Tuesday: News and Links

In today's media universe, the people are served by two separate but equally important groups -- the journalists who report the news, and the bloggers who process it into delightful candy squares with fruity marshmallows.

These are their stories.

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MICHAEL LAMB IS UP IN YOUR BUSINESS
(Trib, Jeremy Boren)

He talked a huge game about ethics and transparency, and vowed to audit every city department every four years. Long-time spokesman Doug Anderson will be deputy city controller.

Synergy of effort with the new finance committee chair should be easy to come by.

CITY COUNCIL IS READY TO ROLL
(P-G, Rich Lord)

Ricky Burgess was the media darling, speaking largely about equity and social justice. He will chair the Planning, Zoning and Land Use committee, and will serve as President Pro-Tem.

Bruce Kraus emphasized inclusiveness, and providing opportunities to participate in government. He will chair the Public Safety committee.

Patrick Dowd is determined to end the politics of personality. He continues to take pride in all the door knocking. He was given the Parks, Recreation and Youth Policy chair, and also enough rope to hang himself.

ROOSEVELT STINGY WITH BONUSES; PERFORMANCE UNEVEN
(P-G, Joe Smydo)

Eight principals of "accelerated learning academies" qualified; only $21,216 of an available $80,000 was awarded. Cindi Muehlbauer at Pittsburgh Arlington PreK-8 received the largest sum.

Superintendent Roosevelt put the special academies in disadvantaged neighborhoods, on the theory that longer school days and school years would boost achievement.

Achievement was still unsatisfactory, but compliance with the America's Choice package of teaching strategies and curriculum supplements is supposedly cause for encouragement.

UPMC SLAMMED ANEW
Columnist Is Ridiculously Underrated
(Trib, Eric Heyl)

Why are UPMC doctors asking patients they treat for extra money?

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Welcome, New and Returning Officeholders!

The Next City Council President

"At the end of the day, the program is bigger than process."

... Mayor Ravenstahl, on the Pittsburgh Promise

"When all else fails, read the instructions. We are a nation of laws, not a nation of men."

... Councilman Shields, on the status of fourteen Acting City Directors

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If you believe in vision of Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, and you want to work with him to achieve that vision, you should want Doug Shields to be our next City Council President.

The job is organizing the effective and timely processing of legislation. Doug Shields is the only candidate with the institutional knowledge, the experience and the temperament to do the job.

The Mayor's office has been pursuing initiatives with single-minded earnestness, eagerness and enthusiasm. Some would call that admirable. Others call it mad. We will simply call it youth.

Guide the agenda of Mayor Ravenstahl. Re-elect President Shields.

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As we understand it (and only in that sense), this is how the vote count stands. It takes five votes to win the presidency. A result is expected very early in the week.

Motznik/Payne: Motznik, Payne, Deasy (3)

Shields: Shields, Peduto, Burgess, Kraus (4)

Undecided: Dowd, Harris (2)

There is always the possibility of a "compromise" candidate!

None of the three new City Councilmen are likely to emerge as candidates, because well we know why. Dan Deasy is running for office on the state level, and the coming legislative agenda is strenuous. Bill Peduto is a jive turkey.

This leaves Darlene Harris -- an idea that makes a lot of sense -- and would not be the worst of all possible worlds.

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The thing is -- we're pretty sure Darlene's heart is already set on Doug Shields. If true, that would already be Ma-Jong.

Officials Make Amusing Offer to City Neighborhood

Luke Ravenstahl, Dan Onorato and the Pittsburgh Penguins handed down development terms to city residents, in regards to the new hockey arena in Pittsburgh's Hill District.

The Comet has obtained a copy of the seven-point proposal, which we will review now.


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1. A Hill District master plan will be undertaken which will essentially be a planning, basic conditions report providing recommendations regarding...

The consultant team for the master planning process will be selected pursuant to a request for proposals.

Hill District community input will be solicited regarding...

A master plan is no blessing, if the community has no role in its development.

We already know the Mayor's opinion as to whether anyone from the neighborhood itself is equipped to handle city planning.

You would think providing some very modest funding to help get a community-originated master plan off the ground would be a good thing. However, they (Ravenstahl, Onorato, the Penguins) already have a fair idea what the master plan should look like -- and don't need the competition.

Pledging to "solicit" community input says nothing at all.

2. In order to identify gaps or deficiencies in or to identify ways to better provide for human services, recreational opportunities, employment and training services and other support services, an assessment will be made...

First, neighborhood residents already have a good grip on the gaps and deficiencies. They have been working hard to bring them to your attention for about a year.

Second, identifying ways to provide better services is not the same as providing those urgently needed services, so pledging to make an "assessment" after months and years says nothing at all.

3. The City and the County will set up and staff with a trained person, a Resource Center in a central, easily accessible and visible location in the Hill District...

