Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Go! Vote! Get All the Votes!

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29 comments:

  1. Bram ReichbaumNovember 5, 2013 at 9:09 PM

    Breaking: Deb Gross declares victory, 59 to 26 to 6 to 5 to 2.

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  2. MHNovember 5, 2013 at 9:50 PM

    Wudarcyzk ran a very strong 4th.

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  3. KickintherearNovember 6, 2013 at 9:52 AM

    26 percent. How does that line go ... "full of sound and fury, signifying nothing?"

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    1. Bram ReichbaumNovember 6, 2013 at 10:09 AM

      Whole thing reminded me of the story arc and the ending of Great White Hype. At least Ceoffe can honestly say that with 30% of Gross' funding, he came away with 40% of her vote total.

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    2. AnonymousNovember 6, 2013 at 10:48 AM

      Yeah, at least ...

      In other news, there are more than 30,000 registered Republicans in the city; Wander got 5,000 votes--less than 17 percent of the potential Republican total.

      At least Wander ... (please fill in the blank Bram, perhaps something along the lines of, "with zero money Josh got 5,000 votes, so an AMAZING ROI and clearly an astute manager of budgets and finances").

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    3. Bram ReichbaumNovember 6, 2013 at 11:35 AM

      At least Wander made it home safely.

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    4. AnonymousNovember 7, 2013 at 11:22 AM

      ...and left again as quickly as possible

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    5. AnonymousNovember 9, 2013 at 1:56 PM

      Peduto ran a great campaign against Ceoffe. Almost all of his volunteers and PAID staff worked for Gross for the last week and election day. No one can argue any different!

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    6. AnonymousNovember 9, 2013 at 6:21 PM

      boo hoo politicians support each other in coalitions.

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  4. AnonymousNovember 6, 2013 at 2:44 PM

    Maybe it's just me, but it took some chutzpah for Acklin to issue the letter linked below--on Bill's behalf, of course. Have previous incoming mayors made such forceful requests of sitting mayors and department heads?

    http://earlyreturns.post-gazette.com/home/early-returns-posts/5889-peduto-no-new-hires-contracts-please

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    1. Bram ReichbaumNovember 6, 2013 at 2:52 PM

      We've been off the edges of the map for some time.

      Early indications are the Mayor is cool with all contained therein, but I guess the open letter was an insurance policy against furious last-minute lobbying.

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    2. AnonymousNovember 6, 2013 at 4:29 PM

      Letter was definitely needed.

      Already have some folks doing things (and not at the direction of the mayor) doing some funny things before January.

      Letter should have been more specific to include moving personnel and assets also.

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    3. Bram ReichbaumNovember 6, 2013 at 9:16 PM

      Via non-geotagged tweets this evening, Mayor clarifies he is not cool with asking board members to tender resignations.

      Also, "Looks as if it'll be an interesting couple of months!"

      More tomorrow and over the next couple of months.

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    4. MHNovember 6, 2013 at 10:10 PM

      Somebody should give Acklin some respect. In a general election where he was an independent against an incumbent mayor and another candidate with close to 100% (last) name recognition, he won twice as many votes as Wander did with none of those disadvantages.

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    5. AnonymousNovember 9, 2013 at 9:03 AM

      To say that it is standard procedure for people to resign is just simply wrong. There are lots of people on boards and commissions that were appointed by previous mayors. And Bill's showcase of bad boy Luke is the prime freagin example. Why did Luke even have to remove Lestitian in the first place? Uh, because she wasn't asked to resign as soon as Luke took office. The fake progressives around here are killing me.

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    6. AnonymousNovember 9, 2013 at 1:04 PM

      Perhaps if Luke had not taken over for a much-beloved mayor whose term was cut tragically short, he would have felt entitled to do what is standard and install persons of like mind to run his own admistration, M. 9:03. But lacking that political capital he needed to stress continuity and reverence for Bob - besides which there were few of "like mind" because he really didn't have his own mind or experience. In his case when he began attempting that (police, public works, planning) it spawned huge problems, as one might expect when lack of ethics and professionalism as well as the capacity to help move votes were the key factors in hiring, promotion and appointment.

      It's early, but so far the core of the Peduto admin seems to have absorbed the cautionary tale. It's a sad reality there may be somewhat greater call for turnover presently than during previous transitions, but those brooms and street sweepers became popular for sound reasons.

      Hopefully those who deserve to stay will be asked to stay and choose to stay.

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  5. AnonymousNovember 6, 2013 at 5:09 PM

    To answer the question - yes, asking for resignations is standard transition procedure - followed in recent times by Tom Murphy, Luke Ravenstahl, and also Fitz at the County

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  6. AnonymousNovember 7, 2013 at 10:38 AM

    Given that police and firefighters have to live in the city, does it matter that Lam and Lestitian do not appear to be city residents?

