OMG: 90 years of educational advancement got plastered tonight by six, white idiots rushing to rash decisions

In related news, 30,000 people around the city can being to pack their homes and head for the burbs.

Six white folks gave the 'green light' to spend $30-million for two inferior projects. Meanwhile, the crown jewel high school, Schenley (sorry Dice and CAPA), gets the boot.

The vote was six to three. Six white folks voted with the Superintendent, Mark Roosevelt. Three black board members voted no.

The meeting was fully of flaming goofiness. It is hard to describe how silly the statements were and how many lies were said.

Lame duck members of the board voted to change the course -- and they have no business putting these radical changes into place now.

For instance, Dan R, the guy who wouldn't shake my hand at the Columbus Day Parade, said that this was a hard decision. However, he needed to vote with his head, not his heart. So, he voted to shut down Schenley because of the costs. But Dan, you were voting with your wallet -- not your head. I wish you voted with your head as you'd have voted to keep the smart school in place. Dan R voted for tax reasons -- and he is moving out of the city.

To vote and say your priority is to be "fiscally prudent" -- fine. But, don't go ahead and give approval for spending of an additional $30-million. To be fiscally purdent is great. But, the vote with the majority isn't prudent at all. It is expensive. It is rushed. It is without documentation. It is without accountability. It is built upon hype that has not been proven. It is a lie.

Another board member talked about 'lies.' Ms. Theresa C hinted at the closing of South Vo Tech. That is an area that I've been talking about to anyone who listens. The lie that she wanted to expose is that South Vo Tech was closed so that the Pgh Public School district could get ahold the the property and sell it. She said that they can't sell South Vo Tech. South isn't selling. So, those that had said that it was closed to be turned for its real estate value are liars.

Well, that has never been my claim.

Furthermore, there are many who say that Schenley is being closed now so that it can be sold for profit.

But this reasoning makes no sense as it ties to the vote.

South Vo Tech is a big empty building in a booming (sorta) neighborhood. The building is owned by the Pgh Public Schools. It is a sink and can't be sold. It is like many of the other 20-or-so buildings throughout the city in various neighborhoods in various states of decay and with various levels of potential.

South Vo Tech has little or no value to the district as the marketplace is so depressed. The rehab of the historic structure is going to be costly for the next owners. Parking is scares, etc., etc.

Granted.

However, South Vo Tech had GREAT VALUE as a school. The School District sent hundreds of kids out of the building to flunk out.

South Vo Tech isn't valuable as a real estate transaction and taxable income location. The value of South resides in the hundreds of kids that should graduate from that school each and every year with solid trade skills and a high school degree.

Jumping to tonight's decision to close Schenley -- the same holds true. Perhaps the historic, mega building in Oakland with brand new windows will not be sold -- just as South Vo Tech and the other dozen of prime buildings can't be sold. Cash for the property might not be driving the decision. So, don't abandon the building.

They voted to walk away from a classic educational institution that is in the heart of the educational center of the region -- with little hope of selling the building. More money goes out the window. More missed motivations. More lunacy.

The "lie" isn't in the value of the building as a re-sale property for the district. And, the "truth" isn't in the value of Schenley as it becomes vacated. The value in the building that we all know as Schenley High School is in its use as a school.

Thousands of families live in Pittsburgh because of Schenley High School. Closing of Schenley has become a 'lay-up' tonight. Hence, 30,000 people are now headed for the borders!

People will vote with their feet. The middle class of Pittsburgh is now much poorer.

This decision was called by one objecting board member as "borderline child abuse." I agree.

I will do all I can from this day forward to make sure that Patrick Dowd never wins another election in this city. Same too for Bill Isler, Theresa Colaizzi, Jean Fink, and Skip McCrea.

They worked since July 2006 on High School Reform. Theresa Colaizzi was sure to ask Mark Roosevelt when that effort began and when the group formed. They talked about the models and did the research. However, everything got chucked aside just weeks ago. That group didn't plan on closing Schenley this year. They had called for the opening of a new school, grades 6 to 12, for science and technology.

The new Science and Technology magnet school, for middle and high grades, should be opening next year -- and it should be put into WESTINGHOUSE High School. Recently, the Pgh Public Schools rebuild and invested tens of millions in Westinghouse. However, the student population and the programs offered there are light.

Rather than putting money into another program -- put the new programs into the places where the building is already available. There is a bunch of capacity at Westinghouse.

Furthermore, CAPA Rodgers, a city-wide magnet, presently resides in Homewood. That is near the under-utilized Westinghose HS. CAPA Rodgers works as a school. People send their kids to CAPA Rodgers, even in a tough neighborhood. Same too can be delivered and developed at Westinghouse with a Science and Technology program.

But NOOOOOOO!

They want to take apart Frick Middle School and turn that into a 6-12 school. It is a middle school -- not a high school. Frick works.

They are wasting money.

They are wasting educational opportunities.

They are wasting past investments.

They are making haste and more waste.

They are yanking families around -- and the families will depart the city.

They are moving the specialized educational programs out of Homewood with the move away from CAPA Rodgers into downtown.

Meanwhile, the district is buying more building space in the downtown location on 9th Ave. within CAPA (Creative And Performing Arts High School). That's spending more money and putting 6th graders and/or school buses on downtown streets. Blueprints and plans were in place to move the middle school to The Hill. Now that plan is off. Those changes are costly too.

Let's see what the PG, Trib and the TV news reports look like.

---

This doesn't seem right. Moving the school next year as a whole unit into another building is what they seem to want to do now. That move would keep Schenley as a community for a few years as those in the school graduate with their classmates. Schenley, as we know it, is still dead.

It would be better, in my opinion, to close Schenley over the years and keep the kids in Schenley throughout the next years.

Plan calls for keeping Schenley open until current students graduate
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
By Joe Smydo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Mark Roosevelt tonight announced a change of plans for the district's high schools, saying he wants to keep Pittsburgh Schenley High School open until all of its current students have graduated.

He made the announcement at a school board meeting 24 hours after about 250 people, including dozens of students, rallied outside school district offices to demand the school remain open.

Mr. Roosevelt said he wants to move the school, intact, to the former Reizenstein Middle School building in Shadyside in the fall. He would close Schenley once all current Schenley students have graduated. Schenley won't accept any fresmen next school year; those students would be assigned to other schools.

Mr. Roosevelt said the Schenley building in Oakland must be closed because of maintenance problems. Last month, he proposed reassigning students to three other buildings as part of a broader plan for improving district high schools.