Employers for the arena project will be encouraged to fill all new jobs by first considering for employment, and interviewing, candidates referred by CareerLink...

First, the City County Building is easily accessible to the Hill District and has many trained and helpful persons. Hill District residents already know how to live.

Second, the issue is not that residents don't know how to access available resources, it is that there are too few resources being made available to them through that portion of the taxpayer handout to the Penguins clearly designated for Community Development.

Third, to "encourage" employers to look at CareerLink to fill jobs says nothing at all.

4. The City, the County and the Penguins are in support of the establishment of a viable grocery store in the Hill District and will use good faith efforts to cause that to occur.

First, what if they don't want Ron Burkle's Grocery Palace for Downtown? What if all they've been clamoring for is a reasonably priced Kuhn's?

Second, "in support of" and "good faith efforts" says nothing at all.

5. The City and the County and the Penguins are in support of the new YMCA facility being planned by YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh ... and will support obtaining the state funding needed for its development.

First, what if the community would like something a little different than the YMCA? What if they want to consider other models?

Second, why go for state funding? Once again, millions of dollars of public funds and of Don Barden funds were earmarked specifically to go towards community development. Why must it all remain stuffed in Ron Burkle's pockets?

Third, pinning all of the responsibility on Harrisburg to ride to the rescue once again means this term says nothing at all.

6. The SEA and the Penguins will meet with the community quarterly to update and discuss the project including ...

What will these lectures accomplish? Must we explain exactly why this item says nothing at all?

7. When making appointments, the City and the County will consult a data base developed by the community of Hill District residents interested in serving on boards and commissions...

Now this is interesting -- possibly, the most crucial point in the whole proposal.

What Luke Ravenstahl and Dan Onorato are saying is, "WE R UP IN UR ORGZ, BUYING OFF UR LEADERZ!!"

Point seven is supposed to tempt certain prominent figures within One Hill and the minister's group to sign on, entranced by the possibility of getting into the game on Grant Street.

Of course, these folks already have the ability and the right to get involved in government; many of them do. We guess this offer is geared towards the same residents who need a one-man resource center.

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In conclusion, and in the opinion of the Comet, the terms sheet issued by Ravenstahl, Onorato and the Penguins says nothing at all.

It bears no similarity to an authentic Community Benefits Agreement -- which would be developed at least as much by the community as by the developer -- and would also be a binding legal contract, without all this verbiage of intentions to support efforts.

It certainly has nothing to do with what any of the neighborhood residents have been talking about.

Pittsburgh's Hill District wants a piece of the pie that is going around. They want some control over their own destiny. They want an opportunity to partner with developers and local governments -- they want the same opportunities given to many other neighborhoods.

You don't always get a second bite at the apple.

C-P to Blogosphere: Look at Me!!

The City Paper endorses Mark DeSantis for Mayor. (C-P, Team Effort)

"Will Dowd get the prestigious finance-committee chair, as many think he might?" (C-P, Charlie Dietch)

Chris Potter to UPMC: We are on to you. (C-P, Chris Potter)

Kimberly Ellis has thoughts (C-P, Kimberly Ellis):

King criticized the continuing de facto economic segregation and inherent inequality, the extreme disparities in the educational system. He railed against poor housing and unemployment and underemployment. But today, there is no King to shield us from the callous attacks that insist that poor people have cultivated a "culture of poverty" and that, indeed, it is their very culture that keeps them poor.

Scholar Cornel West calls this era "the ice age" because "it is the age of indifference ... to peoples' suffering." This is how and why we hear people talking about giving poor people "handouts" while they enrich themselves on corporate welfare. And only this indifference can explain the extreme cruelty exhibited in the so-called recovery of New Orleans, and everywhere Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Bush struck the Gulf Coast.

By the way, we may have promised you something more in today's Pittsburgh Comet. We may have lied. Just familiarize yourself with the P-G article and with the Revelations post and you'll be alright.

The city/county offer was so weak, it may not really qualify as news.

Meanwhile, in Iowa...

... folks are about to decide who gets to be POTUS.
UPDATE: And apparently it's Obama / Huckabee

Paul McKrell, formerly of PAYD*, has hooked up with the Hillary Clinton campaign.

CNN was seen to report that Clinton staffers are somewhat unique in that they are being called upon to shovel driveways, provide child support, and do all sorts of odd jobs for Iowa caucus-goers.

The Comet hopes to provide some audio and video "postcards" from McKrell as the campaign progresses.



Hillary Clinton is actually our second choice, at this moment, for President of the United States.

Now for some words from our first choice, the best possible choice:



Comet readers may also wish to review Biden's remarks following the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.
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* The Pennsylvania Association of Young Democrats. PAYD oversees the elections and some operations of the Young Democrats of Allegheny County, (YDAC), which we have covered in the past. No word on Shawn Carter's army of 20 young African-American Democrats.