Pittsburgh Mayoral Race (just my opinions, I could be wrong)

[Pat Riot]

Polls show Peduto 38, Wagner 36
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/peduto-closes-gap-on-wagner-in-pittsburgh-mayors-race-poll-shows-685561/

Negative ad? OK, the ad says something negative about the opponent, but I differentiate between something that's basically true, versus a pants-on-fire, terrorist-born-in-Kenya type of ad. The ads funded by Ravenstahl for Wagner using the same agency that swiftboated Kerry were far more reprehensible. Granted, those ads have been pulled. I don't like how Wagner benefited then tried to spin it as Luke vs. Peduto acting like two children while Jack remained the adult in the room. Not sure about the money - is Wagner getting funds from Ravenstahl's war chest???

http://www.politicspa.com/peduto-negative-ad-wagner-sided-with-gop-with-video/47604/

I see Wagner as part of the old machine and I hear only vague statements about what he plans to actually do. Peduto has very specific ideas that I like. http://www.billpeduto.com/

[ebbie15644]

1. my opinion

Is that Peduto is not very likeable. I have watched him for years and he comes across as childish and petulant. It's too bad they don't have better candidtates

[Pat Riot]

3. What about the issues?

Here's my thing: I haven't watched anybody for years. I only became politically aware and active relatively recently.

As an environmentalist, it was the fracking that decided me. Ravenstahl wanted to let them drill in St. Mary's cemetery right next to Children's Hospital! My guess is that, having gone with the GOP on the budget, Wagner would be open to allowing such things on the meme of jobs, jobs, jobs.

That's not the only issue, though. I like the specificity Peduto uses. Wagner gives a vague promise to fix public schools (after going with the budget that screwed them royally) while Peduto talks about early childhood programs, summer jobs, petitioning for state funding.

As far as likeability, being childish and petulant, and all that, from what I see it is an age group thing. Although I'm "old," I am with younger voters who see him as a true progressive, and I see Wagner as a DINO.

From the PCNC and WTAE debates, I really liked Jake Wheatley. He doesn't have a real chance though.

[ebbie15644]

6. I like wheatly too, but I agree

that he doesn't stand a chance. Peduto might come across as progressive and he may be, I really don''t know. He alienates people though and I don't see him working well with the rest of city government. Hopefully I'm wrong.

[femmocrat]

2. Thanks for the polls.

I am surprised to see that Peduto is ahead.

[MrSlayer]

5. Is Pittsburgh like Phily?

In that the Democratic primary is the actual mayor's race?

No Republican (in name) has been mayor here since the 1950's.

[Pat Riot]

10. Yes. nt

[happyslug]

13. In Pittsburgh the last Republican on City Council left in 1934.

The Mayor in the 1920s was a Republican, an Anti-Mellon Republican (Roughly equilvilant to an Anti-Koch Brother Republican today). He held power, with the support of Speak Easy owners till he purchased a Persian Rug for the Mayor's office for $50,000 and that purchased lead to his lost of the office.

More about the Last ELECTED GOP Mayor of Pittsburgh:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_H._Kline

Now, technically, Charles Kline was followed by another GOP Mayor, but by succession not election. When Kline was removed from office due to his conviction on Corruption (Overturned by the Judge) he was replaced by another Republican who finished out the term of office.

Thus from 1934 to this day, no Republican has served as Mayor OR a Councilmen or Councilwoman in the City of Pittsburgh.

The last GOP Mayor, John S. Herron would serve as a Member of the Allegheny County Board of Commissioners till 1946, but the Board of Commissioners were made up of three people, elected in the same election, but voters could only vote for two of the three, thus the GOP was guaranteed at least one Commissioner's post.

The Democratic Party actually controlled Allegheny County Board of Commissioners for a longer period then it has controlled the City. Western Pennsylvania, outside the City of Pittsburgh and the various Steel Towns along the rivers, was and is a Democratic Stronghold within Pennsylvania from the Time of Jefferson till this very day. Pittsburgh and the Various Steel Towns started to turn Democratic during the 1892 election when the Strikers At Homestead decided to vote Democratic rather then the Republican Party as most had done previously. The defeat of the Homestead strike put some breaks on the move to the Democratic Party, but it accelerated in the 1920s as prohibition ended the ability of the GOP to use Bars to gain the Vote of Voters in urban areas. This was aided by more and more Rural Workers entered the urban areas and bringing with their their Democratic Tendencies and a slow realization that the GOP was more concerned about Wall Street then Worker's rights. Thus by the 1920s, Allegheny County and the City of Pittsburgh was ready to convert to the Democratic Party, which it did, almost completely by 1934.

