Answer to questions on Early Returns

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Local News - Early Returns And does Patrick Dowd, running for council against incumbent Len Bodack, draw money and volunteers away from his old ally Mr. Peduto, or do their bids complement each other?

Depends. Plus, you really need to dig a bit deeper to find out all that is there. The school board race for Dowd's present seat might be a good one too.

On face value, Peduto and Dowd can be great for each other. However, teamwork isn't a strength of either nor with anyone in the D's party. They might swap post-cards. But, I don't see them working hand in hand as they could and should.

Red Light Cameras and a public hearing, next week

BS-010: "You think all those little cameras are for traffic control, don't you?"

Schools + Swimming and Weight

Talk about B.M.I. and schools.

Kim L, a reporter for the Trib, is working on a story about the new state mandate requiring parental notification of their child’s body mass index, or BMI number. What do parents think? Good information, not enough information, too much information? Are parents even aware that the figures were being reported?

CollegeSwimming.com :: View topic - Swimming and Weight It is an interesting way to look at the top swimmers, but the BMI is rarely ever used anymore, and when it is used, it's used for the general (non athletic) population.

BMI is not a measurement that I would want to hang my hat upon. It isn't that valid. I would rather go to percent body fat or a functional fitness test, such as number of pull-ups. Pull ups can be done with weight assistance as well, say from a stand with 30-pounds of assistance.

A once a year measurement isn't as good either. If done well, it should be more seasonal and more frequently. Kids grow at such different rates and different speeds that a hight and weight chart with a lot of data points would be more helpful to the kids understanding of themselves -- and that of the parents too.

Once a year benchmarks might be fine for a vision and hearing screening -- but not for real understanding of growth and development.

Putting kids on a scale for weight records is okay with me if it is part of the learning that should happen -- and not a 'contest.' A meaningless task of stepping on a scale to satisfy a state mandate is just nuts. Teacher and principals without the dedication and seriousness for the duty should just do nothing rather than provide a bad lesson for the students.

The numbers of one person should not be ranked against that of another. Rather, the points on the chart of the same kid over time is where the real value resides.

This should all be part of a decent course of study for phyical education. I feel that physical education should be part of the school day. We've ignored PE on many instances. Beefing up PE programs (pun intended) is fine with me.

However, we've really got to use athletics and additional after-school activities, beyond school, for our kids and their health.

Advice to Mayor Luke Ravenstahl -- and my comments to Pgh City Council

I spoke for three minutes, again, today in City Council Chambers.

Headline: Luke should fire Mr. Specter, the city's solicitor. Luke's been getting bad advice. Next, Luke should settle the case with the police commander now. I don't want my mayor to be in a court battle with a police commander. Finally, Luke needs to nominate and appoint a person as the boss of public safety. Luke in a rush to appoint a political cronie but the post is still empty. Did care and concern for the public's health die?

Another speaker was before City Council to ponder and plead for the re-deployment of Commander B, formerly of the east end and recently at Zone 3. She's been put to another area of the city.

I don't want to micro-manage decisions on the police force and with the administration. That isn't a job of those on city council. However, those decisions do reflect upon the administration. Having a revolving door of police commanders in the zone sends a message.

Cry-baby talk of 'mine, mine, mine' isn't going to prove to region that the zone is getting back on its feet. Spare the tears Bruce Krause.

In other points:

The South Side is going to be home to a running club for kids. They meet at 3 pm on Mondays and Wednesdays at Ormsby Rec Center.

The South Side Market House is going to come back to life with indoor hockey again. The season starts this week for the little kids. The fall season of indoor soccer was nixed, sadly. Good that the tykes and kids are getting some organized programming and gym time.

From Market House

A public hearing in city council chambers is slated for Wed afternoon. See the Google calendar called Pittsburgh City Hall. This talk about the PAT service cuts is a big issue that needs attention.

Today is a sad day on other transportation news as they are advancing the under river tunnel for light rail. I've spoken out against that project for many years. When asked about 'transportation' a year ago as I campaigned with Jeff Koch for the city council seat -- Mr. Koch said he wanted to re-pave Arlington Avenue. I said I wanted to not build the tunnel under the river, saving more than enough to re-pave Arlington Ave.

Going underground. Digging to China might make for a better Return On Investment.

Signature requirements to get onto the November 2007 ballot

Blast from the past. Mechanical voting machines.

To run as a third party candidate for an Allegheny County office that is 'county wide' (such as County Executive and At-Large member of Allegheny County Council) one needs 2,345 signatures.

To run as a third party candidate for City of Pittsburgh offices that are 'city wide' (such as Mayor and Controller) one needs 804 signatures.

To run for City Council, district 3, (my district) in the election slated for November, one needs 100 signatures.

To run for Allegheny County Council in district 13, (my district), one needs 270 signatures.

Allegheny Institute: Issue Summaries

The think tank, Allegheny Institute, pulled together a meta page of issue summaries. Nice work.

Allegheny Institute: Issue Summaries Issue # Title

Enjoy. Now I've got to blend them in with the Platform.For-Pgh.org/wiki.

Steelers coach sure to trump the mayor

Cute comment, except the part about the coach making more money. I'm a coach. I don't make more money than the may. But, as a coach, I have much better rewards and job satisfaction.

Steelers coach sure to trump the mayor - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (T)here are more candidates for the Pittsburgh Steelers' head coaching vacancy than there are for the Pittsburgh mayoral opening.

Tom Murphy used to say that being mayor was the best job in the world. He was wrong, yet again. Ex-coach, Bill Cowher now joins the ranks of the few who have the best duties that life can deliver. That's the calling to be a parent.

When coaching and parent mix within the same realm, then being a candidate for mayor but just a pain in the ass and yet another deed and investment of effort for the sake of the next generation of Pittsburghers.

We had a great time at Pine Richland's swim meet this Saturday and Sunday. Erik and Grant are evolving into swimming athletes. Erik won today's 100 breast and was second in yesterday's 400 I.M. Grant scored in the 100 fly. I've got some video to share shortly.

Whizenhunt out as Steelers' Coach Running Mate and in at the helm of the NFL Cardinals.

Grandpa's (my father-in-law) Obit from Maine

York County Coast Star Obituaries: Robert Palmer

OGUNQUIT -- Robert M. Palmer, 73, died Jan. 4, 2007, after a brief illness.

Mr. Palmer was born in Boston, Mass., and grew up in the suburb of Brookline. He graduated from Columbia University and served in the U.S. Army. Most of his career was with the Polaroid Corporation in Cambridge, Mass., where he became Director of Corporate Relations. For six years he served the Commonwealth as Chairman of the Governor's Advisory Committee on Corrections, first appointed by the late Governor Francis Sargent. He left Polaroid in 1981 and after several positions in the field of corporate relations, left Boston and settled in Ogunquit, where he became an active participant in the community. He joined the York County Coast Star where he wrote a weekly column, "Just Neighbors".

He leaves a brother, Charles of Wayland, Mass.; a sister, Judith Muggia of Winchester, Mass.; and a brother, E. Samuel of Arlington, Mass. In addition, he leaves his former wife, Barbara and their son, Robert of Conn.; and daughter, Catherine of Pittsburgh, Pa.; and three grandchildren, Cameron, Erik, and Grant.

Services will be private.

Contributions may be made in his name to Beacon Hospice, 42 Brickyard Road, York, ME, 03909.

The obit will run on Sunday in the Boston Globe. A story might also come from Boston too.

