Liveblogging. Everybody's doing it this week around the burghosphere. As you my have heard, I've been liveblogging Day One of the Wecht trial over on The Pittsburgh Channel --or, in this case, thumb blogging.
I coined that phrase last summer when I tried my hand (actually, my thumbs) at writing an on-the-run blog entry on my BlackBerry. For the Wecht trial, this involves quickly typing courtroom notes on the tiny device with my thumbs alone. In this case I was doing it while still taking conventional pen-and-paper notes.
During opening arguments, I was trying to capture a lot more of the sort of play-by-play detail that you don't normally get to read in a local court case. While I've gotten some good feedback on the results, I worry that someone coming across those courtroom posts will think a Bizarro World counterpart from the old Superman comic books has taken over my writing:
"Not need pronouns. Not need syntax."
So here's the deal. What you see in those blog entries from the courtroom are rough reporter notes: an attempt to capture key words and ideas for storywriting later. Jason Cato of the Trib was filing nicely crafted bloglike briefs for his paper's website, complete with good old subjects, verbs, objects, sentences and paragraphs. My laptop doesn't have a cellular modem, however; it's wifi only. That means I don't have the luxury of a full-size QWERTY keyboard for my live missives. My only vehicle for filing immediate updates from the courtroom is via the BlackBerry.
Later in the day, I managed to plug in my PowerBook and started typing my notes in there. I still can't file live from the laptop, but I might be able to synch from there to the BlackBerry occasionally, then e-mail the results.
Chris Twomey of the Pittsburgh Channel has set up a special web page for our Channel 4 Action News coverage.
I'll be back in the courtroom for Wecht Trial, Day Two.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Thumb Blogging the Wecht Trial
Friday, December 22, 2006
Secret Mario/Jim Balsillie Video Revealed?
Not quite, but you'll want to see this.
I stumbled upon this video while researching the Penguins story.
It's a sketch by the Royal Canadian Air Farce that I discovered while googling Jim Balsillie.
As some of you may have seen, this has been my week for unusual BlackBerry connections to the Penguins/arena/slots story.
Shortly after twelve on Thursday, my BlackBerry buzzed with the arrival of Mario Lemieux's news release revealing that the Pens would "begin discussions with other cities that may be interested in NHL teams". I quickly phoned in a report for our noon news. In the middle of answering an on-air question from Sally Wiggin, I happened to spot Mayor Ravenstahl walking up the steps of the City County Building. I cut short my live report and my photographer T.J. and I dodged lunch hour traffic on Grant Street to get the mayor's response.
To my–and the mayor's–surprise, the word had been e-mailed to the media with no advance warning to local government officials. I found myself in the position of reading Mario's statement to the mayor from the screen of my BlackBerry as we stood outside next to the city's Christmas tree.
(Credit to Karlo's Blogovich for the YouTube link.)
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Thumb Blogging
I've gone too long without blogging. It's been a holiday from "The Holiday", so to speak. I'm breaking the ice with this note which I'm posting via GMail on my BlackBerry. The tradeoff with this form of mobile blogging is that there are no graphics. (The image above was added later. ) There's also the factor of typing with your thumbs that comes with writing on a BlackBerry. Instant electronic access may be addicting for some, but thumb-typing certainly isn't so for me.
I have a couple of SPJ (Society of Professional Journalists) projects coming up that will be taking some of my limited free time; my solution may be to start blogging about them as they develop.
I may also experiment with some shorter and more wide-ranging posts. Over the years, I've always enjoyed reporting on city government and that's certainly been reflected in my choice of posts here. But I really never planned on those city-related topics to dominate here to the extent they have. So, while not backing away from that, I do want to make an effort to add to the mix.
I recently offered a couple of my fellow Channel 4 Action News reporters the invitation to share guest blog posts here. There's been some interest, but no takers so far.
I've managed to type this out while waiting for my Crispani order, so this wasn't a bad use of time.
Friday, December 19, 2008
"Oh, Burgher, Where Art Thou?" -- Another Pittsburgh Blogger's Gone
Suddenly, another one is gone.
The Burgher -- the anonymous blogger behind The Burgh Report -- unexpectedly pulled the plug on his/her blog last night. Thus ends what was Pittsburgh's premier local political blog. The Burgher not only provided a unique focus on local government and politics (with the help of Bram R, The Admiral, Char, and others). The Burgh Report's comments section provided spirited exchanges and entries that deserved to be blog posts of their own. The Burgher's blog was to local politics what PittGirl's blog was to Pittsburgh pop culture.
I was off the e-mail/BlackBerry/blog-reading grid last night and this morning, and didn't find out until I was leaving for work. There was a two word parting message from The Burgher in my in-box, linking to the farewell post.
Like PittGirl, The Burgher nuked the archive of his/her blog when he/she shut down. All that remains is a YouTube clip from The Usual Suspects. (If you've never seen the movie, rent it first. Otherwise the clip will spoil the movie and you won't get the reference.)
Readers and fellow bloggers are paying their respects at:
The Pittsburgh Comet
2Political Junkies
I've e-mailed The Burgher asking why he/she is gone. Is it because of a threat to the blogger's anonymity? I'll update this post later, if I learn more.
Update: here's The Burgher's e-mailed response:
You have to choose your enemies wisely because they will come to define you.
At some point you have to realize that certain caves are too dark for your flashlight. Either changes caves or get a bigger flashlight. I couldn't get a bigger flashlight in my current situation.
I could do a thousands posts detailing how a former D-III placekicker is unqualified -- ethically and professionally -- to be the Mayor, but I've come to the conclusion that the best way to move Pittsburgh forward would be for me to direct my energy elsewhere.
Maintaining my anonymity was too much stress to deal with.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Notes & Quotes: Casino Deal Approved
Gaming Control BoardIn the end, the vote was unanimous. Board members took great pains to emphasize that "this was not a rush to judgement" and that politics did not drive their choice. One member suggested that politics were behind some of the criticisms they faced leading up to the vote.
Here are some quotes from Billionaire casino investor Neil Bluhm, following the vote:
"If this didn't go ahead, this would be in bankruptcy, tied up for a long period of time. Instead you're going to have a wonderful casino, a great project on the river, and I'm sure the citizens of Pittsburgh will enjoy it and at the same time (it will) create a lot of jobs...."
"Tomorrow, we should be wiring funds and hopefully close on the transaction and on Monday the contractors will be back at work and we'll be on our way."
Representatives of contractors and unions had testified that some local companies could have been driven out of business by losses due to bills unpaid by Barden's PITG Gaming if it had gone bankrupt.
Ken McCabe, Gaming Board Member:
"I think if we revoke it or rebid it will only help a small group of people and would be disastrous for thousands of families, for Pittsburgh, and for the commonwealth."
Sanford Rivers, Gaming Board Member:
"Mr. Bluhm, thank you for removing the doom and gloom that hovers over the Pittsburgh casino and it's amenities."
James Ginty, Gaming Board Member:
"To deny this application would do a tremendous disservice to the people of Pittsburgh, to the citizens of Allegheny County and to the citizens of Pennsylvania.."
State Senators Jane Orie and Jim Ferlo -- who had urged the board to revoke the license -- did not come to testify. They submitted their statements in writing. Ferlo had a staffer at the hearing who provided copies to reporters. In it, he says:
"....it seems the board's actions are not intended to provide an open, fair. And objective public process, but instead to speedily cover its tracks."
...and...
"...the process leading up to this hearing has been shrouded in secrecy. Repeated letters requesting documentation of the buyout were either ignored or met with indifference."
