Progress Pittsburgh

Here are some blog posts, article and links that you may have missed.

• WTAE-TV gives Sally Wiggin the door. « BurghBoy Blogs – Sad news to report from Ardmore Boulevard.

  WTAE-TV news director Bob Longo has kicked Pittsburgh’s television news matriarch, Sally Wiggin, to the curb, downgrading her to just a noon anchor effective Monday.

• Merger morass: City-county consolidation has run aground – the post-Gazette says the merger is more talk with out walk from Dan Onorato and Luke Ravenstahl
• The Burgh Report: Cutting “vacant” jobs is not enough – a look at the Pittsburgh city budget with an interesting comparison of Luke and Yarone's current plan with Mark DeSantis's proposed ideas from last years mayors race.

Thanks to everyone who voted in the last poll. As of today – 80% of Progress Pittsburgh readers are voting for Mark DeSantis on Tuesday. 14% of readers are voting for Ravenstal, 6% for Tony Olivia and 1% for Ryan Scott.
We are fairly certain that this poll was not hacked by either campaign. More »

I thought it might be interesting to compile a list of Blog endorsements in the mayor’s race. Know of others ? Leave a comment and we can update the list.

• The Burgh Boy
• changes his endorsement from DeSantis to Ravenstahl, suggests Mikey Mouse for County Executive
• Pittsburgh Pist-Gazette
• Endorses Mark DeSantis for Mayor
• 2 Political Junkies
• Maria is voting for Mark DeSantis
• Teacher. Wordsmith. Madman.
• has a DeSantis badge on the sidebar of the blog
• About-PittsburghPA.com
• Mosley is voting for DeSantis
• Sabrina’s Pittsburgh Chronicle
• SabrinaSpiher.com Endorses Mark DeSantis for Mayor of Pittsburgh

There are quite a few polls floating around the internet for the mayor’s race. The Pist-Gazette has done some man on the street polling in Brookline and East Liberty. KDKA has had a poll on their website for the mayoral election which has been hacked by some city employees.

We thought it would be interesting to see who Progress Pittsburgh readers are voting for on November 6.

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The Pitt News has endorsed Mark DeSantis.

EDITORIAL – DeSantis the right choice for Pittsburgh

i have continued to hear that we need to re-elect Luke as mayor to keep the young people in Pittsburgh.  Most of the young people I know, I think all of the young people I know, don’t think that electing Luke is the solution to getting and keeping young people in Pittbsurgh.  An  endorsement of Mark DeSantis by the  Pitt News is a pretty bold statement that young people don’t think Luke is the guy to move Pittsburgh forward.

The Pitt News editorial board is also disappointed in Luke’s ability to represent the youth of Pittsburgh.

This isn’t to say that Ravenstahl is exempt from criticism. He promised to carry on O’Connor’s promise to clean up Oakland – and has done little more than hand out minor citations for debris and overgrown weeds. He’s also done little to promote job growth in our city – maybe because he’s never had to struggle to find a job himself.
When then-26-year-old Ravenstahl stepped up as the youngest mayor of a major city in national history 14 months ago, we were excited. Here was a man who was only a few years out of college. He was going to give us - the youth of Pittsburgh - a voice and represent our interests. Now, more than a year later, young people are still leaving our city, and Ravenstahl has done little more to attach a youthful image to Pittsburgh than give a city tour to Sienna Miller.

Election Day is less than a month away – political clubs and blogs have started to list their endorsements for the November 2007 election. Here is the Gertrude Stein Political Club Endorsement Slate… More »

how did they do? video on the pg website today provides a little insight into the substance of the various candidates. check it out.

Last week the New York Sun published an editorial, The Next Philadelphia?, that basically says the future of Pittsburgh hinges on this mayorial election.

Pittsburgh is a cautionary tale for many American cities. It can either go the way of Detroit or become a comeback city like Philadelphia and Baltimore. Its future, as defined by either Mr. Ravenstahl or Mr. DeSantis, could provide a roadmap for how economically depressed cities can recover.

This article was also published in the Tribune review so local readers may not be aware that this converation about Pittsburgh is occurring on the national level.

There is also a letter to the editor of the New York Sun, that points out Ravenstahl’s “pattern of deception.”

I do not fault the mayor so much for doing these things, but for the pattern of deception in which he has engaged when questions have been raised about his whereabouts.

In the New York incident, press questions about whether the mayor took such a trip were initially met with stonewalling.

He responded to a reporter’s question by stating that he had not taken this trip, only owning up to it after it became evident that the press had the goods. He also stated that he did not recall where he had dined or where he had spent the night.

In an instance in which the mayor was golfing during an important meeting, reporters were told that the mayor was engaging in “important city business.”

Later, to the mayor’s embarrassment, this “important city business” was disclosed to be a golf outing.