---

Update from Boston.com from Sunday, Jan 14, 2007:

Boston.com / News Robert M. Palmer

Age 73, Jan. 4. Died at home in Ogunquit, ME. Born in Boston, MA. Graduated from Columbia University & served in the U.S. Army. He was employed at Polaroid Corp. He leaves a brother Charles of Wayland, MA, a sister Judith Muggia of Winchester, MA, and a brother E. Samuel of Arlington, MA. In addition, he leaves his former wife Barbara and their son Robert of Connecticut and daughter Catherine of Pittsburgh, PA and three grandchildren. Services will be private. Contributions may be made in his name to Beacon Hospice, 42 Brickyard Road, York, ME 03909.
Published in the Boston Globe on 1/14/2007.

Another candidate joins crowded city Council District 9 race

Another candidate joins crowded city Council District 9 race A third challenger to City Councilwoman Twanda Carlisle emerged yesterday, as K. Chase Patterson, 23, of North Point Breeze announced plans to join what is shaping up to be a crowded field.

How do these journalist count? The lead says a THIRD challenger. Humm.

In no particular order:

K. Chase Patterson

Rachel Cooper

Ricky Burgess

Ora Lee Carroll

Judith Ginyard

Why the blind spot in the math?

In my race on March 14, 2006, there were NINE on the ballot. But, we were not working to take down an incumbent council member.

Tribune-Review editorial on ballot access

The Nader case: Pay up, Ralph - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review It is even clearer that Pennsylvania's political duopoly rigs ballot access against third-party and independent candidates.

See my video statement below.

City broadens path to police command

City broadens path to police command New Cmdr. Ross, 50, of Lincoln Place, will run Zone 3, which covers the South Side and South & West areas of the city. The 27-year veteran of the bureau rises from the rank of sergeant, which has long been a launching point to commander.

Cmdr. RaShall Brackney, famous for making Duke's Tire do a re-model of the building so as to not change the tires on the street as had been the practice for 30+ years, is headed back to her former stomping ground in the East End.

Could Plan C Keep Pens In Pittsburgh? - Sports

Let's be clear about Plan Z vs. Plan C:

Could Plan C Keep Pens In Pittsburgh? - Sports Pittsburgh is going to have to go further than Plan B to keep the Penguins in town.

Pittsburgh is going to have to go further than Plan C to keep the Penguins in Allegheny County.

As the web article and video snip from WPXI reports, the goal is to keep the Pens in "town." Plan Z's (my 'think again' plan) hope is to move the discussions further and inject a sense of long-term health of the team, fans, city, and region by thwarting a move out-of-state and insisting a move occurs from the lower Hill District to elsewhere within Allegheny County.

Bill Peduto's Plan C does offer the team more profits. At least Bill Peduto put a light on this topic. Dan Onorato said that "Delvelopment rights has always been up for negotiations."

Onorato wants to discount what Peduto put on the table and ignore Plan C as a step forward because of three reasons. First, Onorato would be happy to rip off the taxpayers and provide a give-a-way to the Penguins that wasn't disclosed. The more complicated the dealings, the less attention from the media and taxpayers. That's all good for Onorato who is a live-in-the-moment politician and care's little about the long-term ramifications. Peduto's Plan C shines a light on this type of dealmaking that Onorato had up his sleave. Tricks should be out on the table.

I also advocated this 'trick' concerning development rights. It could be injected into the dealings with the Penguins.

More talk about 'development rights' needs to occur in the mainstream media and the past stadium deals on the North Side (of Three Rivers Stadium), existing civic arena site, North Shore (between PNC & Heinz with Pirates and Steelers) and elsewhere in Allegheny County (Hazelwood, old airport site, Neville Island, and even around the new Convention Center).

The number of properties that have been ganged together, the amounts of investments and the public foolery that occurs is outlandish and hardly reported.

The Steelers and Pirates have broken their side of the deals to develop the land around the stadiums on the North Shore. They fumbled their duties. They have let time pass and little has been done. The outdoor concert venue is but one example that did get attention, more than two years ago, when Gov. Rendell promised $4-million in a state grant to get that project done. It isn't done. It's design is bad. Progress has choked. The public interest has been given the shaft in a complicated dealing.

To prove my point, do you know how much land the county owns around the new Greater Pittsburgh Airport? Remember the boom that was to happen in the airport corridor?

New highways have been built. Vacant land sprawls.

Remember the Pittsburgh Motor Speedway fiction? It was to be an indoor Indy oval.

Onorato also wants to discount Peduto's Plan C mentions because of political buddies. Luke Ravenstahl and Dan Onorato are connected at the hip now. This jazz of Plan C gives a wedge and spotlight where they don't want buzz.

Finally, Onorato wants to be the quarterback in this deal and be able to huddle in private. When huddles happen, the main guys turn their backs to the rest of the world.

Don Barden, winner of the lone Pittsburgh slots parlor license, pledged $350-million to Pittsburgh for development of the Hill District. That money goes along in addition to the $7-million per year for 30-years to help finance a new arena in Plan B.

My Plan Z called upon the use of some of Don Barden's pledged money, perhaps $20-million, to be used to acquire the property that is presently owned by Mario and the Penguins. They had purchased a bit of land near the present arena. The one building is getting aesbestos removed now.

Who is paying for that remediation, by the way? I think that it might be the Stadium and Exibition Authority, back-room deal. I'd like to see some journalist / watch dog investigate the letting of that contract.

Buildings will be demolished, of course. Buildings around the arena and the civic arena, to the tune of $7-million. This tear down that Plan A, Plan B, Plan C advocates is NOT a part of my Plan Z. We should keep the Civic Arena. We could even keep the buildings slated for demolition up on the hill if possible.

Years ago my position was to turn five floors of the old hospital into an International Youth Hostel. They let the building rot. Pittsburgh's Hostel in Allentown closed due to weenie board members lack of creativity. It still sits empty I think.

Perhaps a garden, Hostel with its safe warm beds and the lunch program that is already in place at the near by church could do wonders for many people and go a long way to helping to clean up Market Square.

As much as possible, we've got to insist that the Barden investment earmarked for the Hill District go up into the neighborhood. Let's not churn the lower Hill District. Rather, see it flow like an artery all the way into Oakland and Oak Hill. Much of the hill needs a lot of attention.

Consider $350-million. That's enough to build a street car line on Center Ave from the edge of town to Oakland. Sure, you can't run it all the way to the basement of USX, crossing the highway, and avoiding the Hill District until it pops back out again at the Merry-go-round in Schenley Plaza as some would want. But screw them.

Consider a street car line with back and forth service running along the spine of The Hill District with street treatments modest stops, mini shops, vendors, lighted, coffee counter, ajacent bikeway, ramps, occasional footbridge over traffic.

This is the time to allow the entire Hill District to bloosom.

Finally, two additional points before this wrap up to go to a two day swim meet at Pine Richland. Blog postings are needed to dive into the realm of giving away prime property to the Penguins for their profits -- rather than for the overall economy of the city. You don't cut off your nose despite your face.

I think that the Pens should have development rights and a property value upside when they create the investment energy. The windfall isn't theirs to capitalize upon if it is in The Hill District. But, if they made an Olympic Village by the Airport -- then they should get the mega profits and potential that they'd create.

Ororato and Peduto want to give away one of the jewels of the city with their profit windfalls to the Penguins. No. They get it and the public doesn't. We, collective public, lose, there -- forever.

Give them what isn't a jewel now -- and allow them the opportunity to create another. The Pens team is an asset. It can spawn more value for the region if they build elsewhere -- in a bigger, more grand, more diverse setting for our region.

To some, I admit, the civic arena is like a pimple on the landscape of Pittsburgh. But, to others, it is like a birth mark or dimple that makes us unique. The existing arena is there and it can be used as a point of strength.

People, investors, small business and home-owners will want to be near the existing civic arena once the Pens depart from their lease and the uses can be made civic again. The fitness and culture of the Hill Distrct and central city depend upon a wholistic re-use of the public spaces in and around the Civic Arena.

Democracy is important. Flashback from September 2004

Watch the Video of my (Mark Rauterkus) public address on 9-28-2004.

---

The following news story is recent.

Supreme Court hits Ralph Nader with $89,821 bill for his 2004 Pennsylvania ballot bid upholding first-of-kind ruling

News by Michael Richardson

The U.S. Supreme Court, by refusing to review a decision of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, has upheld a hefty $89,821 penalty levied against Ralph Nader for his failure to obtain ballot access in 2004 during his presidential campaign.

Nader has been ordered to pay the costs of the nineteen lawyers hired by the Democratic Party to challenge his nomination petitions in the Keystone State. This ruling will have a pronounced chilling effect on future candidates in Pennsylvania concerned about large legal bills if they lose. The original bill was $81,102, but has swelled because of interest accrued during the appeal.

Many Democrats blame Ralph Nader for the outcome of the 2000 presidential election where he supposedly siphoned off Democrat voters from the candidacy of Al Gore. Because of that animus, the Democrat Party waged a powerful war of attrition on Nader's 2004 candidacy bringing litigation against Nader in twenty lawsuits in seventeen states. Nader won fifteen of the lawsuits but lost after a hard-fought legal battle in Pennsylvania.

Around the nation, the Democrat Party hired eighty-nine lawyers from forty-eight law firms for the battle to keep Nader off the ballot. Coordinating the legal army was a command group called The Ballot Project whose stated goal was to "neutralize" Nader's campaign by forcing him "to spend money and resources defending these things."

Pennsylvania's restrictive ballot access law required Nader to submit 25,697 nomination petition signatures. Nader doubled that number up and turned in 51,273 signatures. The Democrats sued to challenge Nader's petitions and eleven Pennsylvania judges were assigned to hear the case in courtrooms around the state. Judge James Colins led the judicial team and eventually decided that Nader only had 18,818 valid signatures.

Dissenting from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court majority, which upheld Judge Colins, was Justice Saylor who found that 8,976 of the disqualified signatures should have been permitted, enough to have placed Nader on the ballot.

Emboldened by the state high court support for unbounded discretion, Judge Colins has since assessed the 2006 Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate, Carl Romanelli, with another punitive penalty of $89,668 for failure to make the ballot in a challenge brought again by the Democrats. This new doctrine of imposing stiff financial penalties to losing candidates is expected to sharply reduce candidacies of independent and minor party candidates who can little afford to take the risk of bankruptcy to run for office.

Romanelli had the additional burden, due to a quirk of the election cycle, of needing a whooping 67,000 signatures to place his name on the ballot under Pennsylvania's restrictive election code.

The ruling against Nader is the first of its kind in Pennsylvania and since followed by a similar ruling against Romanelli signals a new method of attack against political opponents that will have a chilling effect on candidate's First Amendment rights. Whether the two major parties start using the tactic against each other, or save the punitive penalties for independent and minor party candidates remains to be
seen. Nader's attorneys argued in their brief to the Supreme Court that the Pennsylvania ruling would spread to other states and greatly diminish voter
choice in future elections.

Michael Richardson is a freelance writer based in Boston. Richardson writes about politics, election law, human nutrition, ethics, and music. In 2004 Richardson was Ralph Nader's national ballot access coordinator. "The way to be happy is to make others happy."

Mr. Zober of the Ravenstahl administration earned his experiences in law doing this type of work -- and he's proud of it.

It makes no sense to burn $1 on a campaign in Pennsylvania given their crooked ways. Some are willing and ambitious and want to spend $1-million to get, perhaps, 30,000 votes.

Bogger Upgrade: I'm so nervous. Is it painless? Is there any risk?

Move your account to use the new Blogger

This is scary. The data on my blogs can't go away. What's the risk?

Director of Policy and Research at Elect.Rauterkus.com to depart South Side and Pennsylvania

Wilburn Hayden, Ph.D. -- moving to Toronto.

He is both a "Yellow Dog Democrat" and my friend who has held the role of "Director of Policy and Research" in my two recent campaigns. This semester he took a sabatical from Univ. of California of Pennsylvania, where he is in charge of the social work program. Cal U: About the Director California University of Pennsylvania MSW Program Director
Now he is in transition to the University of York where he'll be in charge of a much bigger program.

Furthermore, I'm to blame for showing him the job posting. I sent him the announcement / lead via email. Weeks later Wilburn had touched up his professional vita, was interviewing, giving job talks and negotiating a contract.

Now he is in Canada for meetings for a few days. He'll move there with his family at the end of the school year.

Are you ready for the new swim movie, "PRIDE" -- to run in March? These guys are swimmers. One is from Philly! I had a good meeting with those at the South Side Works Cinema about some special events. More news later.

PA Gaming Control Board posts week summary of $ and slots

Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has begun a weekly posting on its web site of gaming revenues from licensed operators. The reports provide a breakdown on wagering, payouts to patrons and the amount of machines operating.

Gaming Control Board Executive Director Anne Neeb said these reports are another step by the agency to provide information about Pennsylvania’s newest industry.

Isn't this PA's new monopoly, rather than "industry."

Monopoly Shop

Family & Business Health Security Act of 2007 = GOOD

Watch for this: Family & Business Health Security Act of 2007. I like it.

Meanwhile, Gov. Rendell's plan at health care reform is something different. His plan might be unveiled next week. All indications are that it will fall short. Rendell's plan fails to address key components.

Hospital in China.

Gov. Rendell says one thing yet does another.

The Busman's Holiday: Mayor Ravenstahl Q&A & New McNeilly Case Documents

The Busman's Holiday: Mayor Ravenstahl Q&A & New McNeilly Case Documents Podcast: Mayor Answers Reporters Questions

My memo with both praise and constructive remarks to Bob Mayo about yesterday's coverage is posted at his blog in the comments section. And here:

---

Well done Bob. I don't need to listen to the podcast, as I was there in person. But I'm very glad to see you are doing this type of collection of digital dust -- and putting a light on matters.

We need watchdog journalists.

Too bad, at that event, there were not questions about the Pittsburgh Promise. I was wondering, how much money the Pgh Federation of Teachers gives to candidates each election cycle (all endorsed democrats, and 99% in office already) vs. how much it gave to the college scholarship fund. Was the ration 5 to 1 in favor of money to status quo politicians vs youth in the city.

How many of the 4,000 members of the PFT have kids in the Pgh Public Schools?

Would LUKE, a product of Catholic School, like it when only public school kids get college scholarships?

What about North Catholic, Luke's old school, moving outside the city? Can't he do something about getting them to stay here. He did talk about getting families to move back into the city. -- because of this Pgh Promise.

The Pgh Promise is sure to be a broken promise. Do the math. The student has a brother looking to spend $60,000 for an undergrad degree. Plus, there are two others in the family.

This venture, Pgh Promise, does NOT even have a bank account yet. Why not? Did they think it through?

Finally, the Pgh Promise is nothing but a bribe to get students to move to Pgh. It won't work. It didn't work for Lazarus either. And they got millions.

The journalist were at the event to get in some digs about this case, and missed a golden opportunity to cover the real news. More wool is going to be pulled over the eyes of the city -- and watchdogs are needed. Cover all sides of the Pgh Promise, please.

A MEMO FROM CITY COUNCILWOMAN DARLENE HARRIS

Ms. Adventures on the MonFROM DARLENE'S DESK (via Ms. Monongahela's blog)

January 9, 2007

Dear Constituents,

It has come to my attention that some of you are not pleased with my 'after hours' smoking in a building where smoking is prohibited.

