Watch PCNC's Night Talk tonight!

My wife, Catherine Palmer, Ph.D., is due to be on NightTalk tonight with Ann Devlin. I'll try to get some photos.

Council favors tax break for South Oakland garages

I did go down to city council to raise an objection on this TIF -- a tax break for a garage in a place that does NOT need a tax break, is without demand, without even an open-bid process nor RFP. It is an inside deal that takes money away from the kids in the schools.

Council favors tax break for South Oakland garages Council favors tax break for South Oakland garages

Wednesday, March 15, 2006
By Rich Lord, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pittsburgh City Council gave its initial, unanimous nod today to a tax plan that would support construction of three parking garages in South Oakland's Pittsburgh Technology Center.

The garages would serve proposed new lab and office buildings, the first of which could be under construction by the end of the year, said Urban Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Jerome Dettore.

'The goal is to really develop that a lot more densely,' said Mr. Dettore, referring to the Technology Center. The three-garage plan 'allows a little more than 1 million square feet of new, additional lab and office space.'

If we are going to turn this city around, it can't be with big give-a-ways for all the wrong reasons. This is a legacy project that was rushed to the table because others are not watching. Now that Jim Ferlo is on the URA Board, I wonder if these types of deals are going to get cut?

My next stop, the Act 47 Coordinators and the I.C.A. Board.

Koch wins City Council seat, P-G coverage

Well, here are a few other thoughtful (I hope) tidbits on the coverage of the race and reactions. The P-G's article the morning after said, in part, "FEW IDEALOGICAL CONTRASTS." It is not that I object to that statement, but rather that I hope that I injected some of those contrasts into the race. I saw some contrasts -- and I tried to pull them into focus. And, if anything, I hope that I pulled some of the other candidates into my realm of understanding as to what should be done in HOW we fix various problems.

Koch wins City Council seat After an election that produced few ideological contrasts among the candidates, his victory is not expected to have any dramatic effect on the political dynamics of council, a body whose power, particularly on budget issues, has been somewhat marginalized by the state's fiscal oversight of the city.

Mr. Kraus, running as an independent, had the support of City Councilman William Peduto. According to the latest campaign contribution reports available before the balloting, Mr. Kraus also was the spending leader in a relatively low-budget race.

The balloting followed the pattern of low turnouts for city special elections. Overall, just under 14 percent of the district's registered voters cast a ballot.

Luke Ravenstahl, the City Council president, had rescheduled the vote to yesterday instead of March 7, to accommodate college students who would have been on spring break on the earlier date. But anyone who hoped that the college vote would have a significant impact on the outcome would have to be disappointed. The two 4th Ward polling places on the University of Pittsburgh campus, the 8th district and the 14th district, produced a total of just 139 votes.

Yes, this was a LOW BUDGET race.

Some of the folks in Oakland were HAPPY with the results of just 139 votes. A tidal wave of other folks, outside of Oakland's college student population, were VERY HAPPY with the disappointment in the turnout among the students. The connect among the campus life and the city life -- in a real community -- is wide, yet.

The turnout prediction of 20-percent by the head of the election department was too high. At 13-percent -- OUCH. And, the word on the stret was that a lot of folks are worried about the electronic machines.

All along I have said, "our democracy is frail." I think that the frail statement holds true -- if it isn't counted as sheer hype to call it just frail.

Rogues meet on Saturday with Jake Haulk

Rogues Saturday, March 18, 2006, at 9:00 A.M., Holiday Inn Select across from South Hills Village, $13.00 per person. Our Speaker will be Dr. Jake Haulk of the Allegheny Institute.

Please RSVP by Friday March 17th.

So far, Governor Rendell’s only economic development plan seems to be spending $1.24 billion on corporate welfare for such projects as PNC’s new office building. That’s $50 million to PNC out of a total construction cost of $170 million paid to a company that had record profits of $1.3 billion last year.

