Mayoral rivals take sides (Dem side with two guys and a legal side with another)

Dave Brown wrote a nice article that compared and contrasted three in the mayor's race. I can't compare the coverage to the statements as I wasn't at the event. However is are some of my reactions based upon the statements in the press and prior knowledge.

Mayoral rivals take sides - PittsburghLIVE.com 'I have real concerns with the legality of it, despite the fact that similar legislation exists in other cities. I made it very clear to them (the SEIU) that I had problems' with the law.

Peduto and O'Connor both go to the side that calls upon the city's legislation to invade the operation of a commercial enterprise. I don't agree with those two.

Meanwhile, I don't agree with Lamb either. Lamb raises a legal question. Lamb doesn't disagree with the principle of the matter. Rather, he raises doubts about the legality of the legislation.

Perhaps Lamb, the lawyer, wants to govern through the courts and bench. We've seen that style in action from our present mayor and it stinks.

How is it that the city can go simply fire hundreds of its workers. Between 800 and 900 were laid off in the Augusts 2003 reductions. However, the city powers do not want to allow the private sector to have the power to do the same with private workers. Citiparks workers got two weeks notice and then came their pink slips. Citiparks workers didn't get six months notice.

The government's role has nothing to do with keeping a "very delicate balance" in the market place.

Rather, Peduto means to say is that he is on very thin ice with the unions. Peduto has to walk a tight rope. Peduto has some feats of delicate balance between Peduto's own hope for a career in Pittsburgh's political ring and labor/management issues to resolve within Peduto's past.

Meanwhile, O'Connor has never seen a market that wasn't worthy of a governmental headlock. Bob can squeeze the private sector with new regulations and smile thinking it should be called a hug.

Here is a suggested script for for Michael Lamb. He could use these terms the next time he's given the opportunity:

"The city has no business telling the private sector how to behave. If I was mayor, I'd have vetoed that law. As mayor, I want to encourage business operations to flourish in the city. As government intrudes, matters worsen. Recently Pittsburgh has seen three of its largest buildings go up for sale. A firesale of CNG, Dominion and USX is upon us, without even a mention of the legacy decline the encircles Fifth & Forbes debacle. The outcomes are clear.

"The wrongheaded approaches of the present mayor and city council have hurt Pittsburgh. We have too many vacant offices. We have too many bankrupt enterprises. We have too few jobs. Pittsburgh prosperity can't rebound when government is in the way.

"As the old guard continues to make new laws that hasten our city's decline, the private sector is going to continally vote with their feet and depart.

"Furthermore, if I was mayor, I'd do everything I could to reach out to those workers in those buildings. I have real alternatives that begin to address the needs of the people in this community. With a wellness initiative, we'd inject a sense of purpose in terms of continual education, job trainning, ...."

The 'other' Pittsburgh, where crime is common and life is fragile

Brian O'Neill talks about violence and the tale of two cities in Pittsburgh. Nice article. Let's pick up on some of his closing words.

The 'other' Pittsburgh, where crime is common and life is fragile ... That's our Pittsburgh. That won't change.

The other one has to...

The words, "That won't change." speaks to the greatness of Pittsburgh and its wonderful quality of life. Brian and I share this city. We both have kids here and choose to live here, crossing the same paths. Our Pittsburgh, in that respect, is swell.

We differ on the perspective of Pittsburgh's propensity for change. Brian is so bold in his prediction that Pittsburgh won't change. He feels that the goodness is always sure to be.

It is my hope that the good Pittsburgh won't change. But Pittsburgh is on the brink. It is changing. Pittsburgh won't be a legacy town much longer. We need to scramble to insure that it won't change.

There are a number of struggles that are being waged in this city at the same time. Among the violence comes the fight between gangs or drugies. Among the peaceful is the struggle to engage or be at rest. Then of course, there is the matter beteen the cops and the robbers. There are other dimensions as well. The blending and spill-over from one realm to the others is starting to swirl as never before.

When a cup of poison goes into a gallon of water, the purity is gone. The buffers are spent. Containment slips.

Sure Brian, the other side has to change. But I worry greatly that the change agents are now without the capacity to do their jobs. We are at the brink and beyond on a number of critical tipping points. The youth have been ignored for so long that the kid's kids have become a challenge that is ten-times the effort. And we've got one-tenth the capacity and are using lame programs as well.