KDKA TV news:

kdka.com - School Board Votes To Approve Consultants For Schenley High School Closure Pittsburgh Public School board members voted to move forward with the initial step of the proposed closing of Schenley High School.

In a 6-3 vote, the board approved a measure that will hire engineers and architects for preliminary consulting work.

More pointes:

Board Votes To Hire Consultants For Schenley HS
KDKA - Pittsburgh,PA,USA
Read more in our Privacy Policy Pittsburgh Public School board members voted to move forward with the initial step of the proposed closing of Schenley High ...

Angry debate follows Pittsburgh school vote
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - Pittsburgh,PA,USA
Opponents of the nearly $4 million in spending viewed the decision as the first step in closing Schenley High School in Oakland, because $450000 was ...

Chester's Robinson signs with Pittsburgh
Philadelphia Daily News - Philadelphia,PA,USA
He played a key role in helping Chester reach the PIAA Class AAAA state championship last spring, where it lost to Schenley, 78-71, despite 15 points from ...

Caught in the Pittsburgh middle (school)?
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - Pittsburgh,PA,USA
Superintendent Mark Roosevelt recently proposed closing Schenley High School, a traditional grade 9-12 school in Oakland, and shifting its students to ...

OpenOffice.org add on aids in advancing Creative Commons designations on documents

PRESS RELEASE: Creative Commons Releases Add-in Support for OpenOffice.org
San Francisco, CA — November 14, 2007

Today Creative Commons released an Add-in for OpenOffice.org which allows users to select and embed a Creative Commons license in documents. Based on work completed as part of the Google Summer of Code by Cassio Melo, the add-in supports Writer (word processing documents), Calc (spreadsheets) and Impress (presentations).

Google Summer of Code provides students with funding to work on open source software between May and August. During summer 2007, Cassio worked on developing the basic OpenOffice.org add-in. Cassio was mentored by Nathan Yergler, Creative Commons CTO, and generously supported by Google's Open Source programs. “Cassio provided a great foundation for us to build on and maintain. I'm thrilled to finally be able to offer support for OpenOffice.org,” said Yergler.

The Add-in is available without charge, and is licensed under the GNU General Public License. Download information and links to source code are available at http://wiki.creativecommons.org/OpenOfficeOrg_Addin.

About Creative Commons

Creative Commons is a not-for-profit organization, founded in 2001, that promotes the creative re-use of intellectual and artistic works, whether owned or in the public domain. Through its free copyright licenses, Creative Commons offers authors, artists, scientists, and educators the choice of a flexible range of protections and freedoms that build upon the “all rights reserved” concept of traditional copyright to enable a voluntary “some rights reserved” approach. Creative Commons is sustained
by the generous support of organizations including the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Omidyar Network, the Hewlett Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation, as well as members of the public. For more information about Creative Commons, visit http://creativecommons.org.

Bet On It: Had Carlisle Been Mayor, She Would Have Still Won Election

When new Pittsburgh Mayor Bob O’Connor was sworn into office in January, 2006, city council was a flutter with controversy as to who would be the next council President. Former President Eugene Ricciardi had won election to a District Justice post, thus leaving that position open.

Had experience meant anything, councilman Bill Peduto would have been a “no-brainer” to succeed Ricciardi and lead council; however, qualifications have almost never meant anything on Grant Street. More than anything—perhaps on planet Earth — Pittsburgh politics is about who you know, who you’re related to, and above all else, you’re a union-shilling, economics-be-damned Democrat.
Peduto would not be President of Pittsburgh City Council because he dared oppose O’Connor for Pittsburgh’s top job (we’ll exclude Steelers Coach), despite the King maker’s “next-in-line” designation. O’Connor’s long-term right-hand man Doug Shields had orders from above that prohibited Peduto from being council chief. Shields reportedly wanted the job for himself back then, but at the time was unable to muster the votes, especially with a ticked Peduto holding a salvo or three. [Shields now serves as Council President.]

Councilman Jim Motznik was the self-appointed front-runner for the Presidency. Motznik assumed he had the post locked up, but years before the former Public Works muck-raker quite spryly bolted from a television reporter’s camera over some rather routine questions of the day, and promised to resign from Council to assist Hillary Clinton’s Presidential campaign (the clock still ticks on that vow). With assertions like those, Motznik’s growing political irrelevance made his ascension impossible (to Motznik’s credit, he did narrowly win re-election after those gaffes).

A quick scan of the remaining Council members from the time proved nearly all others to be “too new” or privy to political alienation for one reason or another.
At the same time there were quiet whispers that Twanda Carlisle wanted the largely ceremonial engagement. She would have been an aesthetically-pleasing choice: youthful for a Pittsburgh politician (despite the fact it’s difficult to find anything about her age: we’ll guess she’s 46), attractive in that “looking beyond you into the abyss” sort of way, and African American.

For at least one second, Carlisle was being considered for President of Pittsburgh City Council.

Instead, an even younger upstart — who was born up-to-his-neck in Pittsburgh political lineage — was ultimately considered a “safe choice,” albeit hand-picked from the flock by O’Connor. North Side resident Luke Ravenstahl was selected for Pittsburgh City Council President only because no one else had the necessary votes.

Then tragically, O’Connor was effectively out of the Mayor’s post before the first pitch of the MLB All-Star Game at PNC Park on July 11, 2006.

The waiting game was on. As days became weeks, it was clear that something was not right with the hospitalized Bob O’Connor. He passed away on September 1, 2006.

Ravenstahl was jettisoned to national prominence almost immediately and he quickly proved to be the epitome of the none-too-worldly-wise 26-year-old who was far more interested in trips to the Late Show with David Letterman (where Luke admitted on television that city police looked the other way when it came to ticketing Ben Roethlisberger after the infamous motorcycle accident) and crashing parties with the elite of the elite (he drove a Homeland Security SUV to visit Tiger Woods at the suburban Oakmont for the U.S. Open). Ravenstahl was also photographed with Sienna Miller, the 25-year-old actress with a face of a Pop Culture Godess and mind of mushy squid when she risked ire of Cleveland Browns-fan proportions by calling the city a bad name.

The city’s fortunes could have been far more interesting had Twanda Carlisle been handed the role that—at the time—was a harmless license to appear on one of the public access channels and crow about being perhaps the city’s highest-ranking African American female city official EVER. Her predecessor, Valerie McDonald Roberts never made it to council President, largely because O’Connor held the post when she was in office. Roberts, who previously served on the Pittsburgh School Board, eventually moved to a lower-profile Allegheny County post. That was too bad because she would have been an ideal standard bearer had she received the chance.

