The Comet is vehemently opposed to Councilman Peduto's new legislation. (Trib, Team Effort)His proposed Office of Ethics and Accountability should be given a $20,000 line-item in next year's budget, not a mere $10,000.
( h/t Burgh Report. Its link to the Trib article was at first misdirected, unless it was very dark humor.)
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P-G pugilist Mark Belko reports on the new Downtown YMCA. Therein:
With UPMC, which will start moving in this spring, nearly 10,000 people will work in the U.S. Steel Tower alone.
Really? It is upon us? This is great. Win-win-win-win-win.
This was one great advantage of the big move Downtown: ten thousand little ambassadors in the pulse of the region's political beating heart.
We don't know the rent situation atop the Steel Tower, but whatever it is, it's hard to believe we needed to "throw in" a giant sign to lure these particular tenants. Either somebody negotiated poorly, or somebody didn't care to negotiate.
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P-G columnist Samantha Bennett is onto something. There is a pattern emerging, with these Most Delectable Cities lists.
This week, the city was named by Frommer's -- the folks whose guide you may have used as a pillow in European train stations -- as one of its Top Destinations for 2008. Actually, Western Pennsylvania made the list twice, both as Pittsburgh and as a part of the American Whiskey Trail, which includes Woodville Plantation in Collier, the West Overton Museum in Scottdale and the Oliver Miller Homestead in South Park.
Pittsburgh is scoring high on a lot of charts, and the actual plaudits are getting deeper and deeper. We are going to re-think and re-frame our snortishly dismissive attitude towards this whole subspecies of boosterism, and give something else a try.
Pittsburgh. The world's most highly regarded city.
Squishimondocentenial, anyone?
UPDATE: Ooh, snap, she actually talks...
The Ethics Hearing Board is a joke. Presently, with $0, is is a cheap joke and not an expensive one.
ReplyDeleteLet's talk about the overall purpose and policy of the Ethics Hearing Board before we spend money on something that is unethical.
Think again.
Sister Patrice and the board wanted to ask for $40,000. Well, it got knocked down to $10,000 before it hit city council. Go look at the minutes (woops... there are none).
When you don't know where you want to go, any road will take you there. And, this group is in the dark. But, they need light -- vision -- clarity -- purpose -- policy -- and leadership. They don't need money.
Money, with all those other things lacking, could prove to be more harmful to the citizens later.
"Sister Patrice and the board wanted to ask for $40,000."
ReplyDeleteAnd you're calling them a joke? Respecting it's not all about dollars and cents, Rauterkus, I'm not in agreement with the ferocity of your tack towards the Ethics Board.
I'd give them at least a 6 out of 10.