Best #UndercoverBoss Tweets

With that #UndercoverBoss episode, @billpeduto finally vanquished Darlene Harris by caring more about pets. #whispers
— Mr. Slopiak (@SouthSideSlopes) December 22, 2014

WATCH BILL PEDUTO MAKE THE CASE FOR CONSOLIDATION OF MUNICIPAL SERVICES. THIS IS WHAT REALITY TV IS ALL ABOUT PEOPLE
— Chris Potter (@CPotterPgh) December 22, 2014

A public works guy planning to run for city council? WHAT ARE THE ODDS?
— Chris Potter (@CPotterPgh) December 22, 2014

And in reply to that:

@CPotterPgh C'mon. You knew he'd be trouble as soon as he said he went to North Catholic.
— Maria Lupinacci (@maria_in_pgh) December 22, 2014

(Yeah, I'm favoriting myself.)

And, please someone do make this happen!

Can I get a .gif of that, internet? "Wassa wasa what?" #UndercoverBoss
— Laura Meixell (@lauratypes) December 22, 2014

"BRUUUUUUUUUUUUCE!"

That was the cry heard repeatedly last night at Pittsburgh City Councilman Bruce Kraus' victory party.


Crappy photo, but fantastic Councilor and great party!
Kraus joined Darlene Harris and Patrick Dowd in beating back Lil Mayor Luke's BFFs to win their primary races. (We sure hope that Corey O'Connor is serious about being independent and we keep a progressive majority on Council.)

I have to say how much it still burns me that ACDC endorsed Jeff Koch this year for City Council District 3. Koch won 3 in a special election in 2006. He had two years to prove himself. But the voters of my district rejected him in 2006 for Bruce Kraus. Why did ACDC think that they knew better than the voters this year? Thank goodness that the citizens ignored both ACDC as well as the lies from the Koch camp and went with the candidate who has proven his worth. The citizens prevailed and Kraus won handily.

Congratulations to Bruce and congratulations to Harris and Dowd. And, while I would have rather seen Chris Zurawsky win, I also offer my congratulations to Corey O'Connor. Their race was notably free from shenanigans and negative campaigning.

(And, if you're waiting for me to congratulate Rev. Ricky, you've obviously never read this blog before.)
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Pittsburgh City Council Races -- It's getting really ugly out there!

First, if you haven't already, you should read this article by Joe Smydo in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. In it, incumbents Darlene Harris and Bruce Kraus allege that there's been mayoral interference and "improper use of city resources" in this year's primary races. Harris notes that street paving and pothole filling has been delayed and that PWSA workers have been seen removing her campaign signs. Kraus brings up "Ravenstahl's decision to hold up a $100,000 study of problems in the South Side entertainment district" and that "the administration allowed city police Chief Nate Harper last week to address a meeting organized by one of the councilman's opponents, Jeff Koch, a city public works supervisor who's backed by the mayor." There's also the matter of a stop sign on Pius St. that was disallowed before the race, but suddenly appeared when Koch contacted his public works colleagues.

So what's the latest?

First, from the Lucille Prater-Holliday campaign:

11th Hour Trickery Clouds Race in District 9

With two days until the Election Day, and the campaign of Lucille Prater-Holliday gaining momentum, illegal campaign tactics are apparently being used to cloud the campaign.

A series of outgoing calls have apparently been made with the return number masked so that it appeared as if the calls were made from the Prater-Holliday campaign office.

Multiple calls are going out to the same individuals. Anyone who received a call that may have contained inaccurate or offensive information is asked to contact the campaign office at 412-259-3866.

A police report has been filed.

We are asking the campaigns of Phyllis Copeland-Mitchell and Ricky Burgess to repudiate any illegal or deceptive campaign tactics that are being used to harm the campaign of Ms. Prater-Holliday, and to let the campaign know if they have any information about the calls.

Then there's this -- Darlene Harris' campaign headquarters were vandalized:





(Click to enlarge)
Hmmm, what does this remind me of? The accompanying press release also says that items have been thrown at Harris' personal vehicle while she was driving at night.

Lastly, the previously mentioned P-G article notes that Lil Mayor Luke's buddies Koch, Tony Ceoffe (running against Patrick Dowd), Vince Pallus (running against Harris), and Ricky Burgess (running against the world) have all made allegations of improper campaign financing. Now, these charges have been looked into repeatedly by Chris Potter at the Pittsburgh City Paper (here, here, and here) and found wanting. You can also read Bill Peduto's detailed explanation of the city's campaign finance reform law here*. It's worth noting that the biggest critic of how others follow this law -- the Rev. Ricky Burgess -- wants to scrap it altogether.

Not surprisingly, Jeff Koch has come out with a new flyer that mostly slams Bruce Kraus on the false allegations of failing to follow the campaign finance law:





(Click to enlarge)
We already addressed the raise increase and redecoration "issues" here. And, Kraus is not "fighting bars." He's trying to get businesses and residents to exist in harmony for which, as noted above, Koch's buddy, the Mayor, is holding up money to do.

