Statement before City Council -- The Over Reaching Hurts

Notes from a talk delivered on January 25.

My name is Mark Rauterkus, My family and I reside at 108 South 12th Street, South Side. I'm a candidate for the now open seat for City Council in district 3. Today I'll turn in my papers to get onto the ballot.

I'm hosting a community concert on Feb 2 with singer and songwriter Johnsmith. He sings a song, "Don't Put Me In a Box" that is on the campaign CD. I hope everyone gets the opportunity to listen to this CD in the weeks to come. It has music and messages that I feel are important for Pittsburgh to flourish.

Today's message is about over-reaching.

As a coach, I understand that there are various roles in a team. The blocking back can't go into the Steelers huddle and always say, "give me the ball." But with a swimmer, I know that a backstroke in the middle of the pull can't over reach. There is a time and place for everything and we can't over-reach in the wrong areas.

I feel that the resolution from council that talks about the US Senate confirmation for the Supreme Court is wrong. On the other hand, I think it is great that Jim Ferlo organized the citizens to take out a full page ad in the recent City Paper to petition President Bush about our loss of privacy and personal freedoms. I didn't sign that petition, but many Libertarians did. Each individual could make the decision.

As individuals on council, I welcome your involvement in many issues that impact our community. As a body, I don't like those statements about foreign policy and areas that are an over-reach.

My planks within the Platform.For-Pgh.org are on the web on this topic and are handed to the Clerk for the record.

One week ago, another candidate in the race came to this podium and asked you to not meddle in the race. To have a hands off approach to the district. And, in effect, "Neb out."

I can't agree. That is wrong. I want your engagement in the race I'm waging for city council.

I am the type of person who has engaged in other races around town. I was at the kick off to Tonya Payne's campaign. I know many of council's past opponents to sitting councilmemebers from other parts of town, such as Mitch Kates and Renee who is now working at the Pgh Business Times. Bill Peduto spoke at an event I helped to organize, and his speech is on tape, before he was elected to council. I've heard Joe King speak to Brighton Heights neighbors, while in Brighton Heights.

I've been around town. And, this is an asset because when I get onto council I would like to be the chair of the committee that deals with youth policy and Citiparks. In that capacity, I'll care and do the administrative heavy lifting for kids all around the city -- not just in my own district.

I don't expect any of you on city council, (all are Democrats), to make a $200 campaign donation to my campaign. But I'd welcome it. However, each of you will benefit if I was to arrive to city council.

I play well with others in respectful ways. I will challenge some status quo concepts and be forceful in my beliefs as I communicate, teach and live with the results of the majority.

I know that the Paulson Rec Center has a new computer lab. That system is built so as to support other labs around town in other rec centers. Those need to be built right away.

I know that we can't and should not re-open all the 32 outdoor swim pools that had been closed. And I understand how we can re-launch the Pittsburgh Marathon, but not cause so much gridlock for the entire city. I want a prudent marathon, perhaps in an out-and-back course on a bus way that needs far less police overtime.

Listen to the CDs I gave to each of you last week. Engage, where you should, as individuals.

The campaign I'm in has already seen its share of goofy statements from the uninformed, yet well meaning. We heard one opponent's idea of moving the Zone 3 police station to Mt. Oliver. Go figure. It is outside of the district and the city. Another front runner assumes the entire internet is "non-profit" so getting the jobs from Google with an office here isn't with many real benefits. Your presence and open-minded attitude at these community meetings would be welcomed.

Thinking Again isn't within the Penguin's Capacity, Brainpower, or Freedom

It is do or die with the Penguins as they have lost the capacity to think again. That stinks. It stinks like a last place team in a league that didn't play at all last year. It stinks like a team in a league where fights on the ice are common -- but fights with ideas in the public realm are off the table.

Mario is now retired from the on-ice action of the NHL. He didn't hang up his skates. He won't get into another professional game, but he is still in the mix as owner and champion.

We need Mario and the Penguins to think again. We need everyone in this setting to have the capacity to think again. If they won't -- we need to demand it of them, repeatedly.

We can't let anyone just fall to the margins of life as we don't have anyone or anything to waste. We need all hands on deck. We need everyone to do a part. Sitting on your brains and limited our options isn't okay with me.

If the contract with Isle of Capri cuts off your freedom to think -- shame on you. Wake up. Think again.

Gig em. Is the opponent of my opponent my friend?

The 12th Man at A&M is telling the Seahawks to bug off its name turf. Go Aggies Go. Gig'em!

Pep Rally proves our FLOW stinks

The Friday night pep rally was a hoot!

Telling, a car-load of people left Washington, PA, and it took them 2-hours-and-thirty minutes to get to the North Shore. East Carson Street near Station Square was a five-light pass-through, as I had first person knowledge.

Our ability to handle a flow of people is horrid.

Flow is one of the four points of my campaign framework.

I'm not going to expect much better given the fact that the city fired its lone traffic engineer as it was shutting down the recreation centers and swim pools.

We need an aggressive approach to dealing with the basics. The basics need to be at the top of our priority list. Transportation is a serious issue and it has serious trouble spots.

Reopen West End station, residents urge - PittsburghLIVE.com

Zone 3, Zone 4, and police stations in general have been the topic of many discussions.

I wanted to attend this meeting mentioned in the article. We had a candidate conflict that same night. I did talk to a half-dozen people before and after that meeting to get the scoop. And, I talked to a few in the media as well.

Reopen West End station, residents urge - PittsburghLIVE.com: ".

'If you can't fill it properly, just leave it alone. Leave it closed, and we'll join our friends in the suburbs,' Norene Beatty, president of the West End Elliott Citizens Council, told Woodyard.

District 2 Councilman Dan Deasy, who represents the area, said officials also are discussing opening a mini-station or substation in the West End or moving the South Side station into the more accessible West End.

Although some in the audience said the idea makes sense, others said they don't want to shift their problems to another part of town.

'We're not here to pit neighborhood against neighborhood. We are not here to close Zone 3,' Romaniello said."

When a certain person in the race said he was fighting "vo-sif-er-os-ly" for the Zone 3 police station, I was joining the struggle with our neighbors to the west to save zone 4's police station. Imagine that.

There were not many from the South Side fighting for Zone 4 nor to de-rail the WEHAV program. I did my part. And, for payback, of sorts, is the great talk we hear from citizens there now. They want a full service station and they don't want to take the other station, such as zone 3's station.

Those are big words and big concepts. And, the idea of moving out is not an empty promise either.

Recap of my stances: Re-open the Zone 4 station. Move the Zone 3 police station to a part of the now closed South Vo Tech High School. Move the EMS back to the South Side after the Police are able to relocate. Perhaps, due to the size of the pending move from Schenley High School into South Vo Tech for one year, it might make sense to make some of these moves, other than a re-opening of Zone 4, in stages over a few years. There is no HUGE rush. Rushing into decisions is costly with overtime. And, if we didn't spend large amounts of money on silly development projects that don't really work, we'd have plenty of money left over for the basics, such as police, roads and recreation.

Main Page - PoliticWiki

A political wiki project as a research project is now finished. I was watching this with one eye. The study might have some merits. Time will tell. But, I'm more interested in real world interactions and results. The organizer of the site and study was not able to influence the discussion because of his role as researcher. In a couple of weeks he'll jump in as a participant. Then the action really begins.

The wiki is a neat tool. But, with a few upgrades, it would be astonishing. But, like most things in life, the technology isn't the clincher. Rather, the content is still what makes or breaks a project. The expression is, "content is king." Main Page - PoliticWiki: "THANK YOU!!! The PoliticWiki study has now concluded"

Democrats to choose City Council nominee - PittsburghLIVE.com

Today's ink in the Trib.

Democrats to choose City Council nominee - PittsburghLIVE.com Political activist Mark Rauterkus, of the South Side, is running as a Libertarian.

The news behind the news is that Ed Jacob is out, as I had assumed since Thursday when he was a no-show at the candidate event.

I am sure that there are two others in the race as recently switched former Ds.

The other buzz centers upon what Ds are going to do once they do not get the nomination. Both Jeff Kock and Pat Sweeney said that they'd pull out of the race if they don't get the endorsement from the closed secret ballot old-party choice. Krane is in regardless, so he says.

The ones who don't get the endorsement are going to need to get their signatures on their nomination papers on Monday, the day the papers are due.

Popularity of wireless ear pieces lessening the stigma of hearing aids

My wife got some ink in the P-G this week.

Popularity of wireless ear pieces lessening the stigma of hearing aids 'We have not seen a big change so far,' said Dr. Catherine Palmer, director of audiology at the Eye & Ear Institute at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. But she's optimistic that the growing popularity of ear pieces will help people with hearing losses be less reticent to use hearing aids.

Recent family snapshot

Our family. Erik and Grant both attend Pgh Public School's Phillips Elementary. Next year Erik goes to Frick for Middle School, in Oakland. In due time, we hope, Erik would go to Schenley.

Brian McKain and I at a school event.

Brian and I. Brian is part of the committee and offers plenty of advice.

New T-shirt design

Can anyone do better? Front of the T-shirt is to look like this:

---

Back of T-shirt is to look like this.

Another candidate forum - in Allentown - part 1

We had another candiate forum, this was in Allentown. One of the other candidates didn't show. Perhaps he has pulled out of the race. He is a D and might not want to give up the $250 to the party.

I've got a lot of notes. But, here is just a bit to get started.

All in all, the night was filled with a small audience and typical remarks from the others in the race. They seemed to avoid the big show stoppers. For example, none had the wild idea to close the Pitsburgh Zone 3 Police Station and move it to Mt. Oliver. However, the Mayor of Mt. Oliver was in the audience. Candidate Bruce Kraus had that gosh darn dosie of an idea at our previous meeting.