Rural Western Pennsylvania Democrats are Social Conservatives, but Economic Progressives. I can NOT confirm how long the Democrats Controlled the Allegheny County (Which includes the City of Pittsburgh) but the Democrats controlled it from at least the 1920s till the 1995 disaster mentioned below. Rural Western Pennsylvania went for Gore in 2000 and Kerry in 2004. Obama barely lost the Rural Western Pennsylvanian vote in 2008 and 2012.

Side note: A lot of old rural coal miners have a hatred of African Americans. This is from the use of African Americans as strike breakers during the coal strikes of the 1920s. I saw this hatred, through no violence, while I was growing up in the 1960s in an old coal mining town in Allegheny County. The fights of the 1920s saw the defeat of the United Mine Workers, with African American used as tools to defeat the United Mine Workers. Within ten years those defeats were undone and the mines became unionized after passage of the Wagner Act, but the damage had been done to the world view of these rural coal miners. Given this background the children, grandchildren and today the Great Grand Children of those people who suffered the defeat of the UMW in the 1920s, while avoiding any violence, will NOT vote for an African American. Thus Obama lost Rural Western Pennsylvania, through other Democrats won in Western Pennsylvania. For Example, in Greene County, Obama won just 40% of the vote, Senator Casey won 47% and Kane, who was running for Attorney General won 55% of the vote in that county. In Fayette County, Obama received just 45% of the vote, Casey won over 50% of the vote and Kane won 57% of the vote. All three were Democrats, running in a State Wide Election. The best explanation is the long memory of these rural Democrats do to how their view African Americans (Please note the GOP ran ads saying that both Obama and Casey were anti-coal and both areas are strong coal areas and such ads emphasized the lost of jobs due if Casey and Obama were reelected given the ads position that both candidates were anti-coal).

Till the local Democratic Party decided to put up someone who antagonized the African American Population (In 1995), the Democrats controlled the Allegheny County Board of Commissioners. With the lost of African American votes the Democrats lost control of the Board of Commissioners in 1995. In 1999 the present "County Executive" and County Council was adopted (During a primary election vote, not the general election vote, so that many pro-Commissioner voters, would skip the vote for it was only a primary NOT the main election). A Republican won the first Race of "County Executive" mostly due to a huge negative campaign against the Democratic Candidate Cyril Wecht (He is a well known Medical Examiner). Cyril Wecht had set up a system to compensate his staff for work done in the Coroner's office. The problem was, under State Law only the County Commissioners could set up such a compensation program and thus it was technically illegal. Everybody knew about it, no one cared, till the GOP won control of the County Commissioners, then cried about it so that the Federal Prosecutor could bring charges against Wecht. The Charges were clearly political, even former PA GOP Governor Thornburg called it Political, but the constant bring the charges up cost Wecht his chance to be County Executive (In the subsequent trial the Jury found no evidence of guilt on Wecht, but by then it was to late). Except for that issue, Wecht would have won. Since that election, the Democrats have won every election to the position of County Exective.

As to the County Council, it has GOP members, but it is overwhelmingly Democratic and has always been since the County Executive and Council replaced the old County Commissioner system of County Rule.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyril_Wecht

Part of the reason is the high number of Democrats compared to the county as a whole:
As of November 2008, there are 955,982 registered voters in Allegheny County.[7]
Democratic: 595,149 (62.26%)
Republican: 256,291 (26.81%)
Other Parties: 104,542 (10.94%)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegheny_County,_Pennsylvania

Please note, Western Democrats tend to be Social Conservatives but Progressive on economics. Thus the Candidates, when it comes to state wide elections, tend to run different ads in Western Pennsylvania then in Eastern Pennsylvania. Both Parties do this and we should post ads for the various candidates running for a State Wide Election and compare what they say in the two ends of the State.