*Note: I posted that piece at Reform Pittsburgh Now.
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Jeff Koch's Liar, Liar, Pants On Fire Flyers

Here's a flyer that went out this weekend in the South Side of Pittsburgh's 3rd City Council District:


(Click to enlarge)


(Click to enlarge)
There's so much misinformation, misdirection and outright lies in the above flyer, that I'm going to need to go line-by-line and graphic-by-graphic. Let's start with the back.

BRUCE is taking money out of your pocket to pay for:

- Increasing his own salary - THREE times in FOUR Years!

This is true, however, what the flyer doesn't tell you is that those were COLA increases which went to all city employees -- including JEFF KOCH -- is Jeff going to give the money back?

- Lavishly redecorating his office in City Hall.

Via Bruce Kraus' campaign manager, Justin Wassler, when Councilor Kraus took office, "He replaced some furniture -- standard with incoming elected officials." The carpet was also replaced "as part of an asbestos abatement issue on the fifth floor." Any other repairs/replacements came out of Kraus' own pockets.

- A $100,000 study aimed at funding new ways to TAX residents.

Yes, Kraus was able to secure funding for The Responsible Hospitality Initiative. This has nothing to do with taxes. What it does is find best practices for dealing with hospitality districts like the South Side -- to create harmony between visitors to the businesses in this area and those who live here. It's actually a comprehensive plan to deal with the ills of the neighborhood. In fact, it's one of the reasons why the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette endorsed him ("he obtained funding and commissioned a report on how to keep Carson Street nightlife strong while respecting the rights of neighbors and enforcing the law").

Now he has the nerve to propose his new "N.I.D." TAX which will TAX residents twice for basic city services and TAX our family business.

Call Bruce's office and ask:
1. Why does BRUCE want to TAX residents twice for services like street clean-up that BRUCE already fails to deliver?

First, NID stands for Neighborhood Improvement District. There is no such thing as a '"N.I.D." TAX.' Let's let the South Side Chamber of Commerce weigh in on what an NID is: "A Neighborhood Improvement District is a model of community development that puts the power into your hands. Property owners in a NID agree to self-impose an annual fee. That fee is pooled and the property owners in the district decide which services they want in the district. Your money stays in your community and you decide how to spend it. NIDs are not a tax and cannot be formed without your support. NIDs are governed by, you, the property owner and not by elected officials."

So, that would be:

A. Not a tax
B. Self-imposed
C. Supported by an actual business group on the South Side!

2. Why does BRUCE want to TAX businesses while many - like Schwartz's Market - are already closing?

Again, there is no new tax proposed. Additionally, much was written about the closing of Schwartz's Market (see here, here and here). The closing had nothing to do with taxes, and everything to do with markets of this kind being "Last Of Dying Breed." Maybe Jeff Koch would like to read what Schwartz's Market has to say about Bruce Kraus.

You'll notice that above the photo of Schwartz's there's a photo of The South Side Market House. It has a big, red "CLOSED" stamped on it as if this has something to do with Kraus and taxes as well rather than the fact that it was ordered closed "due to safety issues. Unforeseen but urgent emergency repairs are needed...the sub base of the floor of the multi-purpose recreation center has deteriorated significantly over the past 100 years and is deemed unsafe for further usage." Boy, that Bruce has been one busy guy to have been destroying the sub base of the flooring over 100 years time!

Now, I've mentioned Jeff Koch in relation to this flyer several times. You can be excused for not knowing why I bring in Koch's name into the discussion of this flyer as the legal, obligatory who-paid-for-this-lit notice is in such tiny type that you may have missed it. It's about a third of the way down the backside of the flyer on the left. The capitol letters are about 1/16 inch high and the lower case letters are 1/32 inch high. In case you don't have a magnifying glass handy, it says: "Paid for by the Committee to Elect Jeff Koch."

I've left the front of the flyer for last. Again, there's a false reference to Kraus wanting to raise taxes -- as if he could (the same way the flyer closes on the back). There's also a photo of a woman pointing at the headline and looking disgruntled. It's not a stock photo, nor is it a random South Sider. The woman is Mary Lou Collinger. She's the Allegheny County Democratic Committee Female Member for PITTSBURGH WARD 16 DIST 2 -- my precinct. That polling place has been notably pro Koch. When Kraus and Koch first faced off in a special election for this Council seat in 2006, I was a poll-watcher for Bruce*. They tried to throw me and the Green Party poll-watcher out of the polling place after the polls had closed. We both were credentialed. They didn't succeed. Ms. Collinger's credentials were not challenged. Of course, Collinger has every right to campaign for Koch -- as he's endorsed by ACDC, it's really part of her job description. That said, when Kraus wins the primary vote, it will also be her job to help him win -- I wonder how hard she'll work at that?

* Note: I ran and lost against Collinger a couple of months later.

