Tuesdays with M...

We went out to see City Theater's Tuesdays with Morie -- and were entertained, greatly.

Today I got to talk with three State Reps. Plus, got to speak with a boss at the Tribune-Review. I thanked him for the fine correction in today's paper.

Early today, I had my own, Tuesdays with Morie moment. The full story later, as a podcaste. In 1982 I graduated from Ohio University and organized an event for all graduating sports lettermen and women. This was held the week of graduation at the student union. The sports banquet that year was nixed and as seniors, we all got a deck of playing cards from the Athletic Department. Well, that wasn't good enough.

I was a senior, and, I had been a coach for four years as well. We scrambled and pulled together our own banquet and party. I asked three to be the keynote speakers -- and all invited speakers came. Plus, we got a good audience. Today, I revisited those tapes and listened to the event. From the archives to a podcast soon, it should be fun to release it, finally.

In Tuesdays with Morie, Mitch is a sports reporter who connects with his college professor after 16 years. This presentation is from nearly 24 years ago. The poduim was set with a women's field hockey coach with roots from Ireland, a sociologist who was a national, masters champion in orientiering, and a philosopher tennis player. Nice line-up then. Good messages to this day too. Stay tuned.

By the way, it is great to live on the South Side and walk home from the City Theater in three inches of snow. It is falling fast. I expect a two-hour delay, at least.

Still At Large, article from Russ Diamond

See the comments for an article from Russ that has a fun twist to the state pay raise that has been revoked.

Meet the activist and author at a county-wide Christmas Party, event at 7 pm on WED. Dec. 21 at John Harvard's Brew House in Monroeville. Be there if you can.

Fixed online. Yesterday's untruth is but for digital dust.

This is what is online now -- changed from yesterday.

3 contenders line up to replace Ricciardi - PittsburghLIVE.com: "and Libertarian Mark Rauterkus, a part-time swimming coach and a stay-at-home dad, from the South Side.

The printed edition of the newspaper has a correction on page B2. It reads:

Pittsburgh City Council candidate Mark Rauterkus is a part-time swimming coach and a stay-at-home dad. his employment status was incorrect in a story on page B6 Wednesday.

Thanks for the truth.

TheStar.com - Odds against Penguins staying put

Hey there. Canadian weather arrives -- and now talk of Pittsburgh from Canadian news.

TheStar.com - Odds against Penguins staying put ... Yet Crosby's days in Pittsburgh might be numbered and it has nothing to do with the Penguins languishing in last place in the Eastern Conference with only seven wins in 27 games.

For months, Crosby's teammate and Penguins owner Mario Lemieux has been in a battle with one Las Vegas heavyweight and several Pittsburgh big shots for the right to acquire a licence from the state of Pennsylvania to operate slot machines.

I don't think they had the news of Mario's check in to the hospital with heart ticker weirdness.

Activists protest against voter bill - PittsburghLIVE.com

Activists protest against voter bill - PittsburghLIVE.com Voting-rights activists gathered in Pittsburgh on Wednesday to protest a bill pending in the state Legislature that they say would disenfranchise poor and elderly voters.

'Our voting statistics are getting lower and lower on almost every election -- not only for black people, but for white people as well,' said Tim Stevens, president of the Black Political Empowerment Project. 'This state does not need to discourage anybody from voting.'

Candidates lining up to replace Ricciardi on council

Candidates lining up to replace Ricciardi on council ... and Libertarian Mark Rauterkus.

To Luke, "May the force be with you!"

Luke, 24, D, has floated to the top of City Council. Not Luke Skywalker. But rather, the North Side's own, Luke Ravenstahl.

Luke won the vote today to be City Council President. The nine members of council vote among themselves to pick their leader. The move out of the president's seat by Gene Ricciardi was hoped for weeks ago, but none on council could muster the five votes to insure a win, until today. Luke got five votes.

Furthermore, beyond the power of the force, Luke, I'd love to be appointed to the chairmanship of the committee on Citiparks and Youth in the event I'm elected to city council. So, save me a seat, if you please.

City residents, businesses may face steep fees for false burglar alarms

A few points on the false alarm news and how I'd want to think again. First, if the fees go from $0 to $50, as would be the case with "free passes" that would diminish, the number of false alarms will drop.

So, presently the city resident gets four calls for $0 cost. The plan is to make it 2 calls for $0 cost. The next two calls would be $50 each.