Of course, this largess was paid for by increasing the state income tax and by rescinding scheduled business taxes, all aided by a compliant Republican controlled legislature.

Pennsylvania is 38th in the country in job growth and 43rd in population growth. However, Pennsylvania’s government has grown to the point that it costs $7, 884 per family of four. That’s $1,153 more than three years ago.

Dr. Jake Haulk of The Allegheny Institute has some other ideas on how to encourage a prosperous economy and he’ll be speaking to the Rogues this Saturday, March 18th at 9AM on Governor Rendell's failed economic development policies and tax reform.

Tonight at the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Assn meeting I gave Bob O'Connor props for his appointment of Jim Ferlo to the U.R.A. Board. Then I asked him if he was going to continue to support the large TIFs and tax breaks to big corporations and institutions -- such as PNC PLAZA's $18-million TIF for a new downtown office tower and the Second Ave. parking garage by the URA for Pgh Technology Center.

In Bob's talk about the TIF, he gave me the wrong answer, and didn't even mention the fact that the $18-million TIF from the city comes at the expense of the kids and schools nor that the city's give-a-way comes after PENNSYLVANIA already put in $50-million as a GRANT to PNC. The subsidization of that office tower is going to exceed $1-million per floor.

Today, at the polls, I invited Jeff Koch to city council chambers for its 10 AM Meeting on WEDNESDAY -- in 11 hours -- to stand with me to speak against the TIF for the parking garages on Second Ave.

I'll invite Jeff Koch to the breakfast meeting with the A.I.'s Jake Haulk too.

'Miracle' water turned into beer -- PROOF enough for ending building codes

'Miracle' water turned into beer 'We had settled down for a cozy Saturday evening, had a nice dinner, and I was just going to clean up a little,' Gundersen, 50, said Monday. 'I turned on the kitchen faucet and beer came out.'

Those crazy Norwegians.

Koch -- as in "cook" --- as in "home cooking" for a year and a half if not five-plus

With 41 out of 42 votes, via a phone call update:

D = 1408
R = 185
L = 69
G = 72
M.W. (indie) = 40
M.B. (indie) = 46
Bruce Krane = 215
Bruce A. Kraus 1257

Of course this is "unofficial" -- n at.

First reaction = home cooking rules the day! That is short for Bob O'Connor's old campaign slogan, because this is home. And, for Jeff Koch's last name, said like "cook." The mayor's guy won. The endorsed Dem won.

Second reaction: If you sum the total of the two B.K.'s (Bruce K + Bruce K), you'd have defeated the D's machine.

Third reaction: I didn't get last. This is the first election when I didn't get last. Mind you, this in ONLY my third race. I ran for Mayor in the GOP PRIMARY in 2001. I ran for PA Senate in a 3 way race. This time I'm neck and neck with the Green. The good news, is I had a nice night of sleep last night and he's running on fumes.

My goose was cooked when the Rs put in a candidate. N.A. did a nice job too. However, if the Rs would have not run anyone, then I might have been able to engage county-wide opposition, and city-wide oppostion to the machine Dems and the ultra-liberal alternative. And, of course, my goose was re-heated when our date in court had its outcome altered with the finding of the clerk of the judge. If both of those IFs break the other way, then the race takes on a MUCH, MUCH different flavor and challenge. But, those are BIG "ifs."

Fourth reaction: Wonder what would have held if this had been an "instant-run-off-election."

Final reaction.... Combinations of course are going to be the details that say what's what in the end. I consider myself a "free radical" in that I'd be willing to help in a cause with another candidate if I feel warm to that cause. I was open to a merger of efforts with others in the race. But, the merger prospects were bleak.

The three Ms, (Matthew, Michael and Mark) shoud have combined forces about a month ago. I tried. Those vote counts are NOT too much of a total -- but -- the wave of campaign energy is another matter. I think a synergy factor could have been a double the vote impact.

