Thank you

Thank you.

Thank you all for being here with me tonight, and for being with me every wonderful step of the way these last five months. It has been an honor and a privilege to be your candidate for mayor, to have earned your respect and support, and, I hope, to have rewarded at least a little of your tremendous -- and tremendously humbling -- faith in this campaign.

I want everyone in this room, and everyone out there watching at home, to know that you have changed Pittsburgh for the better. Forever.

You’ve helped to reinvigorate the political process in this great city. You’ve helped to inspire change and affect policy and remind us all that our government, and indeed our democracy, works best when we have an open and spirited and vigorous debate on the issues that matter. When we -- Democrats and Republicans and Independents, majorities and minorities alike -- set aside our differences and our prejudices and embrace the very real and powerful possibilities of joining together, and of working not just for our own selves, but for each other.

Since I was written in as a candidate a short five months ago, I’ve wanted to bring power and progress and opportunity to everyone in Pittsburgh. And I’ve kept my focus on a very simple goal: running a positive campaign for change.

I’m fiercely proud of the campaign we’ve run, because we’ve always -- always -- stayed focused on the issues. When everyone thought, and when conventional political wisdom dictated, that we should go low and negative, we went high and positive. We believed in ourselves and our policies. We believed in our principles. But most of all, we believed in you. We believed in your passion, your patience, and your perseverance. We believed that you wanted -- and that you deserved -- nothing less than plain truth and real substance.

We knew that you wanted to hear how we could make your streets cleaner and safer. How we could pay down our massive debt. How we could grow new jobs and new businesses. How we could create a thriving economy -- not just to keep our young people here in the city, but to attract them from all over the country. We knew, in short, that you wanted the leaders of your city to stop ignoring -- or just endlessly talking about -- our problems and finally get down to the business of solving them.

We did that. And you responded in ways we could never have imagined.

That’s how far we’ve come in these five long and crazy and amazing months: from thinking that I as a candidate, or that we as a city, didn’t have a chance, to knowing that all of us can -- and will -- now change for the better.

I can’t go any farther right now, however, without taking the time to thank a whole heck of a lot of people -- all the amazing and dedicated folks who’ve helped us get here.

I have to start, of course, with my wonderful family. My Mom. My Dad. My brothers. The people who’ve always stood behind me and walked beside me and, in the end, inspired me to reach every place in my life that’s ever been worth getting to.

I want to thank all of the voters of this great city who were willing to take a chance on some guy who lives downtown and works on the South Side and just wants to make a difference for the city he loves.

I want to thank the members of my own party for their belief, their commitment, and their incredible support. I’d especially like to thank former Lieutenant Governor Bill Scranton for his extraordinary commitment to this race, and to Pittsburgh’s future.

I want to thank all of the Democrats who’ve helped and supported and rallied around me these past few months. And I’d like to give special thanks to those of you who today stepped in front of those touch screens and across party lines and did something you’ve never before done in their lives. I know it wasn’t easy. And I want you to know how much I appreciate what you’ve done – not for me, but for the city you love.

I want to thank the hundreds of volunteers who so selflessly gave their time and energy to this campaign. Everyone who was willing to take or deliver a yard sign. Everyone who made or received a phone call. Everyone who welcomed me on the street or at their doors or into their homes, and helped me take each next step on this incredible journey.

I want to thank the people who honored me with their endorsements, even when no one thought any of this was possible. The hard-working men and women of the Fraternal Order of Police. The Gertrude Stein Club. The editorial boards of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the New Pittsburgh Courier, and the Pitt News.

I’d like to thank all the members of the print and radio and television media for their always serious and tenacious coverage of this race. And all the bloggers of the Burghosphere, who’ve created a thriving and vital online community here in this city.

And, finally, I have to thank my inspired, dedicated, always adrenalized campaign staff. You lifted me up and carried me on your backs every step of the way. Without your tireless efforts and incredible talents, none of us would be standing here tonight. You all -- we all -- can be proud of ourselves and of everything we did and said and accomplished these past five months. Our efforts in this campaign have made -- and will continue to make -- our city stronger.

This wasn’t about politics.

This was about policy. This was about progress. This was about people. And now, finally, it’s about the promise of a new and better Pittsburgh.

We love this city. And we’re going to continue to believe in it. Just as we’ll continue to believe in the power of taking a chance, in the real possibilities of change, and in the always bold and noble purpose of public service. We’re going to continue this work. We’re going to redouble our efforts. And we’re not going to stop until Pittsburgh is once more the best and most prosperous city in America.

Thank you.

At the polls, Part IV - Momentum for DeSantis in Brookline

It is almost 3:30pm here at the Seton Center on Pioneer Ave in Brookline. People are getting out of work and coming to the polls in droves. While the turnout is still low for the biggest polling place in this neighborhood, I am seeing more people here outwardly supporting Mark DeSantis. Thats a good sign and I hope this trend continues.

"That's who I'm voting for." "I don't need the card, I'm already voting for him."
"Thanks, already voting for him."
"Yes, Absolutely."

A KDKA caller expressed optimism for Mark DeSantis in, of all places, Troy Hill. Wow. She said that people there were "fed up with the way things were" and were open about their vote for DeSantis. That is encouraging.

Oh, and I ran into Jimmy Motznik, of all people, while handing out polling cards here in Brookline. I gave Jimmy a Democrats for DeSantis button and tried to snap his photo when he put it on. He wouldn't let me get the photo with him and the DeSantis button but I took a few anyways.

At the polls, Part III - Schultz runs into Matt H

So today, November 6th, I finally met the infamous Luke Ravenstahl cheerleader, Matt H, author of The Pittsburgh Hoagie.

Matt, who is 23, admitted that he is "old school" when it comes to politics and voting (gee, sounds a lot like Mayor Luke!). Despite that and the fact that he supports both Hillary Clinton and John Edwards for President (not to mention Ravenstahl for mayor), he is a pretty cool kid. We hung out for a while at a polling place in Beechview, where I also watched him get schooled by this crusty old Republican. See the action below.

Write in Mark DeSantis for Allegheny County Executive

I decided to write Mark DeSantis's name in for Allgheny County Executive. I did this because, if he does not win mayor, I think it would be great to have someone like him, a city resident with name recognition and a goal of city-county consolidation, running for county executive next time around.

Join me in voting for Mark as a write in candidate - he won't come close to winning it would be interesting to see how many votes he can get.

At the polls, Part II

I left the 22nd precinct poll for poll on Broadway Ave in the 19th ward's 20th precinct. Here, I witnessed more support for DeSantis, more African American voters for DeSantis, and old lady who accused me of being a Republican disguised as a Democrat for DeSantis. She was in her 80's, and she couldn't fathom how a Democrat was voting for a Republican. She told me she voted for Luke because Bob O'Connor thought highly enough of him to appoint him as council President. WRONG!!!!

You see, a lot of these old people do not have their facts straight, and basically, they are voting the straight Democratic ticket, regardless of who is running. They don't like change and just want things to be the same. And, while young people have a greater stake in the outcome of these elections, enough of them do not vote to offset the high senior citizen turnout. In a city with one of the oldest populations, that is a huge problem.


Overly sensitive woman: "I'm a little offended that you took a picture." Me: "You'll get over it."


Sandra, the woman in the picture below, voted for Mark DeSantis, because "We need change, and the Democratic party hasn't done anything to help African Americans. I talked to Mark DeSantis on kdka radio and I think he is a good man."

At the polls, Part I

Well, I've been at this poll in Beechview for a while now and I have to say the the turnout is indeed low. While Ravenstahl, as expected in this neighborhood, is getting more votes in my exit poll, DeSantis is hanging in there.

Some highlights from my morning so far: I had one crazy, belligerent yinzer lady tell me that she "voted the straight Democratic ticket baby!" and that we needed to give Luke a chance. She was nuts.

"GIVE THE KID A CHANCE!!!!"



I had an older gentleman get all fired up when I asked him who he voted for ( I am not wearing any DeSantis buttons, shirts, etc).

old guy: "WHY SHOULD I TELL YOU!? I DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU!"

me: "Well sir, this is an exit poll, and everyone else has shared their vote with me."

old guy: "Well what's wrong with those people!? This is America!"

me: "What? What does being an American have anything to do with not telling me?"

old guy: "This is a free country! I don't have to tell you anything!"

Ohhhhkay.

Jean - a gracious DeSantis supporter and poll woker at Ward 19 precinct 22.

The Immacculate Election: Tailgate party for Mark DeSantis

"GOOD LUCK MARK!"






Mark DeSantis: "Schultz, what is it with you stalking politicians while they drink beers and talk to chics at Heinz field?"

On Monday we canvassed parts of the "Ravenstahl country." There is hope for DeSantis in these neighborhoods.

With the exception of one angry asshole yinzer, and plenty of Luke Ravenstahl signs, we received a lot of encouragement while canvassing up in Brighton Heights Monday afternoon. I met with quite a few people who were voting for Mark DeSantis tomorrow, and I saw a number of houses with DeSantis for mayor signs. One wouldn't expect to see this in any North Side neighborhood, since the North Side is "Ravenstahl country" as the one yinzer told me, but after touring parts of this neighborhood, and after conversations with several residents, it is clear that the mayor really doesn't care about the neighborhoods. Unless a member of the machine lives on your street, they told me, forget about anything getting fixed or taken care of. Below are a few pictures I took.

An example of an illegal campaign tactic - shame on you Ravenstahl volunteers!


Luke's boys in the hood tried to mangle a DeSantis sign. Fear not - the Democrats for DeSantis were on the scene.


Where is the Redd up crew?


One of the 1400 vacated properties with in the city of Pittsburgh.

Tuesday November 6th: Pittsburgh's Last Chance

The American Entrepreneur's Ron Morris writes that tomorrow is Pittsburgh's last chance to get back on track and regain some of it's past economic glory.


The plain and simple fact of the matter is this - Mark DeSantis knows how to create jobs. In order to survive as a city and a region, we need jobs! And the faster we get them, the better chance we have of preventing further economic erosion and loss of even the opportunity to have jobs.

It’s all up to you. I’m soon to be 58 years old with two kids, ages five and seven. I have said to my wife numerous times, “Either we elect this guy or we head west where at least they’ll have an opportunity.” This is not some idle threat. Unfortunately, it’s a lamentable fact.

We NEED people in city government (heck, all government) who are educated and who know what they are doing. (Does the behavior of the mayor and his staff really inspire you?)

Because the truth is this - we’re competing with the rest of the rust-belt in an all-out struggle for jobs and market share. Winner take all. We win; your kids and grand-kids get to grow up in this wonderful part of the country. We lose and I’ll plan on seeing you in South Carolina or somewhere with just ONE season.

This election is our one and only chance to make this all happen.

My very best regards,


Ron Morris – Director, Entrepreneurial Studies Program
Duquesne University and,
The American Entrepreneur

Luke Ravenstahl was the first civilian in line to greet President Bush when he arrived for a visit this past May

KDKA's coverage of President Bush's visit

For someone who talks so much about how George W. Bush is bad for Pittsburgh, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl sure seemed eager to meet President Bush when he came to visit Western PA last May.

From TWM:

You'd think, would you not, that if The Boy Who Would Be Mayor were so damned afraid of and disturbed by and disgusted about President Bush and his awful Republican policies that he would have been a bit farther away than third in line to greet him when he stepped off Air Force One back in May. At the 911th Airlift Wing. (Which isn't in the city of Pittsburgh.) When the President was on his way to deliver a commencement address at St. Vincent College. (Which isn't even in the county of Allegheny.) You'd think, from the tone of his lying, sliming, totally bullshitting attack ads and debate barbs, that he would have stayed as far away from Mr. Bush as his Chevy Impala (or his Homeland Security SUV) could take him. But then, if we've learned anything from Master Ravenstahl's tenure in office, it is that the troubles of truth and consistency and hardcore political principle can always be sacrificed on the altars of good, old-fashioned star-fucking and attention-whoring.

DeSantis visits the Pittsburgh GLCC's OUTrageous Bingo

TWM on campaign trail quotations

Teacher. Wordsmith. Madman. and fellow Democrat for DeSantis Chad Hermann joined us this morning as we visited the 20th, 19th, and 28th wards with Mark DeSantis. Below are some of his memorable quotes from the morning:

CAMPAIGN TRAIL QUOTATIONS, VOL. 1

we stump. the people speak.

A few of my favorite reactions from a morning on the campaign trail with Mark DeSantis...

A 50-something woman from Sheraden, after tapping Mark on the shoulder: I'm a Democrat, and I'm praying to God that you win.

A 60-something man from Banksville, after walking up to shake Mark's hand: I'm voting for you, but I just want to know: have you asked Luke for a ride in his Yukon?

A 70-something man in Banksville, after a campaigner tried to give him a DeSantis brochure: Arrrrgh! You tell him to go back to Texas with Bush!

A 50-something city worker from Beechview, while talking to a campaigner: My whole division is voting for DeSantis. We're worried about our pensions, and we can't stand that kid.

A 40-something man in Banksville, politely refusing a campaign brochure: I'm already voting for him; I like to vote for adults.

Mark DeSantis 88 in 8 visits Wards 18, 19, 20, 28, 29, 30

Mark DeSantis and some of his volunteers hit up the Western and Southern city neighborhoods during an all day jaunt that spanned several wards, many local businesses, and several hundred city residents. I thought the response was very good, considering that we were in some neighborhoods that you would expect to be the last place you would see a Republican Candidate. Mark did an excellent job in connecting with the people. The 88 in 8 tour will continues tonight in Highland Park and on the Southside.

Recap of Friday's Democrats for DeSantis rally

A large crowd of Pittsburgh Democrats met at the DeSantis for Mayor campaign headquarters in downtown's cultural district. While the crowd of Democrats munched away on some bi-partisan pizza, Mark DeSantis made a brief speech and stated that, if elected mayor, he would hire a bi-partisan staff. "I don't care what your party affiliation is, I don't care about what your race is, I will hire the best and the brightest city residents for my administration."

Democrats for DeSantis

Democrats for DeSantis are all over town.......

Calling all Democrats for DeSantis - Please Join us Tomorrow!

Pittsburgh Dish meets Mark DeSantis

Colleen from over at the Dish emailed me a great summary of their interview with Mark DeSantis at his fund raiser last week. Nice work!

The Ethics Ogre

(click here to view)

Rob Rogers Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Oct 31, 2007 EditorialCartoonists.com

Another Mayoral Poll at Progress Pitttsburgh

Mark DeSantis is winning in yet another poll over at Progress Pittsburgh. Please vote, and only vote once!

Another Luke Lie

"If you look at his website, my picture appears on his website just as much as his own has."

Yesterday on the Honsberger show Luke tried to argue that Mark DeSantis was also engaging in the "petty" political attacks. Luke must be confused. I don't recall Luke's picture ever appearing on the official DeSantis for Mayor website. Judging by the many visits I get from 414 Grant Street everyday, I think Luke has been spending too much time on this blog, where his pictures do appear, and, since his head is so far up his ass these days, he doesn't realize that the word "Democrats" appears in the title, and that this is an independent website. Luke - you're an idiot. Stop lying every time you open your mouth.

Bill Peduto: "Vote for the best candidate"

While Mark DeSantis was out in Bloomfield kicking off his tour of 88 neighborhoods in 8 days earlier today, he ran into councilman Bill Peduto. Peduto told kdka news that he was not endorsing any candidate but that he felt that DeSantis was doing a good job of getting a "counter message" out to the public. He also stated that the citizens should "vote for the best candidate" who has "the vision" and who has "the guts and determination to get there."

Endorsing DeSantis would be career suicide for Peduto, so I am not surprised that he isn't endorsing him. But, by not endorsing his arch nemesis, Luke Ravenstahl, isn't he doing the same thing? I personally think that DeSantis, Peduto, Patrick Dowd, and Doug Shields will form a kick ass reform team down at 414 Grant Street.

The Pitt News: DeSantis the right choice for Pittsburgh

The University of Pittsburgh News is the 3rd newspaper to endorse Mark DeSantis for mayor.

For Pitt students voting in the mayoral elections next week, we challenge you: Before you vote down party lines, think about the candidates. Party aside (or not aside), who promises a better future for Pittsburgh?

We vote DeSantis.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Endorses Mark DeSantis for Mayor

For Mayor: Mark DeSantis is the Choice for a New Pittsburgh

Pittsburghers are living in a unique time. There has never been an election for mayor in which the incumbent has served for 14 months, in which the winner will get only two years and where the future of the city, now under strict oversight from the state, hangs in the balance.

Unusual times call for more than the usual leadership. For Pittsburghers on Nov. 6, that means voting for Mark DeSantis, the first Republican the Post-Gazette has endorsed for mayor since John Tabor in 1969.

