We got the press release out of the blue (I am really quite surprised that we're even ON the mayor's mailing list!) and so I had to hunt down whatever was published in the P-G. Here it is (you gotta scroll down the page):Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, along with Chief of Staff Yarone Zober, announced earlier today that he denounces in no uncertain terms the unconscionable politically motiviated attacks in the pages of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette by a political operative calling himself "Patrick Sheridan."
"There is little doubt," said Ravenstahl spokesman Dick Skrinjar, "That since it's critical, it's an attack. And since it's an attack, it must be politically motivated. And since it's so unconscionable, it must be connected in some way to one of the mayor's political opponents. And no, I won't say who - I won't give credence to such an unconsionable act. Either way, we are dissappointed in Mr Peduto and are imploring Mr Peduto to avoid the politics of personal destruction (like we're doing) so we can all put this nastiness behind us and move ahead to deal with the issues facing our great city."
The preceding was political satire, not to be taken as truth in anyway other than as a metaphor for the current state of political discourse in this city.Mayor's immaturity
I was disappointed with your editorial "Rowdy Ravenstahl? The Mayor Addresses the Rumor Mill" (Jan. 20). Your piece gave Mayor Luke Ravenstahl a free pass for his October 2005 Heinz Field detainment. Regardless of how other people act at Steelers games, Mr. Ravenstahl, whether as mayor or city councilman, is an ambassador of Pittsburgh and should be held to a higher standard. Though this was a minor incident, it points to a much larger problem. Mr. Ravenstahl lacks the necessary maturity and gravitas to lead Pittsburgh during this critical time in its history.
It all began with that hugely embarrassing Sept. 9 New York Times article ("At 26, Baby-Faced Mayor Takes Over an Aging Pittsburgh"), which introduced the mayor to the nation by describing how one of Mr. Ravenstahl's toughest decisions following Bob O'Connor's death was deciding what to wear to a Steelers game.
His short tenure in office has been unimpressive. Highlights include paying tribute to political hacks (e.g., Dennis Regan), punishing a loyal civil servant (police Cmdr. Catherine McNeilly) and kowtowing to the scourge of our region and commonwealth: the state's entrenched political oligarchy (e.g., state Sen. Jim Ferlo and Gov. Ed Rendell).
Pittsburgh is too great a city to be run by Luke Ravenstahl, and I would hope that the Post-Gazette would realize this and do a better job holding the mayor accountable.
PATRICK SHERIDAN
Harmar
21 comments:
The sad thing is that I have no doubt that Luke, Zober & Skrinjar are out scouring the hills for poor Patrick as we type! Luke will be chasing after him with a checkbook asking "how much?", Zober will be threatening retaliation unless he succumbs to the whim of the clown car and Skrinjar will be crying "but this is my last job - no one's going to hire me after this gig is over!"
Good for Patrick.
yep, everything is some sort of grand Peduto-led conspiracy! This guy sounds like a Republican, so why bother?
Oh yeah, I forgot, they have nothing to run on, so they're trying to stir up petty, lame, and pathetic issues like this.
I'll start listening to their press releases when they start talking about how they're going to fix the budget, attract jobs, etc. But I'm guessing, I'll have a long wait.
Why does the Post Gazette publish letters to the editor written by people who don't live in the City of Pittsburgh regarding City of Pittsburgh issues? Does anyone really care about what a guy from Harmar has to say about Luke? This guy cant vote in the City. And for him to bad mouth Ferlo and Rendell just makes him look like someone that can't get over the fact that Melissa "horse face" Hart is unemployed. The fact that this blog is still talking about the Stadium incident makes this blog look like Peduto's unofficial website. Which is unfortunate because at one time I really thought there were some independent thinkers here. Now I have to wonder? Where are Peduto's plans to fix the budget? attract jobs? etc ??? And why is he only getting around to doing so now? What has he been doing for the past decade while on Council? Looks to me he may be part of the problem. NOT the solution!
