist loft.
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