"It was only last week that my office began receiving this information, which is very complicated, and it has been filled with redactions. Important names and financial numbers have been removed making discerning information from the documents difficult"
Senator Orie's office e-mailed a statement to the media, but the pdf format isn't legible on the small screen of the BlackBerry I'm using to write this post.
The gaming board staff says:
"A PowerPoint presentation made today to the Board has been posted on the PGCB web site. A link to the presentation can be found under the 'What's New' section of the PGCB's home page, www.pgcb.state.pa.us .
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Billionaire Bluhm Meeting Mayor & County Exec
Neil BluhmLead investor Neil Bluhm and proposed CEO Greg Carlin arrived at shortly after 12:30.
This courtesy call comes the day before the Gaming Control Board resumes its meeting in Harrisburg on Pittsburgh's casino license.
Mayor Ravenstahl and County Executive Onorato won't attend the hearing, because it conflicts with tomorrow's groundbreaking for the new arena.
As Onorato went in, he faced some questions about whether state taxpayers will be on the hook if the casino's share of payments toward financing the new arena were lost.
Here's a link to my report back in July, confirming that fact.
The Pittsburgh Channel story summarizes my report, and there should be a link to the video on that web page.
The bottom line from my report on July 25th: the governor's office confirmed to me last month that the state has a "backstop" agreement to lease the arena for $7.5 Million a year, if the casino's share of payments on the financing is not available.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Act 47 Team Letter to Council
click to enlarge[As commenter Monk pointed out, copying and pasting from BlackBerry's Mail into GMail made a scrambled mess of the text. My apologies.]
Here's the text of the letter:
June 29, 2009
The Honorable William Peduto
Chair, Finance Committee
Council of the City of Pittsburgh
City-County Building, 5th Floor
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Dear Chairman Peduto:
We appreciate your ongoing work with us to develop a final Amended Act 47 Recovery Plan.
Pursuant to Council’s expressed intent last week, our subsequent discussions with you and your colleagues, and with the guidance of the Mayor, we have developed the attached package of amendments to the Amended Recovery Plan. Please note that in addition to the amendments, we will make certain conforming changes to the Executive Summary, Introduction and other portions of the Amended Recovery Plan to make them consistent with these amendments.
We would be most appreciative if you would introduce this package of amendments to the Amended Recovery Plan and the relevant ordinance at tomorrow’s City Council session. If enacted without modification, these amendments have our consent as Act 47 Coordinator.
Thank you again for your tremendous leadership, good counsel and advice in bringing us to this point.
Sincerely,
James H. Roberts Dean Kaplan
c: Members of City Council
The Honorable Luke Ravenstahl, Mayor
Yarone Zober, Chief of Staff to the Mayor
Scott Kunka, Finance Director
Bill Urbanic, Council Finance Director
--
Sent from my mobile device (and later reformatted).
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Will Specter Face a Challenger in Lamb?
Pittsburgh City Controller Michael Lamb has been thinking about running for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Arlen Specter. Now, with Specter leaving the Republican Party to join the Dems, Lamb suddenly faces the prospect of challenging an incumbent in the Democratic primary.
I did this Q&A with Lamb around 12:45 Tuesday afternoon, not long after the Specter story broke. (I'm posting this via BlackBerry for now, to get it online. I'll clean up the formatting when I have PowerBook wifi access.)
Q: Your first reaction on hearing Arlen Specter's intention to become a Democrat?
A: "Well, you know, it's something that has been speculated about for such a long time that it's not a shock. The timing of it is interesting, with it coming right now. But, you know, I think it's an interesting move on his part and it will be interesting to see how the people of Pennsylvania react to it."
Q: Well, it's been reported that you were thinking about running for the U.S. Senate. As a Democrat, does this change your plans?
A: " Well, like I said, I have been in the very preliminary stages of considering this race and this will one of the issues that I look at as I make my decision. It doesn't -- it hasn't made my decision for me yet, but I will still continue to look at this race and determine whether or not something is really viable for me to do."
Q: Do you welcome him becoming a Democrat? Should your fellow Democrats welcome Arlen Specter becoming a Democrat?
A: "I welcome everybody becoming a Democrat. I believe very significantly and strongly in the Democratic Party and I'm glad to have as many members in the Democratic Party as we can have. I think our party has been the big tent party in the United States for a long time and having Senator Specter in there, I think, further affirms that position."
Q: But even though you welcome him as a Democrat that doesn't mean you might not be a competitor for the Democratic nomination to the Senate?
A: "I still think that working families here in Western Pennsylvania need a voice in Washington. And, you know, it's going to take some time to see whether Senator Specter's going to provide that voice for working families here in western Pennsylvania. I've always believed that a western Pennsylvania Democrat was a strong candidate in a statewide race and I continue to believe that."
Q: When will you decide if you're going to run?
A: " I'll probably make the decision in the very near term. I mean, as you know, it's a very big proposition. There' a lot that goes into that effort, including the fundraising and other things. So it will be in the very near term."
--
Sent from my mobile device
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Obama & Spam
It appears that the presidential primary campaigns are getting into gear here in Western Pennsylvania. The e-mail exchange below pretty much speaks for itself. I didn't mind the sender's honest mistake, though I thought it was best to blog about it since my work e-mail address is now publicly circulating on a campaign mailing. This implies no disrespect for the Obama campaign. I'm an old-fashioned reporter who doesn't take sides and loves learning about all sides.
Does this mean I should accept the Facebook friend invitation I've received from a conservative speaker I've booked for the event? I suppose the alternative to maintaining public neutrality by not being on any group's mailing list is to be on a wide variety of groups' lists instead.
From: Bob Mayo
Sent: 02/02/2008 11:19 AM EST
To: [Name & E-Mail deleted for this blog post]
Subject: Re: PA Supporters - OBAMA needs your help this weekend
[Name Deleted],
I'm a reporter for WTAE, and apparently my attempt to reach a media contact for the national campaign some weeks back resulted in more than one of my e-mail addresses being put on campaign e-mail list for intended for supporters instead. I was letting it ride for a while, to see when -- if ever -- an actual person would contact me. You're the first, but unfortunately it was not in response to my request. I was trying to arrange for reps of the various Democratic and Republican campaigns to speak on a panel at an upcoming regional conference of journalists here in Pittsburgh.
Could you do me a favor? Please let whoever provided you with my e-mail address know that it belongs on a media contact list and not a volunteer or fundraising list. Please also let them know that I'm still waiting for an answer to my original phone calls and e-mails.
(Reporters sometimes don't mind being on organization mailing lists, if they provide a window into what the campaigns are doing. That's why I wasn't in any hurry to stop the spam from the national campaign. It was disconcerting to see my e-mail address visible on a local mailing intended for supporters, however. That's through absolutely no fault of yours. )
Thanks.
Bob Mayo
Reporter
WTAE-TV
--------------------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld
----- Original Message -----
From: [Name & E-Mail deleted for this blog post]
Sent: 02/01/2008 07:56 PM EST
To: [A long list of e-mail addresses appeared here. It was visible to everyone on the list.]
Subject: PA Supporters - OBAMA needs your help this weekend
You are receiving this email because you have previously shown support for Senator Obama. He needs your help now. Please volunteer a little time this weekend and come sign his petitions. [The message continued with the details.]
A footnote: As I was typing this, a new spam arrived from "David Plouffe, Campaign Manager, Obama for America" asking me to help get out the vote on Super Tuesday. This one was addressed to my G-Mail account. Argh.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Pittsburgh Councilman Calls For McCain-Palin Apology
This post is being filed via BlackBerry.