Dear Yarone, whoops, I mean Oliver Hammer,
In case you haven't noticed, the city of Pittsburgh is the hub of this region, as its fortunes rise & fall, so do those of municipalities throughout Allegheny County & beyond. So obviously they're concerned & with good reason, about what happens in Pgh.
This archaic "Us" (city) vs. "Them" (suburbs & exurbs), has really gotten us far over the last few decades, eh? FYI I am a city resident.
Why should anyone be prevented from writing letters to the Editor? What's next, teachers won't be able to write in about stuff fire fighters or retirees did, b/c said teachers are neither? Same goes for men writing about stuff women did, etc. Your argument makes no sense.
And, yeah, we're still talking about the Stadium incident, because we realize it's just the tip of the 'liar-liar' iceberg known as interim-Mayor Ravenstahl's administration.
Dear malificent,
What's up with the Yarone remark? I'm not here asking you if you are really Matt Preston? or another "Rich Kid" playing politics? All I am saying is if "Patrick" aka Peduto supporter.. cares about his "region" so much, perhaps he should write his legislator up there in Harmar to get the funds the City of Pittsburgh needs to operate rather than writing to the Post Gazette. As a lifelong City resident I am personally tired of footing the "BILL" for all of these suburbanites who come into our city, use all of our city services, complain to hell and back about how bad this city is, puke in our streets, purchase drugs, commit other crimes that destroy our neighborhoods, only to get back in the car and drive back to suburbia. Face it Harrisburg hasn't appropriated the necessary funds to this region in years. Where was Peduto over the past decade? SHADYSIDE! Was he in Harrisburg? Was he lobbying for State funds to support Pittsburgh being a "REGIONAL" area? NO. Where is Peduto's support in Harrisburg? or is he going to be another Tom Murphy? Say what you want about Luke. But I think he is building the relationship with the leaders of this state, county, and other municipalities to transform Pittsburgh and Allegheny County into a REGIONAL economy, SUPPORTED and FUNDED via REGIONAL resources.
Respectfully,
Oliver Hammer
P.S.
IF Bill Peduto was walking down Walnut Street in Shadyside, after having some wine with dinner, and he witnessed a Pittsburgh Police officer being abusive to a citizen, would he intervene? Just because Luke was at OMG a "Steeler" game with all of those rowdy "Steeler" fans he must have been totally intoxicated and throwing punches. Sorry us here guys from the 'burg aren't as refined as all of you progressive shadyside, east end types.
If that is Yaron who wrote the comments above, it's so funny listening to you criticize Bill for his so-called lack of performance on council when your money-ticket did little other than show up during his 5 minutes on council. The only time anyone even noticed him was when he was the subject of the infamous council prez compromise vote. And as for his regional contacts - ROFLMAO - assuming puppetboy status hardly distinguishes him as you suggest. As for Tom Murphy - he looks like a beacon of leadership next to your boy (who, by the way, doesn't really even like you - as you know, he just has to, to maintain the support of your roommate, Jimmy). As for picking on Patrick - nice of you to defame a private citizen that way (we know you didn't learn how to handle personnel matters during your 2 year stint as a lawyer based on your botched handling of the McNeilly situation, but I would think you would've learned something about defamation in law school)...of course, that's what you do, isn't it? People don't agree with you, they see you for what you are, you throw a tantrum worthy of the most feisty 2 year-old. Too bad you can't demote Patrick, huh?
If you're not Yoron, seriously, save the venom and attacks for the candidates, not some guy who had the balls to publish his opinion. He's entitled, just as you are.
Hammer,
I am not Matt Preston, or a "Rich Kid" playing politics. I don't live in Shadyside, I live in one of Pgh's blue collar neighborhoods in a very modest home.
As a concerned citizen, I work to educate myself on issues, candidates and elected officials' performance. Is this what you call "playing politics"?
