Drunk Bureaucrat: Election DysFUNction

The Angry Drunk Bureaucrat: Election DysFUNction Jeff Koch introduced a resolution in council temporarily renaming the City to 'VoteforKoch-burgh,' which was probably a violation of some campaign rule somewhere, ...

Specialized swim meet format unlike what I ever saw before

For the record. I've been invited to coffee by Mark D

I can't go to coffee at Starbucks on East Carson -- until June 10 or 11. But, it will be a priority of mine until then.

I've been trying to meet with this other Mark for months. So, hey. Stay tuned.

Carbolic Smoke Ball: CHUCK McCULLOUGH, ATTORNEY CHARGED WITH MISHANDLING TRUST, WINS NOMINATION FOR COUNTY COUNCIL -- EVEN THOUGH HE TRIED TO WITHDRAW

Carbolic Smoke Ball: CHUCK McCULLOUGH, ATTORNEY CHARGED WITH MISHANDLING TRUST, WINS NOMINATION FOR COUNTY COUNCIL -- EVEN THOUGH HE TRIED TO WITHDRAW FROM RACE: "'I am humbled and honored by the voters' confidence -- not to mention their stupidity,' said the Upper St. Clair attorney."

Sang song. Lost her cat. Next, counting chickens before eggs hatch.

Didn't the fat lady just sing a song to Len? Hello. Testing one, two, three. Testing.
Posting a lost puppy -- err -- cat sign.

Lou's List: Primary roundup, part 1: A New Day for Pittsburgh

Lou's List: Primary roundup, part 1: A New Day for PittsburghNone of these candidates seem likely to face any threat in November.

This could not be further from the truth.

All of these candidates are sure to face opposition in the fall.

Michigan GOP leader wants Paul barred from future debates - NewsFlash - mlive.com

Sure signs of sinking ships -- block access to debats. Or, don't hold debates. Or, hold debates and limit the participation. These are all red flag events that should NEVER be considered.

Michigan GOP leader wants Paul barred from future debates - NewsFlash - mlive.com: "The chairman of the Michigan Republican Party said Wednesday that he will try to bar Ron Paul from future GOP presidential debates because of remarks the Texas congressman made"

In the first debate at the Ronald R Library in Calif, Dr. Ron Paul won. He won the MSNBC Poll and a bunch of others.

Dr. Paul's remarks and statements in the debate were on the mark -- and showed how the big-time, big-government, big-war Republicrats have failed the United States with their policies.

If Paul's message gets out there -- and if voters come to understand his thinking -- he wins. That scares the status quo politicians. That scares those who don't want to change. That scares those who have pay-checks to protect.

So, a Republican wants a debate ban against a Republican in the US Congress, Ron Paul, a guy who voted for peace his entire time in office.

Meanwhile, we've got Allegheny County Republicans that want to field no candidate for the position of Allegheny County Chief Executive. And, that wing of the Allegheny County Party does active campaign work for Dan Onorato as a write in.

How many TV debates did Dan Onorato hold with Rich Swartz? Were there any Onorato vs. Swartz debates by the MSM that were held -- say by by KQV Radio, On-Q, WDUQ, WTAE, WPXI, PCNC, KDKA Radio, KDKA TV, Pgh Business Times?

What about PA's Cable Access station -- PCN? Did they care to show up or host a debate when what some call the third most powerful position in PA's political landscape is due to have an election?

What about the major institutions in town? Did Pitt, CMU, Duquesne Univ., RMU, Point Park Univ., Carlow, Chattam, UPMC, AGH, Tech Council, or a single school district -- each with their own cable tv access -- host televised debates with real gravity and seriousness?

Street lockdowns proposed for Baltimore - Yahoo! News

Street lockdowns proposed for Baltimore - Yahoo! News A city council leader, alarmed by Baltimore's rising homicide rate, wants to give the mayor the power to put troubled neighborhoods under virtual lockdown.

Lockdown. Might as well say ghost town.

I've ranted about this approach in the past.

When things are wild, I'd not want to close the bars. Rather, keep them open but shut off the serving of alchohol, turn up the lights, turn down the music. Open, dry, bright, and soft would give people places to meet their friends, sober up, go the bathroom, drink coffee, and hang for a spell. Otherwise, drunks are on the road, looting streets and being vandals to neighborhoods.

The bars have security. When the bars close, the security goes away. So, there is less security in the overall area.