**************************************************

As I was about to post this, it's come to my attention that another version of the above flyer was sent to non South Side voters in District 3. I'm sorry that I have no scan of it. The front features a milk carton with Bruce Kraus' face on it and a large headline which reads "MISSING." The flip side includes the raise and office decoration issues and:

- Accuses Kraus of spending $200,000 on a "dog park that only services the South Side." The amount was actually $68,000 and the park is for all in the South of Pittsburgh to use as there's none on this side of the river.

- Asks why Kraus fails to provide road paving. Umm, isn't that Koch's current job job?

- Accuses Kraus of only investing in the South Side. Wait,"invest"? Doesn't that contradict the other flyer which claims Kraus wastes money in the South Side? Invest...waste...I guess it doesn't matter when you're trying to divide and conquer.

**************************************************

Lastly, here's the response to these flyers by the Kraus campaign:

Statement by Bruce Kraus: Enough is Enough

“It’s unfortunate, but not unexpected, that with just days left until Election Day Jeff Koch has turned to a strategy of lying to voters with deceptive attacks. He's done it before and he's doing it again. These attacks are false. They are distortions meant to confuse voters about the real issues of this election.

This election is about the direction of our neighborhoods. It is about a record of accomplishment and a vision for the future. Jeff Koch has demonstrated he has neither the record nor the vision.

Elections are not charades or circuses. Jeff Koch's side-show is meant to distract and deceive.

So, while my opponent hides behind the fine print in the shadows of misleading attack, I will continue to knock on the doors in my district talking to voters face to face.

The people of my district know me, they trust me, and have a history with me. They know what's going on."

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It's official: Jeff Koch is a widdle pootie cat!

As I posted last week, Pittsburgh City Council took their first vote on koi pond-owner Councilman Jim Motznik's cat licensing bill last Wednesday with the final vote scheduled for today's legislative meeting.

The last vote was a four to four tie with District 3 Councilman Jeff Koch abstaining but promising to choose sides today.

So was Koch fish or feline?

As the headline suggests, Koch cast his vote with the kitty lovers:

From the Post-Gazette:

"The ordinance, the way it's written, is just an extra taxing burden on those who follow the law," Mr. Koch said. He predicted that irresponsible cat owners, whose pets are more likely to cause property damage to neighbors, would just ignore the measure.

"If I thought for one minute that this would help control the population of wild cats, I would be for it," he said.

Councilwoman Darlene Harris argued that an existing code provision requiring that cats carry identification -- be it a tag, tattoo or microchip -- was enough.

Hooray for the purty pooties!
(...And Councilors Dan Deasy, Darlene Harris, Jeff Koch, Bill Peduto and Doug Shields!)

Pgh City Council Vs. Pgh City Cats

Wednesday saw the Pittsburgh City Council take it's first vote on licensing cats (final vote Tuesday). While the Burghosphere is jumping with Councilwoman Twanda Carlisle's remarks on the evolution of feline behavior ("In 2007, cats are more aggressive than they used to be"), she was far from the only Councilor to, um, "distinguish" herself during the debate on the bill.

Councilman Jim Motznik painted himself as being primarily concerned with the safety and welfare of pet cats -- no mention as he had in the past of his own, personal concerns for the safety and welfare of his pet fish in his backyard koi pond. More amusing was his likening himself to former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani. At least he kept the comparison to "quality of life" issues and wasn't claiming to be "America's Councilman."

But, what I found to be most disturbing about Council's conversation wasn't Carlisle's evolutionary thesis or Motznik's Rudy pretensions, it was Councilman Len Bodack's arguments.

Bodack made it clear that he favored the bill and he indeed voted for it. However, he actively encouraged the segment of the cat owning population who keeps their cats indoors to IGNORE THE LAW FOR WHICH HE WAS VOTING.

Yep, he basically said that if you had indoor cats no one would be the wiser if you just didn't bother to license them.

What the hell kind of legislator votes for a law that he's telling people to break?

Oh yeah, one who the voters of his district wisely decided not to invite back.

What a jerk.

[sigh]

Major props to Councilwoman Darlene Harris for all the research that she did on the issue and for taking the sensible and humane position that the real problem is feral cats and the best solution is to have the City reinstate its program to trap, spay and return the cats which was dropped by Act 47.

If you read the MSM/blogs you may know that the vote this week was four in favor and four against with one abstention by Jeff Koch.

Koch will be voting on the bill next week. If, like me, you believe that cat licensing is not the way to go, please contact Koch at:

jeffrey.koch@city.pittsburgh.pa.us
Telephone: 412-255-2130
Fax: 412-255-8950

It's especially important to contact him if you live in Council District Three.

P.S. I hear Koch is a cat owner.

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Finally! Details on the anti-Kraus, antigay, Catholic flyers

Rumors had circulated in the Burgoshpere about an antigay flyer reportedly circulated at Catholic Churches by Koch supporters against Bruce Kraus the weekend before the primary for City Council in District 3. (If Kraus wins in November as is expected by EVERYONE -- Rauterkus notwithstanding-- he will be Pittsburgh's first openly gay elected official.

