Friday, November 30, 2012

Post-Gazette Reporter Keeps Vigilant Eye on Confidence in City Leadership

Greenwich Roundup

Today's long mayoral press release to get copied and pasted unmolested by the P-G's Mark Belko deals with a concept City Hall is involved in to cajole Downtown retailers into coordinating more often.

One would think the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership should have that base extremely well-covered, and indeed they seem to, together with some new websiteless Pittsburgh Downtown Community Development Corp. Perhaps an article on why there is now a "Pittsburgh Downtown CDC," on who comprises it, and on what the fact that some of them are on Mayor Ravenstahl's City Planning Commission may signify could conceivably be enlightening to somebody.

But a blurb about the PDP taking on a minor project, or learning about a new and connected CDC, would be no way for Mark Belko to satisfy his longstanding, semiweekly 1200-word quota for forwarding the contents of Yarone Zober's inspiration board.

PREVIOUSLY ON BELKOVISION:

A store remains Downtown, which is an exciting sign of great things.

Planning Commission just made the Cultural District more spectacular.  CORRECTION: This one's not bad, it's just a useful Commission meeting write-up. Not sure how it wound up on this list.

Pittsburgh Airport continues to excel at what it does.

LEAKED!! Two discount retailers mulling a move to Downtown due to its famous strength.

Millcraft/McKnight bid obviously best, because duh.

Another step forward.

Millcraft's deal falling through no concern at all.

What a steal the city got on that building!

ONE YEAR AGO: Downtown retailers should totally think about working together.

Blight designations for urban redevelopment are completely noncontroversial.

Why collect parking meter revenue? Bizarre idea!

Sports bar, lofts, chic lounge perfect for Hill District.

$1 million from sale of three buildings can in fact be spent.

One time -- one time --  I was highly impressed with a Belko article on Pens' majority owner Ron Burkle. So we know he can write and do research.

8 comments:

  1. Good news is the worst (for instance, http://m.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/news/2012/11/30/pittsburgh-cited-for-economic-recovery.html?r=full). Don't they realize that Bill Peduto really, really wants to be Mayor?!?

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  2. Good news is good news, and always welcome. Happy talk is something else.

    Tell me, what makes, "Downtown merchants still mulling over maybe cooperating a little more" news of any stripe?

    And what makes Belko think he can write story after story about the administration praising itself without ever seeking out a divergent viewpoint, even from a think-tanker, academic, taxpayer or competitor?

    Man, Larimore's must be really touchy about where they'll run ads...

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  3. I think of Belko more as an Allegheny Conference mouthpiece--mayors will come and go, but the Conference and Belko remain.

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  4. Don't worry about the Allegheny Conference. The ACC will take all the big teams.

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  5. Here we go again with the PG pro-Ravenstahl happy talk... http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/pittsburghers-invited-to-develop-apps-at-codefest-664709/. Where is the point/counterpoint from the anti-coding people of Pittsburgh? Next thing you know people will be saying that Luke helped to make Bakery Square/Google happen even though it was Burgess who must have since it is in his district.

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  6. Anon 10:07 - You've got me. But you've got to plus-up your game for a little while every four years, it can't be that hard. Failing that, Bill or Michael could force the issue with Conference types (but who does that? No one, that's who. That's it, I'm talking to the SEIU and Fight Back Pittsburgh, why haven't they been at the... what building does the Allegheny Conference frequent?).

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  7. The Allegheny Conference frequents 11 Stanwix. And OnePittsburgh (doubleplusSEIU)must have heard your telepathic suggestion, Bram - they plan to show up at the Conference doorstep on Dec. 10th at 2:30 pm to protest "unfair tax loopholes for the 1 percent" and slashes to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and other vital services.

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