One of the other candidates told me, and another on the street since then said much of the same thing, the meeting on Wednesday night, open only to Democrats, was a yawn without the presence of both the Green kid and myself. We are already on the ballot and it seems, we bring more spunk to the meetings too.

In my closing remarks, I did pick upon three statements from other candidates that didn't fit well with me.

The distinctions that I bring to the office, over the others start with a real reform agenda that has been thought about and published with the Platform.For-Pgh.org. I've got a willingness to tackle the bg problems with the massive over-spending on hair-brained projects, such as the tunnel under the river to extend light-rail to the stadiums. The school district's right-sized plan is something I'm aware of and it is a major issue for the overall health of the community. Put me on the front lines of those types of battles, where the others are unaware or choose to be absent.

Besides an eagernes to tackle the big problems, I want to be the one to tackle the smallest problems too. I want to worry about the babies. I have been a stay-at-home dad and know that having a child is often a great life-changing experience. My children should be able to grow and thrive in Pittsburgh, and I run for office to help them and their buddies. I want to be the memeber of city council who is able to chair the committee devoted to Youth Policy and Citiparks.

Now, to the distinctions in what we say and how we think.

Pat Sweeney, D, said Pittsburgh needs a better deal from Harrisburg. He is driven by envy. Philly got something that Pittsburgh didn't. He wants to go lobby Harrisburg. That's not my driving motivation. I want to be self-reliant.

Bruce Kraus said that we have such diversity in the district that one size does not fit all in terms of getting or giving help from a councilmember. He claims to have traveled around this district, 1/9th the size of the city. He says he listens to the needs of everyone.

I say, "Nuts to that mentality." I say, "One size does fit all." Kraus has missed the boat in terms of any assessment of what the community needs. We have something called the Constitution. I think it fits EVERYONE quite well. We have a cloak of freedom that should be able to wash and wear from old to young and tall to stout. Jefferson, Franklin and the founding fathers had this "American way" concept understood -- and it should fit us with idealistic simplicity. You don't NEED to know all the micro needs of each demographic group if you have a rooted framework of the constitution and real freedom.

I agree with Sweeney, who I just ripped above, in that we should NOT have a legal system that is one way for the poor and another way for the rich. So, that's one size fits all. Right on Sweeney. Wrong way Kraus. Kraus doesn't want one-size fits all as he wants everyone to put their needs on his plate.

I don't want Kraus to touch my needs. Kraus wants to be a hands-on, people person -- and that's the last thing Pittsburgh needs now. Enough is enough.

Kraus might have made a decent candidate before this financial crisis hit Pittsburgh. Perhaps he would have been good as people were out of work after the mills closed in the mid 80s. People like Krause who are more worried about cake and ice cream for seniors have killed this city. They are not able to fix it with more handouts. The needs exceed the system's capacity to keep on giving. Krause will be full of empty promises and has no clue on how to fix the mess they've created here.

Then Bruce Krane comes to say he wants to have a bigger view on the job and realize that Pittsburgh is a hub of the wheel. Then he cries about the extra burden of the nonprofits. He whines that we've not gotten our fair share of taxes. He wants to talk about the big problem -- but he doesn't really talk about anything big. Its like the big problem is this big wheel and this big hub and we've got these spokes of big envy and big miss-management that can all be fixed by watching a little more cable access TV.

Come and join us on Monday night at 7 pm at City Theater for the next go-around. After that event, I'll host the RUNNING MATES for tea at the office for a de-brief. A podcast might be in our future too.

By Monday night we'll have a better handle on who is going to stay in the race and who is going to call it quits too. Krane said he'll stay in for the duration even after he doesn't get the endorsement from the Ds. So, if he can bring his big wheel to the race, he might try to keep-on-rolling Proud Mary keep on rolling for the next 6 to 8 weeks.

I do want to tackle the big issues of our time and our place.

(This rant is editied slightly since last night's blog posting.)

Candidate forum in Allentown - part 2

At the candidate forum, a question came to all the candidates about the closing of the Knoxville school.

Knoxville Middle School is slated to close under the "right-sizing plan" of Mark Roosevelt, new superintendent of Pgh Public Schools. Knoxville should NOT close. But, to say otherwise is to just dream on.

I went to the Pgh Public School board meetings in the past months and have showed a lot of interest in this serious issue. The others in the race have been absent. Education has many elements that are important to our city's future. Many of our citizens move out of the city because of the schools. The school budget is larger than that of city government. The school taxes are larger than city taxes.

The school board is not off the hook for the tax breaks to corporations either. Just the day before, the school board approved the tax break for PNC Plaza, a downtown building. That project gets a $18-million TIF (tax break). That is wrong as it takes money from the school programs and gives it to PNC, the biggest bank in the state. And, PNC already got a $30-million grant from PA. (More of our money too.)

And, at the same time, the Pgh School Board approved the TIF for Second Avenue. The miss-managed city leaders want to put up new parking garages on Second Ave business park -- and ignore the established neighborhoods.

These two TIFs were not reported in the newspaper. People have to know what's going on. The big projects drain a lot of money and then there isn't enough left over to pay for crossing guards, rehab a school or pay for buses for high school students. We need to Lay The Shovel Down. But it is frustrating when they don't even see the hole that is being stepped into. Splat.

First, Knoxville is a nice school building. It is in a community that is on the edge. The building has a swim pool, great auditorium, a new playground. The performance of the students at Knoxville is about equal to the performance at the school they are headed to under the right-size plan. So, the kids get yanked from one school to another and there isn't really any upside to those kids. They are not going to go to an academy or get a 'better' opportunity.

But, the district needs to make some drastic changes, so the leaders feel. And, this is one such change.

Jake Wheatley, D, state rep, hosted a meeting at Knoxville with Mr. Roosevelt. I don't think Jake Wheatley really cares about the issues. I've called him six or more times. He is too busy to care about the kids and the students and the buildings to get back to me.

B-Pep is going some good things with a counter approach to the school. I've been to their meetings and have had behind the scenes conversations with them. I'd put more faith in B-Pep than anyone else, if I'm from the Knoxville area and wanted to raise my voice.

A-Plus Schools is a joke. Sorry to say, they are hopeless and not worth much in this struggle.

Rather, than asking for Knoxville to stay open, I'd suggest that the school become the new CAPA Middle School Magnet for the Performing Arts. Rodgers is moving from its present location in the far east end. Rodgers should move into the Knoxville Middle School.

If we are going to turn around our city, we need to do it with plenty of attention to education. The schools matter greatly. How we treat our kids matters greatly. But we can't be just keeping all the schools open just for the heck of it either.

I talked about some other problems and challenges to the right sized plan from the podium. I ranted about some of them on this blog the other day.

The Pgh Public School Board Building in Oakland should be sold. The administration office should then move to Langley High School. The administration offices in Connelley should be moved to Langley High School as well. Meanwhile, Langley High School students and teachers should be relocated to Greenway Middle School.

Greenway has ball fields. Greenway has a much better swim pool. Greenway is closer to those on the South Side too. Greenway is easy to get to from buses, both upper and lower. Greenway is okay to walk to if you are a high school student, but not so good for the younger ones.

A K-8 school should re-open in Chartiers. The building has been through an extensive re-do. That would be a great place.

Schenley High School should stay, with a one-year move to allow for a modest re-do. The students at Schenley could move to South Vo Tech, right near me, and Connelley if necessary.

If Schenley can't fit in South Vo Tech for one year, then the school should not have any freshmen in the year that it moves to the other alternative location. That class won't exist.

The rehab of Schenley, modest rehab, can be done in one year without the students there. Carrick had a major re-do, and the students where there throughout. The costs can be lower to have the work done without the students present.

We need to take South Vo Tech off of the for-sale list ASAP.

After Schenley re-opens, South Vo Tech should get its facelift. Then Phillips School can turn into a Pre-school and K. And South can turn into a K-8 school.

If there is a possibility of thousands of new residents at Station Square with the new developments -- a new urban development no less -- then we need a school for these folks to walk to with their kids. And, the new urban teachers and parents might like to send their kids to Knoxville too -- as a performing arts school as well. That is just up the hill from the new development (proposed).

Somebody needs a big view. I might as well start yapping about it as I don't see the tinkering from the Pgh Public School administators as I had hoped and written about months ago.

Panel says let County Council members stay while running

Panel says let County Council members stay while running Allegheny County Council members shouldn't have to resign from their seats if they run for higher office.

WRONG!

This gets my blood to a boil rather quickly.
The charter, now in its sixth year of existence, instructs council members to step down before becoming candidates for other offices, and the review commission's members have already agreed that voters should be given a chance to do away with that provision.

Voters already had TWO chances to do away with the provision. Both times, the voters said that they like this law in the county charter. The politicians don't like the law. But, the voters like it. I like it too.

"It doesn't serve any good government purpose," Don Linzer, commission chairman, said before yesterday's public meeting.

Who is Don Linzer?

This provision has many great reasons for being. It should continue because county council should not be a stepping stone to other offices. It should continue because county council was never meant to be a full-time job. It should continue because when one runs for other office, while being on county council, then the work of the people can't get done as it should. It should continue because we've had enough with corruption around here. It should continue because it is less drastic than term limits. It should continue because great candidates don't want to run against machine politicians for races and we get poorer, tainted, representation in other offices upstream. This law forces a more even election among citizen contestants.


The commission's final report, which will address a wide range of issues, won't be completed until mid-February. They might need to think again.

At least four, not as many as four of council's 15 members may run for seats in the state Legislature this year. While they won't benefit from a change to the charter -- they will all ignore what the charter says and run as candidates and not resign. They'll all hold out and trash the law. They'll all kick off their campaign with a big fat cloud over their races. I hope to be proven wrong. An ethical candidate for another office would resign from council as soon as he or she starts to raise money for another office.