Kraus might have won had he been able to pull any other candidate to his side in the past two months. Kraus might have won had he even pulled the others who also lost the Ds endorsement to his side. Ed Jacob or Pat Sweeney were both at the polls, and Erin C. was in Oakland, all working for the endorsed Dem. Kraus could not get any of them on his side.

Kraus said in a few of his stump talks that it is all about cooperation. Ha, ha. Well, he didn't prove it among the field of candidates who worked against him.

Who won? Who lost?

I just got back from the polls and then a meeting with the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association. Mayor Bob O'Connor was the speaker at that meeting, that started at 7 pm. Bob and I got there around 7:30 pm. He spoke to about 8:15 pm and gave a very nice talk. John, the boss of this zone's public works was there too and he got a great round of applause, in part for snow removal of the slopes street this winter.

Now the kids are in bed wondering what about the election results. I wonder too. ....

Pa. seizes paper's computer hard disks

File this for later.... If anyone do any research on this and give me a brief, please do so.

Philadelphia Inquirer | 03/13/2006 | Pa. seizes paper's computer hard disks: "In an unusual and little-known case, the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office has seized four computer hard drives from a Lancaster newspaper as part of a statewide grand-jury investigation into leaks to reporters.

The dispute pits the government's desire to solve an alleged felony - computer hacking - against the news media's fear that taking the computers circumvents the First Amendment and the state Shield Law."

KDKA - Pittsburgh's Source for Breaking News, Weather and Sports: Ricciardi's Seat To Be Filled By Special Election

KDKA - Ricciardi's Seat To Be Filled By Special Election PITTSBURGH District 3 voters will decide on former Pittsburgh City Councilman Gene Ricciardi�s successor on Tuesday.

I gave an interview at 8:30 am.

Murphy's chutzpah

Tampa and St. Pete, don't be suckered into thinking that Murphy was honest. He generally was half honest. The other half was -- how do we say -- less than the truth.

I'm not sure most citizens think it matter that Murphy gets to talk in Tampa, now that we are rid of him. Every dog has its day in the sun and people might not like to see the Trib "HOUND" the ex-Mayor now. However, this does present an opportunity to be truthful with history.

Most of the other front-runners in the race, today's race for city council, were in lock-step with Tom Murphy thourghout his career here. They were in agreement with his practices. They didn't speak out against his ways -- like I did.

I was one of the biggest Murphy nay-sayers. I ran a campaign to become mayor in 2001 -- not to be mayor myself but more to get a new mayor, because we needed to knock him out of that office.

I worry today that the others in the race are really just more of what we used to have in Tom Murphy and Gene Ricciardi. (see comments for more)

Murphy's chutzpah - PittsburghLIVE.com Former Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy lectured to about 300 people in Florida on Friday at Tampa's 10th annual Downtown Development Forum. It was a delusional presentation.

The fella who spent 12 years at the helm of government drove the city to the precipice of bankruptcy, left a socialist legacy of failed command economics and was lucky to escape Grant Street without being tarred and feathered.

Yet in Tampa, Mr. Murphy offered a big dose of revisionist history and had the chutzpah to blame others for his failings.

The media, politicians and historic preservationists who opposed his ideas made him unpopular locally, not his failures, Murphy said. And he even appeared to take a swipe at late Mayor Richard Caliguiri when he said it's 'always the people who don't make decisions that have statues built for them.'

City Council seat up for grabs

City Council seat up for grabs Libertarian swim coach Mark Rauterkus and Green Party student Jason Phillips, both of the Flats, also are running.

In addition to those neighborhoods, the district includes Allentown, Arlington Heights, Beltzhoover, Knoxville, the Mount Oliver neighborhood, South Side Slopes, St. Clair Village, and parts of Central Oakland, South Oakland and Mount Washington.

Mr. Wolosik said voters should bring identification, which is required of those who are new to the district.

The county will open 42 precincts from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and expects to bill the city $35,000 for the cost, he said. Voters can find their polling place at www.county.allegheny.pa.us/elect.