The following open letter concerning the Ashley Todd "B" hoax was released by City Councilman Ricky Burgess:
October 27, 2008
Dear Senator McCain and Governor Palin:
On Thursday, October 23, 2008, there was a report of a robbery, an assault and a mutilation filed by a volunteer for your campaign.
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:"She said a man armed with a knife demanded her money. She gave it to him, then began walking to her car, which had McCain stickers on it. She told police that although the robber had moved away from her, he became agitated when he saw her car, punched her in the back of the head, pushed her to the ground and carved a B into her face."
John Verrilli, the news director for KDKA in Pittsburgh, told Talking Points Memo's Election Central that your Pennsylvania campaign communications director gave one of his reporters a detailed version of the attack that included a claim that the alleged attacker said, "You're with the McCain campaign? I'm going to teach you a lesson."
Mr. Verrilli also told TPM that the McCain spokesperson had claimed that the "B" stood for Barack.
The Post-Gazette went on further to say:
"Ms. Todd told police during at least five hours of questioning last night that her attacker said to her, "You are going to be a Barack supporter." She told police the man then sat on her chest, pinning both her hands down with his knees and used what she believed was a dull knife with a roughly 5-inch blade to carve the B."
Your volunteer told the police that she was robbed, attacked, sexually assaulted, fondled and mutilated by an African-American man. However, we all now know that this tragic story was totally fraudulent. I am deeply troubled by the facts of this story. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
"Mr. Garcia took the widely published picture of Ms. Todd with her injuries. He said he took several photographs with a digital camera to document what had happened. He said he only gave copies of the photos to police and Ms. Todd's employer, the College Republicans. One photo appeared on The Drudge Report on Thursday, setting off a storm of media attention."
This much was true: A McCain-Palin official was pushing a version of the story that was far more explosive than the available or confirmed facts permitted at the time.
All too often in the halls of justice around the world, people are accused of crimes they did not commit. That one of your campaign spokespersons would spread such an incendiary story before any confirmation of the facts is both irresponsible and runs counter to our nation's Constitutional guarantee that no one be denied life, liberty or property without due process. Moreover, that a representative of the McCain-Palin campaign would be so careless and in the process of doing so, cast aspersions on African-Americans, is unfair.
On behalf of the City of Pittsburgh and its' African-American community, I respectfully request an apology from your campaign to the city for the conduct of your staff and volunteers. Both of you wasted little time in sending your wishes and prayers to Ms. Todd when the news reports were initially circulated, and so I trust that neither of you will waste anymore time leaving this issue unresolved. I would also ask that you send my personal prayers and well wishes to Ms. Todd and her family. I am certain these are trying times for them.
Sincerely,Reverend Ricky V. Burgess
President Pro-Tempore
Pittsburgh City Council
--
Blog post sent from my mobile device
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
These Boots Are Made For Blogging
And so, I thought, it's time to take a break from more serious blogging. The first month of The Busman's Holiday blog has been dominated by government and court-related posts, so I added Sunday’s lighter entry. Then this link arrived in an e-mail to my BlackBerry.
As the PG's Rich Lord puts it: "City Councilman Jim Motznik is blogging, and Pittsburgh politics is a more perilous place".
Pittsburgh blogs are buzzing with posts and comments on the news:
•2 Political Junkies writes "Welcome Aboard, Councilman Motznik!".
•The Burgh Report says "Motznik Is One of Us".
•The People's Republic of Pittsburgh says "every other political blogger in the city is baking pies and dropping off casserole dishes to welcome" the councilman's new blog.
•The Pittsburgh Comet is concerned that local bloggers are "getting a bum rap because of those moonlighters".
•The Angry Drunk Bureaucrat compares all of this to a tiff in a high school lunch room.
At this writing, the MacYapper response from John McIntire had not yet been posted. (Update: it's there now.)
Council is back in session this morning. At the end of the Tuesday meetings, council members can bring up any issues on their minds, unrelated to legislation. It can make for some of the livelier extemporaneous comments; I'd nicknamed it "The Improv". My guess is that they won't touch the councilman's entry into the "burghosphere". That will probably be left to reporter Q&A after the meeting.
Note: Thanks to the Honorable Judge Peckham for the kind mention in The Carbolic Smoke Ball.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Pat Ford Deal
The URA settlement will pay him through end of June 2009.
There is a no-"disparagement" provision.
(This post was filed via Gmail on my BlackBerry.)
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Inside New Act 47 Plan -- Quiet Rollout After Elections & Before Holiday Weekend
It was filed quietly with the City Clerk on the day after Election Day; City Council was not in session and Mayor Ravenstahl had taken Wednesday off.
It was Thursday before most City Council members started to read it. By that time, Mayor Ravenstahl was with the Steelers in Washington DC, visiting the White House.
That was when I got my first look at the state Act 47 team's new financial recovery plan for Pittsburgh --- in an e-mail on my BlackBerry; it's not the best way to read a 300 page, 6 meg file with charts and tables. I was told that no printed copies were available for the media. It was Thursday afternoon before the first news account hit the web, Thursday evening before my TV report aired, and Friday -- heading into a long Memorial Day Holiday weekend -- before newspaper reports started reaching the public.
I asked Act 47 Coordinator Jim Roberts about the timing of the plan's release in relation to the elections. He said:
"We don't really want the plan to become an election issue, a football during the election. So, we thought we're close enough now. We'll just wait until the end of the -- made the decision to wait until after the primary."
The draft plan provides a heads-up about the potential for the City of Pittsburgh to dip back into deficit spending. It reveals the potential for annual tax increases in the years ahead. They're all described in the new financial recovery plan proposed by Pittsburgh's Act 47 state-appointed overseers --but they say none of those things are guaranteed to happen if tough decisions are made to prevent them.
Arriving just a day after Ravensthal's primary win, the draft of the state's financial recovery plan for Pittsburgh warns that if nothing is done, beginning next year 7 to 10 million dollars a year in deficit spending would start eating into the 100-million dollar cash reserve which Mayor Ravenstahl spoke of as a surplus during the campaign.
"These improvements represent steps in the right direction for Pittsburgh, but without this amended plan financial projections show that Pittsburgh will return to a structural imbalance by 2011."
-- Acting PA Community & Economic Development Secretary George Cornelius
In plain words, it warns that if nothing new is done, starting during the next year in 2010, city government will again start spending more than it's taking in.
"If they don't take steps that are outlined in the plan. But the plan says you will generate operating balances" says Act 47 Coordinator Roberts. He says the baseline projections depict only what would happen if the new blueprint is not implemented.
The plan also warns about the city's $1-point-2 Billion unfunded legacy costs. It says the city has "a unique opportunity to apply its resources to a full financial recovery", but admits the city "faces daunting challenges to sustain progress". The Act 47 draft plan warns that the city pension liability has reached "crisis proportions". It alerts that "for the first time, fewer active employees are contributing to the pension fund than there are retirees drawing benefits". The pension fund lost $100-Million in the market downturn last year and is only 29 percent funded.
It calls for the city to make millions of dollars in extra payments into the pension fund, over and above the millions previously directed by the city's overseers. The plan says the money could come from the mayor's proposal to lease out the public parking garages, for example -- or it could come from tax increases in each of the next five years. "That's up to the city", said Roberts. "As long as those funds are substantially increased in amount, we're not going to tell them how to do it."
There is a "failsafe option" that would require city tax hikes that are big enough to bring in $10 Million a year.