Furthermore, the mayor and the zone police commander, and some neighborhood leaders should be able to call for a "voluntary peace period" -- not be forced with a mandatory lock down -- by orders of the state.

The jails are not big enough, nor should they be.

Liberties are not to be ignored enough, nor should they be.

Police are not funded enough, nor should they be.

Citizens should not be slaves.

Laws like this mentioned generally compound problems. Doctors can't get to work. Individual protection can't be assured. The crisis grows worse.

Some of the same type of thinking and reactions were displayed in legislation in Pittsburgh. Jim Motznik led efforts with some "knee jerk legislation" in the wake of the tragic series of events at a nightclub in Rhode Island where a number of people were killed. There -- a band with flames shooting in the background caught a curtin on fire and people swarmed to locked exit doors. That was bad and unfortunate. And, local laws were examined to prevent such measures.

When an overcrowding situation exists -- don't close the bar and send in the storm troopers and kick everyone out. Then the bar becomes the safest place around while the rest of the neighborhood becomes a war zone.

Take action. But, make it prudent.

Tell the bar owners that they have to stay open until dawn -- without serving booze. Don't tell the bar owners and workers that just created a crisis to go home now.

Curran said he modeled his plan after an approach advocated by Philadelphia mayoral candidate Michael Nutter, who won the Democratic nomination Tuesday. Nutter has called for declarations of a "state of emergency" in high-crime neighborhoods, where police would conduct aggressive stop-and-frisk searches and impose curfews.

Curran, who also sponsored Baltimore's recently passed smoking ban, said he expects opposition.

"Some of the critics of the smoking ban were telling me, 'If you want to save lives in Baltimore, do something about the murder rate, do something about the gun violence,'" he said. "I'm trying to stop the murders, to reduce the mortality rate from gun violence in this town."

Fresh Faces To Fill City Council Seats - News Story - WTAE Pittsburgh

Fresh Faces To Fill City Council Seats - News Story - WTAE Pittsburgh Now, Bruce Kraus has unseated him with a double-digit margin of victory. But like Dowd and Burgess, he credits a grassroots campaign with connecting with the people.

'A lot of us are going to focus back in on the neighborhoods,' said Kraus. 'And focus on quality of life issues, public safety, abandoned houses, those kinds of things.'

When Kraus joins City Council, he will become the first openly gay elected official in western Pennsylvania.

'You know, it's just such a natural part of my life,' said Kraus. 'I really don't think of it in terms of being a gay candidate or a straight candidate. It's just very much who I am as a person. So, it just sort of comes with me.'

Happy Birthday To Mark!!!

I just noticed on the left hand side of the blog that today is Mark's birthday.

Congratulations to the world traveler and world-class thinker!

Enjoy some cake for me.

T

What of "Republican" Mark Brentley???

I’ve been frantically looking to see results for Mark Brentley, the sometimes-quirky School Board Director from District 8 who ran unopposed in Tuesday’s election.
He didn’t get much ink, as would normally be the case in these kinds of elections. That being said, a frustrated Brentley switched his party registration from ubiquitous Democrat to Republican a year or so ago.
In the Post-Gazette’s Voter’s Guide, Brentley is officially listed as an (I) for Independent, but as is the case for School Board Director, he can run as a Republican AND Democrat simultaneously.
Does this mean that the bow-tie-wearing African-American Brentley, who (I found some results) received more than 1,000 Democrat votes and more than 100 Republican votes in a predominately-D district, has left the Republican Party as well?
The co-creator of the “Take Your Dad To School” festivities (along with one-time Republican Mayoral candidate Jim Carmine) in the Pittsburgh Public Schools, Brentley sometimes champions fairly Republican measures, but he is also known to throw the race-card around in truly non-conservative fashion. That being said, I’ve considered Mark to be great addition to the Republican movement in the city.
I’m disappointed if he’s changed his registration again, perhaps in a pre-cursor to a quiet return to Pittsburgh’s Democratic party that has often shunned him.
Sure, the Republican Party within the city of Pittsburgh has stumbled in the past year, to the point in which we didn’t even officially field a candidate for Mayor—I did write in Mark DeSantis only after giving much consideration to touch-padding my own name—but having Brentley win as a Republican would have meant a lot to the Republican Party and to him. If he’s resorted to scrambling back to the Democrats, he goes back into a crowded field.
If he stays Republican, he immediately becomes a leader.

Told ya!

Today's "told ya" goes to Mr. Jeff Koch.

I told ya Jeff. I knew you'd have a very short honeymoon.

