Progress Pittsburgh

If you have been folowing some of the reactions to the snow in Pittsburgh – Luke Ravenstahl’s name is mentioned in response to the snow clean up.  But today there is another question being asked about the mayor – Where’s Luke?

It seems to have started with JanePitt around 11:30 this morning…

JanePitt

(Virginia Montanez)

Has anyone seen Luke Ravenstahl in the city today? Anyone? Anyone? Zober? On 10:36 AM Feb 16th 2010 from web

At 12:30 @andybotpgh posted a link to this Post-Gazette article

andybotpgh

(Andy Mulkerin)

"Mayoral spokeswoman Joanna Doven said she did not know the Mr. Ravenstahl's whereabouts today." http://bit.ly/92TWIk On 11:35 AM Feb 16th 2010 from web

City Council Member Bill Peduto noted that Luke has not been seen at the City County building today

billpeduto

(bill peduto)

Despite rumors, no confirmation that Mayor left town. His city car has not been here yesterday or today - cancelled mtg with Pres. Harris On 12:03 PM Feb 16th 2010 from web

At 1:30 JanePitt tweets Luke was not at Murtha’s Funeral – create the hashtag #whereisluke

JanePitt

(Virginia Montanez)

Places Lukey was NOT today: His office, the funeral of Rep. John Murtha, council offices. #whereisLuke On 12:17 PM Feb 16th 2010 from web

Bram (aka the Pittsburgh Comet) notes that the mayor’s newest hire is in New Orleans

Bram_R

(Bram Reichbaum)

Via Facebook: Luke's campaign manager / brand new Government Affairs Manager Paul McKrell departed for New Orleans yesterday. On 12:48 PM Feb 16th 2010 from web

Here are the latest tweets with the #whereisluke

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 today:

Problem solved?  Glad to see that the mayor is still getting it done.

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 election.  In this map, basically,

• The bluer the district, the worse Ravenstahl did against Harris & Acklin than against DeSantis
• The redder the district, the better Ravenstahl did against Harris & Acklin than against DeSantis

• The bluer the district, the worse Ravenstahl did against Harris & Acklin than against Dowd & Robinson
• The redder the district, the better Ravenstahl did against Harris & Acklin than against Dowd & Robinson

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 doesn’t matter how much Luke won by, because it won’t force him to govern any differently.  I agree with Potter, in that I doubt that Luke will take heed for his rapid deterioration in support.  The administration will likely govern with just as much bravado as they always have.

I disagree that the results are completely irrelevant, however, because Luke has relied on his strong electoral support (in the past) to lend his capitol to other candidates.  We have already seen in this year’s primary that Ravenstahl has no coattails.  These results may be good news for Bruce Kraus and Patrick Dowd, who are both likely to see well-funded challengers whose best argument for election will be their close relationship with the mayor.  This may also give some political cover to Theresa Smith and Darlene Harris to act with more independence.

What is remarkable is the near-uniformity across the city where Luke’s support has decreased.  In the map below, I’ve shown the change in Luke’s win % from 2007 to 2009.  The more intense the blue, the greater the decrease; the more intense the red, the greater the increase.

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

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.*

More »

1. “After three years as mayor, he has yet to articulate a vision for the future.”
2. “He does not have a reputation for working with the state legislative delegation.”
3. “He needs to put some distance between himself and the party machine, to generate independent thinking for Pittsburgh’s growth and progress.”
4. “ethical lapses after taking office upon the death of Bob O’Connor”
5. “his service as mayor remains a work in progress”
6. “It is incumbent on the mayor to assemble more top talent on the city’s behalf”

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 discussed.  Here are a handful of posts from The Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents about the LGBT Advisory Committee/Panel that span the past year:

