That Was Fast

The Pittsburgh Ethics Hearing Board met for just under half an hour today. Acting city solicitor George Specter was on hand to assist this first meeting of all five members.

(UPDATE: See also the Trib's Mike Wereschagin: "They came. They met. They set another meeting date.")

The first order of business was electing a chairperson. Sister Patrice Hughes was nominated, and quickly won unanimous approval. She quipped that her unopposed election was "in the tradition of Mayor Ravenstahl and Onorato," ha-ha-ha.

Kathleen Buechel was elected vice-chair.

The board discussed whether or not they should employ a stenographer, which led to some inquiries to Specter about the board's budget, including a broader budget for the investigatory requirement in the handbook. His careful answers seemed to satisfy them.

The board then decided to meet on the second Friday of each month, so the next meeting is planned for Friday June 8th.

Chairwoman Hughes brought up the issue of the city Redd Up crew, acknowledging her awareness through media reports that the mayor intended for the Board to address this during the present meeting. Hughes asked if anyone knew of the mayor's office providing some direction, outside of what was heard through the media. Nobody answered.

A board member said that they were under the impression that Specter would take the lead on that issue today. Specter indicated that was not the case.

Moving forward, the board talked more about process: how to launch investigations on their own initiative, and how to select independent parties to handle them. They were curious to discover the "best practices" of other government ethics boards. Someone suggested that an "ethics cheat-sheet" be put together, which is an oxymoron, ha-ha-ha.

The meeting adjourned, and Rich Lord ambled over to Specter and the rest of the gang for comments.

Morning Rush

* The Buchanan Ingersoll PAC contributed one of those daunting $12,000 checks to the Ravenstahl campaign (h/t Early Returns). The Mayor's new selection for the Ethics Hearing Board, Penny Zacharias, is an attorney for Buchanan Ingersoll.

Noteworthy, but we don't really see a quid-pro-quo here. It's not like having an "in" on the Ethics Board is worth that much to the Downtown law firm, besides being an honor, is it?

* That ethics board? Totally meeting! Today at 11:00 AM in council chambers. (h/t Busman)

* P-G editorial calls Redd Up shenanigans "Pittsburgh to the core"; Trib editorial crowns Ravenstahl with a laurel for prudent discipline.

* Jeff Koch returns some of those corporate contributions; while doing so, he criticizes his opponent Bruce Kraus for accepting donations from out-of-state. P-G: Lord. Trib: Boren.

* PITG Gaming and the Steelers: Still not neighborly. P-G: Belko.

* P-G editorial board endorses William P. Mullen for sheriff as the urltimate consomme professional.

* Comet influence unquestionable: our street is getting repaved on both ends, and around the corner where we park our car. We were not even aware of any disrepair!

Jeff Koch and Justice

Our experiences with the criminal justice system have been limited (thankfully) to a few visits to Traffic Court, and one to Housing Court.

Not only did we get to plead our own cases, but we got to listen to those of everybody who came up beforehand.

As a general rule, defendants who say, "Yeah, I did it, I'm really sorry, it'll never happen again" are quickly offered reduced sentences and lower fines.

Their Honors greatly dislike people with lists of excuses, and other people to blame. They especially hate failure to express remorse. These sad sacks usually wind up facing more charges, and more punishment than before.

Jeff Koch has yet to express any serious contrition, or offer any personal apology, for having gotten a city Redd Up crew mixed up in political corruption. Insisting he was in no way responsible, he appears content to allow Ray Sansone to take the fall.

For having worked the phones for his reelection bid on the public dime, he squarely directs all blame at Eileen Conroy.

And for accepting financial contributions directly from corporations, which is a clear violation of election law, Koch pleads that "sometimes, we make mistakes because we don't know." He says if there's a problem, he'll return the cash.

Nevermind that every other politician in the city has managed to avoid that mistake.

Tonight, we plan on shoplifting a toaster. If we get caught, we'll just give it back!

We are not the judge of Jeff Koch. Yet in light of his continued stubborn defiance in the face of all this wrongdoing, why not just fine him the full $10,000 for the ten counts of accepting illegal campaign cash, and then throw him in prison for a year, as the law allows?

Dan Onorato: In the News

County chief Dan Onorato says RAD money is "off the table" to help the Port Authority (P-G). This will be a relief to some cultural and arts organizations who depend on these funds.

Meanwhile, the P-G editorial board delivers one hell of an endorsement for Onorato's reelection.

Not only do they dismiss his opponent Rick Swartz as a well-intentioned lightweight, but they hail Onorato as a capable leader who knows when to build community consensus, when to hammer out back-room deals, and when to go it alone.

Still not convinced? There is a debate tonight at the Grace Memorial Presbyterian Church in the Hill District from 6 to 7 PM. Call 412-758-7898.

Speaking of community consensus and/or/if/but back-room deals, we caught Dan Onorato on WQED's OnQ a few nights ago. He was joined by the Rev. Johnny Monroe and Marimba Milliones, and it was just fascinating.

A lot seems to hinge on development outside a certain key 28 blocks of real estate -- and whether or not Mayor Ravenstahl and the Sports & Exhibition Authority are going to be on board with that.

The Rev. Monroe was extremely frank about his community getting "a piece of the action." Onorato fully supported that sentiment, comparing it to what he did for the North Side as a councilman during stadium development. Reflecting on the Civic Arena, Onorato said, "You don't often get a second bite at the apple ... we can actually do this right this time."

Meditations on Signage

If you lose PittGirl, you really need to clean house in your PR department. Instant teh CLASSIC!!!

But now that you mention it, that USX Tower is starting to look like a fine place to hang the Heinz sign that used to grace East Allegheny. (P-G, Ervin Dyer)

Read to bottom of the article -- they are also funding a children's asthma center in a green building, public schools, libraries in struggling communities, and much more.

A couple of years ago, they even provided a modest kick-start to the local high school ultimate frisbee scholarship, and we think continue to provide matching funds to the kids' own fundraising initiatives.

Public Safety Surge

"We're trying to send a strong message that we're serious, and we're sick and tired of what has been happening in our communities."

This is from Mayor Ravenstahl, appearing at a church in Homewood, announcing a response to the increase in violent crime. Five of the already 24 city homicides this year have occurred in Homewood, reports the Trib's Jill King Greenwood.

The Mayor put quite a big matzoh-ball out there, heralding an eight-part plan to quell the violence. He acknowledged to his listeners that "this isn't just a press conference" -- but of course it was. Clearly he and everybody else knows that the hard part starts now.

Many neighborhood residents have heard such promises before, but most seem ready to accept that we all have to start somewhere. Given budget and resources, much of the eight-point plan includes collaborative efforts with the community.

The Comet is not particularly in love with the prospect of video surveillance, an idea the mayor came to admire during a tour of Chicago (P-G, Ward & Dyer). Yet at this point in the crisis, certainly all options should be on the table.

More Endorsements

The P-G editorial board gives incumbent Darlene Harris the nod in District One, over challengers Valerie Coleman and Robin Rosemary Miller. They cited her "decades of volunteer work" and "overarching depth of knowledge about the community and its problems."

Editorial Comment: Fair enough.

The TRIB editorial board endorses challenger Patrick Dowd for District 7, because his opponent Len Bodack "is the epitome of the ward healer."

Comment: What?

The TRIB also endorses Randall Taylor in the race for Council District 9 because he would be "a good point-of-order councilman who would be engaged with his constituents."

Comment: Taylor has been frequently described in recent press accounts as "not campaigning."