As for the budget, lets say a resident had five calls in 2003 and paid $15. The Act 47 look at this and say that the fee in 2006 would be $150. That is an increase of $135. But they are dreaming. The new plan isn't going to generate those kinds of windfalls. Some increases, but think again about the totals.

When the prices get jacked up, residents will be more careful with their systems or else will disconnect from the 9-1-1 system or just leave the alarms off more frequently.

Another point: $50,000 for the software. I'd put out a call for an open-source software solution. For $50,000 you'd be able to hire the programmers and get the job done. And, you'd be able to give some incentives to the open-source software teams for their efforts. The code could then be used in other areas of the county, state, country or world.

This move to open-source software won't be a lot cheaper in the first instances, but it will be much better in the long haul and much cheaper. And, I don't think it would be bad to hire a programming coordinator who does open-souce software and can manage a number of different projects via Sourceforge and such.

Third point: The city has a bad track record with billing, colllections, and application of fees to end-users in the realm of public-services delivered. The EMS system could have been a profitable enterprise on the whole if it would have had the dedicated assets to do the necessary billing and paperwork. People get rushed to the hospital and the city does not get paid. The bills don't go out. The health insurance red tape is huge, but there needs to be some follow-up to get paid for services delivered.

Too often the Act 47 team looks at the budget and sees that the billing department costs could be cut by $200K, but they fail to realize that if an extra $100K was put into the budget then the work would get done as it needs to and the windfall would be 10 or 30-fold increases of incomes.

The overlords and Grant Street politicians are too often penny wise and dollar foolish. They need to think again about the overall solution.

City residents, businesses may face steep fees for false burglar alarms: "The Act 47 recovery team, which wrote the plan, found that 31,000 annual false alarms accounted for 9 percent of police calls.

The city collected $17,400 in false alarm fees last year, according to the Police Bureau. The Act 47 team found that higher fines and better collection could quickly yield $250,000 a year.

'We feel very confident that it will raise a minimum of $200,000 in revenue next year without additional staff' if the software is purchased, Mr. Stern said."

As for the online payments, the quote in the newspaper is, Mr. Stern said he also would like to upgrade the city's Web site to allow people to pay fees and taxes online with credit or debit cards. Mr. Skrinjar said the mayor-elect could support online payment, if taxpayers want it and if all information and funds can be transferred securely. Duhh....

Of course we should be doing online bill payments of city services. Of course it needs to be secure. Making an eMayor suite of servers were planks I talked about when I was running for mayor in 2000 and 2001. That was a long time ago and those efforts have not been put in place.

Furthermore, I'm not sure Bob O'Connor is the type of guy who can make the internet and open-source software a top priority of day-to-day operations. I've never seen an email from Bob O'Connor.

Heck, we still have both the city and the county selling dog licenses. Michael Lamb ran for mayor and talked about how there are two offices on Grant Street doing the same thing (simple dog licenses) and how this was wrong. He barked about those fumbles hundreds of times around the city, in nearly every community he visited. Well, it still happens.

How about if the city provided a way to get a dog license online!

Council proposal not Godly, but wise - PittsburghLIVE.com

A public hearing would be a good idea.

Council proposal not Godly, but wise - PittsburghLIVE.com: "The two East End councilmen were planning to hold a vote on the ordinance Wednesday, but they have instead opted to hold a public hearing on the measure."

The reception area at City Council have been flooded with phone calls about this issue. As of today, I don't think that there is a public hearing. I'm not sure if one will happen or not.

City police considering move from South Side station

Just go away. We're sitting here, waiting for the mayor to change. Then we hear about the old police chief who wants to change a police station. I don't think so. This is no time for McNeilly to create a legacy for himself, the department, nor the outgoing administration. City police considering move from South Side station Pittsburgh's Police Bureau is considering alternative locations for its South Side station, Police Chief Robert W. McNeilly Jr. told City Council yesterday.

He stressed that no final decision had been made. 'We've just been looking around,' he said.

'Route 51 divides the zone,' he noted, so sites along it might be considered. He said the bureau hadn't yet narrowed its search.

His comments may begin a new chapter in the search for a policing solution for neighborhoods south of the rivers.This is going to go over poorly. But, there has been some trouble with the station, and parking. Nothing else really matters.

The EMS station moved out of the South Side location. They moved into a site that is a pit in terms of working conditions. Let's ask EMS how their move has worked for them.

Perhaps EMS can move back into the building that they were kicked out of by the police squads expansion.

I'd have no problem with the police and EMS moving into South Vo Tech High School. That should be a public building with jobs. Might as well put the Citiparks and County Parks there too, under one roof, as well.

Arts Council urgen rush about bill of rights legislation in PA

An urgent with four *s hit my email box today from the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council. These folks are about as political as my pinky toe on my left foot.

When we have the Cultural Center doing downtown development, we get the Ballet holding Nutcracker events without musicians. When we have arts groups making calls about the bill of rights -- I begin to wonder what the Court Jesters would have said about the loss of the king's head.

I don't have anything else to say about the call -- just yet -- today.

State Funding at Risk ATTENTION NEEDED TODAY

This is an important announcement concerning future support for arts and culture in Pennsylvania. Please read this completely and act today.

This week, fast moving legislation will go forward without public hearings or debate in the Pennsylvania General Assembly that could severely reduce state support for arts, culture, education, public broadcasting, history, arts education, heritage, preservation, support for lower and middle income families, agriculture, and a plethora of other things funded by the state that we may have not yet identified. This legislation, introduced in both houses, is known nationally as TABOR (Taxpayer Bill of Rights) or TEL (tax and expenditure legislation), and in Pennsylvania as the "Taxpayer Fairness Act."

ACTION NEEDED
Call, fax, e-mail or visit your legislators this week to ask them to explain the long range impact of this legislation. Stress that a NO VOTE on House Bill 2082 is essential. Click here to find your legislator and visit the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council's Advocacy Pages for information on what to include in a letter, fax or email to your legislator.

This legislation would set limits on the growth of state and local spending and tie state spending to a formula that includes the annual change in population plus the current rate of inflation. This legislation is based upon a Colorado law enacted in 1992 that implemented severe expenditure limits. The effect of this legislation was devastating in Colorado. Discretionary funding for programs such as arts and culture, higher and basic education, healthcare, and social services was severely reduced. In November 2005, after 13 years of a downward trend in quality of life, Colorado citizens voted to roll back TABOR.

Some facts about TABOR/TEL and Colorado
Colorado's Taxpayer Bill of Rights contributed to a significant decline in that state's social services and education programs since it was adopted in 1992. According to Americans for the Arts, fiscal year 2004 saw the Colorado Council on the Arts budget slashed by 93%. Research done by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington, DC found that:

* Under TABOR, Colorado has declined from 35th to 49th in the nation in K-12 spending.

* Higher education funding has dropped by 31 percent.

* Tuitions have risen as a result. In the last four years, system-wide resident tuition increased by 21 percent (adjusting for inflation).

* Colorado has fallen to near last in providing on-time full vaccinations to the state's children.

* The share of low-income children lacking health insurance has doubled, making Colorado the worst in the nation.

How Pennsylvania's "Taxpayer's Fairness Act" might affect you
TABOR/TEL legislation in Pennsylvania would dramatically limit state spending in areas most important to low and middle income families and the state's quality of life institutions. According to an analysis done by the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, if TABOR/TEL had been in place when Governor Rendell took office, the current $24 billion state General Fund budget would have to be cut by over $2 billion. Ways to cut $2 billion out of the state budget might include:

* Elimination of state funding for higher education.
* Elimination of state funding for health care to low income citizens.
* Elimination of state funding to arts organizations, museums, public libraries, museums, historical societies, public television stations, and other arts and cultural agencies. Currently, Pennsylvania ranks 16th in per capita support for the arts.
* Reduction of the basic state subsidy for public schools.
* Elimination of all state funding for the Department of Agriculture.

Important Note: Pennsylvania already has a constitutional requirement for a balanced budget. The budget process already provides the General Assembly and the Governor with the tools they need to control the growth of state government. TABOR uses the term "Bill of Rights" which has a spin that may make some people think that they're talking "Constitution." This is not the case, and it is just a name for similar programs that have failed in other states to theoretically save taxpayer dollars.

ACT TODAY!
Contact your state senator and representative ASAP. Ask them to VOTE NO on House Bill 2082 and oppose all TABOR/TEL both in an amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution or other legislation.