•

Why should a city dominated by Democrats consider a Republican for mayor? Because one-party rule has failed Pittsburgh and failed it repeatedly. It has failed to prevent population loss and business erosion. It has failed to head off the city's near-bankruptcy and job loss. It has failed to generate the big ideas that should be propelling Pittsburgh into the 21st century.

A Democratic mayor and a nine-member Democratic council have robbed the city of the robust political competition that renews the state and keeps the federal government in check. We see the invigorating value of shifting party control in Harrisburg and Washington, but on Grant Street we see rust, cobwebs and a city bravely trying to manage its own decline.

The latest mayor challenged with the task is Luke Ravenstahl, 27, of the North Side. As everyone knows, the incumbent was the council president who became mayor in September 2006 upon the death of Bob O'Connor, an outgoing salesman for the city who won election on the basis of charm, enthusiasm and a determination to clean every neighborhood.

Mr. Ravenstahl moved into the mayor's chair and, out of respect for the memory of his predecessor, pledged to push Pittsburgh in the same direction. But it was soon apparent: The new mayor may have adopted the O'Connor agenda, but he was no Bob O'Connor.

Call it youth, inexperience or simply lack of judgment, Mayor Ravenstahl began treating the city to a series of well-publicized disappointments, embarrassments and outrages, and he was slow to accept responsibility for some of his actions.

On the substance of governing, too, Mayor Ravenstahl has left much to be desired. Sure, he has continued his predecessor's "redd-up" campaign, stepped up the tear-down of abandoned buildings, sworn off new borrowing and submitted two balanced budgets.

But he is unable, despite his fresh arrival and the promise of generational change, to think big enough to break with the past. Instead of privatizing a service like trash collection, he extends it to Wilkinsburg -- not because it saves Pittsburgh money but because it's created a few more city jobs while helping a municipal neighbor. Instead of initiating action to combine services with the county, he's merely open to discussion and waiting to see a blueprint "put in front of me" (translation: not really interested).

He can't get the city's own parking authority to cut rates to reflect the lower parking tax. He (and the city school superintendent) can't get more than the teachers union to contribute to the Pittsburgh Promise, an otherwise good program to help students pay for college. And he says he's pressed rich nonprofits to boost their municipal aid, and they've said they'll give again, but no one knows if they'll get off with a paltry sum like the last time.

•

This is not an election, though, about who should not be mayor. It's a campaign about who can muster the vision and leadership to modernize city government. In this four-way race, Tony Oliva, 28, of Oakland is the Libertarian nominee and Ryan Scott, 24, of Friendship represents the Socialist Workers Party. None of them holds the promise of Mark DeSantis.

The 48-year-old former aide to the late Sen. John Heinz is a high-tech businessman and consultant. With a Ph.D. in public policy, he is an adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon University, but he's no ivory-tower geek.

Five years ago, he co-founded Citizens for Democratic Reform, a group that championed the successful drive to consolidate county row offices, saving taxpayer dollars. He was chosen by Jim Roddey, the first county chief executive, to lead his economic development transition team, the New Idea Factory. With such a reformist pedigree, a Republican mayor like Mr. DeSantis will be able to add to the Democratic support the city already gets from Harrisburg and Washington the GOP backing that has eluded Pittsburgh for so long.

He is tired of a city that puts up new buildings and sunny facades without adding net new jobs and businesses. He's heard enough talk and seen too little action on city-county consolidation, especially when both entities are led by Democrats. He's grown impatient with the sacred cows preserved by one-party rule, whether it's the number of fire stations, the size of the city budget or a lax approach to ethical behavior.

He wants to approach long-standing problems in a different way. Besides extracting more voluntary contributions from tax-exempt institutions, Mr. DeSantis says Pittsburgh should look beyond cash and, for instance, negotiate a deal with UPMC, the region's most profitable nonprofit, to provide health care for city retirees. He wants an ethics policy for city officials and employees that prohibits all freebies and uses an ethics compliance officer for enforcement. He wants city departments not just to operate well but to be judged against other cities' performance.

Mr. DeSantis, who lives Downtown and works on the South Side, is articulate, forceful and persuasive in his goals for change. As a self-proclaimed nonpolitician, he is refreshing and even chafes at the notion that mayoral politics expects him to "pound my chest and say I'm great." That's not him, he said. "I'll tell you what I don't know." Yet, in reality, there's not much he doesn't know.

•

One thing we do know is the Republican, this year, can win. With $285,000 raised in cash and in-kind contributions, more than any recent mayoral candidate from his party, the DeSantis challenge has a shot.

If the number of Post-Gazette readers reading this editorial agree he should win, then he will win. These readers, these voters, have that kind of power, even though some of them may have voted for few or no Republicans in the past. Other "Democratic" cities, after all, have had successful Republican mayors -- New York, Los Angeles, San Diego, to name a few. In Pittsburgh, plenty of disaffected Democrats and others have been waiting for a credible candidate to return two-party democracy, debate and decision-making to the city.

That would be the first big change under Mark DeSantis. For Pittsburgh, it should be the start of many more.

Highlights from today's mayoral debate: RFP processes, 21st Century jobs, and endorsements

WPXI, the United Jewish Federation, and the Jewish Community Center hosted the latest mayoral debate earlier today, a debate in which I felt was Mark DeSantis's strongest to date. The highlight was DeSantis telling Luke Ravenstahl that he needs to think outside of the box when going after contributions from the non-profits. A video clip of the exchange can be seen here at WPXI's website.

CapitalMan over at The Darn News wrote a good review of the debate and says that DeSantis "smashed" Ravenstahl, and you can view video of additional exchanges between the two here.

Oh, and I still haven't heard anything from Ravenstahl on the definition of a 21st century job. Today marked the 3rd straight debate in which the mayor mentioned creating 21st century jobs in Pittsburgh, but the only explanation I could find is at this blog here.

MAYOR SAYS TALK OF "21ST CENTURY JOBS" NOT JUST EMPTY CAMPAIGN RHETORIC

“I want a transporter room near my office,” Ravenstahl said. “And it would be cool if Yarone and myself had some phasers too. Someone’s gonna have to build ‘em for us.”

DeSantis winning in yet another poll

From kdkaradio.com The Pittsburgh Mayoral election is less than two weeks away, who will you vote for?
Luke Ravenstahl, Democratic
41%
Mark DeSantis, Republican
55%
Tony Oliva, Libertarian
2%
Ryan Scott, Socialist Workers
1%

Mark DeSantis will be on The American Entrepreneur, Saturday at 10am

Mark DeSantis will be a guest on "The American Entrepreneur" radio program 
with Ron Morris this Saturday, October 27th, starting at 10 AM, and lasting
approximately until 11:00. The American Entrepreneur airs locally in 
Pittsburgh on AM News Talk 1360, WPTT, and streams online via interactive 
podcast on www.talkshoe.com.

The Sierra Club Endorsement

Following the withdrawal of endorsed Councilman Bill Peduto from the May primary, the Sierra Club has decided NOT to endorse any candidate for the Mayoral election in November.

What? After reading over both candidate responses to the Sierra Club's questions concerning climate change, it seems like Mark DeSantis was the candidate who gave the more sound, thought provoking, and articulate answers. I agree with him 100% that city government has not done enough to the lead the way in making Pittsburgh a leading green city. However, the Sierra Club is not giving either candidate an endorsement, which to me is like a silent endorsement to DeSantis, or maybe a protest no endorsement since their guy, Bill Peduto, dropped out of the race this past spring.

So, is the Sierra Club not endorsing DeSantis because of his party affiliation? Or is it because they do not want to hurt Peduto's feelings, since he was the SC's candidate of choice in the 2005 election? I strongly believe that the Sierra Club would have endorsed Mark DeSantis if he was a Democrat, so you could say that, until the Sierra Club comes out with their reasons for the no endorsement, DeSantis is the unofficial SC endorsee.

Here are the candidate responses, you be the judge as to who should have received the endorsement.

Bill Peduto - any chance you could opine on who you think is the "greener" candidate?

Ravenstahl to city residents: "I won't sell the city down river, but I will flush a quarter of a million in taxpayer dollars down the toliet."

From Rich Lord of the PG:

Pittsburgh must pay nearly $148,000 to lawyers for police Cmdr. Catherine McNeilly, in relation to her federal whistle-blower protection lawsuit, according to an arbitration award handed down Friday and released yesterday.

The payments come on top of an $85,000 settlement to Cmdr. McNeilly, and with arbitrator's fees, they boost the cost of the city's decision to demote her to close to $250,000.

The Tipping Point

Last Saturday, Ron Morris, host of The American Entrepreneur, started his show off by discussing the importance of Pittsburghers electing Mark DeSantis as their next mayor. Ron mentioned the success the campaign has had raising money and also the success the campaign has had in attracting volunteers and voters from the other side of the aisle.

"So many people now have professed that they are now coming across........Democrats are voting Republican..."


"I don't want anything from Mark DeSantis, I don't need anything from Mark DeSantis, I don't even live in the city. What I do want, what I do know, is that the 2.2 million people that live in this MSA are going to live or die by this election....."

Ron continued the first segment of the show by explaining how the entire region's future may hinge on this election, and why everyone, city and county residents, should be paying attention to this election.

Ravenstahl stooping to "Gutter Politics"

KDKA spoke with Mark DeSantis, FOP President Jim Malloy, and Luke Ravenstahl regarding the mayor's allegations of improprieties between DeSantis and the FOP.

"If he's saying that the FOP tried to bribe him, then he should say that. If he's not, then he shouldn't make baseless allegation and insinuate that illegalities took place between him and the FOP..."

Ravenstahl is now backing off his claim, which Malloy says was "childish." True-dat Jim Malloy! Malloy also backed up DeSantis in stating that the two candidates presented their positions on the issues important to the police, and following the two presentations the PAC members reached their decision to endorse Mark DeSantis. "Everything that was done was done out in the open" said Malloy.



Also, Jon Delano reported that the Ravenstahl campaign will soon be sending out negative direct mail literature in which he attacks DeSantis. First of all - I'm not sure what there is to "attack," so I am going out on a limb and suggesting that the Ravenstahl campaign will attack DeSantis by erroneously suggesting that he worked for George W. Bush and that he hates old people.


Check out this Shit-eating-grin (SEG) of Ravenstahl's when Delano asked him if it was true that they were mailing out attacks on DeSantis. "I will do whatever is necessary to win this campaign." Oh really?


Sounds a bit like George W. Bush talking about the Iraq war, doesn't it?

The text and video of Jon Delano's interview can be found on KDKA's website.

Mr. Heinz Field Detention, Homeland Security SUV, Ethics Board, U.S. Attorney, Boston Red Sox Game, Billionaire Private Plane Ride, UPMC Golf Outing..

There is a brilliant post by Chad over at TWM on Mayor Ravenstahl's unbelievable accusation and smear attempt of Mark DeSantis in regards to the FOP endorsement. Basically, Luke Ravenstahl is once again displaying his immaturity and inability to act like an adult. When you screw up Luke, you apologize and learn from your mistake. When you lose Luke, you lose gracefully. When a reporter is critical of you, you don't shoulder bump him and get in his face for doing his job. But no, Luke Ravenstahl is a big friggin baby, a spoiled brat, and since he lost the endorsement to Mark DeSantis he cannot take it like a man and instead has resorted to lying to the media by reporting a fictitious back room deal that he resisted and DeSantis agreed to with the FOP. You're full of shit Mayor Ravenstahl, and its a shame that DeSantis has taken the high road so many times instead of attacking you on your immaturity and ethical lapses.

Please read more at TWM's post "IF I WERE MARK DeSANTIS..."

My favorite paragraph:

If he, Mr. Heinz Field Detention, Homeland Security SUV, Ethics Board, U.S. Attorney, Boston Red Sox Game, Billionaire Private Plane Ride, UPMC Golf Outing, Oakmont Crashing, Tiger Woods Stalker, really wants to make this campaign about the qualities of ethics and character and good judgment, then I’m happy to oblige him. Let’s do it. Right this minute.

“Gumball” Malloy Responds To Charges. Again.

Interviewed By KDKA “Yellow Journalists”. Again.


Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and his posse have been bashing FOP President James Malloy and legions of others ever since the FOP endorsed Ravenstahl’s opponent, Mark DeSantis, for mayor. In fact, Ravenstahl operative Councilman Jim Motznik and soon-to-be-jailed Councilwoman Twanda Carlisle took time at yesterday’s televised City Council meeting to decry KDKA news as “sensationalistic” and chastised them for “not reporting the facts.” It appears KDKA has now joined the long list of local media outlets the mayor and his minions insist are Yellow Journalistic rags just “out to get” our venerated mayor.

The crux of this latest Ravenstahl flap is the mayor’s insistence that something inappropriate happened during his interview with the FOP’s PAC committee. But due to Luke’s extremely poor syntax and grammar, no one is exactly sure what he is alleging.

In a nutshell, Ravenstahl says the FOP “subjected him to a lot of questions” and “a grocery list of demands” and offered him a $5000 campaign contribution if he capitulated. But what does that really mean?

FOP’s James Malloy once again told KDKA news that nothing of the sort happened. According to Malloy, both Ravenstahl and DeSantis were publicly invited to be interviewed by the PAC committee. Both candidates were asked questions on issues important to the police. Both candidates were told that a $5000 campaign contribution came with their endorsement.

Now call me silly, but Ms. Pist was under the impression that this is exactly how the PAC endorsement process occurs all the time, all over the country, in all sorts of races. In fact, the PAC committee in Ms. Pist’s own industry operates in exactly the same manner. We invite all candidates in for “interviews”, we ask them questions, we tell them of the issues which are of a concern to us. And yes, we tell them up front that a campaign contribution will be given to the candidate we ultimately endorse.

But I digress.

So how was Luke’s experience with the FOP different from the norm? What exactly is Luke alleging? Was there an attempt to bribe the mayor? According to Ravenstahl, “there wasn’t necessarily a quid pro quo, you do this, I do that … I was unwilling to cave in to the pressure, I guess you’d say.”

Malloy’s response? He laughed.

“That’s pretty funny. The residency requirement was never brought to him until the night meeting.” Malloy explained. He went on to say Ravenstahl was asked by the committee, in front of 100 policemen in attendance, if he would stop interfering with a bill in Harrisburg which would allow policemen to live outside of the city. The FOP worked hard to get the bill moved out of two committees where it languished only to find Ravenstahl would counter their efforts by making trips to Harrisburg himself. After Ravenstah’s Harrisburg trips, the bill would be stymied once again by being routed to yet another committee.

“We just asked him if he would stop interfering,” Malloy concluded.

What about the extra week of vacation for police? What about the demands for new equipment?

Malloy says Luke was asked how he felt about a 5th week of vacation for senior police. As for a request for new equipment, “We have been begging him for that equipment ever since he took over. We sent him a letter in March asking for 30 cars for our detectives which would only replace the worst of the fleet. [Ravenstahl] kept putting me off. I’d go from [Scott] Kunka to [Yarone] Zober to Ravenstal back to Zober again. I’d get bounced around like a gumball.”

Tip to Malloy: Send Ravenstahl on an all-expense-paid “charity” golf tournament, have Yarone go with him, send them someplace far away, maybe even overseas, and then work your bill through the legislature in his absence.

Tonight's debate will be live on WTAE at 7pm

More Spin From The Lukester

Luke seen here trying to astral project during his waking hours.


Pittsburgh’s 27-Year-Old Mayor Says The Election Focus Should Be On His Record, Not The Controversies In Which He’s Found Himself.



Pittsburgh, what a place! 26-year-old Councilman Luke Ravenstahl wakes up one morning only to find himself Mayor! Then on another morning, he “finds himself” handcuffed and detained at Heinz Field!

His morning “out of body experiences” continue in rapid succession:

Yowzah! Running with the big dogs on the Party Plane to NYC.

Zip! Stalking Tiger Woods at the U.S. Open.

Wahoo! Flooding in the city means he can watch the Steelers practice on the South Side.

Ouch! Hordes of angry women are after him for no reason whatsoever. Must run away fast. Must play more golf.

Bam! More angry mobs. This time on the North Side muttering something silly about “input into neighborhood development.” Must be a flash-back astral projection episode. Seems a lot like the angry mob up on The Hill. Must run away. Must go fast. (Going fast is something he's done since he was just a small boy) Must see the Red Sox play. Maybe he can take the Batmobile.

To all the Lukites who have the nerve to call DeSantis ‘Lil Bush’: It’s your boy Luke who is the astral projection traveling buddy of our esteemed President George W, who also “finds himself in different situations that have occurred.” Bush, who woke up on two separate mornings and “found himself to be president.” Bush, who never made a mistake in his life and, even if he did, would never admit to it.

And to Councilman Motznik who thinks all of this is “small stuff”: I guess you would. You who foolishly led reporters on a foot chase through a Downtown bank, cameras rolling, as they tried to question you about “double dipping” on your expense reports.