Upper St. Clair parents sue over canceled program

Perhaps the parents and families from USC could move to the city and take advantage of the I.B. program at Schenley High School?

Upper St. Clair parents sue over canceled program A group of 10 Upper St. Clair families filed suit in federal court this morning claiming five members of the school board improperly voted to terminate the International Baccalaureate program in February.

But, then again, Schenley was slated to be moved out of Oakland. That plan has been put "on hold" for now. We don't know for sure what is to come of the school's location nor the programs in the long run.

So, they had better stick around and fight for the USC I.B. program after all.

State oversight board to meet Thursday - PittsburghLIVE.com

Told ya.... The I.C.A. (overlords) is going to meet for the first time this YEAR in MID-MARCH. They are good for nothings who are choosing to fumble their duties and the opportunity to fix Pittsburgh.

Fumble!

State oversight board to meet Thursday - PittsburghLIVE.com State oversight board to meet Thursday

By Jeremy Boren, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, March 13, 2006

Pittsburgh's state oversight board is planning to meet for the first time this year to scrutinize changes Mayor Bob O'Connor will make to former Mayor Tom Murphy's 2006 budget.

The board, known as the Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority, has scheduled a public meeting for 12:30 p.m. Thursday on the 23rd floor of the Regional Enterprise Tower, 425 Sixth Ave., Downtown.

Designed as a five-member board, the state-run group is still missing two members after resignations in January 2006 and September 2005. State Democrats and Republicans have stalled on naming new members. State law requires that replacements be named within 30 days.

The authority must approve O'Connor's budget changes. It rejected two versions of Murphy's $418 million budget last year.


O'Connor is expected to increase the size of the $418 million 2006 budget, primarily by bolstering the Fire Bureau's allotment so it can handle anticipated overtime costs this year as the under-manned bureau struggles to meet national staffing standards. City Council members have said they expect to see their spending money cut. The most recent budget proposal would have allotted them $88,000 each for administrative assistants, supplies and other office operations.

The move could anger council members, who could get a peek at O'Connor's changes as early as tomorrow and could vote on them next week.

I've said on many instances that we should force them to meet. They need to get to work. They need a 'wake up call.'

Next, I've said that they should NOT be paid for the work they are doing now -- until after the city exits the oversight status. Let's pay them AFTER the work is done -- now while it is NOT being done. Cut off their payments. Follow the money.

The longer that they do nothing, the longer they'll get paid.

The OVERLORDS of the I.C.A. and Act 47 -- we've got two -- should merge. We can't merge the selling of dog licenses between city and county. It too 12 years to merge 911 services. Now we need to merge the Overlords. We've got two bodies that are both doing little. Let's be a good example and get them down to one entity.

District 3 Special Election Guide By Pitt News Staff

From The Pitt News, March 13, 2006

District 3 Special Election Guide By Pitt News Staff
published: Mon, 13 March, 2006

Neal Andrus (R)

Neal Andrus wants to shake things up for Pittsburgh.

"I'd like to be a voice for change on City Council," said Andrus, who is currently running on the Republican ticket for Tuesday's election.

Andrus has made a goal of "restoring fiscal sanity to city government," something that he believes should be voters' top priority when they head to the polls.

Hoping that District 3 residents will cast their votes "with an idea in their heads that they're tired of the same old thing and that they want something new," Andrus has promised to seek creative ideas in tackling the city's financial woes.

A 30-year-old who obtained degrees in political science and economics from Pitt in December 2004, Andrus has lived in the district for eight years. He said he does not seek to become a politician.

"I don't think anyone down there has any idea what needs to be done," he said of the current council.

He wants to bring up new ideas and "do something different." Shunning the idea that City Council's mission should include creating new jobs or "bribing" companies to come to Pittsburgh, Andrus believes in drawing commercial industry by working with the county and state governments to create a more attractive business environment.

