Venue: Holiday Inn Express, South Side on 10th Street

Johnsmith played at the Holiday Inn Express on the South Side on 10th Street. The event was organized by Mark Rauterkus.

Bill Godshall and others are to tackle campaign finance reform on the county level

Bill wrote:

To: Allegheny County Campaign Finance Advocates

At its meeting scheduled for 5PM tomorrow (Tuesday), Allegheny County
Council is scheduled to consider Doug Price's Campaign Finance legislation,
which now includes three amendments offered by Rich Fitzgerald that were
approved at last week by the Council's Committee on Campaign Finance
(see news article in the comments).

April 5th's County Council meeting agenda.

Those testifying are encouraged to:

1. Urge council to support effective campaign finance legislation.

2. Urge council to lower the limits (that were amended into the bill) for individual contributions to County candidates.

3. Remind council that Rich Fitzgerald's stated intent to amend the legislation to also apply to federal, state and municipal candidates would conflict with federal law, state law, and the City of Pittsburgh's Home Rule Charter. It's uncertain, however, whether Fitzgerald's amendments would actually apply to federal, state and muni candidates.

4. Remind council that Rich Fitzgerald's intent to amend the legislation to limit a candidate's contribution to his/her own campaign (at $5,000/year) would violate the Buckley vs Valeo decision by the US Supreme Court. Once againg, however, it's uncertain whether Fitzgerald's amendment would actually limit the amount a candidate can contribute to himself/herself.

If anyone wants a copy of the amendments that were approved at last week's committee meeting, please let me know and give me your fax number. Following is last week's Tribune Review article on the bill.

Bill Godshall
(W) 412-351-5880

I am for sensible campaign finance reform. I'm most interested in legislation that is going to work and still allow the region to soar.

Homeowners haven't shown passion for tax plan

Homeowners haven't shown passion for tax planm Sunday, April 03, 2005

One of my favorite rules in politics comes from Senate GOP political guru Mike Long:

'If you take the folks who are mildly for your candidate, and give me a smaller number that are passionate for my candidate or issue, I will beat you every time. Because passionate people show up, they work and they vote. Folks who don't have a compelling reason to vote, often don't.'

Long's 'passion wins' theory seemed particularly appropriate to me after listening to Gov. Ed Rendell stump for his property tax reduction plan Thursday night.

See the rest of his remarks in the comments.

Rendell Watch: Using Rendell's Money to Bash Rendell's Tax Increase

Giggles mount.

Rendell Watch: Using Rendell's Money to Bash Rendell's Tax Increase: ... switched parties and is the Republican nominee against Allegheny County Councilman Wayne Fontana in a special election for [Auditor General Jack] Wagner's old district of Pittsburgh and its suburbs.

'The Democrats, trailing in this one, are using funds raised by Rendell to attack Diven for voting for the governor's tax hike. What does that tell you about Rendell's popularity in the southwest?'

That's sweet, sweet irony -- using money raised by Mr. Rendell to criticize a man for supporting Mr. Rendell's tax increase. Amazing.

Blogs, Everyone? Weblogs Are Here to Stay, but Where Are They Headed? - Knowledge@Wharton

Blogs, Everyone? Weblogs Are Here to Stay, but Where Are They Headed? - Knowledge@Wharton: "Recently, blogs have been credited with everything from CBS News anchorman Dan Rather's departure, to unauthorized previews of the latest Apple Computer products, to new transparency in presidential campaigns. The big question is whether blogs, short for weblogs, have the staying power to become more than just online diaries. Will bloggers upend the mainstream media? What legal protections should bloggers have? Is there a blogger business model? While no definitive answers exist just yet, experts at Wharton advise questioners to be patient. Blogging, they note, will be around for a long time.

Riverlife Task Force plans competition to design footbridge across Ohio River

Is this a bridge or just some different treatments to the access to the West End Bridge?

Riverlife Task Force plans competition to design footbridge across Ohio River

Wired News: FEC Eyes Bloggers' Political Ties

Nice insights Mike:

Wired News: FEC Eyes Bloggers' Political Ties 'The real question is where do we go from here,' said Mike Krempasky, co-founder of conservative blog RedState.org. 'There's not a real understanding of how politics and the internet works at the Federal Election Commission.'