Pittsburgh has its own Dynamic Duo for sure.

DeSantis's reaction to Fraternal Order of Police endorsement

DESANTIS REACTS TO FOP ENDORSEMENT

Pittsburgh, PA – Mayoral candidate Mark DeSantis is honored to receive the endorsement of the Fraternal Order of Police. Mr. DeSantis met with the members of the FOP last night and outlined his plan for Pittsburgh residents and his plan for public safety. Mr. DeSantis looks forward to working with the FOP when he is mayor.

“I am very honored to have the support of the hardworking men and woman of the FOP. I look forward to working with them as Mayor. I will work with the FOP on implementing my public safety plan which includes a return to community-oriented policing, putting more police on the street, emphasizing broken window policing, and a return to merit-based promotions. This is yet another sign that our campaign for change is building momentum” said DeSantis.

Video from KDKA

From the PG:

Mr. DeSantis "has got clear, concise answers to how to fix the pension and how to fix the budget," said union Secretary Chuck Hanlon. "He has business savvy. We see a lot of the same things in him that we saw in (late Mayor) Bob O'Connor."

From the TRIB:

Pittsburgh's police union today endorsed Republican Mark DeSantis over incumbent Democratic Mayor Luke Ravenstahl in an upset that could signal a surge of support for the underdog challenger.

Ravenstahl appeared to be a shoo-in for the endorsement because he won the Democratic primary and is the incumbent. The roughly 850-member Fraternal Order of Police Fort Pitt Lodge No. 1 traditionally backs the Democratic candidate for mayor.

DeSantis Television Commercial

Parking Tax Drama Desperate Move by Administration

Face of person in middle has been hidden to protect their identity and spare their reputation.

“Brilliant” Tactic Just Winds Up Looking Dopey

It seems painfully apparent, at least to this blogger, that the whole parking tax drama was a “brilliant” move cooked up by Councilman Jim Motznik and his BFF Mayor Luke Ravenstahl. Why do I lump Luke into this silly scheme when there is not a shred of evidence pointing there? Well, because party-kiss-ass Jim would never do anything to make Luke or the Democratic Machine look bad. This surprisingly stupid move had to have been blessed by Luke and the Machine before the Motznik missile would ever be scheduled for deployment. But also, this is exactly the kind of silly plan a silly boy like Luke would get all excited about.

I’m thinking the boys reveled in the “brilliance” of a plan that was supposed to:

1) Send a message to Harrisburg that Pittsburghers are tired of sitting in the “time out” corner. We want our dessert, by God, and we want it now!

2) Send a message to Luke’s city-employee, suburbanite-bashing voter base that he feels their pain. He knows these folks are tired of sitting in the “time out” corner. He knows they want their dessert and they want it now. He’s going to bravely go into enemy territory and fight the good fight for the citizens of Pittsburgh. Especially for those who plan on voting for him.

3) If the pressure of passing legislation which was illegal and therefore could not be enacted actually accomplished anything in Harrisburg, Luke would come out the hero. Why so when Luke was not the author of the legislation in the first place? Because he personally went to Harrisburg to add pressure and “sort it out” of course. Why else would the Boy travel so far for something that wasn’t a sporting event?

4) If the whole thing bombed, Luke could wield his mighty veto pen and look like a hero anyway. He could also take the opportunity to bash evil Harrisburg Republicans who want Pittsburgh to wither and die. And remind everyone that mayoral contender Mark DeSantis is one of those evil “suburbanite” Republicans who are actually responsible for our sorry financial state. (Even though DeSantis lives Downtown and Republicans have held no city office in nearly 100 years)

So why did this brilliant piece of political craftsmanship bomb?

Because …. Listen up good, Luke and Jim …. A goodly portion of the city and ALL media outlets are on to your stupid stunts and they are just plain sick of them!

What does Harrisburg want from us before they will lend a helping hand? Haven’t we proven ourselves by our cuts and almost-balanced budgets? Obviously not. Obviously Harrisburg wants to see us slay something more than the few pieces of low-hanging fruit we’ve courageously “taken on.”

How about City-County consolidation? How about fair “payments in lieu of taxes” by our very profitable “non-profits”? Our nearly insolvent city pension plan? Our staggering debt? The firefighter contract which needs to be reopened? What have you done, what do you plan to do about any of these things, Luke? Just go begging to Harrisburg and throw fits with the press when they don’t applaud your “new” old gameplan?

Tackle just ONE of the above items in earnest, Luke, and I suspect you will get the ear of the press, some respect from the city and maybe then some “help” from Harrisburg.

Public comments at the Pittsburgh Business Times poll

I have no idea why the Business Times put Bill Peduto in their poll for the mayor's race. Although the results are meaningless, the comments are heavily in favor of change:

• Pittsburgh needs a 2 party political system if it is ever going to thrive
  

• DeSantis is the only viable candidate for Mayor of Pgh. He has the blend of maturity, experience, knowledge, intelligence, leadership ability the City needs, PLUS a documented track record of success in the public and private sectors.
  

• I do not live in the city but both my spouse and I work in the city. While the "youth" card is an exploitable tact, government needs to be run more like business, and experienced business leaders who have an interest in the political BS are rare. DeSantis would get my vote if I resided in the city!
  

• It might be time to inject a little two-party balance around here...
  

• The one who will waste the least amount of my tax money!
  

• We as residents of the city need to make a decision. Do we want the democratic party to contiue to lead this city in the wrong dirction or save our city and vote for a leader.
  

• Luke is an embarassment
  

• Ravenstahl sees the job as a way to travel, eat, drink and be merry at the City's expense.
• I have been very impressed with Mark's take on issues, his maturity, and his genuine desire to do what is best for this city, rather than what he thinks is best for his political career.
  

• The Democrat's just don't get it. Taxes are way too high and that is driving people out of the city. They cannot come up with any new original ideas for improvements!
  

• If Mark DeSantis would do ANYTHING but critize Luke Ravenstahl he would be on the right track. Come up with something to move the city ahead. Don't just critize Ravenstahl for things that he has done wrong....
  

• I want a grown up running my city. If you want to be a celebrity move to LA and get into movies!
  

• I do not live in the city, but would vote for DeSantis. Unfortunately, with so many people working in the city but living outside of the limts, they have no ablity to vote in such an election. The burgh needs a lot of work in getting their business environment straightened out. It sems like all the current answers involving raising taxes on those who come into the city to work or play. I guess taxation without representation is still around in America, as these people should have some voice in what happens with city elections.
  

• Unfortunately Luke has blown it. Not for what he did, but for the duplicitity in doing it.
  

• Peduto is the most progressive and understands that the future of this city lies with its youth. If we continue with Luke at our current pace, this city will have zero population in 100 years. Peduto also seems to be able to withstand scrutiny much better than Luke. DeSantis is a good second option, if Peduto won't run.
  

• What happened to mayors cut of the same ilk like Pete Flaherty, Dick Caligiuri, Sophie, or even Bob O'Conner, (didn't have enough time to really prove himself, but had the right idea). This city has been steadily going downhill since the Tom Murphy administration - C'mon people - We can do better!

Deconstructing the "Machine"

When I read PG letters to the editor that are in support of Luke Ravenstahl, I often wonder aloud "Who are these jackasses?" So in this latest pro-Luke letter, Northside Democrat Kirk Burkley states that DeSantis is part of the "old school problem" and he ends with "Mayor Luke Ravenstahl is the right man for the job." So naturally after reading that I think this guy is nuts.

But a quick google search shows that the guy is a partner in a downtown law firm. Okay, so he's not a total idiot. So whats the deal? Is he tied to the machine? Did he go to high school or college with Luke like others who have written to the PG? Is there something shady going on? Well, according to this Trib, Mr. Burkely donated $1,200 to Ravenstahl back before the mayor nominated his wife to a post on the city's Ethics Hearings board. That seems shady to me.

From the Trib's story on May 24th:

The husband of city Ethics Hearing Board member Penny Zacharias gave $1,200 to Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's election campaign before the mayor nominated her for the post.

The donation doesn't violate Pittsburgh's ethical code of conduct, but it has prompted members of the newly seated board to examine prohibiting such gifts to protect their credibility.

Zacharias' husband, Kirk Burkley, a lawyer with Downtown-based Bernstein Law Firm, gave $1,000 to Ravenstahl's campaign Jan. 26 and another $200 on April 13.

Ravenstahl nominated Zacharias four days later, and City Counicil confirmed her April 24.

So, let me get this straight. Husband donates money to Luke, probably does Jager bombs with Luke and this guy, and wife gets nominated and confirmed to the city Ethics Board. Its clear now how the mayor can get away with unethical behavior. I found this anonymous comment on 2PJ's from back in April when Ms. Zacharias was confirmed:

Penny will be a terrific member of Ethics Board. She's bright, independent & knows what it means to be "ethical".

Independent - Ha! More interesting comments following a Burgh Report post from April 19th, and some more on the the Burgh Report's follow up to the Trib story.

Post-Gazette Journalist says he's NOT among the "No Chance" crowd

The PG's Brian O'Neill has written an argument for why he is voting FOR Mark DeSantis. Mr. O'Neill is the first member of the MSM who has come forward publicly in support of DeSantis and I commend him for breaking with the tradition of not going out on a limb, which is way too prevalent in today's media. My comments on the AntiRust blog draw a parallel between the NFL analysts who pick the winner of Sunday's football games and our local media folks who won't go out on a limb to predict a victory by the underdog.

The members of Pittsburgh's MSM seem unwilling to take the steps necessary to get a real sense of where the public stands on the mayor's race. Since there haven't been any scientific polls conducted the only way to gauge the public is by going out in the neighborhoods and talking to them. I have done this, as have many other volunteers for DeSantis. Marty Griffen has said on his KDKA radio show that DeSantis "has a chance." Jon Delano has done almost the exact opposite on the airwaves and also on his blog. I am hoping we will see a "man on the street" segment from him soon where he asks random Pittsburghers who they are voting for.

Some Democratic voters "simply believe in DeSantis."

An AP story titled Pittsburgh has serious GOP mayoral candidate for a change has some interesting quotes from political insiders here in Pittsburgh, as well as nice story on how DeSantis has already won over some minority voters, including a Hill District woman who gives DeSantis credit for helping her learn to run her business. It's a shame that today's Post-Gazette profile on DeSantis included details of skepticism rather than a feel good story like the one below.

Some Democrats, like Darnell Greene, a black single mother, said they simply believe in DeSantis.

Greene was on active duty in the Army when she attended DeSantis' lectures on how to help veterans start a business at Robert Morris University a few years ago. The two stayed in touch as Greene learned to run her convenience store in the city's historically black Hill District.

"I'm actually a registered Democrat, but I definitely believe in Mark and what he's about," Greene said. "He says he's a Republican, but he has a Democrat heart because he's all about, like, people and the community and helping, too."

Pittsburgh: Its Own Worst Enemy

The Post Gazette’s Timothy McNulty did a wonderful piece on Mark DeSantis today. It is an absolute must read. Tim takes us through DeSantis’ life, accomplishment by accomplishment, laying out a plain and inescapable truth: Mark DeSantis is exactly what Pittsburgh needs. To think that Pittsburghers will pass this man up because of the “R” by his name may be one of the saddest chapters (the final one?) in the painful history of our city’s slow and agonizing demise.

Is it “fair” to contrast the accomplishments of a seasoned 48-yr-old to that of Lucky Luke who has just turned 27? Luke, whose biggest “accomplishment” thus far is the death of Bob O’Connor? Cool Hand Luke, whose biggest mistake is that he’s just too awesome? After all, Luke’s a good boy and we should all just leave him alone and give him a chance.

Aside from the fact that being mayor of a city in financial crisis should NOT be looked upon as an on-the-job training program for ethically challenged youth……. All one needs to do is read HALF the article. The first half educates us on a litany of DeSantis achievements, all before the age of 29. Luke’s age.

Will Pittsburghers accept the gift of DeSantis on Nov. 6th? Or will they instead listen to the corrupted message of their own genetic code, scrambled and garbled by generations of political inbreeding?

"He's actually not from here. He's from Mercer County or something, not Pittsburgh, and he's going to tell us what we need?" says Richard Robinson, 57, after meeting Mr. DeSantis at a Hill District rally. "At least the guy in office now was born and raised here. I think [Mr. DeSantis] has a hidden agenda, myself."

You judge for yourself. And then we'll see on Nov. 6th if, as a city, we've learned one blessed thing or not.

TWM: "Letting Luke Ravenstahl influence an ethics policy is like letting Barry Bonds influence a steroid policy"

After all the crap the mayor went through following his golf outing at the expense of UPMC, Luke Ravenstahl refuses to back down. The other day the mayor wrote the following in a letter to the ethics board:

"Rather than an absolute prohibition on accepting tickets from any source other than the charity, I propose there be transparency in the acceptance of such tickets," Mr. Ravenstahl wrote. "[I]f a third party provides a ticket to a charitable event to an elected official or a municipal employee and the ticket or event cost exceeds $500, the public officials [sic] should be required to report this on his or her annual ethics form."

Teacher.Wordsmith.Madman discusses the latest Ravenspeak as well as the response from Mark DeSantis.

My conclusion is the following: Luke will never learn from his mistakes, Luke will never own up to his mistakes, Luke is ignorant, Luke lies, and finally, Luke is bad for Pittsburgh.

Luke for mayor is not what this city needs at this critical juncture. We can continue to go with the status quo and remain a mediocre, mid-class city, or we can vote for a new direction. The city needs a leader, the city needs someone who won't waste taxpayer money, the city needs someone who will put the city's needs ahead of their personal agenda and celebrity, the city needs someone who knows what public service is all about.

Mark DeSantis knows that public service is about serving the people. He knows how to create 21st century jobs" here in Pittsburgh because he has experience doing just that.

Luke wouldn't know a 21st century job if it hit him in square in the face. Luke has done a good job of taking credit for the work of his predecessors, but where is the tangible evidence of things you have initiated, Mr. Mayor?

The Pittsburgh Comet live-blogged this evening's mayoral debate

The Pittsburgh Comet has some kick ass coverage of this evening's debate between Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Mark DeSantis. Nicely done Bram.

The PG has audio coverage of the debate.

PG Mayoral Forum Crowd responds to DeSantis's remarks on youth and leadership....

The media did not cover this - but fear not.....Chad Hermann over at Teacher. Wordsmith. Madman posted his comments and an audio clip of the highlight of the evening - Mark DeSantis talking about youth and leadership, and the crowd response following DeSantis's remarks.

Oh, sure, the Post-Gazette article included a quotation from Mark DeSantis' dissertation on leadership. And you can even see a clip of it in their online video highlights. But the moment, which is conspicuously edited out of the PG's video and not even mentioned in its print coverage, continues -- indeed, erupts -- after DeSantis stops speaking. That's when the audience, having heard and agreed with Mark, takes its turn to speak.

Listen to the applause. The fierce, sustained, passionate applause. Applause that was not begun by any of DeSantis' team nor by his staunchest supporters. It came from great belly of the crowd, a percussive, concussive beating and clapping that sounded to me like the sweet music of a bitter rebuke.

Bravo Mark! And bravo to Chad for the post.

Mayor's Race is already resulting in positive change

Following Mark DeSantis's call out on neighborhood blight during the Civic Design Forum, not to mention a great Rich Lord article on residents pissed off about the blight in their neighborhood, Mayor Ravenstahl has turned his attention to reducing the number of abandoned properties here in the city of Pittsburgh. Today, the mayor stood outside of a soon to be demolished home on Pittsburgh's Northside to do what he does best - have his photograph taken and say that he is committed to fighting the city's blight problem.

I reported this problem and Pittsburgh's ranking as the 5th worst city for vacated properties three weeks back on this blog, as well as my other blog Green is Good. While my posts on my personal experience with this issue failed to generate much buzz, it was good to see this issue gain traction in both the mayoral debate and MSM following my coverage.

Is this latest announcement by Mayor Luke Ravenstahl pandering to voters? Why yes, I believe it is. But that's not the point. My point is that by having a real competitive election this November, regardless of outcome, the mayor if forced to commit to fixing real city issues, rather than his handicap.

Now, do I think the mayor is capable of providing the leadership and savvy to bring the city out of financial distress while generating significant economic growth? Absolutely not. But it is good to see that a real issue like urban blight, an issue that has a lot of people pissed off, is on the mayor's radar.

Mayor Ravenstahl using crime incident reporting tool to cover his ass

First, thanks to the anonymous commenter who posted this url. Apparently, emails or phone call are not good enough for the mayor and his staff. The mayor is issued a meeting cancellation notices via the Citizen Observer, a tool that is used by law enforcement agencies to notify the public about crimes and incidents.