He also suggested seeking unconventional moneymakers, like New York City's $166-million deal with Snapple to make the company the official city vendor of iced tea, water and chocolate milk.

-Senior Staff Writer J. Elizabeth Strohm

Bruce Krane (I)

Bruce Krane's slogan is "Building a better Pittsburgh," and he wants students involved in the process.

"I want to engage them and work with them," he said.

Krane, an independent candidate, said his administration would recognize the need for a student liaison. He said that if elected, he would hire a student to work with him part-time.

"I think we need the refreshing creativity of university students to pose some alternative ideas and hopefully solutions," he said. "Because we aren't seeing a lot of that on Grant Street right now."

Krane, who has lived in Pittsburgh for 16 years and currently resides in the South Side, is the vice president for the South Side Community Council.

"I would describe myself as a community advocate," he said.

Krane volunteers with Pittsburgh's Community Access Television Channel, where he hosts and produces programs. He credited the station with helping him make the decision to run in the special election because of his experience interviewing office holders on his programs.

Krane said he is in favor of term limits and referendums, or "putting issues on the ballot." He said he could use the pulpit and media exposure of being a councilman to go directly to the people through this process.

But according to Krane, there is no key issue that will determine which candidate people vote for.

"There's no 900-pound gorilla," he said. "It's going to be who can get their supporters out to vote."

-Staff Writer Angela Hayes

Jason Phillips (G)

Jason Phillips wants to bring a student voice to City Council.

"For the last 16 years, we've basically had zero representatives on City Council," Phillips said, adding that this election marks a "very opportune time" for students to claim their voice.

Phillips declined to single out a specific goal for his time on council, explaining that he hopes to tackle many issues. He mentioned that the city is in financial "dire straits," and that he hopes to improve Pittsburgh's transportation system, nightlife and other things that matter to students.

"This is a time when we need to elect people with college educations, people with government experience," Phillips said, noting that he is such a person.

Phillips, a 24-year-old Pitt student who plans to complete his studies of political science next year, said he has worked in the lieutenant governor's office and served as a consultant on a number of candidates' campaigns within Pennsylvania. A resident of the South Side Flats and graduate of Pittsburgh's Art Institute, he has lived in District 3 for more than two years.

"I'm the only candidate who, if elected, could walk right into the office and not need to take time to learn the ropes," Phillips said.

Emphasizing the importance of students' votes, Phillips said it is "immature" of students to not bother to show up on election day.

-Senior Staff Writer J. Elizabeth Strohm

Matthew Bartus (I)

Perhaps the city needs a new coat of paint.

Matthew Bartus, a painter for Pittsburgh's General Services department, is a candidate for the vacant District 3 seat that will be filled in Tuesday's special election. He could not be reached for comment.

He said to the Pittsburgh City Paper that he has a chance to beat Democratic candidate Jeff Koch because there are so many other candidates running in the election.

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Bartus plans on relocating the South Side police station to the Neville Ice Arena. The current location is 1725 Mary St., near 18th Street.

He also said to the Post-Gazette that he wants to reduce the size of city council from nine members to five and have non-profit organizations give more to the city.

The University counts itself among Pittsburgh's non-profit organizations.

Bartus, 50, currently lives in Carrick, a neighborhood south of Downtown that is near the neighborhoods of Brookline and Mt. Oliver.

-Assistant News Editor Andy Medici

Mark Rauterkus (L)

Mark Rauterkus grew up in Penn Hills, moved out of state for a few years, and then moved back to Pittsburgh in 1990.

The South Side resident said that part of his motivation for running for council is that the city is in a big crisis, and he believes children have been ignored.

Rauterkus, who has two children, said that if elected to council, he would like to chair the Committee on Youth Policy and the Citiparks Committee.

One of the things that Rauterkus would like to accomplish is to restart the Pittsburgh Marathon.

He would also like to integrate additional programs into the city's neighborhood parks.

