Bram & The Trib weigh in on Ford-Gate.

Today, Bram from the Pgh Comet & The Tribune Review weighed in on the growing suspicion around the administration and its' dealings with the URA. There seems to be a rising tide of questions about how business is being done on Grant Street. Expect a larger chorus of interrogators to descend on the 5th Floor of the City County Building with questions about corruption in the Ravenstahl Administration. Whether the allegations are true, the deeper scrutiny into city affairs will provide a level of transparency that in the end will benefit not only city government itself, but more importantly the taxpayers who support it.

The Trib pulled no punches today in an editorial entitled: A putrid deal: Hush Money It starts off a little something like this...

"Is the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh a corrupt criminal enterprise? Is the administration of Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl? We are forced to ask these serious questions in light of activities that reasonable people could conclude suggest both."

If you thought the intro was juicy check out the conclusion...

"Now, the URA will pay Pat Ford six months beyond his contract expiration to prevent him from making further public allegations and from filing a lawsuit. Well, if Ford's allegations are baseless, and therefore reckless, why's he being paid off? And what was Ford going to sue for? He wasn't terminated, he quit, under an ethics cloud, and he's not even in town anymore. This deal is putrid. Somebody's hiding something. Who? And what? Both are great questions for a grand jury."

This morning Mr. Bram from the Pgh Comet provided us with a Keith Olbermann-esque analysis and call to action for all citizen's of Pittsburgh.

"We must make ready to shoulder this burden on our own. Whatever entreaties ought be facilitated to higher authorities have been facilitated already. There's no profit in waiting on avenging angels to do our dirty work.

We should all conduct ourselves as though We the People are the sole arbiters of justice. That should be more than sufficient to throw off this yoke of infantile and self-serving gall.

Woe betide any clique, or Committee, or Conference that dares run interference on behalf of the sordid old status quo in Pittsburgh. Change is inevitable -- fundamental change. The occasion for it is the stale and increasingly ludicrous sameness championed by the callow functionaries presently inhabiting our City Hall.

The levees of machine politics are topping, and they will break soon or sooner still. It only remains to be seen who will be on the leading edge of this change -- who will be scrambling to catch up to it -- and who will be left behind."

Are these voices a militant minority of Luke-Haters? Or does this reflect a bigger problem for the Mayor as the 2009 primary nears. STAY TUNED.

"I would be surprised if they're not already investigating."

From all outward appearances, the grenade Doug Shields tossed across the 5th floor of the City-County building has started something more than just a "small skirmish". It seems like the battle lines are drawn and the troops are lining up in formation.

City Controller Michael Lamb is saying things like, "if the "non-disparagement" clause in the unwritten settlement prohibits Ford from talking to him about an audit of how the URA awards contracts, Lamb will file a legal challenge in an attempt to invalidate it. When asked about federal and state investigations Mr. Lamb said, "I would be surprised if they're not already investigating." Those are ominous signs if you ask me. Foreshadowing for all you poet laureates out there.

In the meantime, Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl yesterday issued the following statement in response to Council President Shields' letters to the U.S. Attorney and the state Attorney General:

"Doug Shields has forgotten that he was sent to Council to do the people's business, not to promote a political agenda focused on hurting me and aggrandizing himself. As he has communicated to others in the back offices of City Council, he is using his public office in an attempt to hurt people politically, personally and professionally. While my administration and I have been getting the work of the City done, cleaning our neighborhoods, fixing our finances, fighting crime, and resolving potential lawsuits to protect City taxpayers, he has been playing political games. Shame on him.

Over the last two years, through an underwhelming run for citywide office, Shields' use of public funds to advance his political agenda, and his erratic and unprofessional behavior on Council, he and his cohorts have embarrassed themselves, their public offices and this City.

Shields' actions are cheap, ill-motivated and just plain wrong. I have full faith that the people of Pittsburgh see right through Shields, to the truth. It is time for Shields and company to stop playing politics and get back to the business of the City."