Is it me or is the mayor having his people use this to cancel his public appearances completely asinine? Is this another abuse of federal or state grant money?

Should the mayor canceling his public meetings be at the same level of priority as alerts related to Meghan's law, break-ins, vandalism, and homicides?

From the citizenobserver website:

What is Citizen Observer?

CitizenObserver is a secure, easy to use, and cost effective internet based Community Alert toolset that allows law enforcement agencies to quickly enter content about crimes or incidents, and within seconds, push that information out to businesses, citizens, watch groups, and others that have signed up to receive those alerts.

Pist-Gazette covers the Post-Gazette Mayoral Debate

Fellow Dem for DeSantis Char attended this evening's Post-Gazette Mayoral Debate and provided coverage over at the Pittsburgh Pist-Gazette. The podcast of the entire 90 minute debate is over at the PG.

Memorable quote from DeSantis: "Selflessness is at the core of public service."

I wonder if Luke knows what that means. Umm, no, he does not. From the PG:

Mr. Ravenstahl got his own chance to play to the crowd when he heard this question: What is the single most important thing to do, to improve the city's image nationwide?

"We should elect a 27-year-old mayor," he replied to big cheers.

What a sorry answer. I wonder if the majority of those cheers were once again provided by the Ravenstahl family Sirk-us?

Update: Some nice photos of the debate could be found at Agent Ska's blog. The PG has posted some video highlights as well.

Ravenstahl in New York Times

In today's New York Times, Mayor Ravenstahl blames all the scrutiny on his behavior on the Pittsburgh media. Did the writer, Ian Urbina, even bother to fact check some of the garbage that was fed to him by the mayor and his people?

In the past year, the baby-faced mayor has helped keep the city’s hockey team, the Penguins, from leaving by promising a new arena. He balanced the budget for the second year in a row, several years after the city was declared bankrupt. Crime remains low, and he recently helped persuade two major contractors to redevelop sections of the city’s downtown, which has been plagued by vacancies. Local polls have put his popularity among residents above 70 percent.

This piece of trash is not what I expect from a quality publication from the New York Times. Let's see, "helped keep the city's hockey team" - that is total BS, we all know Rendell and Onarato were the key players in that one. "....balanced the budget for the second year in a row." More BS - the budget was balanced with phantom dollars from the casino tax revenues. "Crime remains Low" hahaha, sure, tell that to those on the Northside. "..he recently helped persuade" ....blah blah blah.....this one isn't as obvious BS as the others, but I highly doubt that the mayor played a significant role in the redevelopment.

Oh, and this 70 percent plus approval rating his people, MattH included, are throwing out there - this is another "phantom" number. It does not exist.


There's more. Apparently, the mayor cannot take the stress of being photographed and "hounded" by bloggers like me at Steeler games.

“I just can’t enjoy the game when I know I’m going to get hounded by the press the whole time,” said Mr. Ravenstahl, who took office a year ago after Mayor Bob O’Conner died. So for the time being, he said, he and his wife will ride their living room couch on game days to avoid reporters bloggers.

Poor Luke!


Last but not least, my favorite quote from this story is when it mentions how Mayor Ravenstahl had the opportunity to meet New York's Mayor Michael Bloomberg. You would think our mayor would have the smarts to ask him a really tough question about how Mayor Bloomberg deals with important issues such as crime, public transportation, or job creation. But no, the Boy-who-would-be-mayor asked Mayor Bloomberg the most important question he could think of at the time, which was........

“I asked him how he can go golfing every weekend and not get attacked,” Mr. Ravenstahl said. Mr. Bloomberg told him to tell reporters that how he spends his private time is private, Mr. Ravenstahl recounted.

Are you FREAKIN KIDDING ME!!!!!!!!?????????? This is not something "fabricated" or blown out of proportion by the media. This is what Mayor Luke Ravenstahl asked New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. How can you go golfing every weekend without getting attacked by the meida. That's it folks. That is what was on the mind of Pittsburgh's mayor at the time he met with a self made billionaire who runs the biggest and most powerful city in our nation. At this point, after so much of this crap, can I really say "unbelievable" ??

Even in an article that was as pro-Ravenstahl as this one, the mayor cannot escape looking like a complete golf-obsessed jackass.

Power to the People

From today's PG letters to the editor:

We have the power to remove this mayor

Once again, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl abuses his office, threatens the whistle-blower and then professes ignorance. It is hard to settle on what offends me most: his arrogance, his corruption or his stupidity. If he read the papers, he might realize that the allegation of using a government car for personal purposes is one of the things that landed Cyril Wecht in a federal indictment ("Mayor Defends Use of SUV; U.S. Attorney to Review It," Oct. 3).

U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan is to be commended for investigating the mayor's disgraceful conduct. The true responsibility, however, lies not with Ms. Buchanan but with us, the voters.

Electing Mark DeSantis, who seems to be an honest, intelligent man concerned for the city's future, will both rid us of Mayor Ravenstahl and notify the Democratic Party that we deserve more than the usual suspects for public office.

With Pittsburgh hemorrhaging jobs and corporate headquarters, we can ill-afford to wait for the mayor to grow up. The time to act is now.

THOMAS J. FARRELL
Point Breeze

Bad for the region

When I first saw the headline about Luke Ravenstahl refusing to speak to the Executive Women's Council of Greater Pittsburgh until his challenger, Mark DeSantis, left the room ("Mayor Wouldn't Speak at Forum Until DeSantis Left Room," Oct. 4), I thought it must have been April 1. Sadly, it wasn't April Fools' Day but rather one month until the mayoral election for the city of Pittsburgh.

Is this the kind of leader whom city residents want to represent them in negotiations with unionized workers, massive nonprofits (swimming in cash but willing only to support the city with meager voluntary contributions in lieu of taxes) and the few remaining Fortune 500 companies and other businesses?

As the city of Pittsburgh goes, so goes the entire region. As a citizen of Allegheny County, I urge all residents to seriously consider a man who worked for Sen. John Heinz; has started, grown and run a successful business; and has returned to Pittsburgh to serve the city. Please vote for Mark DeSantis on Nov. 6.

JOHN McLANE
Dormont

"Official Use Only"

Oh the irony.........the family Sirkus known as the Ravenstahl administration denied the media access to documentation on the appropriate usage of the Homeland Security funded SUV, citing that the documents are sensitive and are for "Official Use Only." Using the vehicle for tailgating with buddies at a Tobie Keith concert obviously falls under the "Official Use" umbrella.

So Is It All Just Much To Do About Nothing?

Luke and his apologists have a couple of traits in common. Both parse their words shamelessly. Both move the argument to a topic they can defend rather than the topic at hand which happens to be indefensible.

We who are not enamored with Luke or his “fresh approach” to government are NOT angered with him simply because he drove a government vehicle to a concert. We are capable of evaluating an incident within the context of the broader picture and it is the broader picture that disgusts us.

He has blown off folks in the Hill District, folks on the North Side and citizens angered about promotions of police with checkered pasts ….. All so he could play golf, take in a ballgame and party in NYC. He continually breaks the rules and then whines “he didn’t know about them.” When people try to bring the rules or other important facts to his attention …. They wind up demoted or disciplined a la McNeilly and Wallace.

He’s already started to play games with the budget, his big plan for our financial turn-around seems to be going begging to Harrisburg once again. He’s been repeatedly warned of ethics violations and he’s surrounded himself with a new pack of younger good old boys. He lies point blank to reporters and when shown irrefutable proof of his indiscretions, he just lies point blank once again.

In short and quite literally, he’s told all of us that he’s going to do exactly what he wants to do and we can all just go pound sand if we don’t like it.

So, am I upset about a little thing like the misuse of government property within the context of the stink detailed above? You bet I am.

If Luke thinks of being mayor as an opportunity to extend Spring Break ad infinitum, he might consider running for mayor of Ft. Lauderdale. We have serious problems here in Pittsburgh and they require the serious, dedicated attention of a full-fledged adult.

That adult is most definitely Mark DeSantis.

Media bias???

While the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has started doing a better job of covering the mayor's shenanigans, I've been disappointed with its coverage of Mark DeSantis's campaign, and in general its coverage of the first real mayor's race in decades. Now, I am sure many will disagree, but after the PG published an opinion piece titled "GOP MIA: It's time for the DeSantis Campaign to start running." back on August 27th, it is clear that DeSantis and his campaign have answered the PG's call out, yet the PG has done little to showcase the solid proposals being announced by DeSantis.

The media bias displayed by the PG is another thing to note. We hear Republicans complain about this all the time. Well, I'm on the other side of the fence now. It is true in this case. My first example: I posted the other day that Tim McNulty called the DeSantis Financial Recovery Plan "bare boned." If you've read the full report, you should be able to agree that it is anything but "bare boned." This is a clear case of media bias.

My second example from this past week is the PG's photos of Mark DeSantis taken after he was asked to leave the Executive Women's Council Forum. There were two stories published by the PG and written by Tim McNulty, with the same photograph of DeSantis with one major difference. In the article published on Wednesday afternoon, the photo of Mark DeSantis had an orangish tint to it. I'm not sure which effect the photographer, Darrell Sapp, was using, but the intent is obvious, to me at least. The coloring of the photograph makes it look, or seem like DeSantis is pissed off, or worse, it may have been an attempt to make him look evil.......maybe the photographer wanted to portray him an evil Republican?

Personally, I think the first photograph makes DeSantis look like a bad ass, and I had thought at the time I saw the photo on Wednesday that it was just the lighting that led to that effect. But then today, I see a separate article, with that looks to be the original photograph of DeSantis sans the orangish tint. Interesting. Why they would the PG post the altered photo in the first place? Why would they then post the original photo of DeSantis in today's article? Mr. Sapp's photographs are below. You be the judge and make the call if I you think I am reading too much into this.

Photograph from Wednesday's article



Photograph from Thursday's article

DeSantis for Mayor releases another hit..........

Mark DeSantis released another proposal today. The latest proposal is his Financial Recovery Plan for Pittsburgh. Bram posted his analysis of the plan over at The Pittsburgh Comet. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, a newspaper that is losing my respect more and more each and every day for its weak coverage of the mayoral race, posted the official PDF of the DeSantis plan here.

Since we're on the subject of the DeSantis plan and the PG, did Tim McNulty, who wrote this about the DeSantis plan, even bother to read the complete plan that his newspaper posted? McNulty called the plan "bare bones" so I was just wonder what Mr. McNulty would call the nonsense coming out of the mayor's office.

Mark DeSantis meets with Beechview residents

Mark DeSantis was in Beechview, my old neighborhood, on Saturday afternoon to meet with citizens, discuss the issues, and answer their questions regarding his plans for Pittsburgh. The contingent of Beechview residents was a diverse group in terms of age, race, and political affiliation. Democrats, Independents, and Republicans all had the opportunity to meet with Mr. DeSantis one-on-one and participate in a group question and answer session with Mr. DeSantis. I felt DeSantis did a great job in explaining his plans for economic growth, the city's financial problems, and his plans for reducing the size of the city budget without cutting essential city services.

More from Marty Grffin's showdown with Mayor Ravenstahl last night

Unfortunately, I didn't capture the mayor's one on one (not counting his good squad) with Marty following these questions from the media. Here are Marty's questions followed by the footage;

Marty: "Are there issues coming up time and time again involving you doing activities other than being the mayor of this city, that get in the way of the real issues facing this city?"

Luke: "Absolutely"

Marty: "There are?"

Luke: "Sure"

Marty: "And is it your problem, or is it our problem, who's problem is it sir?"

Luke: "I don't know if its a problem, I know that there are issues that, sometimes journalists want to talk about....and the citizens......"

Marty: "So its our fault? Its the journalists fault?"

Click on the you tube clip below for the rest:

Meet Mark DeSantis in Beechview and Bloomfield this weekend

Mark DeSantis will be in Beechview this Saturday and in Bloomfield this Saturday and Sunday for the Little Italy Days.

For those of you in the southern neighborhoods, Mark will be at the Sip & Spin laundromat and convenience store at 10am. Sip & Spin is located at 1940 Broadway Ave Pittsburgh, PA 15216

Email kersey@desantisformayor.com for information on volunteering

Pittsburgh Civic Design Coalition Debate

I attended this evenings debate between Mayor Ravenstahl and challenger Mark DeSantis. It was the first debate I have ever attended, and I was surprised at that it was a very tame crowd. Several times I wanted to shout "Liar!!!" and "How'bout them Sox!" after Ravenstahl's answers but I probably would have been tossed out of there.

The biggest highlight of the night was not the debate itself, or DeSantis telling Ravenstahl that he would "invite you (Ravenstahl) to tour the URA after I am elected mayor"(one of the few laughs of the evening). The highlight of the evening was catching Marty Griffin's lashing of Mayor Ravenstahl after the media surrounded him following the debate. I caught most of that exchange on my camera and it is posted below. Luke looked like he was ready to cry.

I actually felt sorry for the guy....that is, until after the media dispersed and I saw Luke walk up to Marty and give him one of those shoulder bumps. You know, the shoulder bump that the hardass football players used to do to someone else in high school. Following the altercation Marty told me Luke was messing with him, but boy did Luke look pissed. Luke was asking Marty why he was giving him such a difficult time. Luke's face was very red and while Marty was laughing about it I didn't think Luke was joking when he said "I'm not going on your show anymore."

Here are the rest of the highlights:

• Mayor Ravenstahl did a decent job of taking credit for projects he had nothing to do with, such as the South Side Works and Washington's Landing. I think Luke was in high school when the initial plans were drawn for these developments.
• The Mayor held his own, but he was very robotic in his answers (see the video of his closing statement). He had a list of talking points which he read from, so if the question was about green building in Pittsburgh the mayor would rattle off a list of projects that the city has done, even though he had nothing to do with the project.
  
• DeSantis is much much much more passionate about the issues, and seemed like the candidate who cared more about the people of Pittsburgh. If this was a blind taste test, I would have said DeSantis was the more progressive, more liberal candidate of the two. "We need to stop doing economic development that is focused on big developers."
• Regarding a question about public transportation and buses, DeSantis said it was important to factor in the development around the main bus arteries as citizens making lower incomes relied on buses to get to their jobs downtown. Ravenstahl, on the other hand, wanted to eliminate buses coming into downtown. Now, I'm not a fan of buses, I ride the T when I can, but how are these folks going to get to work if the buses are not allowed downtown? Horrible statement by the mayor.
• I have watched many debates on TV and this is the first time I saw a contender decline the opportunity for a rebuttal to his opponents answers. Ravenstahl seemed very cocky, he would wave off the mediator when told he had one minute to rebut DeSantis. Luke did this at least seven times. DeSantis did this once towards the end but it was because he and the mayor actually agreed on something.
• The mayor thinks the city is doing a fine job working with the citizens on neighborhood development. He also said his attendance at the casino meeting the other night was unnecessary.
• Luke's press secretary, Alecia Sirk, is more annoying in person than she is on the air. She was like the parent of a high school athlete - cheering and clapping loudly and obnoxiously after every move by her son.
• Luke's line "I'm glad my opponent agrees" is getting old. Anytime DeSantis presents an idea, whether in this debate or in the media, the mayor is quick to say he is already doing it.
  
• The bottom line is that Luke thinks everything is fine and that the city is "moving forward" while DeSantis thinks we have a fine city with fine people, yet we have a lot of work to do. I couldn't agree more.

KDKA: Mayor Ravenstahl was at a baseball game Tuesday evening

So where exactly was the mayor during the North Side Casino meeting that he invited the residents to?

According to the KDKA radio news report I just heard - Mayor Luke said he was at the Boston Red Sox game Tuesday night. This comes after his staff told the media that the mayor did not attend the ballgame.

*The mayor did, however, pay for his own ticket.

DeSantis Goes Door to Door; Ravenstahl Goes to Boston

DeSantis Goes Door to Door; Ravenstahl Goes to Boston

The DeSantis Campaign has gained significant momentum in the last 48 hours following public outcry regarding Mayor Luke Ravenstahl’s absence at a North Side meeting on casino design — a meeting the Mayor personally invited residents to attend. He went to Boston instead.

This is one of several community meetings the Mayor has missed in recent months due to controversial travel or recreational “networking” events. Local television, talk radio and newspapers have been inundated with phone calls and emails from city residents expressing their frustration.

Meanwhile, People for DeSantis has been mounting an aggressive, door-to-door campaign to visit as many Pittsburgh neighborhoods as possible. Volunteer inquiries and activities have rocketed in the last two days.

Harness your frustration and anger over our city government and absentee mayor. Get involved in the DeSantis campaign now. Call 412.606.3075.

Some have said Mark has no chance to be mayor. Let’s prove the “no chance” crowd wrong — and change Pittsburgh for the better.