I remember reading various obituaries of Ward Chairmen and women in the 1970s and they talking about how they started as Republicans in the 1910s and 1920s, but by 1930 had switched to the Democratic Party (these had been anti-Mellon Republicans). The Switch was overwhelming and reflected the old observation that urban areas, over time, take on the characteristics of the surrounding rural area. This observation was more accurate in the days when 95% of the population lived on the farm, but Western Pennsylvania heavy rural population due to the heavy rural industry in the area (including coal mining and coke making, huge in rural Western Pennsylvania till the 1930s) may be the last time it could have happened. Today, most rural areas have much smaller population then any urban areas they surround so the old observation is probably no longer effective, but it was a factor in the conversion of Pittsburgh to a Democratic Stronghold while Republicans still had a chance to win in Philadelphia (i.e. the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s).

Some history of the City of Pittsburgh:
http://books.google.com/books?id=6iLEiXAgV0UC&pg=PA72&lpg=PA72&dq=John+McGrady+Allegheny+County&source=bl&ots=-9BHBS5x3T&sig=5lYPDMOMhLPv993vCE9MnbxIkJA&hl=en&sa=X&ei=JoqQUafjKbOo4APJ44DoCQ&ved=0CE0Q6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=John%20McGrady%20Allegheny%20County&f=false

[Pat Riot]

15. That was great, thanks!

I'm bookmarking this.

[happyslug]

16. Republicans did win some county offices in the 1960s an 1970s, but SKYBUS was involved.

Last edited Thu May 16, 2013, 01:52 AM - Edit history (3)

But to my knowledge The GOP never had control (except after the 1995 election) of the Board of Commissioners, or any of the other county elected position EXCEPT for District Attorney, Sheriff and Coroner.

THE GOP always portrayed itself as for Law and Order, and thus could win the positions of DA and Sheriff (The last GOP Sheriff was Thomas E. Whitten who was Sheriff from December 28, 1951 – 1954, he won the office after the previous Democratic Sheriff had died in office, through it looks like prior to 1938 all the Sheriffs since 1900 had been Republicans).

District Attorney is similar, Robert Duggan (of more below, DA 1964-1974) was the last elected GOP Allegheny District. All of the DAs before 1948 seems to have been Republicans. In 1948 A Democrat won the position. A Republican won it in 1952, but a Democrat won it in 1956. The Democrat held the position of DA till Duggan won it in 1964.

List of Allegheny County DAs:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegheny_County_District_Attorney

Coroner was Allegheny phenomena starting in the 1940s with Democat William McCelland wining the office (He would later become a Democratic County Commissioner), then Republican William Hunt in the 1960s girst became Coroner and then moved up to Commissioner. Democrat Cyril Wecht was elected Coroner in 1970, he later became a County Commissioner in 1980 (and lost that position in 1984 due to the first time he had problem related to how he compensated his fellow workers in the Coroner's office). Became Coroner again in 1996 and remain Coroner till 2005 when the position was replaced by a Medical Examiner. Wecht then became the first Allegheny County Medical Examiner, a position he held till he resigned due to an indictment for corruption by the Federal Prosecutor (a charge that was dismissed at trial, and the charges not dismissed the Jury found him NOT guilty of).

Except for McCelland, Hunt and Wecht, Coroner was like the rest of the County Row offices, a back water that when it came to elections was always won by a Democrat since the Great Depression. Now Republican William Hunt used the position of Coroner to enter politics and later would lead the fight against Skybus and the rest of the "Early action" program, the Port Authority came up with in the 1960s. Hunt lost his minority position on the Board of Commissioners when he called his GOP running mate, Barbara Hafer "the little nurse form Elizabeth". Allegheny County Commissioners election from the 1930s to the 1990s were known for waiting for the GOP candidates to start to attack each other to see who would win the minority position on the Commission. Hunt won the minority position till he made that Comment and turned off enough woman to lose to Barbara Hafer in 1983.