Too bad none of the others on the GOP slate are working on their ideas at Red State.org.

Joe Weinroth, Sam and others should have a blog at RedState.

Lamb details development plan

Lamb details development plan
Sunday, April 03, 2005 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

County Prothonotary Michael Lamb, a candidate for mayor of Pittsburgh in next month's primary, yesterday said the city can reboot itself economically if established businesses are supported, new ones developed and housing stock replenished.

Lamb said a $50 million blight-relief fund, as well as community development block grants and other economic development funds could be used to pay for such efforts.

He said women-owned businesses must be encouraged because area women are among the best educated in the state, make up 60 percent of the local workforce and are the least likely to leave Pittsburgh.

The use of the word, reboot, is interesting. To reboot gives us areas to ponder -- like the crash or frozen climate we must be in now.

Use Linux -- rather than Windows (or M$ WinDoze) -- and rebooting is so common. The open-source world provides Linux, and stability.

If established businesses are supported -- then the reboot will work. But, we've already been supporting established businesses. To some, that's called corporate welfare. We've been down that route. We supported the Pirates, the Steelers, PNC, Heinz, US Airways. We've given them what they wanted for years.

If those efforts can be paid for by the spending from the other piles of money -- then the reboot works. Blight grants!

---

Lamb's star credential as a reformer, however, was his role as campaign manager of the 1998 movement to adopt the county's new home-rule charter form of government led by a chief executive and a 15-member county council.

While Lamb has lofty goals, voters will want a more concrete plan before Election Day, said Jerry Shuster, who teaches political communications at Robert Morris University and the University of Pittsburgh. "He's got to get off the ideal focus and get more specific in terms of programs that are directly related to the needs of the constituency, such as street repair," Shuster said.

Lamb contends that he's laying out a platform of what voters can expect of him through a series of position papers, including his views on consolidation of services, transportation, education and other topics.

"You'll always know where I stand on an issue," he said. "You may disagree with it, but you'll know where I am.

Objection 1: The important role of ombudsman is missing from our county's charter. It was in there, and it got lost in the get-along. The reform continues.

Objection 2: Lamb didn't see anything wrong with Fontana's lack of resignation from County Council when he was a candidate. Lamb was asked to stand with me in the call to reform -- and he didn't.

Objection 3: Lamb spoke to a group on the South Side a few months ago. I was there. When the question of the Mon-Valley Toll Road was raised, Mr. Lamb, the "you'll know where I stand on an issue" candidate, said nothing. His statement of the voters always knowing where he stands on the issues is thin, at best.

Slate will revitalize city

Great to see a sate of GOPers. Great to read of a few of these issues. Great to see some press coverage too.

Not so great to see such hype.

Yes, the URA shoud be liquidated. Yes, the development fund should be nuked. No, this isn't gonig to be easy. The work to unravel the URA is going to take a decade or more. Heavy lifting will be necessary.

Slate will revitalize city - PittsburghLIVE.com ... the candidate promised to sell all assets held by the city's Urban Redevelopment Authority and liquidate its development fund.

'When I say I'll make the change,' said Weinroth, of Squirrel Hill, 'you can count on it being done.'

The candidate proposed cutting city spending, slashing the nine-member City Council to five and eliminating the city's parking and stadium authorities.

In 2001, Weinroth lost the race for the District 8 City Council seat to Democrat William Peduto.

Peduto, Allegheny County Prothonotary Michael Lamb and former council president Bob O'Connor are the leaders among seven candidates seeking the Democratic nomination in the mayor's race.

Pittsburgh, where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by about 5 to 1, hasn't produced a Republican mayor since the early 1930s.

The GOP is also fielding candidates for three City Council slots and a seat on the city's school board:

# Sam Berninger, 28, an information technology professional from Sheraden, will run for the District 2 seat, vacated by Alan Hertzberg last month after he was confirmed by the state Senate to fill a seat on the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas.

# Bob Hillen, 47, of Beechview, chairman of the city's Republican committee, will run -- for the third time -- for the District 4 seat. This time, he will face Councilman Jim Motznik, an Overbrook Democrat seeking a second term.