I just got a wave of excitement about the 2008 campaign for US President.

Incorporation papers were filed in Texas for a Ron Paul 2008 presidential exploratory committee.

Ron Paul's roots are from Pittsburgh.

He's a "little L" libertarian and the best person we, the people, have in Washington, DC.

Teachers union gives $10,000 to new city scholarship fund

Teachers union gives $10,000 to new city scholarship fundTeachers union gives $10,000 to new city scholarship fund

Do the math. This is sure to be a broken promise.

Octopus card described in Wikipedia. This is EXACTLY what PAT and Pittsburgh should deploy before service cuts come

"8" and me.

If I was the Allegheny County Executive, I'd insist that PAT deploy the Octopus Card as soon as possible and before any service cuts. The data comes after the cards are deployed. Then fares can be adjusted in an easy fashion.

Octopus card - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Octopus card
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Octopus card is a rechargeable contactless stored value smart card used to transfer electronic payments in online or offline systems in Hong Kong. Originally launched in September 1997 to collect fares for the city's mass transit system, the Octopus card system has grown into a widely-used payment system not only for virtually all public transport in Hong Kong, but also for making payment at convenience stores, supermarkets, fast-food restaurants, on-street parking meters, car parks and many other point-of-sale applications such as service stations and vending machines. In addition, the system is used for access control to offices, schools and apartments. Some charities even accept Octopus cards to receive donations. Making a payment involves placing the card in close proximity to an Octopus card reader and a tone from the reader will confirm the merchant has received funds. Cards can be recharged with cash at add-value machines in subway and rail stations, over-the-counter in stores such as 7-Eleven, Wellcome and Circle K, or directly through credit cards and bank accounts.



Octopus has become one of the world's most successful electronic cash systems, with approximate 14 million Octopus cards in circulation (twice Hong Kong's population), ten million transactions per day, 420 service vendors, and 50,000 processors.

These cards are slick. But the technology goes beyond the card as cards are able to be put into other products. I like this feature of additional Octopus products. You may even see people waving their cellphone, watch or even a keychain over the Octopus reader. Can't forget or miss-place your card if it is on your watch.

Slippery Rock in baseball's lineup

Slippery Rock in baseball's lineup Slippery Rock in baseball's lineup
Town welcomes a minor league in need

Thursday, January 11, 2007
By Milan Simonich, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Small towns often court baseball's minor leagues, dipping into tax money to build stadiums for wealthy team owners.

For one season at least, Slippery Rock has bucked the trend.

The university town, with just 5,400 permanent residents, will play host this summer to an independent professional team from the Frontier League. Slippery Rock will not shell out so much as a nickel for the team or its ballpark.

PA ball yard.

Would you rather build on 50 acres or 500?

These guys are thinking again as to where in the world should the Penguins put a new venue for hockey? By the airport and highways? Or, use a shoe horn and level so as to squeeze it into the lower Hill District?

Apple Unlikely To Go To Court In iPhone Trademark Dispute, Experts Say - Hardware News by InformationWeek

Apple Unlikely To Go To Court In iPhone Trademark Dispute, Experts Say - Hardware News by InformationWeek 'I was surprised and disappointed when Apple decided to go ahead and announce their new product with our trademarked name without reaching an agreement,' Mark Chandler, Cisco general counsel, said in a company blog. 'It was essentially the equivalent of 'we're too busy.''

Perhaps Apple do a switch away from iPhone and Steve Jobs will pick another name -- list that of his new wife who hails from Pittsburgh, the iJustine.

Did you see her on MSNBC yesterday?

I think she is on a S.F. shopping spree these days.

You do the math and other tidbits from the PFT with boss of city school's counterpart

Luke Ravenstahl, Mark Roosevelt, a few students and a ton of media folks came together at 11:30 on the South Side at the offices of the Pgh Federation of Teachers to celebrate a $10,000 check for Pittsburgh's Promise from a 4,000 member organization.

After the formal presentation, in the lobby of the building, Mayor Luke stood his ground and took 15 minutes of questions from a hoard of journalist about yesterday's decision by the judge regarding the ongoing court case that pits the city against one of its top female commanders on the police force.

I learned nothing. Furthermore, I didn't hear what I wanted to hear in the post-game nor in the main event.

Luke should say, "Yesterday's decision by the judge is behind us. The Commander is back on the job today. We've settled the matter. Everyone is back to work. We are all trying to make this city a wonderful and safe city to live, work, and raise our children. The Commander is going to be compensated from the past mistakes. I'm sorry that this has been such a distraction."

As a taxpayer, I don't like seeing a police commander in a court battle with my mayor. This is a lose-lose deal. Money is going down the drain to attorneys and not headed to education or recreation or street repairs or police detectives.

Luke should make this go away right away. Say, "Sorry." Fix the problems. Be prudent. Insist upon a high threashold before court.

Luke seemed to want to hold his ground. He even said he'd welcome the deposition. He feels he is above it all. He feels that the problem was put on his desk and he walked into this as part of the transition.

This is a rookie mistake from a pinch-runner without a warm-up. Not a show-stopping big-hairy deal, if it ends now.

Unusual Buildings

Unusual Buildings - AOL Money & FinanceBuildings That Rock!

YouTube rivals look for answers | CNET News.com

This is a major breakthrough. Major. The article is important. But look at the visual map on the left side of the screen.

YouTube rivals look for answers | CNET News.com For months, analysts have predicted a shakeout in the much-hyped video-sharing sector, a business made famous by YouTube.

It increasingly looks like they were right.

Revver, a Los Angeles video-sharing company noted for being among the first to share advertising revenue with videographers, announced last month that two of the company's three co-founders and an undisclosed number of 'support staff' were no longer with the company. Among those who left were Rob Maigret, Revver's chief technology officer, and David Tenzer, the head of media partnerships.

That is a poorly designed concept map. That's the wave of the future. That's what I was working on about 8 years ago.

AntiRust hits at logic of sports venue building

AntiRust Remember a few years ago when the Pirates were demanding a new stadium? One of the reasons supporters cited in that case was that the Pirates sucked. And that the sucking was a direct result of a crappy stadium. And that the new stadium would result in less sucking. (It didn't.) Now we seem to have a complete reversal. The public has to pay for the Penguin's arena because the team doesn't suck.

Good posting.

Baseball Hall of Fame Opens to Fellow Polar Bear Swimmer

Carbolic Smoke Ball VENDOR T.C. CONGDON ELECTED TO BASEBALL HALL OF FAME

I think T.C. was swimming on New Year's Day on the Wharf.

Can someone confirm?

His autograph is more valuable now, since he is known as a polar bear swimmer.

American Swimming Association to host first-ever Open Water Swimming National Collegiate Championship.

Love this news. Love Keith Bell too!

January 10, 2007 -- Austin, Texas

The American Swimming Association will host the first-ever Open Water Swimming National Collegiate Championship in Austin, Texas in Lake Travis on Saturday, November 3, 2007. The ASA Open Water Swimming National Collegiate Championships will include a 5k in the main basin of Lake Travis. In addition to individual men's and women's titles; Men's, Women's and Combined Open Water Team Championships will be contested. Event information and entry forms available at www.AmericanSwimmingAssociation.com.

The American Swimming Association offers a growing number of exciting and fun competitive swimming events for youth, masters, high school, and collegiate swimmers, including the ASA University League National Championships for collegiate club swimming teams. In April 2007 ASA U. Nationals will be held at the University of Virginia Aquatics and Fitness Center in Charlottesville, VA.