Fitzgerald said: "To me, it's a no-brainer," he said. "It stabilizes the institution." NO WAY. Fitzgerald wants stability for the politician. Fitzgerald wants to greese the pipeline from one office to the next. This measure is not about stability. This is about reversing the flow and putting it into a favorable direction for the people.

When a council member steps down, remaining members must appoint someone to fill that seat until the next election. That, Mr. Fitzgerald argues, temporarily disenfranchises the voters. The disenfranchised part comes because the member of council makes it so. If you are going to run for state office -- don't get elected to county council. If you want to run for county council, stay until your term is finished. If you want to QUIT your elected post -- you just screwed the voters.

If a person quits before his or her term is finished, then that term should NOT be filled until the next election. Then a special election can occur. The appointment of a member by the others on council is another slap in the face to our democracy. The other members of council -- who don't live in that area of the county -- get to make a decision for the residents that should not be theirs to make.

You don't need a warm body to fill the seat. There is no real constituent services that is being done by such a part-time person without staffing and without a budget.

Fitzgerald argues that state legislators insisted on including the provision in the county's charter to make it harder for council members to run against them. -- Ha, ha, ha. He's joking right? The state reps, some 10 of them who really care, are worth 10 votes. There were tens of thousands who voted for this element in the charter. The people have spoken on this issue -- not the state reps.

Fitzgerald -- we'll do better than an incumbency protection plan -- with a term limit then. The clean sweep can go to county council too if you whine such foolishness for your cronies.

Rich Nerone, Bill Robinson, Eileen Watt, and C.L. Jabbour all need to QUIT their seats on council NOW.

The charter is NOT vague at all. John Mascio, council's chief clerk, is being a kiss-butt if he thinks otherwise. It is clear -- but council members don't want clarity. They want a loophole. He thinks they don't have to leave their seats until the withdrawal deadline passes -- but he is making up fiction. The charter says when they are a candidate, not when the deadline passes.

The county solicitor's legal opinion is not needed when the charter is so clear. Common sense and 3rd graders can tell what's what and who's stroking who with this news and its coverage.

New audio page is on the Elect.Rauterkus.com site

You've got to visit this page.

http://Elect.Rauterkus.com/audio/index.html

Thanks for your feedback.

Halting the growth of state government -- letter sent

To: Representative Harry Readshaw
Irvis Office Building, Room 122
Harrisburg, PA 17120-2020

Dear Representative Readshaw,

The PA House of Representatives is now considering several bills that will cap spending and help to limit the growth of government.

Pennsylvania posted one of the highest rates of spending in the 1990s, but nonetheless ranks 45th in the nation when it comes to job growth and 47th in personal income growth.  Big government has certainly not led to economic prosperity in Pennsylvania!

HB 2082 is a sound proposal to begin to slow the growth of government in our state.  This bill offers good options to cap spending and keep taxes low for individuals and businesses.  I believe the House of Representatives needs to follow the Senate's example and pass this bill as soon as possible.

Government should grow no faster than the rate of inflation or the average change in personal income for Pennsylvania citizens for the previous three years.  Any budget surpluses should be returned to taxpayers in the form of tax cuts and placed in a rainy day fund.  If the rainy day fund exceeds 7.5 percent of the General Fund, then the entire surplus should go back to taxpayers.

I also ask that you support a constitutional version of HB 2082.  Two bills, SB 884 or HB 2067, will provide constitutional protections for taxpayers so that some future General Assembly cannot simply vote away spending limits.  I ask that you support either of these bills.

Please support HB 2082 and a constitutional version of this bill. They are vital for our state's future economic growth and prosperity.

Sincerely,

Running Mates -- who wants to go to Harrisburg

Here is a nice call to action from the league of young voters. I went to their meeting, for a bit, last night at the Union Project.

Protect Every Pennsylvanian's Right To Vote!
Come to Harrisburg on Feb. 1st and Voice Your Opposition to H.B. 1318

House Bill 1318 would require all Pennsylvanian's to present ID every time they vote instead of the current law which only requires this for first time voters.

This bill would disenfranchise an estimated 200,000 to 400,000 voters who do not have any ID including senior citizens and the poor.
If you forget your ID, your vote will not be counted until you present your ID to election officials.

The National Commission on Election Reform found that there is NO evidence that the fraud which voter ID REQUIREMENTS SEEK to address is even prevalent in the U.S.
House Bill 1318 if amended, would remove the right to vote from felons released from prison who are still on probation or parole.

Current Pennsylvania law allows individuals who have been convicted of felonies to vote while they are on probation or parole. In fact, in some states voting is considered such a basic American right that a person can not lose the right to vote even while in prison.

Disenfranchisement would affect thousands of Pennsylvanians and selectively impact African-American and Latino men.

Criminologists agree that the most successfully rehabilitated former prisoners are those who rekindle their sense of civic responsibility and become active, productive members of their community.

Join us in Harrisburg on February 1st and tell your Legislator to VOTE NO ON HB 1318!

Buses leave Wednesday 2/1/06 from: The Hill House, 1835 Centre Ave in the Hill District @ 5:30am & Allegheny County ACORN, 5907 Penn Ave. in East Liberty @ 6am

Buses return Wednesday 2/1/06 at 10pm

For more info contact: Western PA Voter Coalition (see comments for more info)

Schools and journalist and school newspapers

The Connecticut Post Online - News School journalism hits safety roadblock

Students' names removed for protection

GREG SHULAS gshulas@ctpost.com

Student journalist Peter Wiley finds it rewarding when he sees his byline atop articles he writes for The Advocate, the award-winning newspaper at Jonathan Law High School in Milford.

So when Wiley, the publication's editor in chief, learned that a school security policy forbids him from using his or any other student's full name on the newspaper's Web site, he was a little discouraged....

This is wrong.

Jonathan Law High School officials won't let student journalists use their full names on the school newspaper's website. J-prof Jerry Dunklee questions the policy, saying that identifying a reporter as simply "John S." could cause readers to make inaccurate assumptions about who has written a story. "This raises a whole series of questions. There should be no objection to a full byline on a story. In every school, there could be more than one John S. or Suzy Q. You don't know who to give credit to or to attribute responsibility."

We have some issues brewing with local school coverage too.

I endorse the concept of a monthly school newspaper, if not on a more regular basis, at every school (beyond the high school) with regular deadlines, budgets and printing contracts.

Too many of our schools don't have newspapers. The kids need to be able to be good writers of the news yet alone great consumers of news from many sources. And, the powers that be may want to see that the newspapers do NOT come out.

The School District's central administration should be able to establish a relationship with printers so as to take the electronic files of the newspapers and have them printed within a day or two, for every student, teacher, staffer, and community member around the school who wants a copy of the newspaper (paid mailing subscription of course, also via the central administration).

I'm on the ballot -- as papers have been turned into various offices

Today, I went to the Department of Elections and City Clerk's office to file the necessary papers to get onto the ballot on March 14, 2006.

Meeting on HIV with a school board member slated

HIV / AIDS is still a major health problem in the United States.

Fact: Minority Youth are one of the groups at highest risk.

Fact: Education is key to prevention.

So, what is the Pittsburgh Public School system doing to educate our minority youth population about HIV / AIDS?

Find out at the February Gertrude Stein Political Club of Greater Pittsburgh Meeting. Patrick Dowd and Thomas Sumpter, Pittsburgh Public School Board Members will be speaking.

The meeting is Thursday, February 9th at 7:00 p.m. at United Cerebral Palsy Association of Pittsburgh (4925 Centre Avenue).

For more information on the Gertrude Stein Political Club of Greater Pittsburgh visit our Web page at www.gertrudesteinclub.org.

Development taking flight near Pittsburgh International Airport

This is funny in light of my campaign theme song, "Lay the Shovel Down."

Did you get a copy of the CD? Get one. See me. Sponsor 100 and give them out yourself.

Development taking flight near Pittsburgh International Airport A simulated ground-breaking ceremony inside the Findlay Municipal Building -- they hauled in the dirt -- kicked off development of the 240-acre Clinton Commerce Park.

My statement before Pgh City Council @ No TIFs (again) and real help from PNC

My name is Mark Rauterkus. My family and I reside at 108 South 12th Street, South Side of Pittsburgh. I am a candidate for the now open seat for city council, district 3. That special election is slated for March 14, 2006.

Five years ago, I didn't like our great city's propensity of giving away large sums of land and money to corporations and non-profits. Mayor Murphy's economic plans were a sure-fire pathway to a large economic crisis.

Five years ago, I ran for Mayor. I said then, "NO TIFs." TIFs, as you all know, are Tax Incremental Fiance plans, corporate welfare, and tax breaks. The practice of TIFs should be abolished.

I said NO TIFs in 2000. I stand by the same statements today.

Last year, I ran for State Senate and a part of my plan was to change the law in Harrisburg to prohibit TIFs.

I've gone on the record with the county and the school district, speaking against the TIFs at places such as Deer Creek Crossing.

The PNC Plaza TIF should NOT be approved. I don't like TIFs because they do not work. Lazarus and Lord & Tayor are proof enough. We need to stop the bribes to get people to move or expand in the city.

We are on EMPTY. The city does not have the money.

A $30-million grant was aready given to PNC from the state. Harrisburg money is my money as well. Plus, local sources already built PNC Firstside a new T-stop and a new parking authority garage. They are under utilized. PNC knows how to play you like a fiddle.

I sing a different tune. I conduct my campaigns without money from gambling interests, developers who want to make speculations and engineering firms expecting kick-backs.

Presently, our school district is running into serious money troubles. Schenley High School -- a high performing school with a great mix of kids and academics -- is in an old building, laced with asbestos.

I'd rather take the $18 million and re-do Schenley High School -- now -- for our kids that are here. Don't rob from them.

The TIF takes money from some and gives it to others. Have everyone pay their fair share. Furthermore, TIFs hurt competition. Others won't want to move, build nor expand here because the playing field is not level. We need to cater to those who want to compete and perform. We need to be self-reliant.

