Progress Pittsburgh

Over at Slag Heap, Chris Potter wrote a piece about Tonya Payne’s quixotic write-in campaign and the resulting challenge to her status as chair of the City Democratic Committee.  (Readers may recall that voters in city council district 6 chose to replace her with P2PAC-endorsed candidate Daniel Lavelle.)

In the Spring, Tonya Payne (illegally) used a fake political committee, “Sensible Constituents of District 6,” to distribute some negative materials.  This Fall, she was at it again.  See below for a flyer that she passed out (again, illegally using another fake political committee — “Neighbors Against Dirty Politics”).

She also had the flyers below–which accuse City Councilmember Bill Peduto of racism–distributed in his district.

The Neighbors Against Dirty Politics also sent around the following email:

From: neighbors against dirty politics 2
Date: Sun, Nov 1, 2009 at 11:01 PM
Subject: IS TRUMP FINANCING LAVELLE?

IS TRUMP FINANCING LAVELLE?

Is Trump financing Robert Daniel Lavelle’s campaign in District 6? No, not really,  but I am confused where Lavelle received his money to add “extra” bonuses to his campaign workers.  I know if I truly believe in a candidate I do not have to be paid!  Why would he have to pay 130 workers $100.00 each?  Why would he have to pay workers breakfast, lunch, and dinner?  Who paid for his Rent A Cars? Who paid for his color brochures?  Who paid for his postage?  Who paid for his color postcards? Who paid for his t-shirts? Who paid for his parties? Why did he not put these expenses on his campaign report? Why did he drop his first name and change his campaign name now to Daniel instead of Robert.  Wasn’t his father, Robert,  fired from The Dwelling House Bank and under FBI investigation?

The Post Gazette’s article stated

the following about the bank;

“it suffered a severe blow to its stability late last year when federal auditors discovered that about $3 million had been drained out of its capital account and the bank..  Pittsburgh police and FBI agents are investigating the case.”

“Former Dwelling House president and CEO Robert M. Lavelle, who was fired in November by order of the OTS, also was fined $5,000 last week for his role in the gross negligence that ultimately brought down the bank.”

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09227/991047-28.stm

Where is this money? Robert “Daniel” now flip flops his name so people will not put two and two together. Call him Daniel now, not Robert .Does he think we are stupid?  Is this where the money comes from for his campaign?   The apple does not fall far from the tree.  I would “write in” TonyaPayne, her workers do not have to be paid to campaign for her!

She does not change her name to hide. Our group Neighbors Against Dirty Politics are starting an official “write in” campaign for Tonya Payne!  When you go to the polls just go to the “write in”section and write her name in the spot.

ON NOVEMBER 3, 2009

ELECTION DAY

“Write In”
Tonya Payne
Don’t Write Her Off!

District 6 City Councilwoman

“Let justice remain in your district!”

“Keep her REAL name in your decisions.”

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
NEIGHBORS AGAINST DIRTY POLITICS

Finally, if you still have any question about who the “Neighbors Against Dirty Politics” actually are, there’s a facebook group called “URGENT!! WRITE IN Tonya Payne for City Council District 6″.  The administrator and creator of the page?  Tonya Payne.

Of course, this election is history.  So why does it matter?  Two reasons:

1. To date, Jim Burn, chair of the Allegheny County Democratic Committee, is turning a blind eye to the City Chair staging a campaign against the duly nominated Democratic nominee for office.
2. It’s really not clear what Tonya Payne was hoping to gain from these hijinks, but she is rumored to be preparing for a run against Jake Wheatley for State Representative next year.  Even her most staunch supporters must be turned off by her embarrassing behavior.

I just saw a tweet from Kevin Acklin that I found so hard to believe that I immediately went to the Post-Gazette to verify.  It’s not about corruption in the mayor’s office.*

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An investigation by KDKA turned up information suggesting that Dok Harris may be ineligible to be mayor.  The home rule charter lays out the requirements for taking office as mayor:

The mayor shall have been a resident of the City for at least three years immediately preceding election

Harris held a press conference today, where he admitted (1) he only registered to vote in Pittsburgh this year, (2) he has never voted in the City of Pittsburgh, and (3) he had an apartment in the City of Pittsburgh, while voting in Sewickley.

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desperation

1. The act of despairing or becoming desperate; a giving up of hope.
2. A state of despair, or utter hopeless; abandonment of hope; extreme recklessness; reckless fury.

“Reckless fury” is the only way that to describe the campaign of Tony Ceoffe in the increasingly heated race against p2pac endorsed candidate Susan Banahasky in the past week or so.

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In an email today and on his blog at BillPeduto.com – City Councilman Bill Peduto is encouraging Pittsburghers to call/email their city council members to support his reform package. 

