I am soooo tired of him making me write this post ... but if no one says what needs to be said, then no one says it.This just in from a Kevin Acklin e-mail. If he's wrong about the facts, I'll gladly stick a fork in him, but for now I trust he's not making stuff up out of the blue:
KDKA Radio has reported that Luke Ravenstahl chose to attend Steelers’ training camp on Tuesday afternoon instead of participating in a G-20 media briefing, or instead of just spending those three hours in the city, doing the important work that we elect a Mayor to do. This is yet another example of how, time and time again, Luke Ravenstahl places himself and his own whims ahead of the needs of Pittsburghers.
In fact, Luke Ravenstahl had the gall today on KDKA’s Marty Griffin Show to tell a caller who thought he should have been working: "You think I should have no life between now and [the last day of the summit on] Sept. 25? I disagree." (Acklin schmengy)
For $96,500 a year, he should be able to make it through a Tuesday afternoon without running off to sniff Ben Rothlisberger's jockstrap. That is what life is all about. Case closed. What's next on the docket?
Ah yes -- the opening up of the Mayor's public schedule just like a normal public officeholder. Time to start asking that question again now, since the first few attempts don't count.
Marty must have been given the green light to criticize the mayor after the “man to man” between Ravenstahl and Young. You know damn well Marty would not be all “WTF” if thought he might get reprimanded again.
ReplyDeleteAlso, did anyone hear of Zober publically trashing a state rep over pension takeovers and taxes? Just caught the end of Shields basically saying Zober should be let go on KDKA (Pintak) last night.
Bram, I think we are beginning to see a dynamic emerge as the city the ramps-up to the G-20. The G-20 could have been in any city in America. Chicago would have been a good choice, but as the POUTS' home town, it might have made delagates uncomfortable. The coastal cities in the south are too vulnerable to disaster this time of year, so that eliminates Miami, Tampa, New Orleans, Houston and Jacksonville. So why not NYC or LA? Why Pittsburgh?
ReplyDeleteAside from the fact that the Obama administration can show off a pillar of economic stability in the midst of a global economic meltdown, and a leader in environmental design to an international audience, Pittsburgh was chosen because the security arm of the federal is the 800-pound gorilla and can quite literally take over a city of this size when an event like this is planned. Surely the G-20 would not have shut down cities like NYC and LA.
What is playing out here is a fight for control. Control of the process for awarding permits to protesters. Control of the site. Control of the city. The city does not have control, nor does the state. This is all at the federal level now. The secret service will not disclose information related to road closures or other inconveniences beyond what is known already until the week leading up to the event. They are in control. You are on a need-to-know basis and right now you do not need to know.
The mayor and council are just dancing. When the G-20 ground team says dance, they dance. Not before, not after, but precisely when they say "dance".
As for the permitting process, let's not be hasty. Say, God forbid, a group that was issued a permit does something that causes a great deal of damage. Now imagine you are the official who granted permission to that group. Politically, that is an awful place to be. Your constituents are pissed. The Obama administration is pissed at you. The state is pissed...you get the idea.
Let's give city leaders the benefit of the doubt especially since they're not really in charge of this circus.
Give me a break. The Feds definately have a hold on some of this, but they are taking their cues from the City leaders, the ones who are familiar with the territory, terrain and where cutting people off at the pass will occur.
ReplyDeleteSo what if he went to training camp. He's allowed to have personal time.
ReplyDeleteAre you trying to get in the good graces of the Mayor again? I heard he called you a putz awhile back. Must suck being on the outside....
ReplyDeleteMatt H., if you were not so young I would hold you more accountable.
ReplyDeleteScrew that, you need to be held more accountable.
You said in earlier post that protestors were stupid. You need to take an American History Class, possibly any history class. Are you familiar with Pittsburgh's early History, the Steel Industry? Workers Rights, the causes and reasons for a Union? Women's right to vote, (less than 100 years ago and anniversary in a few days, 1920) Civil Rights movement? Your ignorance as to what protests, and movements accomplish is embarassing.
Yet another view:
ReplyDeleteg-20 is obama's gig. he ain't taking cues from a bunch of locals ...all he has to do is order a report up from the justice department - read it - and make damn sure the yokles here don't get his big president of the world show moment all screwed up.
I wish I was at the Hhite House briefing when they went over the dossier on Hizzoner. The long list of Luke's endless gaffs, miscues and general cluelessness. Peels of laughter and tears runing down thier cheeks.