If PNC wants to help the local landscape -- let's talk about Campaign Finance Reform.

Last week, my campaign issued a statement about campaign finance reform. I am interested in putting my campaign funds into a new type of TRANSPARENT PAC account. The financial institutions, such as PNC, are needed to establish this type of account so that everyone, using the internet, can see where and when public transactions are coming from and going to for races for public offices.

PNC, this is where you are needed.

Think Again! -- and again, and again! Like the song says.

The song says it well, Think Again. Now the research says it happens frequently.

Democrats and Republicans Both Adept at Ignoring Facts, Study Finds - Yahoo! News Democrats and Republicans alike are adept at making decisions without letting the facts get in the way, a new study shows.

And they get quite a rush from ignoring information that's contrary to their point of view.

Researchers asked staunch party members from both sides to evaluate information that threatened their preferred candidate prior to the 2004 Presidential election. The subjects' brains were monitored while they pondered.

The results were announced today.

'We did not see any increased activation of the parts of the brain normally engaged during reasoning,' said Drew Westen, director of clinical psychology at Emory University. 'What we saw instead was a network of emotion circuits lighting up, including circuits hypothesized to be involved in regulating emotion, and circuits known to be involved in resolving conflicts.'

Bias on both sides

The test subjects on both sides of the political aisle reached totally biased conclusions by ignoring information that could not rationally be discounted, Westen and his colleagues say.

Then, with their minds made up, brain activity ceased in the areas that deal with negative emotions such as disgust. But activity spiked in the circuits involved in reward, a response similar to what addicts experience when they get a fix, Westen explained.

The study points to a total lack of reason in political decision-making.

SI.com - NFL - Pa. student humiliated over Broncos jersey - Tuesday January 24, 2006 12:30AM

Let's talk about the Sports Illustrated jinx. We have a rule -- a darn good one too -- that you should not wear any clothing to school that has writting on it. I wish my kids did this always, but they don't. Oh well.

SI.com - NFL - Pa. student humiliated over Broncos jersey - Tuesday January 24, 2006 12:30AM Vannoy was wearing a No. 7 Broncos jersey on Friday, because he is a fan of John Elway, the Broncos' retired Hall of Fame quarterback.

Vannoy said he was so unnerved he left at least 20 questions blank on the 60-question test, and just wants out of Kelly's class because he's afraid the teacher won't treat him fairly now that the story reached the media.

In other news, there is now a push from a few to put a new uniform code into the schools. It calls for one day a week, Fridays, to be a "dress-up day" with good clothes. Not dress down, but dress up.

Democracy For America Training Academy Schedule

Democracy For America In 2004 Democracy For America, in partnership with Latinos For America and 21st Century Democrats, embarked on an ambitious goal to train thousands of grassroots activists for the upcoming elections.

An event is slated for Philly, another for Columbus, Ohio.

Final recap on the St. Clair event of last week

When I took the floor, I spoke after Bruce Krane. A question had just been raised from the audience to the prior speaker about the election specifics, being a Democrat, who could vote for whom and technical details. The answer from Krane included the mentions, "Do or die. One-shot deal. Game over."

I said, "My name is Mark Rauterkus and what was just said was wrong." I went right into the reply from Krane and how it was so at odds with what I stood for and with what the community was about.

This election on March 14, 2006, is to fill the un-expired term. Next year in the spring there will be another primary election where the one who holds the seat might not even get the endorsement of any party and could be a lame duck. Then in the general election that happens in the fall of 2007, that person could be packing.

The election this community faces on March 14, 2006, is for a short period of time. Game over my eye.

Furthermore, that attitude mentioned by Krane is just like the attitude that was often -- if not ALWAYS -- on display from our former Mayor, Tom Murphy. Tom Murphy thought he held all the chips. Murphy kept all the power and to hell with the rest of the people. It was Tom Murphy's boneheaded attitude that drove me to run for office starting in 2000 for the 2001 primary against him. He was bad for the City of Pittsburgh. His attitude was something we didn't need.

My heart fell to the floor when I heard another in the race start to spout the same B.S. -- stuff that I would have expected from Murphy.

I'm here for the long-haul, as are the good people of Pittsburgh who have weathered some serious storms in the past decades. I'm not going to go away -- and neither are they. Sure, one day we'll all be worm feed, but until then -- count me in as a foot soldier in the good fight and struggles for democracy, freedom and the less fortunate.

This city is too small to be so full of oneself to think that the others don't matter. We are a village and the nay-sayers matter. I'm a nay-sayer to what has gone on around here in the past. I'm a reform minded candidate who is unlike those others who have put the city into debt and oversight status.

I went on in the presentation, in just 3 minutes, to say why I ran for office in 2001 and 2005. We need to raise the discussions to talk about assessment buffering, the botched re-assessment process, the unified tax policy put forth by Bob O'Connor that tossed the baby out with the bathwater. Pittsburgh's legacy is about affordable housing, and that legacy is ending. We are not having a housing boom -- except in blight. We are seeing the effects of poor housing policies, poor taxes (like the deed-transfer tax), and poor management of available resources so as to over-spend, over-reach on foolishness.

I spoke about TIFs that night a bit too.

These times call for serious individuals to take a stand of serious duty.

---

Today I got to talk, already, with three of the other candidates in the race. While on Grant Street, I poked my head in to check out the ball and chain that is around the ankle of fellow candidate, public sector guy, Ed Jacob. He and I both worried about the lack of discussion on issues of subsidence. But our agreement ended there.

He is worried about the list of the 50 top wage earners in the city and how they are mostly firefighters and policemen. He has a little list of the names cut from the newspaper. The difference between what those 50 are getting paid contrasted to the amount that they should be getting paid ads up to what, exactly, I put to him.

I'll do a bit of the math for you Ed. If they (50 top wage earners in the city) all make $10,000 more than what they are worth -- that's $500,000 per year.

Frankly, I want a highly paid police force that is less vulnerable to corruption. Perhaps if the prison guards were making more they'd be far less inclinded to put the job on the line to push for tricks or drugs. But that is another matter.

Meanwhile, I'm worried about big issues, but of another category. How does the city pay PNC Plaza with a TIF for $18-million. Plus PNC got $30-million from Gov. Ed Rendell, D. That's our money too. I'm mad about that and none of the other candidates, hint to Ed, is talking about those outlandish give-a-ways.

The $30-million from Harrisburg is still my money. Coupled with the $18-million from city sources, I'll do the math for you, we get $48-million. That's 100-times greater than the pimple of a problem of paying top dollar for firefighters and police.

But Ed said that the $18-million was to be paid out over 30-years, so it isn't much of a big deal. First off, the TIFs are not that long. And, he didn't have a come-back as to the proportion of the momumental crisis that is being ignored by them.

We can't put people into public office now if they can't see the big picture. And, if you sit at a desk for 8 hours a day, plus go to community meetings from start to finish, you still might never see the big picture.

Ed told me that I would "not want to hear his analysis" about being a candidate for the special election in a heavy D area. He thinks only a D can win the council seat. He thinks that the D who wins the seat is going to be the the D who wins party endorsement. I counter and say I hear him fine. But, the race is going to be about tiny issues UNLESS I'm in the fray. The conversation is about envy and neighborhood power and buddy-loyalty in the D camp, and that's about the best the Ds can deliver. We can fix that conversation's tone and topic points, after some of the Ds break ranks and support others from outside the party, should the wrong folks get the party's backing.

So, who wants to talk about 'big-issues?' I had just been to city council to give a 3-minute talk on TIFs and the PNC Plaza. I would not support any TIF while on council. I'll post that testimony soon.

Coverage in the South Pgh Reporter about the event in St. Clair

The next speaker, Mr. Rauterkus, ran for mayor in 2001. While he wasn't elected, he said he learned a lot and fought a lot of good fights.
He opposes any corporate welfare, such as the proposed $18 million in tax increment financing, or TIF, for a PNC Financial Services Group tower in downtown Pittsburgh.
If elected, he would be fiscally prudent, accountable, and beholden to only one special interest group: residents.

The coverage is okay except one point, at the very end.

Bruce Kraus said he'd move the Zone 3 Police station to Mt. Oliver, outside of the city. This was mentioned in the blog the night it was mentioned. The newspaper didn't seem to report that stinker of an idea. OMG, I still can't even fathom that statement, yet alone the character in the race.

Point State Park makeover starts with utilities, irrigation

This makeover of Point State Park leaves a lot to be desired. I don't like it. It is NOT good enough. If fails any "WOW" test too. The mainstage is going away. Gone. They are going to plant trees in its place. So, there will be no place for a temporary stage as they imply.

The one's in power do not want to gather the citizens, unless they have luxery boxes and the citizens are put in stadiums with seat licenses. Even the school district calls off an important meeting at an important time, right before the vote on the Right-Sizing plan. They don't want US to gather. Wasn't there something in the past about the right to assemble and free assocation??? (snicker)

You can't assocate if you have to first erect a temporary stage.

The mainstage in Point State Park is the only location in the region that allows us to gather as a city and fit 100,000 people. The Steeler celebrations should be at The Point -- and not at my front door steps. The ticker-tape parade should be at The Point -- with close contact to the stadiums.

The front end of Point State Park is not an ideal place for a major gathering. The people won't fit. The whole experience of looking to the west at the fountain and the historic view down the Ohio will be diminished.

The mainstage also plays to Mt. Washington.

Point State Park has been a less than ideal opportunity. But, it has stayed a park for the people, the common, the masses. Next they want to make the park into something for the elite who never want to rub shoulders with the masses on the Fourth of July.

Point State Park makeover starts with utilities, irrigation What planners euphemistically refer to as Downtown Pittsburgh's green living room will get a new carpet and utilities this summer, preparing it for the decorators to perform an extreme makeover in future years.

