The shit is hitting the fan in Pittsburgh’s mayoral race, with both Democrats campaigning hard for the party’s endorsement. Predictably, the campaigns of Mayor Luke Ravenstahl (a.k.a. Mayor Opie) and City Councilor Bill Peduto (a.k.a. Mr. Peduto-head) absolutely despise one another.
And that’s understandable, because there’s plenty to hate about both of them. Or so each side will tell you — while asking not to be quoted.
Peduto, they say, is a phony, doesn’t connect with people, and can be more than a little smug. Ravenstahl, they say, is arrogant and inexperienced — an old-school hack with a grade-school face.
I have stated my preference for Mr. Peduto-head before. But right now, I’m just having a good time watching these two mugs fight it out for the party endorsement, which will be decided on March 4. Because, if City Committee Chair Barbara Ernsberger is to be believed, this race is very close.
There are 873 committee members who can vote on the endorsement. And Ernsberger says the two men are “about 50 votes apart at this point” — with Opie having the edge.
I could only find two Democrats who are on the fence about these guys and willing to talk about it publicly. And they’re both members of the Ernsberger famly. Barbara says she hasn’t made up her mind, and neither has her husband. She’s even consulted with her son, 23-year-old CMU grad student Bill Ernsberger, who doesn’t have a committee vote.
According to Barbara Ernsberger, her son thinks Opie “looks more like a mayor, but he’s got to be able to say something.” That’s Opie: Not the brightest bulb on the tree.
Ernsberger says her son has the opposite take on Mr. Peduto-head. While Bill Ernsberger credits Peduto for knowing a lot, she says, he “doesn’t carry himself with a mayoral presence.”
Barbara Ernsberger acknowledges Peduto’s mastery of complex environmental issues. (He’s been endorsed by the Sierra Club, for cryin’ out loud.) But she says she’s talked with the mayor about blight issues that are also fairly complex, and he seemed to keep up.
Opie’s biggest problem, she says, is dealing with new issues he never expected to face before he took office following the death of Bob O’Connor last year: “So much at one time — it’s an awful lot to deal with,” she says. That’s probably why Opie ducked a question about the Mon-Fayette expressway project at a Feb. 22 Squirrel Hill candidates’ forum. “I haven’t looked at the issue that thoroughly,” he said.
Opie was also asked about cutbacks to Port Authority service. He pointed at County Executive Dan Onorato and said, “You can ask the boss.” Onorato does pick the authority’s board members, but to my ears, Ravenstahl’s word choice reinforced the notion that he’s taking orders, not giving them.
Matt Hogue, an in-the-tank-for-Luke committeeman, says the race is a “slam dunk” for Opie. “I just don’t see how he can lose it,” he says.
In fact, any incumbent — even one who’s been in office for five minutes — should win the endorsement. So the good news for Mr. Peduto-head is, if he loses the endorsement, it’s no surprise … and if he wins, it’ll be an amazing victory. It could be seen as a minor victory if Peduto even makes it close. On the other hand, if Opie loses, his big-time supporters — namely Onorato and Congressman Mike Doyle — will have to switch their support to Peduto.
A loss would suck a little for Peduto. It would devastate the mayor.
Ernsberger doesn’t think many committee persons’ feet are “set in cement.” I’m not so sure. At a candidates’ forum on the South Side, I watched both candidates give their stump speeches. Afterward, both asked, “Any questions?” Not one person raised a hand: Those people had either made up their minds already, or just came to shmooze and eat pretzels.
Ravenstahl’s got the kid-mayor-who’s-been-on-Letterman thing, and lots of older folks think he’s a nice boy. Peduto talks better, but as we’ve seen in recent presidential elections, that doesn’t always matter.
Am I the only one who sees the Bush-Gore 2000 analogy here — the friendly frat boy vs. the environmental geek? Pittsburgh doesn’t have punch cards, so there won’t be a hanging-chad fiasco. But Peduto was endorsed by the Sierra Club … and Luke did get himself handcuffed at Heinz Field. I’m just sayin’.
And we all know how electing the friendly frat boy back in 2000 turned out.
This article appears in Mar 1-7, 2007.
I have been angered by the political posturing on evvironmental issues and so: Green? My ass!
