Friday, October 19, 2007

(OFFICIALLY ENDORSED) NOTES FROM A FRIDAY AFTERNOON

(OFFICIALLY ENDORSED) NOTES FROM A FRIDAY AFTERNOON First, the huge -- as in historic, as in unprecedented, as in unbelievably great -- news: The Pittsburgh Fraternal Order of Police today endorsed Mark DeSantis for Mayor. Not the incumbent Democrat who happens to be their boss, but the Republican challenger who, with each passing day, looks more and more like he could be their boss.

• And how's this for adding honest insult to mayoral injury? FOP Secretary Chuck Hanlon, noting that DeSantis has got clear, concise answers to how to fix the pension and how to fix the budget. He has business savvy. We see a lot of the same things in him that we saw in Bob O'Connor. Might be something worth mentioning the next time Master Ravenstahl wants to wrap himself in his predecessor's burial shroud.
In 2005, Joe Weinroth, R, attorney, candidate for mayor, got the endorsement of the FOP over Bob O'Connor.

The FOP gave Weinroth the endorsement and then didn't do anything.

Let's not re-write history.

Meanwhile, also in 2005, Mark DeSantis donated more money to Michael Lamb's race for mayor than he gave to Joe Weinroth.

Meanwhile, DeSantis, in 2007, is running without any other running mate. Ravenstahl has five city council candidates as running mates in 2007. Well, to be really honest, DeSantis could look to share a running mate status with the Republican who is running for Allegheny County Council At-Large. He is guy who was spreading around $10,000 checks to other political campaigns from the estate of a women who hardly voted.

Which brings us to the 'Reform Party' candidate, David Tessitor. David will have a big week soon. He launched a transit plan this week. Next week he'll be in the Post-Gazette endorsement meeting on Wednesday at 2 pm. That should be a wild meeting.

Update: Speaking of Joe Weinroth, he was a guest on the Friday night show -- Nightalk. It was a round-table discussion on everything political under the sun. Nothing of great importance on the show. Dan Deasey was on as a guest too.

7 comments:

Schultz said...

Did the FOP give Weinroth the endorsement? That's news to me.

"The last time a Pittsburgh union endorsed a Republican mayoral candidate was in September 2005 when the International Association of Fire Fighters Local No. 1 backed Joe Weinroth, an attorney from Squirrel Hill who lost the election to Bob O'Connor, a Democrat."

Anonymous said...

You're the one getting carried away, Mark. With false information.

The FOP didn't give Weinroth the endorsement. They gave it to O'Connor. Weinroth got the Firefighters' endorsement.

Meanwhile, the FOP has never, not once in the last seventy years, failed to give its endorsement to the encumbent. That makes this historic. And unprecedented.

Without getting even the least bit carried away.

Anonymous said...

That episode of Night Talk was old.

Mark Rauterkus said...

Bob O'Connor wasn't the incumbent when he won the mayor's race in 2005.

Anonymous said...

No one said he was, Mark.

Are you paying any attention at all?

You said Weinroth got the FOP endorsement. I said he didn't. You know, because he didn't.

(Still waiting for a correction on that one, by the way. Any time now...)

I also noted that the FOP historically gives its endorsement to the incumbent. You know, when there is one.

So once more, Mark: let's pay attention. Let's not carried away. And let's not keep trying to save face when we -- by which I mean you -- are wrong.

Thomas Leturgey said...

You know, I might be the one who mistakenly gave Mark wrong information.

I originally thought it was the FOP that endorsed Weinroth, then later realized I was wrong.

It still doesn't mean anything for DeSantis to get the endorsement. If they provide DeSantis with a big check and stand at polling places on the 6th, I'll stand corrected.

Mark Rauterkus said...

I've got some calls out as to the 2005 endorsement of the FOP. I'm looking for and waiting upon hard proof that the FOP did endorse O'Connor in 2005.

I will eat my words if Tom was wrong. :) I may be proven wrong too. As for now, I'm not sure.

Tom and I talked on the phone last evening.

Hang in there. I'm paying attention -- to everything.