Imagine Carlisle had the opportunity to serve as council President when O’Connor was prominently shown hanging Wi-Fi equipment downtown, in a ceremonious photo op that ultimately would become his final public appearance.
Instead of a frightened Luke Ravenstahl being sworn in as Mayor that late summer evening, it was “that close” to being the glassy eyed Carlisle (did she ever have any other expression?), hand on Bible, accepting the reigns of running the Commonwealth’s only interesting major market city.

Pretend for a mili-second that Twanda Carlisle was the Mayor.

Somewhere along Carlisle’s employ, she decided that the city’s bloated coffers were in fact a secret slush fund for anyone of her acquaintance.

Reports leaked with Carlisle purchasing books of questionable political merit, then escalated to an expensive fur coat and vacations abroad. Worst of all, Carlisle’s mother’s boyfriend received $29,000 to brazenly plagiarize a University of Pittsburgh study and shoehorn it around his own rinky-dink, narrow-minded, quasi-idiotic ideas. Assuredly, no one would read the examination of healthcare, religion and politics in Twanda’s 9th Council District, but the story of fraudulent intrigue had already spread. Local media eagerly awaited the tome’s release. It didn’t disappoint. The “study” turned out to be a hodge-podge of mystification that made the CBS News’ “Memo-Gate” that dethroned news hierarchy Dan Rather look Einsteinian in comparison.

That and other crackpot expenditures quickly drew the attention of the federal government, namely United States Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania Mary Beth Buchanan.

What would have occurred had Carlisle been Mayor when the stories of misappropriation of funds been made public?

It depends on when the story broke.

If Carlisle had been Mayor, certainly up for election, it would have been interesting to see if Bill Peduto would have waged a challenge. The city’s only real “Reform Democrat” with fiscal-conservative leanings, Peduto remains Pittsburgh’s best choice to remain relevant; nevertheless, he’s not subservient to the Special Interest Groups (a.k.a. public sector unions) that control the city with the most selfish of Socialist contentions. Keep in mind, even an elementary understanding of real-world economics has almost never been a strong suit of Pittsburgh City Council in 70 years.

A thinking man’s candidate—even a Rust Belt Democrat—has no chance against a free-spending, Devil-Wears-Prada-on-public-dime empty power suit.
Fact is, those who dominate the voting block in the city probably wouldn’t sweat had there been pending federal action against the “supposed” Mayor Carlisle administration with Republican Mark DeSantis in the race.

All Carlisle’s handlers would need to do is parrot DeSantis’ Republican registration over and over again and punctuate the proof that Buchanan is also a member of the Grand Old Party.

Carlisle could have bested DeSantis by an even larger margin than Ravenstahl because of her gender, ethnicity, willingness to sign big checks to the unions and simplistic party affiliation.

The “Sheep” would continue to pull the party line, the donkeys would assuredly bray. Carlisle will need to pay back more than $40,000 in embezzled taxpayer cash.

That being noted, there’s little double that the city’s naïve voting electorate would still endorse a convicted felon to Mayor of Pittsburgh over a Republican, regardless of his or her qualifications. Lynn Swann, one of the most beloved Pittsburgh Steelers of all time wasn’t given a fair shot by Pittsburgh voters in his race for Governor because of his voter registration.

In 2007, it’s plainly that dire on Grant Street. With DeSantis dispatched and Peduto quiet on the sidelines, all of the great potential leaders on the current landscape have been vanquished.

At least Carlisle won’t be governing with an ankle bracelet anytime soon.

Schenley High School allies plan for a fight - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

The sign I made and carried at the rally, and what a great protest it was, read on the front:

Consult us first.

Back:

Keep Frick in Oakland.

Say that five times fast.

Frick students spoke and did a wonderful job. Same too with the SHS students, teachers, coaches, parents, alumni, educational advocates and community folks.

I am a Libertarian that believes in Public Education.

Schenley High School allies plan for a fight - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review The other key date is Dec. 19, when the board is scheduled to vote on a capital budget of $41.7 million for 2008. That budget includes $14.2 million for reopening Reizenstein, $11 million for reopening Milliones and $3 million for moving Schenley's robotics program to Peabody High School.

B-PEP on the bad idea of closing Schenley High School

Go Tim Stevens!

Pondering Pgh Public Schools

Statements to the Pittsburgh Public Schools Board of Ed and Administration on Nov. 13, 2007

Mark Rauterkus
108 South 12th Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15203-1226

412 298 3432 = cell
Mark@Rauterkus.com

http://Rauterkus.blogspot.com

I'm a Libertarian who believes in public education.

I understand that people often vote with their feet by moving to suburban Pittsburgh because the opportunities in the city schools are not like what is provided in the burbs.

My oldest son, Erik, joins me today. He is in 7th grade at Frick Middle School. He studies Spanish and may attend Schenley High School. His brother, grade 4, hopes to attend Frick in two years.

My personal and professional life has revolved around schools and education. My wife is a professor. My father is a retired Pgh Public School teacher. I coach swimming and have been in many suburban and city settings. As a coach in Illinois, I coached swimming at the #1 team in the state while it was reported as the best public high school in the United States (Town & Country Magazine).

Should you go down this pathway of consultants, high school reform, and closing Schenley, you'll enter a battle. You will get soundly defeated on an economic front and nailed in political settings, time and time again. We will not forget. Your careers will wane. The dark cloud that hovers – be it in the US Virgin Islands or elsewhere – will be the Red and Black of Schenley. I'll insure it organizes over you.

This Schenley fight was fought two years ago. It was NOT prudent then. It isn't prudent now. The options and alternatives are horrible.

Mr. Roosevelt felt the wrath of the residents of The Hill communities in the aftermath of his bogus 'rightsizing plan.' Perhaps he felt he needed to toss a crumb off the table to “the hill.” Setting up a new high school in an old, middle school building was thought to be a political win-win. Think again. Folks in The Hill, and folks throughout the city, want Schenley, for all the right reasons.

We all know the top factor in both a child's education and that of a community is “engagement.” Parent involvement is a critical key. We need lifelong learning. We need student, teacher, community, family involvement. We need ownership of the problems and the suggested solutions.

We don't need consultants.