# If Councilman Sala Udin, the Hill District incumbent, survives a primary challenge from Tonya Payne of the Hill District and city school board member Mark Brentley Sr. of the North Side, he will face Republican Alan Perry, 59, of Manchester, founder and owner of an insurance company.

# Tom Baker, of Squirrel Hill, a career counselor at Carnegie Mellon University, will seek to unseat Pittsburgh Public Schools board member Theresa Colaizzi.

Violet Law can be reached at vlaw@tribweb.com or (412) 320-7884.

Great to see Violet covering politics as well.

The oversight lawsuit: Account, please - PittsburghLIVE.com

The oversight lawsuit: Account, please - PittsburghLIVE.com Isn't it time that Gov. Rendell, Mayor Murphy and a subservient City Council account for themselves in the light of day and against the objective standards of the law?

Onorato spars with critic over assessments

Onorato barks for state help - PG article Onorato repeated his plans to lobby the state Legislature in Harrisburg to make assessments revenue neutral.

Onorato needs the help of the state. So much for self-reliance.

The barking from Onorato should switch away from the stance of being "revenue neutral" and to "assessment buffering." To the home owner and tax-payer -- being revenue neutral throughout the entire county is meaningless. To the taxpayers, having assessment buffering means the world.

BUILD YOUR OWN POLITICAL POWER from Jonathan Robison

Jonathan is ramping up some new activist-classes, it seems. I post it here without an endorsement. J.R. is a staunch Dem.

J. R. is at 154 N. Bellefield Ave. # 66, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 412-683-0237, jonmary1@juno.com

Here’s how you can build your own personal political power.

Many people are active politically for various candidates and for causes such as peace, the environment, economic justice, lesbian and gay rights, reproductive rights, and civil liberties. Especially in the wake of the extreme right victory last year, there are many new people.

People want to do politics effectively. If you are in it for the long haul want to increase your own personal political power so that they can better help their candidates and their causes. Building you own political power can help accomplish personal goals for you and your community, and also can be fun

How? There will be a series of seminars to discuss various tactics and techniques.

The first session will be Monday, May 2, at 8 p.m., at St. Andrews Lutheran Church 304 Morewood Ave., corner of Centre Ave.

We will discuss how you can use your involvement in the upcoming May 17 primary to increase your own political power. The session will NOT discuss and recruit you for any individual candidates. We assume that by May 2 you will already have a candidate in whom you are interested. We will discuss how you can help that candidate in ways that do the most for that candidate and also build your own political power. The session will be right after the MoveOn May meetup, which is at that church at 7. However, you are welcome regardless of whether you are associated with MoveOn, DFAPittsburgh, the Sierra Club, the Thomas Merton Center, or anyone or no one.

There will be more sessions later. Possible topics include: the Democratic Party Structure, Duties and Responsibilities of Committeepeople, Circulating Nomination Petitions, Turnout - “Pulling” Voters, The Structure of a Winning Campaign, Electoral Politics and/or Direct Action?, Third Party or First?, Anarchism - the Third Thread in Progressive Politics Today, the Internet and Electoral Politics, Absentee Ballots/Provisional Ballots, and From Paper Ballots to Touch Screens. The seminars will be planned to be especially useful to new committeepeople and people considering running for the Democratic Committee next year. Please share any ideas for topics.

The “Build Your Own Personal Political Power” seminars will be led by Jonathan Robison. Jon is a long-time activist in politics, the peace movement, and the community. He has worked in over a hundred campaigns, going back to Gene McCarthy in ’68, and ran three times for Pittsburgh City Council. He is an attorney and vice-chairperson of the 4th Ward Democratic Committee in Oakland.

The sessions may be on a regular monthly basis, structured so that people can attend ones that interest them. Interested groups will be consulted on the schedule, and those at the May 2 seminar will be asked about dates and a place.

We might have to ask for a contribution of $10, possibly to the Thomas Merton Center, primarily to make people’s RSVP’s meaningful. The introductory session May 2 will be free. There will be no charge of materials distributed at the sessions.

Please pass this on to anyone interested. For further information or comments, contact Jon at 412-683-0237 or jonmary1@juno.com.