This package will end “pay-to-play” politics in our city through several different reforms to our current system.  If passed on Wednesday, this package will:

• Cap contributions by individuals at $2,000 for Mayoral and City Controller Races, and $1,000 for City Council races
• Mandate the creation of an online, searchable database of all campaign contributions and city contracts
• Ban all no-bid contracts over $30,000
• Create the Lobbyist Disclosure Act, which would require all lobbyists to register annually with the city
• Create the Lobbyist Registration Act, which would require all contract bidders to disclose any payments to lobbyists and consultants
• Strengthen the city’s ethics code to greatly limit gifts to government officials

What do you think about this reform package – does it go to far? Not far enough? Are other members of council supporting this package?  

Do you support the Peduto Reform Package?

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Bill Peduto sent out a press release today announcing the launch of his campaign for re-election to Pittsburgh’s City Council. He promised that in his third term he will focus on government that is “clean, lean, and green.” He listed campaign finance reform, a five-year economic recovery plan, and building a greener post-industrial economy among his top priorities.

As for the skate party, here are the details from an email sent recently:

Councilman Bill Peduto is kicking-off his 2009 re-election campaign and he needs your help to start it off right!

Join us and Skate the Night Away, for a night of food, fun, and of course – free ice skating at Schenley Park’s outdoor rink!

Friday, March 13, 2009
7:00pm – 9:00pm
Schenley Ice Rink Banquet Room

Bring your friends, lace up your skates, and skate the night away with Bill as we make this a night to remember!

Not ready to tackle the ice? Relax in the rink’s banquet room and snack on desserts and refreshments with friends.

Come out and show your support for Bill as he begins his re-election campaign – and have a blast with fellow supporters!

View the invitation and RSVP here – we can’t wait to see you. And remember- bring your friends!

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl’s idea to lease the city’s parking garages (more here) has generated quite a bit of buzz in Pittsburgh and beyond.  The article from the PG was also picked up by Harvard’s Kennedy School here and on the blogs Milwaukee Talkie and Planetizen.

This idea has also been covered by some local bloggers:

• Cognitive Dissonance – Ed notes that this idea never took off in Harrisburg
• The Huddler – thinks this is a good ideas and that pensions in PA are out of control
• The Pittsburgh Comet – Is leasing the garages an idea that sounds too good to be true?
• Matt H – is worried about the parking prices going up
• Pittsburgh is a City – asks if parking rates make a difference, and if this plan makes sense during a recession.
• The Allegheny Institute – thinks that Ravenstahl is really thinking oursite the box with this idea.
• The Angry Drunk Bureaucrat – is not sure if this is a good idea or not and maybe having less expensive parking is a good thing.

Yesterday, Councilman Patrick Dowd addressed this issue – expressing concern that no one from City Council sits on the Parking Authority board. (PG article here).

What no one is mentioning…

Many of these articles about leasing the parking garages have quotes from Merril Stabile, who owns Alcoa Parking.

That’s doubtful, said parking magnate Merrill Stabile, owner of Alco Parking Corp., Pittsburgh’s largest private parking operator.

“No private entity that comes in to run these things is going to raise the rates to a point that it chokes out business,” he said.

Anyone who knows local politics knows that Mr. Stabile is a frequent donor to local politicians.  In 2007 he gave $10,000 to Ravenstahl’s campaign (PG  article here.  See this PG article which notes that Stabile benefits from parking tax cuts.

Merrill Stabile, whose Alco Parking manages some city garages and benefits from parking tax cuts.

So this is a win win for Ravenstahl, Luke gets to claim he is addressing the pension issue while working on a project that might likely benefit one of his campaign contributors.  Even if Stabile isn’t the one who leases the garages – he would probably prefer to compete with another business than a public authority who is willing to not put profit first.

Would leasing the parking garages put David Onorato out of a job?

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Image by Getty Images via DaylifeI was just reading the latest email from Michael Moore about bailing out the big three automakers – I like that he offers an alternative to the bailout, I don’t know if it is the right alternative but it is helpful to see some alternative ideas discussed (I am including these ideas below).  The first point in his suggestion is about transportation.  This made me think about the MonFayette Expressway.  There is a notion from the Mon Valley that we must build a super highway to the Mon Valley or business will never thrive there.  So lets do some brainstorming – what are some alternatives to building the Mon Fayette Expressway?

So what to do? Members of Congress, here’s what I propose:

1. Transporting Americans is and should be one of the most important functions our government must address. And because we are facing a massive economic, energy and environmental crisis, the new president and Congress must do what Franklin Roosevelt did when he was faced with a crisis (and ordered the auto industry to stop building cars and instead build tanks and planes): The Big 3 are, from this point forward, to build only cars that are not primarily dependent on oil and, more importantly to build trains, buses, subways and light rail (a corresponding public works project across the country will build the rail lines and tracks). This will not only save jobs, but create millions of new ones.

2. You could buy ALL the common shares of stock in General Motors for less than $3 billion. Why should we give GM $18 billion or $25 billion or anything? Take the money and buy the company! (You’re going to demand collateral anyway if you give them the “loan,” and because we know they will default on that loan, you’re going to own the company in the end as it is. So why wait? Just buy them out now.)