Consultants should not be hired to set in place a plan to destroy Schenley High School.

Rather, consult with us – the voters, taxpayers, parents, stakeholders. We are the customers. We are the ones who pay the bills. We are the one's that empower you. We are the ones that will dash your aspirations.

The first step of so-called “high school reform” was called “The Pittsburgh Promise.” It was a lie. This isn't the first lie. It can't be ignored. Fix it. Apologize. Re-tool the promise so that those that enter Kindergarten have a scholarship fund when they graduate in 13 years. Otherwise, the best you can do is provide pencils. Perhaps the Pittsburgh Promise could fund bus tickets to our graduates so they can return home after flunking out of college.

Hire a real-estate agent to assess, market and sell this building. If you want cash from property, this is the building to auction and/or sell. Don't sell Schenley. Besides, Schenley has new windows.



Summary:
1.Develop a Vo Tech High School as promised.
2.Advance the discussion and open the Vo Tech High School next, as a top priority. Do the Vo Tech now – before any changes to Schenley.
3.Save Schenley High School. Fix, maintain, and rehab what is there.
4.Consult with the people of the city – now, always, and in open ways.
5.Deploy an open source mindset.
6.The asbestos claims are not believed. Publish them. Prove it. Debate plans, don't dictate them. Creditability has vanished.
7.Publish all reports online.
8.Be thankful of news leaks, not vengeful. Understand that this is my district. Not Mr. Roosevelt's. By the way, Mr. Lopez understanding of listening and talking seems to be upside down.
9.Don't rush the board to vote for spending more money simply because departing members are sealed and delivered.
10.Sell the Board of Ed building in Oakland, if you sell anything.
11.If necessary, put Schenley's 9th graders in 2008-09 at Frick Middle School. Do a temporary reduction to the student and faculty at Schenley to make room for repairs. Frick has the capacity.
12.Understand that the “Pittsburgh Promise” is a big fat lie. Fix it. Be realistic.
13.Fix the long-standing lie that Conneley Tech would be 'replaced' too.
14.Replicate what works.
15.Fix what is broken. What about the 'drop out factories?' What about Oliver, Carrick, Langley, Peabody and Westinghouse? What about Vo-Tech too!
16.Make a second Rodgers. Replicate it. If you must, move some downtown. But keep an East Rodgers. Make a West Rodgers too.
17.Putting all the IB at Reisenstein is too far away. Buses won't go there from the south and west. Students and families won't go there.
18.If you must, move the administration to Conneley or to Resisenstein.
19.If you must, establish a second I.B. Program at Resisenstein, in addition to the one at Schenley.
20.If you must call the second I.B. Program a 'Metro Magnet.' Attract students from Wilkinsburg, Penn Hills, Vernona, Shaler, and locally in the city too.
21.A second I.B. Program, as a charter, could attract ESL students from the suburban districts.
22.Understand that afterschool programs, sports, arts and community programs in the district are weak, generally. They need to be factored in the plans. Think about sports and performance facilities now. Those items are expensive, but worthy investments.
23.By the way, the “Rightsizing plan” failed to account for Duquesne schools, as I requested.
24.What is the attendance at the ALAs? What about August enrollment? The grades are still out on those failures. K-8 Schools are a flop. Kaplan Curriculum payments were rushed ahead yet the lesson plans are getting an overhaul by in-district people.
25.Don't yank families around any more.
26.Open schools year by year.
1.Start a Science and Tech high school with 9th grade, for example. The next year do 9th and 10th grades, and so on.
27.Close schools year by year as the students depart.
28.High School Reform should start at grade 9 and go to grade 12. Only in Pittsburgh would the high school reform begin with a college scholarship after graduation without any money to provide it.
29.High School Reform is not “middle school reform.” Worry about grades 6, 7 and 8 after the high school problems are addressed. Don't do too much at the same time and continue the folly.
30.The University Partnership School should be on a University Campus. Make the Schenley Spartins the University Partnership program. Make that in Oakland.
31.A Technology School was part of Pittsburgh's recent past – Weil. What happened there? Report upon it. Why was it closed? Why open a new Science and Technology Program after closing one with the Rightsizing Plan? That makes no sense – again.
32.Reform Weil into a Science and Technology Program – again. Or, make the Science and Tech program in Milliones Middle School or Connelley.

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Students Outraged At Plan To Close Schenley HS

KDKA - Pittsburgh,PA,USA
Read more in our Privacy Policy Several hundred Schenley High School students, parents and teachers picketed outside the school administration offices to ...
See all stories on this topic

100 parents, alumni discuss Schenley High closing
Pittsburgh Post Gazette - Pittsburgh,PA,USA
About 100 parents, students and alumni of Pittsburgh Schenley High School gathered yesterday at the Cathedral of Learning to discuss their strategy for ...

Aggressive support vowed to save Schenley
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - Pittsburgh,PA,USA
By Bobby Kerlik Schenley High School junior Sean Thomas said Saturday that closing his 91-year-old school would destroy more than the bricks-and-mortar ...

Officials quash Schenley rumors
Pittsburgh Post Gazette - Pittsburgh,PA,USA
The rumor began spreading by e-mail Thursday night, after a community meeting at which Schenley supporters denounced district officials for plans to close ...

Schenley High School allies plan for a fight
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - Pittsburgh,PA,USA
By Bill Zlatos Schenley High School supporters worry officials will seal its fate with a vote Wednesday, despite assurances from the school board. ...

Schenley students tout pride, history
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - Pittsburgh,PA,USA
By Bill Zlatos Fred Quinn plays volleyball, performs in the school musical and is active in student government at Schenley High School -- and he hopes to ...

Schenley girls kick distractions
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - Pittsburgh,PA,USA
By Brian Graham The Schenley girls soccer team was able to overcome so many obstacles this season that just playing in tonight's PIAA Class AAA playoff game ...

School officials meeting with Schenley students
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - Pittsburgh,PA,USA
By The Tribune-Review Administrators from Pittsburgh Public Schools will meet with students of Schenley High School at 6 pm Thursday to discuss their ...

Schenley High School shuttering on the table again
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - Pittsburgh,PA,USA
By Bill Zlatos Despite the asbestos in the nearly century-old Schenley High School, real estate officials see a market for it as a place to live or work. ...

Plan to shut Schenley High School revivedPittsburgh Tribune-Review - Pittsburgh,PA,USA

By Bill Zlatos Pittsburgh's venerable Schenley High School, 91 years old and showing its age, would close in June under a reorganization plan detailed ...