Poll Numbers from KDKA Radio

On this here blog, we have Mark DeSantis capturing 76% of the vote in the poll over in the right sidebar . DeSantis winning 76% of the vote is unrealistic. On KDKA Radio's website, however, a new poll has Mark DeSantis ahead of Mayor Ravenstahl, 67% to 28%, with the Other vote getting 5%. The irony in those poll numbers is that those figures are almost an exact match of the results of the 2005 general election where O'Connor won over 67% of the vote and Weinroth received just under 28% of the vote.

These Internet polls are not scientific, but they are more scientific than the fake polls that the Ravenstahl-ites have been pushing upon us. I do expect this to be a tighter race - but if you think about who is going to be energized to go to the polls on November 6th - its not going to be you typical Democratic loyalists, who are sick and tired of his screw ups. The reform Democrats and the Republicans will be out in full force - they will join forces on November 6th to elect a new mayor who will finally deliver some of the big changes we have been longing for.

"An internship at our expense"

This afternoon Marty Griffin and Mark DeSantis discussed the mayor recent actions, or inactions, and they reached the same conclusion - being young is not an excuse.

Marty: "Every time one of these things happens we blow it off and these people call in and say 'He's young.' Is that an excuse?"

DeSantis: "I have nothing against youth...... I work with CEOs that are younger than he is......Youth is not an excuse for not getting the job done......The citizens of this city do not deserve and should not have to wait an indefinite period of time for the CEO of this city to acquire the experience before they get good. "

Marty: "It's an internship at our expense is how I see it."

More lies.........Ravenstahl lies to KDKA radio host

Yesterday at 3:20pm Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's office emailed KDKA radio to cancel his appearance on Marty Griffin's "Ask the Mayor" segment this morning. Fred Honsberger asked the mayor if he canceled the appearance due to all of the heat he is taking from missing the North Side meeting Tuesday night.

Ravenstahl: "This is something we canceled a while ago.........It's not an issue I am trying to avoid............." Here is the interview where the mayor lies to Fred Honsberger.

Ravenstahl then had the audacity to blame Mark DeSantis:

"My opponent will say anything and do anything ..."

What?!

Marty Griffin is fired up. He said "This is not about me or the show. This is about integrity and honesty. I have an email from the Mayor's office (Alecia Sirk) right here dated 3:20pm Wednesday that says "I just talked to David White. The mayor will not be available for Thursday's segment."

Some sound bytes from the mayor's press secretary Alecia Sirk. Doesn't seem like she is experienced at performing the duties of press secretary.

Marty then goes on to say that Dan Onorato never misses an "Ask the County Executive" segment even though he is one of the busiest officials he knows of. Additionally, Marty said that Mayor Bob O'Connor never missed an Ask the Mayor segment and even did the show from the hospital when he was battling cancer.

The issue here isn't that the mayor canceled his appearance - the issue is that the mayor continues to tell blatant lies and makes excuses for not showing up to events like Tuesday's neighborhood meeting on the North Side. Luke does not have the ability to acknowledge when he was wrong and never fesses up to his miscues. We are long overdue for some accountability in the mayor's office.

Another broken promise from Mayor Ravenstahl: "Please join me for a Community meeting.........

DeSantis Unveils Economic Development Plan

Earlier today in the Hill District Mark DeSantis announced that he wants to take Pittsburgh from Worst to First as a city for starting businesses. DeSantis also said that, regardless of the outcome of this election, he wants to implement a minority economic development partnership to help improve Pittsburgh's standing in terms of minority entrepreneurship. The Hill District residents seemed to like the DeSantis plan for entrepreneurs, and were appreciative of his visiting their neighborhood.

This is good stuff - and the timing couldn't be any better.

From the DeSantis campaign press release:

Desantis Unveils Economic Development Plan - Worst to First

Mayoral Candidate Mark DeSantis outlined his three-part program to make Pittsburgh a thriving business environment. He made these remarks in the Hill District section of the City of Pittsburgh, a once flourishing business district that DeSantis believes can succeed again with the right government leadership.

The DeSantis plan calls for:

• Reforming the Urban Redevelopment Authority and getting the city out of the real estate business
• Focusing the city’s economic resources and attention on nurturing new companies – improving from worst to first in new business formation
• Creating opportunities for all Pittsburghers in every neighborhood and dramatically increasing the number of minority-owned businesses and micro-enterprises.

To learn more about how DeSantis will carry out his plan please click here

The Mayor says he isn't taking the election for granted, but the same cannot be said for the North Side residents

"Where is the mayor?!! Where is the mayor?!! Where is the mayor?!!"

Mayor Ravenstahl invited North Side residents to a meeting to discuss the design of the new casino, yet he failed to attend the meeting. The mayor's people say he was in Boston "for business." I don't have a problem with the mayor visiting Boston to see firsthand an example of the developer's public housing community, but why would he schedule a community meeting and not attend? Coverage of this is in the PG, the Trib, and also this video clip from KDKA.

Well, the mayor said he isn't taken this election lightly, but he isn't being smart about it either. The mayor has attended some forums in the area, but this one was probably one of the biggest as the casino is the biggest development to happen here since the two stadiums were built, although the Casino is closer to the residential neighborhoods on the North Side. The people on the North Side care about jobs and public safety, two areas where I feel Mayor Ravenstahl lacks the leadership skills that will make a difference.

Mark DeSantis has already been to some North Side neighborhoods to discuss crime and economic development, and hopefully soon we will hear from him on how he plans to bring more jobs and economic development to the city of Pittsburgh.

"What Redd up?" The slum next door.......

Welcome to Blightsburgh. Last week I read this story about a Northside woman's struggle to deal with the mess and nuisance of the house next door. This woman's struggle has validated my feeling that the Redd Up program under Mayor Ravenstahl has been a huge disappointment. Don't get me wrong. The public works folks and the volunteers have been working really hard, as evident by the hundreds of photos on the city of Ravenstahl-burgh's website, but I've never been in a city with more abandoned houses, more overgrown lawns, and more eyes sores than the city of Pittsburgh.

This city does not have any standards. At our house in Beechview(which we still own ), we worked hard to keep our yard looking decent, but what about the house across the street(pictured above and below)? A complete disaster. On top of the house across looking street looking like a landfill, the people living there were even worse. They sell drugs, do drugs, curse all day and night at each other, and have their friends over honking the horns and playing loud music at all hours of the day and night.




This was unacceptable, and it eventually forced us to move out. We won't start a family in that environment. Hundreds of calls to the police by us and our neighbors did nothing to fix the situation. In fact, one officer, after responding to my wife's call to the police, told her that they couldn't do anything and that we were "SOL." So, the city and its police force let a house of unemployed drug users stay and in the process lost a dual income earning and taxpaying married couple. Its a shame too, because we lived on a great street with great neighbors.


But its not just Beechview. In just about every neighborhood here in the city of Pittsburgh you will see abandoned houses that have boarded up and have not had their lawn's cut in years. You will hear from friends who are living next door to someone who does not cut their lawns, who leaves garbage on their front porch and lawn, and who has zero regard for their neighbors across the street or next door to them. I know this because I lived through this the last 6 years I lived in Greenfield and Beechview. I see more and more of it every day while I've been campaigning for Mark DeSantis throughout the city. Last weekend, while we were in Point Breeze, I almost tripped and fell down a flight of stairs at a house with garbage and debris covering its front porch. This past weekend I saw more of the blight in Oakland, Squirrel Hill, East Liberty, and Highland Park. Each day I see it in other neighborhoods as I take the T into work.

So how bad are we compared to other cities? We're not the worst, but Pittsburgh does have the 5th highest rate of vacant properties per 100 residents. Additionally, the City has 200 more vacated properties than it did under Mayor O'Connor, further proof that Redd Up under Luke has a long way to go. So what is the mayor's plan? Up in Buffalo, Mayor Byron Brown has proposed an ambitious plan to spend $100 million razing 5,000 vacated homes over the next 5 years.




The city has a nice showcase of some of these properties on the website where they are trying to sell the dilapidated houses. Here are a few of houses around the city that are for sale:

DeSantis was out in Squirrel Hill over the weekend

Mark DeSantis continues to win over city voters, this time he was out meeting Pittsburghers in the Squirrel Hill business district. Despite running into a few Ravenstahl-ites, DeSantis received a very warm welcome from most of the folks that he encountered. The number of people saying they were voting for Mark far outnumbered those who said they were voting for Ravenstahl.

DeSantis: "I don't want to act like I care, I do care"

I feel the momentum for Mark DeSantis building - don't you? DeSantis outlined his 5 point public saftey plan in the Perry South neighborhood on Pittsburgh's Northside earlier this afternoon, and I felt he did a great job in handling the impromptu questions from one of the local store owners. The clips can be found here on KDKA's website.

The two quotes that stuck with me are when DeSantis said when it comes to crime "The buck stops with the mayor" and when the store owner told him they want the mayor to act like he cares DeSantis stated "I don't want to act like I care - I do care." Great line.


Remember, this used to be Mayor Ravenstahl's city council district. The store owner from the press conference stated that police used to walk the streets of his neighborhood and that they just drive through nowadays. DeSantis wants more cops on the street rather than what Ravenstahl has been doing - which is hiring more cops and putting them behind desks.














Bram analyzes the DeSantis 5 point public safety plan over at the Comet. The full text of the plan is bellow:

DESANTIS UNVEILS HIS PLAN TO MAKE PITTSBURGH THE SAFEST CITY IN AMERICA

Pittsburgh, PA – At a late morning news conference mayoral candidate Mark DeSantis alongside his public policy chair, Chief Ophelia 'Cookie' Coleman unveiled his 5-part Public Safety Plan.

Chief Coleman is currently the Police Chief in the borough of Wilkinsburg. She began her current position in December 2006. She is the first female African-American police chief in the borough's history. Previously, Chief Coleman spent 26 years on the Pittsburgh Police Force. Prior to her departure, she served as a detective on the force.

PLAN: Making Pittsburgh the Safest City in America

Mr. DeSantis believes that crime should not be an easy alternative for our youth. His plan combines a restructuring of the City of Pittsburgh Police Department together with community participation to reach a solution. "I want to talk about police, and I want to talk about community. I want to talk about all of these things, because I can't talk about them separately" said DeSantis.

Mr. DeSantis unveiled his policy at the intersection of North Charles Street and Perrysville Avenue due to the recent crime rate in this area. "We're here today, on this corner, because crime has become an easy alternative in this neighborhood," said DeSantis.

1) Four months ago in Perry South, a man fired a semi-automatic weapon through the windshield of a car carrying a mother and her 11-month old baby.

2) On July 8, 2007 an 18-year old graduate of Oliver High School headed to Edinboro University, was killed just down the road on Brighton Place, while he was waiting to take his girlfriend's nephews to a Pirates game.

3) On July 23, 2007 an 18-year old man was gunned down with an assault weapon on the Mexican War Streets.

4) On July 24, three men were shot here on North Charles St.

5) Approximately one week ago, in the California-Kilbride section, a man was killed by two teenagers in a drive-by shooting. Those same teenagers are suspected of another drive-by shooting right here on North Charles Street.

"If we're going to be a true community and a truly great city, we have to be accountable when bad things like this happen in our city. And we have to work together to make sure these things don't happen at all, " said DeSantis.

FIRST: COMMUNITY-ORIENTED POLICING

We have 30 police officers dedicated to community oriented policing. I want the entire department dedicated to community-oriented policing.

Policies need to be established that encourage all officers to be proactive in the community, empowering them to solve local problems and to prevent crime before it happens.

We need greater geographic consistency in officer assignments, so that officers can develop relationships with community leaders and organizations and the people in the neighborhoods.

A commitment to community-oriented policing will allow officers to become well-known and trusted in the communities they serve

SECOND: MORE POLICE ON THE STREET

In the aftermath of the consent decree, the Pittsburgh Police installed one of the most sophisticated and effective tools for tracking police behavior and performance, the Performance Assessment Review System (PARS).

Using the PARS System, I will take a hard look, hour by hour, at the functions being performed by all of our officers

Wherever possible, any function currently being performed that doesn't result in arrests or time spent by an officer in the community will be civilianized, computerized or eliminated

This will allow lower cost personnel to handle administrative functions

Examples:
Police officers right now are delivering inter-office mail and staffing reception desks.

Despite Act 47 mandates to stop the practice, there are still officers serving as clerks for zone commanders.

Uniformed police officers, while on duty, are scheduling off-duty work for their fellow officers.

Finally a police commander is serving as Chief of Staff for the Police Chief. That is an administrative function that should be filled by a civilian staff member.


THIRD: MERIT-BASED PROMOTIONS

Police should be hired and promoted based on merit, not seniority or patronage

Promotions and assignments are no longer based entirely on merit. Merit has given way to a system that promotes favoritism.

I will work with the Police Chief, using the performance information provided by PARS, to identify and promote officers who spend their time serving and protecting the community


FOURTH: CITIZEN PARTICIPATION

As Mayor, I will conduct regular public safety surveys to identify the concerns and problem areas in each city neighborhood so that we can better allocate police resources

I will reinvigorate the Public Safety Council. The Public Safety Council, which represents each of the city's 88 neighborhoods, will meet regularly with police, fire, health, building and code enforcement officers to identify problem areas in the city and develop strategies for solving them. This group can be a real force.

Police will work with neighborhood block watch groups to train block watch captains.


FIVE: BROKEN-WINDOW POLICING

I've taken this idea from New York City, where it made a huge difference. As Mayor, I will have a zero tolerance policy for crime, no matter how small.

Tolerance for low-level crimes, such as vandalism and graffiti, creates an environment that leads to more serious crime

We need to identify and condemn nuisance properties that are staging areas for serious crime

We need to use data to target high crime areas and times, and have the police make every legal vehicle and pedestrian stop in those areas at those times. This strategy was implemented in NYC and, in the first month, this program resulted in 98 felony arrests, 662 misdemeanors and 127 drug and gun seizures.

"And with these five strategies, my administration will work toward fulfilling the most important job of any Mayor: working with the police and the members of our community to lead the fight on crime, and to make our great city safe" said DeSantis.

PG Letters to the Editor: People are pissed at the mayor

More and more Pittsburgh residents are coming forward to voice their disapproval of the way Mayor Ravenstahl has handled the firings of two city departments heads. Expect to see more as we get closer to election day. From the PG:

The mayor has fired a true pro and asset to the city

I was dismayed when I read that Mayor Luke Ravenstahl asked for the resignation of all department heads but was in absolute shock when I read in the morning paper that he accepted that of Ron Graziano, head of the Bureau of Building Inspection ("Mayor Shakes Up Staff," Sept. 14).

Of all the city departments with which I am familiar, the Bureau of Building Inspection is the city's strongest. The BBI department heads, with whom I have dealt since the era of Clyde Taylor, have been most professional and totally above board. Ron Graziano was all of that and more.

Many times I have heard out-of-town developers who marvel at the positive treatment they receive from the BBI in our fair city.

We can only hope the new department heads will maintain the professionalism and spirit of cooperation of those who proceeded them.

WARD OLANDER

Real Estate Enterprises

Oakland



Not a smart move

Luke Ravenstahl lost my vote when he fired the chief of building inspection, Ron Graziano. As a former city employee who worked in multiple departments including building inspection, I learned firsthand what a professional, knowledgeable, hard-working and caring public servant Ron Graziano was to this city.

Mr. Graziano was always looking forward and was not satisfied with just the status quo. Building inspection carries many stresses, but Mr. Graziano was typically pleasant, positive and optimistic, a rare find in the city's leadership, and he will be missed.

This decision by Mr. Ravenstahl is just one in a long line of many proving his inability to make smart choices, and I lost any faith I had in him as a leader of this city.

JUDITH MOSCOV

Squirrel Hill

Mayoral Debate on October 3rd

Executive Women's Council

Oct 3-Ravenstahl-DeSantis to Discuss the Issues
SPORG ID: 94974

We are happy to announce that Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Republican challenger Mark deSantis have agreed to discuss the issues of this year's mayoral campaign during a breakfast program sponsored by the Executive Women's Council on Wednesday, October 3.

The event will be held at the Duquesne Club beginning at 7:30 with registration, breakfast and brief networking period and followed at 8 a.m. with a program featuring statements from both candidates and questions from the audience.
Cost for all attendees is $28, which includes a full breakfast.

This event is being held in collaboration with the Women and Girls Foundation and the Pittsburgh-Allegheny County Women’s Commission. Our special thanks go to EWC member Sara Davis Buss for working with both candidates’ teams to make their joint appearance possible.

We ask each of you to inform your networks about this event so we will have the largest attendance possible. SIGN UP NOW!
LOCATION:
Duquesne Club
325 Sixth Avenue
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
15219
United States

Dems for DeSantis infiltrates Ravenstahl security, drinks beers with the Mayor....