Say what you will about Doug Shields, you can bet he knows how to make a Mayor's life a living hell via the Council President's office. Remember this guy helped orchestrate the classic O'Connor vs. Murphy battles in city hall. I can bet this will get more interesting, before it gets less interesting.

Doug Shields takes the nuclear option.

As reported by Bob Mayo: Council President Doug Shields has sent requests in writing to US Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan and PA Attorney General Tom Corbett to investigate city development affairs. Details to follow.

Wow! That's pretty extreme, don't you think? Looks like the gloves are off down on Grant Street.

More from the P-G: Pittsburgh Council President Doug Shields formally asked the U.S. Attorney and the state Attorney General to investigate city development affairs today, in the wake of yesterday's settlement between the Urban Redevelopment Authority and its former executive director, Pat Ford.

More from the Burgh Report

In the letter addressed to PA Attorney General Tom Corbett and US Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan, Council President Shields wrote, "With serious allegations of illegal activity acknowledged in writing and nearly $100,000 taxpayer dollars being used in conjunction with what is effectively a gag order on the people raising the allegations, the time has come to put rumor and innuendo to rest and get to the truth. It has become imperative that a fulsome inquiry be conducted because it is only under oath that this matter can be definitively resolved."

What more can I say?

Pastor Problem?

Looks like Sarah Palin might have a pastor problem these days. Check it out

Lipstick on a Pig?

Over the last day or so, Obama's "lipstick on a pig" comment has been all over the airwaves. Many wonder if it will have a real impact on the voters, especially working class, older and independent women voters in states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania & Ohio.

Will the voters fall for Pig-Gate!

McCain up 10 in Gallup poll?

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/docs/2008_09_05topline.html

What the hell's goin' on out here?

Today's USA Today Gallup Poll has McCain up 10% among likely voters, up 4% among registered voters. This is an interesting turn of events when you consider a number of things:

- Obama's nomination speech vs. McCain's nomination speech
- The Obama campaign's VP search vs. the McCain campaign's VP search
- The Democrat's Convention vs. The Republican's Convention

Personally I am baffled. If you examine the three things I just mentioned, any reasonable human being would agree the Dems did better in all three areas. What does this mean? Is the GOP that good? Do they understand the psyche of the American people better? The real question is: Does Sarah Palin really boost the GOP's ticket? Based on recent polling it appears so. At the same time this could be an aberration, but if not the next 50 some odd days will be a helluva fight.

5 Predictions for the NFL season

As I sit in front of my TV about to watch the kick-off of the NFL season, I am super excited. I truly believe that pro football is the best sport ever invented. The combination of teamwork, strategy and intensity is unparalleled in the world of sport. As you all know, early September begins with hope and promise for 32 teams, only to end in ultimate glory for one team in February 2009 at the Super Bowl. Along with the hope and promise, come the predictions and prognosticators. It is always fun to look back later in the year and make fun of the predictions that were way off and salute the predictions that were dead on. In the spirit of the new season I'm going to get in on the fun, so to speak. So here it is...My top 5 predictions for the NFL season.

5. AFC Championship Game: Pittsburgh vs. San Diego. Roethlisberger and Rivers, now seasoned vets will begin to take their place among Brady and Manning as super elite QBs in the AFC.

4. Chad Johnson will get traded to Oakland. First of all, I refuse to refer to him by his new ridiculous last name. Secondly a true class act like Marvin Lewis (from Western PA, by the way) won't tolerate Chad's foolishness for long. Lastly, Al Davis is only guy in the NFL who will tolerate that kind of foolishness.

3. Favre will take the Jets to the divisional round. The NY media machine will ride the Favre express until early January, overshadowing underachiever turned overachiever Eli Manning. Once the Jets gets dispatched, Madison Ave will refocus on the defending Super Bowl Champs, who will make it to the NFC Championship Game.

2. NFC Championship Game: New York vs. Dallas. Manning and Romo will continue a duel that could become the Steve Young/Troy Aikman rivalry of this era.

1. Adrian Peterson will break the single season rushing record. I feel like there isn't much to explain, if you have seen him play you know what I'm talking about. If not take look at this: