Ethics Hearing Board of Pittsburgh meets. Everything they do should be turned on its head.

Once again I punished myself and went down to another Pittsburgh Ethics Hearing Baord meeting at 10 am today (Friday, Nov 9, 2007). This little blog of mine, I'm going to let it shine.

In the bible, we learn that it is a stupid -- if not a sin -- to put a candle under a basket. Praise the Lord. We learned that next year's meetings of the Ethics Hearing Board will NOT be made closed to the public on an every other month basis as they talked about last month.

I suggested to them that we need more ethics in the city, not less. The Ethics Hearing Board should meet every week -- not every month.

In other developments, I told them that they need to set their record straight. The Ethics Hearing Board was not formed one year ago, as one of the members spoke about in the meeting. Sophie was the Mayor of Pittsburgh when the Ethics Hearing Board came into being. That was about 15 years ago.

Since the board began, we've come to discover that there have been four complaints filed to the Ethics Hearing Board from citizens. I filed three in September. Those matters were hinted at in the October meeting. And, as of now, still, after the November meeting, there is no progress on those matters. They have not been put on an agenda. They have not been talked about by the board. Nothing.

When a citizen files a complaint to the Ethics Hearing Board -- if they are doing their jobs -- you'd expect a reply of some sort. I do. I did. I am waiting. I have gotten nothing.

http://Elect.Rauterkus.com/ethics/

In no uncertain terms, the gag order that goes upon citizens who file a complaint undermines the entire process. And, it is unconstitutional. Rights of a citizen to free speech should never be taken away.

There is a larger book, not the bible, in this case, but the Constitution, that rules.

i want the Ethics Hearing Board to stand tall and ask that city council and the mayor change the code so as to strike down all elements of confidentiality plus the powers of the board to dish out liabilities and punishments.

In other matters, the head of the Ethics Hearing Board, Sister Patrice, is going to meet with City Council President Doug Shields today at 1 pm. After the meeting I ran to Doug's office to try to give him a head's up. He wasn't in -- and all the staffers were busy.

I'll send him an email next, as an open letter.

The Ethics Hearing Board is putting in a request to City Council for an annual budget of $40,000.

I didn't have the heart to tell them that the 2008 budget had already been approved by the OVERLORDS and that the city was broke.

The Ethics Hearing Board is trying to expand government and spend more taxpayer money. I object.

The members of the Ethics Hearing Board would like to go to the Local Government Academy. Fine. They should go. It is a great program. But, they each can pay for their own admission. And, don't go asking for a foundation or the church / temple to pay -- as we'll encounter another goofy situation with admission fees being covered by outside sources. This time it is not golf, but a class.

It seems that the Ethics Hearing Board members are convinced that they need to bring in experts on Ethics to give them training to do their jobs. They are hungry for insights. They want a training budget.

They are in over their head! If the members of the Ethics Hearing Board can't do the job because they are unaware of what it entails, they should resign. They are not up to the tasks. The Ethics Hearing Board is not a place for on the job training at taxpayer expense. Do the job.

The Ethics Hearing Board might need secretarial assistance to make phone calls. They might need webmasters to build web pages. They might need a stenographer. They might need to hire their own attorney. The might need to pay for outside speakers. They might need to educate the employees and hold seminars.

The Ethics Hearing Board is now forming a new sub-committee to look at a part of the ethics code, section 1.97.07. This concerns the golf outing from the summer. Today they put a deadline on this resolution from the sub-committee to the Ethics Hearing Board of April 2008.

So, when I posted here, or elsewhere, that Luke's golf outing problem from the summer of 2007 would have final resolution around the first of the year -- I was wrong. Looks like it won't be resolved until the sub-committee does its work, makes a report in April, and then it goes back to the Ethics Hearing Board to chew it over. Perhaps something will be to City Council in the middle of next summer's golf season.

That's some round, or two, of golf.

The Ethics Hearing Board is forming a sub-committee to focus in upon 1.97.07 and the gift matters from charities. So they thought it was a good idea to invite in the nonprofits to join the task force. They debated if one or two slots should go to the foundation types, as there are social service providers on one hand and foundation folks on the others. Those folks, after all, are the ones where the impact of the golf fees resides.

OMG.

Not a peep about taxpayers, citizens, voters, nor everyday people. These members of the Ethics Hearing Board, a nun, a rabi, a member of the Alcoa Foundation and a minister (I think) are worried about what the foundation folks might think. They don't want to have an "unyielding body" in that task force. Or was is "un-wheeling" body?

The Ethics Hearing Board wanted to add to the weight of the recommendations of golf outings for their consideration so they can forward them to city council so that votes might be proposed for the eventual change in the city ethics code.

If we are looking for people to replace the deck chairs on the Titanic, I know just who to turn to, Pittsburgh's Ethics Hearing Board.

If anyone has a hand-me-down 8-ball fortune teller toy -- could they please pass that on to the Ethics Hearing Board. They are looking for a tech upgrade and need some direction.

Ethics Hearing Board -- have you ever heard of "Do it yourself?"

Re-write the code. And, do it yourself.

Get educated. And, do it yourself.

Do the job. And, do it yourself.

While you are doing things, begin by sending a letter to the new controller. Tell him you think that confilcts of interest are a big deal and they should be avoided at all costs. So, he should resign from the board of A+ Schools, right away.

Michael Lamb, the new controller, said in the media, that he would seek the opinion of the Ethics Hearing Board as to his board position for a booster group for the Superintendents and Foundation's agenda for schools. In so many words, Lamb said he was clueless as to the ethics of the matter at hand and he would be looking for guidance from you. Give it to him -- in a letter -- for all to see.

This little blog of mine, I'm going to let is shine. Let is shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Update: Coverage in the P-G the next day:

Task force considers charitable event changes
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The city of Pittsburgh's Ethics Hearing Board voted yesterday on the composition of a task force that will recommend changes to rules on public officials' attendance at charitable events.

The task force will be chaired by ethics board Vice Chair Kathy Buechel, and members will include fellow board member Rabbi Danny Schiff, one member appointed by the mayor, one or two members appointed by City Council, and one member each from the foundation and the corporate world.

The ethics board has opined that officials should only be allowed to attend charitable functions as guests of the charity, rather than under sponsorships from third parties. Mayor Luke Ravenstahl has opposed restrictions on official attendance at charitable events, proposing instead a requirement that any gift of an event ticket worth more than $500 should be reported on annual disclosure forms.

The board also intends to ask for a $40,000 budget line from the city to pay for ethics training, clerical help and an independent investigator when needed.

They blew me off last month. Should I waste another day with the Ethics Hearing Board

The Pgh Ethics Hearing Board is to meet today. I should go. But, I've already given them my time. It is nothing but a sink.

In September, I filed three complaints with the Ethics Hearing Board. In the October meeting, I came to discover, that my complaints didn't even get sent to the Ethics Hearing Board. The Law Department sat on them. The Law Department didn't do anything.

I guess my complaints were handled the same way the Administration handles toxic dirt rich with lead in a popular playground -- do little and say nothing. It might just go away and we'll all be the poorer for it.

Duhh!

It is a month later. Time might tell.

However, we learned that the golf outing from Mayor Luke Ravenstahl that happened in the summer might be resolved by the first of the year. Go figure.

Furthermore, today it the day when the Ethics Hearing Board is going to discuss the idea that half of next years meetings should be closed to the public. They would only meet every other month with the door open. The Ethics Hearing Board wants to have confabs without the public being able to witness it. And these are for 'educational reasons.' They'll invite experts to the table to talk to them -- and the public won't be included.

My only problem. I already used the word "suck" in this blog this year. I want to use it again. I don't know who is worse, the Pgh Ethics Hearing Board or Mr. Roosevelt's plans to destroy schools that work and do nothing for what really needs to happen.

Meanwhile, Michael Lamb needs to resign for the board of the super booster group, "A+ Schools."

Worst move ever for PPS and City of Pittsburgh was revealed in this letter

Closing Schenley High School. Oh My God.

Proof that being a political activist in Pgh makes your teeth whiter!

The Collected Notes of Secret Agent Ska: Um Whao This week has been kind of insane.

I'm not certain if this is true only for Pittsburgh, or if it works the same in other areas too????

Save Schenley High School -- the new guy got an ear full

Mark Roosevelt's plans for Pittsburgh Public Schools suck.

The new guy showed up to a meeting and couldn't shut up. He talked and talked and talked -- right out of respect and into the footnotes of life in the city. They might need someone in the Virgin Islands.

More later.

I'm angry. (hint)

Patrick Dowd.... you had better resign from the Pgh Public Schools board today.
Don't let this flame your career before you get your first big full paycheck.

Heather -- where in the heck do you stand on this?

Sherry? Call me.

Get to the meeting at 3 pm on Saturday at the Cathedral of Learning.

The American Entrepreneur article on the election defeat of DeSantis

The American Entrepreneur - Newsletter Articles “Fact #2” – “Eighty-one percent of all vote-elegible city residents did NOT EVEN CAST A BALLOT.” Or, “Fact #3” – “The average time-spent-voting (that is, standing behind a machine, contemplating your vote) was about 25 seconds in the city and over three minutes in the suburbs. This is a very easy statistic to collect. After all, voting is no longer done “behind a curtain.” Today it’s all out in the open!

NH Could Turn GOP Race Upside Down -- GOPUSA

NH Could Turn GOP Race Upside Down -- GOPUSA: "Paul, a libertarian-leaning long-shot Texas congressman, could emerge as a serious contender in the ''Live Free or Die'' state. The state's recent history is rife with Republican primary voters giving non-establishment candidates a boost, and rocking the race."

Save Schenley High School -- meeting tonight and Saturday

The meeting tonight at 6 pm is more informational. It is being held at the high school in Oakland.

This meeting is on Saturday.

Save Schenley Meeting!
Get together to save our school.

