Progress Pittsburgh

Friends of P2PAC,
Both of the P2PAC endorsed candidates for City Council edged out their opponents in a pair of tightly-contested races.  Natalia Rudiak, District 4, and Daniel Lavelle, District 6, will be on the ballot in November after victory in yesterday’s Democratic primary.  Congratulations, Natalia and Daniel!

Please join us for a celebration on Thursday, June 4, from 5:30 to 7:30 at the New Amsterdam Pub (Butler Street in Lawrenceville) with our candidates.

If you ever wondered about your power as a contributor, we hope that our success in this campaign demonstrates that together we can influence the outcomes of elections!  Have you given to the challenge?  If you want to see more victories for progressive candidates who support social and economic justice, donate to the campaign challenge today! We are well on our way to reaching our goal of raising another $2009 by the end of May.  Your contribution can help get us there.  

Click here to visit The Point $2009 in 2009 Challenge

We would also like to congratulate P2PAC endorsed candidates Hugh McGough for Court of Common Pleas and Susan Banahasky for District Magistrate in the 6th and 9th Wards for running strong campaigns.  Both Susan and Hugh are leaders who we believe in and, although they did not win their races on Tuesday, we know that they will continue to be an asset to our City for years to come..

With your help, we will continue to identify and support socially progressive candidates to move our city and county forward.  Please, join us at our event on June 4th and celebrate our victory!  And join us in our commitment to progress in Pittsburgh!

Click here to visit The Point $2009 in 2009 Challenge

Cheers, P2PAC Board

Over at p2pac, the Progress Pittsburgh Political Action Committee has announced their endorsement of four candidates for the 2009 Primary cycle.

From their announcement:

P2PAC develops, supports, and helps to elect candidates who demonstrate vision, progressive values, and electability… 

These endorsements represent four races where a group of dedicated citizens can make a MAJOR impact on the race…

• Natalia Rudiak, City Council District 4, nataliarudiak.com 
  • Click Here to Donate to Friends of Natalia Rudiak
  • Click Here to Volunteer
• Robert Daniel Lavelle, City Council District 6, lavelleforcouncil.com
  • Click Here to Donate to Citizens for Daniel Lavelle
  • Click Here to Volunteer
• Susan Banahasky, Magisterial District Judge 5-3-10, susanformagistrate.com 
  • Click Here to Donate to Friends for Susan Banahasky
  • Click Here to Volunteer
• Hugh McGough, Court of Common Pleas, mcgough4judge.com 
  • Click Here to Donate to McGough for Judge
  • Click Here to Volunteer

P2pac invites you to a happy annoucement at a happy hour event. The PAC will annouce its first group of endorsed candidates at a happy hour next Tuesday, April 21st, at 900 Cafe and Lounge on the Northside. More information is available on the P2pac website. See you there!

RSVP on Facebook!

Can’t attend on Tuesday but want to support the PAC? Please consider making a contribution to our challenge to raise $2009 in 2009 here. We have already raised over $2000 to give to our endorsed candidates please help up continue to raise money to support candidates in 2009 and beyond.

With the inuaguration behind us, it is time to focus on the local elections. The 2009 primary elections are just 4 months away. To kick off the 2009 primary election season the P2pac has launched the $2009 in 2009 challenge! Help us elect candidates that support good government, sustainable development and social equity in Pittsburgh. Click here to read more about the P2pac.

Our last fundraising challenge was a huge success and we hope that you will help us meet the $2009 in 2009 challenge by pledging $20.09 to the pac. Click here to make a pledge now.

Image by Archie McPhee Seattle via FlickrAs we have been circulating the invite for the Innauguration Party we have been getting a few questions about this website and the PAC

What is Progress Pittsburgh and P2pac?

Progress Pittsburgh is a group of people that got together after the 2004 presidential election to talk about how to take the energy of the presidential election and get people involved in local politics.  Read more of that story on the About  page.  Currently Progress Pittsburgh exists as a website and blog to share information about groups, events and issues in Pittsburgh.  We invite everyone to read and join the discussion about issues in Western PA.

P2PAC is a political action committee that supports candidates whose districts touch the City of Pittsburgh and whose agendas are consistent with its mission: good government, sustainable development, and social equity. P2PAC endorses candidates who meet these criteria and provides resources to advance their leadership. We see leadership as the primary vehicle for positive change in service of our mission.  Lots more information about the pac is available at P2pac.com.

Inauguration Party and Monthly events – when Progress Pittsburgh first started we would hold occasional happy hours to get like minded people together to discuss politics in the same room. In the past many volunteers have rallied around a particular issue or candidate – after the election these networks are often forgotten and contacts are lost.  One of the goals behind the P2pac is to plan a consistent monthly event for people to gather on a monthly basis.  In 2008 we were successful in hosting an event on the 3rd Tuesday of every month.   In 2009 we are lucky that the 3rd Tuesday is also inauguration day!  We hope that you will join us to celebrate and support the PAC.  We are asking for a suggested donation of $10.  All of the proceeds of the monthly events go to the PAC to support electing candidates in Pittsburgh.  If you can’t attend please consider a donation to help us kick off 2009 our challenge to raise $2009 for the 09 elections.