NAN tip

NAN is the neighborhood awareness network. The group is building an "amber alert" type of rapid response chain to get messages around the South Side Flats.

WARNING TO BUSINESSES
Zone 3 officers were dispatched to the Beechview area for a man standing in the back of a pick up truck going through garbage that he retrieved from a drug store. The actor told police that he was going through the garbage to get receipts to give to another person. He refused to give the name of the person he was doing this for. LET'S GET THE WORD OUT TO THE BUSINESS COMMUNITIES OF THE IMPORTANCE OF SHREDDING PAPER AND RECEIPTS THAT NEED DISPOSED OF. THE CRIME OF IDENTITY THEFT IS ESCALATING ACROSS THE COUNTRY. ANY ASSISTANCE YOU CAN PROVIDE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. THANK YOU!

Ramblings #12 - Why Am I A Libertarian? Rambling views of The Common Libertarian:

A small snipt from a site called The Common Libertarian.Ramblings #12, elsewhere

I love this country. But this country is not the government in Washington, or in Arkansas, or in Jonesboro. This country is the people that live here, work here, no matter where they were born. All are included in the first words of the Constitution: We the people.... This document sets forth the form of government we should have. A limited, small government whose only duty is to protect my God-given rights of life, liberty, and property from infringement by others...including the government itself! This country became great and prosperous because the people worked hard with little or no government interference in a free market that allowed any single person to be rewarded for his hard labor, ingenuity, and persistence. It wasn't perfect, but it worked. Now, starting with the beginning of the 20th Century and continuing today, the government has taken powers for itself that We The People never gave it. The government run by the Demopublican duopoly is taking away our very God-given rights of which a few were enumerated in the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments to the Constitution (which for all intents and purposes should be considered a part of the original document). I want to see this country returned to the principles that made it great, preferably in my lifetime, but if not in mine, in the lifetime of my children. I was raised with the belief that we were put on this Earth to steward it and pass it on to our children as good as or better than when we received it from our parents. This is not happening and I want to change that.

Can I do this on my own? No, of course not. But if all of us band together with a common purpose, we become an army that can take back our country from those who have usurped the power of We The People. That is why I am a Libertarian.

Here we go again: Murphy rebuffs oversight board's threats

Murphy rebuffs oversight board's threats Tom Murphy yesterday sent the city's fiscal oversight board a missive with a message about the firefighters new contract: Back off or we will beat you in court.

In a strongly worded letter to the board, Murphy defended the cost cuts in the contract and vowed the city will win any court battles with the oversight board, which criticized the plan and voted to sue the city.

In the most simple terms, Murphy does not play well with others. On another level, he is happy to fight it out in court.

We don't need to go to court like he has done. And, we need to work much harder at working it out.

I'm willing to deal well with others that are not willing to deal well with me.

I'm not a push over that is full of agreement, just to make nice. I can stand fast in my resolve in matters where I justifications. However, throughout, I stay with an open mind.

I can be proven wrong. I can listen to those that are in disagreement. And, I don't give up.

Prosperity report, given big air at QED, draws scorn

See the comments section for the press release from another outlet.

Up & Down - and finger pointing on a vile message board system

PoliticsPA.com has a web site and the site has some message boards. This was noticed in an article there:

Up & Down Bad news for the users of the PoliticsPA Scranton/ Wilkes Barre anonymous message board, as a court order will force us to reveal the identities of all users.

The Pittsburgher in me says, "Get-out!"

Jeepers, creepers.

Some bad boys are going to be decloaked -- perhaps.

I wonder what Mike from Pittsblog has to say about this?

FYI, I don't think I've even peeked at the message board in question.

April First -- and I'm not fooling around. I'm serious about public endeavors that lay ahead.

Happy April 1. I'm not fooling. Providing serious concerns for public endeavors. (Concert: 7 pm on 7th)

I sent out the following email today. The letter went into the message body, and it went as a PDF attachement as well. This is the first I've sent along a PDF. The letter prints on two pages and could make for a simple pass along note to others who you come in contact with throught the next weeks.