Date: Saturday, November 10, 2007
Time: 3:00pm - 6:00pm
Location: University of Pittsburgh - Cathedral of Learning room 326

We are holding a meeting to get Schenley lovers together - current students, teachers, parents, and alums. We are going to discuss the issues at hand with closing the school, and alternatives to closing. We will work on creating an action plan to keep Schenley in Oakland - where it belongs!
We need to have a strong action plan, so that when November 27th rolls around, we will be prepared to face the Board of Education.

Come prepared to discuss the following:
- Reasons for closing & moving Schenley
- Why keep Schenley open?
- Alternatives to closing
- Asbestos removal
- Schenley's status as a Historical Landmark
- The Numbers: What contractors gave quotes on fixing Schenley? Was it competitive bidding? Did multiple contractors give quotes?

Please invite your friends, family members, teachers, fellow students, and fellow alums! We need all of the support we can get.

Let's show Pittsburgh what some Spartan Spirit can do.

Sportscasting Ethics About ESPN

STAA’s Sportscasting Watercooler Blog Archive I'm REALLY Trying to Say Nice Things About ESPN, But . . . The opening of the game featured a fictitious “Welcome to Pittsburgh” sign with a smaller sign beneath it reading “Mayor Luke Ravenstahl- 2007.

Does anyone have the tape or YouTube of this?

When Mike Tomlin took over the Steelers, how much time did he cry about prior seasons?

Mike Tomlin, the new Steelers coach, gets offered and takes the job in the off season. How long, do you think, he spent on the past performance of the team?

Mike Lamb -- you're crazy for asking for an audit, just as Tomlin would NOT have run to the NFL to ask for a review of instant replay on games from years past. The NFL isn't going to re-do the 2004 players draft either.

City's acting controller rejects call for audit

City's acting controller rejects call for audit Mr. Pokora, who lost to Mr. Lamb in the May Democratic primary, said he has invited his erstwhile rival to visit the office several times since then. Mr. Lamb, he said, hasn't taken him up on it.

What a joke.

Libertarians Win 17% of Their Races in Elections Across the U.S.

Positions include mayoral, city council and judgeship positions, among others

Quick Quotes:

Shane Cory, Executive Director, Libertarian Party

* "Last night's election once again proved that the Libertarian Party offers a viable third option that many Americans take advantage of when selecting the leaders of their government."

* "The saying goes that all politics are local, and that's exactly where the Libertarian Party has its greatest influence."

Andrew Davis, Media Coordinator, Libertarian Party

*"We want people to see that the Libertarian Party has been a viable third option in American politics for the last 35 years."

* "This is democracy at work. It doesn't get any clearer than a Libertarian getting elected to office."

Washington, D.C. – In an exciting conclusion to the 2007 off-year election, Libertarian Party candidates won an impressive 17 percent of all known races in the United States that included the Libertarian Party. Additionally, all Libertarian incumbents won re-election. The Libertarian National Committee counted 81 known races for the Nov. 6, 2007 elections and had 14 victories spread across seven states. "Last night's election once again proved that the Libertarian Party offers a viable third option that many Americans take advantage of when selecting the leaders of their government," says Libertarian Party Executive Director Shane Cory.

Libertarians were elected in Iowa, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina and Pennsylvania—54 percent of the states in which Libertarians ran. Libertarians in Michigan won four of the five known races in that state where Libertarians were involved—a stunning 80 percent rate of victory.

"The saying goes that all politics are local, and that's exactly where the Libertarian Party has its greatest influence," says Cory. "Decisions made by leaders at the local level are often the ones that have the most impact over people's lives, and the Libertarian Party wants to make sure that it's there when these decisions are made. The Libertarian Party's call for less government, lower taxes and more freedom doesn't change depending on what level of government it's made from. Liberty is liberty no matter what public office you hold."

While the Libertarian Party does not have any elected officials at the national level, the party does have Libertarians elected to local offices across the nation.

"The idea we want people to take from this election is about more than numbers and elected positions," says Andrew Davis, media coordinator for the Libertarian Party. "We want people to see that the Libertarian Party has been a viable third option in American politics for the last 35 years. The Libertarian Party exists as a real choice for voters who have long grown tired of picking from only Republicans and Democrats. This is democracy at work. It doesn't get any clearer than a Libertarian getting elected to office."

For elections of all the Libertarian Party's 81 races, please visit www.lp.org.

The Libertarian Party is America's third largest political party, founded in 1971 as an alternative to the two main political parties. You can find more information on the Libertarian Party by visiting www.lp.org. The Libertarian Party proudly stands for smaller government, lower taxes and more freedom.

Quick Facts:

* Libertarians ran in 81 races in 13 different states.
* Libertarian candidates won in 14 (17%) of those races, in seven states (54%).
* Libertarians won four out of the five (80%) Michigan elections in which they participated.
* Libertarians were elected in: Iowa, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
* Libertarian incumbents were all re-elected.

Gay Candidates Victorious Across the U.S.

Gay Candidates Victorious Across the U.S. WASHINGTON, Nov. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Dozens of openly gay and lesbian candidates running in municipal and state legislative races across the country won their elections Tuesday, according to the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund. Of the record 71 candidates endorsed by the group in 2007, at least 31 won their races on Tuesday, while 10 were elected earlier this year. At least three more endorsed candidates received enough votes to advance to runoff elections.

Update with new link and photo:

The Bay Area Reporter Online | Political Notebook: Gays grab seats across U.S.: "Political Notebook: Gays grab seats across U.S."

Election day snapshots

From Mark Rauterkus

Results of GOPUSA's Grassroots Survey -- GOPUSA

Results of GOPUSA's Grassroots Survey -- GOPUSA
Question 3 -- How satisfied are you with the job the U.S. House is doing?
* Very satisfied -- 0%
* Somewhat satisfied -- 6%
* Somewhat unsatisfied -- 19%
* Very unsatisfied -- 75%

Humm. Might be a good time to mount a campaign for the US House.

I wonder if the Dems are as unsatisfied?

Post Gazette reporter writes another story that didn't get into print

Today I talked to Rich Lord, reporter for the Post-Gazette. I pointed out to him that the article he wrote about the city council and city controller race did NOT get put into the print edition of the P-G.

Go figure. He wrote an article last night. It didn't run, except on the web.

Two more points from the election

Some people don't seem to understand one simple fact:

You win elections by addition.

Campaigns that leverage subtraction do not win.

Furthermore, the 5 to 1 voter registration advantage for the Dems makes a mountain for any Republican to climb.

Meanwhile, what is the voter registration advantage for Dems over a Libertarian?

If DeSantis had to climb a mountain to win, then I would have needed to climb the Rocky Mountain Range to edge out my D-Party opponent.

A 50-to-1 ratio, not 5-to-1, fits the struggle in the L-to-D race. The results were 10-to-1.

Now let's talk about a 'landslide.'

Democrats cruise, of course. And first breath from Lamb is "AUDIT" from outside consultants

Of course the Ds won. But look at the telling statement from Michael Lamb. He wants an 'audit.' That is his pet word, as he said audit 412 times in our 30-minute debate. See the video at Rauterkus.blip.tv.

From today's P-G:

Democrats cruise in other Pittsburgh City Hall contests 'Tomorrow, I'm going to be sending a letter to the Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority and the [City] Council asking them if they'd consider funding an audit of the controller's office,' he said. An accounting firm should pore over the controller's performance, he said.

Michael Lamb is calling for the audit to be done by an outside vendor. Lamb is the elected controller. Lamb is the person who is to do the audit. But in Lamb's first breath, he trys to pass the work of audits to others.

Furthermore, Lamb wants an audit of the auditors. These auditors that Lamb wants to audit are meaningless. The controller's office isn't worth an audit from outside auditors. The controller's office is redundant in this period of Pittsburgh's public government. The controller's office has been marginalized because of decades of miss-management and one-party rule.

I have said that the controller's office is like the fourth fiddle in a string quartet. Sitting in the first and second chairs are the overlords. Then comes city council. Then, finally, comes the controller. The controller's financial watchdog status is in the toilet. Calling for audits of those who should be doing audits is not the way to battle back to make the controller's office meaningful again.

Pittsburgh needs accountability from elected officials who are willing to do the hard work themselves. Accountability does not come from passing the buck to others who are not elected.

Within Michael Lamb's telling statement, there is more. Lamb wants to spend government money on a new study. Lamb wants to hire some foundation, accounting firm, or outside consultants. Lamb wants to pay them, with taxpayer money. Of course it is going to cost us -- the taxpayers. And, of course the payment is going to go to 'pay to play' benefactors.

Do you think Lamb intends to be putting up a public bid process for the outside audit of the inside auditors (controller's office)? Do you think that this will be a "minority contract?" Lamb really wants to look at how the city lets its contracts -- yeah right.

But here is the worst part. Michael Lamb is begging to the OVERLORDS. He just got elected with fricking 89.xxx percent of the vote, and his first statement within minutes to the press amounts to a puckering of his lips to kiss ass to the OVERLORDS.

Get off your knees.

Do it yourself.

Grow an audit on your own.

Spend less, not more.

Lamb might want to clean house -- but -- he knows he can't do it himself. If Lamb knew that he couldn't do the job himself, perhaps he should not have run for the position.

Oh, but let's not forget. Lamb needed a new government paycheck because his is about to expire at the end of the year.

I got 'crushed' in the election yesterday. Well, it seems to me, that's par for the course. The citizens of Pittsburgh are getting crushed everyday by its city government.

Make no mistake. As Michael Lamb says that he'll be sending a letter to the ICA (Intergovernmental Cooperatiion Authority) begging them to fund an audit of the auditors -- we (the taxpayers) are screwed.

Lamb's first step out of the gate is expensive begging for additional navel gazing that has nothing to do with freedom, liberty nor keeping our kids competitive and local.

Told ya.

Who wants to call that 'good government' now?

I'm crushed. Plus, I'm correct.

And happily, I'm free to blab about the mindlessness of the one-party folly and domination that will insure that the region's downward spiral sustains itself.

I went be back, starting today. walking to city hall talking about various news elements. I'll be back at next week's council meeting. Tonight's county council meeting and Thursday's county budget meeting might go on without me.