The life that our kids know today is special. We are not the norm. Those in our Pittsburgh have a life that is similar in many ways to the life of all the kids of 30 years ago.

Summary: Ninty-five percent of the kids shared the same Pittsburgh 30 years ago. Today, 30 percent of the kids share the good Pittsburgh. In 20 years, that old, good Pittsburgh could be but a memory. None will be afforded what is ours today, still.

Meanwhile, in suburban areas, a bulk of the kids are still in the same general groupings. The disparity among the kids in Franklin Park (North Allegheny School District) is super thin compared to what you properly describe between the two Pittsburghs.

Next, we need to roll up the sleves and ponder the fix for the situations of the two Pittsburghs.

Some advocate a crash and burn. Some want to flee and just make Pittsburgh a sore with puss that festers. Some want to take apart the city and have the county take over.

My approach is to think it out, get up the will for action, find the strongest counter measures, and attack on all fronts. We need to flourish with the best and the brightest. We need to soar everywhere we can. And at the same time, we need to insure that the ones in the other Pittsburgh are given opportunities to soar too.

We need to demand the best from everyone -- while being patient and persistant.

Community Technology Conf in Cleveland in June. Rush to finish paper proposals

See the comments area for details of the event and its scope.

Swimming Lessons and more at Carlynton

Last night was our year-end swim and party with the Carlynton Swim Club. Great season. Good fun and conditioning. Looking forward, here are some details of programs.

Lifeguarding classes with coach Mike Schneiderlochner.

Call before May 6 (412 215 2766) or email. Request a confirmation on emails. Times are 7 to 10 pm. Dates are May 16, 17, 19, 20, 23, 24, 25. Cost is $140 for full class, $80 for recertifications, $35 for CPR on May 21 (9-11 = recerts; 11-3 pm for full class)

Swim lessons
Sessions 3, 4, 5, 6. Cost is $30 for first swimmer, $25 for each additional in the same family. There are 10 x 40-minute classes or 9 x 45-minute classes.

Session 3 = Registration, 5-6:30 pm on Tue, March 22 at the Carlynton HS Pool
Classes are March 23, 30, 31, April 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 from 6-6:45 pm.

Session 4 = Registration, 5-6:30 pm on Tue, March 22 at the Carlynton HS Pool
Classes are April 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 from 6-6:40 pm.

Session 5 = Registration, 7-7:30 pm on Wed. April 20 at the Carlynton HS Pool
Classes are April 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, May 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 from 6-6:40 pm.

Session 6 = Registration, 7-7:30 pm on Wed. April 20 at the Carlynton HS Pool
Classes are May 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 from 6-6:40 pm.

Email registrations are accepted AFTER the in-person registration, and based upon availability.

Swim Team, Carlynton Swim Club
March 29 to July 15, $50 for first swimmer and $25 for additional in same family.

A pre-competitive summer program is to occur June 13 to July 8 on M, W, Th from 7:30 to 8:30 am at $30 per family or $25 if one.

Allegheny Club and the Sports Garden

The Pirates are trying to keep their 1979 World Series trophy off the auction block. The trophy and other memorabilia are about to be sold as part of bankruptcy proceedings at the Allegheny Club.

Remember the Allegheny Club? It is a text book case in how not to treat others.

Same too with the joint near to Station Square that closed due to a bartender's filthy talk, the Sports Garden. Remember the 30-day trial? That owner from Texas pulled up stakes and won't ever come back to this state.

This present tailspin is going to take some time to play out.

Our region needs to make some serious changes and then begin to heal. This is going to take a long time. People in Pittsburgh need to understand that we need to start to champion long-term views. The quick fix of the Murphy-led economics are still coming back to bite.

The Pirates, the Stadium Authority, the mayor and others stuck it to the Allegheny Club. Perhaps they'll be able to buy back the trophy on eBay. I won't be tearful.

Study details city school students

DUHH!!!!

Study details city school students The biggest percentage loss is at the middle school level. This year, there are 11.8 percent fewer students in sixth grade than there were last year.

Jeepers. Where have you been?
I get beside myself here. This is another example of how many people just don't get it. I'm not saying I know all the answers. But, I get to say this again, "I TOLD YOU SO."