The mayor has demonstrated a pattern of deception when he is cornered. This is what I find most troubling about him.

Pittsburgh’s many problems have been brought about by corrupt one-party rule, which has extended from the 1930s through the present.

This is not they type of publicity Pittsburgh needs.  The mayor can do what he wants on his own time.  But his “pattern of deception” is creating a very bad public picture for the city of Pittsburgh.

The Pittsburgh Civic Design Coalition will host a Mayoral Candidates Forum on September 27^th that will focus on issues related to design, development, and civic planning. Both Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Republican mayoral candidate Mark DeSantis have agreed to participate. Moderated by Katherine Fink of WDUQ, the forum will be held at the David Lawrence Convention Center on Thursday, September 27^th from 6pm to 9:30pm. WDUQ will be taping the conversation for airing in early October. To attend, please RSVP by email or by calling 412.281.0995.

This forum is a valuable opportunity to ask questions about the future of planning and development in our fair city. It is important to understand how community and economic development will be handled as our population continues to be half of what our infrastructure was built for. How will these candidates be strategic about planning and development? What will they do to ensure that their vision is comprehensive?

Here’s a little something about where the conversation is in Philly:
== CANDIDATE SAYS PLANNING SHOULD BE TOP PRIORITY IN PHILADELPHIA
A Philadelphia mayoral candidate says the first step to fixing the city under his administration would be a revamping and revival of the city’s planning system.
Sep 21 2007 — The Philadelphia Inquirer
http://www.planetizen.com/node/27167

In my opinion, if we don’t make strategic, comprehensive planning a priority in this city then we deserve the rank of second class.

via Pittsburgh Women’s Blogging Society

Wednesday, October 3, 2007
7:30 to 9 a.m.
Duquesne Club, 325 Sixth Avenue, Downtown
$28 per person

Registration is required: http://www.sporg.com/pom/registration?cmd=event_info&event_id=94974

Sponsors: Executive Women’s Council, Women & Girls Fdtn. & Pgh-All. Cty. Women’s Commission

Today was the long awaited City Council Hearing on domestic abuse.  Click here to see previous blog posts about the hearings.

No surprise, Luke Ravenstahl was not at the hearings.  City Council was there although Tawanda Carlisle left the room mid afternoon.  The room was almost full, very few seats left.  Luke’s opponent in the upcoming election, Mark DeSantis, was in the audience. Also attending today’s hearing were many local bloggers so keep an eye out for more summaries of today’s hearings.  The Tribune Review has a round-up here.
Not Seen: Luke Ravenstahl

Seen: Mark DeSantis, Police Chief Nate Harper

New Campaign Manager
Word on the street is that Ravenstahl has hired a new campaign manager.  Anyone know who it is?

Can Luke Dance?
Check out the article in today’s Tribune Review -  “Mark, play nice with Luke in the race.” Eric Hyle summaries Luke’s first year in office:

Where might this all lead?

Ravenstahl probably won’t guide the city back to prosperity, but he is well-positioned to be a possible contestant during an upcoming season of “So You Think You Can Dance.”

Is Luke learning from George Bush? – Luke gets crafty with his language about the resignations and hiring of new directors. Pittsbugrh Metroblog has a summary:

Luke…”isn’t worried” about having fired the directors of all city departments without having found replacements. You see, he didn’t quite fire them:

Ravenstahl said he hasn’t “formally accepted” the directors’ resignation letters, but he has kept them in his desk. He said he expects to accept some of the letters after his staff completes a national search for potential replacements.

The mayor’s comments conflict with a June 14 news release about the shakeup, which said the 11 directors had been “asked to serve the city in an acting capacity” while their job performances are evaluated.

Pittsburgh’s Home Rule Charter requires the mayor to obtain City Council’s approval for new directors or acting directors who serve longer than 90 days. The rule is one of the legislative checks City Council has on the mayor’s office; however, the charter doesn’t define a penalty for missing the 90-day deadline.

Apparently the PG was thinking the same thing as one of the p2 bloggers who wrote a post last week asking the same question. Today’s editorial is “GOP, MIA: It’s time for the DeSantis campaign to start running” and The Burgher over at the Burgh Report agrees that Mark has been MIA. Do you think there is still time for DeSantis to campaign before the November election?

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?

At the beginning of July we posted a poll asking if you thought Ravenstahl would debate Desantis.  Here are the results… 78% of ProgressPittsburgh.org readers don’t think Luke will debate.

Will Luke Ravenstahl Debate Mark Desantis?

Total Votes = 48

• No, Luke is too busy moving Pittsburgh forward to talk about how to move Pittsburgh forward (78%/38 votes)
• Yes, of course, Luke understands the importance of public discussion in moving Pittsburgh forward. (22%/ 11 votes)