Frist posted at 6:57 am.

Results of the elections, at first glance

MAYOR CITYWIDE
(VOTE FOR NOT MORE THAN ) 1
LUKE RAVENSTAHL (DEM) . . . . . . 42,290 = 63.23%
MARK F DESANTIS (REP) . . . . . . 23,313 = 34.85%
TONY OLIVA (LIB) . . . . . . . . 500 = .75%
RYAN SCOTT (SOC) . . . . . . . . 534 = .80%
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 249 = .37%

This is really bad news. Tony got beat by Ryan. Ouch. Every vote counts!

CONTROLLER CITYWIDE
(VOTE FOR NOT MORE THAN ) 1
MICHAEL E LAMB (DEM). . . . . . . 54,258 = 89.40%
MARK RAUTERKUS (LIB). . . . . . . 6,352 = 10.47%
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 83 = .14%

This is good news. I got well over 6,000 votes. Ten and a half-percent isn't what I was looking for -- but it is what I got in the polling that I did last week.
I spent $250. Let's do the math. I got votes for about $.04 each.

Even in 2001, when I ran city wide, I got votes for $.30 each.

There are 1,500 Libertarians in the county. It might be right to say that there are 600 or so Libertarians in the city. Each Libertarian generated 10 votes. I think that there are 100,000 registered Ds in the city. Does that mean each D generated half a vote for Lamb.

MEMBER OF COUNCIL DISTRICT 1
(VOTE FOR NOT MORE THAN ) 1
DARLENE M HARRIS (DEM) . . . . . . 4,880 =74.37%
DAVID SCHUILENBURG (IND) . . . . . 1,672 =25.48%
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 10 =.15%

Way to go David. If he would have been able to have a few debates, that race would have been very, very close.

MEMBER OF COUNCIL DISTRICT 3
(VOTE FOR NOT MORE THAN ) 1
BRUCE A KRAUS (DEM) . . . . . . . 4,463 = 86.13%
MARK RAUTERKUS (LIB). . . . . . . 675 = 13.03%
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 44 = .85%

Who are those 44 people doing write ins? What did they say? I did better in the city council race as far as percentage against the opponent by two+ percent.

The 675 in the council vote is about 1/10th of the 6,352 I got in the city. There are 9 council districts. Time will tell if I did better in some districts and worse in others.

MEMBER OF COUNCIL DISTRICT 5
(VOTE FOR NOT MORE THAN ) 1
DOUGLAS SHIELDS (DEM) . . . . . . 8,067 = 99.20%
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 65 .80%

Today, Doug Shields, City Council President got 8,000 votes. I got about 7,000 votes. That is a good showing for Doug.

MEMBER OF COUNCIL DISTRICT 7
(VOTE FOR NOT MORE THAN ) 1
PATRICK DOWD (DEM) . . . . . . . 7,410 = 98.89%
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 83 = 1.11%

MEMBER OF COUNCIL DISTRICT 9
(VOTE FOR NOT MORE THAN ) 1
RICKY V BURGESS (DEM) . . . . . . 5,335 = 89.62%
DAVID C ADAMS (IND) . . . . . . . 604 = 10.15%
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 14 = .24%

Oh well.

A third party with no money (<$250) is about one quarter of what a 2nd party with $300,000 gets in terms of total votes.

More arm-chair quarterbacking tomorrow.

Told ya!

My polling efforts proved to be perfect. I knew Luke would get between 63 and 65%. I knew I had 10% of the vote for city controller.

There was no "margin of error." I didn't need a margin. There was no error.

I ran the best and most accurate poll in this election cycle, as a hobby.

I don't like the results nor the predicted outcome, but, I reported them, honestly.

South Side poll workers were well fed

I walked into a polling place in the last afternoon along with State Rep., Joe Preston. The poll workers there were H U N G R Y. They let him know about it. They were staying hungry too.

Just 90-seconds ago I had a call from the Market House. Things were different there thanks to the over-reaching, cake pushing.

I spent the afternoon and evening with David C. Adams, Independent candidate for city council in the 9th district. We had a good time buzzing most of those polling places together. I was with David Schuilenburg as the early results came in on the internet.

Dave Schuilenburg was at 25% or so and he didn't have a single debate. There was no debate for the city council district 3 race either. The possibility of having an election without a single debate is so Pittsburgh. That is unreal to me. The only thing nearly as bad is no opposition at all. But, no debates among candidates on the ballot has got to be worse.

Westwood rocks. The voting there was better than anything I saw all day. Had lunch over there.

The early visits were to the polling places in the South Side, the SS Slopes and Allentown. I never got to Oakland, but I figured Tony lived there.

This is a big city.

I had a good time on election day.

Honz Man should know, by now, how many times I was on the ballot. Twice Fred. One for each thumbs. Can you count that high?

Mean while, Marty Griffin, KDKA's other personality and mean-spirited investigative reporter that is oblivious to the obvious, was barking about the lack of opposition to various races. Jeepers, who is going to run against Onorato and get stabbed in the back hundreds of time by Marty Griffin on the airwaves????

Good night.

Early Returns covered my polling release from Friday. Only noticed today

Post-Gazette NOW - Local News - Early Returns: "In the absence of other polls ... Both Mr. Ravenstahl's and Mr. DeSantis' camps have kept their polling under wraps. No credible independent poll has been conducted. That has spawned no end of chatter about who has what data and why they're hiding it.

So into the breach steps Mr. Rauterkus, who is running for not just council, but also city controller.

Mr. Rauterkus, a swim coach and repeat candidate who is a beacon of openness in a stormy sea of campaign secrecy, said his automated phone poll gleaned 715 respondents.

He e-mailed us to let us know that 63 percent of respondents favored Mr. Ravenstahl, versus 21 percent for Mr. DeSantis, 3 percent for Libertarian Tony Oliva, and 1 percent for Socialist Ryan Scott. Combined, 'unsure' and 'not telling' polled 18 percent.

In his own controller's race, Mr. Rauterkus reported that he was trailing Democrat Michael Lamb 52 percent to 10 percent, but noted that the 38 percent who were undecided put him within striking distance, if he can win them all and then some.

Early Returns cautions that Mr. Rauterkus isn't a professional pollster, and didn't calculate a margin of error. That said, for his take on the numbers, go here and scroll down to his Friday posting.

Hey Rich Lord.... There is NO MARGIN OF ERROR. I got it on the nose. Right on the money.

I said Luke would get between 63 and 65%. That is just what he got.

I said that I was at 10%. That is just what I got.

I could NOT have been more exact.

On election day there are NO undecided. And, EVERYONE is in the "I'm NOT TELLING" mode with the secret ballot. In the polling, they had to tell me.

I may not be a professional pollster -- but -- as a hobby, I'm better than everything and anything you've got. And I'm better than everything and anything out there, period.

Post-Gazette NOW - Local News - Early Returns

November 5, 2007 - P-G Early Returns blog had this.

Post-Gazette NOW - Local News - Early Returns
Jumping the Gun edition

A day before he faces the voters, Bruce Kraus showed up in Pittsburgh City Council chambers, to the consternation of the man he hopes to replace, Councilman Jeff Koch.

Mr. Kraus, a Democrat who faces Libertarian Mark Rauterkus in tomorrow's General Election, came to speak out against a request by Folino's Ristorante to keep a decorative fence in front of its East Carson Street location. Like a handful of other restaurants on Carson, Folino's wants its sidewalk-sitting patrons to dine within a better-defined space.

Some South Siders, though, feel the trend toward fenced-in outdoor seating threatens the street's wobbly balance between partygoers and residents.

"If you add capacity to the bars, you add to the problems they're trying to deal with right now," said businessman Tom Smith, citing public urination, noise and congestion as the potential results of a proliferation of outdoor seating areas. Mr. Smith is president of the South Side Chamber of Commerce, but stressed that the organization has taken no position on the Folino's request.

Mr. Koch argued for allowing the fence, saying it will leave 7 feet of open sidewalk for pedestrians, and noting that other Carson establishments have them. He also shot a few sidelong glances at Mr. Kraus, who was sitting in the audience.

"Mr. Kraus, if he wins, come January, he has the right to turn any [sidewalk] encroachment down that he wants," Mr. Koch told council. He said many of the opponents to the Folino's request, who are bombarding him with e-mails, don't even live in the city. "It's ridiculous. It's a witch hunt."

After the meeting, Mr. Koch said Mr. Kraus was just irked because Folino's supported the incumbent in the May primary. That incumbent, Mr. Koch, lost the race.

"There's nothing political about this whatsoever," said Mr. Kraus. "If we permit one to have a permanent encroachment, when the other 20 come [and ask for the same] ... then what do we say to them?"

Council decided to postpone voting on the Folino's fence until after an as-yet-unscheduled public hearing on sidewalk encroachments.

Here is the deal. Kraus is not in favor of property rights. Kraus will act like a socialist / communist / liberal democrat.

Furthermore, Kraus will serve up "pay back." This is a power trip for him. To the victor go the spoils in that world.

Eminent Domain -- no problem with him.

Voting For My Buddies...Early Voting Observations 2007

The poll worker showed me the electronic touch panel this morning at approximately 7:05 a.m., as I wanted to make sure I made my twice annual votes mattered before trudging off to work.

Some of the choices were easy. Mark DeSantis for Mayor. Check. Mark Rauterkus for Pittsburgh Controller. Check. There may have been one judge I needed to retain, but the others were given the proverbial heave-ho on my ballot.

There were also a number of races that were uncontested: Allegheny County Chief Executive and District Attorney among them. I almost always write myself in for something and this year it was the County Council special election in my area. Of course, the winner will be a nameless, faceless Democrat who will continue to do nothing but be invisible.

I voted my friend Lou in for Allegheny County Treasurer, as I’m certain he’d be a better bean counter than the guy we currently have. I also wrote my friend Bob in as Allegheny County District Attorney.