How do yo know that this Patrick guy HASN'T contacted his legislators? I'm sure he's capable of writing more than one letter per day/week. Ditto for his phone calling ability.
And FYI, city council members, including Peduto have gone to Harrisburg to intercede on our city's behalf. The P-G says they're going again in about a week.
Luke's relationships are not of his making. They're due to politicians much stronger than him wanting to be able to pull the city's strings. Onorato = Geppetto. Luke = Pinocchio, keep an eye on that nose.
P.S. The Yarone bit was a joke, lighten up.
" At 2:11 PM, Oliver Hammer said...
Dear malificent,
What's up with the Yarone remark? I'm not here asking you if you are really Matt Preston? or another "Rich Kid" playing politics?"
Dear Oliver Hammer or "TinyBrain",
I don't know who you are or if you actually know anything about Matt- but I do. So let me inform you because you obviously don't know anything about Matt, tinybrain.
1. Matt went to public school, then go his Ph.D. in chemical engineering. Although he could have gone and gotten an incredibly high-paying job, he instead decided to commit his life to helping people. He works at a nonprofit helping people find employment, he bought a house with his wife in Lawrenceville, and is an active community member. He went to a public highschool and in Florida.
Matt probably has more integrity and brains than you ever will.
Lastly, Matt isn't playing politics- he has run strategic campaigns and does a very good job, at that. He is more organized, competent, and efficient than 99.9% of the other "poltical consultants and campaign managers" in Pittsburgh.
You want to insult Matt then you better talk to me, tinybrain.
You want to talk about a rich kid playing politics? Then just turn your head to the mayor's office and see the kid who got in there because his relatives were all in office. Then you can come back and talk about using connections to get what you want.
Tinybrain, how about you go run Jim Motznik's blog- maybe he needs another minion to make outlandish and unsubstantiated remarks for him.
Let me tell you something else, TinyBrain.
My freshman year, my friend Andrew and I wanted to run our campaign in a small township. I told Matt, and even though he had a million other things to do, he helped us. He didn't get paid, he practically killed his car driving there and back- but he did it. Why? because he's that awesome. You know what else? We only lost by 62 votes. Matt didn't get a job or a big paycheck out of it- in fact, he never talked about it. But the fact that he could help run an 18 year old against an 18-year incumbent and get the 18 year old to almost win, is something pretty impressive.
TinyBrain, Matt Merriman-Preston is out of your league. Go pick on someone your own brain size such as Jim Motznik.
hey, TinyBrain, what political campaigns have you run? How about you give us your resume, since you seem so intent on insulting other people. Exactly what have you done to better the community? HM?
Dear Daddys Girl/Spoiled Brat,
How did you manage to type those last two posts while throwing yourself on the floor in a full temper tantrum?
Did I miss the "Peduto Supporters Only sign" somewhere in the blog? What ever happened to free speech?
I should not have called Mr. Preston "another" spoiled rich kid. With so many spoiled rich kids running around Peduto HQ I guess I found him guilty by association? Which kind of reminds me of the Stadium incident that started this post. None of us should label or stereotype people. I will have to say an extra Hail Mary before bed tonight. For the "Record" I respect Mr. Preston's credentials. I only brought up his name because Malificent called me Yarone. Was it right or wrong? Who knows? Why does every non Peduto supporter have to be a secret operative from the other side? Also, I shouldn't call you names, but "Tiny brain" and comparing me to Motznick wasn't very nice. Don't take things so personally.
Respectfully,
Oliver Hammer
P.S. Someone start a new Luke/Peduto post/subject
I have said everything I am on this one. There is NO way I could ever get the last word in here on "Peduto Central" Maybe the next topic we can discuss is the cuts that Peduto wants to make in Public Safety? Specifically in the Fire Bureau??
What a bunch of crap. Peduto isn't another Murphy.
