Nine file for vacant council seat Libertarian Mark Rauterkus, 46, has run for mayor and state Senate. The Flats resident and swimming coach said he'd be 'the person on City Council in charge of youth policy and recreation.'Nine is a good number. It is a number that means "long life" in China. And, since this is now the year of the dog, it is fitting to say that every dog has its day in the sun.
He'd fight against rolling local tax dollars into $18 million in aid for the proposed new PNC Financial Services Group tower Downtown. He wants land to be taxed at a higher rate than buildings.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Nine file for vacant council seat
We could have our own baseball team. There are nine of us in the race, as of last night and today.
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Nine file for vacant council seat
By Rich Lord, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Nine candidates filed papers yesterday to run for Pittsburgh City Council in a March 14 special election in District 3, covering the South Side, some South Hills neighborhoods and Oakland.
The seat was long held by Gene Ricciardi, who resigned to take a district judgeship.
The Democratic Party nominee is Jeffrey S. Koch, 43, of Arlington, an acting foreman with the Public Works Department and a private landscaping contractor.
"My 25 years with the city has enabled me to be in all the neighborhoods on a weekly basis," he said. He'd seek state or slot casino revenue and fund more undercover police and better enforcement of litter and graffiti laws.
In special elections, party committees pick the nominees and others can run as independents. Three candidates spurned by the Democratic committee are running anyway.
"I am 100 percent committed, supported and funded," said Bruce Krane, 58, a South Side Flats resident and owner of Pittsburgh Staffing.
He said he wants the city to competitively bid legal, engineering and architectural services contracts, which are awarded by more subjective processes. He would push for term limits for city officials.
Bruce A. Kraus, 52, also of the Flats, will run as an independent, emphasizing his business background and commitment to community service.
Owner of a design and construction business and president of the South Side Chamber of Commerce, he has served on city panels tackling graffiti and trash problems. He'd focus on improving building code enforcement and making landlords responsible for their tenants' behavior.
Eileen Conroy of Oakland, a former district judge who lost her seat to Mr. Ricciardi, filed to run but could not be reached for comment.
Republican Neal Andrus, 30, of Arlington, worked in Citiparks for seven years. He said he's "seen the way the city runs, I think very inefficiently."
Now he's a fund-raiser. He'd fight to keep the police station on the South Side and support city-Allegheny County cooperation.
Libertarian Mark Rauterkus, 46, has run for mayor and state Senate. The Flats resident and swimming coach said he'd be "the person on City Council in charge of youth policy and recreation."
He'd fight against rolling local tax dollars into $18 million in aid for the proposed new PNC Financial Services Group tower Downtown. He wants land to be taxed at a higher rate than buildings.
Jason Phillips, a 24-year-old Flats resident and University of Pittsburgh political science student, said he's "one of those people that people talk about trying to attract" to the city.
Running as the Green Party candidate, the former Democrat would put more police on foot and bike patrol, try to minimize future borrowing and rein in overtime expenses.
Independent Matthew Bartus, 50, of Carrick, is a painter for the city's General Services Department. He'd like to reduce council to five members and get nonprofit organizations to contribute more to the city.
Independent candidate Michael Waligorski of the Flats could not be reached for comment.
(Rich Lord can be reached at rlord@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1542.)
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