Now I sit, listening for nuggets of information. Mayor Luke may or may not have broken the law by glad-handing inside a polling place. Former Republican Mayoral candidate Joe Weinroth says that DeSantis won his polling place, two-to-one.

The night’s still young, but two things remain certain: I will not win County Council and Ron Paul has just as much chance to be our next President.

Schenley High School meeting

Mr. Lopez, Chief of High School Reform, is holding a meeting about the pending closing of the school at 6 pm, Thursday, Nov 8, 2007, in the Schenley auditorium.

The Tribune-Review incorrectly stated that it was a meeting for students. Please try to attend.

It is important that we show the strength of the IS/IB program and that we want to have a say in major changes to our program. Maybe (and this is a very big maybe) we will decide that the move to Reizenstein is workable but there are many questions that need to be answered. I think it is especially important that families who do not live in the East End be represented well. If there are any Phillips parents reading this, can you please spread the word at your school.

Also, keep in mind and mark it on your calendars that a special board hearing will be held on Nov. 27.

Thanks Amy!
I'll be there.

Ohligarchy: Hooma Gunna Vote Fer?

Suburban endorsement for a write-in vote. Okay.

Ohligarchy: Hooma Gunna Vote Fer? Saddam Hussein, in his last election before being deposed, won 100% of the vote. That should never happen in America, not even at the lowest level. Democrat Dan Onorato will coast to victory, which means that I have about eight hours to think of a name to write in. Perhaps Mark Rauterkus? Yeah, that's the ticket.

Doing the unthinkable -- Some South Siders go to out and vote twice

They get to vote twice, for me, legally.

I'll vote twice for me too.

This way I'm not quite the lone wolf that I used to be.

Plus, there are other buddies too. One, an ex-paratrooper, Tony Oliva, Libertarian, a former D1 (NCAA Division I) footballer. And the other candidate buddies both named Dave . Think David and Goliath. One Dave is an ex-marine and the other Dave is a 911 operator. So, I'm in good company. The third Dave, David Tessitor, is at-large and all over the map, generally. Standing next to him makes me look focused.

Let's vote. Let's keep democracy alive. Let's elect people who understand the constitution while possessing a long view so that the kids here have hope for our shared political landscape for the years to come. And there is very little hope when little ones play around in the dirt that reeks of lead poison while others in power just hunker down -- too busy to notify anyone and communicate.

Kraus, Lamb, Harris did little in this campaign. They were hunkered down. I have great faith that they'll do the same in office. Meanwhile, the kids are weaker. The future is more bleak.

Hats off to Luke Ravenstahl for coming out to debate, some. Too bad Luke is responsible for doing nothing else and lack of notifications on the dangerous playground conditions for months. Luke came out to debate, and he survived. Lucky for him.

Dave for Council in District 1 -- email on election day

Well, another election has come & gone, and the outcome is now in the hands of the voters. And while our district & the city face enormous challenges & important choices ahead, one thing our team can pride itself in is having run a clean campaign & having worked diligently in getting our message of change out to voters. Though it was somewhat challenging at times, we were met with immense interest & favorable reception when meeting directly with voters. The consensus is clear. People are now ready to move forward, & they want to hear about the ideas that will improve Pittsburgh in the long run.

As this campaign comes to a close, I would just like to take an opportunity to personally thank the great many of you who have helped over the past 12 months. Along with longing for better leadership, many of you took precious time out of your personal lives to help in this campaign, and we would not have been able to make as many great in-roads across this great district had it not been for all your help. No matter what happens tomorrow, we made our mark and laid the roots which will allow voters to choose a new & progressive course when they are ready. Thank you again for all your help, and more importantly, thank you for the opportunity to have worked so closely with many of you. Great friendships were forged, new relationships established, and it has been quite an honor.

In closing, allow me to also take this opportunity to invite you to join us as we watch the results come in at our post-election night party. The polls open at 7am, and close at 8pm, and we will be meeting afterwards at Max’s Allegheny Tavern on the lower North Side, located at 537 Suismon Street (located on the corner of Middle Street, 1 block west of East Street). If you can’t make it, we will understand. However, whatever you do, please remember to vote. As we have seen in recent years in races at all levels, every vote does count and can make all the difference.

Greatest respects & God Bless,

Dave Schuilenburg

(phone # moved to comments)

about Freedom, Prosperity and Peace

Michael Lamb for Controller blog got updated on May 10.

Michael Lamb for Controller Endorsements!!! May 10th, 2007

Check out the button!

The best prediction yet

Google Calendar Tuesday - Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain and snow showers. Highs in the lower 40s. West winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph. Chance of precipitation 40 percent.

We're talking Steeler weather for election day after a Monday Night Football game.

Perhaps hell will begin to freeze over starting on Wednesday morning.

Secure those campaign signs, else we'll have a lot of urban tumbleweed and floppy litter on a stick.

The American Entrepreneur - Newsletter Articles - Pittsburgh's Last�Chance?

A long rant from Ron Morris about the election features a call to vote for Mark DeSantis.

The American Entrepreneur - Newsletter Articles - Pittsburgh's Last�Chance?: "This election is our one and only chance to make this all happen."

Sitting ducks: An inactive Pittsburgh is looking for trouble

Sitting ducks: An inactive Pittsburgh is looking for trouble: Living well is the best revenge.

Debate for city council, district 9: David C. Adams vs. Ricky Burgess

First 20+ minutes of the debate.

Click To Play

Bio from David C. Adams from the League of Women Voters online guide

David C Adams, 49, Pittsburgh, Ward 13

http://TheNeighborhoodAwarenessProgram.org

Education: B.S., Villanova University, 1980;
M. A., Princeton University, 1982;
University of Pittsburgh, 2005-present: Public Administration;
Giant Eagle, 2003-2005: Accelerated Management Training Program;
California University of Pennsylvania, 1985-1987: Speech Communications;
U.S.M.C., U.S.N., U.S.A.R., 1976-1985

Occupation: University of Pittsburgh, Facilities Management;
President, Conscience Newsletter, and The Conscience Group

Qualifications: Leadership Experience; Creator of Comprehensive Citywide Crime Prevention Program

Answer: 1. Alternative Funding: I would utilize the many resources of this city, and our geography to open marketing opportunities which would be exclusively directed to fund, and impact the city’s bottom line. The beauty of this idea, is the fact that corporations, small and large business, organizations, and sporting entities would help the city, as they market their products, goods or services. I believe this opportunity would also generate new business to the city. The marketing opportunities would be developed to ensure every business owner in Pittsburgh could join this opportunity, with price scales to fit every budget of business, including a payment plan.

2. Public Safety: Fire, Police, Ambulance, Emergency Services etc.

Visiting with Panther Rants and their Tailgate was a blast

Thanks everyone. I had a great time.

Panther Rants We'd also like to announce a formal eternal tailgating invitation to area Pittsburgh politician Mark Rauterkus who remained true to his word and came to the tailgate fully armed with some of his buttons and DVDs, not to mention doughnuts, bear claws and a bag of popcorn that could fill the trunk of a 1974 Cadillac. Mark was also as much fun to talk with and have around and his time and effort were rewarded with a Panther Rants limited edition collectors t-shirt. Unfortunately, none of Mark's new tailgating buddies actually live in his district, making his experience a complete waste of time, energy, and about $20 ($17 if he used his Giant Eagle Advantage card). We hope, however, that he doesn't view it as such and becomes a regular. The more the merrier.

Photos soon.

Video of Debate: Rauterkus vs. Lamb -- who can control and out-of-control, one-party town?

Click To Play

The audio from the debate between myself (Mark Rauterkus, Libertarian) and the career politician, Michael Lamb, (son of a PA Senator), is on my TalkShoe.com site. One version of the video (without subtitles) is on the web at Google Video. It is 29 minutes in length.

Playground in City reeks of lead. Poison puts brain on hold. City waits. Kids and Parents know nothing.

Our family to China three times. Once we were there while all the Recreation Centers within the City were closed. They were idle, by design. Closed for political reasons by the local Democratic Mayor. Thanks to the leadership of the Dems in Pgh, we've got more of the same to bark about.

This week Pittsburgh give itself another leg up on China, famous for its exports of cheap toys to the US that are covered with lead-based paint. Perhaps it this can be called a 'Lead Pipe Lock.'

The lack of action on these types of problems is typical. Plenty of problems concerning our kids and youth are begging for attention. Meanwhile, our city, this city, does NOTHING. That is what THEY always do. Nothing.

More talk and buzz about the parks has surfaces in recent times than ever before -- due to the killing of the geese in both North Park and Riverfront Park on the South Side. This is why we talk about parks -- dead geese. Neither the media nor the politicians are eager to engage and talk about parks. Dead geese -- not kids, not recreation, not coaching, not programming.

Now, lead-poison, toxic playground, additional inactions. Newspapers and city hall officials talk about the parks because the playground dirt is toxic. They knew about it for months. AND, they did NOTHING.

For the sake of the future and the kids -- I'd love your vote and endorsement for both city controller and city council, district 3.

I'm running against do-nothing politicians who won't rock the boat. They act like lead anchors and are sinks to sustained conversations about solutions for our region. I, at least, will scream foul! (pun intended)

Light at the end of the city's Dems? - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Light at the end of the city's Dems? - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review DeSantis, 48, a former aide to Sen. John Heinz, possesses the worldly (i.e., out-of-Pittsburgh) experience and valuable ideas that can reverse Pittsburgh's long, all-Democrat-engineered economic and civic decline.

So, the Trib vallues worldly experience.

Well, the Trib did endorse David Tessitor for Allegheny County Council At-Large. Nice.

Furthermore, for the city controller's race -- the Trib is indifferent. Printing "blindly" as a descriptive word from a Trib editor is ROTFL stuff. (Roll On The Floor Laughing)

Scroll to hear the phone messages

Clicking in this box should play the messages on your computer, without needing to leave this page. There is a drop-down box in the middle with various sound files.