The draft plan says the Act 47 team will provide for default city tax increases in each year that another option for making increased payments to the city pension fund is not identified. The higher taxes would be triggered if there's no specific legal alternative nailed down by the time the budget is proposed. Roberts says taxes raised would be "the taxes that are in the control of the city, as opposed something that you'd have to go to the legislature to ask about. So, that's earned income tax, real property tax" and others.
The draft notes that the city may try asking the legislature for permission to boost the tax on suburbanites working in the city from $52 to $145. However, the Act 47 team is telling the city not to rely on power it does not have when it budgets tax increases.
There are other steps proposed to raise money. For example, boosting revenue from fees for city services by 30 percent. Roberts says his team also endorses the city asking the state legislature for permission to keep the parking tax at 37-and-a-half percent, instead of dropping it to 35 percent next year.Ravenstahl's budget and finance director Scott Kunka told me Thursday afternoon that the mayor's position is clear: that he is not going to raise taxes.
Kunka also says that the mayor's latest budget projections do not show the city in danger of going into the red. He cautioned "we just literally received this this morning ourselves" and that they need the opportunity to review the draft and vet the numbers. Kunka observed that "a lot of the plan is an endorsement of actions the mayor has already taken".
You can look at some highlights in this post, "My New Act 47 Scrapbook".
[The state Department of Community & Economic Development didn't issue a news release on the new plan until Friday. A search of its website turns up a page with a link to download the complete draft.]
Monday, November 8, 2010
UPDATED with Council Reaction: Mayor Ravenstahl's Budget Message Breakout Quotes
UPDATE 2: Reactions from City Council members to Mayor Ravenstahl's address which warned of a coming "financial nightmare" in 2016 :
Council Finance Chair Bill Peduto:
• "Under his scenario which he presented today which is using one sided numbers, sure you can make that argument. But is it reality? No. Not unless we choose to go down that path. That's a path I will never travel."
• "We had a scolding, if nothing else,of city council -- and it wasn't even based on reality."
• "He's still trying to push an idea, even at the point of today, which was harmful to Pittsburgh."
Council President Darlene Harris (via written statement):
• "We have no intention of selling ourselves short, and no plan to initiate debt that will destroy future generations."
• "We also have no intention of foregoing billions of dollars of revenue over the next 50 years so that investment bankers can drain the life out of our City."
•"...In the coming weeks we will be actively working - day and night - to produce a decent, working solution to the immediate crisis, and thereafter this body intends to address the very core of the issue - the pension funds themselves.
Councilman Doug Shields:
•"I was little chagrined, to say the least, to hear that it's all council's fault, number one. Number two, there is a viable plan that the council enacted on the table."
• "I never saw a mayor come into the chamber and essentially insult the council."
• "It was like, 'okay, I'm coming into council to yell at the council about something, to basically throw this in the council's face, and blame them for everything."
Councilwoman Natalia Rudiak:
• "He said the actions of a few. I think there was clear majority that rejected the one option. there are still other options on the table."
UPDATE 1: Here are some key quotes from Mayor Ravenstahl's budget message delivered to City Council. (I posted a version of this earlier via mobile e-mail, but thumbtyping via BlackBerry leaves something to be desired in the way of formatting.) I've also expanded some quotes.
Mayor Luke Ravenstahl:
• "It appears that Pittsburgh must return to the years of deficit spending..."
• "Council...is forcing us into a financial culture that looks too much like our past".
• "I submit five year plan today that does not raise taxes. That does not make draconian cuts to basic city services."
• "...makes sure that Pittsburghers can get through the next five years unharmed, even when confronted by pension payments that double and triple..."• "We will do that by using our fund balance to ensure that we survive through 2015."
• "In 2016, the first year following the five year plan, our fund balance will be depleted."
• "(In 2016) we will be forced to make a $91 Million payment to the state pension system.."
• "...that is a quarter of our city's entire budget...more than it costs to operate any city departmentt."
• "After 2016, I cannot tell you how Pittsburgh will..deliver..core services without severe cuts & tax increases."
• "Pension payments after 2016 are even more staggering."• "With a fund balance that is dried up, Pittsburgh will have to make a $127 Million pension payment in 2017. "
• "...our city walks with its eyes wide open into a fiscal nightmare."
• "I saw this day coming and prepared city for it as best I could."
• "...presented City Council with a solution that could have saved us from this..."
• "...some members of City Council chose the short term, irresponsible approach..."
• "...it is not too late to prevent an eventual Pittsburgh bankruptcy."
• "...if five members of council choose to do the right thing."
• "We can still avert pension crisis by making a large cash infusion into our pension fund immediately..."
• "...and fighting for a new revenue stream to increase our pension payments..."
• "...ignoring these solutions...will in time force us....back to the dark days..."
• "That is not what I wanted. It is not what is best for Pittsburgh..."• "Nonetheless, if that is the path Council chooses, we must live with it, regardless of how disastrous the long term consequences will be."
• "The budget and five year plan I present today balances."
• "It maintains services without raising taxes through 2015".
• "...but Pittsburgh will not be able to absorb the costs of state takeover in 2016 or beyond."
--
Sent from my mobile device
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Oh, The Places You'll Go: The Sunshine Zone
Here's a story of an unnecessarily byzantine, non-specific answer to a direct question.
Let's start at the end, then go to the beginning.
The bottom line is that under Pennsylvania's Sunshine Law (Section 707 b), the ethics board can hold a closed meeting called a "Conference" to educate its members about ethics laws of other cities and how those laws are applied.
What did that take? 39 words, by my computer's count.
Now, let's rewind.
During Friday's ethics board meeting, Chairwoman Sister Patrice Hughes thanked Assistant City Solicitor Kate DeSimone for a memo summarizing Pennylvania's Sunshine Law. That memo indicates that the ethics board can use "Executive Sessions" to exclude the public from their planned educational briefings about how other cities' ethics laws work.
The memo was apparently the city Law Department's synopsis of what the state's Sunshine Law says, and how it applies in this case.
Now, as I understand it, state law only allows government bodies to hold closed-door "Executive Sessions" for six reasons. They are discussions of: personnel matters, labor relations, property purchases, litigation, confidential investigations & deliberations, and academic admission or standing.
After the meeting, I asked Sister Patrice if I could have a copy of the law department's memo, to examine its rationale in this case. She answered that since it was written by DeSimone, she'd feel more comfortable if I asked the memo's author for it instead.
When I did so, DeSimone hesitated, and requested that I not publish the memo if she gave it to me; I responded that publishing things is my job. She said she'd get back to me.
Here's a summary our our e-mail exchange over the next several hours.
• From: "DeSimone, Kate"
Sent: 10/12/2007 12:06 PM AST
To: Bob Mayo
Cc: "Sister Patrice Hughes"
Subject: Sunshine Act synopsis
Hello Bob:
I have spoken to my boss about the advisability of releasing the little memo regarding the provisions of the Sunshine Act, and he has advised against it. Although you are correct that there is nothing in the memo that you cannot get from reading the text of the act itself, our position has to be that this was a favor we did for the Board to help them in understanding this rather complex statute.
Sister, I am sorry that I did not mark the memo “confidential” in order to avoid any confusion.
Kate DeSimone
• From: Bob Mayo
Sent: 10/12/2007 12:16 PM EDT
To: "Kate DeSimone"
Cc: Bob Longo; Roberta Petterson
Subject: Re: Sunshine Act synopsis
Kate,
Respectfully, since the purpose of the Sunshine Law is "sunshine", i.e. an open view for the public on the operation of government, I would suggest that the interpretation of how an exemption to the Sunshine Law is being applied should not be confidential.
