The P-G's Lord and Belser seem to be of the opinion that the love-fest between Ravenstahl and Onorato is over."A year from now, when you ask the question, 'Should the city merge with the county?', we'll have the answer," Mr. Ravenstahl said then.
Nine months later, that answer seems far off, because the relationship between the mayor and chief executive has apparently cooled just as differences in philosophy on city-county relations emerge.
Note the lack of a causal link in that formulation.
##
The P-G editorial board comes out in acquiescence to the drink tax / car rental tax solution for public transit.
The idea of this tax already has drawn a lot of complaints, primarily from bar and restaurant owners who fear it will be the add-on that breaks patrons' backs. But similar dire predictions did not come true in Philadelphia, where a drink tax was enacted 13 years ago.
The editorial does not directly address the counterargument that we are not Philadelphia.
##
Trib columnist Dmitri Vassilaros has some very, very good advice for Mark DeSantis.
When a question is lobbed about what Mayor DeSantis would do in the first 100 days in office, the electorate won't be electrified to learn that you'd want city employees to school you about how the government works.
-snip-
Mark, you can win. But you must play hardball just to get to first base.
Then we have an accord.
"We are not Philadelphia" is not really a counterargument, unless someone can marshal some specific reasons as to why the tax would have a greater impact here than in Philadelphia. I know Chelsa Wagner argued that incomes are lower here, but I'm guessing that prices are as well.
ReplyDeleteTake the campaign advice offered by pundits & reporters with a grain of salt. Most have never run for office, let alone won an election.
ReplyDeleteI say this meaning no disrespect to either reporters or pundits. They are good at reporting & punditry. However, their campaign advice is often less useful than that which will inevitably be proferred by the candidate's banker, next door neighbor or hair dresser.
Are there any candidates out there who can attest to having gotten some really good campaign advice from the media?
ReplyDeleteCandidates who read my blog get good campaign advice if they can distill the info and insight. My blog isn't the P-G nor Trib, but it is part of the realm of 'media.'
ReplyDeleteThose that have 'won and election' in the past from these parts who are not presently a judge are dead. Well, there are very few of those types of people around.
I blog about Dimitri's (negative) coaching of DeSantis too. He eggs on the egg-head with a nit-pick at one answer from a long discussion.
I agree with the campaign veteran --- pass the salt.