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The Next Steps with Pgh School Reform, replacing bad board members with good ones

From an email list and Barb (see comment):

It seems that an excellent effort has been made to participate in and influence government at the School Board level only to find out that the outcome and results were very unsatisfactory.

It turns out that as good as the effort of the Schenley supporters was, bad government prevailed and frustrated the efforts.

The focus should now be to change bad government itself so that better government is available to respond to the needs of the parents, students, voters and taxpayers.

As Dr. Moore (using a speech prepared by Larry Myers) stated to the Board, 'every time the Board looks over their shoulder, they see the posse of Schenley supporters following'.

It is possible that a Schenley graduate of 2008 could serve on the School Board in 2009.

The requirements to run for a School Board seat are:

Age 18
Residency of 1 year in the district
10 signatures on a nominating petition
No filing fee

School Board members who voted to close Schenley are:

Heather Arnet District 2
Bill Isler District 4
Theresa Colaizzi District 5
Jean Fink District 7
Floyd McCrea District 9

Odd numbered districts are up for election in 2009. ( Colaizzi, Fink, McCrea)

The election process should start in January 2009.

Determine who in the Parents group resides in the appropriate districts.

Find a candidate to run against the Board member. There may already be someone out there who plans to run, they need to be contacted and supported as necessary.

Frequently, School Board members get reelected because there is no opposition. (Fink, McCrea in 2005)

Need to circulate a petition to get name on the ballot (10 names).

Make contact with Democratic Committee to identify Ward Chairs. Their leadership stated their support of Schenley at the hearing on June 16, 2008.

Try to obtain endorsement of Democratic Committee. These folks can do Poll work.

The following table shows the election results in 2005. It indicates some vulnerability of all three candidates, especially Colaizzi where Tom Baker was able to get 2,493 votes while running as a Republican in the general election. Since the others had no opposition, it may turn out that they can be voted out by a viable candidate.


Candidate District Votes % Opposition Votes

Dem. Primary 2005:
Colaizzi, district 5 = 3825 vs. Tom Baker = 2224
Fink, district 7 = 4,000 vs. for none
McCrea, district 9 = 3,282 vs none

Dem. General 2005:
Colaizzi, district 5 = 4,303 = 63.3% vs. Tom Baker (Republican) 2,493
Fink, district 7 = 3,722 vs. none
McCrea, district 9 = 3,707 vs. none

I am presently gearing up for a trip to China in August. And, I'm on the ballot in November 2008 as a candidate for the Electorial College.

However, I'm considering a run for school board in 2009. I live in district 5 -- a seat that is presently occupied by Ms. Colaizzi.

Not only do we need to get good school board members, like those who won't storm out of meetings when a non-paid citizen is permitted to speak, we need to get candidates for Mayor and some city council seats too.

From PPS

Update:

Candidate	District	Votes	%	Opposition	Votes
Dem. Primary 2005
Colaizzi	5	3825	63	Tom Baker	2224
Fink	7	4000	100	none
McCrea	9	3282	100	none
Dem. General 2005
Colaizzi	5	4303	63.3	Tom Baker (Republican)	2493
Fink	7	3722	100	none
McCrea	9	3707	100	none

KDKA show host bumped Carlynton discussion

Sadly, the show host seems to have bumped the 10:05 segment about kids.

Rather, he wants to talk about a goofy politician who lost his gun and it killed a guy -- months ago. That turned into a witch hunt -- and that turns Marty on, I guess.

Pittsburgh's Hilton Hotel is making payroll -- but stiffing others

Radio conversations say the Pgh Hilton -- downtown -- is not paying its bills. The construction crew is off the job. This is much like the other big building project on the other side of the river, the Majestic Star Slots Parlor. The workers there left their jobs a couple of weeks ago because they were not being paid.

To be fair, (giggle) the Downtown Hilton suffered with the two year closing of Point State Park for that rehab. All will be better now that the ditch in the park was filled in -- for $15-Million.