As soon as Jeff won the special election on March 14, 2006, I knew that he'd need to make instant progress. He'd need to show results. He'd need to do something big. He'd need to be credited with doing a number of big somethings so as to hold onto that position.

I felt that Mr. Koch won last time, in the special election, because Bob O'Connor made it so. Bob, in 2006, had weight. It was Bob's time. To make Bob's time smoother, it was time to put in Bob's people on council. That was logical. It played well to most voters' sensibilities.

Times change. Bob's gone. Luke in 2007 isn't the heavyweight that Bob was in 2006. Jeff Koch's top supporter with political sway was gone.

The other thing that slowed Jeff Koch was that he was alone on the campaign trails. Jeff Koch in a nine person race, as a newbie, isn't the same as him in a two-person race as the incumbent.

Jeff Koch said some things in last year's special election that were silly. They were nearly -- well -- now sense in hitting a man when he is down. But, I'll give examples that come to mind.

Flashback to early 2006: At a candidate's forum, Jeff was asked about the number one thing he'd do once he was on council. The question was directed to his HIGHEST priority. Jeff said he'd want to be certain that Arlington Avenue was re-paved. There were a lot of pot holes on Arlington Ave. The T goes up Arlington Ave, as do cars. The street isn't a typical asphalt road. It is cement, mostly. PAT owns it and PAT needed to maintain the road too.

Another flashback illustration from the first time that most of the candidates got together, at UPMC South Side Hospital. The question of gambling came. Jeff thought it was good to have the new casino in town as people on the South Side couldn't gamble now. Lots of people from Pittsburgh drive to West Virginia to play the slots there. So, a casino would keep the locals here, not needing to travel. That was his general statement.

I pointed out to Jeff and the rest of the audience, when it was my turn to speak, that there were a dozen places (or so) on East Carson Street where one could go that very moment, before the casino opens, to gamble. We already had gambling on the South Side and throughout Pittsburgh.

People expect more from a guy who is in office. People can sigh and take a statement or two with a grain of salt from a newbie politician. Jeff was given a chance. Jeff was Bob's guy. Jeff would, we all hoped, turn out okay. And, most of all, with the nine way race, there was a circus of excitement with plenty of other statements that pinged the senses.

Jeff's folly wasn't much to note or dwell upon then.

Plus, with nine in the race, others could come down on the double-speak. Jeff could say nothing in combat mode and still score points as others were talking.

In a two person race that only covers one party -- the dynamics of the discussion and the demographics changed.

Face it, the Dems want things given to them. The Dems say 'we, ours, mine.' The Dems are old-school types who take. Envy drives much of their discussions when it comes to city hall. Most of these voters want sheet cake with ice cream served to them at their weekly bingos.

In the one-on-one race, Jeff Koch got out-flanked by both the double-talk and the willingness to make sure that everyone who wanted seconds on desert had it.

Jeff had a year to deliver big time results and he didn't.

Jeff sits on council and says little in meetings. Jeff pulled together a request for proposals for the still closed indoor ice rink. That's a yawn. If I had been on council -- it would be opened by now. The RFP was progress -- but nothing to hang a career upon. The Bar Bill had some buzz and energy about it associated to Koch -- but the bar bill morphed into a do-over. And, the bar bill wasn't sold well by the bill's prime sponsor. Red tape got the best of situation so far.

Jeff needed to fix the South Side parking problems -- and he didn't. If he only fixed South Side parking issues, and nothing else, Jeff would have won the nomination with the votes. But, he didn't.

But, most of all, "I told ya" back in March 2006. I told Jeff that things could easily shift and break another way in May of 2007. Jeff needed to produce on council. Jeff needed to produce in the neighborhoods. Jeff needed to produce like a rock star in presentations. Jeff needed to bring his "A game" every day, every evening, every event -- because he was a 'rookie' in a time of crisis.

Finally, I told Jeff that he needed to have a back-up as well. He heard me because I told him -- told ya -- and he didn't have a chance to ignore me. But, now what?

I ask as I'm not too sure what's going to happen with him and the district in the months to come. I'll talk to Jeff in June. Until then, I'll ponder upon what words should be said after 'told ya.'

Ohligarchy: Having Fun Is Never A Waste Of Time

Here is a guy who has his a smile on his face and his marbles in the bag. Sharp post. Thanks for the vote and insights.