3. None of us want government officials running a car company, but there are some very smart transportation geniuses who could be hired to do this. We need a Marshall Plan to switch us off oil-dependent vehicles and get us into the 21st century.

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I have been thinking about who is running a good campaign. I don’t know much about the drink tax issue but I do know that the people who oppose it are running a great campaign. Regardless of who you support for mayor, I give some credit to the DeSantis team for turning a non race into a competitive mayor’s race. Here is an example of what not to do…

Arnie Klein is running for Court of Common Pleas in Allegheny County. Arnie has been running for this seat for as long as I can remember on the platform “It’s Time For Klein.” Honestly, I don’t think he is a bad guy, and he could possibly be an okay judge. But this email that the campaign sent out is just, well, blah. More »

I think this press release is kind of strange. I don’t think I have ever heard the oversight board refered to as “experts.” And shouldn’t the mayor be the expert on the city’s budget.

Also strange – the font in this press release is different in different paragraphs. I have copied it directly from my email so I think you will be able to see the font changes.

EXPERTS UNANIMOUSLY PASS MAYOR’S ‘08 BUDGET

Ravenstahl’s second structurally balanced budget gains nod from state oversight board

PITTSBURGH (October 16, 2007) The Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority (ICA) unanimously approved Mayor Luke Ravenstahl’s Fiscal Year 2008 $424.8m Budget and updated Five-Year Financial Forecast today—declaring it healthy.

“Pittsburgh’s healthy budget is a testament not only to the hard work of the Mayor’s Office, City Council, and City employees, but also to the partnership that has developed between the City and ICA,” Mayor Ravenstahl said. “We have been working closely with the ICA and Act 47 teams on the specifics underlying our healthy financial forecast, and are confident that this budget ensures a robust long-term financial picture.”

Highlights of the endorsed budget include: revenues of $436.8 million and expenditures of $432.8 million; a $65.9 million reduction in expenditures in the Five-Year Financial Forecast as compared to last year’s budget; a more than $150 million reduction in expenditures from the original Act 47 Recovery Plan; a 22.5% growth in the City’s savings account; a pay-as-you-go capital budget policy; and a $4.3 million dollar commitment from non-profit organizations.

“By driving down the cost of government, spending less and saving more—this budget is structurally balanced; the revenues exceed the expenditures,” City finance director Scott Kunka said. “We’ve been able to grow our savings account and hire more police and fire prevention personnel, all while aggressively addressing inherited legacy costs.”

Recognizing that under-funded pensions are not unique to Pittsburgh, Mayor Ravenstahl has made pension reform a central focus of his administration. To gather information in addressing this issue, the Mayor convened a “pension summit and has called other meetings with mayors and executives from throughout the Commonwealth to establish a consensus building process that will result in recommendations in regard to state law.

In an important addition, the Mayor intends to make available a defined contribution retirement option to new non-union personnel in the coming year.

Last spring, the City re-negotiated its health care plan, trimming the budget by $17 million over three-years, and recently announced a “paygo” system, pledging to discontinue the credit-card spending of the past.

“We have vowed to stop operating with the credit-card mentality of the past and will live within our means to ensure future generations are not plagued by the same problems we are aggressively tackling today,” Mayor Ravenstahl said.

To win the ICA’s nod, the approved budget includes two changes: adjusting the 2% local share of slots revenue per consultation with the state’s budget office, and changing the presentation of the City’s fund balance to reflect level stability at 10% of expenditures.

These changes will not materially impact the City’s current and future financial health.

ICA approval allows the Mayor to present his budget plan to City Council with the state’s signature already on it.

Contact: Alecia Sirk

412-255-2484

412-287-7808

Bruce Kraus has invited all young Democrats (either with a capital or lowercase y) to attend a fundraiser for his campaign for City Council for a reduced contribution of $25.

Click below for details.

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Bill Peduto’s Reform Pittsburgh Now has added a new video to the site.

Justine rides the bus with Port Authority CEO Steve Bland and sits down with Jim Hassinger, President and CEO of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission.

[bliptv 351169]

According to an article in the  Pittsburgh City Paper he is running against Ricky Burgess as  an independent in the 9th Council District. Does anyone know anything about him?

1. Did anyone attend or hear anything about the Allegheny County Democratic Golf Outing?

2. Do you think anyone in Pittsburgh cares that Luke appeared before the ethics board?  I care, but I am not sure if other people in Pittsburgh care?

3. Is Mark DeSantis still running for mayor?  Has anyone heard anything from his campaign?

We had heard a few rumors about this, but the article in the PG this am leads one to believe it is more than a rumor.  The PG reports the Mike Doyle has hired Corey O’Connor to join his staff.  And that 2 of Doyle’s staff members have joined the Mayor’s office.  The interesting part is the last quote of the article…

Asked whether he was upset that Mr. Ravenstahl hired away two of his staff members, he said that’s “not anything that serves any productive purpose to talk about, anyway. … If we fight, we fight in private.”

Id Doyle just upset that Luke has hired 2 of his staff members?  Or is there something else going on?  Why would Doyle hire Corey O’Connor?