Status quo, hog-wash thinking hits the P-G again today concerning the Dem party primary.
If history holds true, Pittsburgh mayoralty winner could serve a long time With two young candidates running in a one-party town that usually re-elects mayors, voters in the May 15 Democratic primary could be picking Pittsburgh's leader for a decade.
Throw the bums out votes happen in these parts, now. Sala Udin isn't in office. Barbara Burns isn't in office. Michael Diven isn't in office. Lots of state reps are not in office.
Tom Murphy is still eligible to be our mayor, but he had the wheels come off of his agenda. A mayor that becomes 'dead in the water' sinks and won't run again.
I think that Mayor Luke Ravenstahl has an easy time winning the primary election in 2007 and all the other times it is going to grow to be more and more difficult.
Even if William Peduto wins the primary, and then somehow wins the general election, he could be a one-time, two-year mayor.
Even if Luke becomes 'golden' and reverses his ways in terms of performance, I expect that Luke won't be mayor for a long period. Life would be a hell of a lot easier if Luke was a State Senator or a worked an administrative job for a bigger deal state or national figure.
Finally, the mayor's job in Pittsburgh needs to be put under a term limit. I'm in favor of a term limit for a city's top administrator.
If Peduto wins the office of mayor, I have a fleeting vision that he'd be happy being Pittsburgh's last mayor. He'd look to a metropolitan model and the city would just blow away in a water-main break in a season or two.
Sure, the process hits a milestone today. But Rich Lord, I'm sad at your article's lead. Did John Craig edit it?
In a city that hasn't driven a mayor from office since 1936, that person could be mulling whether to run again in 2013 and 2017.
No, no, no. We drove Tom Murphy out of office. Tom Murphy won in 2001 by spending $1-million and getting 30,000 votes in the spring. Murphy won by the skin of his teeth and was wounded politically. Tom Murphy could not have won in 2005 because he was driven from office.
Mayor Murphy could NOT come to any neighborhood for public meetings. He wasn't welcome. Mayor Murphy, a marathon runner, could NOT even keep a marathon in this city.
You should have a better grip on history. I hate to see it when others try to re-write history.
With Tom Murphy, even the ultimate Frisbee players in town came to see Tom Murphy for what he was. He lied to them back in 2000, 2001 -- to get votes. He fooled them for a spell. But, that was the last gasp for Murphy. He could NOT even hold together the URA any longer.
If a mayor does a poor job or even an average job -- he or she will be gone, driven from office.
Bill Peduto and Luke Ravenstahl are like two peas in the same pod. Peduto is running a cautious campaign. On the net folks have asked, "What are you waiting for?" Even the P-G quote that Peduto 'seems ready to' -- that's not very aggressive. Peduto's camp has been sheltering some of his older, finished campaign position papers. They could snow Luke under 20-feet if they just opened the floodgates in Wonkville, rather than seeming to be ready to about to one day try.
Both candidates have a similar vision in that they want to to turn Pittsburgh into something that it isn't. Peduto's Goden Quadrangle is like Luke's 'significantly different place.' Same pod, different peas.
They both call to more 'experts.' They both have ideas, BUT choose to hold back. The sad thing is the P-G gives them a free pass to do so.
Opposition comes from both to the Pgh leg of the Mon Valley Toll Road, but for Luke it is after an "IF".
Both want to expand government. Luke wants government to help pay for a wet lab. Hell, we can't even get voting machines that work well. What is government's role? Peduto's government owned building seem to need diapers. It is a spit rag for one and a diaper for the other. Two peas, same pod.
Guys -- how about if the city cared a bit for the babies, the children, the kids and the PEOPLE of this city. I want to put attention onto the people, not bricks and mortar projects. They are so Murphy like. They will fail. The city's tax base isn't capable of paying for a new arena for the Pens yet alone a building that bleeds us empty.
Enough for now. (First posted at 7:40 AM)
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