Veterans message: Sammy Lee's Recollections About Early Years of Diving

A classic veterans day story comes a day late to this blog. I had been pondering what to do for veterns day, and this story from Swimming World helps bridge the gap between sports and the service.

Lane 9 News Archive: Sammy Lee's Recollections About Early Years of Diving 'If you are dumb enough to break your necks, you deserve to die!'

Speaking tonight to Pgh Public School Board, #38 & #39

Erik, my son and student at Pittsburgh Frick ISA (International Studies Academy) Middle School, and I will speak tonight to the Pgh Public School Board of Education and administration at tonight's meeting. We are speakers #38 and #39. Starts at 7 pm. I guess we'll be at the microphone about 8:30ish.

Rally is at 5:30 pm.

My comments for the agenda was: "Consult with Citizens."

The city is in a rash, if not a rage, with the hiring of consultants.

The Superintendent of Pgh Public Schools wants to hire consultants to start the process of moving the I.B. program out of Schenley High School, among other things.

The Pgh Ethics Hearing Board wants to hire trainers and form a task force to consider the ramifications of perks (like golf) for employees and elected officials.

The newly elected Controller wants to hire an outside firm to conduct an audit of the present controller's office.

No, no, no!

Here is a new concept. Do the work yourself. What's wrong with the people we elect, hire and hold accountable as the workers.

I don't want the mayor to pass on his ethical conscience to the Ethics Hearing Board that then passes along the advice crafting to another task force.

I don't want the Superintendent to overlook the citizens and his own paid staff to tell them how to take apart schools that work and ignore those that are broken. Mark Roosevelt has no plan. He can't write one. He has to hire outside folks and outside consultants to tell him what the plan should be. Meanwhile, the people who send their kids to the schools, the staff that works in the schools and the taxpayers that pay the schools are further and further from the decisions, the data and the pulse of the city. So, they vote with their feet.

Parent involvement is what has been proven to be the most critical element for good schools. Roosevelt ignores parents.

I don't want the newly elected city controller to run the office by looking in the rear view mirror. Manage into the future. Open up past records for all to see -- by doing it yourself. We don't need to hire more people. We have enough already. Make them do the work or do it yourself, Michael Lamb.

If you can't do it yourself -- leave. Fire yourself.

If the Superintendent can't craft a plan that have the support of the parents who really want to support our kids and the reform movement -- then he should quit.

If the members of the Ethics Hearing Board don't understand what Ethics is all about and can't craft their own agenda, policies and suggestions for changes to the code -- then they are in over their heads and they should QUIT. Resign. Get out of the way.

If Michael Lamb wants to blow the whistle on years of ills within the Controller's office -- he should look in the mirror and wonder why in the world he was so silent for all these past seasons. He had a chance to catch people red handed -- and said nothing. He had a chance to buy drugs in that office -- and didn't, I expect.

Lamb needs to get into the office and forge new directions, not rely on consultants to do that for him.

Mr. Lamb, if you need an idea or three as to what to do in the controller's office -- begin by starting a 'citizens congress.' Allow people (citizens, taxpayers, voters) to come into the office and hold a confab and then do what we tell you to do.

South Side Slopes Neighborhood Assn has a meeting

I have a few items for the SSSNA meeting slated for tonight at 7 pm. This email was sent to Bev, the newsletter coordinator.

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I will not be able to attend tonight's SSSNA meeting. However, I'd love for you to interject these three ponits:

1. I'm attending a rally and School Board meeting about Schenley High School and "High School Reform." Schenley HS accomidates HALF of the students at Phillips Elem. This is a neighborhood issue. Sadly, the Superintendent want to close tSchenley and move the esteemed I.B. (International Baccalaureate) program, foolishly, to Reisenstein (near Wiklinsburg).

I'm telling the board about old, yet valid, promises or a re-done Vo Tech option for high school kids in Pittsburgh. It is no wonder that Pgh has five high schools called "drop-out factories" -- as 400-plus students used to thrive at South Vo Tech.

For many reasons, we need to get the SSSNA into the battle on schools. I'd love to see a letter from the Assn Board to the PPS Board and Administration saying that political pressure will come to bear upon those who further cripple family life in the city and hurt our children. Furthermore, Schenley needs to remain open as getting to Reisenstein is NOT a valid option for our kids in grades 6 to 12.

Can the group dedicate 30-minutes to a forum on this topic and allow me to speak at next months meeting?


2. The still closed indoor ice rink has seen the hoped for RFP process get squashed by in-action from the administration without the promised meetings nor community involvement. Director Ashley's statements at the September SSSNA meeting of 'crap' proposals via the RFP in May 2007 was itself "crap." I saw the plans and posted images of them on the intnet. Did you know that one plan would have built a second ice rink and parking garage on the site.

The city didn't do anything, which is par for the course. They didn't notify parents nor community for months when high levels of lead where found in the ground in a Highland Park playground either. Doing nothing when it comes to the kids is all too frequent a response from them.

Furthermore, the SS Park and ice rink has always been a top five issue, but never made it into the top three with the SSSNA. I feel that the political will to do little has a good reason why nothing gets done.

Most of all, I would like to see the SSSNA send a letter to the SSLDC asking them to back off and opt out of efforts to advocate and control the site, plans and engagement with that project. The SSLDC has nothing to do with kids. It will be on their back burner too. They've failed us for years as well.

3. A city council, controller's race and mayor's race happened on Nov. 6, 2007. The SSSNA did NOT hold a candidate forum for these GENERAL ELECTION votes. I attended the event in the spring -- but was NOT permitted to speak. Shame on that. Plus, the September meeting had Luke Ravenstahl there with the Chief of Police and others in the administration acting as political pawns and front people. The board needs to look at what happened, what didn't happen, make amends and resolve to insure that those types of folly are never repeated.

Ron Paul brings his ‘Freedom Revolution’ to Independence Hall

Ron Paul brings his ‘Freedom Revolution’ to Independence Hall Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul spoke to about 3000-5000 people Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia.

A report from Ken on the Ron Paul rally in Philly. Ken K is a L friend from the other side of the commonwealth.

You had to be there to hear it. Thousands of people -- yes, thousands! -- cheering a pure libertarian message. Three to five thousand, according to USA Daily. See link above. In my 15 years as a libertarian activist, I have never, EVER seen anything even remotely like it! The word is that it was THE largest Paul rally ever. I believe it.