Same too with Pittsburgh's "Big Dig," the tunnel under the Allegheny River for extensio of the light rail to the North Side stadiums and slots parlor. Hey, the Gateway Center T stop is closed. Oh my. How are people expected to get to The Hilton with the T-closed?

Marty Griffin -- KDKA Radio to do segment on Carlynton efforts

Francismary writes:

Dear Friends and Neighbors:

The discussion of the Carlynton Facilities policy and how it was passed has been moved to Friday, July 18, at 10:05 am on AM1020 (KDKA).

I will be a call in guest on the Marty Griffin show.

I am asking again that you please listen to the program and call in to voice your opinion on the policy and on the way it was passed. The more calls they receive the more attention they will give it and if they get enough calls, they will consider moving it to a TV slot.

The call in number is: 412.333.KDKA (5352)

I appreciate your support in this.

For more insights see a blog and wiki pages that I've helped her to post:

http://Carlynton.Blogspot.com

Chronological list of PRIORITIES for the Ron Paul movement:

1) CIRCULATE NOMINATION PAPERS for third party candidates. Without candidates our movement will have little substance.

2) NOTARIZE AND FILE nomination papers in Harrisburg on or before AUGUST 1st.

3) Organize transportation and lodging for the RON PAUL CONVENTION in MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota. This occurs while the GOP convention is held in the same city.

4) Campaign for candidates that have filed nomination papers and will be on the ballot.

FCC comes to town

The FCC commissioners are headed our way. These folks are not to be trusted. They live on a panel and screwed up net neutrality, WQEX and a host of other things in recent decades.

MORE INFO: http://www.thisishappening.com/EventPage.php?eventid=59338&show=profile
EVENT TYPE: *Issues;Politics

The Federal Communications Commission is coming to Pittsburgh on July 21 for a public forum on the future of the Internet. There is no more important time than now to speak out for our Internet rights, which is why it's vital that you attend this hearing.

The FCC has published the agenda .

WHEN: Deadline: Mon Jul 21: 4PM
WHERE: Carnegie Mellon University McConomy Auditorium
http://www.thisishappening.com/VenuePage.php?curVen=38668&show=profile
NEIGHBORHOOD: Oakland
IT'LL COST YOU: $Free
AGES: all ages

http://www.fcc.gov

Despite progress, state to still monitor city finances

Despite progress, state to still monitor city finances City Controller Michael Lamb liked the decision.

'There's a lot going on behind the scenes to begin to address those [long-term] issues,' he said, noting a push for statewide municipal pension reform that might steer more aid to distressed cities.

There is a lot going on behind the scenes -- elsewhere. Not here. Nothing is going on in Pittsburgh, either under the spotlight nor behind the scenes, when it comes to real effort to manage the costs of local government.

No wonder Michael Lamb liked the non-decision. We are stuck with more of the do nothing, too little, too late actions from those who have been elected.

Yep. The city lacks a plan.

Here is a my plan, from the past.

While the OVERLORDS are in town, and we've got two sets of them to get rid of some day, we taxpayers have to pay triple the costs of government.

We are paying for Act 47. We are paying for the ICA. We are paying for the regular office holders too.

All of those groups can pass blame and still point to Tom Murphy as well. Nothing gets done. They all have cover. That is just what they want. That is just what the citizens don't need.

Everyone in city hall should have a pay cut by 50% until the overlords depart.

Everyone who is getting state money (our money) to be an OVERLORD should get their contract reduced by 50% as well. The other money that is due to the contract holders and the employees will be put aside into an escrow account and paid to them after their work here is proven to have been completed.

There is no incentive for them to finish their work.

Michael Lamb can be less of a controller because he has the OVERLORDS to lean upon. They do some of his work for him. Same too with the mayor. Same too with the law department. Same too with the state reps and state senators. Everyone is getting paid -- and we are paying for it.

Another example: Of course Pat Ford wants to have a long, drawn out vacation as he is still not working but getting paid to be the head of the Urban Redevelopment Authority. We have been paying his salary for months and he has been doing nothing.

