Rauterkus for PA Senate

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Call in show on PCTV to engage the superintendent of schools

Dr. Andy King is on a call in show, from 6:00 – 7:00 P.M. tonight, THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2005, at PCTV STUDIO – Channel 21.

CALL: (412) 231-2288 between 6:00 and 7:00 p.m. for questions to the Superintendent as well as comments and suggestions on subjects pertaining to the Pittsburgh Public Schools. Host and Producer: Mark A. Brentley, Sr., (412) 734-1594.

Rauterkus Requests Required Resignation of Fontana for good of Allegheny County

Allegheny County's Charter calls for the resignation of county council members who are candidates for other public offices.

Wayne Fontana, D., a member of Allegheny County Council is a candidate for State Senate. Rauterkus said, "I expected Fontana to push the ethical limits and resign his council seat on Monday morning at the latest." Sunday, the prior day, Fontana got the D party endorsement, and since this is a special election that insures he'll be on the ballot. He filed his papers to officially become a candidate the prior week.

Mike Wojcik, the county controller, (voice phone: 412 350-1125), Dan Onorato, the county executive and higest ranking member of the democratic party, and Rich Fitzgerald, D, council president, should pull Fontana out of his seat and tell Fontana his time on council has concluded.

This is the third bailout. Transit bailout not a long-term solution.

Transit bailout not a long-term solution - PittsburghLIVE.com: "Transit bailout not a long-term solution

HARRISBURG -- Gov. Ed Rendell's bailout for the cash-strapped Port Authority of Allegheny County and Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority in Philadelphia gives the mass transit agencies two years to solve their financial problems.

A Beaver County official on the SPA who needs to approve the bailout has said "NO." He was on KQV today. His point was that the bailout only gives those in Harrisburg some cover and allows them to get off the hook. They have a duty and responsibility that is being ignored.
I am not in favor of another bailout. I hate to see the same band-aid fix being called a solution.

My approach is to go to the roots of the problems. It's broken. Lots of things are broken. The process is broken too.

I'm running to fix matters. We can't reform our ways without replacing the same old people.

Hot Dog: Move carts to Thackeray -- and Oakland's all wet for next two days with swimmers

Talk about a raw deal. The city and Pitt are always pounding and punishing the business folks.

The Pitt News - Mayor's OK can move carts to Thackeray The fate of Pitt's food vendors now lies in the hands of Mayor Tom Murphy.

The history isn't good in terms of giving Pitt the benefit of the doubt. Pitt is a great place, inspite of itself. If Pitt ever got its act together and noise like this didn't occur, Pitt would be in another category of greatness. UPMC too. It's one of the nation's great hospitals -- so act the part, please.
Pitt has been trying to screw with the vendors for ages. The city helps. So too does the Parks weenie group.
The construction around the Cathedral is going to include a MERRY-GO-ROUND. Then the weenies in Oakland can get a ride-all-day pass to prove once and for all that they'll never get ahead if they keep acting as they do.

Trouble is, we're all in this ride together.

Mel, a visitor to the wiki, Platform.For-Pgh.org shared an email with me yesterday. He is from CMU, knows Maglev, and wrote that it was hard to find the pony in the midst of all the horsesh*t. After the Oakland roadway gets the little bend made straight, we'll not need to search far to see the ponies.

In other Oakland news, I dare predict that you won't find too many WPIAL Swimmers and Divers at the vendor's carts today -- as they'll be making waves at Trees Pool. Go fast. The next two days is their "big dance." City swimmers hit Pitt on Saturday. Good luck to all.

I've worried and have spoken about a "chilling effect" in the campaigns.

An article in the TRIB points out that a campaign volunteer was pulled before the grand jury. Murphy aide, arbitrator testify - PittsburghLIVE.com A third witness -- a volunteer in Murphy's campaign whose identity could not be determined -- also appeared before the grand jury for about 15 minutes at the end of the day.

