Ravenstahl Could Lock Up Potential "Interesting" Race With Strong Post-Flood Showing

Let’s be honest. Interim Mayor Luke Ravenstahl doesn’t have much to worry about when it comes to the November election. Mark DeSantis, the Republican who should have a decent showing if he had any kind of money, is really the Republican’s best chance in years (by the way, it doesn’t matter if the Socialist gets on any TV debates, I have more of a chance than winning than he does, and I’m not on the ballot).

DeSantis’ only hope for a respectable showing now rests on how the Interim Mayor responds to the flooding and weather situation (which may or may not include a tornado in downtown Pittsburgh).

So far, Ravenstahl has looked good and done what he needs to do. There was a significant population in the community that was put off by his sometimes childish antics. Everyone knows the story about him golfing in a celebrity tournament when a controversial action was taking place downtown. There was the attempt to get in Tiger Woods’ face during the U.S. Open that was taking place in suburban Pittsburgh, presumably for a picture to put on his office wall, or perhaps a billboard.

Ravenstahl says he declared a state of an emergency for the city. County Executive Dan Onorato did the same for the county. There’s damage to the Carnegie Science Center and a building the Uptown community. Specifically a minority-run barbershop partially collapsed.

Now if Luke can put on a good “leadership” face and make people believe he’s more than a political puppet, albeit a very young and conceivably an immature one at that, this could be a landslide victory of "mandate" proportions.

This election will have more to say about our next 12-20 years in this city than any since I’ve lived here (I still am convenienced that if Luke wins, it's his until he decides to give it up). You can line up all the Costas, Wagners and Murphys you want; if Luke looks good after the flood, he's in until the Pirates are competitive again.

Thankfully, our last "made" Mayor Tom Murphy is gone and disappeared into the vapors. Who even knows if he lives here anymore, there’s never any word on the street about the former “leader?”

Here comes the rain again. It most assuredly could wash away any hopes of an interesting mayoral race.