In his 45-minute speech, Paul covered it all: habeas corpus, eminent domain, the Amero, the War on Drugs, the IRS, the Fed, hemp, Real ID, UN regulating vitamins, WTO, guns on airplanes, Social Security, property rights, North American union, enemies foreign AND DOMESTIC, auditing the gold in Fort Knox, executive orders, etc., etc., etc.!

Everything we as a party have been talking about for thirty five years. And people were actually cheering!

It's like someone flipped a switch and all of a sudden it's became hip to champion the constitution. Un-friggin-believable!

Lots of prominent libs there too, past and present: Babb, Golobek, Gordon, House, Jahn, Keslar, Leard, Magoon, Martin, Nixson, Piotrowski, Schwarz, Sturzenacker, and lots others I'm sure I didn't see or forgot to mention. Lots of third-party types, too. Best of all, there were thousands of people I never saw before. Thousands.

Before the rally there was a private gathering with about 200 MeetUp members. Carol Paul spent about a half hour telling stories and taking questions, then Dr. Paul spoke for about 15-20 minutes and hobnobbed with the audience. He autographed my constitution -- on the same inside cover where John Hospers and Toni Nathan autographed it. Precious.

Also, Dave Jahn put together a great post-rally party with Poker Face playing -- and he put it all together starting one day before the rally! Dave's da man!

I could go on and on, but you can watch it yourself: http://www.justin.tv/ronpaul/46004/ Watch for the YouTube version. It'll have better pictures of the crowd taken from the stage rather than from the ground.

A unique day. I'm left speechless.

bloggers get pointer at Trib. By the way -- where is the Trib endorsement for City Controller?

Luke's thank-you an afterthought - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review BLOGGERS' GLASS IS HALF FULL. Several anti-Ravenstahl bloggers were searching desperately for a silver lining in the dark clouds of the mayor's victory.

Offered the folks over at The Burgh Report: 'DeSantis has put up the best numbers for a GOP mayoral candidate in Pittsburgh since 1965. Or phrased in the other direction, Luke Ravenstahl's performance was the worst by a Democrat in a Pittsburgh mayoral general election in 42 years.'

The frequent Ravenstahl critics -- and big Trib fans -- over at 2 Political Junkies wrote, 'Look on the bright side ... (local bloggers) will have tons of material for the next two years.'

Ravenstahl couldn't have enjoyed the negative postings about him in recent months, but we're guessing he got a few chuckles reading the blogs Wednesday. What's that old saying about he who laughs last?

Ravenstahl to concentrate on city progress - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

This is wonderful. They are talking about cost per votes!

I got 1/4 of the votes that DeSantis got.

I got votes at $.04 each. Four cents.

Ravenstahl to concentrate on city progress - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Ravenstahl spent about $7 a vote. It cost DeSantis, who spent most of the $400,000 he raised, nearly $17 a vote.

'That's a substantial margin,' said Joseph DiSarro, a Washington & Jefferson political science professor.

But Luke isn't at $7 a vote. He can't even add! Of cours the state D party mailers need to be part of the factors of the cost of the campaign.

What about the cost of the mailers about the recycle changes too?

Funny to hear that Dowd wants council to stand its ground on issues where the administration isn't hearing effectively. Well then, Patrick. What are YOU going to to do to block the vote on the school board about the closing of Schenley. Are you gonig to go ahead and allow the Superintendent to continue to spend money on consultants on plans that face such strong objections from the stake holders, voters, residents, students, parents and I dare say, teachers?

Critics question nonprofit's focus, spending - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Critics question nonprofit's focus, spending - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Critics question nonprofit's focus, spending

The Allegheny Conference on Community Development is a cruel joke for Pittsburgh. To say that I am 'anti-Allegheny Conference' is an understatement.

The Conference has not produced tangible results.

These are the wire-pullers who try to get influence and power. But, they have their wires crossed frequently.

I would love to be a part of an anti-Allegheny Conf. group. I'd call it the Mon. Conf. Some might say it is just PodCamp. (giggle)

I'm about the bazaar. They are about the Cathedral. They are top down. I'm bottom up. I'm organic. They are mega deals. I am about democracy (as in voting), rights, freedom and dissent. They are about lockstep boosterism, back-room deals and closed systems. I'm open-source. They are proprietary. The hire consultants. I want do-it-yourself actions from elected officials who need to be held accountable.They want to form task forces and pass the buck.

I am all for being 'green' while they are about being LEED CERTIFIED.

I am urban, wishing for bike lanes and desire density. They want to make downtown for residents, increase green space so downtown looks like suburbia and push for autos and freeway construction.

They are of old parties and old money. I'm for third parties, new coalitions and being independent.

I want to make our kids competitive and widen the playgrounds and sporting interactions. They are for warhousing the kids within iron-curtain districts.

I want parks to be democratic and managed by people off of Grant Street. They want parks to be buttressed by foundation types and made more private.

I want to replicate urban schools that work -- like Rodgers, Frick, Schenley and the Gifted Center. They want to tear them apart.

I want parents and community to be more involved in the schools and with lifetime activities, clubs, mentoring and sports teams (like swimming). They are okay with the closing of rec centers, ice rinks and swim pools.

They want the school year to start sooner in August and earlier with Headstart and ALAs (Accelerated Learning Academies). I want more family times, camps of choice, travel and socialization in the summers with play. And they won't report on the attendance nor performance of ALAs.

They want the status quo. I don't.

They love candidates that spend $400k. I spent $250.

They are Jon Delano and suburban residents. I love to comment on Delano's blog and ask him why he didn't do his homework. Hey Jon, did you ever watch the DVD I gave to you back in early October?

They think the Pirates have a good chance of winning next year. I know that this week's Thursday night's game at Heinz Field is going to be full of victors.

They want a $2 per day tax on rental cars and a 10-percent drink tax. I don't drink and still don't want the tax. And, I think all income from tips should be tax free, as does Ron Paul.

They are Dan Onorato. I wrote in "Donald Duck" because I couldn't find enough signatures nor enough candidates nor enough grief relief to step beyond a Disney character.

The Allegh. Conf is with $2.4 million for salaries and benefits. I'm with Comcast broadband, volunteers and friends who I still piss off too frequently.

They want to celebrate the 250th birthday of Pittsburgh. I'm dancing in the streets because the Pgh Ethics Hearing Board isn't going to close every other monthly meeting to the public for 2008.