I'm not "gifted." I'm not the only one. I retell as I can from great insights and wisdom from others I meet and talk with.

We know that the Pittsburgh Public Schools has a piss-poor record (yeah, I'm hacked off and slinging slang) at the retention of kids as the family's oldest child goes to middle school.

The leap to middle school is an invite to suburban living. This is not just a sticking point -- it is a killer. We are choking here.

And, you don't fix the serious problem by holding a walk-a-thon for kids. (See my other post below.)

When the kids hit middle school ages -- you can't fool em like you used to be able to do. The toddlers, pre-schoolers, elementary kids are easy to fool.

I'm not interested in fooling our kids. I want to challenge them. I want to get them to perform. I want them to be able to master at levels of excellence.

Here is another fact that doesn't show up on any "street list." -- Too many 9th graders fail algebra. Not 15% -- more like 65%.

People and families vote with their feet.

We've asked for these numbers in the past. I've been denied. It is GREAT to have this study. We need to do the homework now and begin to understand the real issues and real solutions.

Mr. Lamb, this isn't something for a cabnet level administrator. This is something for the mayor to come to grips with him/herself. I took no comfort in hearing from Bob O'Connor that he was going to hire a cracker-jack manager to run the city if he was mayor. Lamb pointed out that that manager should be the mayor, not the mayor's hired gun. And I'd go a step further and say the mayor needs to really understand schools and the city. And, sadly, I've seen little from A+ Schools to show that there is anything there other than a resume bullet.

To bring this back home to the PA Senate race. Diven had a big hand in messing up the election process in the school board races four years ago. That was a power grab that was a total failure and hurt the system greatly. It set the stage for the justification for the foundation pull-out of support for PPS.

Let's avoid the cluelessness.

Schools are critical to our region. Schools issues go way beyond the buildings. This quagmire is more of a software problem. Schools and the success of the students have little to do with bricks and mortar.

As one looks at the numbers, what is more important to grip is not the number of 6th graders from this year to last year. No. Look at the number of kids who moved from 6th grade to 7th grade. Follow the kids, name by name. Micro decisions matter most. Even on a class basis, there are hundreds of kids moving out, but being replaced by another hundred. So, the real migration isn't being charted.

We churn the kids, the families, and in turn the troubles. This is like baseball. We got to keep our eye on the ball. Follow the students, as individuals and as members of families.

Then we begin a real conversation.

I want to know, over the past 20 years, how many of the oldest kids in the family went to 5th grade and didn't advance to a PPS 6th grade class. And, is 5th grade the only choke point?

Another hunch, we have a lot of kids who move into the PPS district in the high school grades. They've been branded in their home district and they need a new setting with a ton of diversity, and it is found in the city schools.

The frustrations are noted with the bogus street names and maps. That is another sign of our decay in infrastructure, but on a data-driven level. We can't even get good maps around here.

Resolving conflict. Restoring relationships. Building peaceful communities.

Gale McGloin, Executive Director, Pittsburgh Mediation Center, 100 Sheridan Square, 2nd floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15206-3019, 412-365-0400, sent along this pointer:

Carolyn is a dynamic speaker, fresh from a presentation last week that was attended by members of our foundation community who were very impressed. Wouldn’t this be a great way to resolve some of our community issues?

TO: All Interested Parties

The Pittsburgh Mediation Center, the Mediation Council of Western PA and the ADR Committee of the Allegheny County Bar Association are again co-sponsoring the Lawrence W. Kaplan Lecture in Conflict Resolution. It will be held April 5 at 5:00 p.m. at the Omni William Penn Hotel downtown.

This year's lecture is "Conflict Resolution and Deliberative Democracy", by Carolyn Lukensmeyer of AmericaSpeaks, www.americaspeaks.org. Ms. Lukensmeyer is known worldwide for her work in engaging large groups (500 to 4500) of citizens in the public decision-making process through interactive technology and other innovative techniques.

Along with changing the nature of public decision-making, interactive dialogue is one of the most effective forms of conflict prevention. Ms. Lukensmeyer has taken this process to new heights. For example, see how NE Ohio is mobilizing to use these techniques to involve the community in regional planning.
We are very excited to be part of the effort to introduce the Western Pennsylvania region to her innovative work.