Me (spots Mayor drinking beers and chatting with some young people)" "Mayor Ravenstahl! You getting ready for the campaign??"

Mayor: "Huh."

Me: "What are you guys doing for the green agenda? I'm all about the green!"

Mayor: "Well....we're going to....uh........use the oil from Heinz field........."

Me: "Oh right, to fuel the city vehicles, right?"

Mayor: "Uh, yeah"

Me: "What else?"

Mayor: "Uh.......we got some grants for solar......"

Me: "Oh yeah, you mean the Solar Cities program??!"

Mayor: "Yeah"

I asked the mayor a few more questions, one being what he was going to do to keep businesses in the city. I don't recall him giving me a coherent answer. Luke seems like a nice guy, and he seems popular with the young ladies, and probably the young guys since he drinks beers and routes for the Steelers, but I came away from meeting him thinking "this guy is the mayor of Pittsburgh???"

"Baffling" to say the least.



So here is the mayor enjoying the game, talking to the ladies, drinking some beers. I don't have a problem with that. But isn't a Steelers game the perfect opportunity for the mayor to rub elbows with the corporate execs and those celebrities that he loves to chase around town? Shouldn't he do it on Sunday, at the game, on his day off, rather than on a weekday afternoon when there are important meetings taking place? Maybe its just me, but I probably wouldn't be leaning against the wall like Joe Cool drinking beers and chatting up ladies while I was a married mayor of a major US city. I would think there were more pressing matters I could be attending to - like, maybe inviting some out of town CEOs to the game to try to recruit them to open or move their businesses here. Or maybe "recognizing the opportunity" I had and inviting some under privileged youngsters to watch the game with my wife and I.



"You know....I used to be a placekicker........"

"The Boy Who Would Be Mayor has no idea what he's doing, can't be bothered to keep his word..."

Chad Hermann of TWM summarizes the latest Ravenspeak coming from the mayor's office:

I guess it just proves what we've known all along: that Pittsburgh really does have the best, most qualified workers and public servants in the country. Unless, of course, it just proves something else we've known all along: that the Boy Who Would Be Mayor has no idea what he's doing, can't be bothered to keep his word, and, when called on either of those woeful inabilities, lacks even the capacity to come up with a suitable load of crap to cover them up.

It is by now abundantly clear that Master Ravenstahl and the rest of his romper-room administration don't give a damn about what they're doing, if only because they think don't think enough of this city's voters -- I'm talking to you, my fellow Democrats -- give a damn either. And the only thing more depressing than that is the thought that they just may be right.

DeSantis: "I have never run a business by publicly humiliaiting my employees and then refusing to replace them"

Latest DeSantis campaign press release:

Mark DeSantis Questions Status of City Department Heads at 90-day Deadline. Calls for change in leadership to restore morale to City workforce

Pittsburgh, Pa.-
Background:
On June 14, 2007, Luke Ravenstahl asked for resignation letters from
current City of Pittsburgh departmental directors and directors of the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, the Urban Redevelopment Authority and Pittsburgh Parking Authority. However, no reason was provided other than "non performance". They have now been serving as 'acting directors' for 90 days. Under the City code an acting director may only serve for 90 days. The only person to leave was the head of the URA.

Luke Ravenstahl stated at the time:

"All Directors are admirable colleagues of mine who have been working very hard," said Mayor Ravenstahl. "However, I am not satisfied with the condition of City government. As Mayor, I owe it to the people of Pittsburgh to build our government with the best people who are capable of doing the best job. Leadership may need to change, but I am making a tough decision in order to ensure that this City is heading in the right direction," said Ravenstahl (See Ravenstahl Press Release dated June 14, 2007).

He also stated that he was going to conduct a 'national search'for their replacements. There doesn't appear to be any search underway.

Mayoral candidate Mark DeSantis has co-founded and managed several businesses and finds this conduct unproductive. "I have never run a business by publicly humiliating my employees and then refusing to replace them," said DeSantis.

"This latest example of mismanagement is no way to run a City. It hurts morale among city workers and does nothing to make our community safer, our economy stronger, or our government more efficient."

"Luke is right about one thing we do need a change in leadership, but it is at the top. I call on him to end the employment limbo he has placed the department heads in by his public firings”, said DeSantis.

DeSantis is available for further comment.


UPDATE:

Remarks from the mayor, Mark DeSantis, and members of city council

"The Mayor watched the hearing on city cable from his office......."

While the mayor was watching Sportscenter in his office, the city council held a special hearing to discuss potential hiring policy changes due to the domestic abuse controversy surrounding the latest city police promotions. The mayor is saying that he watched the hearings from his office, on the city cable network. Sure he did. Can anyone verify this or is this yet another example of the city residents being ravenstahled?

Why wasn't the mayor in attendance? Why would he watch it from his office instead of attending in person? Can anyone answer either of those questions?

The mayor does not learn from his past mistakes because he does not think his ill advised actions are mistakes. This is further proof that Mayor Ravenstahl is severely lacking the leadership and character that the city of Pittsburgh desperately needs out of the mayors office.

(Note: Mark DeSantis was in attendance)

We can make it happen

Like I have said in previous posts, the closer we get to November the more I believe that Mark can pull off this huge upset. A lot of people are not happy with the mayor. They have been waiting for real progress in Pittsburgh for decades and it has yet to materialize. They are ready for change, but Mark still needs our help. Please sign up to show your support for Mark's candidacy for mayor of Pittsburgh. Here are a few things you could do right now.

• Sign up to volunteer to knock on doors or host an event in your neighborhood at the official DeSantis for Mayor website
• Join the Democrats for DeSantis group on Facebook
• Join the Desantis for Mayor Facebook group
• Email the official Democrats for DeSantis group at info@democratsfordesantis.org

Mark DeSantis was in Point Breeze this past weekend

Mark DeSantis and a team of volunteers, myself included, were out in Point Breeze knocking on doors and meeting with potential voters this past Saturday. DeSantis received a warm welcome from Point Breeze residents and while a large number of those who we visited were still "undecided," we encountered more residents who said they were voting for Mark than those who said they were voting for Ravenstahl. Pictures should be posted soon.

The more I go out into the public with DeSantis and his team, the more I think he could win this thing. A lot of Democrats are still on the fence regarding voting for a Republican, some are even refusing to do so and would rather stay home on election day. However, a lot of Democrats are also ready for a change in leadership and they are approaching Mark's candidacy with an open mind.

TWM: "We already have a Li'l Bush, and he's already mayor"

For those in the burgh blogosphere who continue to refer to Mark DeSantis as "lil Bush," Chad Herman of Teacher. Wordsmith. Madman, one of the best blogs around, says "right nickname, wrong candidate."

That might be funny, and it might even be effective, if it were actually true. But anyone who has met or heard or bothered to learn anything at all about Mark DeSantis knows that he looks and sounds and thinks nothing like our illustrious, invidious president. Just as anyone who's met or heard or bothered to pay any attention at all to Luke Ravenstahl knows that these commenters have the right nickname but the wrong candidate.

Amen Chad, a-freaking-men!

DeSantis: "If he wants to take our ideas and use them as his own, that's fine. I can't stop him from doing that,"

Ravenstahl and company are crying that DeSantis's idea to merge the URA and the Planning Department was their own.

From the Trib

"The budget will reflect certain items that will chart a new course for Pittsburgh, a new course for development generally," Zober said. "DeSantis probably just got wind of that."

The mayor and his aides are such hypocrites, throughout his first year in office it has been evident that the mayor was stealing a lot of Bill Peduto's ideas and making them his own. Now that Ravenstahl and company are crying foul, what does DeSantis have to say about their claim?

"Is this an effort to somehow scoop him? No," said DeSantis, who noted that such mergers are common in other cities and gave credit for the proposal to his campaign's 40-member policy group.

"If he wants to take our ideas and use them as his own, that's fine. I can't stop him from doing that," DeSantis said. "It's not like these ideas are copyrighted."

You see folks, DeSantis is a pragmatist, he's not going to cry over spilled milk like the mayor, and he has enough ideas of his own so he does not need to "steal" from the mayor. Here is my callout: I would like to see one original idea from Ravenstahl, something that has not been proposed by the late mayor O'Connor or councilman Bill Peduto.

Breaking news: DeSantis responds to Ravenstahl: “Think Outside the Box to Save Pensions”

Latest DeSantis Press Release:

Pittsburgh, PA -Luke Ravenstahl responded to the DeSantis Pension Protection Plan by saying he was "baffled" and characterized it as "robbing Peter to pay Paul.” He clung to the old way of doing things - running to Harrisburg to solve a problem.

"We promised Paul a pension and Peter is going to have to pick up his game," said DeSantis.

"We will never be able to balance our budget with a government of the past; our tax base isn't large enough. We need to find new ways and new ideas to create a city government of the future. It must be one that we can afford and that better represents the people," added DeSantis.

"Unlike the current Mayor, I will bring a results-oriented, can do approach to city government. If we continue to govern as we have in the past we can expect the same poor results. In order to survive, we must find ways to make our government more effective and efficient. Over the course of this campaign we will continue to outline a vision of a New Pittsburgh city government that is streamlined and focused on results," said DeSantis.

DeSantis unveiled one example of "thinking outside the box.” He called for Ravenstahl to investigate the merging of the City Planning Department into the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). "City government needs to be more efficient. I think this would be an important first step in improving government efficiency and cooperation ultimately benefitting the taxpayers in the City,” said DeSantis. Mr. DeSantis estimates this could save the city as much as $1 million annually.

In addition, The DeSantis Restructuring Plan would allow the URA to refocus its attention on our City neighborhoods. "This is just one example of how I would run government more efficiently, thereby enabling us to keep the pension promise we made to our city workers, retirees and their families, while at the same time improving government service,” said DeSantis.

DeSantis is available for further comment.

Luke's solution for fixing the crime problem is his MySpace page

"Check this one out, that's the girl I met at Pure last week, she's hot!"

In all serious, has Luke ever heard of the digital divide? Last I checked Pittsburgh ranked below the national average for percent of households with internet connections. Minority and poor households typically have even lower internet access rates - which is where the term digital divide originated.

If less than half of households in the city have internet access then how can this citizenobserver website be that effective? If an even lower amount of households in the city zones where this has been implemented have internet access than its obvious that Luke, once again, has no clue about socioeconomic issues across the nation and, more importantly, the city of Pittsburgh.

DeSantis: gambling revenues and non-profit contributions would go towards the pension deficit

Mark DeSantis announced today that he would dedicate all of the gambling revenues from the new casino to closing the roughly $500 million pension gap. DeSantis also stated that he would ask the non-profits to contribute to a specific purpose such as the pension crisis. His argument is that the non-profits would be more willing to contribute if they knew their money was not going into a black hole - a hole known as the city's general fund

"After all, city leaders have not proven to be good stewards of those resources in the past," said DeSantis. "They've turned the general fund into a kind of financial shredder. The non-profits don't know where that money might go, and I can certainly understand why they would hesitate to throw good money after bad."

The full text of the DeSantis speech is located here (thanks burgher).

It's nice to finally hear some common sense with the non-profits and city finance issues. We cannot expect a new tax to be levied on the non-profits - but asking them to contribute to specific city initiatives, whether that is infrastructure or the pension crisis, makes a lot more sense and is more aligned with what I wrote about in my other blog, which is for the city to partner with the non-profits by asking them to invest in the city infrastructure projects or transit improvements.

No rebuttal from Ravenstahl yet but I am sure he'll steal this idea, just like he has been doing from Bill Peduto and others since his first days in office.

UPDATE:

Mayor Ravenstahl, in a press conference this afternoon, had the audacity to call the DeSantis pension plan "baffling." He stated that diverting gambling revenues would not solve pension woes over the long term. Well gee whiz boy wonder, the casinos are going to be in Pittsburgh for a while, and coupled with cost reductions in city government I would say the DeSantis plan sure beats "brainstorming" over the long term.

What exactly is meeting with mayors from Erie, Scranton, and Allentown going to accomplish? Not much, but that is all the substance we are getting out of Mayor Ravenstahl on this issue.

On a related note, burghonomics guru Chris "Sid" Briem wrote a piece in the PG a few months back on how the pension crisis could become a disaster if it is ignored by the mayor over the next few years. I'll take the DeSantis plan for funding he pension gap over all of the Ravenspeak anyday.

"Honeymoon is over" for Mayor Ravenstahl

The AP conducted an interview with the mayor and wrote a piece about the turmoil surrounding Mayor Ravenstahl after his first year in office. According to the interview, Ravenstahl "points to successes as mayor that include a balanced budget, funding to attract new businesses and the addition of new apartments downtown. "

and

"'I'm comfortable with where we are as a city and I think we've done some wonderful things over the past year,' he said in an interview with The Associated Press. 'I think that momentum is there for the city to be great'"

The balanced budget is a farce. The balanced budget is the only thing the mayor can talk to when asked about the city finances. What are the news businesses here in the city? What is the net gain or loss in city businesses or even the number of employees working for city businesses?

How does Luke's two "wins" I just referred to, and the new apartment buildings downtown, help make the city streets safer, city taxes lower, and our public transit better? What about the city's crumbling infrastructure? Please Luke - produce some reports that explain how our a declining city population, reduced transit service, and broken water lines, bridges, and roads do anything to create the momentum Pittsburgh needs just to catch up with the major cities in our country.

The AP goes on to say that all of the negatives and criticism will likely have no impact on Luke getting elected in November. I do not think this will be the case. It will make an impact. Many would be voters will be staying home on November 6th, and may would be voters for the Democratic nominee will be voting for Mark DeSantis. I know this because I have talked to these Democrats for DeSantis, and I have exchanged emails with Democrats for DeSantis.

My take on PG's Letters to the editor: "GOP Freshness"

GOP freshness

Pittsburgh is truly at a crossroads in this 21st century with the upcoming mayoral race. We have been doing things way too long in a 19th- and 20th-century mind-set. In these days of the Internet, mobile phones, 24-hour news and information sources plus a global economy, dire change is needed and now! Otherwise our city cannot ever hope to utilize its awesome potential.

The best way to describe this is by using the dictionary. "Democrat" is found in your dictionary between "deceased" and "dinosaur," while "Republican" is located between "renaissance" and "resurrection." In other words, the difference is between old and new.

Therefore, to make sure Pittsburgh becomes new again, we must not continue being ruled by the old. I urge all my fellow Pittsburghers to make everything new again by selecting Mark DeSantis as our next mayor. On Nov. 6, we can bring Pittsburgh instantly into the 21st century. Join me at your polling place and vote for Mr. DeSantis. You'll be glad you did!

RICHARD M. HAYS JR.
Mount Washington

The author of this letter, who is asking citizens in an overwhelmingly democratic city to vote for a Republican candidate, is referring to Democrats as "deceased" and "dinosaurs". Mr. Hays - how about trying to unite Pittsburghers as one party voting for the best candidate this November rather than trying to divide and piss them off??!!! Does this Hays guy ever turn on the television or read the papers to see how far the Republican party has fallen at the national level?

I hope to see more letters to the editor encouraging support for Mark DeSantis, but please, if you write a letter make it about the city of Pittsburgh, not about Democrat versus Republican.

DeSantis in action at Labor Day parade

I volunteered to help team DeSantis campaign earlier today at the Labor Day parade. After several hours and several thousand pamphlets, I came away even more positive about Mark DeSantis's chances this November. With the exception of a few people who said they "can't vote for a Republican", or the few who said "I'm voting for Luke. He's doing a great job", most of the people we talked to today seemed very intrigued by Mark's candidacy, and a number of those individuals seemed very happy to see Mark out campaigning after hearing so much about him in the news.

Mark seemed to enjoy some of the challenges that come along with campaigns - a few times I noticed him engaged with individuals who stated that they won't be voting for him. He's not going to change every one's mind - but if Mark can continue to campaign as effectively as he did today I think he can convince those who have an open mind that he is the best candidate for the job of leading Pittsburgh over the next two years.

One funny thing to note - I wish I had a picture of Mayor Ravenstahl as he led the parade alongside Dan Onorato. He looked so out of place - like a deer in headlights, and you should have seen the confusion on his face when one of the guys from team DeSantis walked up to him and tried to hand him a DeSantis for Mayor pamphlet. The look on Ravenstahl's face was priceless.

Mayor O'Connor's vision for Pittsburgh

"By 2010, Pittsburgh is one of the safest, cleanest cities in the country. It is a vibrant, developing city that is financially sound. All of us as Pittsburghers are proud of our city."

There was a lot more behind the late Mayor Bob O'Connor than his smile and friendlyness that made him one of the most likable mayors in recent history. O'Connor had a real plan to achieve the vision he set during his first year in office. The components of his vision, which is stated above, is something no Pittsburgher wouldn't be in favor of.