For more information contact:

Dr. Keith Bell, President, American Swimming Association, LLC, 512-327-2260
info -at- AmericanSwimmingAssociation.com - http://www.AmericanSwimmingAssociation.com

Celebration movie. Click to view.

Gather.com First Chapters Writing Competition Group Home Page | Gather

Pointer for my friends that can write. Give it a whirl.

Writing Competition Page | Gather Enter The Gather.com First Chapters Writing Competition

Are you an unpublished author looking to get your fabulous work of fiction in bookstores near you? Well, put away your query letters and fear of rejection and enter The Gather.com First Chapters Writing ...

Arena Re-Imagined - News Feature - City Paper

Rob gets nominated for Pittsburgher of the Year.

Pittsburgh - Mellon Arena Re-Imagined - News - News Feature - Pittsburgh City Paper Rob Pfaffmann and other preservationists have resumed a four-year-old campaign to keep Mellon right where it is -- and put the structure to new uses.

We talked (Rob, Violet and I) for a moment at the holiday party hosted by Bike Pittsburgh and the Riverlife Task Force in December.

Participants proposed a "super kid center" with year-round ice and roller rinks, an "ethnic marketplace" and even a "biosphere" modeled after Montreal's re-used Olympic velodrome, which now serves as an environmental education showcase. Participants also envisioned new housing nearby, a crescent-shaped park around the arena, and an overlook on top. Drawings show a large slice of the city dramatically visible through the retracted arena roof.

Today, preservationists still believe the arena could have a new life, and that demolition shouldn't be the only option.

The only tweek to this -- is keep the velodrom! Perhaps we can get the parts from Montreal and stuff that into the arena, then it would be meaningful to say 'go down around the arena, @N.'

Sure. Save the Arena. Make this part of town way more attractive for local business location. Build something that home owners of downtown and Hill District -- as well as Polish Hill, South Side, Bluff and Strip District residents / new investors would want to be close to.

This next point is very important. Sala Udin, take note to what follows.

Many Hill District residents regard the structure as an obstacle to more beneficial development -- and a jarring reminder of redevelopment promises yet to be fulfilled.

First, get over it! This isn't the '60s, still. Seriously, keeping the existing arena is less jarring than a new one. And, a re-deployed civic arena is going to be better blended into the existing landscape once the rest of Mario's properties are purchased by Barden. The surface parking lots of today get hidden and blended. And, when we keep the arena, new buildings get built the hill, throughout the streets of the whole neighborhood. Otherwise, a churn of the same parcel occurs.

You know, the grass field at Heinz Field needs to stay green all season long. What if the Sports and Exibition Authority had the big idea of moving Heinz Field from its present location to a spot two blocks away, sorta where Three Rivers Stadium stood. This way the land around Heinz Field gets the long awaited development that has been promised. And, the grass might be more hardy there, on the sacred spaces once occupied by Exhibition Park.

What good does it do us to build a new arena right next the old one, implode the old one with money still owed on it, and have a net gain of one food court that sells $3 pretzels. Heck, the dipping cheese won't even be a good once they outlaw the trans-fats.

A more beneficial development can sprout out of the shell of the existing Civic Arena. We need to noodle as to what can occur there. The activities and the flow of people to and around the Hill District and Downtown could be better, way, way better than what is attracted by NHL Hockey.

The hoped for gracious near-town living won't come to the lower Hill Distict until and unless a great recreational venue is in the same neighborhood. No city rec center will seal the deal for anyone, sad to say.

The preservationists' first priority, he says, is to win broad support for saving the arena. "Getting people to believe that it is worthy of saving," he adds, "is going to save the building."

Rob and Pittsburgh -- you have broad support from me.

I pledge to save the Civic Arena with more spit and vigor than Jim Ferlo's efforts to save Oakland's Siria Mosque.

Rec Center viewed from two different locations: From the water.

From the land.

I'd love to see Mario's new venue built on the Ohio River -- downstream from Downtown. Our best highway that never needs to be re-paved is the river. And, when it is near I79, the Parkway West 376, and the river -- we'll be able to expand and attract young people as residents!

The Rec Center in the photos is much smaller than the new arena. But notice the hight and density of the near-by buildings. It would be silly to circle the new arena with townhouses. Rather, put in high-rise buildings. Make this a real Olympic Village -- our Pennsylvania Penguins Village.

The Burgh Report says investigation becomes either / or

The Burgh Report Ravenstahl's decision is either a severe lack of judgment or a cognizant willingness to sweep Regan's wrongdoing under the rug.

My hunch goes to the sweeping option.

Did you see this guy biking to Grant Street recently?

From china - bike

ATTENTION BUS AND TROLLEY RIDERS:

The sky is falling.

OUR PUBLIC TRANSIT SYSTEM IS ABOUT TO DIE!

*State politicians have done NOTHING in 6 years to properly fund public transit in PA!

*Local elected leaders are refusing to go to Harrisburg to ask for dedicated funding that would PREVENT these service cuts and fare hikes!

*The predicted 25% service cuts are INEVITABLE regardless of whether or not we get dedicated funding before June 2007!

SO JOIN OTHER BUS AND TROLLEY RIDERS FOR A MARCH AND RALLY TO DEMAND NO SERVICE CUTS AND NO FARE HIKES!

Monday, January 22, 2007 - 8:30am to 10:00am


PLACE: Mellon Square (Sixth Ave. and William Penn Place, Downtown)

**We will be gathering at 8:30 am at Mellon Square. The rally will begin at 8:45 am. The march will begin at 9:15 am; we will be ending at the Pittsburgh Hilton, where the 1st Port Authority public hearing will be held at 10 am.

SAVE OUR TRANSIT!

No more service cuts! No more fare hikes!

For more information call 412-361-3022 OR email zeidersamanda@gmail.com

I don't like these chants. Stop the tunnel would be high on my list of expressions. Perhaps I'll go to the rally and have a sign that says "I'm NOT Digging It!"

Another good message: Bike to rule in Wabash & on Busways!

Judge overturns demotion of Pa. police commander

NEPA News - Judge overturns demotion of Pa. police commander 'The law is clear. The loss of First Amendment freedoms even for the smallest amount of time constitutes irreparable harm,' Ambrose said.

Freedom wins. Not only are McNeilly and her attorneys overjoyed, but all liberty minded people can take a deep breath and smile.

Good to hear that the city will abide by the decision. Bad that they just don't stop now. I'd not want to take this any further if I was the mayor, or even if I'm a candidate. I really don't want to see the case proceed if I'm a taxpayer -- and I am that.

If it was the Murphy Administation, they would have gone all the way to they could with appeals. To be better -- end the case now.

Luke should chalk this up to a 'rookie mistake' and be done with it as soon as possible.

Still to come: Who is going to be named the public service director? Anyone? Is this an important job? (Hell yes.) Who gets the nod? (???) Does a national search begin? What are they waiting for?

Teachers join 'Pittsburgh Promise' - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Way to go.

Teachers join 'Pittsburgh Promise' - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and John Tarka, president of the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers, will hold a news conference at 11:30 p.m. Thursday at the union’s South Side headquarters to announce the teachers’ participation. Although Tarka would not disclose the amount before tomorrow’s meeting, Ravenstahl called it “symbolic progress.”

“We recognize The Pittsburgh Promise is a promise to continue to improve the school district, and the teachers support this kind of effort to provide help to students,” Tarka said.

How much do you think that they'll put into the kitty?

How much of a campaign donation do you think that they'll make too? The PFT gives money to candidates. The PFT gave money to Jeff Koch. Jeff is a Democrat.

I hope that the Pittsburgh Promise isn't a key to anything other than a few headlines from now and then. A broken promise is nothing to hang one's hat nor hopes upon.