Recently Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl signed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. Perhaps this action is supposed to supplement Pittsburgh City Council’s unanimous endorsement in July of 2006 of the Sierra Club’s so-called “Cool Cities Campaign.” Both of these measures call on the city to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. Regardless by signing onto this accord Luke Ravenstahl can now claim to be “green.”
This May Pittsburgh will hold primary elections. Given local politics the Democratic Party primary will choose the city’s next mayor. Incumbent Mayor Luke Ravenstahl (Democrat) faces a strong rival in the primary in the person of City Council Member Bill Peduto (Democrat). Seeing this move by the incumbent to grab green votes Bill Peduto is claiming that he is the real green candidate and that Luke Ravenstahl is a Johnny-come-lately to the green scene. Bill Peduto is touting his Green Building Alliance’s Shades of Green Leadership Award and his consistent endorsements by the Sierra Club.
So which of these candidates is really green? The answer is neither. Yes, the incumbent is signing climate protection agreements and his rival is promoting “green technology” but regardless of this they are both also doing all they can to promote private automobile use.
Ask either candidate about the city parking tax and they will tell you that it must be lowered. Why, if they are really green would they not use the higher parking tax as a way to promote public transit? Then ask either candidate about the practice of using Tax Increment Financing (TIFs) to fund the construction of parking garages and they will just look at you like you are nuts. Ask why a new “green building” has a parking garage built along side it and you will be told not to worry because the parking garage will have a bike rack.
Pittsburgh is in a parking garage building spree right now. Every new development comes with one or more parking garages attached. Bill and Luke are using tax money to finance four new parking garages along Second Avenue at the Pittsburgh Technology Center. The renovation of the old Nabisco Bakery by luxury condo developer Walnut Capital will include a 1,200 car parking garage. This Bakery Square project is in the heart of East Liberty a major public transit hub but that doesn’t matter. Bakery Square is being built for the car not the bus.
Since the year 2000, the city has built or is presently building over 16 parking garages (Post-Gazette, 2/16/06) and many more are planned. Massive parking garages going up in all sections of the city. Thousands and thousands of new parking spaces for private single occupant automobiles are being built. So, won’t the benefits of a Pedutoesque green building be washed out by the parking garage being built right next to it? Questions in this vein have received just blank stares from the green candidates.
Do either of our these green candidates know that public transit produces 95 % less carbon monoxide (CO), 90 % less in volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and about 50 % as much carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx), per passenger mile, as private vehicles. Yep, public transit cuts down on greenhouse gas emissions. Does either of them know that a full bus equals around 50 less cars on the street? Does either of them know that increased use of public transit will make the building of heat radiating concrete and asphalt roads and parking lots less necessary? Yep, public transit can really help reduce the heat island effect of urban areas by reducing the need to keep gobbling up green space for cars.
As this article is being written the Port Authority of Allegheny County is planning to eliminate over 50% of its bus routes in June of 2007. They also intend to increase fares annually beginning on January 1, 2008. If this should happen it will mean the death of public transit in the region. Right now there are captive bus riders who are saving up to buy a used car and riders of choice are getting back into commuting by car. The Port Authority reckons it will lose at least 11% of its riders in 2007. They will lose more riders in 2008. People are going to lose confidence in a public transit system that is expensive and just doesn’t go many places anymore. And so beginning this summer thousands more single occupant cars will begin dumping their CO and CO2 into the city air. So much for the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement and the Sierra Clubs Cool Cities Campaign.
The City of Pittsburgh is not required to and thus does not contribute a penny toward public transit. The question that must be asked of these so called green candidates is what public policy do they promote that encourages people to leave their car parked and ride public transit? The answer is none. Why doesn’t the city give tax breaks to employers who help their employees pay for monthly bus passes instead of using tax money to build parking garages? Why when most cities are moving toward establishing “car free zones” does Bill Peduto want to make downtown a “bus free zone?”
Give us a break! Free parking on holidays does not promote public transit. Lowering the city parking tax does not promote public transit. Giving tax breaks for the construction of ever more parking garages does not promote public transit. Shoot these clowns don’t know beans about using public policy to get folks on the bus or trolley. Are they green? Green, my ass!
stephen donahue