Forging America: My Campaign Manager is Roosevelt-Chapter 97 - 68: Administrative Attack
Leo sat in the prefab office. A racially suggestive flyer lay open on his desk, next to a copy of the *City Forum Newspaper* that had lavished him with praise.
These two moves from Carter Wright were precise, and each one drew blood.
The exaggerated praise had cost him the trust of the Progressives, while the race card was tearing his base apart.
Frank had just been complaining that several white foremen were now refusing to work on the same teams as the young black men from the Hill District. Some had even gotten into a shoving match during a work break.
’I have to find a way to strike back, and fast.’
Leo quickly ran through scenarios in his head.
’Should I organize a joint, cross-community solidarity rally? Or should I have Sarah make a video, follow the money trail, and expose who’s funding these flyers?’
Before he could devise the perfect response, a strange sound from outside broke his concentration.
Leo frowned, pushed open the door, and walked out onto the construction site.
The early morning in Pittsburgh should have been the busiest time on the construction site.
Normally, this time of day was filled with the roar of bulldozers, the churn of cement mixers, and the shouts of the workers.
But today, there was only one sound.
A grating, monotonous beeping.
It was coming from an air quality monitor held by an inspector from the Department of Environmental Services.
Three uniformed inspectors were gathered at the site’s entrance, repeatedly taking air samples.
"The PM2.5 index is slightly over the limit." The lead inspector glanced at the reading and checked a box on his form, his face devoid of expression. "There’s also the noise. The sound of that dump truck starting up a moment ago exceeded the decibel limit for early-morning construction."
Frank stood to one side, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles were white, the veins on his neck bulging.
"This is a construction site, not a library!" Frank roared. "Of course a truck makes noise when it starts! You’ve never cared about this before!"
"That was then, this is now." The inspector didn’t even look up. "According to the latest City Ordinance for Environmental Management in Construction, we are required to strictly monitor all potential sources of pollution. It’s for the public’s health."
As he spoke, he tore off a yellow violation notice and slapped it onto the site’s iron gate.
"This is a stop-work order. Construction in this area is suspended until all metrics are in compliance."
Frank started to rush forward to argue but was held back firmly by a foreman.
This was only the beginning.
The team from the Department of Environmental Services had barely left when a vehicle from the Department of Health pulled up to the curb.
Four officials in masks and gloves got out and headed straight for the workers’ makeshift cafeteria.
"The storage temperature of these sandwiches doesn’t meet food safety regulations."
"These coffee cups haven’t been sanitized at high temperatures."
"Where’s the log for the last time you changed the cartridge in your drinking water filter?"
One question was fired off after another, each followed by another white compliance order.
By the afternoon, a more devastating blow arrived.
Two official vehicles from the Pittsburgh Department of Labor Development pulled up, blocking the main gate. They brought two massive boxes full of documents.
"Routine labor inspection." The official in charge placed a thick stack of forms on the desk. "We need to verify every worker’s employment eligibility, social security records, and proof of safety training."
Leo picked up a form.
It was a twenty-page questionnaire filled with countless convoluted details, even requiring workers to provide their complete work history for the past five years.
"Every single person has to fill this out?" Leo asked.
"Every single one," the official replied. "It must be handwritten, with no corrections. And until we’ve completed our review, these workers are not permitted to enter the work site."
It was a meticulously planned siege.
Carter Wright had deployed his most powerful weapon as the city’s chief executive: bureaucracy.
He had turned every department of the city government into a pillbox aimed squarely at Leo.
The air in the prefab office was so heavy it felt suffocating.
The whiteboard, once used for strategic maps, was now plastered with stop-work orders and citations of every color.
Ethan Hawke sat amid a pile of documents, his hair a mess.
"They’re exploiting every loophole in the regulations." Ethan rubbed his temples. "Individually, each of these inspections is legal. They’re nitpicky, sure, but they fall within the Mayor’s executive discretion. If we took this to court, the case could drag on for a year, and we don’t have a year."
Sarah was on the phone, her voice hoarse.
"I know... I know everyone’s on edge. Please, just give us a little more time..."
She hung up and looked at Leo, her eyes filled with helplessness.
"That was the tenth call from a community representative. Residents are asking why the road repairs stopped halfway through. Why the park fence hasn’t been taken down. Rumors are starting to spread. People are saying our funding dried up, that this whole thing is a scam."
The funding.
Those two words weighed heavily on Leo’s mind.
Just this noon, City Finance Director Tom O’Malley had formally notified the City Revitalization Committee.
In light of the multiple recent reports of safety and environmental violations at the construction site, the Department of Finance had decided to launch a "compliance audit" into the use of the special Federal funds.
Until the audit was complete, all of the committee’s bank accounts would be temporarily frozen.
Everyone knew the funds would eventually be released.
But how long would "temporarily" be?
A week? A month? Or three?
