Mayor Ravenstahl Q-and-A On The New York Trip

The Busman's Holiday: Mayor Ravenstahl Q-and-A On The New York Trip Nothing that I did cost the city taxpayers a dime.

To bad the Pens deal didn't cost the taxpayers a dime. The deal cost the taxpayers, even those in the city, as we are taxpayers for the state as well, much, much more.

The cost of the trip come in matters that are off the financial charts. The cost are going to be against Luke Ravenstahl. Luke will pay. Luke will be poorer. He didn't spend money, he zapped himself in terms of political capital and goodwill.

Once you are on the low-road, it is very hard, if not impossible, to take the high road again.

Luke said, "... The trip was appropriate." Okay. But, the answer to the trip when asked was not appropriate.

Luke said, "I wish I would have just volunteered the information. But understand. You know. I have a job to do. You folks (journalists) have a job to do. I have to protect, sometimes, private conversations which took place. Had this been city business, it's something that I would have volunteered when the question was asked. It wasn't asked that way. So, in hindsight, certainly I do wish I had the opportunity to just tell the story right then and there, but it didn't work out that way.

Oh my... It didn't work out that way because Luke didn't do it that way.

But the job he has to do has little if anything to do with the protection of private conversations. That is a miss-placed priority.

Furthermore, the deal with the Penguins was city business. And, when that city business was being talked about, Luke was silent. Dan Onorato was silent. The chose to avoid the media with city business. They felt that was the best way to proceed. They (Luke and Dan) don't volunteer info on questions of city business when asked.