• 6/22/2009 – Luke Ravenstahl’s LGBT Advisory Committee. On Friday, April 24, the Mayor’s Deputy Chief of Staff Kristen Baginski told us that they were in touch with potential members and would announce when that process was complete. That was almost two months ago. You can email her to ask how many more months (it has been 7 since it was announced) will be needed to form the committee that will advise the Mayor on LGBT issues. You could mention the significant issues outlined above as proof that we really can’t afford to wait too much longer
• 5/22/2009 – What happened to plans for a LGBT liaison in the Mayor’s office? Or the LGBT advisory committee?
• 4/3/2009 – Kristen Baginski and Joanna Doven won’t return my calls or respond to my email messages about the LGBT Advisory Council.
• 2/26/2009 – email from Joanna Doven “There is nothing new to report re the LGBT advisory panel. We’re getting ready to choose the panel – once that happens we will have the inaugural meeting. Charles Morrison, the head of the City’s Human Relations Commission will be monitoring the process to make sure the panel is representative of the community.”
• 12/11/2008 – “the Mayor of Pittsburgh, Luke Ravenstahl, is launching a LGBT Advisory Council to provide an open line of communication between his office and Pittsburgh’s LGBT community. The planning meeting held on December 10 was chaired by Deputy Chief of Staff Kristen Baginski and the Mayor’s personal liaison to the LGBT community, Gary Van Horn, a local businessman and President of the Delta Foundation. 25 people were in attendance, along with two members of the media. The room was fairly even between men and women, but almost entirely Caucasian and middle to upper middle class. It was a pretty elite group and that didn’t surprise me for a 5 PM meeting held downtown. “
• 11/29/2008 – Pittsburgh is a great example — our gay community is as diverse as any other Pittsburgh group, except for the younger crowds. The next big opportunity to get this right is the Mayor’s soon to be appointed LGBT Advisory Committtee. Let’s hope his team finds a way to create a dynamically diverse group of folks who do not have deep pocket ties to his office.
• 6/19/2008 – “his promise to appoint a LGBT liaison and an LGBT advisory committee remain unfulfilled.”

Propel Pittsburgh?

All of this made us wonder what ever happened to the Propel Pittsburgh Commission.  Here is a description of the commission from the City of Pittsburgh Website

Function:
The 35-member Propel Pittsburgh Commission is dedicated to meeting the concerns and needs of the City of Pittsburgh’s young adults and young professionals. Composed entirely of members aged 20-34, and chaired by the Mayor himself, the objective of the Commission is to encourage greater participation in government, identify or create programmatic or policy opportunities in issues affecting young adults and young professionals in Pittsburgh, and to inform various elected and appointed officials representing young people about issues specific to them. The Propel Pittsburgh Commission will help to give the young adults and young professionals of Pittsburgh a major role in moving the City of Pittsburgh forward.

Also from the City’s website – the commission is to meet every other month – as of today the website says the next meeting is May 21, 2008.

Blog Mentions of Propel Pittsburgh

• 7/10/2009 – Get Involved!
• 11/25/2008 – The Angry Drunk Bureaucrat
• 10/26/2008 – The Pittsburgh Comet
• 9/15/2007 – The Pittsburgh Hoagie - Matt H is a member of the Propel Pittsburgh commission – it doesn’t look like he has posted any other blog updates on their meetings.
• Alik who was a member of the commission but no longer lives in Pittsburgh also posted some updates on the Propel Meetings that were held in 2007 at Pittsburgh.Metblogs.com – the last post on this was 8/17/2008.

This Saturday’s Jam on Walnut is turning into a showdown of Pittsburgh politics.  On one side of Walnut St.  Mayor Luke Ravenstahl will be hosting a pre-Jam on Walnut Event at Shady Grove.  On the other side of Walnut Street Mayoral Candidate Dok Harris will be hosting an event at the William Penn Tavern.