This event promises to be a unique opportunity to enrich your thinking in the fields of conflict resolution and deliberative democracy. I urge you to make attending this event a priority. Deadline to RSVP for the lecture is March 29, 2005.

Download & print the invitation (doc format)

To receive a paper copy of the invitation, contact Marlene Ellis at the Allegheny County Bar Association.

Deliberative Democracy is a new term to Pittsburgh, mostly. This isn't new to the rest of the world. I've been hosting "deliberate.com" for a years with Dr. M. Davis. http://www.Deliberate.com.

Pittsburgh can't get into the new styles of engagement with its wrongheaded leadership approaches. The people we have in office now are just not cut out for these efforts, sadly. So, we need to replace them with others who are.

All the king's horses and all the king's men could not put Humpty together again. Same too holds for Pittsburgh. This MUST be a community process. Humpty is NEVER going to look the same.

To make peace is hard work. Democracy is messy. Bring it on -- with glee because authorities are killing our region. The union attitude (small "U") is driving people away.

For Pittsburgh to thrive, we'll need many opportunities to get our heads around issues such as "deliberative democracy." Count me in. This is wellness on a grand, civic scale.

Bill Cosby to hold town hall meeting at Reizenstein

Can't enter unless you go to that school.

Bill Cosby to hold town hall meeting at Reizenstein Bill Cosby will hold one of his noted town hall meetings April 5 at Reizenstein Middle School in East Liberty. Billed as 'A Conversation with Bill Cosby,' the event, 6 to 9 p.m., is open only to Reizenstein students and parents and will feature local speakers as well. The names of those speakers have not yet been announced.

The VP is in town and you can't just waltz into that meeting as well.
These would be great meetings for STREAMING on the web or with a community television broadcasting effort.

Fair and Biting

Thanks for the posting Salena Z:

Fair and Biting My epiphany with his inability to recognize opportunity and face challenges began this week.

My epiphany was about five years ago.

Good to have you on my side on this. We, however, are in the minority, yet.

Draw the line

Pittsburgh Tuesday takes - PittsburghLIVE.com: "Says Mayor Tom Murphy: 'I would challenge you as you drive out to the airport to tell me where Pittsburgh ends and Green Tree or Carnegie or Moon Township begins.' The comment came in a Friday forum on merging Pittsburgh and Allegheny County governments into one. Mr. Murphy was bemoaning the competition between jurisdictions to attract business. Actually, Mayor, it's easy to tell where Pittsburgh ends -- once you leave the city limits, new development can be seen virtually everywhere.

I could and would take that challenge. It is easy.
My kids swim on the Green Tree Swim Team. That can't occur in the city. Find a swim team, then you've located the end of the city.
The swim team isn't the important missing link to a rebirth in Pittsburgh's quality of life. However, everything that the team represents is at the crux of the issue. Self discovery, self reliance, self discipline, teamwork, and the cycles of cooperation and competition.

Troy Hill residents angry over fire station's closing

Troy Hill residents angry over fire station's closing - PittsburghLIVE.com 'They took our pool, they took our rec center, they took our crossing guards, and now our fire station,' she said. 'It makes you wonder what we're paying taxes for anymore.'

Many who were on hand this morning were angered by what they viewed as broken promises from city officials.

Should we make a list as to what wrongheaded things we're paying for for thoos who really want to know?
The corporate welfare is tops on my list. We pay for the convention center that can't be used to its capacity as we don't have enough hotel spaces. We will be paying for the hotel next. We'll be paying for the local match for the tunnels under the Allegheny River for light rail to the stadiums -- yet alone Three Rivers Stadium still. That's no typo. We owed $30-million on the one that was destroyed.

Of course we're paying for schools -- but -- I'm not going to quicklyl put that into the 'wrongheaded' category. I'll put some of the costs there, but not in one lump.

We are paying for the URA and the thousands of properties the URA owns and the millions in debt that the URA has acquired.

We are paying for the debt, the pensions, the Pittsburgh Development Fund. The debt is huge and was racked up in Murphy's tenure. We're paying for the gambles he took and his eventual failures. And, we pay for the bonds to re-do the debt.

Another good reason to have a wiki.

Could I spend my campaign cash windfall on a trip to Germany? That's a joke. I have no intention of spending campaign money on international travel. However, I'd love to present at this event.