"There's a lot to be done there," Rauterkus said.

Rauterkus is a swim coach for the Carlynton Swim Club.

He said he would like to acquire funding to open more of the city's pools, which have been closed at times because of budget cuts.

Rauterkus added that he is dedicated to his campaign "for the long haul."

If he does not win this election, he plans to build a network of volunteers and issues.

"Whoever does win might only be there for a year and half," Rauterkus said. "They're going to have me to contend with next week."

-Senior Staff Writer Laura Jerpi

Jeffrey Koch (D)

Jeffrey Koch wants to clean up Oakland.

Koch - the Democratic candidate for City Council representing District 3, which includes Oakland - said that if elected, he would work with the Oakland Planning and Development Corporation to pick up trash in South Oakland.

One program he supports, called Adopt-a-Block, involves approximately 50 students cleaning up around South Oakland to make the area more appealing.

Koch also hopes the college vote will make a difference.

"I hope the students show," he said. "They could make a big difference in this election."

He said he would not implement immediate changes or policies but would welcome the chance to sit down with students and talk about issues concerning Oakland and Pitt.

Koch is a landscaping contractor and Department of Public Works employee. He has lived in Arlington, a section of District 3, his entire life. His parents also lived in District 3 their entire lives.

He is endorsed by Mayor Bob O'Connor, the Pittsburgh Firefighters Union and the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers.

-Staff Writer Jared Trent Stonesifer

Bruce Kraus (I)

Bruce Kraus wants to make Pittsburgh neighborhoods safe, clean and green.

The South Side resident is the chair of Pittsburgh's Graffiti Task Force, which "[assists] city officials and neighborhood groups in their efforts to combat graffiti vandalism," according to http://Bruce4council.com.

Kraus, 51, could not be reached for comment, but his Web site outlines three main tactics for bettering the city: outreach, education and enforcement.

According to Kraus's Web site, he will "work toward curtailing the criminal nuisance activities that his constituents do not want," while maintaining "the green setting" they do want.

Kraus also outlines several plans for paying for his initiatives, which include "an expansion of the tax base with increase property values" and "attention from the state and the county for special grants for beautification."

In response to a questionnaire from the League of Young Voters, Kraus wrote that he wants students to be "engaged in the process of stewarding [their] futures."

"I will advocate for your 'place at the table,'" Kraus said in the questionnaire, "to ensure that you are provided with all the opportunities to work on the solutions to the problems you are facing with regards to job creation, education, creative housing, transportation, recreation, and an active social network including nightlife and the arts."

-News Editor Adam Felming

Michael Waligorski (I)

Independent candidate Michael Waligorski must be a busy man, because he's hard to find.

Waligorski "runs a painting business, sells real estate and has been a perennial candidate," according to a March 6 editorial in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

He's known - among local journalists, at least - for being difficult to contact, despite his frequent campaigns in local politics.

"Waligorski, a frequent candidate for public office, did not return phone calls," reported the Pittsburgh City Paper on March 2.

The 56-year-old handyman, Army Reservist and South Side Flats resident is running on what he calls the Disclosure Party ticket and "wants to see more openness in government," according to the Post-Gazette.

Waligorski's phone number is unlisted, and he did not return phone calls when The Pitt News obtained his number from City Paper.

A Jan. 31 Post-Gazette article noted, "Independent candidate Michael Waligorski of the Flats could not be reached for comment."

Waligorski did not respond to a Sierra Club questionnaire regarding Tuesday's election and environmental issues, reported local activist organization Progress Pittsburgh on Feb. 23.

-Editor in Chief Jessica Lear

Open thread: Making a set of lists of first thingsTO DO after winning the election tomorrow

Okay blog readers.... Help. Here is a new "OPEN THREAD" so as to allow you to post in the comments. I'm going to try to issue a "PRESS RELEASE" later today or early on election day that outlines the top 10 things I'd do right after being elected to city council.