New Blog: Early Returns from the P-Gers

Rich Lord called this a blog. Ha, ha, ha. This is a web site. A blog generally allows for comments. This is very 1999ish. Well, perhaps it is 2002ish.

I email Rich Lord saying that Les Ludwig started talking about "alternative funding" back in 2003. I felt that the news of Luke's deal with the California firm should have quoted Ludwig. Heck, he ran for Mayor on that as a central platform plank. Furthermore, the words, "Do More With Les" were spoken by young Mayor Luke Ravenstahl at his first budget address in recent months.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Local News - Early Returns Welcome to Early Returns, the Post-Gazette's online guide to Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania politics. Politics Editor James O'Toole can be reached at jotoole@post-gazette.com, and former Harrisburg correspondent Bill Toland can be reached at btoland@post-gazette.com. The Early Returns staff also now includes city hall reporter Rich Lord, who can be reached at rlord@post-gazette.com.

Ora Lee Carol is a candidate for Pittsburgh City Council.

Newest US Citizen Formally Announces Bid To Unseat Harris Of Council Seat

Press Contact: Contact@Dave4Council.Net (412) 894-8743
New American and Returning Candidate.

Pittsburgh, PA – Responding to calls from North Side residents for a change in the way council does business, newly naturalized US Citizen, Dave Schuilenburg, affirmed today that he will seek to unseat Darlene Harris of Pittsburgh’s City Council District 1 seat. “It is with deep humility that I announce today my intention to present myself again as an alternative for voters to City Council’s & Darlene Harris’ spending ways” announced Schuilenburg, the 9-1-1 dispatcher & Summer Hill home owner who presented a respectable challenge to the unpopular former Pittsburgh Public School board member in the November 7th Special Election.

Schuilenburg’s confirmation of a re-run for the office comes amidst recent media reports which brought to light a purchase initiated by Ms Harris of a Smoke Eater for her office in the non-smoking City-County building. “Not only are tax payers forking the bill for her Ms Harris’ bad & unhealthy habit, but an illegal one at that, and that is simply unethical & unacceptable!” comments Schuilenburg.

“Not only does this show that Ms Harris has not changed her spending ways,” continued Schuilenburg, “but it also shows her blatant disrespect for the residents that elected her, and the law for that matter. Is this truly the ‘fiscal manager’, as she called herself before the Post-Gazette editors, we want to lead us out of the city’s fiscal crisis for the next 4 years? More importantly, is this the example of leadership we want to set for our children?”

In contrast, Schuilenburg plans on running a campaign focused on concrete reforms he calls ‘An Agenda Of Positive Change’, policy ideas he initially presented during last fall’s special election for the district’s council seat. The platform was overshadowed, however, by his opponent’s tactic of raising concern with his citizenship status at the time. “Though I had heard several reports of my opponents going door-to-door attempting to convince voters to hold back lending me their support due to such, their success was minimal at best. More importantly, however,” adds Schuilenburg “now that my 5+ year process to become a citizen has finally come to end last month, this time around the onus falls back on them to counter with their concrete ideas for change, something none of them, including Ms Harris, did last time around.”

Setting his sights on ‘out of favor’ Harris, Schuilenburg adds “Let’s not forget that she only won based on the electorate’s strong will to unseat Santorum & Hart, and the ‘Straight Party’ ticket wave that accomplished such, despite not having had to run in a May primary. Considering she only had 45% of the district committee members endorsement in the fall, however,” adds Schuilenburg “I can guarantee that she will not win this year without placing a 4 year plan for the North Side & the city out for debate, should she even have one!”

Ms Harris’ unpopularity originates from ill decisions made during her tenor on the PPS board, including one to open nearby schools with low attendance during a fiscal crisis, actions which subsequently cost the school district loss of significant grant money from highly respected local endowments. Temporarily withdrawing their financing of school programs, the Heinz Endowment & Pittsburgh Foundation specifically cited her lack of ‘governance, leadership & financial discipline’ as their reason, and subsequently reinstated the funding when the electorate voted her out of office the following election.

A respected member of various upper North Side community & action committees, including the North Side Weed & Seed and the North Side Public Safety Council, Schuilenburg presented himself last November as the most non-partisan choice to Harris, and was quoted as being ‘the most knowledgeable candidate on the issues’ by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Likewise, Schuilenburg ran a campaign on proposed concrete ideas as opposed to name recognition as attempted to do other candidates, and garnered almost half the votes the candidates with recognizable name did.

Schuilenburg’s documented platform of council reforms includes allowing the electorate the opportunity to vote on downsizing council from 9 to at least 7 members; improvements to public safety, including a reorganization resources so as to free up officers for true police work; pro-merger of city-county administrative & bureaucratic duplicate services; and refocusing capital investments into neighborhoods, a position current Mayor Ravenstahl has taken in his first budget. Schuilenburg even proposes holding a public ‘Socio-Economic Summit’ with North Side neighborhood groups & elected officials of all levels so as to set forth strategies & priorities for kick-starting improvements to the quality of life on the North Side as a whole. “When East Allegheny, Troy Hill & Manchester suffer, we all suffer; and it is time for leaders with ideas from across the North Side to come forth and present those ideas for consideration”.

Councilman Wants Stricter Nuisance Law Enforced - News

Councilman Wants Stricter Nuisance Law Enforced - News One local councilman is arguing that Pittsburgh's nuisance law is not being enforced, as it should be.

Motznik wants to see stricter enforcement. How about any enforcement. It isn't being enforced at all.

"This is something that has been holding my community hostage," said council member Twanda Carlisle.

The overlords in this town are also holding the city hostage. We don't self govern. We don't have self reliance. What then do you expect? Yes, Pittsburgh is held hostage.

Accountability is absent.

Transit riders are held hostage to PAT, an authority with an appointed board. The Pens fans felt jolted by the I.O.C. plan for a new arena by the appointed PA Gaming Board. The history lovers are held hostage to the Allegh. Conference folks who want to bulldoze over the significance of Point State Park.

We're in an era of authority madness.

Even the schools are pulled in certain directions by the foundations and their hired bosses, such as Mark Roosevelt.

"Right now, every one of our neighborhoods are being taken over by people who just don't care," said councilman Bill Peduto.

Until there was a fire, folks within the city didn't care. And, now, only the folks on council seem to raise a voice. The city administration does not care. That's the worse.

Motznik said he is going to get a full public airing of this issue with city officials invited to council table in the weeks ahead.

Wrong again. If Motznik wants a full public airing of this issue, then he needs to call for a combined post-agenda and public hearing. The public won't be able to speak at the public meeting Motznik is calling. Motznik doesn't really care to hear the public on this topic. This is not a full public hearing unless the public can speak and be heard.

Duhh.... Actions speak too.

By the way, the house that is next to mine, and the house that is next to that house -- sit vacant. They have been empty for months. They have suburban owners.

By the way 2, there are a number of houses for sale on my street. A house on my street was torn down two months ago as well. It was torn down by private funds, not a city crew.

The economic worry of this original bill could depress the property values of all of us who own in the city. And, it could increase the number of tax leins that the city dishes out. That's been a huge problem for years. Finally, empty lots where good houses used to stand causes blight and a loss of density. With current zoning laws, many of those structures can't be re-built.

The great fix for all of this -- a return to the land value tax.

Another fix -- give 12 year old kids something meaningful to do so that they are net setting fires to empty buildings, like what was done in Hazelwood. There is an empty school building, the former Gladstone Middle School, in Hazlewood, with an empty swim pool and two un-used gyms.

Ghost burgh -- part 2 on why the civic arena's venue should not be a tombstone marker

We all know and hear it often: downtown is ghost town after dark.