More on William Hunt:
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19900721&id=689RAAAAIBAJ&sjid=oG4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=5793,5632330


The next Allegheny County Coroner was Cyril Wecht (A Democrat whose fight with long time Allegheny County Sheriff, Gene Coon, another Democrat, are legendary). After Hunt moved up to Commissioer, no Republcian ever won the Coroner's position again. Like Hunt, Wecht is an actual Medical Examiner by profession. Given Wecht is still alive, you can find him on the net (unlike Hunt, whose death in 1990 was pre-internet and thus almost lost to us today).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyril_Wecht
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6rQqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=2mEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5293,115079&dq=william+hunt&hl=en

Another GOP office holder In Allegheny County since the Great Depression was Former District Attorney Robert Duggan. Duggan had been elected District Attorney in 1964 and remained District Attorney till his death in 1974. He remains the last Republican ELECTED District Attoney in Allegheny County (After Duggan's death he was succeeded by another Republican who lost to Democrat Robert Colville).

Robert Duggan died in office, killed by a Shotgun blast while hunting with his brother in law. The official line is due to the Federal investigation of Duggan at that time he committed Sucide. An argument could be made it was a hunting accident (he was killed by his brother-in-law's shotgun, which had NO finger prints on it AFTER the shotting when it was examined by the Police). The killing occurred while Duggan and his brother in law were hunting and a fence was involved. Duggan's widow blamed her brother, Duggan's hunting Partner that day. The name of the Brother in law? Richard Mellon Scaife (Yes the the right wing owner of the Greensburg PA Tribune-Review). After the death of Robert Duggan the position of Allegheny County District Attorney had been held by a Democrat.

The report on the death of Duggan's widow in 2005 which mention who she said murdered her husband:
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/obituaries/obituary-cordelia-scaife-may-reclusive-mellon-heiress-known-for-her-generosity-567786/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/stories/scaifemain050399b.htm


Side note: The Skybus fight:

In the early 1960s Pittsburgh had the largest remaining Streetcar system in the US. Pittsburgh Railway (who ran the Streetcars) had the most extensive set of PCC streetcars in the Country. This was due to the fact that the Pittsburgh Railway had been in and out of bankruptcy since the 1930s and thus could NOT replace the Streetcars with buses for such a move had to be approved by the Bankruptcy court and given the economics of buses vs Streetcars, no Bankruptcy judge was going to approve such a replacement.

The problem was Streetcars were more cost effective unless a major rebuilding of the rails were required. Streetcars cost efficiency included the following:

1. Electrical drive was more efficient then diesel,
2, Streetcars could carry more people then the buses of the time period,
3. Electrical power was cheaper then diesel,
4, Electrical Streetcars could last 40 or more years in service, buses could last only 10-15 years before they had to be replaced.
5. Streetcars, due to the restriction on their movement on the street imposed on them by the rails they ran on, could operate on narrower streets then buses.
6. In tunnels no ventilation system was needed to remove fumes.

The down side of Streetcars were emphasized in that time period:

1. Were blamed for traffic jams. This has to do with the "Advertising" affect of having wires and rails in the street. When traffic backed up, drivers saw the wires and rails and blamed some unseen streetcar for the traffic jam, since it was stopping at every street corner. Buses did not have this problem, for if you did not see it, you can not blame it. The advertising affect is also why, today, when a rail system is installed, it gets more passengers then what had been estimated, while a bus system, even an exclusive bus way get less. A bus way looks like a road and thus unless a bus is seen on it, it has no advertising affect. Rails and wires say Streetcar or Light Rail even if no streetcar or light rail vehicle is seen.

2. The Streetcars did NOT have the same comforts as buses. This is mostly due to the fact you were comparing 20 year old or older streetcars with brand new buses. When you compared vehicles of the same age, streetcars won out.

3. Buses were promoted that they could swing over to the sidewalk and get out of traffic. This made it safer for people to use buses instead of Streetcars and lessen traffic jams as the bus get out of the way of cars. The problem with this is cars were making the traffic jams not the Streetcars AND getting over to the Side walk also meant the bus had to push itself back into traffic. Often a bus driver would move to the sidewalk but keep the rear of the bus in the traffic lane so he could get back into the traffic lanes.

4. Buses could more rapidly change routes. The problem here is a transit route requires TWO things, some means of transit to pick people up AND people to be picked up. While buses could change their routes, passengers rarely can. In fact in most Urban areas that had streetcar service, the buses that replaced the Streetcars go on the same routes the streetcars did, why? Because that is where the people are.

