Leo sat at the dust-covered desk.
He had been in office for three days.
In those three days, he had gone through all the old reports piled high in the office.
The titles of the reports were all more or less the same.
"A Feasibility Study on the Redevelopment of the Industrial Zone on the South Bank of the Monongahela River."
"A Preliminary Vision for the Community Revitalization of Pittsburgh City's East Liberty District."
"A Proposal to Develop Urban Sightseeing Tour Routes Using Abandoned Railways."
Each report was lengthy and elaborate, filled with beautiful visions for the future.
But at the end of every report was an attached memo from the city's finance department.
The content was always the same.
"The project proposal is well-conceived, but given the city's tight budget, it will not be considered at this time."
Leo tossed the last report back into the cabinet.
In those three days, no one had come to see him, and not a single new document had crossed his desk for his signature.
His only job was to show up on time and leave on time every day.
His secretary, Gloria, did make him a cup of coffee every day, but it was as weak as dishwater.
Leo felt a pang of defeat.
He began to wonder if he had made the wrong choice.
"Mr. President," he said, "I feel like we're trapped. This committee... it has nothing."
Roosevelt's voice, grave and serious, rang in his mind.
'You're right, kid. So now, it's time for you to understand the nature of power.'
'Remember, Leo, power isn't the title printed on your business card, nor is it the size of your office or the view from your window.'
'Power is the ability to control resources legally, effectively, and without obstruction. And by resources, I mean three specific things: money, personnel, and information.'
'Now, take another look at the committee you're on.'
'Mayor Carter Wright hasn't given it a single cent of special funding, so it has no money.'
'He transferred all the competent staff away, leaving only a secretary waiting for retirement, so it has no personnel.'
'No important meetings or documents from City Hall are ever copied to this office, so it has no information.'
'An institution that can't control any resources naturally becomes an empty shell.'
'And the first thing we need to do is load the first shell of our own into this empty arsenal.'
Leo's spirits lifted.
"You said we could bypass the city government and apply for funds directly from the Federal Government."
'Yes, in theory,' Roosevelt said. 'But you must understand, the money in Washington doesn't grow on trees either.'
'There are hundreds of Rust Belt Cities like Pittsburgh across the United States. Every single one of their Mayors and Congressmen is trying every trick in the book to get money out of the Federal Government's pockets. Every year, they send their most professional lobbying teams to Capitol Hill, to the White House, to the offices of all the Federation Agencies to plead poverty.'
An image of Capitol Hill in Washington appeared in Leo's mind.
Lobbyists in expensive suits, representing the interests of major cities, shuttled between the offices of Congressmen, submitting exquisitely worded reports and attending lavish, glass-clinking dinner parties.
'Now, you tell me, Leo.' Roosevelt's voice turned grave. 'Why would the Congressmen on Capitol Hill who control the budget, or the bureaucrats at the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, bypass Pittsburgh City's elected Mayor? Why would they allocate a significant sum from his jurisdiction to an executive committee member they've never heard of, one who only makes thirty-three thousand five hundred US Dollars a year?'
The question left Leo speechless.
He knew it was utterly impossible.
He had no political capital, no connections. In Washington, he was a nobody.
'Don't be discouraged,' Roosevelt said. 'We aren't entirely without value. We hold a card they desperately need. Do you know what the most valuable thing you gained from that fight at the community center was?'
Leo thought for a moment.
"Public opinion?"
'That's right. Public opinion.'
Roosevelt began to guide Leo, taking stock of the resources he now possessed.
'Your YouTube channel, 'Pittsburgh Heart,' is now one of the most trusted voices for the working class in all of western Pennsylvania.'
'The workers don't believe a single word those mainstream media reporters and politicians say. But they believe you, because you won a tangible victory for them.'
'You represent the most neglected voice in this country right now. To certain politicians in Washington, your support—or your opposition—is invaluable.'
'This is our first card.'
'The second card is hidden in the field you know best.'
Roosevelt guided Leo to open his computer and access a vast federal law database.
'Type a name into the search bar: The National Industrial Recovery Act.'
Leo found the act immediately.
It was a highly controversial act from the Roosevelt New Deal era.
It granted the Federal Government unprecedented power to intervene in and coordinate the nation's entire industrial production.
"I know this act," Leo said. "Its main provisions were declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1935."
'Yes, the main provisions were repealed,' Roosevelt said. 'But any massive piece of legislation will have numerous supplementary clauses and bylaws. They're like the root system of a great tree—tangled and complex. Even though the trunk has been chopped down, many of the roots are still buried deep in the soil, forgotten by everyone.'
'Now, find the supplementary clause in this act regarding "support for communities of workers in key strategic industries".'
Following the instructions, Leo searched through the complicated legal text.
Finally, he found the long-buried passage.
It was a supplementary clause added at the last minute before the act was repealed, intended to appease the worker communities that had made enormous contributions to the defense industry.
The clause stipulated that for communities that were once bases for key national strategic industries but were now in decline due to economic restructuring, the Federal Government had a responsibility to provide them with the necessary funding and policy support to help them complete their community transformation and historical preservation.
'Over the following decades, this law was amended and reauthorized by Congress multiple times, becoming more and more complex, and more and more neglected,' Roosevelt explained. 'It's like an old gun hidden away in the Pentagon's armory. Everyone has forgotten it exists, but it can still be legally fired.'
'And Pittsburgh, as the former heart of the United States's steel industry, perfectly meets every prerequisite defined by this law.'
Leo looked at the legislative clause on the screen, which had been buried for nearly a century, and hope rekindled in his heart.
Roosevelt pointed out a specific path for Leo.
'Our goal is to apply to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for a special federal fund based on the aforementioned act, called the "Traditional Industrial Community Transformation and Historical Preservation" fund.'
'But,' Roosevelt reminded him, 'finding the legal basis is just the first step in our fight. Next, you will have to face the bureaucratic maze of Washington, which is a hundred times more complex than City Hall.'
'Furthermore, you'll have to face a species a hundred times more difficult to deal with than Allen Wexler.'
"What?"
'A Congressman.'
There was a hint of derision in Roosevelt's voice.
'You can't get the money with just an application. You need an ally on Capitol Hill who is willing to speak for you, to fight for your interests. And to get an ally like that, you first have to show him that working with you will bring sufficient benefits to his own political future.'
'Get ready, Leo.'
'We're about to begin.'