They are about the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance. I would love to hold Pgh Public Schools to its pledge to open up a Vo Tech High School, since South closed some five years ago.

I understand that yanking families around makes the city shrink. Hey, the tunnels under the river for light rail nor PAT buses won't reach to Reisenstein where they want to put "I.B. World" while killing Schenley. They want school reform that is full of smoke, mirrors and immediate action -- even if it is going to fail miserably.

I want to fix the high schools that are called "Drop Out Factories." They want "high school reform" that doesn't go there.

New Aquatic Facility in Cary, NC

New pool. Wild quote.

CollegeSwimming.com :: View topic - New Aquatic Facility in Cary, NC: "A lot of supporters say it's been amazing to watch the amount of private funding that made this all possible, considering neither Cary nor Wake County had to contribute a dime.

'There are tremendous things that can be accomplished when government stays out of the way. And I think this is a case where we certainly saw that happen,' said Cary Mayor Ernie McAllister. The facility cost more than $20 million to build, and that money was raised entirely with private donations. "

Onward and Forward, remarks from PA Clean Sweep efforts - as most voted YES

Onward and ForwardElection Day has come and gone, and although we didn't get the results we wanted, we have made some strides for change in Pennsylvania.

No more will retention elections be taken for granted. Instead of judges sailing through by 3-1, 4-1 and even 5-1 margins, we've narrowed the gap to 2-1. And there are some bright spots in the Commonwealth: In Lebanon County, a majority of voters saw fit to vote NO on all seven statewide appellate court judges. Dauphin County voters did the same.

We have made some inroads and friends in Philadelphia. More Philadelphians are subscribers to our PACleanSweep Alerts than ever before. Getting Philadelphia involved in state-level reform is critical to bringing honor, dignity and integrity back to Harrisburg.

Without our Vote NO campaign, would people still be talking about reform and the Constitution at all? Perhaps, but maybe it wouldn't be as far in the forefront. "

17 Years Ago Today -- Catherine and I got hitched

Life goes by quickly.

November 10, 1990.

For our treat, we'll go to Home Depot and buy lights. Two on ceiling fans, two sconces, and six built in / flush mounted lights, and one for the steps outdoors.

Great news: Bob Glancy resigns

cbs3.com - Pennsylvania Wire Allegheny Co. GOP chairman resigns after dismal ballot showing

PITTSBURGH (AP) Allegheny County's Republican Party chairman has resigned just days after the party failed to field candidates in several high-profile county races. Robert Glancy announced his resignation Thursday. Glancy is president of the R.A. Glancy & Sons construction company and was elected party chair in June 2004.

The county offered no candidates for county executive, county controller, district attorney, treasurer or for five County Council seats.

Mark DeSantis ran one of the most aggressive mayoral campaigns by a Republican in recent memory, but still lost to incumbent Democrat Luke Ravenstahl who got 64 percent of the vote.

He should have left years ago.

Monica :: election results

Monica :: election results I'm pleased that the Libertarian candidate for controller got 10% of the vote. While there's still a long way to go and Pittsburgh might be degenerate, I think the best path for third parties given the official biases against them is to win smaller races and work up from there. I'd love to see a libertarian on city council. (No, not enough to run.) Remember, until yesterday our mayor hadn't been elected as mayor.

Concerning Schenley and our Schools: Trust has gone out the window

Steve Hirtle reported to me via email, with some edits:

It was quite a charged meeting at Schenley tonight as parents voiced frustration with the announced closing of one of the most unique and popular schools in the city. Pgh Public Schools makes this seem like Bizzaro World. Schenley High School has a national reputation for its outstanding IB program. The state basketball champions and its high school musical production (consistent with Kelly Awards and sold out performances every spring) makes this a great urban high school, yet the administrations intentions are to slice and dice it.

Numerous testimonies to the working status of the school poured to the recent Pittsburgh transplant holding the microphone in the front of the room. The diversity of the student body and its pride was clear, again. If the main problem in schools is the lack of parental involvement, you certainly did not hear any parental apathy with the Schenley supporters.

Perhaps the most scathing comment was 'If you need money, sell the administration building in heart of Oakland, but don't close our school.'

There have been lots of school closings, both in the city and throughout the region. Most closings come with the wrath of angry parents and taxpayers. But it seems clear that the magic at Schenley is unique and will be impossible to recreate in any other setting.

Darn tootin. Sure, there were outbursts. He was spreading falsehoods faster than falling plaster. Anything worse than a clueless leader is one that talks too much about stuff he knows little about.

Schenley backers loud, clear, in opposition to closing Pittsburgh Schenley High School supporters last night interrupted, shouted down and ridiculed a Pittsburgh Public Schools' executive as he tried to explain the district's plan to close the building and disperse its students to three other locations.

There was one meeting six weeks ago that changed this guys whole set of objectives. There was one meeting that yanked the districts high school reform agenda way out of bounds. Well, this meeting just put it back in place.

My comments were simple. Trust is gone. Lies like the Pittsburgh Promise won't wash. Remember South Vo Tech? Well, my suggestions: Patch Schenley. Open up a Pittsburgh Vo Tech as was promised Then come back and we'll talk again. Re-set those priorities.

Perhaps a lot of those kids that are flunking out of the other five Drop-Out Factories would have been A+ Students at South Vo Tech.

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Saturday's Save Schenley Meeting!

Get together to save our school.

Date: Saturday, November 10, 2007
Time: 3:00pm - 6:00pm
Location: University of Pittsburgh - Cathedral of Learning room 326

We are holding a meeting to get Schenley lovers together - current students, teachers, parents, and alums. We are going to discuss the issues at hand with closing the school, and alternatives to closing. We will work on creating an action plan to keep Schenley in Oakland - where it belongs!

We need to have a strong action plan, so that when November 27th rolls around, we will be prepared to face the Board of Education.

Come prepared to discuss the following:
- Reasons for closing & moving Schenley
- Why keep Schenley open?
- Alternatives to closing
- Asbestos removal
- Schenley's status as a Historical Landmark
- The Numbers: What contractors gave quotes on fixing Schenley? Was it competitive bidding? Did multiple contractors give quotes?

Please invite your friends, family members, teachers, fellow students, and fellow alums! We need all of the support we can get.

Let's show Pittsburgh what some Spartan Spirit can do.
Updated 4 times.

Ethics Hearing Board of Pittsburgh meets. Everything they do should be turned on its head.

