Progress Pittsburgh

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.

Dowd Statement on this Morning’s Water Main Break in Northside.

May 14, 2009 – PITTSBURGH -     In response to this morning’s water main break on Chateau Street and the similar incident earlier this week on Liberty Avenue, PWSA Board Member and Mayoral Candidate Patrick Dowd issued the following statement:

    ”This morning’s water main break and sewer collapse on Chateau Street

    present another example of the havoc wreaked by the Mayor’s poor

    judgment.  Just last week, the PWSA board voted to shift $46 million

    away from critical maintenance projects protecting our water system

    and to what end?  Covering potential losses on a risky bond deal this

    Mayor championed – the same kind of bond deal that bankrupted Jefferson

    County, Alabama.

    ”Conveniently, and after repeated calls to more thoroughly review this

    deal,  this bond issue will finally be the topic of an Executive Board meeting

    the week immediately following the election.  Unfortunately for

    Pittsburghers, the Mayor is playing games with our infrastructure, and

    the citizens never win.   Who is he kidding by forcing us to wait until after the

    election to figure out how much this deal is going to cost the taxpayers?

“We can’t afford another four more years of Mayor Ravenstahl’s reckless quick fixes.  

We need responsible decision-making about basic public services.  This is not a good way to 

run our city. This is a good way to run our city into the ground.”

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Mayoral Candidates Forum

Hosted by: PUMP, Urban League Young Professionals of Pittsburgh (ULYP-Pittsburgh), Leadership Pittsburgh Inc., Young Republicans of Allegheny County, Carnegie Mellon’s Student Governmen Association and Pittsburgh City Paper 

Wednesday, April 29th, 2009
6:30 – 8:00pm
Carnegie Mellon University - McConomy Auditorium located in the University Center.  
FREE parking is available after 5:00pm in the East Campus Garage
CLICK HERE to view the Campus Map 

RSVP HERE – event is free and open to the public

Mayoral Forum on Facebook

*All Mayoral Candidates who have filed nominating petitions to appear on the May 19th 2009 Primary Election ballot have been invited to participate* 

Mayoral Candidates who have confirmed their participation:
Carmen Robinson and Patrick Dowd 

Moderator: Vince Sims, WPXI Television 

Join us for a Mayoral Candidates Forum that focuses on issues of importance to young people in our region. Young people are a critical voting block in Pittsburgh. This forum will provide an opportunity to engage the Mayoral candidates in a substantive conversation about issues that affect the attraction and retention of young people in the region and focus on topics such as: urban development, public education, public safety, municipal consolidation, cleaning and greening our city and fiscal issues. 

Well it is a busy day in Pittsburgh politics.  Here is a press release from the Dowd Campaign…

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Dowd calls for sweeping reform: ‘cut waste to fund cops, youth programs, and jobs.’

Touts record on School Board increasing accountability and raising test scores.

Councilman Patrick Dowd today addressed his record as a reformer, and called for broad changes in order to fund a variety of city services that will improve the quality of life for Pittsburghers.

“In this economy, we can’t afford to have any waste and mismanagement. We need a new approach that saves tax dollars and focuses on our priorities, like public safety, youth programs, and economic development,” said Dowd.

“I’m proud of my record of reform on the School Board and the Council.  That’s why I’m running for Mayor – to put our money where it’s needed, professionalization of city services, growing the job base of the city, reducing violence and improving the quality of life for all.”

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Here is the text of Patrick Dowd’s speech to the University of Pittsburgh Law School students this morning. ———————————————

Excellence in Government

April 16, 2009

I recently knocked on the door of a city resident who said to me “Pittsburgh demands excellence from our sports leaders, we should demand the same of our elected city leaders.” Her point was that we need a mayor who is committed to excellence in public service. It isn’t glamorous and it doesn’t get you in a parade, but excellence in management is absolutely vital to the well-being of our citizens.

Ethics and Transparency

The current Mayor of Pittsburgh has a record of cronyism and mismanagement that tells us he is not committed to excellence in public service. What we see is a lack of transparency in processes especially for permitting and awarding contracts. The examples of questionable ethics undermine the confidence of citizens that the government is serving the interests of the broader good.

When it comes the lack of transparency and the unethical behavior of this administration, don’t take it from me. Listen to the words of the Post-Gazette. “In case after case, the Post-Gazette has detailed the intertwined records of public contract approvals by political officials and campaign contributions to them from individuals at the firms that got the work. To no one’s surprise, the elected officials said the donations have nothing to do with the contracts.”

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Much of the blog conversation this week has been about the mayorial debates (or lack of mayoral debates).  I feel very strongly that this country is in a much better place today than it was a year ago because Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton continued their primary campaigns much longer than anyone expected.  The extended campaign and formal and informal debate that was a result allowed this country to have a conversation and to begin the discussion of some major issues that we are facing.  While I am not certain who would be the best leader for this city – both Luke Ravenstahl, Patrick Dowd and Carmen Robinson have things to offer this city – I am certain that this city NEEDS to have a conversation about issues.  