Point State Park, a national historical site, will undergo a $4.5 million upgrade to install new electrical and water lines and permanent utility hookups for vendors to use during major events.

The project also will change the design and use of the four-acre front of the park, nearest Downtown; replace existing asphalt sidewalks with terrazzo and bluestone edges; and eliminate the main stage in the larger part of the park closer to the Point.

I've always had my issues with Point State Park. There isn't even a swing set there. It is nearly impossible to find a swing set anywhere downtown. That is an obvious example of what's missing.

Another age-old sticking point about Point State Park is the bike policy. I can't go there and teach my kid to ride a bike. The park can be empty -- but mount a bike and the police jump on you. They'd rather you toss red dye into the fountain than teach a city kid how to ride a bike inside of Point State Park.

In the end, it boils down to people who don't know what they're really doing in elected office. And, then you have these engineering firms who lead the politicians around by the nose.

Don't worry -- we'll have more 'green space' in Market Square, so said Bob O'Connor. I agree with Patricia L of the P-G. Market Square isn't broken. Many of the smaller, neighborhood parks are totally ignored. Upkeep is absent. So, greening Market Square isn't where I'd put the priorities.

PPS calls off meeting with key communicators -- tonight -- in height of disucussions on Right-Size efforts

The Key Communicators’ Meeting scheduled for tonight-January 24th- has been Cancelled. It will be rescheduled on Tuesday February 21st.

This is very bad news. We need more communications -- not less. We need more interactions in one-to-many settings -- not fewer. We need to be community -- not simply taxpayers.

I've put solid positions before the superintendent and the school board at both the November and December board meeting -- as well as via other channels. I've heard nothing back from them. None of them.

At a meeting last week, the PRINCIPAL of Schenley High School mentioned that one option for saving that high-performing school would be to vacate the present facility for one year -- to South Vo Tech's now empty building. That's a fine plan. We need to look further at these options. We need to meet. We don't need to have meetings nixed.

I am in favor of keeping Schenley at its present location, with a modest building rehab, even if it means a one-year vacation to South Vo Tech.

Places: Market Square ain't broke, so please don't fix it

Right on. I've been pondering how to reply to the sillyness of O'Connor's statements. P.L. of the P-G does a good job in setting the tone for the discussion.

Places: Market Square ain't broke, so please don't fix it Eckstut's observation was a sound one, but his solution was flawed. And for much the same reasons, only part of O'Connor's idea is worth embracing.

Voters' Choice Act in PA gains in recent days

There's much good news for Libertarians and for Pennsylvania's voters regarding the Voter's Choice Act and ballot access reform.

On Wednesday, January 11th, 2006, members of the Pennsylvania Ballot Access Coalition (PBAC) met with the House State Government Committee in Harrisburg to talk turkey over the contents of a ballot access reform bill. Most of the twenty state representatives who sit on the committee attended the two-hour informal hearings, listening to testimony from Libertarians, Greens, Constitutions, Reforms, Naderites, Socialists, the League of Women Voters, and the public. There were about half a dozen reporters in the audience, and the hearings were subsequently well publicized. Selected articles are included at the end of this report, and photos from the hearing can be found at http://tinyurl.com/cgp3r.

From a historical perspective, the meeting went very well. The last round of hearings regarding ballot access reform were held in 1997, and at that time the committee members were hostile and argumentative. However, this time the atmosphere was cordial and friendly, and the dialogue was open and productive.

Several suggestions and compromises were discussed at the hearing, including:

1. Equalizing the number of signatures across the board for all candidates regardless of party affiliation. That means 1,000 or 2,000 signatures for statewide office, not 67,070. The PBAC accepted this compromise.

2. Equalizing the length of the petitioning window to three weeks for all parties rather than the current four-to-five month period for third parties. The PBAC also accepted this compromise, with the provision that the petitioning window for independents and third parties include primary day.

3. Including third parties in the primary process once their membership reaches 1% of the statewide voter registrations. While the PBAC accepted this compromise, it was noted that the Libertarians do not believe in a taxpayer funded primary.

4. The PBAC's proposed redefinition of a third party per the Delaware Model did not seem to raise any concerns with anyone. This change should make it into the reform bill intact.

In the end, the committee chair stated that the committee would be drafting legislation to achieve these goals. In the meantime, the PBAC will continue to keep up the pressure for the passage of a ballot access reform bill. At this time, the odds of that happening in the next few months appear to be excellent.

Concerned citizens can help the efforts of the PBAC by calling their state representatives and state senators immediately and urging them to push for ballot access reform this month, as outlined in the bill being authored in the House State Government Committee. For more information, refer them to the PBAC's White Paper on ballot access reform which can be found on the web at www.PaBallotAccess.org.

As things stand, the situation is both promising and urgent. There are only a few months left before petitioning for 2006 begins. The more pressure that can be brought to bear on the legislature, the better.

Ken Krawchuk
Chair, Legislative Action Committee
Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania

c/o PO Box 260
Cheltenham, Penna. 19012
215-881-9696 (voice)
215-Krawchuk (fax)
Ken@KenK.org

LPP HQ:
3915 Union Deposit Road
#223
Harrisburg, PA 17109
1-800-R-Rights (voice/fax)
www.lppa.org

Question of the moment: How crazy will it get on the South Side?

Do the fans act like they are in Detroit or going to Detroit.

My S6.CLOH.Org gives details for the Community Concert on Feb 2

S6 Community Concert on Thursday, February 2, 2006

You must RSVP for this event. Space is limited. Your attendance is required once reservations are accepted. Please call, 412, 298 3432, or 412 904 2976 or email, Mark@Rauterkus.com.

Location: This 'house concert' is being held at our home, office, campiagn headquarters at 108 South 12th Street on the South Side. We are just two short blocks off of East Carson Street to the slopes. You're encouraged to walk to this event as parking is limited. We'll fix that in due time, however.

* Schedule: Media and press event slated for 5 pm. Invited guests and media only. To get included, call Mark.
* Family concert has doors opening at 5:30 pm with the music and program to run from 6 to 7 pm (sharp). This is a concert by a talented musicial artist with original songs and kids are welcome provided they sit, listen and enjoy. This isn't a children's concert. Rather, its is concert where family members can attend. Some food will be provided after the show. Eating while standing is expected.
* Doors open for the set for civic leaders at 7:15 with music and presentation slated for 8 to 9 pm. Mingle before and after. Some food provided.
* If demanded, a third set for the musical-minded could occur from 9:30 to 10:15 pm. Stay tuned and note your interest if so inclined.

Johnsmith, http://www.Johnsmithmusic.com, sings the song, 'Don't Put Me In a Box.' Its message goes against the use of labels for people, myself included. We need to step beyond labels and give respect to each other if we are to thrive in our community and in our political life in Pittsburgh.

Get the campaign CD and hear the song! CDs are available while on the campaign trails in single or bulk orders.

Johnsmith's other CDs of his music are going to be available for sale to those who attend the show. An artist contribution is welcome from those who attend, or those who can't attend.

Campaign contributions, payable to Mark@Rauterkus.com, for the efforts of the host, Mark Rauterkus, candidate for Pittsburgh's City Council, district 3, special election slated for March 14, 2006, are optional. More on the campaign is found at http://Elect.Rauterkus.com.

This is part rally, but more so, our event is a gathering for community that includes the creative, artistic, talented and civic leadership who find value in promoting freedom, the future and fitness of all types.

Thanks for your consideration. Hope to see you at the event, around town, or on the internet soon. Be sure to get a copy of the campaign CD even if you can't attend this community concert.

Monthly Review December 2005 Charles McCollester - Pittsburgh—The Glory and the Gutting

This is just a snip of the larger article.

Monthly Review December 2005 Charles McCollester - Pittsburgh—The Glory and the Gutting In the birthplace of American unionism, the collapse of steel has been followed by the collapse of government.

Cavalier disregard for democratic process and majority rule, the imposition of unelected authorities, and the blocking of popular participation by arrogant elites who define “freedom” as the power to rule in their own interest without restraint or restriction, these are characteristics of our age. Anti-democratic, selected-not-elected models are being developed in the heartland as well as abroad. Little noticed among the impositions of governing authorities in Iraq and Haiti and the assault on popularly elected leadership in Venezuela is the dismantling and usurpation of public authority and accountability in Pittsburgh. The banana republic comes to the rust belt.

The steel rust-belt area from Youngstown, Ohio to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, centered in Pittsburgh and strewn with once mighty but now financially broken towns like Aliquippa, Braddock, Newcastle, Steubenville, Sharon, McKees Rocks, and Duquesne, is sinking into spiritual and financial bankruptcy.

Navel Gazeing Bloggers.....

I got to this event last week, after another candidate forum. I was a bit tardy, but had lots to say with the die-hards who were still standing. J.E. and M.M. were there as were others.

Bits&Bytes:Innovation Works to add a little extra to competitors' coffers In the rare event that you missed last week's business blogging event jointly sponsored by local trade groups TiE Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Technology Council, Pittsburgh Bloggers (www.pghbloggers.org) co-founder Mike Woycheck, who moonlights as an information technology specialist at the tech council, repeated his advice for novice bloggers worried about how to promote their blog in the 'blogosphere.' Bloggers should rely on 'word of mouth,' said Woycheck, and list with directories such as his. Adding a key word or category that can be listed in such blog search engines as 'technorati.com' and 'blogsearch.google.com' also helps. Ultimately, commenting on similar or related blogs -- online Web journals for the uninitiated -- where you think your audience might be reading is an enormous boost. 'You can read blogs, watch them, create your own blog and engage others through comments,' Mr. Woycheck said.

One down, two to go.