You were acting in an official capacity in advising the board, and members would be adopting an official meeting practice based on that advice.
I ask that the city solicitor and the board members individually reconsider and provide us with a copy.
I'm cc:ing this to my news management, so that they're in the loop on this.
Thanks.
Bob Mayo
Reporter
WTAE-TV
• From: "DeSimone, Kate"
Sent: 10/12/2007 12:52 PM AST
To: Bob Mayo
Cc: Bob Longo; Roberta Petterson; "Specter, George"; "Sister Patrice Hughes"
Subject: RE: Sunshine Act synopsis
Dear Bob:
I apologize if I gave any impression that this memo contained an “interpretation” of the Sunshine Act. On the contrary, there is nothing therein that can’t be gained from reading the text of the Act itself.
Kate
• [In the interest of accuracy, I'm quoting my e-mail's typos and mangled, redundant wording as-is. I can only blame them on my "thumb-typing" in haste on my BlackBerry.]
From: Bob Mayo
Sent: 10/12/2007 01:22 PM EDT
To: "Kate DeSimone"
Cc: Bob Longo; Roberta Petterson; "Specter, George"; "Sister Patrice Hughes"
Subject: Re: Sunshine Act synopsis
I'm headed out on another story at the moment. For the moment, can you tell me (or quote) in a sentence or two which provisions of the sunshine act which allow for executive sessions for education of board members?
Please understand that I'm not saying that there isn't one, I'm doing my job by finding out what it is in this specific case.
If there wasn't some intrepretation involved, why was a memo needed?
Thanks again.
Bob
• From: "DeSimone, Kate"
Sent: 10/12/2007 04:33 PM AST
To: Bob Mayo
Subject: RE: Sunshine Act synopsis
Hi Bob:
At one point the act defined an “executive session” as “a meeting from which the public is excluded, although the agency may admit those persons necessary to carry out the purpose of the meeting” (Section 703), which seems to imply that any closed meeting can qualify as an executive session. Later, however, the term is defined a lot more narrowly as being limited to six specific subject areas (Section 708). There are also some rather inconsequential references to executive sessions in sections 704 and 707, where they are cited as exceptions to the open meeting rule.
Our Board is certainly not alone in using the term executive session as synonymous with a closed meeting generally, but they are aware of the narrower definition in Section 708, and they know anything they do outside of a public meeting has to fall into one of those specific categories or be outside the requirements of a meeting altogether (for instance, no quorum present, no deliberation of agency business).
The real purpose of the memo was to tell them what the Act says, since they need to know what it says, but except for Penny they are not attorneys and are very unlikely to read it on their own. As you know, it is not the most accessible of statutes.
Kate
What followed was one more round of e-mails. I noted I was apparently going to have plenty of reading ahead for my coming week of vacation. She wished me well and suggested I drink plenty of water, as the "Sunshine Act" makes for very dry reading. It was a friendly exchange.
Note, however, that the last e-mail quoted above still doesn't directly cite the specific, legally allowable reason for using an "Executive Session" as proposed. My reading of the law is that there is no "Executive Session" exemption that applies here. There is an exemption for closing the doors to the public to hold something called a "Conference"; that's a different thing.
When it comes to the law, words do matter and can bring different consequences.
The law defines a "Conference" as "Any training program or seminar, or any session arranged by State or Federal agencies for local agencies, organized and conducted for the sole purpose of providing information to agency members on matters directly related to their official responsibilities." It also says "an agency is authorized to participate in a conference which need not be open to the public. Deliberation of agency business may not occur at a conference." I added the emphasis because "need not be open to the public" suggests that it could be open to the public.
The law defines "Executive Session" as "a meeting from which the public is excluded, although the agency may admit those persons necessary to carry out the purpose of the meeting". I added the emphasis here because--by definition--the public always "is excluded" from every "Executive Session".
Since we're talking about the "Sunshine Act" --part of Pennsylvania's "Right to Know Act"-- I think these are fair questions to raise.
[ A link to the PA Sunshine Act, bookmarked at a relevant section. ]
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Luke 2 Doug Text Message: The Mayor Explains
The burghosphere is buzzing about the biting e-mail from Mayor Luke Ravenstahl to Council President Doug Shields.
There are comparisons to everything from "The Matrix" to "The Office". PittGirl and The Angry Drunk Bureaucrat are among the many others joining in. (NOTE: These blogs are not affiliated with WTAE-TV. Some of them may contain rough language.)
Credit The Burgh Report with being the first to publish the contents, a mere two hours after the mayor clicked "send" on his computer.
As chance would have it, I read the e-mail on The Burgh Report minutes before I interviewed the mayor about his plans for a surveillance camera program (Video link here).
Ravenstahl gave no sign of being upset that his message had been quickly and widely circulated. He had sent copies of his message to a dozen people, including all members of city council. In fact the mayor was smiling and asked "do you want me to tell you what it says?" when I began searching through my BlackBerry for the quotes.
You can hear the 2 1/2 minute interview with the mayor about the e-mail by clicking this link. This will play in iTunes or QuickTime Media Player. Let me know if you have any problems.
Councilman Shields didn't return my call for comment, but he told the PG's Rich Lord "I sent the mayor a nice note back...I said thank you for the welcome back, but I've been here".
Here's the e-mail, courtesy of The Burgher:
From: Ravenstahl, Luke
Sent: Wednesday, May 23, 2007 9:59 AM
To: Shields, Doug
Cc: Harris, Darlene; Deasy, Dan; Koch, Jeffrey; Motznik, Jim; Payne, Tonya; Bodack, Len; Peduto, Bill; Carlisle, Twanda; Urbanic, Bill; Zober, Yarone; Zober, Yarone; Mazefsky, Gabe; Stettner, Melissa
Subject: WELCOME BACK!
Welcome Back Mr. President! "I wish to remind you" that despite the fact that maybe you haven't been here the past three months, we have. Our door is always open. In fact, your respective Council members have individually, because of your seeming absence regarding legislative issues, come over to discuss things one on one with me. Once again, let this e-mail serve as an invitation to you, and any member, to contact Missy to schedule an appointment. And as always, any issue not requiring me but only staff can be handled through Gabe Mazefsky. Thank you.
Luke
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Luke
Ravenstahl
Mayor, City of Pittsburgh
Monday, February 2, 2009
Your Thoughts on the Steelers Parade plans? [UPDATED]
Do you have any thoughts about the timing, notice, and route of the Steelers victory parade? The following news release with additional details about tomorrow's went out at 4:34 this afternoon. Feel free to offer your comments below.. (I'm filing this blog post via BlackBerry/GMail.)
UPDATES:
From the mayor's office:
• "Please note that the parade is to start at Grant Street and Seventh Avenue. Reports indicating otherwise are false."Authorities are suggesting parking on the periphery of downtown. That would include Station Square, the North Shore, The Strip District, and the new Grant Street Transportation Center (at the end of Grant Street by Liberty Avenue).
• "Stanwix Street from Fort Pitt Boulevard to the Boulevard of the Allies will close at 9 a.m." [Other street closings are listed in the news release below.]
• "In addition, workers who use the Gateway Center and US Steel parking garage located between Stanwix Street and Commonwealth Place will be able to have access."
Here's the phone number Port Authority customer service: 412-442-2000.