The Details

Pre-Jam on Walnut Party with Mayor Luke Ravenstahl – Facebook Invite Here (at posting time 150 Yes RSVP  including – Ravenstahl campaign manager Paul McKrell, Jim Ferlo staffer Mikhail Pappas, Yarone Zober, Jeff Dzamko,  and The Pittsburgh Hoagie – Matt Hogue)

6-8pm, Shady Grove

Come to Shady Grove on August 22nd from 6 pm – 8 pm for a PreJam party for young professionals and meet Mayor Ravenstahl!

There will be FREE beer and Drink Specials from 6 – 8.

Cornhole boards will be set-up so bring a friend and challenge Mayor Ravenstahl to a game!

Update: We got karaoke!

Pre-Jam on Walnut Party tomorrow night! – Facebook Invite Here (at posting time – 1 yes RSVP – it looks like this has just been added to Facebook)

6-8pm William Penn Tavern

$1 Miller Lights with Franco Harris! Come down to the William Penn Tavern before the Jam on Walnut to show your support for Franco Dok Harris and his vision of the City of Yes!

Which side of Walnut street will you be on tomorrow night.

Last week over 100 protestors entered city hall to talk to Mayor Luke Ravenstahl.  Mayor Ravenstahl was no in the building but someone from his office chained the doors shut.  See photos and additional coverage on 2 Political Junkies.

[Poll=18]

So while the battle for heath care is being waged on a National Level it is interesting that some things have also been brought to light here in Pittsburgh about development and jobs. Here is a quick summary…

Last Week

It has been an interesting frew weeks in Pittsburgh.  Last week Northside United staged a protest to demand better jobs for the North Side outside of one of the buildings managed by Continental Real Estate on the North Shore – click here to read the previous blog post about last week.

Friday at the City County Building

• Morning – Over 100 protesters arrived on the 5th floor of the city county building to talk to Mayor Ravenstahl about jobs
  • From WPXI - The protesters said they want the mayor to address the problem that many of the new developments, subsidized by taxpayer money, have created low-wage jobs, keeping Pittsburgh families in poverty.
• Doors to the Mayors office were chained-  A city worker chained and padlocked the door to the mayors office from the inside – the mayor WAS NOT inside the office
  • From PGH City Paper - A half-dozen city police officers showed up, insisting on clearing a path to the door — even when the door itself was padlocked. (The lock was eventually removed.)
• Protesters Leave City hall, promise to return at 2pm
• 2pm Protesters return to City Hall, No Luke RAvenstahl
• City Councilman Doug Shields invites protesters into city council chambers
  • From PGH Comet - Reportedly at some point Council President Doug Shields swung open the doors to City Council chambers with the announcement, “Your government is ready to listen.” Thereafter began an impromptu unofficial hearing participated in by Shields, Bruce Kraus, Darlene Harris, and Bill Peduto chief of staff Daniel Gillman, in addition to representatives of the coalition.
  • Video is available here
• Yarone Zober makes a statement on behalf of the mayor
  • PGH Comet has 2 youTube clips of Yarone Zober’s statements
• Mayoral Candidate Dok Harris Releases a Statement

The City needs to develop a comprehensive policy to ensure that development that is publicly funded or subsidized in any way provides good, family-sustaining jobs.  It is imperative that the community has a seat at the table to guarantee that development benefits the city residents and neighborhoods; not just the developers, politicians, and their supporters.

From day one of my candidacy I have expressed my life long views that workers deserve fair wages and fair treatment. In my administration it will be a priority to guarantee good jobs in all publicly-funded developments. We will work with community leaders to protect the needs of our neighborhoods and to improve Pittsburgh’s economy by protecting the middle class.