Grand jury still investigating Murphy, DeFazio - PittsburghLIVE.com Grand jury still investigating Murphy, DeFazio

Two might be a bit conservative. The left to topple list includes the I.C.A. and Act 47 overlords, the PA House and PA Senate, and a few other power-brokers that are too high on themseves to do the work of the people and the constitution.

Invite to a house concert, Feb 2, South Side, hosted by Mark@Rauterkus.com

Hi Friends, Neighbors and Others in Black & Gold Nation!

You are invited to our home / office for a community concert that features the song, "Don't Put Me In A Box" by singer/songwriter Johnsmith on Thursday, Feb 2.

Doors open at 5:30 for the first set, a family concert and mini-presentation slated from 6 to 7 pm. The second set has doors open at 7:15 for adults and music comes from 8 to 9 pm.

Johnsmith did a concert for us last year -- and he is fantastic. The message, "Don't Put Me In a Box" is positive, respectful and aims to avoid the use of LABELS. Johnsmith has a number of great, original tunes -- Kicking the Stone (good to stress the pedestrian aspects) -- Rooks in the Castle (change is in the air).

This concert, mixer, and rally is to gather and chart our course for the special election now slated for March 14, 2006 --- Pi Day. We can win on Pi Day!

Space is limited. Please RSVP to reserve your space to the concert. We're opening our house to friends, family, students and supporters -- our treat. Artist contrubutions are welcomed. Same too with help with the campaign.

We'll be hosting more than 30 in-house TEAs and will release a complete line-up of events. soon. I hope we can mingle and talk about the city and our region very soon. But first, we want to ramp up with this evening (I know its a school night) of music on Feb 2 at our campaign headquarters, 108 South 12th Street, South Side.

You can hear Johnsmith on our campaign CD. The tune, Don't Put Me In a Box, is the third musical selection. You can get your own copy of the CD at any of the public candidate events. Check Elect.Rauterkus.com for the latest schedule.


HOT Press Releases:

Campaign Finance Reform

Penguins, Recreational Facility


Ta.

Mark Rauterkus Mark@Rauterkus.com
http://Rauterkus.blogspot.com http://Platform.For-Pgh.org
Candidate for Pittsburgh City Council, district 3, special election,
March 14, 2006
412 298 3432 = cell


PS:
Today, Jan 20, is the feast of St. Sebastian, patron of the
athlete. As you get your game face on, put a few prayers in the bank. Take a knee, think wide-right, whatever. You know the drill.

The priest mentioned St. Sebastian as he presided over the MLK day funeral of two-time Olympic medalist, 400 IMer (swimmer), Butler native, Eric Namesnik.

Pittsburgh let's choose to think again and vote for Freedom, Future, Fitness and Flow. I want to go to work on Grant Street and make kids a priority. Pittsburgh's destiny is as a place for families to live and thrive, not just survive.

Pittsburgh's Air Quality is still lagging

PennEnvironment Clean air. Clean water. Open spaces. Of the largest metropolitan areas, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania experienced the most days with spikes in fine particle pollution, recording seven exceedances on seven different days. The Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area in California ranked second among the largest metropolitan areas, recording 14 exceedances on six different days.

Gmail gets a new "DELETE" button

Fantastic. There is a new feature at Gmail -- one I've been begging for for months. The DELETE button. About Gmail Now there's an easy-to-find delete button for those messages you really don�t want.
If only we could hit DELETE to a few, if not all, of the other candidates in the race for city council. :)

Speaking of Google, two weeks ago on the Ron Morris show, I called in to talk with Ron and his guest about radio and the future of media. I expressed the fact that there is an industry trend and it would be in no time at all until we saw Google selling radio ads. This Wednesday's front page article on the Wall Street Journal had such an article. Google acquired a radio ad placement company and Google is going to sell ads for radio, just as is done for bloggs and Gmail.

Diven will not face a challenge from Hillen. E. Wagner passes on a run at Fontana.

There has been some speculation about future opposition from past competitors of mine, Diven, R, and Fontana, D.

Eileen Wagner and I talked recently in the lobby of the City-County Building. She said she was not running against Wayne Fontana for PA Senate.

On the phone with Bob Hillen he said he won't run against Michael Diven in the GOP Primary for State House. Hillen said others had been asking him about this and he had never said anything about that type of challenge. Hillen is with a much tighter focus on city dealings and isn't interested in working in Harrisburg at this time.

So, let's put those rumors to rest.

Party Endorsement Process Is "Undemocratic"

No joke.

Citizens group demands open primaries, calls upon political parties to “let the voters decide.”

ANNVILLE, PA [1.19.06] - Continuing their battle to return government to Pennsylvania’s citizens, the grassroots citizens group PACleanSweep has called upon party leaders throughout the Commonwealth to refrain from endorsing candidates prior to the May 16 primary election.

"2006 will see more contested legislative races than any year in recent history," said PACleanSweep Chair Russ Diamond in an open letter to the Republican and Democratic State Committees. "Voters are demanding real choices. Party leaders who interfere in contested primaries do a disservice to their party, its members, and the spirit of a free electoral process."

PACleanSweep maintains that primary elections should be decided by the voters and not by a handful of power brokers.

"Primary elections exist to allow the party's rank and file to choose the nominee," said PACleanSweep Strategic Director Mike Bergmaier. "The party endorsement process is undemocratic as it disenfranchises the vast majority of voters."

Diamond noted that Pennsylvania's current political climate makes the case for open primaries even more compelling. Public outrage over the legislative payjacking cuts across party lines, and voters increasingly feel that political elites are out of touch with the people they represent.

Sunday's Pittsburgh Tribune-Review underscored the need for open primaries when it reported on the inexcusable conduct of a Mercer County GOP state committee member.

According to the report, Cindy Robbins said she was refusing to support gubernatorial hopeful Bill Scranton, "because Scranton publicly dissed the recent pay grab that the Legislature – including her husband [state Sen. Robert Robbins] – voted in favor of."

Robbins' out-of-touch viewpoint runs in stark contrast to public opinion and underscores the reason voters deserve open primaries where candidates face off on a level playing field.

"The people are waking up and demanding more say. They want choices and are understandably skeptical of backroom politics," said Diamond. "If party leaders meddle in primary contests, expect a backlash from the voting public."

"Pennsylvanians spend millions of dollars on primary elections, and we deserve our money’s worth," concluded Diamond.

Read the open letter...

Do you think the local Dems, given that there are nearly ten in the race for city council, could encourage them all to run as Indies and NOT offer an endorsement. That might be more democratic -- with a small "D."

Allegheny County councilman to challenge Diven for state House seat

Mr. Nerone, you need to resign NOW. You need to be off of the county council before the end of the next council meeting. Tell Fitzgerald to get you a plaque or a batch of flowers and leave. If you finish the next meeting, and you are still on the council, I'll be there to protest. And, the P-G is on my side. And, the people of Allegheny County is on this side too -- as we voted as such twice. You'll be kicking off an uphill campaign otherwise.

Allegheny County councilman to challenge Diven for state House seat Under a provision in the county's home rule charter, he will have to step down from his council seat to run for another office. He is consulting legal experts about when he must formally resign.

Running Mates -- let's think about the sale of the Penguins. We could buy it if we wanted.

Okay, just two days after my press release was hand delivered to Craig Patrick of the Penguins, we see a front page headline that the Penguins are for sale. My one friend at school said I had great vision to issue the press release when I did.

Today I mingled with a lot of bankers and investment types and put this on the table for them to consider. I re-sent them the press release with this new footnote.

Footnote and CALL made at the gathering of the Economic Club of Pittsburgh:

Today's P-G headline say Penguins are for sale. If you are interested in meeting with me to play with the concept of a purchase of the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins and reform the team's ownership with a sell-off with public shares of stock similar to the ownership of the NFL's Green Bay Packers, call or email me. The penguin character, Tux, is the mascot for the open-source software LINUX. The same should be proposed for our beloved Penguins.

P-G: Penguins put up for sale: "Penguins put up for sale Lemieux says sales process 'just starting'"

Press release from Elect.Rauterkus.com

Campaign Finance Reform agena released by Mark Rauterkus to those who attended the Economic Club of Pgh event

At the Economic Club of Pittsburgh meeting in January, they do an international, national and regional forcast. The speakers are some of the top economist of our time and of the area. At this event, I released a campaign finance reform agenda and news release.

We are at the Economic Club of Pittsburgh event downtown.

part 2 -- still rolling downhill

Too many people (back to district 3 and the hilltop communities) are stuck in their homes because of the public policies of elected politicians who can only know enough to merely spoon feed ice-cream and sheet cake to seniors at community centers. The depth and scope for serious progress for Pittsburgh is found in more advanced concepts.

Making a slew of bills about absentee landlords that the police are not even going to know about, yet alone enforce, is NOT going to fix the struggles of those on the hillside communities. Enforcement isn't going to fix the over-arching problems. If we hired 20 new building inspectors, we'd only fix a few of the pimples of life for ourselves.

People are afraid to invest in their house. That is a great statement. It came from Bruce Krause last night. He can frame and issue but can't do anything else except pull tires from a hillside. So, what are the others going to do about it? They'll offer to hold hands, morning, noon and night, from start of the meeting to the end of the meeting. Then they'll pick up the shovel and dig some more. They'll work hard.

I'm different in that I want to "Lay The Shovel Down." They need to stop digging in the same hold of depression and debt. They are doing the wrong things. They want to do more of the wrong things. They are missing the big points -- the obvious -- the real fixes.

In my talk last night, I mentioned, in passing, "assessment buffering." Someone from State Senator Wayne Fontana's office was in the audience. I ran in the past against him for State Senate and gave him an earful on significant issues such as PROPERTY TAX REFORM.

Let's talk about the deed transfer tax. Let's nuke that! My brochure mentions "taxing land."

Let's talk about public housing and the number of Section 8 units per neighborhood -- but even after we get a handle on how many are in certain areas of the city, we've still not done a darn thing about the fix. You can't tear them all down because the city is broke.