Even if you are unsure of your position on this bill, please ask your senator and representative to explain to you what impact this bill would have on the ability of the state to support services to the people of the Commonwealth, especially those who need it most.

To locate your legislators Click Here.

Time is of the essence. Do not delay.
Contact your State Legislators NOW! Proponents of HB 2082 say they want to enact it before the end of the month.

More information about the TABOR/TEL legislation may be found on the following websites: Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center
Pennsylvania AFL-CIO
Center for Budget and Policy Priorities - Information about TABOR-like legislation in other states, including a fact sheet and analysis on what happened in Colorado.
*
House Bill 2082 is also being opposed by the following organizations:
AARP Pennsylvania; American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME); Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties (APSCUF); Citizens for Consumer Justice; Keystone Research Center; Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania; Maternity Care Coalition; Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania; National Council of Jewish Women-PA; Pennsylvania AFL-CIO; Pathways PA; Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators; Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center; Pennsylvania Council of Churches; Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations; Pennsylvania Public Interest Research Group (PennPIRG); Pennsylvania School Boards Association; Pennsylvania Social Services Union (PSSU); Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA); Philadelphia Citizens for Children and Youth (PCCY); Service Employees International Union (SEIU); and United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776.
*

Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council
707 Penn Avenue, 2nd Floor
Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3401
P: 412.391.2060
F: 412.394.4280
www.pittsburghartscouncil.org

Reversing the call to action from the pro-choice rebels

Planned Parenthood is putting out a call to action. They want people to attend this Wednesday's city council meeting. My reply follows.

We need your help. This Wednesday, December 7, Pittsburgh City Council will be holding a preliminary vote on the Medical Safety Zone legislation that would protect patients and their companions entering medical clinics and hospitals in Pittsburgh. The anti-choice hardliners are organizing their masses to attend the meeting and give public testimony when the meeting begins (10:00 am).

The co-sponsoring Council members of this ordinance have asked us to gather as many supporters as possible to attend the meeting. If you live in the city of Pittsburgh, it is even more critical that you try to attend this meeting.

If you'd like to give brief public testimony in support of the ordinance, please click here.

Thank you. Here are the details:

Wednesday, December 7, 2005
10:00 A.M. - Standing Committees Meeting, commencing with the public comment followed by the Committee on Finance and Budget.

Pittsburgh City Council 510 City - County Building, 414 Grant St. Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Telephone: (412) 255-2138

The legislation before City Council is a yawner, mostly. I go to council all the time. I'm not motivated to go now because of this bill.

The bill has two parts. I love the first and hate the second. And, there is another problem that they are trying to fix that is best fixed with real enforcement.

Bill says: 1. You can't be within 15 feet of an entrace to a public health clinic. Fine. Great idea. Do it.

Part 2 -- says you can't be within 8 feet of another person. This is to keep protesters away from those who might be going to the clinic. That creates a buffer zone that is about 7.5 feet wider than what an average person from China needs. And, the buffer zone moves with the person as the person moves.

Person A is on the sidewalk with protest posters doing his/her free speech thing and Person B exits clinic and goes to stand next to Protester A. Then -- police arrive and the 8 foot buffer is absent and Proterster, person A, goes to jail.

So much for free speech.

Part 2 stinks.

Peduto, and others on council, again, go overboard in limits to freedoms. And, the law will go to the courts. And, this will cost another nickle or two for constitutional attorneys and the city's legal department. They always go to the courts to figure out matters. Rather, I say do the right thing by crafting better laws in the first place.

But, we run into this problem because people have been assulted in a number of ways going into and out of the clinic. Plus, the city does not have the manpower nor budget resources to put an officer at the clinic as they have had to do in the past.

So, people in the burbs who don't care much about city politics -- time to care. The quality of life in the city impacts everyone.

Furthermore, the police are slow to make an arrest of someone protesting. They don't have clear leadership. They don't have clear marching orders. They know that a wrong move -- and -- bingo -- they just lost their job as people around here won't support them for doing the job. The pass the buck problems always surface. So, enforcement is lax to say the least.

If someone got pushed on the sidewalk headed to or out of a clinic -- and police made an arrest -- then this problem would not generally happen. Assault is assult. It shouldn't happen. And, when it does -- people should be put in handcuffs and taken to the Judge.

The police are our friends, if they do their jobs.

