Not a Joke

Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said a marketing campaign showing a cartoon of him chipping a golf ball onto a putting green is a hole-in-one.

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The promotion promises people who stop by VisitPittsburgh's booth a chance to compete in a putting contest with Ravenstahl during the American Society of Association Executives Annual Meeting & Exposition, set for Saturday to Tuesday in Chicago.

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"People really do like to meet these semi-celebrities," Davis said. "(Ravenstahl) will help draw people into the booth, and give them something fun to do."

So reports the Trib's Jeremy Boren. You've almost got to admire the kid's nerve.

Bagpipes III

Bagpipes II

This one is for the unit of the Pennsylvania National Guard that is preparing for a seven-month deployment to Afghanistan. At one point, it sounds a little like Camptown Races.

Bagpipes

Wednesday: Business as Usual

State Rep. Chelsa Wagner talks to KDKA's Marty Griffin about her opposition to new county taxes for funding mass transit.

She accuses Dan Onorato of shepherding the legislation only behind closed doors -- and his minions of suggesting that his $5,000 campaign check ought to have purchased her support.

The P-G Ed Board came out in favor of those drink and car-rental taxes for public transit, with some qualifications.

Meanwhile, the League of Young Voters -- which had championed the cause of transit funding all winter and spring -- seems to have moved past the issue. Where are our rascally rabble rousers when we really require them?

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The Tribune-Review, in an article nobody dared to sign personally, examines the $2.2 million city lighting contract being awarded to CLT Technologies ...

... whose principal investor is Charles R. Zappala, a well-connected Democratic contributor and the uncle of Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr.

Rich Lord got us exercised about the bidding process underlying this contract some time ago: here and here.

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More eerie language eminates from the City Planning Commission, in this P-G piece by Mark Belko about the casino. Board Chair Wrenna Watson:

"We're moving forward because that's what we're supposed to do."

We hope she means they are moving forward because it is the right thing to do. We were not aware the Planning Commission is supposed to do anything, that it does not itself judge to be wise and correct.

Monday Needs-To-Know

City hall hobbled by brain drain, reads the headline of a P-G article by Rich Lord.

Although many city offices are feeling the squeeze, the Law Department is really operating on a skeleton crew: fielding a team of 11 where there was once 17.

Ravenstahl is interviewing candidates for a long-overdue permanent City Solicitor -- though presumably, that appointment must wait until an Equal Opportunity Officer comes on-board. That is just this close to happening.

Two years of tumult and austerity have prompted a flight of professionals from Pittsburgh government.

The article focuses on the austerity of budget constraints and oversight boards, while overlooking the tumult. It could be that working for some city departments is getting to be like playing ball for the Pirates.

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Nevertheless, and damn the torpedoes: the city plans to hire a full-time "bike and pedestrian coordinator" early next year, says the Trib's Kacie Axsom.

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The Penguins and the City hosted a tour of the new arena development site, reports the Trib's Andrew Conte.

"We recognize 50 years ago a project was done here with the Civic Arena that didn't have community input and that had some devastating consequences for the community," said Penguins President David Morehouse. "We want to make sure we don't repeat those mistakes."

Rather than simply avoiding new mistakes, there are many who believe this new project must seek to actively remedy the historical ones.

The P-G's Bill Schackner version has this:

Penguins President David Morehouse, among those at yesterday's tour, said he understood residents' suspicions. He said the previous development "was a travesty for a neighborhood that was thriving." But he said the new project would create thousands of jobs without dislocating people.

Again, stroke stroke stroke, and nothing affirmative. No assurances that those jobs will be decent union jobs, nor that any Hill residents will be offered them.

We remember an episode of On-Q during which Dan Onorato spoke convincingly of the need to give the Hill District a serious piece of this pie.

We wonder, is the County Exec going to be involved in this process moving forward? Because believe it or not, the Comet cares about people even more than geese.

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The Trib's Joseph S. Mistick serves up some red meat for the Luke-bashing base. He accuses our Mayor of being -- um, how to paraphrase -- oblivious. It's a fun read.

He also offers confirmation of the Luke vs Dan feud, suggesting that the former is wrong on consolidation -- without suggesting that we must resort to the extreme Louisville model.

But seriously, Joe: how exactly are Onorato and Doyle "working hard to transform their party?" Transform it into what? Inquiring minds want to know.

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