When details of the flyers did not materialize prior to the election, some anonymous commenters called foul claiming that it was nothing more than a rumor put out by Kraus supporters.

Well, wonder no more as this week's City Paper provides details -- including verification from Jeff Koch that the flyers did, indeed, exist. Of course, as with all the dirty tricks in District 3, Koch denies prior knowledge of the flyers though he admits that it "may have been somebody from my side who didn't tell me."

Here's the details:

According to the Kraus camp, Koch supporters distributed fliers headlined "Support Catholic Values, Vote No To Bruce Kraus on May 15th" at local churches. The flyers, which were handed out as churchgoers were leaving Mass, included a bio of Kraus taken from the Web site of the Victory Fund, a Washington, D.C. group that supports gay and lesbian candidates.

Kraus is gay, and the Victory Fund biography notes, "If elected, Kraus would be the first openly LGBT person on the Pittsburgh City Council, and the first openly LGBT person elected in Western Pennsylvania." The flyer reprinted the biography, along with a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette clipping that identified the fund as one of Kraus' largest campaign donors. (The group gave Kraus $2,500.)

The City Paper article also recounts the scuffles between Bodack and Dowd supporters at the polls.

You can read the entire article here.

Green Shirts at the Polls

After voting on Tuesday I chatted with a Bruce Kraus poll watcher. I had already heard reports of Koch "Green Shirts" being inside polling places (it's a no-no to campaign 50 feet from a polling place) so I asked the Kraus supporter if any had been to my polling place at 24th and Sarah Streets on the South Side. The supporter affirmed that he had witnessed that. (Let it be known that I took off my Kraus button prior to entering my polling place.)

Well, what do I see when I go over to Agent Ska's blog, The Ideas Bucket, but a video of my very own polling place showing a Koch Green Shirter going inside the polls!

According to Ska, the guy turned tail and went back out the door when, 'Suddenly, his buddy realized what was happening and yelled to him, "HEY! SHE'S TAKING PICTURES (name of friend goes here)!!!"'

In the comments section at The Bucket the guy yelling was described as "about 1000 years old" so I'm guessing it was my district's Committeeman who is a bit up there in years and was, as always, at the polls on election day.

You can view the video here:




You can read Ska's report on the taping here: http://agentska.blogspot.com/2007/05/agent-ska-reports.html and here: http://agentska.blogspot.com/2007/05/whatcha-doin-in-there.html.

I am sooo very happy that Koch lost and Kraus won. :-D

Another Election Post-Mortem

I remember hearing this joke when I was in grad school: Vermont is a state that has ten months of winter and two months of bad sledding.

Not sure why that joke stuck in my head this morning as I was reading Rich Lord, but for some reason "Luke's in for some bad sledding." kept bouncing back and forth inside my rapidly balding cranium. He begins:

Armed with 96 percent of the Democratic primary vote, Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl comes to work today fortified by that strong showing at the polls.

But stripped of three council allies and facing an ambitious new controller, the mayor faces more uncertainty than at any time since his Sept. 1 ascent to office.

We all know the details by now. The P-G editorial board summed it up this way:

The winds of change blew through Pittsburgh City Council on election night and, with any luck, will help clear the air in city government. Three incumbents -- one under indictment and the other two backed by the party leadership -- were denied the Democratic nomination and will leave office at the end of the year.

And Lord quotes Peduto using that "Perfect storm" phrase again. ("Winds of change" "perfect storm" "bad sledding" - it's certainly raining weather metaphors today, isn't it?)

Anyway, Peduto goes on to describe the bad sledding facing Mayor Luke:

Mr. Peduto argued that the results represent "the transformation of Democratic politics" by a new infrastructure of progressive groups, campaign workers and candidates. Two of the ousted incumbents were endorsed by the Democratic Committee and the Allegheny County Labor Council, suggesting traditional power bases can't guarantee victory.

And Luke is no where but sitting on the traditional power base. Lord continues:

That's because a council that -- with the exception of Mr. Peduto -- has been mayor-friendly will get three independent voices. Mr. Kraus, particularly, has no debt to Mr. Ravenstahl, since mayoral pal and Redd Up Campaign Manager Kevin Quigley was campaigning for Mr. Koch on Tuesday.

On the other side of the Allegheny River, Jeremy Boren and Mike Wereschagin have a somewhat harsher, less diplomatically-put view:

Voters tossed a wrench into the city's Democratic machine Tuesday, rejecting three City Council incumbents, including two endorsed by the party committee.

"Not only did you change a third of council, but you had challengers win in three of the four races," said Moe Coleman, director emeritus of University of Pittsburgh's Institute of Politics and aide to then Pittsburgh Mayor Joseph Barr in the 1960s.

"I don't ever remember this happening before."

Democratic machine? What Democratic machine? Boren and Wereschagin get a choice nugget:

Bodack and Koch were the Democratic Party's endorsed candidates. Their loss shows the party apparatus needs to change its endorsement process or risk losing relevance, said Allegheny County Councilwoman Brenda Frazier. The Stanton Heights Democrat has won three elections without the party's backing.