The Ravenstahl campagin continues to respond that they have no open dates…

But the Ravenstahl camp says it has no open dates before voting on May 19, so the debate is effectively canceled. The only date it had open was May 4, when the WPXI-TV debate was rescheduled. (via 2 Political Junkies and PG)

I am dissapointed by this response and I am curious to understand where the mayor spends his time.  Here is a little of what we have found.  Where have you seen the mayor? What is on his schedule?

• Monday, April 13, 2pm – Mayor Ravenstahl is seen in Bloomfield with his campaign manager – looks like they were filming a campaign commercial
• Tuesday, April 14 – Mayor Ravenstahl spends 20 mins at the Lawrenceville Block Watch Meeting.
• Tuesday, April 14 – Mayor Ravenstahl joins the Governor and Onorato for a press conference about state grants for development projects.
• Wednesday, April 15, 5:30 – 7:30 – Mayor Ravenstahl will be hosting a birthday party fundraiser for Bob Casey at Finnegan’s Wake 
• Wednesday, April 29, 2009, 7:45-9:15 am – Mayor Ravenstahl will address the Tech Council about the cities Green Initiaves
• Wednesday, April 29, 2009, 6:30-8pm – PUMP.org Mayoral Debate – NOTE -according to the PUMP website Ravenstahl has not confirmed his attendance. 

An interesting email from the Ravenstahl Campaing today (entire email is posted below):

BOB CASEY AND LUKE

Mark your calendars!  Mayor Luke Ravenstahl is hosting a Happy 49th Birthday Party for Senator Bob Casey from 5:30 – 7:30 on April 15th at Finnigan’s Wake at 20 East General Robinson Street on Pittsburgh’s North Side.  The suggested donation is, what else, $49 made payable to “Bob Casey for Senate.”  To RSVP, please respond to this email.

Why is Luke Raventstahl hosting a fundraiser for Bob Casey?  Is Bob Casey endorsing Luke Ravenstahl? What does Casey have to gain from getting involved in the mayors race?

YouTube Fun

Finally, we found an illustrative video posted on the internet yesterday that’s been posted around blogs and social networking sites today. You may have seen the news earlier this week when a perennial political candidate launched his latest desperate attack against Mayor Ravenstahl.  Well, his own words have finally caught up with him.  Check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1Zb5w8EO_k&feature=channel_page

The email links to this youtube video, which is a montage of Patrick Dowd speaking about the water authority bond deal.  

It is interesting that the video was posted yesterday by YouTube user PghRebel who has been a youtube user since 2006 this is the first video they have posted to YouTube.  We did a pretty through search of the social networking sites and the only place we found that links to this video was the Pittsburgh Hoagie.   further search of the internet – leads to this post from 2007 – in the comments there is a link to MySpace.com/pghrebel – which is MattH’s MySpace page.

Also there is a user on BarSmart with the name PghRebel10 that looks like MattH. Click here to see the profile for PghRebel10.

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Democratic Mayoral Candidate and City Council Member Patrick Dowd Puts a Price Tag on Ravenstahl Administration’s Wasteful Government Spending

Following up on last week’s “Wake Up Call” to voters, Democratic Mayoral candidate Patrick Dowd will put a preliminary price tag on the administration’s waste and mismanagement.   ”This is only the tip of the iceberg,” Dowd said.  ”The taxpayers aren’t getting a return on their investment in this city.  The current administration’s wasteful spending serves politicians and their cronies and not Pittsburghers.” 

WHAT: DOWD PUTS A PRELIMINARY PRICE TAG ON WASTEFUL SPENDING, MERCHANT WALK FOLLOWED BY 11:15 AM PRESS CONFERENCE AT 11th and E. CARSON

WHERE: CORNER OF 11th and E. CARSON

WHEN: MONDAY MARCH 30, 11:15 a.m.

Here is the press release that was sent out from the Dowd Campaign today.

Dowd Slams Ravenstahl’s Half-hearted Campaign Finance Legislation:  ‘Luke’s Half a Million Dollar Veto Says it All; Outlines reform agenda.

March 25, 2009 – In response to yesterday’s post agenda on Mayor Luke Ravenstahl’s campaign finance bill, Democratic Mayoral candidate Patrick Dowd called the Ravenstahl bill “a hollow gesture that falls short of real reform.”

Last year, Ravenstahl vetoed a bill supported by a majority of council that imposed federal contribution limits, $2,300 per person per cycle, on municipal elections.  Since his June veto, Ravenstahl has raised approximately $500,000 according to public filings.

