Leo looked back at the other mayors.
"Gentlemen, you have two paths before you now."
"The first path is to continue as you always have, fighting on your own. You can line up in the halls of Harrisburg, begging the governor to spare a little from the budget, and then watch your cities die a slow death."
"The second path."
Leo pointed to the ground beneath his feet.
"Join this alliance."
"We huddle together for warmth."
"In this cold winter, the only way to survive is to stay together."
"This five hundred million dollars is just the beginning."
"If Murphy is elected senator, he will take this model to Washington and bring back more money, more projects."
"When that happens, it won't just be Pittsburgh that benefits, but the entire industrial belt of Western Pennsylvania."
Ron Smith was silent for a long time.
He looked at the mayor, a man forty years his junior, at the young man with ambition burning in his eyes.