So how has Mayor Ravenstahl done so far in achieving Mayor O'Connor's vision for Pittsburgh in 2010? Not good, especially on the financially sound part.

Clean city: Despite adding a second Redd Up Crew, the number of condemned buildings has grown from 1200 to 1400 since Ravenstahl took office.

Public Safety: There is more violence in the city than there has been in years. I never heard of shootings in downtown during broad daylight The city is not safer under Ravenstahl and I don't think he has a plan to make it safer.

Vibrant Developing City: Are companies moving to the city of Pittsburgh? I see a lot of businesses moving to Cranberry, but the city of Pittsburgh is still not a good place to start and run a business. Sure, the already well off developers are getting plenty of subsidies for all of the new developments around town, but do new retail centers really create sustainable economic growth?

American Eagle Outfitters moved to the Southside, but that was the work of Mayor O'Connor and Governor Rendell. Companies in this region will continue to move to Greentree, Cranberry, Wexford, and even Washington County until the city starts making the business climate more competitive.

Financially Sound: Mayor O'Connor set the goal of getting out from under the Act 47 financially distressed status by 2010. While we weren't able to see O'Connor's plan for achieving this, Luke referred to setting a date for getting out of financial trouble as "artificial", kind of like his qualifications for mayor. Well, Luke has figured out how to balance the cities budget, so I guess that means the $800 million deficit and the city's huge pension liability will be disappearing in no time. Balancing the budget is not a plan for getting out of the hole. The city needs someone who can walk the fine line between encouraging economic development and growing the tax base.

In the past and still today - Pittsburgh, and other municipalities, have given away the farm in order to spur growth. Growth is great as long as there are tax receipts to come with it. When the city has to jack up parking, car rental, and hotel taxes while cutting city services to make up for the forgone tax revenues, that is not sustainable economic growth.

Needless to say, Mayor Ravenstahl has not done anything thus far to put Pittsburgh on a path to reaching Mayor O'Connor's vision. Does he deserve 2 more years in office to prove he is worthy? Absolutely not.

Glen Meakem: "The fact that he's the mayor is an accident"

Local venture capitalist and former Freemarkets CEO Glen Meakem was featured in today's Tribune Review. The article is about Meakem's political ambitions and mentions his support for Mark DeSantis and his disdain for Luke Ravenstahl.

Meakem said he considers Ravenstahl, 27, another "old machine Democrat" who offers nothing new. "He's young and inexperienced. The fact he's the mayor is an accident," Meakem says.

Meakem also noted a few of the things he would do if he were to make it to Harrisburg

• Lower state and personal income taxes
• Privatization of the turnpike
• Privatization of liquor sales

I am sure all of you could applaud the first and last bullet points. While Meakem may be too conservative and too polarizing to ever win the Governor's race here in Pennsylvania, he does have some interesting positions on a few issues that are not high on the list of conservative priorities,which include economic development for minorities and environmental matters. The fact that he ran is a successful tech startup here in Pittsburgh and is responsible for a lot of wealth creation in this region makes him an important figure in local and state politics for years to come.

KDKA - Mixed Reviews on Ravenstahl's first year.

I have to agree with KDKA's and City Council President Doug Shield's assessment of their "mixed review" of the Mayor's first year in office. But Mayor Ravenstahl does deserve some credit. I have to give Ravenstahl some credit for all the photo opportunities he has been able to squeeze in between all of those rounds of golf and night club visits during his first year of mayor. Check out a partial list of celebrities, athletes, and politicians the mayor was able to hang out with during his first year in office. This is something else. I don't see how the mayor doesn't "realize the opportunity" he has. It is time to give the mayor his due people!

• David Letterman
• Mayor Michael Bloomburg
• Mayor Ricard Daley
• Sara Jessica Parker
• Dennis Quaid
• Sienna Miller
• Jerome Bettis
• Mario Lemieux
• Joe Theisman
  

"A real test for Pittsburgh's future"

Richard Florida's Creative Class blog mentioned that Pittsburgh has an opportunity to turn things around with the election of Mark DeSantis as mayor.

This is a real test for Pittsburgh's future. Denver has John Hickenlooper, New York Michael Bloomberg, Baltimore had Martin O'Malley - the list of progressive mayors leading American cities cleaning up after decades of machine politics is long and impressive. Pittsburgh has had none of it. Pittsburgh's current mayor LuKe Ravenstahl is by all accounts tied the the machine and an empty suit. Mark, while a long shot, would be a real shot in the arm for my former hometown.

Amen, Mr. Florida.

Mayor Ravenstahl on KDKA - "Economic boom happening in the Hill District"

Mayor Ravenstahl told KDKA this past Sunday that there is an economic boom happening in the Hill district. WHAT?! Mayor Ravenstahl then touted the economic boom that is currently happening in downtown Pittsburgh. When told by the reporter that big companies are not moving to downtown the mayor responded that he "thinks that will start to change." When told that the city is still losing citizens Mayor Luke said that he thinks "that will start to change." Mayor Luke doesn't think anything is wrong with the city of Pittsburgh. It is okay to be positive, but it is also necessary to admit we have some areas where we need a lot of improvement. Yes, there have been some good initiatives that have been announced on both the economic and environmental front - but I cannot have faith in all of these promises until we actually see some execution.

Luke - what about financial restructuring of the city? Luke thinks that the city is okay fiscally, since he "hasn't taken out any new debt." Oh brother.

Post Gazette asks "Where is DeSantis?" DeSantis announces Policy Team and says details of his plan are just around the corner

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette stated that Mark DeSantis has been too invisible over the last two months since he announced his candidacy for Pittsburgh's mayor.

Mr. DeSantis said he made the decision to hold back until details were worked out to his satisfaction. Today he plans to announce the members of his policy teams, one for each goal. Then, after Labor Day, the complete policies will be unveiled, one at a time, over the ensuing weeks. That means we probably won't know all of Mr. DeSantis' campaign proposals until less than a month before the Nov. 6 election.

What we've got so far is too little. It's almost too late. If he intends to run for mayor, he'd better get going.

Well, this afternoon, Mark DeSantis announced his policy committee team members and stated that his proposals would be "coming soon." Despite having only two of the seven members living in the city of Pittsburgh, most of the individuals seem to either have worked for organizations in the city or are running city businesses. The policy team is also a very diverse group in ethnicity, gender, and also party affiliation - with three of the policy chairs being Democrats for DeSantis. Below is a list of the chair people for his policy team.

MARK DESANTIS FOR MAYOR POLICY CHAIRS

Jim Roddey
Overall Policy Chair
Chair: Efficiency, Effectiveness and Transparency in Government Committee
Mr.Roddey served as the first Allegheny County Chief Executive. Mr. Roddey as an extensive career in business and public service. He has served on the boards of many companies including Turner Communication Corp, Rollins Communication Corp., and many others. Mr. Roddey was appointed to Pittsburgh's fiscal oversight board. He resigned from that position in 2005. Mr. Roddey is also a former marine and has been involved in local veteran's organizations.

Chief Ophelia Coleman
Chair: Greater Personal Safety Committee
Chief Coleman, Cookie, as she is better known, is the first African-American woman to hold the position of Chief of the Wilkinsburg Police Department. Chief Coleman obtained the position of Interim Chief in December of 2006. Prior to that position, she was a member of the City of Pittsburgh police force for 26 years serving as a detective. She has also been a long-time community activist.

Lourdes Sanchez Ridge
Co-Chair: Bridging the Cultural Divide Committee
Ms. Ridge is a practicing attorney with the law firm of Thorp Reed & Armstrong and a former assistant U.S. Attorney. She is the Vice-President of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and served on the Governor's Commission for Latino Affairs. She previously served as a board member to Shuman Juvenile Detention Center and is also a former chairperson for FamilyLinks.

Fred Massey
Co-Chair: Bridging the Cultural Divide Committee
Mr. Massey is the current Chief Execeutive Officer of FamilyLinks, a social services agency that provides counseling services for alcohol abuse and mental retardation. Mr. Massey is a certified public accountant and was the Chief Financial Officer of FamilyLinks before being promoted to CEO in 2005. Mr. Massey is credited with putting together a financial plan that helped turn the agency around and put it back on solid financial ground.Massey’s prior career included senior financial management positions at UPMC McKeesport, Southwood Psychiatric Hospital and Holy Family Institute. Mr. Massey is also a pastor and the financial manger for Higher Call World Outreach Church.

Jim Burnham
Chair: Restoring Confidence in Our Leaders Committee
Mr. Burnham is a distinguished service professor at Duquesne University's Graduate School of Business. He has extensive experience in the financial markets including his tenure as U.S. Executive Director of the World Bank and a staff member of the U.S. Federal Reserve Board.

Shanna Tellerman
Chair: Sustainable Economic Development Committee
Ms. Tellerman is the Chief Executive Officer of Sim Ops Studios. As the head of a start up technology company, Ms. Tellerman understands how government can be an effective partner with entrepreneurs to help create an environment that will allow 21st century industry to flourish in Pittsburgh.

Jim Stalder
Chair: Fewer and Fairer Taxes Committee
Mr. Stalder is retired from his position as the Dean of the Business School at Duquesne University. Prior to that position, he was the managing partner of the accounting firm Price Waterhouse Coopers here in Pittsburgh. He has more than 37 years of experience in tax consulting.

Empty Suit, Empty Promises

Earlier today Mayor Ravenstahl admitted to KDKA's Marty Griffen that the Pittsburgh Promise program is in jeopardy, having only received $10,000 in funding to date. This means that the mayor's promise will most likely be broken.

Read the following from the post-gazette's coverage of the announcement this past December:

The mayor called the promise "a college access program ... as well as a revitalization strategy for us in the city of Pittsburgh." He predicted that it would encourage parents already living in the city to stay.

Note to Mayor Ravenstahl - Free tuition to local colleges does not matter to parents if the public schools are not up to par. The focus should be on the quality of the education and the quality of the teachers - not some gimmick that is designed to win you votes and pull the wool over the eyes of the citizens.

My prediction of what will happen next: The mayor will work some shady backroom deal with some of the non-profits (say UPMC for example) to bail him out of this mess and provide funding for the program in time to save his ass before the election. This sort of thing is exactly why he shouldn't be accepting celebrity golf invitations and trips to New York from organizations that do business with the city.

You heard it hear first - the mayor will try to do something to cover his ass because that is the way he operates. He lies. He is shady. He doesn't realize that when you make mistakes and screw up - you can win back the trust of the people by coming clean and fessing up to your mistakes. Luke doesn't get this so he instead denies any wrong doing while looking like a complete fool in the process.

City Solicitor To Ethics Board: “Go Home … You’re Worthless”

Dressing-Down Clears Way For Mayor’s Testimony

It’s been reported that Mayor Luke Ravenstahl has been doing his homework, getting ready to testify before the city’s Ethics Board today. The board has questioned whether the mayor violated city ethics rules by accepting an invitation to play at the Mario Lemieux Celebrity Golf Invitational. The registration fee for a threesome to play in the event was $27,000, and UPMC along with the Penguins paid Ravenstahl’s $9,000 share.

Now hopefully Ravenstahl’s preparation will include studying the City Code as well as refreshing himself on the basics of proper syntax and grammar. But his best move to date has undoubtedly been the unleashing of Asst City Solicitor Kate DeSimone upon the Ethics Board which has been dogging him on his ethical lapses.

“It’s very unclear to me that [the board has] any ability to sanction anyone at all, from a rookie cop to the mayor,” DeSimone said.

DeSimone listed a couple of other reasons why the board was functionally impotent regarding this matter:
o No official complaint has been filed against the mayor so it is doubtful the board can penalize him.
o Previous public comments made by three Ethics Board members make their impartiality suspect.

“If I were the mayor’s attorney, I would ask for all three of them to be recused,” DeSimone added.

Since Ms. DeSimone IS an assistant city solicitor, making her an attorney for the city, the entire city, which presumably includes the mayor of the city ….. It’s unclear why she feels she is not one of the mayor’s attorneys. Not in question at all, however, is the fact that DeSimone IS the city attorney who supposedly guides the Ethics Board. The very same board she has now just publicly neutered with her own “impartial” public comments.

With representation and guidance such as this, maybe the Ethics Board should consider asking their attorney to recuse herself.

Calling all Dems for DeSantis

I am looking to round up as many Democrats who are willing to support and/or volunteer for the DeSantis campaign. Please send me an email or join the Democrats for DeSantis group on Facebook.

Mayor Ravenstahl's decisions influenced by the burg blogosphere

A few weeks back I heard rumors that a number individuals over at Pittsburgh city hall are frequent visitors of this blog. Through the wonders of web analytics I was able to verify this rumor, and I am assuming these same individuals at city hall are also frequent visitors to a number of the influential Pittsburgh blogs that follow the political scene in this city.

The other day I, along with some others listed below, blogged about the lunacy in Ravenstahl's decision to fly to Chicago this weekend to play putt putt, while The Burgh Report mentioned how Mayor Luke was attending Steelers training camp instead of tending to the city issues. Then later in the afternoon on Thursday I heard a sound byte on KDKA that took place hours after my previous post that had the mayor stating that he would do what it takes to deal with the violence and that city finances would not be an issue in doing so. I had also verified earlier that day that several individuals over at Grant Street were on this blog. Coincidence? Maybe.

But now we hear from the Post-Gazette that the Mayor is making what we haven't seen from him in a while: a sound judgment. Mark Rauterkus, the libertarian party's utility player, remarked on his blog how Ravenstahl would be wise to stay home and score some points by getting out in front of the citizens who were impacted by the recent storm damage. It looks like Luke has taken his advice.

Ravenstahl cancels trip to focus on storm recovery

I for one, will stop giving the mayor advice, for obvious reasons. I have learned my lesson and hope that Mr. Rauterkus and other bloggers including Bram and The Burger will join me in signing a pledge that we will no longer offer Mayor Ravenstahl free advice on how to run the city. As far as the influence thing goes - I'm not trying to stroke my ego or anything - I just want people out there to know that the Pittsburgh bloggers can make a difference and that our blogging efforts can have a "direct influence" on how the city is run.

Another shooting, another homicide, and more nonsense from Luke "Bogey" Ravenstahl

You gotta love our mayor. The city is a mess. It seems like we hear about new shootings and homicides almost every day now. The members of the affected neighborhoods are up at arms, rallying to encourage an end to the violence. Who is working with the members of the community to help put an end this violence? Not the mayor. Luke Ravenstahl will be flying to Chicago to promote the city at a booth sponsored by VisitPittsburgh. The event is the American Society of Association Executives Annual Meeting & Exposition.

"Meet our Mayor: And putt your way to Pittsburgh," says a headline above the cartoon of a rolling golf course and wedge-toting golfer. Beneath the drawing, the ad touts Pittsburgh's "eco-friendly convention center, #1 airport in the U.S., unique meeting venues, world-class hotels, 212 Downtown eateries and walkable city."

The promotion promises people who stop by VisitPittsburgh's booth a chance to compete in a putting contest with Ravenstahl during the American Society of Association Executives Annual Meeting & Exposition, set for Saturday to Tuesday in Chicago.

I have no idea what that event has to do with Pittsburgh, but when VisitPittsburgh told the mayor the exhibit would feature a putting contest, I'm sure Luke jumped at the opportunity. What about your city mayor Luke? Your decisions to attened promotional events over running the city is getting ridiculous.

I hate politicizing things like this, but isn't it obvious that we need someone who is capable of prioritizing these big issues over promotional events or chasing celebrities around town? Luke has proven time and time and again that he lacks good judgment ....and obviously maturity. He does not have the leadership ability to confront the issues that are serious to the people living here in Pittsburgh.

"I'll be doing my very best in promoting Pittsburgh as a great place to hold a meeting or convention," Mr. Ravenstahl said.

Conventions? Confront the issues Luke - meet with the people face to face. Do not lie, do not try your bullsh!t Ravenspeak, just get out there and listen to the people.

If you are a Democrat and you cannot muster up the courage to vote across party lines this November, at least do me and other Pittsburghers a favor. Do not vote for Luke. He does not care about fixing things here in Pittsburgh, he does not deserve your vote.

Success in November will be the result of hard work

Howard Dean was in Pittsburgh yesterday for a Democratic fundraiser at the Church Brew Works. I did not attend but the Tribune Review ran a story on it today. Dean mentioned that slick Internet and television campaigns were not enough to win the elections of today. Dean was speaking for Democrats running for office when he said that direct voter contact - both on and offline - is necessary to win. I whole heartily agree, especially if you are an underdog and relatively unknown like Mark DeSantis is at this point.

It has already become clear to me that DeSantis is the best candidate for mayor of Pittsburgh, and since you found this blog you may be considering the same. But what about the voters who are not trolling the burgh blogs, and those who did not take the time to listen to Mark's campaign speeches back in late June? While the election is a little more than 3 months away, the majority of Pittsburghers are not even thinking about it. Steelers training camp and enjoying the waning summer weeks are on their minds, not the Pittsburgh mayoral race.