"The old way of doing things certainly isn't working," said Frazier, 66, whose district stretches from the South Side to the North Side.

Frazier is quoted somewhat later:

As more candidates win without the party's backing, Frazier said, others will begin asking, "What good is it?"

If nothing else (and we know there was much more), that's possibly the most important long-term victory of the 15th. The old party aparatus suffered a shock.

It's no longer business as usual.

Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting...

Late Early Returns

The Burgh Report has been calling it for Bruce Kraus since right before 9:00 PM, and saying that Patrick Dowd may also squeek by.

Here's the numbers from the official County website:

MEMBER OF COUNCIL DISTRICT 3
(VOTE FOR NOT MORE THAN ) 1
(WITH 25 OF 42 Districts COUNTED 59.52%)
JEFFREY S KOCH. . . . . . . . . 898 42.38
BRUCE A KRAUS . . . . . . . . . 1,214 57.29
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 7 .33

MEMBER OF COUNCIL DISTRICT 7
(VOTE FOR NOT MORE THAN ) 1
(WITH 22 OF 47 Districts COUNTED 46.81%)
LEN BODACK . . . . . . . . . . 1,338 51.15
PATRICK DOWD . . . . . . . . . 1,273 48.66
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 5 .19
Total . . . . . . . . . 2,616

Another must read site is the Post-Gazette's Early Returns - live blogging!

I thought Dan Onorato's victory speech was quite gracious to challenger Rick Swartz. Dan claims he'll work with Rick in the future on public transit. If he actually does, it justifies Rick's entire campaign.

Sorry, but I don't have many kind things to say about Mayor Luke Ravenstah's victory speech. The P-G found him nervous, but my sis and I found him smug when he mentioned four times that he had won in March (The P-G seems to have heard, "You like me. You really, really like me," while we heard "Me, me, me, me").

Pattern of Election Intimidation Reigns in District 3

From Pennsylvania League of Young Voters PAC:

Pittsburgh, PA: Reports are coming in that polling places all over district 3 members of the Allegheny County Democratic Committee are inside polling places acting as if judge of elections.

In another incident two 15 year old volunteers for the PA League of Young Voters PAC were harassed and antagonized by the Campaign Manager for Jeff Koch.
Also, individuals wearing Koch shirts have been sitting at tables with election workers at the polling places all over the district. At 9th and Sarah multiple individuals wearing Koch shirts sat inside the poll and a volunteer for the Kraus Campaign identified one as one of the suspended public works employees.

A number of other situations have been reported as well.

Kraus supporters have described the situation as having an air of intimidation

Voters called a volunteer and told her they were "afraid to vote"

Kevin Quigley was reported screaming at a Committee person who did not support Koch

Poll watchers are being turned away from inspecting voter rolls

This is my district and it comes as no surprise to me because I poll-watched for Bruce Kraus the last time he ran against Jeff Koch and the same crap happened then -- they even tried to have me kicked out.

I'll be going to the polls in about an hour.

Go ahead, bitches and try something -- make my day!

Last Minute Nastiness from Tweedledum and Tweedledee

Tweedledum (Koch):

Councilman Jeff Koch's last minute flyer dubs his opponent, Bruce Kraus, a "liar" twice. Koch offers not one bit of proof or backup of any kind to justify that claim. Of course, Koch makes no mention of his illegal: T-shirts, campaign calls, and donations. Kraus' last flyer, on the other hand, offers a gracious thanks to his supporters.

Please vote for Bruce Kraus in Pittsburgh City Council District 3.




Tweedledee (Bodack):

Councilman Len Bodack delivers another despicable letter with the seal of our fair city. This one compares his opponent, Patrick Dowd, to Joe McCarthy and tries to paint him as a Republican. Lenny also tries to paint himself as a "progressive." Yes, the anti choice, anti gay candidate is the real progressive -- I think I just vomited a little in my mouth.

Please vote for Patrick Dowd in Pittsburgh City Council District 7.

Can You Say "Pattern of Intimidation"?

According to the following press release from The Pennsylvania League of Young Voters Political Action Committee, there's been still more broken windows of Bruce Kraus supporters:

"Last night a business on South 15th street displaying a Kraus sign had a plate glass window shattered. (Pictures attached) No windows displaying Koch signs are known to have been damaged."

Here are pictures of the second Kraus supporter store to be vandalized:





Notice Kraus sign in the window on the right?
The League asks Mayor Ravenstahl and other City Officials to "step up and ensure safe, fair elections and to discourage voter intimidation and campaign violence in the days between."

The full press release:

Broken Windows, Stolen Signs Intimidate Kraus Supporters in District 3

Mayor: Please Step Up and Ensure Fair, Safe Election

Pittsburgh, PA: The Pennsylvania League of Young Voters Political Action Committee calls on Mayor Ravenstahl and City Officials to step up and ensure safe, fair elections and to discourage voter intimidation and campaign violence in the days between.