And where was Peduto: arguing for fiscal responsibility during the entire Murphy administration. Being brave, and publicly supporting Act 47 over the objections of very powerful, and immobile, political forces. Fighting against the Mon-Fayette expressway that will only take people out of the city. Yep, he hung out in Shadyside all those years.
And what about the current Mayor? He ran against Barbara Burns right after graduating from college. He won. He sucked up to the biggest clown on the council, and positioned himself to be Council President. Fate intervened and made him Mayor. Ok, perhaps it isn't how you get there, but what you do when you're there.
So what did he do? He took the worst part of the O'Connor administration--cronyism, which some people previously objected to and the hammer knows what I'm talking about--and fought for it. He nominated Denny Regan to be in charge of public safety.
Sure Denny Regan is a nice guy. And sure he could be useful in some roles in government (he'd be a good liaison to the City Council), but the guy is just not qualified for that job. Other cities public safety directors have federal (top secret FBI/CIA) experience, years as a police officer, fire fighter, or whatever. Denny Regan was a contractor.
And when a bureaucrat fought that, the Mayor let the cronies punish her. They stripped her of her command, and now the city is getting to flush money down the toilet in federal court!
Brilliant. I don't want a Mayor that lets the cronies run rampant, and allows his administration to be obsessed with "who screwed whom, and what can we do to bring them in line." That's the politics of old.
I want a Mayor that will focus on the problems facing the city: a chronic budget shortfall, duplicate services, an unresponsive bureaucracy, and a lingering drug war that is costing too many lives.
Peduto isn't the perfect candidate. But he's clearly the better choice. His years on council show that he cares more about the real problems facing the city, and not the petty, lame, and juvenile politics of cronyism.
Well done...
I didn't want to go there. But Denny Regan was a good ol'boy. Who should have NEVER been made Public Safety Director. Chief Huss has yet to make me warm and cozy. (alot of his experience is with a much smaller organization that never faced the politics that he will face during his tenure with the City of Pittsburgh) If asked to rate Chief Huss, I would give him 3 1/2 out of 4 HAMMERS. This guy is educated, dedicated his life to public service, PLUS he has FIRE and EMS experience. Chief Huss is a leader who has the skill and knowledge to merge the Fire and EMS Bureaus and SAVE the taxpayers MILLIONS of Dollars.
Now to be a little negative for a second. Catherine McNeilly is NOT an innocent bystander who simply got demoted because she went against the administration and blew the whistle. MY PROBLEM with Catherine McNeilly, is that she released contents of an EMPLOYEES PERSONNEL FILE to unauthorized individuals, including a Catholic Priest. Did she deserve to be demoted? That is a question for an arbitrator. We will see where and how this thing in Federal Court goes, but if I were her, I wouldn't be spending those city tax dollars she hopes to get from a lawsuit anytime soon. I expect damages to be minimal since there was early reinstatement to her prior prior rank, and had limited lost wages during her brief suspension.
You can agree or disagree. But I wouldn't be surprised if the City and McNeilly get sued over her wreckless behavior. How does the saying go? Two wrongs never make a right?
Respectfully,
Oliver Hammer
Well, if you admit that Regan should never have been made public safety director, what does it say about Ravenstahl? That was probably the most important appointment he'll make in his entire tenure, and he flat out botched it. To me, it shows that he has poor judgment, which is a very bad thing in the Mayor's office.
He misread the influences on the O'Connor administration, and tried to console Regan with the most important position in city government when he shifted Yarone from being Deputy/Acting Mayor to Chief of Staff.
You know if he wanted to keep General Services and make Denny head of that, it would've been ok and little noticed. Denny could've had his little fiefdom to ensure that all of the cronies got their paycheck, and nothing really bad--other than expedited bankruptcy--would've come out of it.
But the Mayor screwed with public safety. He screwed with the safety of the fans that go to Steelers games (and, in that light, his little tata is a microcosm of something larger). He screwed with the safety of the elderly, the children, students, and workers of the city.