If you take the Penguins out of downtown, or really out of the lower Hill District, and that's right next to downtown. Then downtown is going to be a ghost town.

Humm. Downtown is a ghost town now -- with the Pens.

Perhaps the Pens help to insure that downtown continues as a ghost town.

If you take the Pens out of the lower Hill District location, then we'll have great opportunities to make the Civic Arena venue a real vibrant place for hundreds of people every day, every time slot.

When 15,000 people drop in for 3 periods -- they leave their mark. These people don't take mass transit to and from the hockey games. These people generally drive in and drive home.

The big venue in town would become the new hockey venue. If Mick and the Rolling Stones come to town -- they go to Mario's new place. Great. That's just what we want. We want the flexibility of big events in a big indoor venue that can cater to those mega crowds. Perhaps that isn't the Civic Arena.

But the Civic Arena is a great smaller venue. The facility can be re-tooled to suit the neighborhood and handle a constant flow of hundreds of people each hour, thousands a day. Ten thousands each week.

That's not scary. That's how to avoid the traps of being a ghost town.

Plan D objections: See the light -- part 1

Bill Peduto's Plan C was a topic of a brief discussion in council chambers today. I told Bill and a few others, get the talk of building a new hockey venue to another place besides the lower Hill District.

Bill's first quick objection was to the point of the hockey lockout. When the Pens didn't play a season of hockey recently, some in downtown, like Joyce at the Carlynton, nearly went out of business. The hockey fans helped keep him alive by eating meals there, even when the eatery is downtown.

No problem.

When the Penguins move to another venue in Allegheny County, perhaps there will be an opportunity to establish a new resturant within the complex of the new hockey arena, say out near the airport.

More to the point however, when the Pens move to another venue outside of Allegheny County -- the Civic Arena is still going to be there where it sits now. The Pens might play hockey elsewhere -- and in turn -- there will be more and different events slated at the existing Civic Arena.

Perhaps civic events hosted at the Civic Arena after hockey leaves the venue will be able to generate more customers for downtown eating establishments than what was done with Penguins fans.

If the lower Hill District, and the rest of the Hill District swells with new business and new home/condo owners, then the resturant will have tons of additional traffic on a day in and day out basis. Let's beef up the hill with new housing and in-fill developments and make that area attractive. Then there will be lots of new customers who are not there now.

Furthermore, the new customers I'm speaking about would never choose to live in the shaddow of a mega hockey venue. They won't want to live next door to Mario's new ice palace.

The entire east end of Pittsburgh's central core can flourish after the Pens depart. A hockey night in Pittsburgh is an exciting time. But, if you have to go home after work to give relief to the baby sitter, or go to a school event, or dash out for grocery and what-not, it sucks to be stuck in hockey game traffic for 30 minutes.

Case in point: I go every month to our Libertarian Party meeting at Ritters Diner on Baum Blvd. I drive from my home on the South Side. On a hockey night this trip can take me 40-50 minutes. The game traffic brings a good section of the city to gridlock. That isn't fun for everyday headaches. People will choose to live elsewhere.

People won't want to develop the Hill District and beyond if the Pens build a new arena there. Those neighborhoods will continue to slide.

People won't want to invest in a new business and put it so close to the new hockey venue so as to prevent delivery trucks, have sky-high parking rates, contend with fans who fill every available parking spot for miles, and so on.

Council eyes nuisance properties. Eye em all they want. Head scratching next?

Council eyes nuisance properties - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Pittsburgh City Council this morning said it wants to resurrect a 2-year-old 'nuisance property' ordinance that hasn't been enforced since it was created.

Let's NOT make laws (or in this case, ordinances) that are not enforced. Serious enforcement problems exist. But, the enforcement comes because of a hyper-active legislative body that can't come to grips with its own mission.

Blogger is back

Blogger has been out for a good portion of today. It seems to be back. Yesterday Picassa was not working. It too is back.

Supreme Court refuses to hear Nader's appeal of Pa. ruling

AP Wire | 01/08/2007 | Supreme Court refuses to hear Nader's appeal of Pa. ruling HARRISBURG, Pa. - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday let stand a Pennsylvania court ruling that requires former independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader and his running mate to pay more than $80,000 for costs incurred by a group who challenged their nominating papers in the 2004 general election.

Arena 'Plan C' offers Penguins profits.

This is bad, and its outcome goes the wrong way in the end.

Once again part of what Bill Peduto says makes sense and is worthy of support. Then the other part of what he says is hated. A little bit of good and a ton of bad.

If this was football, Bill Peduto played the game like Ohio State played last night. Opening kickoff goes for a TD and the rest is ugly.

Or if it is one play, Bill Peduto takes the conversation, the ball, downfield on a sweep to the sidelines. His student body left or right advances more than 10 yards giving a first down -- if only he did a Franco and ducked out of bounds then and there. But no. Peduto doesn't allow himself to stop where he should (IMNSHO). Peduto keeps on his feet. He reverses field. He goes back the other way and ends up seeing daylight. He runs backwards for 30 yards. He runs in the opposite direction ending up with a net loss of three times what he could have gained. Ouch.

Cheering for Peduto feels a lot like cheering for Ohio State in last nights big BCS Championship Game. The opening kickoff is a great run and touch down. Excitement swells! Then comes the rest of the game and a total disappointment follows. Florida blew the doors off of Ohio State after the first play.

I'm glad to see Bill Peduto do something to address the Pens situation. He finally went onto the field.

Last week I asked City Council to call a combined post agenda and public hearing concerning the Penguins and Civic Arena situation. They didn't. They had little to loose. They should have gotten some discussion moving on this hot topic.

On the kick off, Bill takes the ball and scores big points with me by saying tht the Penguins should share in the profits of activities that go beyond the game day transactions. The Pens greed makes it so that they'll need to have a better upside in the dealings so as to have long-term mega profits. The luxery and corporate boxes, naming rights, concessions and broadcasting elements are just not enough. Poor, poor, Pens.

I like the idea that Bill Peduto is thinking out of the box. He understands that there are creative ways to put the Pens operations into the bedrock of Western Pennsylvania. This makes it so the team won't threaten moves again in the next 5, 10 or 20 years.

I like the move too so as to link Don Barden's offers to the Pens and a proposal to invest in the Hill District.

Then everything else just sucks.

The Pens should NOT build its new venue on the lower Hill District. But, the Pens could sell its existing land interests in the lower Hill District to Don Barden.

Barden's money can provide an exit plan for the past investments of The Pens so as to not tie up that property for entertainment.

The lower Hill District and the upper Hill District need some serious attention. We need to make sustainable development work with the fabric of the community. We can't wedge a new venue in there that doesn't fit to the scale and desires of what we really needs -- affordable housing, mixed use properties, density of development, home owners, small businesses. The whole Hill District should start to thrive again by getting back to the basics. From Oak Hill to the edge of the Civic Arena property, there is a lot of potential.

I predict that the population throughout the Hill District to Oakland could increase by 20-times in 10 years if the right leadership emerged.

Presently, there is a lot of vacant land there. That land should be taxed heavily. Then the fix ups to the properties should be without new taxes. As we shift back to a land value tax, the Hill District would boom., as would other places in the inner core of the city.

One of the keys to getting The Hill District to flourish again is develop without the mess and snarls of a new hockey venue. Putting in a new palace, right in your face, isn't going to offer the stability and investment understanding that people want as a close neighbor.

If a public owned, public financed hockey venue goes into the lower Hill District, as proposed by Plan C, then tens of thousands of other home owners won't show up as residents and small business owners in those nearby neighborhoods.