“Luke’s attention to reform is a year late and $500,000 short,” Dowd said.  ”When the council passed sweeping reform in June, he blocked it, only so city contractors could keep funneling cash into his campaign.”

Ravenstahl’s current proposal is a watered down version of the legislation he vetoed last year. It allows for double the limit for individual contributions, and fails to provide for transparency in electronic reporting.

More importantly, Ravenstahl’s legislation places no restrictions on the awarding of no-bid contracts to contributors. In light of recent press coverage, this means the legislation fails to address the rampant pay-to-play politics currently going on in Pittsburgh.

In response to what he termed a “complete failure of leadership” on campaign finance and eliminating the appearance of impropriety in contracting, Dowd outlined his campaign finance reform agenda:

In a Dowd Administration

1)    I will introduce comprehensive, common sense campaign finance legislation that is tied to federal contribution limits within the first 100 days;

2)    I will end the practice of awarding no-bid contracts to campaign contributors;

3)    I will ensure that every contract over $25,000 will be competitively bid;

4)    As an incumbent Mayor, I will not solicit campaign contributions from any firm that does business with the City of Pittsburgh or its Authorities;

5)    I will make all finance reports electronically available to the public on the state and county filing dates;

6)    I will ensure the creation of and integrate searchable electronic databases of all city contracts and all campaign contributions of all city elected officials;

7)    I will publish my public schedule on the city’s website so that any Pittsburgher can see who I am meeting with.

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Meet Pittsburgh Councilman and Candidate for Mayor Patrick Dowd as well as other volunteers and campaign staff

What: Informational Meeting
Host: Patrick Dowd for Mayor of Pittsburgh!
Start Time: Thursday, March 12 at 7:00pm
End Time: Thursday, March 12 at 9:00p
Where: Shadow Lounge

RSVP on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=60427106229

Patrick Dowd’s press conference to formally announce his candidacy for mayor of the city of Pittsburgh, 2/19/2009.

Part 1

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If you are a Facebook user, you know that it was hard to avoid Obamamania on Facebook in the past year.  And you certainly can’t avoid Steelers super bowl fever on Facebook – there are hundreds of Steelers fan groups on Facebook.

Can Facebook play a roll in the Primary elections here in Pittsburgh?

Lets look at some of the candidates and rumored candidates for mayor and their Facebook groups:

Mayor

• Students for Ravenstahl - 256 members
• Young Republicans that Support Luke Ravenstahl – 90 members, doesn’t look like it has been updated since 2007
• I Like Luke: Re-elect Luke Ravenstahl, Pittsburgh’s Mayor – 92 members
• Is Mayor Luke Ravenstahl stupid, corrupt or both? – 9 members
• Patrick Dowd for Mayor of Pittsburgh - 366 members (On Jan 20, the group had 81 members)
• Students for Patrick Dowd – 132 members
• The UNOFFICIAL Doug Shield for Mayor of Pittsburgh Group – 222 members

City Council

• Brendan Schubert – 52 supporters
• Recall Tonya Payne from Pittsburgh City Council – 2 members
• Bill Peduto – 149 Supporters

Other Races

• Hugh McGough – 252 Supporters

Other Elected Officials on Facebook

• Don Walko – 17 Supporters
• Mike Doyle – 299 Supporters
• Bring Back Mike Veon – 7 members

Are there any others that we are missing?  Who would you like to see on Facebook? Do you support your favorite candidates by joining their facebook groups?

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

• THE HUDDLER: BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING – A new blog is on the scene in Pittsburgh politics. Who is The huddler?
• Patrick Dowd for Mayor of Pittsburgh now has a Facebook Group – 81 members as of Jan 20, 2009.
• EOP – Blog Post – Change has come to WhiteHouse.gov – The white house now has a blog!!!!

Image via WikipediaIt was looking like a quiet, post holiday January evening.  But surprise surprise – some interesting information about the mayoral race – will Patrick Dowd challenge Luke Raventahl in the may primary election?

A story by Rich Lord showed up on Post-Gazette.com at 5:47 pm this afternoon and Matt. H reports that KDKA mentioned a Dowd run on the news.  (Thank Matt – you have been doing a great job on the political reporting lately.)

I think one of the interesting things to note is Dowd’s comments to the Post-Gazette about the murder rate in 2008 is significant.

He said last year’s highest-in-15-years murder count, and “stories [that] emerge monthly, sometimes weekly, that serve as distractions,” have led him toward a challenge to Mayor Luke Ravenstahl.

It seems like the Ravenstahl administration has done very little to discuss the increase in violence in Pittsburgh.

One of the lesson learned in 2008 is the importance of the campaign season for discussing problems and ideas for solutions.  The extended primary season allowed for a more extensive public discourse about major issues facing this country.  Pittsburgh deserves the same opportunity to have a discourse and exchange ideas about how to deal with some of the issues facing this city.