5. Streetcars were more expensive then buses. This was true, but given the cheaper prices for electricity then diesel AND that Streetcars last at least twice as long as buses, if you look over the long term, Streetcars are cheaper.

6. You can transfer the cost of right of way maintenance to someone else. When Streetcars came into use in the late 1800s, most cities made it a REQUIREMENT of the franchise that they maintain the road they operated on. This was before Gasoline taxes (first US gasoline tax was imposed in 1919, after most streetcars lines had already been built). Many a City first paved roads were the roads Streetcars operated on. As Cities found other ways to pay for street paving, they still insisted that Streetcars maintain the road the Streetcars were operated on. Streetcar franchises found out the best way to get out of these obligations was to declare bankruptcy and convert to buses. The other side of this argument was and is that non pay role costs to operate most mass transit system is just 20% of the cost of providing mass transit (Labor costs consume 80% to 90% of the costs of providing transit). Thus, a transit system could save some money by converting to buses, but it was no where near what was needed to be save to keep the Streetcars system profitable.

7. Car drivers hated Streetcars. Prior to WWII, most urban dwellers did NOT own a car, most urban dwellers only purchased a car AFTER WWII. Prior to WWII the car makers main market was rural farmers AND upper middle class urbanites (i.e. Farmers were of the 90% not the top 10%, but the urban dwellers who drove a car prior to WWII were of the top 10% of income earners in the US). This top 10% had money and complained to Politicians about how Streetcars were interfering with they ability to drive in urban areas AND wanted something to be done about it. Since this 10% was also the main source for political contribution for these politicians, a hatred of Streetcars became the norm among Government officials. This seems to be the main reason for urban areas desire after WWII to get rid of Streetcars and replace them with buses (Yes, this is tied is with #1, but while similar is also different and thus the separable listing). This seems to be the reason New York City started to get rid of its Streetcars in the late 1930s and was one of the first Large Cities to get replace streetcars with buses.

8. After WWII, you had severe credit control in the US, as the US shifted from a war time economy to a peace time economy. For example in the late 1940s, by Federal Law, all time purchased of automobiles could NOT be longer then 18 months. This was due to how tight money can became in the late 1940s. Money loosen up in the late 1940s and early 1950s but remain tight. GM, had the financial ability to loan money to transit groups for new transit vehicles, but GM would only do so for buses built by GM. This seems to have been the real big hammer in the attack on the Streetcar systems, plain ordinary finance. Did you have the revenue to buy new Streetcars, you could purchased new then new PCC Streetcars. If you did not have the cash flow, it was hard to get finance for new streetcars, but GM was willing, ready and able to finance a purchase of buses.

9. Streetcars are the best means of transportation in high population density areas. In lower density areas (such as small cities and towns) buses make more sense for the larger Streetcars would be hard to fill up in such low density areas. Thus a large number of smaller cities abandon streetcars starting in the 1930s due to their low population densities. These abandonment were used to show that streetcars were obsolete EVERYWHERE not just in such low density areas. Please note many of these small city abandonment are tied in with the earlier abandonment of Interurbans in the 1920s.

10. Interurbans had been built starting in the 1890s as competitors to the Steam Locomotives of the time period that tended to dominate transportation of that time period. Starting in the 1920s and the introduction of a gasoline tax to pay for paved roads, these interurbans were caught in a bind. The new paved roads were free, while they had to maintain their rail lines. This put "squeeze" on the interurbans, squeezed between the growing use of trucks on the new paved roads and the Steam locomotive rail lines. Interurbans like most rail lines were designed to be profitable on their fright trade not their passenger service. As trucks took more and more of their Fright trade, profits declined and they went out of business. The drop in passengers on these interurbans as rural people purchased car accelerated their decline. Like the replacement of Streetcars in small cities and towns, the decline of the interurbans were used to show streetcars were obsolete even in large urban areas (Peak "Electrical Rail Passenger Service" peaked in 1918 and then declined, but most urban areas peak use of streetcars occurred in the late 1920s through WWII, For example Pittsburgh's peak was in 1927, and stayed close to that number till after WWII, Los Angles peak Streetcar use was in 1944). These urban increases did not compensate for the decline in Small cities AND interurbans so total "Trolley Riders" declined after 1918 and this "fact" was used to show the Streetcars/Light Rail was obsolete.