I feel that you could put a ton of public housing around a new hockey arena and force people to live there. But we've tried that. It failed. We took down the projects -- for good reason. Or, you could put the new arena somewhere else in Allegheny County and thousands of people will move back into the Hill District in an organic way.

Calm the Hill District with peace keeping and by supporting basic needs -- and then we'd see those neighborhoods flourish again. Sensible development would work. New investments from a slew of owners would welcome a new day for the torn corners of The Hill.

A new hockey venue isn't a way to calm that part of the city.

I do love the concept of having local and state officials working with the Penguins to partner in development efforts so as to share in the profits. That concept would be key to negotiations to keep the team from moving out of state.

But don't give away a great part of the city to The Penguins. The greatness of The Hill District won't re-emerge under the guidance and ownership of The Penguins.

Get the Penguins 300, 400, or 500 acres of land out by the airport. We have the land there. We have the highways. We want a new palace for the Penguins. It could fit next to a new, urban, Olympic Village where The Penguins could sell high rise condos for people of all ages.

Remember Washington's Landing? That whole development sprung up around a rowing center. But this Olympic Village, the Penguins Village, should be with high rise buildings, not golf course town houses. We have Neville wood already. This would be a short van ride to the golf courses and the botanical gardens at Settler's Cabin. But, this vision is for new urban living, mixed use, long-term investment, home owners, condo living, vertical office park, recreation, and day cares for both babies and seniors.

If the Pens had a big chunk of that in the negotiations and 5,000 of its fan base was within walking distance on game night -- we'd be onto something new for exansion that the world would value and celebrate.

Arena 'Plan C' offers Penguins profits Peduto proposal would allow team to share in Mellon Arena site, Lower Hill development

Tuesday, January 09, 2007
By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

State and local politicians should go beyond Plan B to offer the Penguins something other cities can't -- a share of the profits in the redevelopment of the Mellon Arena site, city Councilman Bill Peduto says.

City: Row house should have been sealed - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Fix the problem, not the blame.

Some would blame ex-mayor Tom Murphy. He's been out of office for more than a year.

I'm fine at blaming Tom Murphy for plenty of our ills. But I can't pin all the blame on him for a fire that happened one week ago. But, it was started by a 12 year old kid who isn't on a water polo team, isn't able to play ball at the sports complex on the flat land next to the river at the bend in Hazlewood.

City: Row house should have been sealed - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review City Council President Doug Shields, whose district includes Hazelwood, said about 25 percent of the neighborhood's housing stock should be demolished.

What we should have done is build new housing down Panther Hollow and have a graduate student housing there, next to the Peterson Event Center.

Hazelwood matters. The nonprofits are doing nothing with this asset. We can blame Murphy and Doug Shield for this lack of action.

Don't point many fingers Doug Shields. You've been working on Grant Street for how long?

Honz Man and Tunnel Call

I got to speak with Fred, the Honz Man, as a call in on his afternoon KDKA Radio show yesterday. I wasn't clicked off the air too quickly. This is worth a re-cap as there was a funny moment, just after our conversation ended.

I hate the tunnel (Honz likes it) and the same for the "fair tax." We never got to talking about the fair tax however. Plus, I don't like the re-do of Point State Park either -- and Fred agrees with me on that waste.

The tunnel is a bad idea because it has a poor return on investment. R.O.I.

Honz's point of 'where was I' in offering opposition to the tunnel years ago does not wash with me. I hated the tunnel for a long time and I spoke out against it on many instances over the years. Too many to count. http://Ratsburgh.blogspot.com.

We naysayers did score a victory when they decided to nix the change in the light rail stop for the back of the Convention Center.

Honz wonders what we gain if the tunnel under the river for expansion of light rail is stopped.

I point to the Wabash Tunnel as a real example that has direct connections. The Wabash Tunnel was built with federal money. The capital construction cost for the Wabsh Tunnel was significant and today it is fair to say that the tunnel, owned by PAT, was a poor investment. The R.O.I. for the Wabash Tunnel is very, very bad.

The project was missguided and the spending was a huge waste. Furthermore the operation of the tunnel is so expensive that PAT wants to jetison the tunnel. Only 400 autos use the silly tunnel each day. It isn't worth the upkeep. PAT wants to get rid of the tunnel or close it.

PAT built a downtown t-stop that is seldom used. PAT owns a HOV car tunnel that is seldom used. Light rail to the North Side Stadiums is sure to be a seldom used extension. It won't help our quality of life in the region. People can walk over or back. Each ride to the North Shore would cost about $40 -- for every passenger. That is a low side estimate. It could climb to $80 or $100 to cover the capital costs and on-going upkeep of that tunnel. It isn't worth it.

Honz Man didn't see the obvious links between the Wabash Tunnel, after it was built, and how it is still a weight around the necks of this year's operational budget. Some projects are a drain to keep, year in and year out, beyond the one-time capital cost. The $1-Million per year for the Wabash Tunnel upkeep could go a long way in keeping other bus routes alive in this pending service cuts.

Honz pressed and asked again, "what does it gain by killing the tunnel?"

I said "trust."

Fred said, "You make some good points. But, trust doesn't buy you anything." He must think trust and rightous acts are worthless. I think that they are valued for our times and for that of our kids in the years to come.

Click. Call ends.

Then comes the clincher! Going into the 4:00 news, right after Honz finished our conversation by implying trust among citizens, government and budgets is to be blown-off, KDKA's producer airs a news promo -- "NEWS YOU CAN TRUST, KDKA-Radio." My sons and I were were in the car heading to swim practice and we laughed and laughed.

I love a good turn-about when words and concepts spin. The big-mouth (Honz Man) makes a senseless claims ("Trust buys you nothing.") and then his own forces (KDKA-radio promo) goes directly counter to what he just said. There is VALUE in NEWS YOU CAN TRUST. Bang, bang. It was like Honz got hit in the face by a pie -- thrown at him by his own station.

Too bad I was driving and wasn't able to run a tape to capture those 15 seconds.

More background: PAT wanted to build a new stop behind the Convention Center. Citizen outrage and a pinched budget deleted from the plans of that new stop on the line, thankfully. An existing t-stop on downtown's light rail system is already near the Pennsylvanian and just 2 short blocks from the Convention Center. It is there now. It is only used once a day to keep the rails from getting rusty. PAT wanted to move the stop a half block! How dumb. Moreover, how expensive. Put up a walkway from where it is to where people need to flow to. Install signs. Run the trains where you've got the stops and move the people from point to point in a light, safe, flowing way. But don't move train stops underground for no real gains.

Moving the stop would have also taken the course of the tracks off of the right of way for the busway that flows to the east. That would have been a fatal killer. One day, and the sooner the better, the east bus way should be re-tooled as a light-rail line. Then there is a straight shot out of downtown, past the block behind the Convention Center, to the east. That's where the next logical expansion should occur.

They wanted to move the stop to the Convention Center to insure that the east would not get the expansion.

I think it is better to put a t-stop in areas that need a pick-up so as to make an investment where it is needed. You don't run the t-stop to the Convention Center because we've already made a huge investment there. You want to spread out the opportunities. You want to get the entire area buzzing.

The area around the Convention Center would pick up if you put the t-stop slightly away from the Convention Center. The area around the Convention Center would decline if you put the t-stop right at the Convention Center.

Same too for the North Side. I think it is wrong to put a t-stop at PNC Park and Heinz Field. Put the t-stop at CCAC, at Allegheny General Hospital, in the North Side Business District. Presently, one can get off at the t-stop in Gateway Center and walk over Clemente Bridge to PNC Park. That walking from stop to destination is great for pedestrian traffic. It is great for the hundred of other locations that can spring up from here to there. We want street merchants. We want sidewalk cafes. We want a flow of walkers with a wide choice of destinations.