These oversight bodies cost the taxpayers tens of millions of dollars every year. There is no end in sight.

Half of the money can be put aside to pay them when their work is finished -- and when their work has proven to be effective. So, I'd take 1/3 of the held money and give it to them upon the completion of the contract. When they close their offices. I'd take another third and pay them once they've been gone for one year and the city is still not slipped back into a financial slump. And the final third would go to them three years after they've departed and the city is still solvent. Benchmarks should be obtained or else they don't get paid.

Open Government Amendment, Pittsburgh City Charter -- Homepage

Open Government Amendment, Pittsburgh City Charter -- Homepage Shall Pittsburgh have Open Government?

Makes good sense to shed Pittsburgh's smokey city methods.

The Pittsburgh City Paper has a rather long feature article on David and his recent efforts. I was interviewed by the reporter in advance of the article, but he had just filed the story's first edition before my quotes were obtained.

It is a good article. Here is my take.

David T has done some good. His battle to get the voter database onto CD-ROM from Allegheny County's Dept. of Election was a major victory. Presently, anyone who shows himself/herself say with a driver's license, can get a two-disk version of the data without cost. Before, the policy made the obtaining the data nearly impossible as it was very expensive and poorly delivered.

In life: Your friends can hurt you worse than your enemies. Same with politics. Hence, it is often better to be a "lone wolf" so you don't drag your friends into the fray, either by design or by accident. Dave is a bit of a lone wolf. Same too, whttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifith myself and many others who jump into the political scene.

Furthermore, the machine players and status quo power holders are notorious for making 'blow back.' Counter attacks against associates and buddies for unjustified reasons, except to 'teach em a lesson' is right in the front of their play book. They often attack the messengers and miss the message. They often send in the health department, call favors of other department regulators, mess with public services and deny opportunities to your children. Of course jobs, contracts and employment are all down the drain -- gone in a blink of an eye.

Last night, I heard of a person who filed an ethics complaint and then the spouse gets served with papers and is the target of an investigation too. Blowback happens all the time here, sadly.

Seldom do we have organized groups make strong statements that make an impact in local political dealings. We've had the firefighters do it. We are seeing the bar owners do it now with Whiskey Rebellion II. Bloggers have their day in the sun -- but we are very loose as to an organized group and as an agenda moving operation.

Pioneers are the ones with the arrows in their backs. But the boundaries get moved by them.

We need insulated, secure, fast moving, rebel rousing, lone wolf advocates. It is better to have street credit and better to have a wide reaching voice. But, we'll take various running mates from various sectors and try to amplify their message, for what its worth.

Those that have the weight of the world on their shoulders could better change the world if everyone else with a sense of justice could take a couple of ounces of the load. That's a path to victory and a better community. And, it happens here, generally.

By and large, people don't want to devote ten hours to get a blank petition and then go out to friends, family and neighbors to get 20 valid signatures for David Tessitor, or for Ron Paul, or for Ralph Nader, or for an Open Government Amendment.

However, most people will sign the petition when confronted with the opportunity. Most people are generous for a minute or two.

Dave's got the weight of the world on his back trying to get 20,000 signatures this summer. That's fun for him to a point. Going on vacation and sitting at Sandcastle and thousands of other summer activities are way more fun. It would be wonderful if the city had 200 people who could each be counted upon for 10 signatures. Pittsburgh would be like heaven when we have 400 people who are willing and responsible for each getting 25 signatures.

200 x 10 = 2,000

400 x 25 = 10,000

See where the devil resides: in the total number of signatures needed.

That's why dead people like to sign petitions for Michael Diven's campaigns -- and he was one of the ones in power.

Nirvana comes as the number of signatures needed is put to a reasonable amount.

We should never need more than 100 signatures to put anything onto the ballot. Once it (a candidate or an issue) gets onto the ballot, votes are still necessary to have it win. And, many ballot efforts would be non-binding. Hey, Allegheny County voted to NOT pay for the building of the new stadiums and convention center. Some good that did, right.