If they don't do the job -- because of uncertain winds from politicians -- then the police need to be better managed or else need to have more laws put on other laws to make them do more.

Even this law is a question as to its enforcement from the men and women in blue. ????

This health clinic effort to rid the landscape of protesters grew out of the panhandlers legislation that went down a month or so ago. The downtown weenies want to rid the city of the homeless. The homeless are not a big problem. But, when there are so few others downtown, they look like a big problem. Likewise, the homeless and beggars are getting away with disorderly conduct because there are serious enforcement problems with the police. One guy who was trouble downtown had 60 violations to his name. He should have faced some different outcomes about the third time he was picked up -- not the 63rd time.

If you think otherwise, let me know.

Mayor-elect O'Connor bucking transition tradition

Mr. Matter just D.Q.ed himself....

Mayor-elect O'Connor bucking transition tradition 'It's better to do it below the radar screen,' said David Matter, ...

Bob's played defense in the campaign, mostly. Bob's playing defense in the transition time, for sure. Bob is going to play defense in the appointments with the authority members, who are going to be safe throughout the winter, so he says.

Pittsburgh loves a good D-Fence, D-Fence, D-Fence.

A mayor who plays defense might be a major blessing.

Sunday -- swimming and skating

Swim meet today...

Skating in afternoon.

Sleep over was last night.

Happy Birthday Grant. He's 8!

Sing a song of Pittsburgh: Searching for a 'Burgh-defining tune

Part 2 --

What about the cultural district and its ballet without musicians. We love music -- but would rather have recorded instruments at the Nutcracker!

The fine folks in the cultural district have been too busy with buildings and high-rises and redevelopment efforts and not culture. They've been high-jacked by the outgoing mayor's agenda too.

Put some big notes on a building, like the illustration to the story, then you've got something -- but it is still the wrong 'brand."

Sing a song of Pittsburgh: Searching for a 'Burgh-defining tune

The song of Pittsburgh is "Think Again." It is on my campaign CD. If you have yet to hear it, send me a donation and I'll send it along to you -- by the dozen.

Sing a song of Pittsburgh: Searching for a 'Burgh-defining tune: "Yeah, we love Pittsburgh. But how would we sell it in song?"

The song for the city for the times is "Lay the Shovel Down" by the same singer. It talks of the hole they dug, and how we have to move to get out of it.

Victory: RAND releases a working paper, Assessing the Performance of Public Schools in Pittsburgh

Excellent. This paper was asked for. Now it has been released.

RAND: Assessing the Performance of Public Schools in Pittsburgh Assessing the Performance of Public Schools in Pittsburgh

Next we have to read it and figure out if it is worthy of defending -- or otherwise.

The full document (less than 1 meg, 30 pages or so. It is at http://www.rand.org/pubs/working_papers/2005/RAND_WR315-1.pdf

This Dork, Flying Oyster, says it is okay to Retire #21. I agree. Plus, he isn't a bad dork.

>blockquote>Flying Oyster: Retire #21 Terry Pluto of the Akron Beacon Journal believes they should retire #21. I agree. Let's talk about the rivals from Cleveland.

City flunks terror test - PittsburghLIVE.com

City flunks terror test - PittsburghLIVE.comThere's no value in hashing over it,' DeMichiei said.

Think again! There is value in hashing over it. There is value in thinking again.

I'm a coach. I love drills. We do drills all the time.

The little tykes (i.e., ages 6, 7) I coach in the swimming pool can do these frestyle drills: Catch-up, side kicking, zig-zag 9 (sculling), thumb-in-arm-pit, finish-up, alternate breathing, to name a few.

Seems to me that the Pittsburgh police force should be able to set up a mobile command center in a time of a major emergency at a suitable location.

Practice makes perfect, is the old saying that is very popular. Frankly, I don't buy into that slogan at all. Only perfect practice makes perfect. And, the high school kids I coach get that drilled into them.

Field of Running Mates

One of the state-wide political blogs was tipping the hand of a pending super-duper website, an 'online headquarters' by the Junior US Senator from Pennsylvania, Rick Santorum. The new, yet unopened site, for his re-election efforts in 2006, is slated to have a blog with open comments. The title, "Running with Rick" is sorta like "Mark Rauterkus and Running Mates." Rick's own words a promised to be there. I wonder if his site will feature Rick's own spelling errors, like my site does. The Santorum site is getting pages devoted to specific issues too. OMG!

