Nutty logic. Expert advice and rediculous rule.

Council Vice President Wayne Fontana, D-Brookline, has said he will resign after Tuesday's council meeting.

He's required to do so by county law in order to pursue a state Senate seat in a special May 17 election.

Mark Rauterkus, the Libertarian running against Fontana for the seat vacated by Auditor General Jack Wagner, wants an immediate resignation.

"Every minute of additional delay goes without an excuse and serves to break the trust with the people throughout the county," Rauterkus claimed. Fitzgerald disagreed.

"I think it's a ridiculous rule," Fitzgerald said, recalling other councilors who have had to quit, including Mike Crossey (running for state House), the Rev. James Simms (county controller) and Richard Olasz (West Mifflin council). Only Olasz was elected.

Fitzgerald wants Fontana, a real estate broker, to work with council after his resignation.

"We need his expertise, particularly in this assessment turmoil we're in again," the council president said. "I will ask him to be our expert when this committee meets in the future, and hope the chairman of the committee would utilize Wayne Fontana's expertise."

If Wayne is such a blasted expert, and he's been on council so long, why are we in an assessment turmoil again?

Meanwhile, Bob O'Connor said he'd be sure to put professional real estate people onto the URA Board. And, then he'd move them off the board to get new talent ever couple of years. But we have a this cancer called real estate speculation too. We don't need real estate people on the boards of authorities, we have them in the halls of government. We have them on County Council even -- and they are not resigning when they should.

We need real estate people doing real estate deals. Then we need governmental people doing good government. Then we need to not have the government do real estate deals. And, we don't need real estate people doing government.

We got some serious role issues here. They are all goofy.

I'm a person who knows what government should do and what it should NOT do. And, I'm one who wants to make Pittsburgh better for what it is and I'm not happy to try to turn Pittsburgh into something that it isn't.

We need to elect new regional leadership.