Just days after city workers were photographed wearing Koch shirts on city time and suspended for the violation, Kraus supporters and residents of District 3 have experienced increased levels of intimidation, violence and vitriol in this already heated race.

Throughout the campaign Kraus signs have repeatedly been stolen. But this week the negative campaigning escalated to violence. Two businesses displaying Kraus signs were vandalized on two consecutive days near the Carson Street business district. The first, located at the corner of 18th and Carson, was playing a commercial for Bruce Kraus on a large TV in its 18th street window. Sometime over night on Friday or Saturday someone threw a brick threw the window. Last night a business on South 15th street displaying a Kraus sign had a plate glass window shattered. (Pictures attached) No windows displaying Koch signs are known to have been damaged.

With the escalation in violence and shady campaigning the PA League of Young Voters PAC is concerned that Election Day will bring widespread efforts to disfranchise voters in District Three. PLYV PAC calls on Mayor Ravenstahl and city officials to take steps to ensure safe and fair elections for all city residents and in light of recent events, especially District 3.

"The Mayor and City Officials have an obligation, both ethical and legal, to end this sort of shady campaigning and ensure that citizens in District Three can exercise their conscience in the voting booth on May 15th" stated Lou Takacs, chair of the PLYV PAC.The PLYV PAC also calls on the officials to look into these incidents along with the continued incidents of city workers wearing Koch shirts even after several members of Public Works were suspended for the same violation.

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Vandals Toss Brick Through Window of Kraus Supporter

According to Kraus supporters, the window pictured below was broken sometime between late Friday night and early Saturday morning.


What was in the window?

A 62 inch TV that playing a Bruce Kraus full length commercial. The television was damaged along with the window.


The vandalism occurred at the corner of 18th and Carson Street.

The Kraus Campaign noted that in the last 6 weeks "nearly 100 of our campaign yard signs have been stolen, or defaced."

As many know, campaign signs are often "messed with" but that number seems a bit high to me for a City Council race. The Kraus campaign had remained silent on the stolen/defaced signs until the TV incident.

Of course, there is no evidence that the window and TV were vandalized by anyone connected with the Koch campaign -- as this happened on a weekend night on the South Side, it may have just been kids or drunks or drunken kids.

The Kraus Campaign is hopeful that a nearby PNC bank's surveillance camera may have caught the vandals in the act.

I'm trying to find out if it was this Kraus ad at YouTube.

Is it just me, or is it getting really ugly out there?
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See the Infamous Bodack Letter Here!

As I blogged here, the Len Bodack Campaign mailed out a letter in Pittsburgh City Council District 7 which branded his opponent, Patrick Dowd, a "LIAR." Furthermore, Councilman Bodack uses a "near exact replication of the Pittsburgh City seal" to do that dirty work. The letter also implies that the Pittsburgh Public School Teachers failed to endorse Dowd because they believe him to be a liar.

Here are .JPG files of the letter and envelope:





Here's a comparison of the official Seal of the City of Pittsburgh (left) and the seal that Bodack uses on the envelope and twice on the letter (right):

Official Seal Bodack Letter Seal

Despite the "seal" both the letter and envelope have the following printed on them "NOT PRINTED AT GOVERNMENT EXPENSE." I guess that's how you're supposed to figure out that the mailing is not officially coming from the City or Bodack's Council office -- that is if you somehow were not eagle-eyed enough to notice the differences in the seal being used. And, we all have the official seal memorized, right?

As I stated yesterday, Councilman Jeff Koch also mailed out a flyer (seemingly at the same time as Bodack's letter) which also brands his opponent, Bruce Kraus, as a "liar." I will try to have pictures of that flyer up today. I will also be posting some pictures of some dirty tricks reportedly done against the Kraus camp.

Ugly Bodack Campaign Lit Making the Rounds

I don't live in Pittsburgh City Councilman Len "My Opponet's Trying to Take the Food Out of My Kids' Mouths" Bodack's district (7), but I had heard from a friend that some misleading and ugly campaign literature was dropped to voters yesterday from the Bodack folks.

Today, I received a press release from the Patrick Dowd campaign referring to this lit drop. It says that the literature in question calls Dowd a "liar." But what's worse is that it apparently uses a "near exact replication of the Pittsburgh City seal" to do that dirty work. Of course, it would be illegal to use the actual seal in this manner.

Here's the press release:

For Immediate Release:

Council District 7 Debate Saga Approaches Final Chapter

Saturday, May 12, 2007 After receiving a scurrilous letter yesterday from Councilman Bodack that uses a near exact replication of the Pittsburgh City seal to dub Patrick Dowd “a liar,” the Dowd campaign delivered an automated phone message earlier this afternoon with the following text:

“Hello, this is Patrick Dowd, Democrat for City Council. My opponent, Lenny Bodack, Jr., has refused to be caught in public in any situation where he could be asked tough questions about his wasting of our tax dollars. About why he paid one ward chairman 28 thousand dollars for services that are almost entirely undocumented. About why he’s ducking the “Right to Know” laws and refusing to release information about his spending. Instead, he’s hiding behind mean spirited letters, accusing me of attacking his staff, and calling me names. My criticisms are not personal attacks. I am asking questions about public information and public dollars. He has avoided answering those questions time and again.