Once again I punished myself and went down to another Pittsburgh Ethics Hearing Baord meeting at 10 am today (Friday, Nov 9, 2007). This little blog of mine, I'm going to let it shine.

In the bible, we learn that it is a stupid -- if not a sin -- to put a candle under a basket. Praise the Lord. We learned that next year's meetings of the Ethics Hearing Board will NOT be made closed to the public on an every other month basis as they talked about last month.

I suggested to them that we need more ethics in the city, not less. The Ethics Hearing Board should meet every week -- not every month.

In other developments, I told them that they need to set their record straight. The Ethics Hearing Board was not formed one year ago, as one of the members spoke about in the meeting. Sophie was the Mayor of Pittsburgh when the Ethics Hearing Board came into being. That was about 15 years ago.

Since the board began, we've come to discover that there have been four complaints filed to the Ethics Hearing Board from citizens. I filed three in September. Those matters were hinted at in the October meeting. And, as of now, still, after the November meeting, there is no progress on those matters. They have not been put on an agenda. They have not been talked about by the board. Nothing.

When a citizen files a complaint to the Ethics Hearing Board -- if they are doing their jobs -- you'd expect a reply of some sort. I do. I did. I am waiting. I have gotten nothing.

http://Elect.Rauterkus.com/ethics/

In no uncertain terms, the gag order that goes upon citizens who file a complaint undermines the entire process. And, it is unconstitutional. Rights of a citizen to free speech should never be taken away.

There is a larger book, not the bible, in this case, but the Constitution, that rules.

i want the Ethics Hearing Board to stand tall and ask that city council and the mayor change the code so as to strike down all elements of confidentiality plus the powers of the board to dish out liabilities and punishments.

In other matters, the head of the Ethics Hearing Board, Sister Patrice, is going to meet with City Council President Doug Shields today at 1 pm. After the meeting I ran to Doug's office to try to give him a head's up. He wasn't in -- and all the staffers were busy.

I'll send him an email next, as an open letter.

The Ethics Hearing Board is putting in a request to City Council for an annual budget of $40,000.

I didn't have the heart to tell them that the 2008 budget had already been approved by the OVERLORDS and that the city was broke.

The Ethics Hearing Board is trying to expand government and spend more taxpayer money. I object.

The members of the Ethics Hearing Board would like to go to the Local Government Academy. Fine. They should go. It is a great program. But, they each can pay for their own admission. And, don't go asking for a foundation or the church / temple to pay -- as we'll encounter another goofy situation with admission fees being covered by outside sources. This time it is not golf, but a class.

It seems that the Ethics Hearing Board members are convinced that they need to bring in experts on Ethics to give them training to do their jobs. They are hungry for insights. They want a training budget.

They are in over their head! If the members of the Ethics Hearing Board can't do the job because they are unaware of what it entails, they should resign. They are not up to the tasks. The Ethics Hearing Board is not a place for on the job training at taxpayer expense. Do the job.

The Ethics Hearing Board might need secretarial assistance to make phone calls. They might need webmasters to build web pages. They might need a stenographer. They might need to hire their own attorney. The might need to pay for outside speakers. They might need to educate the employees and hold seminars.

The Ethics Hearing Board is now forming a new sub-committee to look at a part of the ethics code, section 1.97.07. This concerns the golf outing from the summer. Today they put a deadline on this resolution from the sub-committee to the Ethics Hearing Board of April 2008.

So, when I posted here, or elsewhere, that Luke's golf outing problem from the summer of 2007 would have final resolution around the first of the year -- I was wrong. Looks like it won't be resolved until the sub-committee does its work, makes a report in April, and then it goes back to the Ethics Hearing Board to chew it over. Perhaps something will be to City Council in the middle of next summer's golf season.

That's some round, or two, of golf.

The Ethics Hearing Board is forming a sub-committee to focus in upon 1.97.07 and the gift matters from charities. So they thought it was a good idea to invite in the nonprofits to join the task force. They debated if one or two slots should go to the foundation types, as there are social service providers on one hand and foundation folks on the others. Those folks, after all, are the ones where the impact of the golf fees resides.

OMG.

Not a peep about taxpayers, citizens, voters, nor everyday people. These members of the Ethics Hearing Board, a nun, a rabi, a member of the Alcoa Foundation and a minister (I think) are worried about what the foundation folks might think. They don't want to have an "unyielding body" in that task force. Or was is "un-wheeling" body?

The Ethics Hearing Board wanted to add to the weight of the recommendations of golf outings for their consideration so they can forward them to city council so that votes might be proposed for the eventual change in the city ethics code.

If we are looking for people to replace the deck chairs on the Titanic, I know just who to turn to, Pittsburgh's Ethics Hearing Board.

If anyone has a hand-me-down 8-ball fortune teller toy -- could they please pass that on to the Ethics Hearing Board. They are looking for a tech upgrade and need some direction.

Ethics Hearing Board -- have you ever heard of "Do it yourself?"

Re-write the code. And, do it yourself.

Get educated. And, do it yourself.

Do the job. And, do it yourself.

While you are doing things, begin by sending a letter to the new controller. Tell him you think that confilcts of interest are a big deal and they should be avoided at all costs. So, he should resign from the board of A+ Schools, right away.

Michael Lamb, the new controller, said in the media, that he would seek the opinion of the Ethics Hearing Board as to his board position for a booster group for the Superintendents and Foundation's agenda for schools. In so many words, Lamb said he was clueless as to the ethics of the matter at hand and he would be looking for guidance from you. Give it to him -- in a letter -- for all to see.

This little blog of mine, I'm going to let is shine. Let is shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Update: Coverage in the P-G the next day:

Task force considers charitable event changes
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The city of Pittsburgh's Ethics Hearing Board voted yesterday on the composition of a task force that will recommend changes to rules on public officials' attendance at charitable events.

The task force will be chaired by ethics board Vice Chair Kathy Buechel, and members will include fellow board member Rabbi Danny Schiff, one member appointed by the mayor, one or two members appointed by City Council, and one member each from the foundation and the corporate world.

The ethics board has opined that officials should only be allowed to attend charitable functions as guests of the charity, rather than under sponsorships from third parties. Mayor Luke Ravenstahl has opposed restrictions on official attendance at charitable events, proposing instead a requirement that any gift of an event ticket worth more than $500 should be reported on annual disclosure forms.

The board also intends to ask for a $40,000 budget line from the city to pay for ethics training, clerical help and an independent investigator when needed.