• 2 Political Junkies has a summary of media coverage of today’s events

Some questions

• Where was Luke Ravenstahl today? If President Obama can take the time to talk to the white house press corps about the Cambridge, MA police, then why isn’t Luke Ravenstahl available to talk to Pittsburgh citizens
• Have any of the members of Continental Real Estate contributed to Luke Ravenstahl’s campaign?
  • Walnut Capital – one of Ravenstahl’s biggest campaing contributors
    • From the Trib - Ravenstahl’s biggest donors run Shadyside development company Walnut Capital. President Todd Reidbord and manager partner Gregg Perelman donated $10,000 each. Reidbord is a member of the city Planning Commission.
  • Walnut Capital has received public funding for Bakery Square Project
    • From PGH Comet - Walnut Capital already qualified for public Tax Increment Financing for its Bakery Square project without even the usual strings attached in regards to labor agreements. It is a fact that Walnut Capital is the City of Pittsburgh’s number one campaign contributor, and that one of its two owners, Todd Reidbord, sets development policy as a senior member of the City Planning Commission.
• Is all of this developer driven development, supported by public money really good for Pittsburgh?  Is there another model that might work better to move Pittsburgh forward.  Is it possible that continued retail, office and hotel development isn’t really what is needed.
  • From the Post-Gazette in Feb 2009 - The gloomy retail climate prompted one expert, Burt P. Flickinger III, managing director of SRG Insights, to predict 2,000 to 3,000 shopping malls and shopping centers nationwide could go belly-up this year
    • Even in the city – there is vacant retail space in every business district from the new South Side Works, to Walnut Street, to the East Side development to Downtown – yet we continue to develop more retail spaces – who is going to rent these spaces and open up shop?

Well it looks like things have been pretty quiet in the Race for PGH.

Rumor has it that Dok Harris was out an about at Pridefest and the Artsfestival.

Ravenstahl’s campaign managager has tweeted that he is bored and that he is only working 2 days a week.

Acklin is hosting a happy hour fundraiser this Thursday at the Firehouse Lounge – $20 gets you in the door and 2 drinks.

And in the world of Facebook Fan Pages:

• Kevin Acklin – 534 Group Members
• Dok Harris – 628 Supporters
• Luke Ravenstahl – 438 Supporters

The break is over – you have had 2 weeks to rest since the May primary election and it looks like the candidates are starting their engines for the race to the November elections.  Kevin Acklin is holding a campaign kickoff evene t tomorrow at the Pittsburgh center for the arts.  So we thought it was time to kick off the 2nd leg of the Race for Pgh with a new poll.  Both Kevin Acklin and Dok Harris are challenging Luke Ravenstahl in the November 2009 election.

 Loading ...

I have the theme song – where in the world is Carmen Sandiego – but more like Where in Pittsburgh is Luke Ravenstahl – but The Radical Middle has used the Where Waldo reference – that works too. 

Looks like Mayor Ravenstahl has made some time in his schedule for a 3rd debate – he still won’t release his schedule to the public – check out this audio clip from Bob Mayo – where Mayor Luke Ravenstahl laughs at not responding to the question about his schedule.  

So to update the last post on where’s Luke – here are some more recent sightings of Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and some upcoming events where he is scheduled to be…

• Friday, April 17 – Mayor Luke Ravenstahl scheduled to sweep Homewood via @wpxi.
• Saturday, April 18 - Candidates Forum at Schenley High School – Mayor Luke Ravenstahl arrived 1:45 late.  During the forum the mayor was spotted having lunch at a Subway.  
  • According to Twitter at 12:10 pm – Luke was at his 5th event of the day and then heading to do some door knocking
• Wednesday, April 22 
  • 11am-1pm – Earth Day Rally in Market Square
  • According to the Beaver Times – Mayor Luke Ravenstahl will take a tour of the Consol Energy Center this afternoon.
• Thursday, April 29
  • 6pm – PUMP/City Paper Mayor Forum – Mayor Luke Ravensthal has NOT confirmed that he will attend.
• Thursday, April 30
  • 11:30 am – Hofbrau House – Mayor Luke Ravenstahl to address South Side Chamber Monthly Luncheon $15/person via @southsidepgh
• May 1
  • 11 am – Mayor Luke Ravenstahl to host ribbon cutting for Zone 3 Police Station