The Post-Gazette is reporting:
"The Gateway Clipper Fleet will run shuttles from Station Square to the Monongahela River side of Point State Park for the parade. Shuttle service will begin at 9 a.m. and will continue until the start of the parade. Return shuttles will begin immediately following the conclusion of the ceremonies and will continue for an hour. The cost will be $5, with no charge for children 6 and younger. The fleet will donate part of the proceeds to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank."
Here's Monday's news release from the offices of the mayor and the county executive:
"RAVENSTAHL, ONORATO ANNOUNCE PLANS FOR SUPER BOWL XLIII VICTORY PARADE"
"(PITTSBURGH) February 2, 2009 Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and County Executive Dan Onorato today announced plans to honor the history-making victory of the six-time Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers with a parade through Downtown Pittsburgh tomorrow, February 3, starting at 12:00 noon at the intersection of Grant and Seventh..."
" 'We are excited to give fans an opportunity to celebrate with their team, the number one Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers.' said Ravenstahl. 'Let's welcome home our guys and show the world what Pittsburgh and the Steeler Nation are all about.' "
" 'Tomorrow's parade will be a great opportunity for this region to honor this amazing Steelers team and the Rooney family for bringing the Vince Lombardi trophy back to the City of Champions for a record sixth time,' Onorato."
"The parade will take off at 12:00 noon and proceed down Grant Street. From Grant Street, the parade will loop to the Boulevard of the Allies and end at Stanwix Street where a stage celebration will be held. A media reviewing stand will be set up near the stage."
"Color and honor guards comprised of City and County public safety personnel will commence the parade. Six marching bands from Thomas Jefferson, Bethel Park, South Fayette, Carrick, Perry and Brashear high schools will follow, representing each Steelers Super Bowl victory."
"Barricades will be set up throughout the parade route to ensure the safety of fans and players. The City encourages all fans to take public transportation. If driving is necessary, fans are encouraged to park on the periphery of downtown."
"Road closures are as follows:"· "6:30 p.m. this evening to 3 p.m. tomorrow - Boulevard of the Allies between Stanwix Street and Commonwealth Place"
· "9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. tomorrow - the entire parade route from Grant Street to the Boulevard of the Allies to Commonwealth Place."
· "Please note that there will be no parking on the Boulevard of the Allies tomorrow morning. Traffic will be back to normal for tomorrow's evening rush hour."
--
Sent from my mobile device
Friday, May 23, 2008
Penguins Banners Bonus Feature
Simulation by WTAE Channel 4 Action News ArtistClick here for the "Penguins Banners? The 'Your Move' E-Mails" post.
If you'd like to read the entire sequence of e-mails on which the story is based, click the "Read More..." link below.
I've removed the e-mail addresses of participants and added a few annotations. The following sequence was reconstructed from many separate e-mail exchanges, then placed in chronological order. The source material was in the reverse-order that's common in ongoing e-mail conversations. Typos from the e-mails have been left as is. Some of those taking part were apparently thumb-typing on their BlackBerries, which tends to result in more typing errors.
Again, if you're interested, click the "Read More..." link in the left hand corner, below.
-----Original Message-----
From: Ismail, Noor
To: Tymoczko, Susan
CC: Zober, Yarone
Sent: Fri May 16 14:01:35 2008
Subject: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
Susan,
I will follow this e-mail up with a call. A quick question for you. Penguins want to put up massive banners/signs for the arena to coincide with the games. The banners/signs may be equivalent to the Cleveland Stadium of LeBron James - it may depict a sponsor(s) such as Reebok, Nike etc.
Please call Ross Johnson at [----] and find out more about what they proposed to do - I am uncertain again whether this is temporary or permanent. Please walk them through the process, if possible. Time is of the essence for them given the pending games - and they would be interested to know what would be the fastest and quickest way to get this done. Keep both Yarone and me posted on the outcome. Thank you.
Noor Ismail, AICP
Director
Department of City Planning
City of Pittsburgh
-----Original Message-----
From: Zober, Yarone
Sent: Friday, May 16, 2008 2:05 PM
To: Ismail, Noor; Tymoczko, Susan; [David Morehouse, Pittsburgh Penguins]
Subject: Re: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
Thank you very much. These will be temporary and his name is Ross Johnson, not Miller as I previously stated.
-----Original Message-----
From: Tymoczko, Susan
Sent: Friday, May 16, 2008 3:18 PM
To: Zober, Yarone; Ismail, Noor; David Morehouse
Cc: Ross Miller
Subject: RE: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
I've spoken with Ross Miller. The current proposal is for two, 40 ft. x 100 ft. banners on private property each showing a player with a corporate logo as well; each to be located on a downtown building. I've requested to see a copy of the artwork; for the permit application we will also require the exact street address and a letter from the property owner authorizing the application. We have no provision in the Zoning Code for temporary signs of this type, and in the past we have sent similar proposals to the Zoning Board of Adjustment. Once I see the artwork I can make a determination on the type of permit that will be required.
Susan
-----Original Message-----
From: Ross Miller [Pittsburgh Penguins]
Sent: Friday, May 16, 2008 4:19 PM
To: Tymoczko, Susan; Zober, Yarone; Ismail, Noor; David Morehouse
Subject: RE: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
Please find the banner images attached. The final size of each will be 40ft wide x 85ft high. The images will be printed on Ultra Flex Ultra Mesh Lightweight Supreme material. I am in the process of obtaining a swatch now and will share with the property owners as well as the city.
It is a perforated material that will allow light in and tenants can see out from inside the building. The installer has experience working with this material.
I have spoken with the property owner of PPG Place and we are doing a site inspection on Monday morning with the installer. They will provide an authorization letter and I will obtain the other necessities at that time.
Still waiting to hear back from Fifth Ave. Place...will keep everyone posted.
Ross Miller
Pittsburgh Penguins
From: Zober, Yarone
Sent: Friday, May 16, 2008 4:26 PM
To: Shields, Doug
Subject: Fw: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
As per our discussions. This may be happening, with proper approvals and process. Will need your help.
-----Original Message-----
From: Tymoczko, Susan
To: 'Ross Miller'; Zober, Yarone; Ismail, Noor; David Morehouse
CC: Specter, George; Baumiller, Lawrence
Sent: Fri May 16 17:27:31 2008
Subject: RE: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
Reviewing the proposed artwork and given the amount of advertising copy included, I cannot say that these are approvable. There is presently a moratorium in place that prohibits approval of new advertising signage; given this circumstance I would suggest consideration of revision to the proposed artwork. I've just spoken with Ross and David, and they are proceeding with some changes.
Susan
----- Original Message -----
From: Zober, Yarone
To: Tymoczko, Susan ; Ross Miller; Ismail, Noor ; David Morehouse
Cc: Specter, George ; Baumiller, Lawrence ; Shields, Doug
Sent: Fri May 16 17:42:23 2008
Subject: Re: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
If the moratorium is the greatest of the concerns, I would repectfully ask Council to lift the moratorium with respect to these festive banners. I have spoken with President Shields about this and he seemed to be in general support, though he should be contacted to dicsuss their concerns.
From: Tymoczko, Susan
Sent: Friday, May 16, 2008 6:12 PM
To: Zober, Yarone; Ross Miller [Pittsburgh Penguins]; Ismail, Noor; [David Morehouse, Pittsburgh Penguins]
Cc: Specter, George; Baumiller, Lawrence; Shields, Doug
Subject: RE: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
Just a reminder, in addition to the moratorium issue, new advertising signage is presently not permitted downtown. I'd like to be able to see what's going to be proposed.