In fairness to Lenny I’m offering him one more chance to come clean, to debate the issues in front of voters and the television cameras so that everyone can see it. Here’s the invitation: Tomorrow night at 4326 Butler Street - in the heart of Lawrenceville - at 7 PM. Everyone is invited to join the television crews and me to see if he’ll show up. This is Patrick Dowd, Democrat for City Council.”

Patrick Dowd is open to taking an alternate location for tomorrow’s debate into consideration.

I will be posting later today on a piece of campaign lit which was mailed to me by the Jeff Koch campaign which also brands their opponent, Bruce Kraus, a "liar." No proof of any lies is offered in that literature. Do Bodack and Koch do their homework together or just copy off each others' papers?

We'll also get into the firing of yet another whistleblower -- this time in connection with the Koch campaign. Don't they ever learn?

I am also working on getting a copy of the Bodack letter and will post it here when I receive it -- likely tomorrow.

Patrick Dowd: http://www.dowdforpittsburgh.org
Bruce Kraus: http://www.brucekraus.net


UPDATE: You can see a copy of the Bodack letter here.
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Public Works Crew STILL Wearing Koch T-shirts???!

Can it be true?

According to an email and phone call that I just received, someone saw the Koch T-shirts on a Public Works crew in a truck today at 10:15 AM at Ross Street.

The person said that they began to approach the truck to inquire about the shirts but before they could say anything the driver smiled at them and said, "Yeah, still wearing them!" and then they pulled away.

The person recorded the truck license number as: MG2116D

Anyone else see this?

Don't Reward Bad Behavior

A big part of what makes Pittsburgh "America's Most Leavable City" is the arrogance, hubris, and feelings of entitlement of its leaders. In a One Party Town where the local Democratic Committee makes endorsements in primary votes (Hey, kids, did you know that Dem parties in other towns don't necessarily do this and let the voters have a real voice?), far too many of our elected officials seem to believe that they do not need to play by the rules and that they do not need to be accountable to their constituency.

So you have a Mayor who plasters his face and name on every flat surface in town, crashes private parties in his quest for further celebrity, and only tells the truth when the MSM catches up to his lies.

You have County Chief Executive Dan Onorato who believes that elections only serve to "distract" the public.

You have City Councilman Len BoDUCK Bodack who refuses all debates and tells his supporters that his challenger is "trying to take the food out of my kids' mouths."

You have City Councilwoman Twanda Carlisle who spends tens of thousands of dollars on a worthless report written by her mother's live-in friend and is under suspicion of funneling tens of thousands more dollars into her own pockets via payouts and kickbacks.

And, now you have City Councilman Jeff Koch whose campaign created T-shirts that were the exact same color as Public Works Dept. shirts that ended up on the backs of Public Works employees during work hours and whose own Campaign Treasurer was one of the workers wearing the shirt. (Not to mention that Koch has a history of not listening to the wants and needs of his district to the point of "telling an 80-year-old woman to 'sit down and shut up.'" at a community meeting.)

Don't reward their bad behavior and arrogance!

Let them know that they serve us -- not the other way around.

Let them know on May 15th.

(Yes, you can still vote AGAINST Luke Ravenstahl. The new machines make it easy to write in a vote. Write in "William Peduto" or "Pierogie" or "None of the above!")

These are your public officials -- don't encourage them -- don't give them any more of a stage for their silly antics:


Create Your Own PaloozaHead - Visit Lollapalooza.com
http://www.writeinbillpeduto.com


Create Your Own PaloozaHead - Visit Lollapalooza.com
http://www.citizensforswartz.com


Create Your Own PaloozaHead - Visit Lollapalooza.com
http://dowdforpittsburgh.org


Create Your Own PaloozaHead - Visit Lollapalooza.com
Rev. Ricky Burgess


Create Your Own PaloozaHead - Visit Lollapalooza.com
http://www.brucekraus.net .

Response by Bruce Kraus Campaign

Here's the official response by the Bruce Kraus Campaign to the illegal campaigning by City workers in the Public Works Department:

Misuse of City Workers Hurts People in District 3, City Tax Payers.

Allegations surfaced today regarding the use of city workers to campaign for Jeff Koch, Candidate for City Council in district 3. The Bruce Kraus Campaign reacts strongly to these allegations and expresses deep concern over the possible misuse of city workers time.

The campaign also expressed the feeling that this is a deep insult to the people of the district. "Every day dedicated volunteers take time out of their busy lives to campaign for me. They devote their personal time and resources to my campaign because they believe I will best represent their interests on City Council," stated Mr. Kraus. "This undermines and devalues the time and effort of all those good people."

Mr. Koch, elected just last year in a special election won that contest by only 151 votes. The Allentown neighborhood contributed nearly 300 votes in that election.

Mr. Kraus noted that "if my opponent cannot get volunteers for his cause, he cannot then turn to official resources for support. It is both unethical and illegal."

Though Mr. Koch claims ignorance of these efforts, the pictures clearly show his campaign treasurer Ray Sansone. If this was without the candidates consent, at the very least the treasurer should be fired from the campaign and disciplined by the city argued the Kraus campaign. "If my opponent is unaware of what is going on in his campaign, how can he claim he will be an effective representative for the people who live in our district?" asked Mr. Kraus.

In closing Mr. Kraus added that he "welcomes participation by all people in the campaign process, whether they volunteer for me or my opponent, democracy is strengthened. But," he added "when city workers are used for campaigning it hurts the people of our district, the taxpayers in our city, and democracy itself."

The campaign calls for the city to bring disciplinary action against any employee or elected official who violates the law in this manner.



--
Amber Steinmetz
Campaign Mananger
Kraus for Council

www.brucekraus.net

City Workers Illegally Campaigning for Koch (with photos)

The following photographs were emailed to me. They certainly appear to show Pittsburgh City workers campaigning for City Councilman Jeff Koch on city time.

In my professional opinion as a graphic designer who has worked with Photoshop for over 10 years, the photos sent to me do not appear to be altered.

I have cropped and resized them where necessary to fit on this blog.




Detail of first photo.
According to City Code, it is ILLEGAL for city employees to campaign while on the job or in city offices:

§ 705. POLITICAL ACTIVITY OF EMPLOYEES - GIFTS.
Employees of the City are prohibited from engaging in political activity during working hours and at all times in city offices. City employees may not hold an elected public office wherein they would receive an annual salary, unless a leave of absence is taken without pay. Certain described classes of city employees and officers may be required, by ordinance, to take a leave of absence without pay while a candidate for elected public office. City employees shall not be permitted to accept any gift or thingof value in connection with their employment other than their salary, nor be compelled to contribute to any fund other than that required by law. No solicitation shall be made of a city employee for any purpose during working hours. Nothing contained in this section shall affect the right of city employees to support a political party, to vote as they choose, to hold party office or to express publicly and privately their opinions on political subjects and to attend political meetings. [emphasis added]

It should be noted that Jeff Koch was employed in the Public Works Department prior to being elected to City Council.

I have, however, been given no evidence that he approved of these Public Works employees' actions.

Jeff Koch is running for reelection in Council District 3.

His opponent is Bruce Kraus who came within 200 votes of Koch in a crowded field in last year's special election.

Kraus has received the endorsement of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette this year as he did last year. The P-G has pointed out that Kraus is more independent than Koch -- one may see these photos as evidence of that.

This is my Council district and I will be casting my vote for Bruce Kraus.

UPDATE!: I've been informed that these photographs were taken today between 10:30 AM and 11:00 AM in Allentown at the corner of Allen and Industry Street. Allentown is in Council District 3.

Also, one of the men pictured is reported to be Koch's campaign Treasurer Ray Sansone (sp?)

The shirts are also reported to be the exact same color as the public works uniform T-shirts. Who paid for these shirts?

UPDATE 2!: The Tribune-Review now has the story:

Members of a Pittsburgh Public Works crew face possible disciplinary action for wearing T-shirts advertising a city councilman's reelection bid while cleaning up a section of Allentown this morning.

[snip]

Koch said he did not know about the photos. He said it was wrong of the workers to wear the shirts, which his campaign made about three weeks ago.

"I certainly wouldn't advocate that," Koch said. "I've been in Public Works 29 years, I know better than that. I didn't ask anybody to do anything."

Public Works Director Guy Costa said the city has a policy that requires the department's employees to be in uniform at all times.

"They're out of uniform and the city does have a uniform policy," Costa said. "Appropriate discipline will be taken. You have to wear the uniform that the city provides."

Costa would not discuss possible disciplinary measures, and said he could not immediately identify the workers in the photo.

UPDATE 3!: As does the Post-Gazette:

The City of Pittsburgh's celebrated Redd-up Crew was photographed today wearing campaign T-shirts, spurring disciplinary warnings.

[snip]

One of the workers photographed is Ray Sansone, treasurer of the Koch campaign, though the pictures do not clearly show whether he was wearing a campaign shirt. Ken Wolfe said he was.

"I said, 'Ray, what's up with the T-shirts?' " Mr. Wolfe said. "He said, 'I can wear any T-shirt I want.' "

Mr. Sansone could not immediately be reached for comment.

Ken Wolfe said he later returned to the scene and was met by Kevin Quigley, manager of the Redd-up Campaign. He said Mr. Quigley threatened to call the police on him for "harassing" city workers while on the job. Mr. Wolfe then called 911, and a police officer arrived but made no arrests.

NOTE: it appears that Agent Ska was also sent the same photos.