OMH = Oh My Gosh.

Today, by the way, the Platform.For-Pgh.org is at 179 pages.

There were other elements of this web site that were so far advanced that it might harken the ghosts of 2001 and my run for mayor site. Even volunteer resources, and info specific to all PA communities.

Shiver my timbers! I can't wait.

I'll have another blog to visit so as to help shape the conversation of the region.

Meanwhile, in another state, a Pitt Law School Grad who ran a campaign in the past, is back, as well. I felt a certain kindship for her and her campaign. We traded a number of ideas and emails. She is on my radar and look at what's up with her now. As a bit of background, her last campaign was as a Republican. But, she didn't get the "endorsement" from the GOP party and ran as an outsider. The party did its best to sling mud her way and foil her efforts, if not rights as a candidate. She kept chugging. And, she even switched parties. Now she is gearing up again for another race.

In some ways, her history is a bit like Kathryn Hans-Greco, D, Allegheny County. KHG didn't get the help from the party. Ran before and then ran again, with more gusto, more relationships, more votes!

Judicial candidate to run Internet-based campaign
By SETH EFFRON, StateGovernmentRadio.com

RALEIGH -- Rachel Lea Hunter wants to be chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court.

In 2004 Hunter, a lawyer with no experience on the bench, or in politics, spent about $24,000 and ran in an eight-person field for an opening on the high court. It was an astonishing third place finish.

She got nearly 452,300 votes -- 100,000 more than one of the state's best-known judges, Howard Manning. Manning spent about $132,000. Paul Newby, a Republican who won the seat, spent $171,200 and got 582,684 votes. Manning spent 42-cents per vote; Newby spent 30 cents and Hunter, a mere 5 cents per vote.
While the campaign is overtly non-partisan -- the 2004 campaign was very partisan with Newby anointed the Republican candidate. Hunter's candidacy was a source of friction in a party structure well-known for its unbending demand for uniformity. Some of the GOP leadership attacked Hunter for undermining Newby’s ultimately successful candidacy. Hunter has since switched her voter registration to Democrat.

One thing Hunter has going for her is name "I-D." She shares the same name as the famous super model from New Zealand who has, among other credits, graced the cover of Sports Illustrated’s famous swimsuit edition. While Rachel Lea Hunter has NOT done anything to promote such confusion, some analysts say that celebrity name recognition was one of the major factors in her 2004 vote-getting success.

Her 2006 campaign for the top judicial spot in the state is already up and running. She's not relying on any phantom name "I-D."

Hunter says she'll be a different kind of candidate and run a campaign that isn't out of the typical playbook of dashing around the state to campaign appearances, spending hours dialing for campaign dollars and putting the bulk of the campaign treasury into television advertising.

That doesn't mean she’s not going to be a media candidate -- just looking to some different media.

Visit one of North Carolina's newspaper Web site and you'll likely see a Hunter campaign banner ad: There’s a picture of Hunter and the declaration "RACHEL LEA HUNTER: A candidate for N.C. Chief Justice; She cannot be bought; A real leader and top candidate for Chief Justice."

The Internet ads, which link to her own campaign Web site, are running on 25 to 30 North Carolina newspaper site -- including the Asheville Citizen-Times; the Elizabeth City Daily Advance; New Bern Sun Journal; and ENCTODAY.Com. She’s also got her ads on selective blogs as well as some national publication, such as Mother Jones.

Hunter says she intends to spend less than $100,000 -- and much of it on the kinds of grassroots campaigning that only the Internet can provide. From the outset, she said she wants to be on the cutting edge.

"This was going to be a different kind of campaign. And it was going to be run, especially since it was statewide, mostly on the Internet," Hunter said. "I don't know if I can quantify it -- 60 or 75 percent -- something like that, because this is a big state. It's a huge state. I've driven from end, to end, north and south, too.

"It's a big state. It's hard to reach this many people. This (Internet-based campaigning) is a way of getting the message out to much more people. I could go around to all the Republican or Democratic clubs now, and I would see the same the same tired old faces I always see. But you really don't reach people all over the state. This is a way of reaching so many more people."

As Hunter seeks a new route for her campaign trail she'll also be discovering to what extent her 2004 success was beginner's luck, fortunate name identification or, in fact, a strong foundation upon which to build a new-style campaign.