This is another another example of how to not treat people. Drag Tom Cox, Deptuty Mayor, from here to the moon. A citizen, a voter, -- humm -- what's up with that?
The campaign finance reform measures that are still on our agenda as part of the task force efforts raise worries about chilling citizen engagement. Alarms go off in my head when I read that the city's solicitor can sue anyone in these matters. Things are still in discussion mode. To the victors go the spoils. But I don't want to see the victors getting the rights and duties to punish those who didn't win.
The best way to not be corrupted once one is in office is to not be corrupt in the way one wins the seats and runs the election.

Being free can't occur when one is beholden to big donors.

Pittsburgh just doesn't have olympic-size aspirations. My life in the fast lane here is a puzzle.

The first part of this blog entry was crafted Feb 25, 2005:

Eric H of the Trib Why isn't the IOC stopping in Pittsburgh?

Why aren't Mayor Tom Murphy, Joe DeNardo and Jenna Morasca shmoozing some IOC members at this very moment over an Artery Clogger headwich at Fatheads?

Such heady thoughts seemed possible back in September 2000. That's when the athletic complex housing administrative offices and practices fields for the Steelers and University of Pittsburgh Panthers opened on the South Side.

Murphy was among those who dared to dream that day.

He was among the people who expressed the sentiment that the city had just built magnificent new practice accommodations for a couple of football teams. How much harder could it be to construct several billion dollars of Olympic buildings.

This article is welcomed -- but such a joke.

I've been to and worked at Olympic Training Centers. I was there when the public got its first peek at the dwarf football fields on the UMPC compound.

The unbridled optimism of the past of Tom Murphy and some other out-of-touch wonks had its critics. I was among them. But sadly, all sides of the story were not reported upon.

We have a marathon runner as mayor and Pittsburgh can't even host its marathon any more. The wheels have fallen off of the mayor's agenda. His spin is in the scrap heap. But sadly, he is still in the office.

Eric is wrong about not a single architectural sketch being produced for the new athletic venues, however. But, his point is still valid. As is mine about the lack of real coverage. Drawings have been made. It is hard to talk about the building of a new pool when we were to close 32 outdoro pools.

I wish Pittsburgh had stood pat, complacent and apparently content. Pittsburgh has slid back into the late 1800s. We've been in a deep decline, hardly standing pat.


Of course Pittsburgh never made a serious attempt to land the games. Those who were talking then were clueless and those who were saying no way were not given an interview. Those people who made the unrealistic, overly optimistic utterances should not be forgotten. And those that said, "I told you so," should be held in high esteem. I'm okay with the acts to rekindle memories of what was to be explored by Pittsburgh. We can't re-write history.

A city can't host the Olympics when it can't even host the Keystone State Games. As for the Bassmaster Classic, that's another good example of how some around here fall for their spin; hook, line and sinker. Dont' forget MLB's All-Star Game too! Big deal.

---

On March 1, 2005, this story's theme gets some fresh attention.

Visitors Bureau aims to draw additional sporting events - PittsburghLIVE.com Events such as softball and volleyball tournaments are big business today, he said, and can fill hotel rooms during slow periods in the meeting and convention season.

Volleyball is a big business.

There is much to do in this area. Presently, the city and the region does little to nothing.

Street cars are wished for by O'Connor

PennLive.com: NewsFlash - PA Western Pa Briefs : "The streetcars would promote development in the city and encourage people to live downtown, O'Connor said Monday..

Pittsburgh used to be full of street cars. In the old days, one could take a street cars from Pittsburgh to Washington PA. Kennywood Park came into being because it was a destination for a company, a private company, that owned the street car line.

In the old days, we used to have inclines too. Now there are two. In the past, the South Side had a dozen or so.

We have light rail, and that is much like a modern street car line. It goes to Overbrook and the South Hills. The street car goes up and over Arlington Road and makes for a bypass of the Liberty Tunnel.

The key to the success of the city and the region is not to live in a fantasy world.

We could run select street cars on select routes in a successful way. But, we can't be going in the wrongheaded directions with light rail expansion at the same time.

A glass enclosed T-stop at Gateway Center, as is the current plan for an existing stop's re-do, is not a net gain. Let's build a new subway stop where there isn't already a subway stop.

The last new subway stop was built at PNC's Firstside. That wasn't a net gain to the system.