Susan
-----Original Message-----
From: David Morehouse
To: Zober, Yarone; Tymoczko, Susan; Ross Miller ; Ismail, Noor
CC: Specter, George; Baumiller, Lawrence; Shields, Doug
Sent: Fri May 16 18:34:33 2008
Subject: Re: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
Just heard from Reebok and they said they are pulling out and the substantial investment from them is not worth it without their copy and that with the short window, they can't afford bureaucratic processes.
This is a shame and I can't believe we can't make this work.
I am very frustrated with this process.
----- Original Message -----
From: Zober, Yarone
To: David Morehouse; Tymoczko, Susan ; Ross Miller; Ismail, Noor
Cc: Specter, George ; Baumiller, Lawrence ; Shields, Doug
Sent: Fri May 16 18:54:07 2008
Subject: Re: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
Just spoke to Council Pres Shields. If we can come up with a collective quick solution, we will have all the support we need from both branches of City government and nobody will be caught up in a sign-gate.
-----Original Message-----
From: David Morehouse
To: Zober, Yarone; Tymoczko, Susan; Ross Miller; Ismail, Noor
CC: Specter, George; Baumiller, Lawrence; Shields, Doug
Sent: Fri May 16 18:59:36 2008
Subject: Re: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
What is the solution?
-----Original Message-----
From: Zober, Yarone
Sent: Friday, May 16, 2008 7:04 PM
To: [David Morehouse, Pittsburgh Penguins]; Tymoczko, Susan; Ross Miller [Pittsburgh Penguins]; Ismail, Noor
Cc: Specter, George; Baumiller, Lawrence; Shields, Doug
Subject: Re: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
Here it goes:
We need the law department to agree that by introducing an ordinance, zoning can rely on the introduction as law,
We need a majority of council (which we would have with pres Shields on board) to provide support for the ordinance as soon as tonight so that the sign can be manufactured,
We need an ordinance that effectively says: for the 2008 stanley cup playoffs, the following signs shall be approved.
If Law and Council ok this process, everyone should be on good solid ground to say that pens can proceed with production for installation when?
Need shields and law to sign on now.
-----Original Message-----
From: Tymoczko, Susan
To: Zober, Yarone; [David Morehouse, Pittsburgh Penguins] ; Ross Miller [Pittsburgh Penguins] ; Ismail, Noor
CC: Specter, George; Baumiller, Lawrence; Shields, Doug
Sent: Fri May 16 19:15:07 2008
Subject: RE: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
Would it be possible to do an ordinance that exempts these particular signs from zoning approval? They would still need to get building permits for the installation.
-----Original Message-----
From: Shields, Doug
Sent: Friday, May 16, 2008 7:17 PM
To: Tymoczko, Susan
Subject: Re: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
Why not do this relevant to the sites.IIe stadium areas. Also couched in terms of "temporay" banners.
-----Original Message-----
From: Shields, Doug
To: [David Morehouse, Pittsburgh Penguins] ; Zober, Yarone; Tymoczko, Susan; Ross Miller [Pittsburgh Penguins]
CC: Specter, George; Baumiller, Lawrence
Sent: Fri May 16 19:18:16 2008
Subject: Re: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
I think instead of zoning maybe we go with temporay banners.
From: Tymoczko, Susan
Sent: Friday, May 16, 2008 7:21 PM
To: Shields, Doug
Subject: RE: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
Do you mean, these signs are to be permitted around the sports stadiums? These are to go on other buildings downtown. Larry Baumiller will call you.
-----Original Message-----
From: Shields, Doug
Sent: Fri 5/16/2008 7:22 PM
To: [David Morehouse, Pittsburgh Penguins]; Zober, Yarone; Tymoczko, Susan; 'miller'; Ismail, Noor
Cc: Specter, George; Baumiller, Lawrence
Subject: Re: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
I tink zoning is not going to get this done due to time associated from moving zoning law
What have we in the code on banners? We give permits for all sorts of banners. They a re for the most part non profits but we can amend to allow for our sports teams. The city has an equity stake in all of them that's for sure
This is on the books and can be amended more readily than zone changes. Susan?
From: Zober, Yarone
Sent: Friday, May 16, 2008 7:23 PM
To: Shields, Doug; [David Morehouse, Pittsburgh Penguins]; Tymoczko, Susan;
'miller'; Ismail, Noor
Cc: Specter, George; Baumiller, Lawrence
Subject: Re: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
Whatever works for you and at least four of your colleagues works for us. Susan and Larry have both indicated their approval if Council is on board.
From: Baumiller, Lawrence
Sent: Friday, May 16, 2008 7:23 PM
To: Shields, Doug; [David Morehouse, Pittsburgh Penguins]; Zober, Yarone;
Tymoczko, Susan; 'miller'; Ismail, Noor
Cc: Specter, George
Subject: RE: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
I think that Yarone and I have worked this out. What we can do is propose an amendment to the Zoning Code on Tuesday allowing "large temporary banners for regional events" and exempt them from the current sign moratorium. Since the signs are temporary, we can refrain from placing sign limitations on the banners.
This legislation will take effect immediately because of the pending ordinance doctrine associated with Zoning Code Amendments. I am on board as long as City Council agrees to pull the legislation after the Stanley Cup finals are over. That way, we won't have any lingering issues.
My cell number is [----] if you have any questions.
Thanks,
Larry
From: Zober, Yarone
Sent: Friday, May 16, 2008 7:25 PM
To: Shields, Doug
Subject: Re: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
Larry has also cited the fact that it can move ahead if council introduces legislation under the pending legislation doctrine- once introduced, it has the force of law. By the time for final vote, the issue will be moot and the legislation can be tabled.
From: Tymoczko, Susan
Sent: Friday, May 16, 2008 7:27 PM
To: Shields, Doug; [David Morehouse, Pittsburgh Penguins]; Zober, Yarone;
'miller'; Ismail, Noor
Cc: Specter, George; Baumiller, Lawrence
Subject: RE: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
A lot of the banners are in the rights-of-way and therefore not subject to zoning - there are separate rules for them, not in our code. Longer term, we should probably get something into the zoning code that addresses temporary banners with sponsorship.
From: Ismail, Noor
Sent: Friday, May 16, 2008 7:29 PM
To: Shields, Doug
Subject: Re: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
This has advertisement Ûn it and advertising signs are prohibited downtown. Susan and Larry were trying to work this out but the sponsors would not agree to this. Again the moratorium adds another layer to this. Susan is Ûn board if there is a way to address this legally
-----Original Message-----
From: Tymoczko, Susan
Sent: Fri 5/16/2008 7:30 PM
To: Baumiller, Lawrence; Shields, Doug; [David Morehouse, Pittsburgh Penguins]; Zober, Yarone; 'miller'; Ismail, Noor
Cc: Specter, George
Subject: RE: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
I think it sounds like the best solution.
Susan
From: Baumiller, Lawrence
Sent: Friday, May 16, 2008 7:32 PM
To: Tymoczko, Susan; Shields, Doug; [David Morehouse, Pittsburgh Penguins];
Zober, Yarone; 'miller'; Ismail, Noor
Cc: Specter, George
Subject: RE: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
Actually, we could probably put a 30 day sunset provision in the legislation.
----- Original Message -----
From: Zober, Yarone
To: Baumiller, Lawrence; Shields, Doug ; David Morehouse; Tymoczko, Susan ; Ross Miller; Ismail, Noor
Cc: Specter, George
Sent: Fri May 16 19:32:58 2008
Subject: Re: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
With Pres' support, we can make this happen. A penguins nation turns its lonely eyes to you. Woo hoo hoo. What say the Pres?