11. Buses could use existing roads, not have to built they own right of way like the old interurbans had had to do. With the expansion of the suburbs this was a very big claim.

12. It is easier to maintain ONE system then two. Thus given it would cost to much to expand the Streetcar system into the Suburbs, the Streetcars should be abandon so that a mass transit system can run only one type of transit and that being diesel buses. If you understand transit this is like saying, lets get rid of sidewalks because everyone drives.

Yes, most of the "Advantageous" of buses were more stories and tall tails then reality, but the bus makers pushed them AND yes the above is long, but you have to understand the situation in Pittsburgh and to do so you must understand the mind set of the time period and the mind set was anti-streetcar.

The problem was given the above cost advantages of Streetcars over buses, no bankruptcy judge was going to approve replacing streetcars with buses, even as gasoline prices reached 25 cents a gallon. Thus till Pittsburgh Railway was taken over by Allegheny County there was no way to replace the Streetcars with buses, thus Pittsburgh had the last extensive streetcars system in the US.

To overcome this problem, Allegheny County using Federal funds, took over Pittsburgh Railways in 1964 and proceeded to "Modernize" mass transit in Pittsburgh. Allegheny County gave control of Mass Transit in Allegheny County to the Allegheny County Port Authority (Which had control over river transportation within of Allegheny County). Thus Port Authority Transit (PAT) was created (Subsequently PAT lost control over Pittsburgh as a port to another County Agency so today it is only a Mass Transportation agency).

PAT's plan was to "Modernize" mass transit in Allegheny County by rapidly replacing the Streetcars with buses. By 1967 this had been done, all but four Streetcar lines had been closed down and replaced with buses AND the last remaining Inclines had been shut down except for the Monongahela Incline (The people of Mt Washington would come up with money to preserve the Duquesne Incline, but the two remaining "Vehicular" inclines, the Knoxville with its curve and the St Clair were shut down in 1964 as PAT took all four of them over from the Pittsburgh Railway Company).

At that point the modernization program hit a road block. The Mount Washington Streetcar Tunnel (now called a Transit Tunnel). Through that tunnel, several Streetcar lines went through to get to Downtown Pittsburgh. This included the 35 Castle Shannon, the 36 Drake, 37 Library, the 42/38 Mt Lebanon via Beechview, 47 (after 1967 renumbered as 53) Carrick via Tunnel, 44 Knoxville via tunnel, and 49 Arlington.

Over the objections of locals, the 39 Brookline and 38 Mt Lebanon were converted to buses in 1966. The objection was both Streetcar lines went down West Liberty Avenue to the streetcar ramp which took them off West Liberty and onto the tracks of the 42/38 and used the Streetcar tunnel to get into town (The ramp had been built in 1939 as a WPA project to get the streetcars out of the intersection just before the Liberty Tubes). The buses that replaced these two lines had to go through the Liberty tubes to get to town. A second complaint was Brookline, at that time, used South Hills High School as its High School. To get Students to that High School it had long been the custom to have the students take the Streetcar to the Streetcar tunnel for above the Tunnel was South Hills High School. Thus when buses replaced streetcars, Students in Brookline had get on SPECIAL buses to get to South Hills junction so they could get to South Hills High School. These objections were ignored.

While the loss of time by going by bus instead of streetcar was minimal for people who used the
39 Brookline and 38 Mt Lebanon lines, it still was longer to go by bus then streetcar, for the streetcar had it own exclusive tunnel into town. As to the other lines mentioned above, replacing them with buses would double or triple the commuting time. The reason for this is the 35, 36, and 37 lines, except in down town proper, went on their won exclusive right of way. 42/38 went MOSTLY on its own right of way, and the main road it operated on had no red-lights ion it at that time for it had started as side roads to an exclusive right of way, but in the 1940s the exclusive right of way had been converted to make Broadway one broad road that started at an intersection with the Streetcar right of way and a two lane road and ended with another piece of exclusive right of way and a one way road. I travel that route in High School, for it was the fastest way to get to my High School, South Hills High School, and remember looking down at the traffic jam on West Liberty Avenue as the Streetcar went on its way on its exclusive right of way.