At last night's Allegheny County Libertarian meeting, I put up this article and the petition drive as a topic of conversation.

We wish you luck and good times in trying to gather those signatures David.

Meanwhile, we've got our own candidates to get onto the ballot for the fall election.

Go read the news article:

OPEN SEASON (News), by: Adam Fleming - July 17, 2008, Pittsburgh City Paper. Activist tries once again to bring transparency to city government http://www.pittsburghcitypaper.ws//gyrobase/Content?oid=49396

Ravenstahl expects election challenge - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Ravenstahl expects election challenge - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 'It's tough for me to take anything Council President Shields thinks seriously anymore.'

Life's tough. Tough is out. Shoot the messenger -- ignore the message. That's not going to fix Pittsburgh.

And like last week's leak about Shields and his ambitions to enter a political race in 2009 somehow was the straw that broke the back on the messages and babble from Doug Shields. Don't you think Luke would know what to expect from Sheilds before last week? Jeepers. Come to your senses already.

Rauterkus house gets some TV time -- but this isn't ours

See the comments about another Rauterkus family and their old house.

Olympic canoeing champion Kolonics dies - 2008 Olympics - SI.com

Sports drama hits and tugs at life itself, knocking gold medalist dead.

Olympic canoeing champion Kolonics dies - 2008 Olympics - SI.comGyorgy Kolonics, a canoeing gold medalist at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics, died Tuesday after collapsing in his canoe while training for the Beijing Games. He was 36.

A true legend of Hungarian sports passes. The 2008 Olympics in Beijing, to start in next month, would have been his fifth Olympics.

Jim Motznik had a blog that lasted just about as long

Okay... here is a game.

I found a new local blogger. He put up a site. He was asked to take down the site. No blog for him.

That sucks.

This is how freedom fails in Pittsburgh.

Now, I could talk about him and his boss -- but -- I don't have a salary to cover his paycheck after he gets fired for his blog and my remarks about his situation. So, I'm less free as well.

We all suffer as one of us gets hammered.

Bonusgate: A Tsunami for Reform Bonusgate: A Tsunami for Reform

From Russ Diamond:

In 2005, the legislative pay raise was a seismic disturbance that rumbled beneath the surface of Pennsylvania's political ocean. In 2006, the electoral effects were felt in what was commonly dubbed a "political earthquake." Three years later, the resultant tsunami - otherwise known as Bonusgate - has finally come crashing to shore.

Citizens should applaud the agents of the Attorney General's office and members of the grand juries. The volume of man-hours apparently involved in pouring through mountains of records and testimony to reach this point is astounding. That the investigation continues and more arrests are likely is even more breathtaking.

The biggest accolades, however, must be reserved for the people of Pennsylvania and their historic reaction to the pay raise. Absent the intense citizen activism during the 2006 election cycle, Bonusgate would not even be a blip on the radar.

Although the grand juries found that the intermingling of campaigns and legitimate legislative functions began prior to 2006, the sheer number of electoral challenges that year created an opportunity for the practice to be utilized to an extent that commanded the attention of the media and law enforcement.

Without pay raise outrage, the practice might have quietly remained behind the scenes for years to come. Without pay raise outrage, journalists might not have had the editorial foresight and ripe audience required for stories that grow "legs." Without pay raise outrage, law enforcement might not have felt compelled to launch such a substantial investigation.

Under grant of immunity, one individual involved in the scandal nailed it: the pay raise "changed the whole map."

Bonusgate should spur aftershocks from voters for the same reasons the pay raise did. Both incidents arose from the fault line of arrogance and greed that unfortunately runs directly beneath our Capitol's dome. For some, apparently, the weight of incumbency is simply not enough advantage in the ongoing fight for power and personal privilege.

Despite gerrymandered legislative districts, the availability of free media coverage for legislative work during re-election season, the ability to dole out public funds, taxpayer-funded newsletters and public service announcements, certain individuals within at least one caucus viewed retaining their positions and gaining a majority in the House of Representatives as objectives that reside above the law.