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  7. AnonymousNovember 7, 2013 at 10:44 AM

    Goes for Sanchez Ridge, too; a Mt. Lebanite. White Pages shows Lam in Ross and Lestitian in Whitehall.

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  8. AnonymousNovember 7, 2013 at 12:24 PM

    OMG

    Give me a break. They are not on the City payroll --- they will have to become residents. I am sure that will not be a problem with them.

    There is absolutely nothing in the rules that says that they can't own property outside the City.

    This is a talented team --- Lestitian alone and her questioning of the giveaways the city has given to the steelers is worth all of their weight in gold.

    Some of the nitpicking seems to be looking for termites in pressure treated wood --- not going to be found.

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    1. AnonymousNovember 7, 2013 at 12:35 PM

      No, white pages show Lestitian on Southcrest Drive in Pittsburgh - 19th Ward. I didn't search for the others. Need a geography lesson?

      Anyway, kind of irrelevant, as the city hires people and requires them to move within its borders, if necessary. That's been policy for years.

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    2. SnippyNovember 7, 2013 at 3:54 PM

      Potter says Sanchez Ridge lives in USC, not Mt. Leb. Anyway, good to hear that they have to live in the city. I thought it was a good question.

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  9. AnonymousNovember 7, 2013 at 5:11 PM

    Judging from the resumes, Peduto has started on a much stronger note than Fitzgerald did. The Fitz administration is a joke.

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    1. AnonymousNovember 8, 2013 at 8:29 AM

      Pretty low bar there. Interesting choices though. Of course had Ravenstahl hired a perennial candidate, an x-row officer, the brother of a senator, the wife of a councilman and a solicitor who has zero municipal law experience the burghosphere would have exploded with criticism.

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    2. Bram ReichbaumNovember 8, 2013 at 10:30 AM

      Anon 8:29 - While we could quibble with your characterizations (does running for office twice in your lifetime make you "a perennial candidate" and even if so, why is that a bad thing? Does being married to a councilperson from elsewhere just make you simply "the wife of a councilman" and even at that, why is that a bad thing?) I'd rather accept your premise. For some reason people (and it's obviously not "the burghosphere" which hardly exists anymore) like this guy more than the last guy. For what seems like a variety of reasons. For example, when the last guy held his two-hour press conference to explain the rational behind his organizational structure and the background of each individual in it and how he came to those decisions... wait, who are these guys in City government now, and what are they doing? Is "Coach" still there?

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    3. Bram ReichbaumNovember 8, 2013 at 10:52 AM

      Look, more burghosphere.

      Hey Anon 5:11 - Anybody in the Fitz administration whose resumes you want to call out as weak? You're anonymous, let loose...

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    4. AnonymousNovember 9, 2013 at 9:09 AM

      Here is my problem with Bill's team. Most of them don't even live in the City. Why does that matter you ask? I'll tell you. While I appreciate and applaud the idea that the Mayor should seek talent, that isn't all it is cracked up to be. Here we have a compilation of people who supported Bill and opposed Luke. The executive team was in fact chosen on patronage and who they supported at the ballot box so lets move on. The bigger problem is that we have lots of people who have lived, worked and volunteered in this City for a long time. Lots of people have sweated it out to make the City a better place through thick and thin. Most of Bill's picks decided for whatever reason that living outside the City was a better choice. They decided that they did not WANT to live in this City. They didn't want to deal with all the stuff the rest of us had to for whatever period of time you have been here. But now, these outsiders who decided it was more convenient for them to live outside the City are being hand picked to come and tell us how to make the City better. Seems a little strange doesn't it?

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  10. Sine Qua NonNovember 8, 2013 at 11:56 AM

    Some of Mayor-elect Peduto's exec picks give me much reason for optimism, period.

    Since I don't know much about some, I will have to reserve judgement.

    The voters have sent a clear signal, at 80% no less, that City employees need to be City residents, so I am confident that the Mayor-elect's out-of-town picks will establish domiciles in the City, so I don't worry about that.

    Killing off patronage in non-union jobs is a strong move.

    As for the real-estate tax shortfall, I see that as an honest miscalculation the City will have to, and should, eat, for good or for bad.

    I don't think it fair to ask Peduto or any member of Council to raise taxes, especially considering that Council voted to set the millage rate, or appropriate to upwardly adjust at this point.

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    1. Bram ReichbaumNovember 8, 2013 at 12:29 PM

      Ah, the real-estate tax shortfall.

      I don't see how "fairness" enters into it, seeing as how it comes down to Pay Me Now or Pay Me Later. The shortfall isn't going to benefit anybody. I assume Council voted to set the millage rate operating solely on the Finance Dept.'s information.

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