For DeSantis to win, it is not going to be about the amount of money he raises for media buys. It is going to come down to the hard work of Mar, his campaign team, and most importantly, his volunteers - the Pittsburghers for DeSantis. Retail politics will be the key, and hopefully, with the help of others who want to see things change around here, we can spread Mark's message and vision to the people of each and every Pittsburgh neighborhood.

Trib: DeSantis faces uphill battle

I was quoted for the Trib's story on the odds Mark DeSantis faces this November. There were a few comments made by individuals that I do not agree with. First, this quote from his campaign spokesperson:

"Ravenstahl is proud to be a lifelong Democrat," campaign spokeswoman Danika Wukich said. "The mayor's vision and progressive democratic principals are strongly held by the vast majority of voters in the city."

Progressive democratic principals? My a$$!!! If you want to see just how "progressive" the mayor is, check out his stance on the issues and then start scratching your head. He doesn't have seem to have a particular stance on the issues, and in terms of labeling himself a progressive Luke is not quite Gavin Newsome. Believe it or not, DeSantis, the Republican seems to be more progressive on issues like the environment, fighting crime, and the cultural divide, which Ravenstahl is probably oblivious to.

Second comment I found laughable comes from Terry Madonna, a political analyst out of Franklin and Marshall College.

DeSantis is engaging in "political suicide," Madonna said. "When you're a Pittsburgh Democrat and you win your party's nomination, you start out with a huge advantage."

Political suicide??? Mark DeSantis has never run for public office, and he is not doing this for his career or political ambitions. He is running for the city of Pittsburgh and its residents. Political suicide happens when you get caught in lies over and over again, and when you spend most of your time at the bars, clubs, and chasing around celebrities and athletes, something our current mayor knows a lot about.

The Angry Drunk Bureaucrat - an insider's view of the Ravenstahl administration

This guy over at the ADB blog has been going off! Check out his last few posts on the lunacy of Ravenstahl's city government.

The Angry Drunk Bureaucrat

Letter from Mark DeSantis

I received a nice letter from Mark DeSantis the other day thanking me for contributing to his campaign while at his fundraiser last weekend. Here is the letter and a paragraph I wanted to highlight:

Luke on the issues - a lot of talk, very little substance

I checked out Mayor Ravenstahl's website to see where he stands on the issues. According to his website, there are only three issues here in Pittsburgh - clean and safe streets, financial sound Pittsburgh, and economic development/job creation. Man, did I just waste a lot of time listening to him talk on these video clips from his website. Besides the downtown rail link to Oakland, the mayor did not provide any specifics on what he was going to do for Pittsburgh.

I'm all for that link to Oakland, Luke, but how do you plan on paying for it? How will you create jobs? Any why the heck do you keeping talking about Redd up Pittsburgh when there are more pressing issues like all of the violence in the city neighborhoods and even downtown?

This blog = Yellow Journalism

Can't quite understand Mayor Luke Ravenstahl when he is on the hot seat?

Check out the Trib for some translations of Luke's lexicon.

Yellow journalism (very bad noun) -- Any news report or opinion piece depicting the mayor as possibly less than dashing or dynamic, or implying that he can be evasive, misleading or ethically suspect. (Example: This column).

Anonymous Comments Enabled....

I am sorry for forgetting to turn this feature on. Please feel free to post comments but keep in mind that all comments will be moderated. Thanks.

Chris

Attended DeSantis Fundraiser

This past Saturday I attended a fundraiser for Mark DeSantis at the Squirrel Hill residence of Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Acklin. While the number in attendance for the two hour event was not huge, it was significant in the fact that it brought together a number of people who believe in Mark's leadership and plans to reform city government. While the attendees were primarily Republican, there were several Democrats besides myself in attendance, and we were welcomed by Mark himself, members of his campaign team, and other notable Republicans in attendance, such as Joe Weinroth, the Republican candidate for mayor in 2005.

A few things to note coming out of this event:

• Pittsburghers, even complete strangers to Mark and his team, want to help his candidacy in any way they can. One individual approached Mark and his staffers and offered to host a "Meet Mark" event in their neighborhood
• Mark's speeches are pretty darn good, and inspiring at that. I wish I had videotaped or tape recorded the impromptu speech he made following Kevin's introduction of Mark to the crowd. "I'm not running for me, or my political career. I'm running for YOU, and the CITY!" He seemed very serious when he said this and I believe him. It seems as though Mark and his opponent are running for the complete opposite reasons.
• Another funny moment was when Mark called city government in Pittsburgh "mediocre" and then an older gentleman to Mark's left remarked "that is an insult to the word mediocore!"
• Mark's political consultant, Mike DeVanney, was in attendance and said he was interested in collaborating with me on some ideas I had for the campaign
• The people there realize they have a battle in front of them but they believe they have a shot. This is a far cry from past Republican campaigns

Another brilliant post by Chad Hermann at TWM

MAYBE THEY'RE DOING IT............and maybe we should be thinking about it

When Ravenstahl talks.........

people sicken.

Funny post over on one of my favorite Pittsburgh blogs, TWM

DeSantis on Cleantech in Pittsburgh

Over on my blog "Green is Good", I report on some of the things Mark and I discussed today regarding clean tech development here in Pittsburgh

Here is the scoop

We don't need crazy ideas, we need common sense leadership!

I met with Mark DeSantis again this morning. We spoke about his general strategy for turning things around, clean tech initiatives, which is the focus of my other blog "Green is Good", and also how people like me and you can play a role in changing the way things are done around here. In terms of Mark's approach to improving the city, he stated the following:

"I'm telling people that I am not going to offer a bunch of original and creative ideas for Pittsburgh. There are enough new things out there that many other cities are already doing that are working. I want to implement some of those practices here. We need to start taking some changes and when we decide to embrace a new initiative for the city let's not tip toe into it like we have been - let's commit to it and make it a reality."

Mark said this, and like many of you reading this for the first time or those of you who heard Mark say this in some of his speeches, I was initially taken aback, as was his campaign team when they heard him say that. And then it clicked. We do not need dramatic changes and risky ventures, boondoggles if you will, to turn things around. A Maglev train would be neat - but people are not going to support it. What we are in need of is ideas that work and leadership to execute the idea and make it "a reality."

Still, Mark does see the need for some risk taking and said that with the city's financial constraints some creativity and partnerships will be necessary to fund initiatives such as improvements to mass transit (possibly a light rail extension between downtown and Oakland) also green building initiatives for the city government and policies what will spur more development in the clean tech sector. And as far as Pittsburgh's outdated tax structure that dates back to the "Truman administration," as Mark stated to the press he intends to "right size" our government so that it matches the size of our tax base. Does this mean job losses? Possibly, but if taxes are reduced and the size of the bureaucracy is reduced, shouldn't that lead to the creation of more new jobs once entrepreneurs and large corporations learn that Pittsburgh is a good place to do business?

A fellow blogger and potential Democrat for DeSantis stated the following in an email to me this morning:

"I see why Mark's campaign team is freaked out by that 'nothing outlandish' idea, but I love it. Because we all know those big schemes never amount todiddly squat anyway. And there really ARE plenty of good ideas out there. Adapting the best of them with care and commitment sounds like a hell of agood plan to me."

Amen. I hope that those of you out there thinking about supporting DeSantis see the potential benefits to having a person in office with not only the business, technology, and entrepreneurial acumen, but the common sense to acknowledge that being a leader of a city is about performing a public service, a service in which you must shape the policies and make the critical decisions to move the city forward in the right direction. As Mark and I both agreed, the city has been standing still for far too long. We are overdue for some real action and real results.

I gave Ravenstahl a chance...........

Back in the 2005 mayoral primary I did not vote for the winner, Bob O'Connor. I felt bad because Bob was such a nice guy - I remember him waving and holding a sign while he stood at a busy intersection in his neighborhood, Squirrel Hill, the week of the primary. While I did believe that O'Connor was better than the outgoing mayor, Tom Murphy, I didn't think he was enough of a change agent to get Pittsburgh to where we wanted to be.

Following his untimely death and the emergence of young Luke Ravenstahl, I watched closely as the 26 year old mayor stepped into Bob's shoes as Mayor of Pittsburgh. I remember seeing him on Letterman. I remember commenting, "Man, that Luke is all over the place, getting pictures here with this group, going to this event, flying to New York, wow." I also remember hearing about him talking to soon to be college graduates at CMU, trying to sell them on why they should stay in Pittsburgh. It seemed like he was doing and saying the right things.

And then the honeymoon was over. Ravenstahl's number one challenger, Bill Peduto, bowed out of the Democratic primary this past spring. That really ticked me off. As I have found out over the years, a handful of influential Democrats here in Pittsburgh dictate who's turn it was to get into office. Back in 2005 I asked if a prominent Democrat in my neighborhood "How about Michael Lamb? She replied "No, he hasn't paid his dues." "How about Bill Peduto? No, it is Bob's turn." I thought "How ridiculous. My vote won't even matter because they have already decided who is going to win. POINTLESS!"

So when Peduto dropped out, it seemed like Luke finally started to be himself. No challenger? Heck, I can skip work and stalk Tiger Woods. Women are pissed at me? Screw 'em, I'm going to go play some golf. It started to became clear that Luke cared more about getting his mug on billboards and magazine covers, and chasing around celebrities like Tiger Woods and Sienna Miller. Then, just like a bad manager trying to prove his toughness and leadership, he started making some ridiculous decisions, like one month ago when he forced the ten officials to resign and to then reapply to their jobs to prove they were qualified. Pretty ballsy for a mayor who wasn't even elected. And then of course he went and hired his former high school athletic trainer as his director of public affairs. I felt as everything he had said and done was just talk, an attempt to him to gain status and celebrity, and I begin to think that disaster was a lot closer than was the turning point here in Pittsburgh. I started to think Luke was a joke, a puppet, an immature guy in over his head who was given a free ride to another two years in office.

Don't get me wrong, we have made a lot of progress since I moved here back in 1996, but we are still too slow, in too much of a hole fiscally, and we are not really a leading city of anything. I know a lot of you, like me, want to here specifics from the DeSantis camp on how he plans to fix these things. I hope I can bring some details to you soon because I think that in the end, the issues are what matter here. If DeSantis wants to win more votes from Democrats and Independents, details need to be brought forth and he must beat Ravenstahl handily in the debates.

"Speak about a Pittsburgh that is better than anything we've known to date."

The Burgh Report asks "how many more trips will we have to endure?" after the Pittsburgh Tribune Review announced that a coalition from Pittsburgh that includes County Executive Dan Onorato, Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, and University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Mark Nordenburg were in Louisville today to once again study the Louisville city-country merger that took place back in 2003.

While I do not know the exact count of how many times our leaders have visited or have hosted Louisville to study the merger, I do know that this sounds like a broken record. Are we ever going to take action on this or do we keep going back to Louisville ever two years to see if that effort is still working effectively? Talk about being risk averse.

Do our officials have what it takes to guide the region through a change of this magnitude? Are they too suffering from what a lot of Pittsburghers have been diagnosed with - fear of change? Is it fear of change or fear of taking a chance and failing?

This story, and particularly that last question brings me to this Op-Ed piece written by Mark DeSantis back in January of 2005. In the Pittsburgh Post Gazette piece titled "Politics of reality is path to needed changes", Mark goes on to describe the psyche behind the fear of change here in Pittsburgh and how leaders or "agents of change" face an uphill battle when it comes to big changes in this region. Mark learned this firsthand from the time when he led a group known should as Citizens for Democratic Reform in an attempt to eliminate the county row offices. Although their early efforts to get the row offices eliminated were thwarted, their work was rewarded when row houses were consolidated years latter.

Instead of trying to ram change down our throats with "empty political rhetoric", Mark suggested to "Speak about a Pittsburgh that is better than anything we've known to date" and to set goals for having " a local government that sets a new national standard for quality and performance." I think Mark was spot on with his analysis of the change averse culture here in Pittsburgh. There are some people here who are going to fight tooth and nail here against any sort of change. There are others, like myself and many of the local bloggers out there, who embrace change. The third group, Mark stated, is the one that agents of change need to focus on - those who are fearful of change but would listen to your vision if you could present them with a tangible reality.

Hearing that the county merger studies being revisited today made me think...... no wonder people here pay little attention to local politics. Politics here seem to be about talk and what-if's. We need action. As Mark said in the Op-Ed published over two and a half years ago, "Yes, let's look at and borrow from Louisville, Ky.; Minneapolis; and Turin, Italy, or wherever. But for crying out loud, lets get on with it."

DeSantis campaign team adds some muscle

Team DeSantis is already leaps and bounds ahead of past GOP candidates as the team announced it has added an experienced political consultant, press secretary, and a campaign scheduler. This is great news. I hope that those who have written this mayoral race off as a sure win for Ravenstahl take the time to reconsider - DeSantis and team are going to put up a fight!

What can you and I do to help Mark DeSantis in his bid for Mayor of Pittsburgh? You could always donate to the DeSantis campaign. Campaign contributions are essential to win an election like this one, but if you are like me and want to do more than contribute money please sign up to volunteer. You should receive an email from a member of the team soon after you register.

Lunch with Mark DeSantis

The other day I had the pleasure of meeting Mark DeSantis for the first time over lunch on Pittsburgh's Southside. Also joining us was fellow blogger Mike Madison of Pittsblog, the first local blog I started following, way back in 2004. Mark is a very busy guy these days and we were fortunate he took some time to leave his office at Mobile Fusion to speak to us. The first thing I noticed about Mark - his passion for the city of Pittsburgh is real. I wish I had a notepad or tape recorder for the interesting discussion Mark and Mike had on the region and its politics. Mike always seems to have some interesting ideas for the region up his sleeves and this time was no different.

The bottom line coming out of this meeting was this - Pittsburgh's political leadership is stale. Each Democratic mayor promises the same things - more efficient government, better economic development, and fiscal discipline. That hasn't happened over the past three mayorships and although there has been progress on some issues it seems like the Ravenstahl administration is heading down a path where it will join it's predecessors in leaving more debt, more crumbling infrastructure, and a declining tax base in it's wake.

Mark came across as a guy who is fed up, just like a lot of us out there, and he felt that he had an obligation to do something to save the city he loves so dearly. We didn't have enough time to dive into specifics but it was clear that Mark has the leadership to turn things around here in Pittsburgh. I hope to interview him soon for my blog "Green is Good", my goal is to get you the scoop on how Mark envisions Pittsburgh as a center for clean tech. Stay tuned.

Who am I and why am I voting for a Republican candidate?

Although I am registered Democrat in the city of Pittsburgh I view myself as being more of an independent when it comes to voting. As far as my ideology, on the economic and fiscal issues I almost always find myself siding with conservatives, while I find myself more of a liberal on social issues and issues such as the environment (see my blog "Green is Good"). So what does this make me? I've been called a Rockefeller Republican, a Dixiecrat, and yes, a flip flopper, but if I can tell you one thing about where I stand it is this: if you stand for doing the right thing and making the difficult decisions required of a true leader then I could care less which letter is next to your name.

The city of Pittsburgh has been ruled by one party for way too long. As those of you have seen here in the city and also at the national level - when one party is in power for too long things go to shit, to put it bluntly. It is time that politics and government here in the city become more about ideas and leadership rather than party affiliation.

Who is Mark DeSantis?

After hearing about Republican Mark DeSantis's entrance in the city of Pittsburgh Mayoral race I checked out his background and was intrigued by his experience working for the Senator John Heinz and George HW Bush administrations. I was also intrigued by Mark's experience in technology consulting and entrepreneurship. Not many politicians these days have the real world experience in both politics and business that I think is essential for a politician to truly relate to his or her constituents.

Anyways, having a tech and entrepreneurial background myself I felt I had somewhat of a connection with DeSantis. A couple weeks back I checked out Mark's campaign kickoff speech and I couldn't help but notice the passion and enthusiasm Mark has for the city of Pittsburgh. It was evident that he was serious about running for Mayor and turning things around with tough leadership and reform of the city government. The speech will be posted on this blog soon so you can wait to check it out or click here for the video on KDKA's website.

Additionally, I heard Mark DeSantis on Ron Morris's American Entrepreneur radio show last weekend. Ron's interview gave us a bit of an inside look into Mark's professional and academic career, his family, his upbringing, and his plans for Pittsburgh. I was not surprised that Mark was much more articulate and more informed on the issues while he was on Ron's show than current Mayor Luke Ravenstahl was when he was on the show some time ago.

I urge you to check out the official Mark DeSantis for Mayor website and the videos and podcasts mentioned above so you can start learning more about this candidate for Mayor of Pittsburgh.