Pittsburgh

Image via Wikipedia Just got an email from Joanna Doven – the press secretary for the mayor of Pittsburgh. Is the Mayor’s Office ready for this kind of technology Here is an email about this new technology but no link to the new Facebook page?  This email also came in just the text format – not the...
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Image by justgrimes via Flickr The Sunlight Foundation is an organization and a campaign to use technology to bring more transparency to government. Last week the Sunlight Foundation kicked off their Public Equals Online campaign with a panel discussion at the Google Headquarters in Washington DC. Panelists included: Jake Brewer, engagement director of the Sunlight Foundation Mark Tapscott,...
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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...
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Trash Talk One complaint that we hear from time to time is that poor neighborhoods often get the leftover trashcans from other neighborhoods.  One example taken earlier in the year (Kevin Acklin used this particular example in the second mayoral debate, back in October): a trashcan behind the Homewood-Brushton YMCA labeled “Bloomfield”. Here’s a photo taken...
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I had a request to produce a map that’s similar to the last post, but to look at how Ravenstahl’s vote % changed from the primary election to the general election. This first map (a reproduction from the last post) shows how Ravenstahl performed in this election versus how he performed in the 2007 general...
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There’s been a little back and forth over whether the mayoral results show that Ravenstahl has weakened.  The argument that Luke 55% showing was something to be embarrassed by was made in the MSM by Jon Delano and Rich Lord.  Ravenstahl supporters point to Luke winning every city ward, as evidence of broad-based support. Potter says that it...
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Matt H has been called quite a few names from many around the burghosphere (including by me!)  Mostly, they centered around his role as the lone apologist for the mayor on the interwebs.  That’s why his endorsement slate is probably going to catch quite a few people by surprise: Mayor, City of Pittsburgh: Kevin Acklin There are going...
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With three days to go, these are the reports that we have been hearing from the mayoral campaigns: Dok Harris: Robocall from Franco Rally in Homewood Trick-or-treating in Squirrel Hill Kevin Acklin: Live calls from candidate and volunteers Carrick Halloween parade Canvassers seen in neighborhoods throughout the city Luke Ravenstahl: Weekend off? What campaign activity are you seeing this weekend?
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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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“After three years as mayor, he has yet to articulate a vision for the future.” “He does not have a reputation for working with the state legislative delegation.” “He needs to put some distance between himself and the party machine, to generate independent thinking for Pittsburgh’s growth and progress.” “ethical lapses after taking office upon the death...
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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...
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The short answer to that question is – Nothing.  The PGH Lesbian Correspondent added another post about the yet to be announced Pittsburgh LGBT advisory committee.  She has blogged about this occasionally over the past year so we thought it would be interesting to see just how long this LGBT Advisory Committee has be...
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My biggest take away from Netroots Nation is that it’s not enough to elect Barack Obama President.  I have work to do in getting the change I want passed into legislation.  Right now, that means getting the Public Option passed into national healthcare reform. Monday I heard Arlen Spector on NPR saying that Health Coops...
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Last week as we left Loew’s and a sneak preview of Funny People, once again we found ourselves appreciating just how awful the design of the Waterfront is.  It’s as if the bad mall martians flew in from outer space, landing on one of the most key-critical, history rich and defining sites of Pittsburgh’s...
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We have been trying to keep tabs on the Race for PGH 2009 here and noticed that there are some interesting posts from not the usual political bloggers about the upcoming mayoral race.  Here are a few of the new blogs who are stepping into the Pittsburgh political blogosphere… Politics and Place - A Rare Foray...
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