Wikimania Call for Papers

Wikimania 2005 - The First International Wikimedia Conference will be held in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, from 4 August 2005 to 8 August 2005. Wikimedia is the non-profit organization operating Wikipedia, Wiktionary, Wikisource, Wikibooks, Wikinews, Wikiquote, Wikispecies, and the Wikimedia Commons. We are now accepting papers and other submissions (from everyone within and outside the Wikimedia and Wikipedia communities) for presentations, workshops, and discussion groups. We are also accepting nominations for speaker panels and keynote speakers, and suggestions for other activities. Submissions to cfp@wikimedia.org. More insights.

Environmental funding plan stalled in Harrisburg

Growing Greener Gets Football Status by Rendell.

PG coverage HARRISBURG -- It's hard enough asking your buddy if you can borrow, say, $100. So how difficult must it be to find exactly the right words when you're asking for $800 million?

Difficult enough, apparently, that lawmakers and Gov. Ed Rendell have been debating the subject for more than a year and have yet to arrive at an answer.

But time is running out for lawmakers trying to find a way to ask voters' permission to borrow up to $800 million for environmental programs if they hope to place a referendum question on the May primary ballot.

When the past PA Governor, Ridge, started Growing Greener, it was established as a pay as you go program. Now that the Dems have the mansion, the plan is to make this a funded program with a massive state bond. The program's direction is getting a serious adjustment. Plus, Growning Greener is getting turned into a political football by those who love to play football and politics.
The program is about to go down the drain. Steps are being taken now so that the eventual blame can be sidestepped in the future. Some of us are watching. Many of us are upset at this lack of stewardship seen in so many instances in Harrisburg today.

Change is in the air.

Sister City status not square well with Sister Region in this reporting

The sister city concept works well with other cities -- not with an Indonesia district.

Doctor wants to set up sister city - PittsburghLIVE.com

I am all in favor of the moves of Pittsburgh to double or even triple its sister city programs. But, sister cities should not be established with places that are not cities. Common ground seems to be absent. Pittsburgh and Nagan Raya, a 30-by-50-mile district in Aceh, are not similar -- like sisters -- with two exceptions.

To begin, the Shadyside doctor, Ali, from the Center for Healthy Environments and Communities at the University of Pittsburgh makes a vibrant and true connection. He's one guy. Brave, helpful, hopeful, talented and giving as he is -- its a one person connection. A three person connection, as the article listed others, could be made. I'm sure, another hundred beyond these three could be located. Personal connections are great. But they don't make a sister-city status.

The other connection between Pittsburgh and Aceh (Nagan Raya), is the loss of a population. In Aceh, "more than 300,000 people are dead or missing from a total population of 4 million. Another 500,000 are displaced from their homes." The city of Pittsburgh has lost about 300,000, but in a trickle, not a single event. Pittsburgh's population is half of its former self. The displaced Pittsburgh population seems to make the two regions somewhat equal. The total number of displaced Pittsburghers is similar, sad, grief causing -- but its a stretch.

One can't minimize or trivialize the hardships of the tsunami, nor that of the city's outward migration. But as common ground, those are fleeting examples. That's the best there is.

Speaking of sisters, my sister, Mary Lee, and her husband, Phil, both doctors, went to remote Pacific Islands to live and work in humanitarian efforts. They delivered medical skills to some hard situations for a couple of years of service. I'm proud of their work. They too forged friendships that live to this day from those experiences. Wonderful. But, let's not claim those locations as sister cities either.

Same too for southwestern China's, Chengdu. Chengdu is a city at least. Our Pittsburgh connection runs to Chengdu via our family. My wife teaches a course there. That city has a huge medical center -- and others from Pittsburgh have been there too. But Chengdu exceeds 10-million people. The sisterhood elements are slim as well. Furthermore, Pittsburgh has a sister city in China, a steel town no less.

Sister city links make great relationship building experiences. Pittsburgh can do much, much more in these effort. But, the relationship needs to be based upon serious common ground.

Let's help out in Nagan Raya. Let's do what we can for the world and ourselves. Let's do more with our existing sister cities. Let's not be loose with the designation and make what is nearly meaningless really meaningless.

Peduto vows to clean up - if you ignore those red signs.