Excerpt: Never Eat Alone

Book quote: Fast Company | Excerpt: Never Eat Alone: "Poverty, I realized, wasn't only a lack of financial resources; it was isolation from the kind of people that could help you make more of yourself."

Thanks for the pointer, from Pittsblog.blogspot.com.

Along these same lines of "networking" -- I'm happy to report that last night we had a successful online chat at the campaign's new chat room. Tonight we do it again at 11 pm. All are invited. At 9 pm we meet in person, no food is being provided, at 1302 East Carson Street.

TechyVent for March 14, 2005 with Alpha Chimp Studios

This is on my agenda. You should try to attend as well.

TechyVent - Pittsburgh: "Graphic Facilitation for Enhancing Knowledge Capture and Communication
WHEN: March 14, 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM at the Pittsburgh Technology Council Building, 2000 Technology Drive with PRESENTER(S): Peter Durand and Alicia Diane Durand, Alphachimp Studio, Inc.

Reading event in Oakland at S & S

Fraud conviction earns five years in prison - PittsburghLIVE.com Soldiers & Sailors plans reading event

Soldiers & Sailors National Military Museum & Memorial will have a Read Across America Education Program from 9:30 to 11:45 a.m. Wednesday at the museum, 4141 Fifth Ave., in Oakland.
Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy will read 'Eleanor Roosevelt' by Lucille Davis, a biography of the former first lady. Other guest readers will read books by Dr. Seuss, and the event will include a celebration of what would have been the 101st birthday of Theodor Geisel, more commonly known as Dr. Seuss.
For more information, call Casey Patterson at (412) 621-4253, ext. 206.

Thanks for working to host a reading event in our community. I'd be most willing to be a participant in the reading activities.

I've been a former publisher of 100 books on sports and fitness -- and Barbara Bush, while in the White House, once wrote a forward to a comic book that I was involved in publishing.

I have a number of great stoies to share. One set is a family classic about a dragon named YUP. It is perfect for the month of March and St. Pat's Day.

Literacy is of prime importance to me. I feel that too many of our neighborhood groups are spending far to much energy on bricks and mortar projects -- acting like developers of buildings. Rather, I'd love to see them all devoted to the development of people and the human element. Too few neighborhood volunteers are meeting and teaching others to read or be more tech literate.

International news reporting meeting set

A symposium about the myths and truths of international news reporting will begin at 3 p.m. Thursday in Room 5110 of Two Mellon Center at 501 Grant St., Downtown.

Speakers will include Ted Anthony, former editor of China News; Lisa Rose Weaver, former CNN Beijing correspondent; Rick Pietro, communications lecturer at the University of Pittsburgh; and Schuyler Foerster, president of the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh. Registration is required. The program is sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Asian Studies.

Registration is required. To register, call (412) 624-7370 or e-mail Michele Heryford at ferrier@ucis.pitt.edu.

Have you seen our photos of China?

Party switch creates a fight for 42nd state Senate seat

Party switch creates a fight for 42nd state Senate seat: "'I think the unity of the party is the road map to victory,'' Fontana said ...

Another element of the story is the fact that Fontana's resignation from County Council has not be reported upon. O'Toole is now not ignorant of that fact -- as found in the County Charter.
When does Fontana resign? Let me know, please.

Mayorial event in East Liberty on March 31

Join us for a lively discussion of the issues with the major candidates
running in the May Primary. It will take place at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater in East Liberty on Thursday, March 31 from 6:30-8 pm. The candidates will specifically be answering questions about the concerns of young professionals in the Pittsburgh community. Sponosored by PUMP, ULYP, PYP, and the PSVN.

Hold everything.

What does PUMP mean when the announcement is about "MAJOR" candidates? Don't you mean ALL the candidates?

By March 31, the ballot is set. You should have EVERY candidate on the ballot be at the debate.

A great reply just arrived. All the candidates will be invited, so I've been told by Jay.

Meet Joe Weinroth -- and bonus audio available

Jon Delano wrote in his email to PSFs:
By the way, the Republicans may have a candidate for mayor. He is real estate attorney Joe Weinroth, vice chair of the city's Republican Party and an elected state commiteeman from Squirrel Hill. Weinroth was a delegate at the Republican Convention this summer, and he is an articulate and passionate spokesman for his viewpoint. He tells me he's not 100 percent sure he will run, but his petitions are being circulated.