Although the recent revelations are likely just the first phase of the tsunami, Pennsylvanians must begin considering the cleanup and rebuilding efforts now. Clearly there are instances of individual abuses, but many of the problems of Harrisburg are rooted in the structure of government and inherently systemic.

Will further internal legislative rule changes be enough? Will stronger statutes and threats of stiffer penalties prevent such activity in the future? Can any legislative body effectively police itself, or should Pennsylvania tackle the Mother of all Reforms - an objective constitutional convention where sitting public officials are prohibited from serving as delegates?

These questions can only be answered properly if Pennsylvania's citizens are informed, actively engaged in the process, and honest about both the mistakes of the past and the challenges that lie ahead.

As the waters from the Bonusgate tsunami retreat back to the proverbial sea, some parts of the political infrastructure in Harrisburg will have crumbled while others remain standing. Those that remain standing will have been built on the solid ground of the law, ethics and accountability. It is these principles that will guide us in finally ending Pennsylvania's crisis of confidence.

Constitutional Convention Enabling Act (SB1290)

China announces 598 Olympic homestays in Beijing - People's Daily Online

China announces 598 Olympic homestays in Beijing - People's Daily Online China announces 598 Olympic homestays in Beijing

From Uprising to Movement: Five Ideas - CommonDreams.org

From Uprising to Movement: Five Ideas - CommonDreams.org End the Oxymoron of Autocratic Progressivism: Autocratic Progressives, as I discussed yesterday, are those who think you can build a progressive movement with anti-progressive, autocratic, top-down, command-and-control structures. This is elitism at its worst. If we want to take this uprising moment and channel it into a progressive movement, then the movement institutions we build have to be small-d democratic. Sadly, most of the much-vaunted new progressive infrastructure — from Moveon.org to well-funded left-leaning think tanks in Washington, D.C. — run the gamut from mostly undemocratic to completely undemocratic. That’s not the way to build a movement — and I say that not just from a moral, pro-democratic standpoint, but from a pragmatic one.

We are ready -- sorta. Well, at least my sons are with paperwork in order

The passports and visas for Erik and Grant have arrived. The ones for Catherine and I are still on the way. We hope.



Details later. Hold thumbs! Or, if American, you can cross your fingers for us.

Perhaps if all the bloggers piched in a few bucks, this could come about.

The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium's new baby girl elephant has a new name and she is going out into the elephant yard. "The baby's name is Angelina, chosen by a special donor," says Dr. Barbara Baker, president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium. Angelina will be out on exhibit everyday from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. "We are excited for our visitors to have the opportunity to see her," says Dr.Baker. "But she is still young and we do have to be protective of her especially because she has very sensitive skin and we don't want her to get sunburned." Angelina's schedule will be dependent upon weather or if she is acting unusual for some reason. Her schedule will also be affected when the Zoo's second female elephant, Moja, has her baby. Moja is due any day now. Visitors can call the Zoo to check on Angelina's schedule. Visitors also can see Angelina through the large viewing windows at the Elephant Family Room where she is spending time with her family. "The family bonding is going very well," says Dr. Baker. "We are extremely proud of Angelina's older brother, Callee. At first he wasn't sure he liked having a little sister, but he likes her now. He gently touches her and he stands beside her to make sure she is ok." Angelina is 37 inches tall, but keepers have not had a chance to weigh her yet. That will be done within the next couple of days.

The next arrival should be named, "Rufus Peckham."

How did the state bonus scandal happen?

How did the state bonus scandal happen?: "How did the state bonus scandal happen?
The million-dollar 'bonusgate' was fueled by politics and a breakdown of the Democratic caucus' managerial system"

Frankly, it happened because of the combination of greed and "governement jobs." All in all, smarts, purpose, liberty were not the driving factors.

Throw the bums out.

Respect the bus

Getting on the bus, Gus, works in other places.

Respect the bus movies - Peoria, IL - pjstar.com: "local transit ridership is up by 24 percent in Peoria this year isn't surprising.