Phone Calls Sound Like This

Some of my phone calls sound like this:

DeSantis' 88 Neighborhood Visits Hits Backyard

As I walked to pick up my gas-guzzlin’ SUV from the local, city mechanic (sorry to all of those who abhor the fact that I prefer to spend my hard-earned trinkets within the confines of America’s Most Livable City), I looked up to see a stereotypical Yunzer folding up a Mark DeSantis sign. In front of him, a nicely-dressed guy who was talking in docile tones. About 15 yards away, DeSantis himself.

Earlier in the day, I read a MySpace bulletin that included the 29th Ward in his campaign to hit all of Pittsburgh’s 88 neighborhoods in less than a week, so I knew he’d be in the area. Lo and behold, there he was. Here was my chance to say hello, tell him that I indeed tossed him a gold shilling or three, and admit that I would be voting for him, despite his promise to allow city workers the Golden Ticket jackpot to Washington and Butler Counties.

By the time I made it across the street, DeSantis and his cohort had ducked into a black car, across the street from a beer distributor, within a stone’s throw of former state Senator and Allegheny County Commissioner Mike Dawida’s humble abode. He eagerly re-emerged when it looked like someone was actually happy to say hello.

DeSantis and his campaign staffer jumped out and we had a discussion. I told him that the neighborhoods would suffer, and the elderly in particular would be feel less safe when their area cops would bolt in mass, away from the 70 years of Democrat regime that allowed them unprecedented perks and salaries. Stakeholders would disappear in record numbers in a buyer’s real estate market with very few buyers.

The “good neighbor” would quickly turn to an abandoned, or rented property overnight. Being a neighborhood presence is part of the job. It’s either a lifestyle or a job. If you’re a cop who doesn’t live in the community you serve, it’s just a paycheck. Nothing regal; just a job.

Anyhoo, DeSantis listened politely and his staffer asked if I thought the police would really leave. Absolutely, I retorted, mostly to far off lands with acres of lands, ponds and dirt roads. They certainly wouldn’t move 10 minutes away. Criminals there still go to the same movies.

After a nice chat in which I told him I had five signs in my yard (I miscounted: it’s six), we moved on, assured that his name would still be at the end of my touch-screen press on Tuesday.

A few minutes later near the shopping center and garage I frequent, DeSantis was going from bystander to bystander, door to door, introducing himself to everyone. From what I heard, the response was cold. Unfortunately, many of my neighbors are nearly brainwashed into thinking the way Luke Ravenstahl’s parents taught him: be afraid of Republicans, despite the fact that they believe in issues far closer to the average Pittsburgher than they easily admit.

But then again, the most fervent religious people I’ve ever known were union stalwarts through and through.

Let’s hope that Ravenstahl’s continued missteps and his boyish mistakes eventually wake up the great unwashed, but I’m not confident in their abilities to think about issues in a realistic way.

It’s been decades since any city politician really cared about neighborhoods like mine. The electorate has been lulled to sleep by public sector promises that generally help anyone other than giving lots of people the ability to pay their own city mortgages.

Vote Mark DeSantis on Tuesday. He’s not perfect, but with Bill Peduto perhaps out of the picture completely, he’s our only chance.

Pittsburgh’s Peerless Prodigal Son Of Politics Has Resurfaced

What an absolute treat to unfold Saturday’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and see the most unique “politician” ever in Pittsburgh, “sniffing” snacks of $2 bills he used to pay his entry fee into New Hampshire’s Democratic presidential primary.

Richard E. “Mad Dog” Caligiuri is the “Philosophical Outlaw,” the one-time, perennial Congressional candidate who oftentimes took on former Congressman Bill Coyne (the antithesis of thoughtful deliberation and verve). The quintessential Pittsburgh Libertarian, Caligiuri made his biggest splash in the mid 90’s when he posed nude, strategically positioned as “The Thinker,” on the back cover of one of Pittsburgh’s weekly liberal odes to all things unconventional.

“Mad Dog” had arrived. As the editor of an advertiser-supported every-other-weekly ode to all things Block Watch, Community News and feature-happy odes to all things small town, U.S.A., I was excited to meet him. We became fast friends, but alas, a family-member’s health was encompassing more and more of his time, so I knew that Caligiuri’s time in the “alternative candidate’s” spotlight was waning.

Of course, the throngs of public sympathizers and fans of unthinking, unblinking Coyne-dom voted Sleepy Socialist Willie into office one last time. Shortly thereafter, Fidel Castro’s poster boy for all things crazier-than-a-loon retired and gerrymandering allowed for the one-time middle-of-the-road-thinking Mike Doyle assumed the city of Pittsburgh. Thusly, Doyle accepted the lunatic-fringe of lefty liberalism, but before that had to face Caligiuri one last time.

Doyle and I had a good working relationship, as I did with virtually everyone in public office. One Bill Peduto guided former Congressman Dan Cohen’s political ship into an everyman’s quagmire of Congressional hopefulness. No one quite realized the inexplicable power of the Sleepy Socialist and Cohen’s political future was sunk. The shock of that outcome still resonates to this day.

Caligiuri ran against Coyne and I broke the story. Doyle informed the rest of Pittsburgh’s media that I had the scoop, that indeed he had an opponent that fall. Doyle won then, and has raced to the left faster than his idol, John Murtha fell from grace in the opinions of 95% of career service men and women. Caligiuri disappeared off the political map just about the time in which he should have shined.

In his prime, Caligiuri would have been the Internet’s political darling, a daring thinker who’s “out of the box” ideas have been copied but never duplicated.

Our friend Mark Rauterkus has picked up Caligiuri’s reigns perhaps better than anyone might have dreamt. However, Caligiuri always kept his eyes only on Congress. He became folklore to us political junkies, perhaps not as oddly as the late sandwich-board guy who despised Coyne and once ran for Mayor, but in a city with so few real “colorful” politicians who didn’t make a career out of cashing city council paychecks, Caligiuri was a hero.

Until now.

According to the Concord Monitor, Caligiuri drove to New England to enter the crowded Democratic field. He still maintains a true Libertarian philosophy, but that only makes him closer to being a John F. Kennedy Democrat than a Hillary Clinton Democrat.

New Hampshire voters were also reported to be waiting for TV funnyman Stephen Colbert to show up. Colbert had announced his candidacy for the South Carolina primary a few weeks ago, but those staunch intolerants decided to leave him off the ballot. It’s still uncertain whether Dennis Kucinich is on that ballot, but one joke shouldn’t necessarily disqualify another.

From time to time, I’ve thought of Caligiuri, but lost his phone number eons ago. Print says he continues to maintain his family’s fast food and ice cream restaurant in Wilkinsburg. Back in the day, he routinely shuttled from that hamlet to a kraal in Westmoreland County, where he presumably drank wine and waited for the next Congressional go-round.

Had I had a vote in New Hampshire, I would consider crossing party lines to plunk the Mad Dog.

It’s great to see an old friend once again.

Step It Up : Invited to speak at another rally today on the North Side

Step It Up : Spread the Word: "We have saved our Pittsburgh Penguins now we are coming together to save the other penguins that live in Antarctica. In addition to some politicians, we are expecting a guest appearance from Stanley the penguin from the National Aviary."

Hot Poll Numbers. Get em while they're hot.. Extra insights from a weird third voice as a topping.

Luke is at 63%.
DeSantis is at 21%.
Libertarian, Tony Oliva is at 3%.
Ryan Scott, Socialist Workers Party, is at 1%.

Unsure is 11%.
Not telling, or mind your own business, = 7%.

The 11+7 = 18%. That was the topic for a recent email blast and blog post. It could have read 38% to 11% for even extra contrast. Seven percent know who they are going to vote for, they just are not telling.

In the two person race for Pgh Controller:
Michael Lamb, D, is at 52%.
Mark Rauterkus, Libertarian, is at 10%.
Unsure is at 38%.

If all the unsure break to Rauterkus, the race would be nearly tied.

I predict that Ravenstahl will be at 63 to 65% of the vote total.
Understand that DeSantis started at nearly ZERO.

More people signed the petition to get Rauterkus and Oliva onto the ballot than voted with the write in to get DeSantis onto the GOP ballot.
The media has done a poor job in coverage of the Controller's race.
Rauterkus has spent less than $250 in his race. Meanwhile, DeSantis has spent $300,000.

Rauterkus is getting twice as many votes from those who are going to vote for DeSantis than Ravenstahl.

DeSantis held a fund raiser for Lamb when Lamb was in a race for Mayor in 2005.

When Rauterkus ran for mayor, in 2001, the intent was to create opposition to Tom Murphy. Meanwhile, Lamb ran against Bob O'Connor and finished third in the D-Party primary. Lamb's vote total was less than Bill Peduto's.

Lamb ran for Controller in the D-Pary primary in May, 2007, and got 41% of the D-Party vote.

Throughout Allegheny County, there are less than 2,500 Libertarians. In the city, the number is much less.

The city council candidates who are challenging the endorsed Democrats each have a better opportunity to win their respective races than does DeSantis. The Republican label is too much of a liability for DeSantis at this time.

The DeSantis campaign has failed to build even the slightest teamwork among the other challengers to Pittsburgh's status as a one-party town.

The hope of all hopes for a DeSantis victory must reside in the new voters to the city. Those that have not voted before or only voted for the first time in 2007 and 2006 were not able to be within the poll. The younger people in the South Side, the college students, the recent arrivals could sway the election to the favor of DeSantis.

Of course a high voter turnout among Republicans and a low turnout for Dems would guarantee a DeSantis victory.

I have not looked at results from various sections of the city and from various party households. DeSantis could have a massive Shadyside, Regent Square and Sq. Hill vote total. That might have been overlooked within this poll. DeSantis might have a massive voter boom in Overbrook or Brookline. There are mysteries that will not be known until the voters speak and results are calculated.

Ravenstahl could still make two or three mistakes.

---

Ha, ha, ha section..... as it is nice to have creativity when facing data. Plus, I'm going to a tailgate with Pitt folks in the morning. Hail to Pitt. I won't unleash the poisonous snakes then. (Have you seen their blog?)