People won't invest in their homes because of public policy and recent actions on Grant Street that reward people for letting the property fall into the realm of blight and punish those who fix up their homes.

People are stuck in their homes and won't consider a fix-up because Gene Ricciardi and Mayor Tom Murphy raised the deed-transfer tax. They've been going the wrong way. And, those acts are "clueless" when it comes to what is really the best behavior.

If people (from hillside to South Side, throughout District 3 and the rest of the region) want a better neighborhood and life for themselves and their kids, they should tell city council, the school board, and county council -- NO MORE TIFs. End of story.

David Matter and the Urban Development Authority -- if you can't build a building without a TIF, then don't build it.

Then, call me, I'll get you a sign for your front window. I'll get you a button for your coat or hat. Then -- elect me.

As the ninth person on city council, I won't be able to put an end to all TIFs. I've been calling for an end to all TIFs for years. However, we'll send a message. And, I won't, like Bill Peduto, play a game of 30-questions with developers and authorities.

Bill Peduto is going to think about how to vote for the TIF after he gets the answers to the 30 questions he put on the table. The TIF already got preliminary approval from the council. Sigh.

We have to take back our city by going after the real solutions. We have to have the perspectives to see what's really going on.

The big deals items are not going to be talked about by the others on the campaign trail. I'm going to talk about what really matters and people understand this.

Now to run to the swim pool.......

Shit rolls downhill and other comments about the big time stumbles from St. Clair's candidate forum

"Shit rolls downhill!" was stated on a couple of instances from a citizen as many other grumbles were expressed as the 24-year old, Green Party Candidate for city council presented at a candidate forum before a packed house in St. Clair. Jason Phillips even said, "Don't nail me to a cross here."

Jason's campaign went poof. Others to lesser degrees got cooked as well. There were a number of show stoppers to dwell upon.

All in all, it was a great night for me and my campaign as I didn't get beat up at all. People were most respectful of the stances I displayed and were opened to further discussion and exploration. Everyone in the audience was given a CD package for later listening and/or playing on their home PCs.

I'm sure Jason was suprised at the negativitity and blunt force dispair that was slung his way. For him it might have been like one of those nightmares you have when you were an adolescent and dreamed you had to take a big test in high school -- but didn't have anything on execpt a bow-tie.

To bad the writters from the tv show, The Art of News, were not there with the film crew.

But really, Jason deserved it. And, the block watch audience was very civil. They were polite. They just lit him up like a christmas tree by tossing a few switches and gave the appropriate "ohhs, and awwes."

This wasn't a total melt down by Jason, but he is now running on four flat ties in a pick-up truck with Ohio license plates. Since it rolls downhill, I'm sure he was able to drift home after last night's bar-b-q.

Blow-by-blow: First, Jason patted himself on the back for being the media star that he is. (gulp) Then he jumped into the hole he dug by taking all the credit for getting the college kids the option of voting in the booth on March 14. That went over poorly. Second, to add insult to injury, Jason framed the issue about community wide understanding of drug sales in the neighborhood. Jason has some first hand experiences as he lived on a near-by street. Upstairs in another apartment, visitors at all times of the day and night would come and go. Everyone knew they were dealing. So, Jason voted with his feet. He moved to the South Side flats apartment, lower rent. Yeah, right. Hence the name of this post.

Jason removed himself from a bad situation. But this situation is home for the people at the meeting and throughout St. Clair. Jason hit the problem square on the head of the nail -- and then punched the listeners in the gut with his solution.

It does (or did) roll downhill. Jason didn't buck up.

Jason is young. He'll live to fight another day. He might be a Jedi in the future.

The air left the room when Pat Sweeney offered a bit of voter number insights from the back of the room. The students at Pitt turned out in good numbers to cast votes for the Presidential election. But only 34 of them voted when Bob O'Connor was up in November. So, Bob O'Connor got something like 1.5 to 2 percent of the sway that John Kerry delivered over at Pitt's Towers. Jason might have some buddies in Oakland, being the media star that he his, so we hear, but given Patt's technical history of trends, we're left to think that the spring break end run might net 30 votes for Jason.

Interestingly, Pat Sweeney, an attorney with the public defender's office chimed in with the voter numbers in response from an audience question -- on behalf of the case being made with Jason. Pat defends the bad guys. Pat gets them back out on the street. Those points were not lost upon the people in the audience -- and Pat got his share of heat from the crowd too.

Mr. Sweeney is a big boy who makes a few good ethical, legal and spin-mister shots. He wins a lot of cases, I'm sure, so getting these bad guys into jail and off the streets is a whole lot harder given the attitudes and short-handedness of the police, the retired institutional knowledge that hit the force recently, and the shake-up of the zone commanders.

The citizens and the other candidates are beating up on the police because of crime and the little crimes -- like getting beat up. People don't feel safe in their homes yet alone on a walk to the neighborhood business district that isn't really there anymore.

Pat didn't win any votes from his realm as a public defender. Not in my opinion. He might have earned a few leads however. One woman said, "Hey, I might need you one day." She must have been thinking about how she would like to score a revenge on an absent land-lord or a rude renter/pusher/blight-builder. So, Pat, it is good to have you stay put in the public defenders office -- as revenge is sweet. And, with you there, getting off the hook is more probable and affordable.

Then comes the clincher of the night, when it comes to police. Bruce Kraus. Bruce, Bruce, Bruce. Yes, there are two in the race.

Bruce, so we are told, fought vo-sif-er-is-ly to keep the Zone 3 Police Station where it was three years ago. Okay. Now that parking is totally a mess (something he had a big hand in creating too) he thinks that the police station should be moved. So he's doing this flip flop on the police station because of equipment and because he remembers it being built way back in the early 60s. Bear with this as it gets better, beyond the twists in logic. The place he'd move the station to is, (drum roll please....) Mt. Oliver. Yep, we'd annex that building and put the Zone 3 police station behind that big parking lot ex supermarket location. So the city is going to acquire a piece of Mt. Oliver for the police station for Zone 3. Of course, there would be a lot of town hall meetings.

All that 'hands on vision is getting us right where we don't want to be' if you ask me.

I was floored. I stood, made a parting comment and departed. I hadn't packed a boogie board for my campaign manager to surf home upon. There was a tidal wave of deep brown stuff about to swish downhill. I was ready to hop upon my ironing board as a surf-board -- but she would have been awash in that crud of empty promises.

On top of all this, Bruce Krause, as a city council member, you can't control the mayor nor the mayor's decision to relocate a police station, yet alone a zone commander. As proof, Alan Hertzberg was on council in a district when the Zone 4 police station closed. Hertzberg didn't want that station to close. They had legal standing to keep it open as well. But, it didn't matter.

Tom Murphy, mayor, the guy who mentioned Ed Jacob name from the podium at the budget address, closed the police station. City council couldn't do squat. Same too for the story unfolding about the re-shuffling of police captains.

Some citizens groups (Lawrenceville United, Citizens in the Strip) love their captain and don't want a new one. They've made strides in recent years and don't want to turn back the clock with a shake-up and new stick-ups -- like 3 and 4 years ago.

Council folks who don't see the big picture are going to keep digging a hole for the city. We need to lay the shovel down. We need a big-picture person on council now -- as our 9th councilman.

Another question was asked to Kraus, a Ricciardi knock off question: "Will you (keep) bring(ing) ice-cream to the seniors?" Kraus said, "If that's what you want." So far, Kraus has been bringing sheet cakes. He had better get on his game. There were plenty of sweets in the room last night. The politicians were not needed to provide them. The people, themselves, did a fine job of providing for their sweet tooth.

Oh, there was more. I've not even talked about my opening. I followed the other guy with the bow tie and lit into his statement in the first breath. He had just spoken. He was WRONG, so WRONG. And, that reply I made cuts to the big issues here.

I live on the South Side. The South Side gets everything. I'm not happy. I have not been happy. Go figure.

I got to get the kids to school now.

The room was filled with skeptical people, angry at the way things have gone. They feel as if they have gotten the short end of the stick. And, they are right. I agree with their skeptical positions. I agree and stand with them in distain for situations of the present and recent past. We are not better than we were.

Where I part company with others in the field of candidates is HOW we deal with real solutions.

Case in point: The "winner take all" attitude and statement is WRONG. Case in point #2: I was the ONLY one to mention the $18-million TIF to PNC for a downtown office development.

Coverage of event in S. Pgh Reporter

: "Candidates for District 3 Council seat introduced on the Slopes
Margaret Smyka 17.JAN.06
What would you do about our enormous home heating bills? What about the tax-emempt status of non-profits? And what, exactly, has council the power to do?
Those were some of the questions residents asked the nine candidates seeking the unexpired city council seat for District 3 at last week�s �Candidates Night� at the South Sides Slopes Neighborhood Association meeting."

Enhancing Downtown - PittsburghLIVE.com

I know CPR. I think we should be teaching CPR all around the city every week. We need to make our city healthy.

What is really happening here?

Enhancing Downtown - PittsburghLIVE.com In addition to training in services such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation, conflict resolution and problem-solving, the ambassadors will have knowledge in human services so they can address homeless issues.

Perhaps this is a case where the rich are getting richer and the poor getting poorer. However, there needs to be energy put into downtown. But, street lifeguards are much like the sillyness that the Pgh Downtown Partnership did when it hired college kids to sweep streets while telling jokes and singing.

Perhaps seven of the eight on duty could be hired to do chalk art on the sidewalks while the eighth person does clean-up with mop and water. Then we'll harken back to the days of Mary Poppins. "Good luck will rub off when he shakes hands with you." Then comes the jump right into the chalk art of the merry-go-round.