---

Open letter to residents of Western Pennsylvania
From Mark Rauterkus, Libertarian Nominee,

Citizen Candidate for Jack Wagner’s vacated State Senate seat in the Special Election on Primary Day, May 17, 2005


April 1, 2005

Dear voters,

As a parent, community activist, professional swim coach, and former publisher, my career life has been dedicated to performance and meaningful improvements.

I have coached state-record breakers in four states.

I’ve edited, published and marketed more than 100 books for athletes participating in cutting-edge competitive sports. I can write, communicate in technical terms, and interact among a broad spectrum of citizens. Anyone can offer their own opinions on numerous issues at my website: Platform.For-Pgh.org.

I believe my abilities and acquired skills would stand me in good stead as a legislator in our modern, crisis-driven times. I can provide a strong voice for new regional leadership. I understand that our system of local and state government is broken -- and, financially “broke”, as well.

Career politicians have put the Pittsburgh region in a tailspin.

As necessary, I will buck established authorities and demand personal and fiscal accountability, sacking the practice of “done deals,” promoting fair and competitive bidding, and encouraging the participation of a fully-informed public in government affairs.

Winning, in sports and life, entails being prepared, showing up, and scoring more points. We should aim to thrive, not merely survive.

As a citizen candidate, and not a political machine player, I intend to represent the broad socio-economic diversity of the multi-generation, multi-cultural population of the entire 42nd district, ranging from the city neighborhoods to the suburban municipality boundaries.

Misuse and abuse of state laws in schemes such as the attempted WE-HAV tax on Southwest Pittsburgh neighborhoods, and the practice of TIFs such as Deer Creek Crossing in northern Allegheny County do not advance the prosperity of all.
Public funds should be applied to maintaining existing public roads, pedestrian walkways and trails. Public funds should provide affordable and efficient mass transit, not be squandered on things such as the Mon Valley Tollway, which will wreak havoc throughout neighborhoods.

I've actively struggled for preservation and re-use of our historic sites and valuable local resources, including St. Nicholas on the North Side, the Pittsburgh Public Libraries, WQEX 16, the now-closed and lone indoor ice rink in the city (Neville), city recreation centers, and some swimming pools.

I battled against corporate give-a-ways that loomed in Fifth & Forbes (plans A, B, and C) and pushed for pedestrian-accommodating design, reliable transit funding, and internet-accessible property assessment listings.

Assessment buffering and land value taxes work for the benefit of regular taxpayers, while the unified tax plan, taxing freezes, and the deed transfer tax cripple the economy and harm the region.

I questioned UPMC's expansion to the South Side Works by calling a public hearing in city council and releasing my first position paper. I fought eminent domain with emails to the Institute for Justice and in public testimony. I fought the loss of Pitt Stadium with former Pitt players and networked with the Women’s Sports Foundation to raise Title IX concerns. I fought the stadium tax.

I raised alarms with the red-carpet arrival of dual Oversight Boards. I want self-reliance from elected officials, not bailouts.

I say no to wrongheaded spending on a merry-go-round in Oakland that is to replace a parking-area and vendors. Yes, a real merry-go-round is in the works; it’s not a figure of speech.

My critical editorial ran in the Pgh Park’s Conservancy newsletter and my objections are know from public hearings and my direct communications. As the city administration, planning officials and the community gathered for the proud release of the park’s master plan, I simply objected to the document's title. Their document should not have been called a master plan. A more fitting name would be lesser plan. Other concerned citizens shared in the process and were also in disbelief.

Wasteful spending, in my opinion, includes the glass-enclosed subway station re-do in Gateway Center, the one-way HOV-ish Wabash Tunnel, and the under-the-river route of light-rail T-expansion to the North Side.

I fought the elimination of the City's two rodent control workers who hunt and trap rats from empty lots and work to keep rats from our homes.

Downsizing the City’s lone traffic engineer was more folly. Likewise, the Citizens' Police Academy got my support as I helped in the crafting of a plan that could have moved the program to into a money making entity.

I spoke to the Pittsburgh Public Schools' board and to community meetings about saving vo-tech opportunities. I suggested new courses and methods for increasing outreach to Community College of Allegheny County departments.

At the end of 2004, when public comment at City Council was under attack, I called a public hearing and the sponsoring member took the bill off the table.