Joe was a speaker at an event I organized in 2001 with Josh Pollock. Josh and I had been candidates for Mayor. The event was at the Carnegie Library of Oakland Lecture Hall, but not sponsored by them. We had two days of podium talks and one day had a real live debate with an expert moderator / editor from The New Colonist.com.

Joe Weinroth, then a candidate for city council, gave a 10-minute podium talk. I have that talk in an audio file, a MP3. It is rather large. However, I'd be happy to send it out to people interested in hearing it. Send me an email and I'll send it to you via email as an attachment.

Mark@Rauterkus.com

In the weeks to come, I might put the file on my web site, if there is a demand.

Joe's comments were fine. Nothing great, nothing harmful.

We need people to plan and host real candidate forums in the weeks to come. Are you associated with an effort to do this important work for voter education? Church groups, sports groups, civic groups, library patrons, and non-political groups need to get into the fray from time to time and host pan-partisan events. Generally the political groups only want to promote their own candidates. So, it takes a village to get beyond and out of the rut for a wide range of discussions.

Ink in the Trib

O'Connor gets Democratic endorsement - PittsburghLIVE.com: "Mark Rauterkus, of the South Side, is running as a Libertarian."

Bio on the Party Site

Welcome to the Libertarian Party of Pittsburgh: "Mark Rauterkus, 45, an activist from Pittsburgh's South Side, at-large board member of the Allegheny County Libertarian Party, accepted the nomination for Pennsylvania Senate for the special election for the 42nd District expected in the spring of 2005.

The bio there is extensive.

We can turn Pittsburgh around

Turn Pittsburgh around In the coming weeks and months, you will hear me talk a lot about my plan to turn Pittsburgh around. It's a real plan, not political promises. It's a plan based on what we need to do to turn things around.

BoB is a great turn-around name as it is the same from front to back as back to front. Forward and backwards, round and round, blowing in the wind. How many times must Bob run around, before he is ....

Missing in action among Dem's options: Row-Office Reform Ballot Question

Allegheny County voters are going to vote to chang the county charter on May 17, 2005. The option before the voters deals with the reduction of row offices from today's ten to four.

This important question, however, was missing from the endorsement vote, so I assume.

Do the Democrats either endorse or reject the vote for Row-Office Reform?

I don't think that the question was put before the committee people of the party. This isn't my party, so I don't have much to gripe about. But, what's up with that? This goes to the theme of Dems not being -- oh hum -- democratic.

Another question is in limbo, so I understand from Joe King, president of the firefighters union. A petition was submitted to put a question on the ballot that concerns the national standards in terms of response times for emergency crews to arrive.

Again, for or against isn't the question. To be or not to be on the ballot for the committee people is the real question.

The firefighters' issue is going to come down to a decision on Monday, so I was told. The ICA and the city are in negotiations. The change to the city's charter might be injected within the new contract -- somehow, perhaps.

If the firefighters get their way with the contract, they'll pull the question off of the ballot. Humm. No need to get the voters opinion, again.

I'm sorta confused. How can a new union contract force a change to the city's charter?

I love democracy. I hate how the votes around here are so confusing. I think there is great insight within the ranks of the voters and from within the process of public campaigns. It is my hope and ambition to push for the inclusion of five ballot questions each election.

Dems Endorsement

A Native American proverb says, "Tell me and I'll forget,
show me and I may not remember, involve me and I'll understand."

Today was a day of involement as the Democrats from throughout the county gathered to make their endorsements. I was there most of the day.

As I walked onto the scene, I overheard a couple of gentlemen slightly ahead of me talking as we approached. "This is a real circus."

The two were in disgust. Parking was scares. Hey, welcome to the South Side. But the point was well taken. Poll workers had arrived in the early hours hand had taken parking spaces near to the IBEW Hall. Voters, and a fair share of seniors too, had to walk through a block or two parked cars to get to the line to stand befor voting. No doubt, this was an ordeal for the frail. The crowd was large.

The results, thanks to a poster, are within the comments.