If Luke Ravenstahl kicks the winning field goal in the Monday Night Steelers game, DeSantis should instruct the fat lady to being to sing.

If DeSantis could get all weekend tailgaters a crash course in civics along with a hot sandwich on a fresh bun, Luke would go down in flames.

If the Libertarian, Tony Oliva, would parachute into Heinz Field with the game ball and proceed to return the opening kickoff past the Ravenstahl, err, Ravens 50, then Michael Lamb might have to get his next government job in the Law Department since Rauterkus would be a hero for recruiting Oliva to the ballot.

Finally, don't shoot the messenger. However, I have good faith that this poll is the most comprehensive done in Pittsburgh since Bill Peduto pulled out of the mayor's race in March 2007.

Tomorrow, watch this blog for video of the lone debate between the candidates for controller hosted by B-Pep and the League of Women Voters. Michael Lamb mentions dog licenses, for the 724th time at a public meeting. In his remarks at the debate, Lamb repeated the word "audit" 412 times in less than 30-minutes.

Link to the audio will go here soon.

Link to the spreadsheet of data.

---

Script of recorded phone call:

A mayor's race is here in Pittsburgh.

Residents vote for two city-wide positions on Nov 6. Your help for the next 60-seconds can assist in a scientifically valid poll.

In the mayor's race, if you expect to vote for

Luke Ravenstahl, Democrat, press “1”

if you expect to vote for Mark DeSantis, Republican, press 2,

if you expect to vote for Tony Oliva, Libertarian, press 3,

Ryan Scott, Socialist, press 4.

if you are unsure as to who you'll vote for – press 5.

if you would rather NOT say who may vote for – register a privacy tally by pressing six.

- -
Last question:

In the race for city controller,

if you are going to vote for Michael Lamb, Democrat, press 7

if you are going to vote for Mark Rauterkus, Libertarian, press 8.

if you are unsure about who you'll vote for for City Controller, -- press 9.

-
Finally, if you would want to get voter information and obtain the results of this poll, press “O” for operator and leave a message that includes your email address. We'll release the results to you as soon as this poll concludes.

---

Extra Q & A:

How many respondents?

715 gave something to tally.
Thousands of calls were made.

And what was the breakdown -- how many said they'd vote for you, versus Lamb?

Lamb is at 52%, me 10%, Undecided 38%

Who conducted the poll?

Me.

Over what dates?

Most recent six days. But, I better triple check this in the AM. I stopped the poll at noon on Friday, Nov 2.

Robo or humans asking questions?

Recorded voice.

And what's the margin of error?

?? That's beyond my pay grade.

38% to 18%

This is really sad and a bit alarming.

I ran an extensive poll that ended at noon today, Friday, November 2. We've called thousands of people over the course of 6 days, 12 hours each day with multiple phone lines.

Presently 18% of the people are either "unsure" or "not telling" as to who they are voting for in the mayor's race.

However, the amount of people who are unsure in their pending votes for city controller is 38%. That's thirty-eight percent. The election is three days from today.

My hope and wish for the undecided folks is for them to read the League of Womens Voters Guide. Look at that content along what I've delivered on the web, starting at http://Elect.Rauterkus.com.

Most of all, this opportunity presents a final opportunity to shout out to the media professionals in the region. There has been very little coverage on the city-wide race for controller. We had one debate (Oct 29) without any media coverage there. None, except for our video camera. (Thanks David Schuilenburg.) I have the video of the debate going online at my site soon. I have been making 99% of the media for this race, as a candidate. Ekks! Meanwhile, my opponents are doing everything they can to hunker down and squash discussions about solutions for Pittsburgh.

I'm available to talk on camera and to reporters and Trib editorial review board about the race, democracy, and our political landscape. If anyone wants to talk about solutions for our schools, parks, freedom or ethics, especially as ethics touch upon Pittsburgh's Ethics Hearing Board -- email me at Mark@Rauterkus.com, or call me, 412 298 3432.

If the 38% of the voters that are still undecided opt for me, Libertarian, Mark Rauterkus, I can win the post of Controller. It is an optimistic view, but true. As I'm elected, Pittsburgh will not only break one party rule, but the city can establish a Citizens' Congress and a Youth Technology Summit. We can move way beyond audits and apply a process that matches the methods of open source software development.

Feel free to make your own endorsement and foward this to your friends, family and neighbors. Pittsburgh's media has starved the voters for insights into the controller's race and the three other races for city council being waged by the challengers.

In district 1, vote for Dave Schuilenburg.
In district 9, vote for David C. Adams.
In district 3, vote for me, Mark Rauterkus, Libertarian.

And for city controller -- I need votes from both the Ravenstahl and DeSantis camp. My base of support is mixed among all sides. But undecided voters are everywhere, sadly.

blog comment hits home run -- close to home

Ravenstahl opposes civil unions and gay marriages, does not think women should have the right to choose and even told the Shadyside Democratic Committee that he was opposed to contraception. And every elected democrat is endorsing this moron for Mayor? Way to go guys, good democratic values. Thanks for putting your careers before your party's ideals and my womb.
partyof4 | 11.02.07 - 10:46 am | #

Ohligarchy: I'm Mayor Of Pittsburgh, And I Have No Responsibilities

Another blogger is helping city folks connect the dots.

Ohligarchy: I'm Mayor Of Pittsburgh, And I Have No Responsibilities Ravenstahl has laid down the gauntlet of guilt-by-association, consider this: Toby Keith hangs out with Ted Nugent. Ted ain't no 'progressive'. Does this mean that Luke Ravenstahl isn't in line with the Democratic voters of Pittsburgh? The question must be asked.

Pittsburgh Pist-Gazette does some valuable navel gazing

She might have found some lint in there.

Pittsburgh Pist-Gazette When we use “Pittsburgh” in PLACES RATED ALMANAC, we’re talking about the metro area surrounded by 7 counties, containing 441 cities and towns in NW Pennsylvania, and named after the largest city in the area.

This is the same type of thinking that goes to Pittsburgh being named, "Knowledge Town" while being home to Oliver High School, Langley, Carrick, Westinghouse and Peabody -- all "Drop-Out Factories."

Go figure.

Pittsburgh City Council and City Clerk's Office Launch Legislative Information Center - Government Technology

This is the tip of the iceberg to what I mean by providing an open source software approach. This is NOT open source software. But, it is along the right direction. If I was controller, we'd move hundreds of times faster, farther and with more freedom from within the data, the code and the access.

One of our new employees within the city controller's office would be an open-source programmer / coordinator.

Nonetheless, this is nice and welcomed.

Pittsburgh City Council and City Clerk's Office Launch Legislative Information Center - Government TechnologyPittsburgh City Council and the Office of the City Clerk, along with Mayor Ravenstahl, today officially launch InSite, a new Legislative Information Center that provides Internet users with complete access to all city legislation. InSite is available at the city's official Web site.

'The Freedom of Information Act, updated in 1996 to address electronic data, has generated an ever-increasing demand for open access to public records,' said Council President Douglas Shields. 'InSite is a wonderful tool for keeping the public informed and will also benefit private businesses, non profits, the media and other government entities.'

Daily Media Briefing � Media Briefing for Thursday, November 1, 2007

Daily Media Briefing � Media Briefing for Thursday, November 1, 2007: "A staffer for the Mayor of Pittsburgh rigged his personal computer to vote repeatedly in favor of the mayor in a CBS talk radio station KDKA-AM 1020 online poll, but a spokesperson for Mayor Luke Ravenstahl says that the worker will not be punished for the act. KDKA-AM posted a poll on morning host Marty Griffin’s web page last week asking if the media had treated Ravenstahl unfairly in their coverage of recent Pittsburgh City Hall scandals, and the worker in the Mayor’s Computer Information Systems department set up a program to get around the poll’s ban on repeat voting. 86% of votes said the media was too harsh on the mayor. “He could have done the same thing for American Idol, said Alecia Sirk, a spokesperson for the mayor’s office, referring to the computer tech who fixed the poll. “He’s a private person who supports the mayor. He can do what he wants as a private person at home.” This report is from All Access. "

Radio Ad by Allegheny County Dems -- might as well be FOR me, Libertarian, strongly against the war

Woke up today to hear a radio ad on KDKA from the Allegheny County Democratic Committee that hits upon the failed policies of the Republicans and Mark DeSantis. Taken on measure, that is the message that is sure to generate a lot of new voters to the Libertarians.

Thanks!

I hate the war, as Ron Paul does.

I hate the failed policies.

I've been standing against the folly of local and national policies for a decade.

I didn't vote for Bush. Not I or II or even II the first time.

Furthermore, with Tom Murphy, D, I didn't vote for him the second or third time, I ran against him and worked hard to move him to the private sector.

Hurling stones about failed policies in radio ads from those that live in glass houses is sure to help my cause as a Libertarian.

DeSantis had one great answer and didn't do much with the coaching I served up

DeSantis gave one excellent answer in the debate at QED. He hit that one out of the park. Take a guess as to what I think was his best answer from any debate so far.

Sadly, four or five other times I was just begging for a better replies.

Then he goes and mentions Lamb. Jeepers. Who is the mayor candidate that Michael Lamb, D, endorses?

Then comes this answer, from my dreams.

Q: How can you, Mark DeSantis, work with others in city government who are all Dems?

DeSantis could have given this reply. It is one I dream about:

The voters are going to put new faces on city council. Patrick Dowd is a Dem, but has a Ph.D., like me. We'll get along well. Mr. Dowd is running without opposition. Furthermore, I look forward to working with and I strongly endorse: David Adams, city council district 9; Dave Schuilenburg, district 1; and Libertarian, Mark Rauterkus, district 3. Those gentleman can present four new faces to city council. The last three have mounted serious challenges to the entrenched D-party mindset.

This is a new day.

As I get elected mayor, I can be joined in city hall with a Libertarian and two Independents who are headed to city council. This year is a big year for change for Grant Street and city government. All are capable with great perspectives. Those other seats are being filled with four-year terms. Voters should not make the same mistakes again by always electing Democrats and always falling back into the same ruts.