In my opinion, lawful efforts of bounty hunters shouldn't be hindered when we have a police shortage and an abundance of criminals that need to be captured.

We should liquidate the parking authority, then lower the parking tax to 15%. Let's create a yearly Youth Technology Summit. Let's organize a new Pittsburgh Park District and have it come with a replacement of a portion of the RAD tax and RAD Board so as to spur cooperation among volunteers and operate under the sunshine laws and with democratic participation.

As a member of a 12-week task force established by a city council memeber, I'm supporting campaign finance reform that has a prayer of working as intended. I support "political debates" that include ALL candidates.

Pittsburgh's greatest treasure is its people. I always support human investment and shy away from governmental giveaways to corporations. I'll struggle hard to better the environment, health care and wellness efforts for all.

With respect,


Mark Rauterkus, Candidate, Mark@Rauterkus.com

Please make an informed vote on May 17.
Resident of South Side, Pittsburgh http://Elect.Rauterkus.com 412 298 3432

What did you think of the debate?

What did you think of the debate? I'd love to get your written reactions in the comment section here.

Debate in East Liberty

O'Connor picks up Onorato's support - PittsburghLIVE.com Asked if he supported an elected or appointed Pittsburgh Public Schools board, O'Connor said he favored the current arrangement in which board members are elected.
Lamb called that a 'flip-flop,' contending O'Connor has said he favors an appointed board, even though the mayor's office has no authority over the schools.

The mayor does have a bit of authority over the schools. Our current mayor cut the school crossing guards. That move cost the schools a few million dollars.

The school board in Pittsburgh has been appointed and has been elected. Both have been with ups and downs and one is not clearly the right way to operate in terms of being effective. Both have some merits. We've seen them both over the years.

If I was in charge, I'd want an elected board. The power should reside with the people. I'd love to strengthen our democratic ways, not weaken.

I'd also like to have a role in making more educated voters in the process of school board elections. I've hosted school board candidate forums and would love to do more of them in the futue, even online.

However, the one school board point that I'd love to see come into place in the city deals with the power hungry. Too often our school board members are in those positions to seek personal power, not help with the education. Various candidate manuals encourage people to run for school board first. Then run for other offices later. Even AT&T, and perhaps some other large corporations, used to encourage its employees to run for school board offices. Support was given with work-release time.

In Pittsburgh a number of our school board members, past and present, used the board as a stepping stone to other offices. Valerie, Barbara, and now Mark B are easy examples.

I don't want our schools to be stepped upon. I don't want to see relationships (say with contractors, construction firms and unions) in the school realm be leveraged for political power and gain.

Case in point: Pgh Public Schools has a number of its buildings up for sale. If a developer was to get a sweetheart deal to obtain a property, such as the former South Vo Tech High School, then a payback might be crafted to finance that board member's re-election campaign.

These board members are working all the angles, and that scares me.

To curb the problem, a simple change could be constructed, much like exists in County Council now. Similar rules apply to those who work at the White House.

I don't think school board members should be able to run for other elected office while on the board and for a period of time after exiting the board.

The quality of the performance of the school board members and the untainted judgements of their actions would skyrocket as soon as everyone understood that the school board members were in a dead-end political job.

What Patrick, Alex and Jean (present PPS school board members) say now could be for the benefit of a political posture or the benefit of the students in the district. Everything they do is suspect to a degree.

Most of all, those that want to serve on the school board would serve on the school board. Those that want to use the school board as a stepping stone to advance a political career would go elsewhere.

Michael Diven, ex-D, present opponent in the state senate race, worked with others in his old party to fund certain school board races in the past. The band of cronies used their influence to advance friends and gain their politcal capital. Their PAC, while legal, floundered, as did the board itself. An eventual retraction of foundation support to school programs came because of school board divisions. Political wrangling has trashed the trust of the citizens.

A new rule would defuse the situations with overt political gimics that Diven helped to worsen.

Finally, don't think for a minute that an appointed board would be less politically charged than an elected board. They only would be less accountable.

Pittsburgh needs to get out of its authority madness. We need to get rid of all appointed boards that have powers to govern. I'd also like to see elections with retention votes for PAT board members, the URA board, etc.