Monday, January 6, 2014

BRUCE KRAUS WINS COUNCIL PRESIDENCY

Rebecca Droke, P-G

Ayes 7, Nays 2 (Burgess, Harris)

Natalia Rudiak will pitch Tuesdays as Finance Chair.

"When I think about what today means… it is spring in our hearts."
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18 comments:

  1. AnonymousJanuary 6, 2014 at 12:19 PM

    A talented, hard working council person that really cares about people. He studies the issues and strives to become a subject matter expert or get the opinion of subject matter experts on everything he votes on.

    A breath of fresh air.

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  2. AnonymousJanuary 6, 2014 at 12:30 PM

    I'm thrilled with the new Council! Too bad Harris and Burgess couldn't keep it classy.

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    Replies
    1. Mark RauterkusJanuary 7, 2014 at 9:20 AM

      Perfect example of lockstep ugly.

      Dissent is classy.

      Delete
    2. flybylightJanuary 7, 2014 at 4:07 PM

      When only one individual is nominated, if a "dissenter" does not have a different nomination to suggest, seems to me that abstaining would be more graceful than voting "nay," and later giving reasons to the press, especially when the vote is for the chair of the body. Even more graceful would be to vote along with the body and later express reservations overcome for the good of the body.

      Otherwise, as it stands, the vote might be mistaken for sour grapes followed by lame excuses: "the nominee missed too many meetings for my taste," and, well, you may interpret Mr. Burgess' dissent as you will.

      Delete
    3. Mark RauterkusJanuary 8, 2014 at 8:08 AM

      People! Votes matter.

      Classy. Now graceful. Nuts to that lockstep thinking and unity pandering.

      I want people in legislative bodies to vote "Nay" when they mean "No." That is exactly how it should work, without wires being pulled, without back room conversations, without smoke. Accountability and transparent government requires votes to stand as they really are.

      Another reason. Remember when Mayor Tom Murphy steam rolled this town and the D party ?.

      One of his ploys to be unaccountable was to demand lockstep votes and to discount nay Sayers. That is folly and that is how a corrupt city acts and results follow.

      Peduto is about values, data and a new way of acting. At the core is being honest and authentic. To smear against a nay vote is to be all classy and bankrupt. To embrace the ones who are not in lockstep is not necessary, but to ridicule is old Pgh.

      Delete
  3. AnonymousJanuary 6, 2014 at 12:58 PM

    I just hope that one of Council President Kraus' first items is to start meetings on time. The days of publishing a start time of 10 a.m. and not actually starting a meeting until 10:40 have to end. People actually do make plans to attend these meetings and council should not continue to disrespect the folks that put them in their chairs by taking the citizens' time for granted.

    Additionally, the Council President should ensure that members of council follow the rules and ordinances that they voted into place. The public cannot smoke in government building --- neither should council members.

    Get rid of the hypocrisy.

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    Replies
    1. Bram ReichbaumJanuary 6, 2014 at 4:20 PM

      Sometimes when the Council is 40 minutes late, they're earning their money hammering out one of our famous last-minute compromises. Frequently, even. I'm not going to say all the time. Since the outgoing President is dissing the incoming for attendance, it would behoove the Kraus Council not to drag its feet for no reason.

      I think it's reasonable that citizens also come to expect that, "Yeah, these guys always start 20 or 30 minutes late." That is not so steep a learning curve nor high a burden. And remember, most people who come for Public Comment don't even know about Proclamations, and those can last all morning!

      Now, didn't someone once tell me that the proper way to do things is, Public Comment THEN Proclamations…? That would certainly give "the public" a communications advantage through the noon drive...

      Delete
    2. Mark RauterkusJanuary 7, 2014 at 9:31 AM

      Great point. Do start the meetings on time. Over at the talent city site we talked about how to insure the meetings do start on time by turning on the tv cameras and microphone at the citizens podium until the meeting is gaveled to order.

      The last minute compromises is anti sunshine. Those deliberations should be in public. Poor excuse.

      And I worry about starting the meetings on time but after a parade of cats and dogs get the spotlight. The animal shelter noise of the past from Mr Kraus was (and Harris) was enough to put off a classy vote for either for any leadership post. Citizens were in the backseat to cats and dogs in those times. Ugh.

      Judgement wonders exist. Time will tell if he has grown out of the pet pandering periods.

      Delete
  4. AnonymousJanuary 7, 2014 at 9:06 AM

    How often is there a quorum during public comment?
    I seem to remember times that public comment had very few councillors in attendance. The right to speak at a forum like this is a right to be heard - speaking to a nearly empty room would appear to subvert that.

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  5. AnonymousJanuary 8, 2014 at 4:20 PM

    I love, love. love Bruce.

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  6. SherryJanuary 14, 2014 at 8:33 PM

    Thank God you're here, Mark. You atleast think clearly and fairly. Everyone else is under the influence and progressively moving towards the old Pittsburgh with new faces. That includes Mayor Bill and his cast of muppets, I mean puppets.

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    Replies
    1. Bram ReichbaumJanuary 14, 2014 at 11:09 PM

      What is wrong with muppets.

      Delete
    2. MHJanuary 14, 2014 at 11:50 PM

      Trademark issue?

      Delete
    3. MHJanuary 14, 2014 at 11:51 PM

      It took me three tries to prove I wasn't a robot. That's getting too close to Blade Runner territory.

      Delete
    4. Mark RauterkusJanuary 15, 2014 at 11:36 AM

      Not Pgh enough, like King Friday N@, perhaps.

      Delete
    5. Bram ReichbaumJanuary 15, 2014 at 4:52 PM

      MH - If you think robot protection a hurdle (and I'm getting annoyed with Null Space's anti-robot software) I could allow robots, and see how many we get. From time to time a robot slips past anyway. Of course, from time to time a legitimate comment gets caught up and swept into the spam filter, to be discovered by me months after an election. It's sad.

      Delete
    6. MHJanuary 15, 2014 at 5:19 PM

      I think I need new glasses is all.

      Delete
  7. Mark RauterkusJanuary 14, 2014 at 10:46 PM

    Okay then. You're welcome.

    ReplyDelete

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