Imagine the thrill of jumping onto a bit of chalk art on the sidewalk of a downtown corner and being teleported to Oakland -- and find yourself on a horse in the new merry-go-round next to Dippy the Dino between the Carnegie Library of Oakland and the Hillman Library.

Will these street lifeguards carry whistles and twirl them on their fingers? Can they be outfitted with white jungle pith hats too? Perhaps we'll get them painted black and gold.

PA Clean Sweeper -- and 80 others gather in Penn Hills

PA Clean Sweep founder, Russ Dianmond, presented at the Penn Hills Senior Center last night to about 80 people from all around western PA. People attended from as far as Beaver.

I got to talk to a gentleman from Mt. Washington and Bridgeville. Also in the gathering was Gary English of VoicePAC.org. He was one of the first to fight against the legislatvie pay raises, but not in July 2005. Rather, he began his fight against the greed in the past decade and with other pay raises prior to this one.

Four others were there who are now going to run for state house as well. And, a few others who had been candidates in past elections were present.

The PA Clean Sweep offices got six new applications from potential candidates in the past day. More and more are gearing up for their run to toss out all the members of the PA house and half of the members of the PA senate. More are needed however.

I've been talking to three potential candidates who are strongly considering a run for PA House as well. One would run against Walko, but is a Republican. Another is a Dem that lives in B.P. So, most of the people I'm talking with would be challengers for the November election.

PA Clean Sweep wants to get ONE candidate to run against each member of the Harrisburg crowd in the PRIMARY.

Mark Rauterkus (left) and Craig Patrick (right) after the Pittsburgh Airport Area Chamber of Commerce meeting on January 17, 2006.

(Click image for a larger view. Scroll down for the press release delivered to the Penguins and those in attendance.)

Allegheny County Libertarians meet on Wednesday

The monthly chapter meeting for the Libertarian Party of Allegheny County will be at 7 pm on Wednesday, January 18, at Ritter's Diner on Baum Blvd. All are welcome to attend.

FAQ&Q

Question:

Do the minutes of a past meeting (was it NOVEMBER 2005) reflect the POSITIVE endorsement for me for this position in the special election for city council district 3?

Answer:

Yes, the minutes of the November meeting state that Mark was nominated as our candidate for city council district 3 by unanimous vote of the members present at the meeting. Thus, Mark is our candidate in accordance with paragraph "A" of the Bylaws section posted by Harold.

We hope to pass the paperwork to the Election Department in a matter of days.

Statement about MLK Day and Super Heros

I went to Grant Street today to speak about Martin Luther King day and Super Heros. I think I'll send this out as an email. The re-run is tonight at 7 pm and on Friday too, if you have city cable.

KQV poll on the date of the special election

January 13, 2006

Do you agree with the decision to reschedule the special council election after Spring Break?

Internet Results

Yes: 158....64%
No: 89....36%
Total: 247...100%

Phone Results
Yes: 41....32%
No: 87....68%
Total: 128...100%

Raises repaid to leaders' accounts - PittsburghLIVE.com

The meeting slated for 7:30 Tuesday at the Penn Hills Senior Center near Rodi and Jefferson Road is sure to have plenty to say about this latest move. I'll be there. So to will Russ Diamond of PACleanSweep.org.

Raises repaid to leaders' accounts - PittsburghLIVE.com: "
Stephen Miskin, spokesman for House Republicans, confirmed that repayments of so-called 'unvouchered expenses' go back into leadership accounts. An audit in April showed those accounts -- controlled by top leaders in the House and Senate -- contained about $135 million as of June 30, 2004.

Recap of the O'Connor team, building upon the P-G article

The O'Connor team is getting a lot of 'miles' (pun intended) about its media members.

New mayor assembles varied team to run the city
It's a role she's suited to, said her former boss, WQED President George Miles. Together they turned a 'dysfunctional' public television station into a winner, he said, by opting 'to focus ourselves back on Pittsburgh.'

QED sold QEX. QED does cooking. QED does do-whop. QED does debt even better than the city. QED does history as in what's not here any more and has its eyes trained onto the past and into the rear-view mirror.

The QED magazine, Pittsburgh, isn't mission critical. Its web portal is a yawn. The QED candidate debates, consumer affairs and public interest from that public statation are thin.

In terms of potential, QED's boss is standing on thin ice when he says they turned a dysfunctional station into a winner.

"Zero-based development" (stripping it back to its core mission and building from there) does NOT include more "green space downtown." Rather it means we take care of the parks we already have and let the cobblestones in Market Square stay as they are.

The other one to rest upon his laurels is PEN-DOT's past spokesperson. Yep, there was a time not long ago when the Ft. Pitt Bridge was being re-built (1-way) and the entire South Side could not get to the South Hills (West Liberty Ave) without first driving to downtown and getting onto the Blvd. of the Allies.

So, because one bridge was OUT one way, I had to cross TWO additional bridges rather than NONE. That was his to 'sell.'

With this rant, I sound like QED, looking into the rear-view mirror, just to kick up some recycled electronic dust.

Frankly, I'm glad to see some media types on Grant Street's team. I'm a media type and I'd like to go there to work as well. But jeepers, let's not give Ms. Leber credit for publishing THE BIBLE nor heap upon the credit to Skrinjar for being Moses' press agent during his term when he parted the Red Sea.

Then we have the "new idea person" -- one who did the flip-flop on the stadiums, perhaps. The guy spoke out for the increased taxes and for the building of the stadiums. Then he went to work for Ferlo, on the other side. So, perhaps he didn't flip nor flop, but he was certain to be in LEFT FIELD and far beyond the shaddow of #8.

I've talked about the "New Idea Factory" at the Platform.For-Pgh.org. We don't need new ideas as much as we need to distill old ideas. We need to think again. We don't need to churn and burn. But, this description is just what I am looking for, a person who can "think again." Perhaps he did it with the stadiums, after Ferlo got to him.

BERNIE Lynch! YES!

I saw Bernie Lynch on Bob O'Connor's first day on the job at city hall. She was very sorry she did not call me back. I had called her and left a message weeks prior to ask her if she would be my media coordinator for my campaign. I wanted Bernie to be a part of my campaign and O'Connor hired her with a real job. At the time she said something was cooking, and she didn't mean the polish sausague in the sidewalk of the city-county building tailgate.

I worked with Bernie as she helped to battle Mayor Murphy and his wrongheaded downtown redevelopment plans. We crossed paths again and again including with efforts at Mt. Washington, with the Duquesne Heights Community Center, with my campaign for State Senate and even with a debate on TV by the non-QED station.

I am an idealist. I think Bernie is that as well. I'm not sure I'd call her an alturist, but I'll go look it up and ask her next time we talk.

Finally, in the article, comes new Solicitor Susan Malie. I fear to write anything about her as she's a lawyer and I don't want to get sued. She's on the city's side in terms of "defending" police brutality -- yeah, I shouldn't have typed anything -- but on the winning side for all involved when it is reported that she is to vet city policies to prevent lawsuits. The city's margin of litigation is too low. It would be wonderful if the city had a great lawyer and never used her.

When I go to city council, I'll do my best to make sure she had the most boring job in the world. She'd be so bored, that perhaps we'll give her a second job. Perhaps she'd like to be the city's designated downtown shopper. She could be the one walking around the lone downtown department store in business hours.

Then if anyone on Grant Street wants to sue someone -- we'd have to weigh the consequences of lossing our shopper. We wouldn't want to do that.

Beaver County Times Allegheny Times - News - 01/12/2006 - Three small political parties challenging signature threshold

Democracy matters.

Beaver County Times Allegheny Times - News - 01/12/2006 - Three small political parties challenging signature threshold HARRISBURG - Third-party political candidates are complaining that Pennsylvania law is making it nearly impossible for them to get their names on ballots.

It was the Sports Illustrated JINX hitting The Bus

OMG....

Take a knee.

Make a prayer.

Lots to say about green space in downtown

New Mayor O'Connor made some statements that ran in the P-G about green space downtown. I have plenty to pine about on this topic. But I'll save it for another day.

Downtown needs more green, mayor says Downtown needs more green, mayor says
He wants to tear up Market Square, close it off to vehicle traffic

Saturday, January 14, 2006, By Ed Blazina, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

If Downtown Pittsburgh is going to have several thousand new residents, it needs more of the amenities that make residential living pleasant, Mayor Bob O'Connor said yesterday.

Headed to Butler to morn and figure out how to better the situations

Today, we were at a swim meet at Blackhawk. Good meet. Nice swimmers from both squads. We won.

But, a group of swimmers was gathering to remember Eric Namesnik in Michigan.

In Western PA, friends will be received at the Martin Funeral Home, 429 Center Ave., Butler, Monday morning from 9:00 am to 10:30 am. A funeral mass is slated for 11:00 am on Monday (MLK Day) at Saint Paul's Catholic Church, 128 North McKean St., Butler. Interment will be in Calvary Cemetery, 1004 North Main Street, Butler.

Memorial donations may be made to:

Snik's Kids
The Eric Namesnik Memorial Fund
United Bank and Trust
2723 South State Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48104

---

I want to see if there is something more to do. The spring Dapper Dan or the scholar athlete YMCA banquet should be engaged. Coach Mike said, "Knock yourself out Mark." So, I've got a green light in that more could and should be done.

Where is the MLK event hosted by Pgh Public Schools

The MLK Day special event that I've attended a number of times in the past -- mostly at Westinghouse High School -- isn't on the agenda this year. Why is there no big event for MLK Day within PPS? Are the folks who were pivotal just gone? (i.e. Westinghouse has a new principal and PPS has a new superintendent). Or, was the event nixed so as to not allow for citizens to gather and compare notes about the "right-sizing" plan. ??

Hummm.....

Job posting at Bloomfield Garfield Corp

An interesting job posting is in the comments.

Eric and Tom --- swimmers ---

An article that is worthy of a read by everyone who loves sports and the race.