I think I'll make three or four lists. One list each for:

POLITICAL actions

LEGISLATIVE actions

New JOB actions

INTERACTIVE actions

I've got a number of issues buzzing in my head. I'll put them into a list on my website and then issue the press release. If you have any suggestions let me know -- NOW -- or forever hold your peace.

Poynter Online - McClatchy to Sell off Inky, Merc, 10 Other KR Papers

Is there anything to read into this? (pun intended) I didn't get the McClatchy endorsement, so I'm not too worried. :)

Poynter Online - McClatchy to Sell off Inky, Merc, 10 Other KR Papers McClatchy buys Knight Ridder, will sell 12 KR newspapers
Editor & Publisher | McClatchy press release
Knight Ridder has agreed to sell itself to McClatchy for $4.5 billion. McClatchy says in a press release that it will now sell 12 KR papers, including the two Philadelphia papers and the San Jose Mercury News. The company these papers are located in cities that 'do not fit the company's longstanding acquisition criteria, chiefly involving growing markets.' KR CEO Tony Ridder says: 'For the 12 newspapers that will be sold, the uncertainty is not over and I regret that very much.'

Radio interviews

I just gave an interview to KQV. Then I gave her the rest of the candidate's phone numbers, as she had none.

An older interview (from 3 weeks ago or so) ran today on WDUQ. I think that segment ran so as to feature only the four candidates who hail from a "PARTY" -- the D, R, L and G.

Council vacancy comes up for vote - PittsburghLIVE.com

Ink in today's TRIB has a line up of candidates too.

Council vacancy comes up for vote - PittsburghLIVE.com Rauterkus, a part-time high school swim coach, is running as a Libertarian.

This is a nice little article and a bit of a suprise.

The city would have to be hit with either a twister or a tidal wave before the Trib Editorial Section would come alive with a thoughtful endorsement on this race. I don't see them being able to chime in on the candidates, sadly. But, today's weather predictions is calling for some major storms.

This weekend I was at an event and saw a former Trib reporter who had covered me in the past, Violet Law. Five days ago she started working for the Pittsburgh City Paper. She had done a bit of freelance work in the middle as well.

Best of luck to Violet in her new venture.

I talked a lot to her in the past when she covered some city life. I was dealing with citizen efforts with the closed swim pools and recreation centers -- and Save Our Summer swung into town -- kicking up a bit of dust in a temporary way but with an urgent matter.

The Pitt News - District 3 Special Election Guide

Mini articles about all the candidates appear in The Pitt News today.

The Pitt News - District 3 Special Election Guide Mark Rauterkus (L)

Mark Rauterkus grew up in Penn Hills, moved out of state for a few years, and then moved back to Pittsburgh in 1990.

The South Side resident said that part of his motivation for running for council is that the city is in a big crisis, and he believes children have been ignored.

Rauterkus, who has two children, said that if elected to council, he would like to chair the Committee on Youth Policy and the Citiparks Committee.

One of the things that Rauterkus would like to accomplish is to restart the Pittsburgh Marathon.

He would also like to integrate additional programs into the city’s neighborhood parks.

“There’s a lot to be done there,” Rauterkus said.

Rauterkus is a swim coach for the Carlynton Swim Club.

He said he would like to acquire funding to open more of the city’s pools, which have been closed at times because of budget cuts.

Rauterkus added that he is dedicated to his campaign “for the long haul.”

If he does not win this election, he plans to build a network of volunteers and issues.

“Whoever does win might only be there for a year and half,” Rauterkus said. “They’re going to have me to contend with next week.”

Project Vote Smart - Information For Candidates

Since a city council race isn't a contest covered by Project Vote Smart, I better talk about this NOW.

Project Vote Smart - Information For Candidates Please note that Project Vote Smart does not permit the use of its name or program in any partisan activity, including advertising, debates, and speeches.

This is a weird request -- can't mention the name of the organization in a speech.