And then, an order from the boss: "Look, make sure there is as little chance as possible for a photo op with the bums who didn't support me here in the primary... back of the bus please Dan and Luke" More peels of laughter.
taking ques ...i beg to differ. lol
Luke is totally cool! oooohh
ReplyDeleteI want his baby! ooohhhhh
Sincerely,
The same woman who is suing Big Ben
(Please don't out me! I might get fired at the hotel where I work!)
what freaking anon pigeons. yes pigeons. pitt girl can you please come whack these pigeons?
ReplyDeletePittsburgh was selected for the G20 based on the ability to defend it from attack. (Rewind to Fort Pitt-Fort Duquesne?)
The public safety officials local and FEDS have a relationship pre-Kerry for president, US OPEN, 2008 presidential and so on.
Believe it or not we have some of the brightest minds in policing and emergency management in the nation.
Green this, green that = bullshit.
This was a security matter.
The mayor (luke or not) and chief executive could go on vacation thru november with NO IMPACT on g20plans.
Dok Harris is a freaking joke! The only one more pitiful is Acklin.
GET A LIFE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Keep grasping at straws....
Steelerstahl is such a fucking tool, it's not like he actually runs this city, that's Mayor Zober's job, Steelerstahl is there so his father, the judge, can feel proud his boy isn't a telemarketer any more but he's a big boy who says he's Mayor. Whatafuckingjoke Steelerstahl is, but the problem is until the lot of old blue hairs dies off and there's actually a majority of people who aren't connected to each other through birth or family relation Pittsburgh is going to have to endure quite a few more years of this immature do-nothing Mayor Steelerstahl
ReplyDeleteI just love how everyone screams and yells when he goes to a social event or to a sporting event. You expect him to be holed up in the office 24-7 every day. It's insane.
ReplyDeleteMatt, are you alright with the DPW workers you harass with petty issues blowing off work for 3 or 4 hours in the middle of the day to check out the Steelers? How about the building inspectors? How about HACP workers? Leadership, anyone?
ReplyDeleteIt's the middle of a workday. And NOT at the practice facility on the S.Side, it's way out in Latrobe. I was totally going to give him a pass until I heard about the snotty "Let me have a life" comment all over again. Most of us pursue our enjoyments after hours and don't complain about it.
Most importantly, this doesn't do anything for his image of being a puppet, a frontman, a face -- the idea he can leave the City on a Tuesday afternoon shortly before the G-20 and everything in the City can run hunky dory.
"Matt, are you alright with the DPW workers you harass with petty issues blowing off work for 3 or 4 hours in the middle of the day to check out the Steelers? How about the building inspectors? How about HACP workers? Leadership, anyone?"
ReplyDeleteThose are scheduled union employees who more than likely hit a time-card. I would like to see a document with a set time schedule for the Mayor.
"I would like to see a document with a set time schedule for the Mayor."
ReplyDeleteI'd settle for a published public schedule. Didn't Pat Dowd promise to do something more extensive during his campaign?
The mayor does not hit a time card. He only has a job to do. And he's not doing that if he's not on a vacation day and he's in Latrobe watching the Steelers.
ReplyDelete"I just love how everyone screams and yells when he goes to a social event or to a sporting event. You expect him to be holed up in the office 24-7 every day."
He was absent, the media were lied to again about it, then the mayor called kdka to kill the story. We don't have really high expectations of the Mayor, but this is unreal.
Also, I don't have real high expectations of you either "mr. rebel"
The mayor's job is 24-7, period. He should be called to the carpet for his juvenile jock-sniffing ways.
ReplyDeleteTranslated: Grow the !@#$ Up!!!
Isn't the Mayor responsible for the horrible conditions of the neighborhood parks, Hoagie?
Everyone is to blame. It's years of neglect from the Myaors off to Council to DPW. Council provides the funding.
ReplyDeleteNo one wants to see City employees goofing off, but that should mean all City employees. Yes, the Mayor is elected and it would be difficult to impeach him. But that should give him a free pass.
ReplyDeleteYes, the media lead the charge in the past in exposing the Mayor's questionable actions. But it was the Mayor who did the things, and it is the Mayor who was evasive and defensive about his actions, even once again. Our Mayor only shows remorse and humility when it is scripted for him, when he speaks off the cuff it is with evasions (not to say damn lies) and attacks on the media.
One of the worst parts is that conservative Republican suburbanites are able to slam all things urban, partly because our Mayor acts like a clown.
The mayor isn't acting Ed.
ReplyDeleteMatt: go in the corner and jerk off with a picture of Luke to get you all excited.
"Everyone is to blame. It's years of neglect from the Myaors off to Council to DPW. Council provides the funding."
ReplyDeleteI agree that Bob O screwed up the whole city.