Peduto vows to clean up - PittsburghLIVE.com Peduto's 'Operation Red' measure would put large red signs in front of the buildings and list the name, address and phone number of the landlord in question so residents can call owners directly.

How does one clean up the neighborhood with large red signs in front of rentals?
As it is now, we've got a ton of for sale signs. Next we'll have these red signs too? They will stand out like sore thumbs saying, don't feel safe here, don't move here, don't stop your car!
The red signs gotta go. But, the same info can be better delivered on the internet with technology.

Map Pittsburgh is touted as a solution to Pittsburgh's woes. Talk about technology as an answer for the delivery of information in terms of troubled property ownership.

The owners who get their rents are not going to show any worry about a sign at the rental property. Rather, how about if we put the sign in the home owners lawn, not in the rental's location? Signs that spring up in the suburban locations are sure to raise some desired effect. Of course that isn't going to happen. But, it would be a much better suggestion.

The sign suggestion is: costly with materials and employees, ugly, hard to update, and screams wolf to no avail. Using technology would greatly help matters.

CAN ANYONE STOP O'CONNOR? (more from Jon's PSF)

A number of points need to be challenged in Delano's story about the Mayor's race. Pittsburgh's Dems pick their mayor candidate for the Dem's nominee in May -- they don't get to embrace the next mayor until after the November 2005 general election.

Hop is an aid to O'Connor. Conventional wisdom from my perspective goes the othr way from what Delano reports. The concept is to divide and win. O'Connor would rather have a crowd in the field of challengers rather than a single opponent.

The flood of entries into the Dem's mayor race is a sign of discontent. When people are upset they'll be motivated to run themselves.

As for Lamb and Peduto, both have troubles. Lamb is in the wrong race. Lamb should have run for PA Senate. He'd make a better candidate than Fontana. Even Lamb as an Indie would do better than Fontana.

Michael Lamb has exactly one week to get his act together and pass the nomination papers so he can enter the PA Senate race as an Independent. To enter the race, the candidate needs nearly 900 signatures. He'd need to shoot for 1,000 or more to play it on the safe side. Given 20 volunteers, each would need to get 50 signatures. Lamb would be able to do the job in about two days. One rule of thumb is says 15 per hour makes a decent work outcome.

I'd welcome Michael Lamb into the PA Senate race, now. Lamb should have been putting his energy into this race months ago. The knock on the Lamb vision would make a hurdle. But Lamb could bypass the late entry with some interesting re-tooling and alliances as an Independent.

Lamb's been asked by others with more sway to switch out of the Mayor's race and go for the open PA Senate race. But I'm the only one in the PA Senate race who is doing the asking in public. Furthermore, I'm in the race where he should be.

Perhaps Lamb's unwillingness to switch to the PA Senate race is due to his brazen hope that he'll be able to win the Mayor's race? The Trib's numbers need to be replayed in a few other polls and formats to give more weight to the realm of possibility for Lamb in the Dem's Mayor's Race outcome.

Delano wrote:

With just eight weeks to go before Pittsburgh Democrats embrace their next mayor, nothing seems to be stopping the impression that former county council president Bob O'Connor has momentum in his race against county prothonotary Michael Lamb and city councilman Bill Peduto. The problem, of course, is that nobody really knows much more than a Tribune Review poll conducted by Susquehanna Polling & Research in early March. That poll gave O'Connor 51 percent, 14 percent for Lamb, 12 percent for Peduto, and 23 percent undecided.

Is the race for mayor of Pittsburgh over? Maybe . . . unless Lamb or Peduto does something soon that really shakes up the race. Last week Lamb tried by taking on O'Connor directly, alleging that the former city council president was partially responsible for the city's fiscal crisis. During a recent debate, Lamb said to O'Connor, “You say you have a ‘vibrant and far reaching’ new plan to put Pittsburgh on the right track, but in the past we have seen the Mayor and the members of City Council make decisions that have brought us to the brink of bankruptcy. While you were President of City Council, city budgets increased by $48 million. Why should the people of Pittsburgh believe that as mayor you will do anything to put the city back on the right track, when all we have heard from you is a proposal for an expensive new streetcar system from Downtown Pittsburgh to Oakland?”