Ohligarchy: Having Fun Is Never A Waste Of Time County Executive race was a joke, but my vote was not. This weekend, Councilman Matt Drozd -- whom I have heard speak on several occasions and is a very smart, impressive man -- encouraged Republican voters to cast a write-in for his young son and namesake, who doesn't even want the office but will act as 'placeholder' for anyone else who would want to step in and take his place. Naturally, I wrote in Mark Rauterkus. Of the many races in which he has thrown his hat in this year's ring, County Executive was the only one in my jurisdiction. I hope enough Republicans voted for him to earn him the nomination. He could teach them a few things about standing for office.

Summer Swim Team registration -- info for Scott

See the comments for more details. Scott has a nice swim team in the summers. They are in our league.

To be honest -- report with some sense of truth -- Voters Head To The Polls For Primary Election Day

kdka.com - Voters Head To The Polls For Primary Election Day Meanwhile, voters in Pittsburgh will choose a controller plus four city council seats are up for grabs.

No they won't.

Election day, May 15, 2007, is a primary. Voters are only going to choose party nominations for controller and city council slots. The seats are not up for grabs until the general election in November. The winner of the general election gets the seat. The winner of the primary only gets onto the November general election ballot.

The election on May 15 is a closed, state-run, subsidizd primary for the old parties.

There is plenty of "grabbing" going on in Pittsburgh political circles. Take, take, take. They grab with gusto. But on election day -- in the primary -- it is time to punish, not grab.

The outcome of the votes on the primary is about the loyalists getting to measure their level of distain. Other loyalist are present trying to take the nomination so that they can be more loyal to the residents in taking more in the years to come.

Grabs and clutching are key concepts for doing well in the Pittsburgh Democratic Party.

There IS an election tomorrow

There IS an election tomorrow 'One thing I would point out about filing a complaint with the Ethics Hearing Board is that it's a very lengthy process,' she said, estimating it at 'up to a year' if the allegation is complex.

She repeated that all complaints are filed 'under penalty of perjury.' Translation: if the complainant is found to have lied on their complaint, they can find themselves on the wrong end of a prosecution.

Under the ethics code, she said as a reporter sat a few feet away, the complainant is not allowed to make their filing of a complaint public. Mr. Phillips' concerns have already made newspapers and the TV news, but Ms. De Simone said that didn't necessarily bar him from pursuing a complaint -- as long as he doesn't specifically tell anybody that he has filed it.

The Ethics Hearing Board has been around for longer than a year. It was hatching for more than a decade!

Lord of the Rings tour was a big success. They came back with a four pack of beer -- 1% beer -- "SoberRing Thoughts"

More than 100 photos of the tour and NZ country are now in the album. Erik and Grant should get more details and messages in due time.

From lord of the r...

From lord of the r...

Write on: Republicans are on the right track in mayor's race

Write on: Republicans are on the right track in mayor's race but for Republicans in the city, it should also be about restoring pride in their local party.

Except -- what kind of pride does it show when the Allegheny County Republicans are telling people to vote for Dan Onorato?

What does it say when County Republicans are pushing a guy who the City Republicans are not? Furthermore, he isn't pushing himself.

Republicans would be better served to write in Pierogie rather than drive the wedge further between different factions of the GOP party.

Oh, by the way -- so much for the 48 hour rule. Told ya, again.

County GOP Party calls on Republicans to write-in Onorato, D

Oh my gosh. This is the stuff of legend.

OK, I’ll Vote For One Democrat | PAWaterCooler.com: The Republican Party of Allegheny County just called and asked me to write in Dan Onorato for Chief Executive tomorrow. The wimpy local GOP hasn’t even bothered to run a candidate, so the contest is between incumbent Onorato and some other guy named Rick Swartz.

The in-fighting among Republicans is now everywhere. The move to put a son onto the ballot is getting opposition from the committee.

Where is Roddey?

I'd love to hear this call -- or read the script.

Advice to voters about the City Council District 3 primary race -- Kraus vs. Koch endorsement

In the hours to come, voters of the D party from the South Side and throughout the nearby neighborhoods, are able to go into a private space and make a decision. They'll have the option of pushing one of two buttons.

One is marked, Bruce Kraus. The other is marked Jeffrey Koch. These are the two options for the Dem party nomination for Pittsburgh City Council District 3 seat.

Humm.

Put on your thinking caps.

I predict, but am not certain, that Jeff Koch will win.

Meanwhile, in New Zealand, many of the toilets have two buttons. How nice. One is for a full flush. The other is for a partial flush.

Or, I guess, you could choose to not even vote at all.