-----Original Message-----
From: David Morehouse
To: Zober, Yarone; Baumiller, Lawrence; Shields, Doug; Tymoczko, Susan; Ross Miller; Ismail, Noor
CC: Specter, George
Sent: Fri May 16 19:35:35 2008
Subject: Re: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
Yes. So now I can call them and tell them it's a go?
From: Baumiller, Lawrence
Sent: Friday, May 16, 2008 7:36 PM
To: [David Morehouse, Pittsburgh Penguins]; Zober, Yarone; Shields, Doug;
Tymoczko, Susan; 'miller'; Ismail, Noor
Cc: Specter, George
Subject: Re: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
Let's wait for a yes from Shields.
Lawrence H. Baumiller
Assistant City Solicitor
Sent via BlackBerry
----- Original Message -----
From: Zober, Yarone
To: David Morehouse; Baumiller, Lawrence ; Shields, Doug ; Tymoczko, Susan ; Ross Miller; Ismail, Noor
Cc: Specter, George
Sent: Fri May 16 19:41:38 2008
Subject: Re: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
The other prez- Council prez...
From: Zober, Yarone
Sent: Friday, May 16, 2008 7:43 PM
To: Baumiller, Lawrence; Shields, Doug; Tymoczko, Susan; Ismail, Noor
Cc: Specter, George
Subject: Re: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
Just spoke to Dowd who raised "issues". If we have Pres Shields in Pittsburgh's corner, then we can do this. If not, we can't.
-----Original Message-----
From: David Morehouse
To: Zober, Yarone; Baumiller, Lawrence; Shields, Doug; Tymoczko, Susan; Ross Miller; Ismail, Noor
CC: Specter, George
Sent: Fri May 16 20:47:49 2008
Subject: Re: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
Any confirmation yet? Printer is on hold and reebok is waiting.
From: Zober, Yarone
Sent: Friday, May 16, 2008 9:00 PM
To: [David Morehouse, Pittsburgh Penguins]; Baumiller, Lawrence; Shields,
Doug; Tymoczko, Susan; rmiller'; Ismail, Noor
Cc: Specter, George
Subject: Re: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
President Shields' phone cut out. Still awaiting final answer.
From: Zober, Yarone
Sent: Friday, May 16, 2008 9:44 PM
To: [David Morehouse, Pittsburgh Penguins]; Baumiller, Lawrence; Shields,
Doug; Tymoczko, Susan; 'miller'; Ismail, Noor
Cc: Specter, George
Subject: Re: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
Lost Doug Shields. Can't proceed without knowing that he is giving go ahead.
-----Original Message-----
From: Zober, Yarone
To: [David Morehouse, Pittsburgh Penguins] ; Baumiller, Lawrence; Shields, Doug; Tymoczko, Susan; 'miller' ; Ismail, Noor
CC: Specter, George
Sent: Fri May 16 21:59:32 2008
Subject: Re: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
Its a go from Council Prez Shields. He will confirm by email in next ten minutes. Good work everyone.
----- Original Message -----
From: Shields, Doug
To: Zober, Yarone ; David Morehouse; Baumiller, Lawrence ; Tymoczko, Susan ; Ross Miller; Ismail, Noor
Cc: Specter, George
Sent: Fri May 16 22:00:40 2008
Subject: [SPAM] Re: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
To confirm mr zober. Yes we wil find a way
From: Zober, Yarone
Sent: Friday, May 16, 2008 10:01 PM
To: Baumiller, Lawrence; Shields, Doug; Tymoczko, Susan; Ismail, Noor
Cc: Specter, George
Subject: Re: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
All right! Now we have to get an ordinance drafted ASAP. Larry or Susan- when can we get this done and what percent of banner is ad space?
From: Baumiller, Lawrence
Sent: Friday, May 16, 2008 10:01 PM
To: Zober, Yarone; [David Morehouse, Pittsburgh Penguins]; Shields, Doug;
Tymoczko, Susan; 'miller'; Ismail, Noor
Cc: Specter, George
Subject: Re: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
Very good.
Lawrence H. Baumiller
Assistant City Solicitor
Sent via BlackBerry
From: David Morehouse
Sent: Friday, May 16, 2008 10:10 PM
To: Shields, Doug; Zober, Yarone; Baumiller, Lawrence; Tymoczko, Susan;
Ross Miller; Ismail, Noor
Cc: Specter, George
Subject: Re: [SPAM] Re: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
Great! Now all we have to do is beat Philly. I'll tell Rebok it's a go and on behalf of Penguins fans, I thank all of you. If we are fortunate enough to make the finals, I think this will make pgh look great.
-----Original Message-----
From: Tymoczko, Susan
To: Zober, Yarone
Sent: Fri May 16 22:22:36 2008
Subject: Re: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
They estimated that it was about 2.5 percent, for the reebock only.
From: Zober, Yarone
Sent: Friday, May 16, 2008 10:23 PM
To: Tymoczko, Susan; Shields, Doug
Subject: Re: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
Great.
[Reporters note: the next e-mail is in response to the earlier Friday, May 16, 7:32 PM message suggesting a 30 day sunset provision in the legislation.]
From: Specter, George
Sent: Monday, May 19, 2008 11:00 AM
To: Baumiller, Lawrence; Tymoczko, Susan; Shields, Doug;
[David Morehouse, Pittsburgh Penguins]; Zober, Yarone;
'miller'; Ismail, Noor
Subject: RE: Banners/Signs Question - for the Arena
That is too long. It should definitely terminate after the Penguins' last game. Of course, there is the long-standing Pittsburgh problem, i.e., if they win the Stanley Cup, people will want to leave them up until at least after the Steelers' first game.
[Reporter's note: the following e-mail is from the mayor's acting press secretary Joanna Doven to Chief of Staff Yarone Zober. It appears to convey a question from a reporter.]
-----Original Message-----
From: Doven, Joanna
Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2008 9:09 AM
To: Zober, Yarone
Subject: A.Gastmeyer Inquiry
How did the city get around letting the Penguins putting up a huge rally banner at 5th avenue place, with “reebok” all over it? What are the Mayor’s thoughts after the lamar issue?
Joanna Doven
Communications
Mayor Luke Ravenstahl
From: Zober, Yarone
Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2008 9:13 AM
To: 'David Morehouse'; Mazefsky, Gabe; Shields, Doug
Cc: Baumiller, Lawrence; Specter, George; Ismail, Noor; Tymoczko, Susan
Subject: FW: A.Gastmeyer Inquiry
We’re going to pull the plug on the banner efforts. Even talking to Council has caused the following stories. Sorry for everyone’s time and effort. Maybe something like this could be done outside the City, where people know the value of Pittsburgh Pride over politics. Go Pens!
From: Zober, Yarone
Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2008 10:32 AM
To: Burgess, Reverend; Shields, Doug; Specter, George; Ismail, Noor; Tymoczko, Susan; Baumiller, Lawrence
Cc: Mazefsky, Gabe
Subject: Thanks for efforts on banners
Ultimately, the City should probably have legislation that provides broader powers to suspend rules for temporary banners in the even of unanticipated good news for Pittsburgh (superbowl wins, Stanley cup, ticker tape parades (?), world series victories. Just kidding about the world series victories). Ultimately, this could have been fun, but not worth it on a fast track with a sensitive issue.
Yarone Zober
Chief of Staff
Office of Mayor Luke Ravenstahl
City of Pittsburgh
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