League of Women Voters Guide is out via the Pgh Courier

The 12 page, color, tabloid voters guide from the League of Women Voters is out. I picked one up at the office of the NPC on 315 East Carson Street yesterday. It is full of interesting information.

I'm in it twice as I'm on the ballot for both controller and city council district 3.

Here are some interesting notes:

Dan Onorato, a guy who says on the radio he has been here for 3 and a half years, notes that he was on City Council for 8 years, was controller for Allegheny County for four years and is now finishing his first 4 year term as ACE. It will be a happy day when he moves back to the private sector, in my opinion.

Asked, "Do you support the merger of city and county?" Onorato wrote:

"I support merging the City and County into one governmental body. He think that the merger of fingerprinting is demonsrated proof that they can increase operational efficiency.

Dan wants board members of PAT (Port Authority Transit) to serve at the pleasure of the County Executive, rather than fixed terms. Dan is always hungry for power. He thinks that would greatly increase the County Executive's oversight and lead to greater accountability.

No Dan.

A great increase in accountability with PAT Board Members would be retention votes for all authority Board Members. Have them be responsible and accountable to the voters, not to the County Executive.

For Allegheny County Council At Large, Dave Tessitor, reform party, didn't put in a photo. But he is the only one of the three to have a web site.

David's statement about mergers:

Absolutely NOT! A merger would conplettely eliminate city governmetn's urban focus and remove hard won gains of minority communities. African-American, especially, would have their voting share diluted. The Allegheny Confernece, a group created by the ultr-rich, is the chief proponent and admits metropolitanism won't save money, it's about consolidating power (in their hands). Bigger isn't better, it's ruined transit. my main issues: more and better transit (start by dividing PAT into smaller, more efficient managment structures proven effective elsewhere); revitalizing our older communities (first stopping subsidies for suburban real estate speculation); and rapid rail to the airport to bring more jobs into traditional urban communities. merger would complicate or prevent this while forcing suburban residents to assume city debts that they didn't create.

The the mayor's section, Tony Oliva didn't have a photo. Tony's final statement: As other cities move forward, with new ideas, Pittsburgh stays stubbornly entrenched floundering in bankruptcy.

In the Controller's section, Michael Lamb lists as a qualification as being the assistant regional director of PHEA! That was a while ago. I guess if he had a golden parachute it has been long gone.

Micheal wrote:

One of the serious problems facing the City of Pittsburgh is its status as financially distressed. The City Controller sits on the city's pension board and one of the ways we can move toward correcting this problem is addressing the problems of the city's under funded pensions. Another problem facing Pittsburgh are its schools. The City Controller has audit power over the Pittsburgh Public Schools. As Controller, I will make sure that the tax dollars of Pittsburghers are funding quality programs for our students and thatwe promite a climate of excellence in Pittsburgh Public Schools.

Hey, the city is financially distressed. No joke, Sherlock.

My answer to the problems of Pittsburgh.

Schools. Citizen engagement. Loss of liberty. Schools must have discipline and parent/community involvement. Build upon successful programs. Fix high schools.

Question two asks: What specific procedures should the controller's office use to address the fiscal crisis of the city?

Lamb wrote:

In the past, the City Controller's office has neglected to conduct annual audits of city departments. As Controller I will implement an audit schedule for all city departments.

Lamb said the same thing at the debate. He thought that Tom Flaherty, former controller, didn't do his job. Tom Flaherty wasn't "in the pocket" of Tom Murphy. However, they all covered for each other, as I'm certain Lamb will do too. They are all of the same party. Only now do we hear that Lamb is outraged at the poor behaviors of the controller's office -- as he is running for that office.

But the contrast between Lamb and myself are much greater. Lamb thinks that the power of the controller is with the audits. When there is a lack of creativity and willingness to rock the boat, that's the best a Dem can deliver.

My answer:

I'll create and organize a Citizens' Congress with hundreds of volunteer activists working as deputy auditors. Engaged resident must establish a tight grip on city government and schools. The city is at the brink and out of controll. Our values, priorities, benchmarks, and open dialog need an overhaul. We need to think again and create community with new leaders and real citizen empowerment. I'll launch a Youth Technology Summit. I'll leverage open source software methods everywhere.

In city council, district 3, my opponent, Bruce A. Kraus, did not submit a photo nor a website.

Question 1 was: What steps would you take to solve the current financial crisis in the city?

Kraus wrote:

Inviting non-profits through incentives to contribute payment in lieu of taxes, encouraging responsible stewardship of monies we already collect and reducing expenditures through responsible usage of our natural resources.

Humm... I guess he'll turn out the lights more often. That will be good. Plus, he'll give incentives to non-profits to invite more payments. I could take some stabs as to what this could mean. I guess the city could buy some additional Pitt library books i the Pitt undergrads would payoff more of their parking tickets. Perhaps we could show up to faculty meetings with ice cream and sheet cakes if Pitt doubled its giving to the Pgh Service Fund.

I'm open to other suggestions on your read of your decoder ring on this Q and Kraus A.

My answer:

Lay The Shovel Down. Stop expensive bone-headed projects with little lasting benefit. Many boondoggles curb freedom and cripple Pgh's future with debt. I'll create teamwork among citizens and institutions. Let's distill better solutions, sustain discussions, inject debate and diverse perspectives, reestablish value. My priority is to compete like never before.

Question 2: Do you support merging some services with the county, and if so, what are they?

Kraus wrote:

Yes. I support merging of some services where fiscally responsible and shown to improve delivery.

My response:

Corporate welfare, police brutality, firefighters contracts, downtown interests, and Luke's golf drown every thing else. kids and families are ignored. youths need coaching, not more shootings. Let's teach how to play. Volunteerism would soar by removing Citiparks, Countyparks & Rec, and PPS aftershcool from city hall. Build a Democratic entity: Pgh Park District. (2004 positions at Play.CLOH.Org) Illinois uses this model so regional assets are cared for by parks and rec interests. Cut URA. Merge parking Authority by liquidation to marketplace.

There is plenty to ponder among the other replies in the voters guide. Sadly,
this guide isn't a part of either the P-G nor Trib. It should have a wider readership.

Nader sues PA Dems

I shared an elevator ride with Mayor Ravenstahl. We talked a bit about my race for City Controller and then we talked about Tony Oliva, Libertarian, candidate for mayor. Luke said, "Tony is a nice guy."

Furthermore, Luke told me, "I really wish he would have been included in the debates." Luke said he wrote letters to the media saying that the third party candidates should be included. Luke asked, what makes him any better than these other guys. He knows that they are of the same age group. The exclusion didn't make sense to him, as it troubles me too.

I told Luke that I believe him. I had talked to Mr. Zober at a prior debate (PUMP / D.U.) and had gathered that understanding. But, I really wanted a letter or quote or email to have this understanding as "proof" so I could hang a hat on it.

Luke said that the letter would have to come from the campaign office. So, I went there next, on my walk home. I asked them in the office to shoot me a copy of the letter.

Nothing arrived, yet.

Today we learn that the Dems are being sued by Ralph Nader. This brings up another mention of Mr. Zober. He worked hard to block Nader from the ballot in his life before Grant Street.

Go figure. Has Mr. Zober seen the light? Or, is the storm coming from another direction?

Luke is another matter. I can see where Luke might speak up for inclusion -- yet do what he is told. Meanwhile, Mr. Zober will do what is best for his side and not what is ideal for democracy.

I'd still love to see the note that Luke wrote to media folks about debate inclusion of third party candidates.

NADER SUES DEMOCRATS, SAYING THEY SABOTAGED HIS 04 CAMPAIGN

by Maria Recio

WASHINGTON - Even as the 2008 Democratic presidential candidates prepared
to debate Tuesday night, Ralph Nader, a controversial figure from the last
two presidential campaigns, sued the Democratic Party, the Kerry-Edwards
2004 campaign and affiliated groups for allegedly sabotaging his 2004
campaign.

The Democratic Party is going after anyone who presents a credible
challenge to their monopoly over their perceived voters, said Nader, the
consumer advocate who ran for president in 2004 as an independent and in
2000 as a candidate of the Green Party. Democrats blame him for draining
votes from nominee Al Gore in 2000, costing the vice president the election,
and were bent on blunting his influence in 2004.

Nader, who s weighing running again in 2008, told McClatchy Newspapers
that he d decide by the end of the year.

This lawsuit was filed to help advance a free and open electoral process
for all candidates and voters, he said. Candidate rights and voter rights
nourish each other for more voices, choices and a more open and competitive
democracy.

The suit, filed in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia, seeks
compensatory damages, punitive damages and injunctive relief to protect the
constitutional rights of both candidates and voters.

Nader accuses Democratic National Committee officials, the campaign of 04
Democratic nominee John Kerry and his running mate, John Edwards, and a
group called The Ballot Project of jointly planning a nationwide effort to
block Nader and running mate Peter Camejo from state ballots as a means to
drive into deep debt or bankrupt the Nader-Camejo campaign.

DNC spokesman Luis Miranda said the party headquarters was unaware of the
suit, but in any case, We do not comment on pending litigation.

Asked why Nader had waited until now to sue, Bruce Afran, an attorney for
Nader, said, It s precisely because everyone is thinking of 08 that Ralph
Nader wants to make sure this won t happen again to a third party
candidate.

Nader said it took a long time to discover the connections of people and
organizations he felt were trying to destroy him. It s a lot of work, he
said. I m not GM. Nader s most famous confrontation was with General
Motors, which tried to undermine him during his 1960s drive for auto safety.

Democratic Party officials and allied organizations sued the Nader-Camejo
campaign in 18 state courts during the run-up to the 2004 election and
blocked him from the ballot in such key states as Pennsylvania and Oregon.

A Pittsburgh law firm, Reed Smith, successfully sued Nader for court costs
and has a judgment pending against him for more than $61,000. Nader s
lawsuit lays out what it says were undisclosed connections between the firm
and members of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which decided the case.