Who: YOU!
What: Inauguration Celebration and P2PAC Fundraiser ($10 contribution requested)
Where: New Amsterdam (4421 Butler Street, Lawrenceville)
When: 01/20/09 @ 5:30 p.m.
Why: because Obama rocks and Pittsburgh deserves better

RSVP on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=41852859445

We will have beer specials and free food!

P2pac continues to raise funds (and fun) for the 2009 local primary elections. Please join us on Tuesday, January 20th to celebrate the historic inauguration of Barack Obama and get excited about local political change this spring.

For event details, please see the event annoucement post.

Image by brianbutko via Flickr

We started Progress Pittsburgh 4 years ago after Bush won and Kerry lost as an organization to connect all of the election volunteers with local politics. Earlier this year we launched the p2 pac – a political action committee to support candidates in western PA and we have been having a montly event on the 3rd Tue of every month – we picked the 3rd Tue so we could gather together 2 weeks after Nov. 4. Please come join us to celebrate the Presidential Victory and to talk about how we can create change here in Pittsburgh.

Date: Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Time: 5:30pm – 8:30pm
Location: Max’s Allegheny Tavern, 537 Suismon Street
City/Town: Pittsburgh, PA

RSVP on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=34848778750&ref=mf

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Image via WikipediaWell we have had a week to celebrate and reflect on the nation election and now it is time to get back to Pittsburgh politics.   If you are new to Progress Pittsburgh, or wondering what the heck this group/blog is all about – Progress Pittsburgh was founded exactly 4 years ago – many of us had worked on the Presidential campaign in different ways and we ended up gathering at the Beehive to reflect on some of the voter registration work and started talking about all of the people who had become so engaged in the national election – how do we take that energy and engage them in local politics.  Thus Progress Pittsburgh was formed.

In the past 4 years we have worked on a number of projects – some mapping, a wiki-like website about city politics,  trainings about running for democratic committee.  We have been connecting people to Pittsburgh politics on this blog since June of 2006.

In September we launched the P2pac – a political action committee that is focused on supporting and recruiting candidates for political office in the city of Pittsburgh.  Learn more about the PAC at P2pac.com.

If this most recent presidential campaign is your first look at politics or if you want to learn more about Pittsburgh politics we hope that you will join the conversation.

We have officially launched the Progress Pittsburgh PAC, P2pac!

We had a great kick off event last Tuesday at the Double Wide Grill – over 40 people showed up to meet and greet and learn about the P2pac.

Progress Pittsburgh was created almost 4 years ago by a variety of Pittsburgh residents who worked or volunteered their time on the 2004 presidential election. We quickly realized their was a need to harness the energy around the national election and engage Pittsburghers in the local elections. Click here to read a little bit more about our history.

Over the past 4 years we have worked on a variety of projects to engage more Pittsburghers in local politics and we have continued to maintain this website as a place to connect and share information on a variety of topics. We have also spent a lot of time looking at other groups and how they have successfully made an impact on their political landscape. Groups like EMILY’s List and Progressive majority have helped us to further understand how we can influence political races here in Pittsburgh. Much thought has gone into the structure of Progress Pittsburgh and the P2pac. While the November 2008 elections are certainly center stage, we know that the Spring 2009 Primary election is just around the corner for Pittsburgh.

P2pac Mission: P2PAC exists to develop, support, and promote the election of progressive leaders to positions in local government in order to further good government, sustainable development and social equity in Pittsburgh.

To launch the P2pac we are asking 100 people to donate $10 in 10 days. We have set up a campaign at a great website called ThePoint.com (coincidentally founded by a Pittsburgher). Please join us in the launch of the P2pac by pledging $10 (or more) and help us reach our $1000 goal by telling your friends and neighbors.

P2 Kick-off Challenge – http://www.thepoint.com/campaigns/p2pac-kick-off-challenge-100-people-10-10-days

Click here for more ways to get involved with the P2pac.

Image via Wikipedia Please join us for a happy hour on Tuesday, September 16th to celebrate the creation of P2PAC.

P2PAC is a political action committee that supports candidates whose districts touch the City of Pittsburgh and whose agendas are consistent with its mission: good government, sustainable development, and social equity. P2PAC endorses candidates who meet these criteria and provides resources to advance their leadership. We see leadership as the primary vehicle for positive change in service of our mission.

Who: YOU!
What: cocktails and conversation
Where: Double Wide Grill (East Carson and 24th Streets)
When: 09/16/08 @ 5:30 p.m.
Why: because Pittsburgh deserves better

We will be requesting a $5 donation at the door; all funds raised go straight to the PAC.

All are welcome to attend!

RSVP on Facebook

We are ready to see change in local government and hope that you are too! Please join us for some beverages and conversation!

$10, 100 people, $1000 in 10 days

If you are unable to attend please help us kick off the pac by contributing $10 to our kick-off challenge. Click here to pledge $10 !

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