If Lamb really wants city Democrats to hold O'Connor responsible for the city's mess, he will have to get that message up on television and/or out in direct mail pretty darn quick. Time is running out for Lamb and Peduto, not because eight weeks is too short a time to make a difference, but because there is no sense among the general public that O'Connor (who has been running for this post for eight years) is unfit for this office. This race has always been Bob O'Connor's to lose, but so far his opponents have not given city residents any compelling reasons why O'Connor should not be mayor.

By the way, the race for mayor now has an African American candidate: Louis "Hop" Kendrick. Kendrick tells me that he may be black, but he is not the black candidate. He is running to refute notions that Pittsburgh is the "most racist city in America" and that "Pittsburgh's blacks are the most docile blacks" in the country. He says both portrayals are false, and his candidacy will prove it. Kendrick, who has a weekly column in the New Pittsburgh Courier and works for Allegheny County as a consultant to the minority disadvantaged business program, says he will spend no money in this race.

African Americans make up just over a fifth of the Democratic voting electorate in the city of Pittsburgh and, if united, can have an important impact. Conventional wisdom is that Kendrick hurts O'Connor because O'Connor has had some support in the African American community over the years. Still, no one thinks a candidate who spends nothing can make much of an inroad.

Unless and until his opponents go on the attack on television and radio in a convincing and effective manner, Bob O'Connor will be the next mayor of Pittsburgh.

Neither Lamb nor Peduto will go on any attack of O'Connor. They can't because they are both too young. An attack could be effective -- or it could backfire. Lamb and Peduto are playing it safe and are expected to linger around the race to build their resumes and get practice in the race. For either Lamb or Pedutor to offend O'Connor and his pals before O'Connor steps into the mayor's race is sure to hurt in the years to come after O'Connor becomes Mayor, should that come to pass.

The yawn will sustain itself.

Furthermore, Hop got into the race to knock out two others who have more vocal expressions -- Mark Brentley and Harry Liller. Brentley toyed with a dual run, for city council and mayor. He let loose on a rant before city council as Dr. John Thompson got an award as he finished his tenure at Pgh Public School's superintendent. Meanwhile, Liller didn't get onto the ballot as pages of petition signatures evaporated in a Homewood church with Hop's arrival into the race.

Hop is a buffer with a government job and a pledge to spend $0. Hop makes a perfect wet blanket on the sparks of others.

I miss Leroy Hodge.

Jon Delano gives up some recycled electrons at the end of this PSF rant

Jon Delano, a KDKA TV business and politics reporter, and frequent moderator at debates, did give a mention in his recent PSF email blast. Thanks Jon.

DIVEN V. FONTANA NOW A REAL BATTLE:

With Republicans already spending money on TV ads (admittedly, only on cable so far) for their state Senate candidate, Democrat-turned-Republican Rep. Michael Diven, and the Democrats suffering a contentious nomination process that gave all signs of disarray, the odds seemed to favor a Republican upset for that Democratic state senate seat vacated by now auditor general Jack Wagner.

But that was a week ago.

Last Friday, the Dems tried to turn things around with a unity fest that brought together some of Allegheny County's heavyweights to embrace Wayne Fontana, the Democratic nominee and former county councilman. Chief among them was long-time Diven supporter Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll. Knoll says she tried to keep Diven from switching parties, but when he ignored her she made it clear that she was backing Fontana all the way to the state capitol. She wasn't alone, as both Wagner and the man who once ran against him for state senator years ago, Dan Onorato, teamed up on Friday to proclaim Fontana the man.

For his part, Fontana made it clear that Diven's switcheroo was an issue, demonstrating lack of conviction on core Democratic issues. He accused the Republicans of "trickery" by running TV ads that "hide" the fact that Diven is now a Republican. And he says that social security is an issue in this campaign because Diven, by choosing to embrace the Republican Party and Rick Santorum, has embraced GOP values.

More impressive than the newfound come-on-strong attitude of Fontana and the unity of his fellow Dems is the team that the Senate Dems are putting together to keep the Wagner seat in the Democratic column. Marty Marks, a local operative who ran Onorato's field operation in 2003 and ran Joe Hoeffel's campaign in this region last fall, is now Fontana's campaign manager. Also on board are Ken Snyder and Tom Hickey, two well-known eastern PA operatives who bring strong media and strategy expertise to the operation. Those two were in town putting together TV commercials last Friday that should hit the air in a week. That won't be the end of the Harrisburg Dem support for Fontana. Rumor has it that once the special state Senate race in the Allentown area is concluded on April 5, Paul Gage, the field director for state Rep. Jennifer Mann who is running in that race for Senate, will also be heading west to help F! ontana.