Today s vastly more burdensome, intricate and discriminatory
ballot-access barriers in many state laws, enacted by the two-party duopoly,
has enabled this vast Democratic Party conspiracy, Nader said.

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/10/31/4925/

Consultant begins study of city neighborhoods

This is folly.

Consultant begins study of city neighborhoods A Philadelphia-based consultant started a study of city of Pittsburgh neighborhoods yesterday, with the goal of providing detailed data and guidance on development investment.

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl introduced The Reinvestment Fund at a news conference that announced the start of the $35,000 study funded by the Urban Redevelopment Authority and the Surdna Foundation.

'We have to ensure that we are investing our limited resources wisely,' said Mr. Ravenstahl. TRF's data will allow the city to rebuild 'using hard data, instead of politics' to steer limited funds.

The root understanding of what's going on here is a flaw. They are building on falsehood.

We don't need a $35,000 study.

We don't want the city -- as in city government, public funds, URA, Authority weenies -- to rebuild. Luke is right in that the city does have limited funds. The city has NO FUNDS. The city didn't have any money for the city-owned capital budget for a couple of years recently.

The city is bleeping broke. There is NOTHING to give away.

Furthermore, even if the city was flush with cash, I don't want the city to do the rebuilding. The city should govern.

If there is public building efforts, the public officials need to take care of public places -- like the city-owned still closed indoor ice rink within a closed park.

The city's private sector needs to be put in the drivers seat so as to rebuild Pittsburgh. Faith in the marketplace is needed.

As the city squirms and weasels around with its nickels (our money really) and the consultants it hires (with our money too), potential investors stay away.

The city's priorities are screwed up.

Mayor Ravenstahl and the URA, including the new director, Pat Ford, need to do the following:

1. Publish the inventory of city-owned properties.

2. Publish the inventory of city-owned properties with the tax liens that have been re-acquired.

3. Hold public hearings to discuss a way to liquidate the various properties.

4. Hold fire sales, of sorts, so as to transfer ownership from the government to home owners. These are going to be hand-to-hand selling, one-to-one, hard work.

4b. I'm not interested in big-time sales of large blocks of land to holding companies and speculators.

5. Promise to NOT get in the way of private ownership, investors, builders.

The reality is the city can't do it. The city can't get the job done. There is too much to do. The city's assets are spread too thin. Nothing can be given to special interests as we need everything we have for those who are here now.

Public ownership of land has to shrink.

Nonprofit ownership of land has to be stopped. I've called for a moratorium on all nonprofit land expansion.

The research that is going to happen on vacancies, abandonment, foreclosures and more needs to be done in an open source method. We all need to contribute to this mission. The framework can be established by leaders and standards can evolve. The data should be public data. Code should be public code. Content should be public content.

Finally, as controller, this venture can occur within the controller's office and controller's domain as part of the Citizens' Congress.

We already pay sixty people who work for the city within the controller's office who can do these tasks, along with the citizens and professionals in the private real estate sector.

This is the type of performance elements I'm talking about in this quest to run the Pittsburgh's controller's office.

Dead People Vote In Recent Pittsburgh-Area Elections - News Story - WPXI Pittsburgh

Dead People Vote In Recent Pittsburgh-Area Elections - News Story - WPXI Pittsburgh: "Dead People Vote In Recent Pittsburgh-Area Elections Investigation Of Voter Records Yields Surprises"

This is what THEY mean with Get OUT the Vote.

Git Out!

More women are entering the blogosphere -- satirizing, sharing and reaching a key demographic

More women are entering the blogosphere -- satirizing, sharing and reaching a key demographic They can be snarky, satirical, nurturing, idealistic. They can be shy, fiercely guarding their anonymity behind monikers like 'PittGirl' or 'Agent Ska,' or bold, like Justine Ezarki, a k a 'iJustine,' who, with the help of her camera phone, enables readers to follow her virtually every hour of the day.

Women have always had a big place on the internet, if you know what I mean.

Daddy blogging has been a big joy of mine. Really, most of this was via email discussion groups.

There is a Daddy and parenting event on Sunday at the Science Center. Search for Fatherhood. Hope to see you there. I'm not sure how it fits with the bodies exibition.

I Hate To Say It: DeSantis Probably Lost It By Caving To Special Interest Union

I’ll preface my comments by saying I donated a small sum of money to the Mark DeSantis campaign a few weeks ago. I was actually even going to match my earlier donation by the end of this week, but then DeSantis pandered to the Special Interest Group that is Pittsburgh’s Fraternal Order of Police union.

Believe it or not, with interim Mayor Luke Ravenstahl floundering in the leadership category and lacking the humility to admit the misappropriation of a federally-funded, Homeland Security vehicle for a tailgate party, there was an argument to be made that he was vulnerable in next Tuesday’s election.

Mark DeSantis’ arrival onto the local political scene has been nothing short of remarkable. The longtime backseat politico wasn’t even on the ballot in the spring. He arrived on the ballot with a splash. Assuredly, the Democratic machine would have pulled some levers to put Ravenstahl on both ballots had it known that the current placeholder would be sputtering and spitting all the way to the finish line.

Ravenstahl holds the post well, sometimes channeling the city’s most dismal leader in 50 years, Tom Murphy. Ravenstahl chuckles off charges that he broke a law by firing up a charcoal grill in the aforementioned SUV. Needless to say, no media outlet has actively kept an eye on the vehicle. Out of sight, out of mind for the most part is the philosophy of television news directors. There isn’t a radio news director in town aggressive or even interesting enough to follow it either, and in 2007 the print media doesn’t provide the immediacy necessary to make a dent.

Meanwhile, DeSantis has largely said the right thing.

Then he nicked the Holy Grail.

Pandering to Pittsburgh’s employee unions is generally reserved for the incumbent Democrat for any race in the city. Rarely, if ever, does anyone do anything other than coddle the special interest groups that wield otherwise other-worldly influence and king-making power.

Heaven, or hell, only knows the real power the public sector royalty has, but the perceived weight of a couple thousand voters keeps tens of thousands of naïve ballot pushers and the downright disenfranchised away each and every election.

Lavishing public employees with contracts that become sweeter year in and year out is one of the primary reasons why Pittsburgh is in a tremendous and crippling financial situation.

Now the most compelling Republican candidate in decades has all but destroyed any chance he had by promising the most coveted of perks: permission to move out of the city that’s been decimated by generous handouts to the unions and other spending gaffs.

Mass desertion would ensue as police officers and their families would abandon Pittsburgh and its school district in overwhelming numbers. Who knows where they will go, other than outlying counties in which property taxes are lower. These magical lands feature movie theaters, five-star restaurants and kiddie playgrounds completely free of criminals they may have busted. It certainly won’t be to Millvale, Wilkins or Moon, as police officers will tell you that they rarely enjoy a moment’s peace, what with city criminals at every doorstep. Those neighboring communities less than five miles away couldn’t possibly include criminals. Tisk Tisk for imagining such a thing.

Much has been made about Pittsburgh being the only city with residency requirements. What’s wrong with residency requirements in a public position? Doesn’t the Mayor have to live within the city? Will he be allowed to move out? If residency requirements don’t matter, I want to run for the Mayor of Dravosburg, a dinky little town across the river from McKeesport. I betcha the monthly stipend there would cover most of my monthly city of Pittsburgh home mortgage, plus if Dravosburg is anything like nearby Brentwood Borough, I might be able to purchase untold boxer briefs with taxpayer monies before anyone’s the wiser.

Luke Ravenstahl touts a “Record of Success” that consists of virtually nothing tried, true and uniquely his. During a recent televised debate, he crowed about his relationship within the African-American community. The very next day, the city’s African-American newspaper “The Courier” joined Pittsburgh’s other print outlets in endorsing DeSantis.

City workers, the police in particular, absolutely, positively need to maintain a stake in the communities in which they serve. That should actually be required anywhere, but that cat’s already out of the bag. A vast majority of officers will simply sell their city homes and move presumably far away while still collecting paychecks that are massive in comparison to their average city neighbor.

Quite a few city neighborhoods (mine included) are able to boast high concentrations of city workers as proof that it’s safe and desirable. Urban Republicans understand this phenomenon, just like their Union spoiling Democrat counterparts.

It’s an honor to serve as a police officer anywhere and a privilege to work for a wonderfully diverse and eclectic populace as Pittsburgh has to offer. The rewards are high and for the most part, the workload is routine. It became big news a few years ago when the SWAT team was called out. I was in attendance when Chris Rock’s brother Tony launched into a hysterical routine about the cops realizing there was a SWAT team amongst its ranks when he performed at the Improv some time ago. That was a few days after the infamous Pigeon Shooter became folklore. Then newly-installed Mayor Bob O’Connor raced around downtown, looking like a less-criminal Robert Blake.

DeSantis claims that the city is missing out on a plethora of good cops who are too afraid or hesitant to move within city limits for a plum job. Truth of the matter is, if they were that good and desirable, the good suburban cops would land the job, move into a nice, affordable neighborhood and send their children to a posh private school.

From time to time, suburban Republicans like state Senator Jane Orie scare the population into thinking that the residency requirement will be lifted any day. These lawmakers simply don’t understand what it’s like to live in a typical city of Pittsburgh neighborhood where low rents and hand-me-down properties often produce a cacophony of calamity that’s unfathomable to the elites, liberal or conservative alike, in their gated communities, security-protected apartments, or sprawling estates of somewhere other than Pittsburgh’s 88 neighborhoods.

It’s simply un-Republican for DeSantis to cower to the special interest groups.

I’ll still vote for DeSantis on Tuesday as something new and revolutionary has got to happen. Perhaps I’ll be wrong and thousands of new real estate listings won’t pop up overnight if he wins.

Fact is, DeSantis had a really had a good, improbable, some might say miraculous chance to unseat a totally unqualified accidental placeholder. Ravenstahl’s claim that DeSantis sold the city off to placate the union is not that far off, and just enough to derail DeSantis’ chances.