I have zero confidence in the federal government's homeland security plan. With that in mind, it's really important to have qualified people running public safety departments. The Mayor's botched appointment is right up there with Bush's failed appointment of Bernie Kerrick to be Homeland Security Secretary.
Judgment is important. The Mayor had a chance, and proved that he learned bad judgment well from the Council's master of it (Motznik). I've had enough; I'm supporting Peduto, maybe he'll be better, but he surely won't be any worse.
Forgot one more thing...Peduto was the one that suggested Huss! Regan was still the Mayor's first choice, and that says a lot.
Nail: "He took the worst part of the O'Connor administration--cronyism, which some people previously objected to and the hammer knows what I'm talking about--and fought for it."
Okay. Since the city is approaching a pivotal election, I am now unilaterally declaring an end to the taboo on speaking ill of the recently deceased. Tell us of this alleged O'Connor cronyism. 'Tis important.
To start the cronyism conversation, Regan, Cassidy and Zober pushed their way into the mayor's office. O'Connor was told he would be wise to keep them out; he didn't listen, he gave them subservient roles while he was healthy, and they were rumored to be quite miffed at their subservience to BJ Leber, and look what they did to her and the only people that stood up to them once O'Connor was on his deathbed? Regan and Zober were rumored to be going door-to-door while O'Connor was in the hospital, conniving with Luke, Motznik and Shields.
O'Connor always had a large group around him. Some of these people were well qualified professionals and some were good ol' boys. The ability to combine the two is what made him an effective politician; he could listen to lots of different groups and have an administration that reflected the City. But he was always in control of that group.
Bob never would've appointed Denny Regan public safety director. It just wouldn't have happened. He had been around too long, and was too experienced to make that kind of mistake. Ravenstahl, on the other hand, was taking the advice of the always clueless Motznik; and in doing so, he made a huge mistake.
Basically the kids were left on the playground alone, and all hell broke lose. Bob would've kept things under control. It's a real shame that the city was deprived of his leadership by cancer. I think things would be a lot different if he was still in the Mayor's office.
Bob would've kept Denny, Yarone and Marlene on their short leashes, but it's his fault the vampire were let into the blood bank in the first place.
Does anyone actually remember how long this Public Safety Director post sat vacant? It has been years since we had a Full Time PSD. Kathy Kraus (spelling) who worked her way up the chain from a clerk typist was acting director forever, and if anyone was ever NOT qualified it was her. Regarding the recent post about Homeland Security. Those duties while denny had his chiefs hat on were still under the direction of the fire bureau. (and still are) The PSD is more of a buerocrat. Lots of paper. Budgets, staffing, contracts, discipline, union issues. Most of the "heavy lifting" is done by the Law Dept/civil service. This is how Huss can be the Director and Fire chief at the same time. But the PSD should be more than what it is. It includes writing grants for the homeland security dollars. Despite what the average joe on the street thinks, there are tons of homeland dollars coming into the city. this is a direct result of good people in public safety. the cops have many people who are well respected. And one of them is recently promoted commander schubert. The feds love this guy. And in my opinion he will be Chief some day. Smarter than the day is long.
Honestly, if Regan could fast talk his way into the Oconnor camp, I imagine it was alot easier getting in Luke's confidence. BUT... I never got that feeling-impression about Zober? Is the Hammer that slow? I don't know-think so?
Only time will tell. PEDUTO still has ALOT of work to do.
Where are here campaign dollars?
where is the money coming from?
(I'm not too warm and fuzzy about him taking 50k from a guy sending good jobs to India)
Where are his endorsements?
Does he even have a chance without the support of Labor?
Fire=Luke
Police=Luke
Building Trades=Luke
Peduto=???
ALL good questions.
O.H.
just food for thought... Why did neither Luke or Peduto do a national search for this position?
Luke's in a position to give stuff away today; councilmembers can't conduct national searches - or waste taxpayers' money on national searches they are unauthorized to conduct.
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