All in all, what once seemed like a very likely G.O.P. win for Diven has suddenly turned into a race. Why? Because the Harrisburg Dems are sinking real money into the race and local Dems appear determined to teach Diven a lesson about party-switching. In case folks in the 42nd senatorial district don't like either Fontana or Diven, there is a third party candidate, Libertarian Mark Rauterkus.

Mt. Lebanon Shooting Shouldn't Cause Frenzy

There was a shooting in one of the region's most affluent neighborhoods on Sunday. By initial reports, there may have been a disagreement between people who knew each other. They raced to Virginia Manor in Mt. Lebanon, where one guy reportedly shot at the other.

No one was injured. But aside from that, the Mt. Lebanon story is eerily similar to the one that occurred in Carrick in the same week.

Virginia Manor contains million-dollar homes. I delivered UPS there one winter season. The folks there are nice, just have thicker wallets and portfolios than those of us in Carrick.

For Sale signs should not increase in Mt. Lebanon. Nud-knicks with no real schedules shouldn't parade to their school board member's house, demanding someone do something about things out of his/her control.

Things will be back to normal today in Virginia Manor. There's no need to cause a frenzy in one of our nicest neighborhoods. And Virginia Manor, too.

Lipstick on a pig, the promotional video

Why spend $250,000 for a promotional video to attract vacationers to Pittsburgh? It is like a Pittsburgher seeing a promotional video about St. Louis or Minneapolis and saying - "Gee maybe rather than going to the beach this year I'll go to Minneapolis." Not gonna happen.

People travel to Pittsburgh for two reasons - job or family related. That's it.

Create jobs, expand the tax base, get more people to move here. That's the only sensible way to increase visitors.

Do not forget the dopey slogan fiasco a year or so ago. A new PR campaign only puts lipstick on a pig.

We have our strengths here - good medical treatment, universities, but they are non-profits. We need profitable enterprises.

Source: Our campaign's, new Dormont volunteer.

City's lame duck mayor and county heads urge consolidating -- Dan and Tom are wrong on rights.

It wasn't fair of me to insert the word "dead" before the "head" in the headline. Dan O is our county executive and he's alive. Sadly, our mayor's status puts him as one still in office but with room temperature and lame duck status. It's rotten to see Murphy still at the helm. He's done so much to destroy the city that we can't give him the juice to sustain the death march.

City, county heads urge consolidating Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato and Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy said yesterday they plan to ask the state Legislature for the right to put the issue of a city-county merger before voters.

'The mayor and I have been meeting and working on this for months, and we're building a strategy to bring to Harrisburg,' Onorato said at a luncheon sponsored by the League of Women Voters. 'We have to convince the Legislature to give us the right to vote on this.'

The legislature does NOT need to give us the right to vote. Dan and Tom can both put matters before either the city or the county without running to Harrisburg. And, both can be instrumental to put a question onto the ballot without getting local legislative bodies to sign off on the question as well.

Presently the executive (either Tom or Dan) can write a ballot question and submit that to the legislative branch (either city council or county council). The respective council can put the question onto the ballot. Done.

Go to Harrisburg and beg for your own crumbs.

If either Dan or Tom were serious about consolidation, more would have been done last year or the past dozen years before that.

If Dan or Tom want to make a significan merger plan in the near future, they'd do what I suggested to them in May, 2004, with the position paper on PARKS consolidation. That called for a new Pittsburgh Park District. That is the NEXT best place to make a "merger." The parks effort would get the support of the ICA, the Act 47 coordinators, the public, the county officials, the city officials and state officials too.

Most of all, the park's plan would capture the spirit of the citizens in new ways, generate new life in the ranks of volunteers and be a springboard for other creative change endeavors. That's why Dan does NOT want to make it happen. It is a power thing.

Opposition would not be strong if they did what I requested. http://DSL.CLOH.Org/v1

As for Tom's lack of capacity for change -- let's just say he's just being Tom Murphy. He's the grand teacher of how to NOT play well with others.