Anyway, PAT was committed to getting rid of Streetcars. The problem was how to do so on the above lines WITHOUT doubling or tripling travel time. A straight conversion to buses was out for even if the streetcar made every stop on its route, the Streetcar was faster then driving if a person wanted to go to Downtown Pittsburgh (This was due to traffic jams on PA 51 and PA 88 that were the road the Streetcars paralleled on their right of way).

At this would Westinghouse Electric Step in and proposed a rubber wheel automated transit elevated transit system. No study was done to see if this was actually cheaper or better then the existing Streetcar system, but it was adopted for it promised to get rid of the last Streetcars in Allegheny County. The problem was the plan was how to get rid of these last Streetcars NOT to provide the best transit. PAT called this program "SKYBUS".

Now, we are talking about the 1960s. Computer technology was coming on, but no where near what it is today. For this reason the number of stops in the Skybus proposal was limited. It was to have one Stop In Downtown Pittsburgh, go through the old Wabash tunnel and have a stop off PA 51 between the Liberty Tunnels and the Fort Pitt Tunnels, go through Beechview without a stop, but have a stop in Dormont and another in Mt Lebanon. IT was to have a stop in Castle Shannon and the Washington Junction and another by South Hills Village. People in Beechview were to take a bus between the Dormont and PA 51 Stations, the People of Bethel Park was to take a bus, that would run over the paved over Library Streetcar tracks to the station at Washington Junction. The plan would eliminate the Streetcar lines, the only problem was the people along those lines went into open revolt for most would be losing their stops and saw they time on the transit line increase.

Into this dispute went William Hunt. He pointed out the problems with Skybus and asked for a study on alternatives. He forgot the purpose of Skybus was NOT to provide transit, but to eliminate Streetcars. When people said Skybus was a great transit proposal, but best in the Downtown to Oakland corridor, they were ignored, for Streetcars had been replaced by buses in that corridor and thus Skubus was not needed there.

From 1964 to 1975 this fight went on and on, finally the Federal Government say enough is enough, they told the County to get a Transit study done and accept the result of that study. An actual study on the transportation corridor and the alternatives was finally done and as people who had USED the streetcar system expected, the study came out that updating the Streetcar lines was the more cost effective method of providing transit to that corridor. Skybus was dead. The Study recommended the most cost effective transit system for that corridor and it was upgrading the system the corridor had been built around since 1905.

No one even PROPOSED building Skybus between Downtown Pittsburgh and Oakland (where it could have done the most good) for the whole idea behind Skybus had always been to get rid of Streetcars NOT provide Transit. This was William Hunt's greatest Victory. Democrat Mayor of Pittsburgh Pete Flaherty supported this opposition.

Please note what finally killed Skybus was WEBCO (Formerly Westinghouse Air Brake) came out and proposed that the South Hills Street car line be upgraded to a Light Rail on the grounds it would be cheaper to build, cheaper to run AND provide more service to more people then Wesco's (Formerly Westinghouse Electric) proposal of Skybus. Both Webco and Wesco had been founded by George Westinghouse, Wesco in 1886, Webco in 1869. Webco still has a strong position within the railroad industry, mostly in signals and other safety items. Wesco has gone through several changes since the 1960s, Wesco of 2013 is primarly into nuclear power. That part of Wesco (Westinghouse Electric) that produced Skybus was sold to AEG transportation then Adtranz and then to Bombardier (Present owner of that part of Westinghouse Electric that produced Skybus).

More on Skybus:

http://www.brooklineconnection.com/history/Facts/Skybus.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transit_Expressway_Revenue_Line

http://books.google.com/books?id=r7IuKdt2iCkC&pg=PA152&lpg=PA152&dq=skybus+pittsburgh&source=bl&ots=8s2DbqpodR&sig=0Oof3xinJwtbc3Iy-CHwnff_oQA&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ll2UUevlPKHY0gGt34GoDQ&ved=0CD0Q6AEwATgK#v=onepage&q=skybus%20pittsburgh&f=false

http://books.google.com/books?id=TCTpu1UVFsYC&pg=PA640&lpg=PA640&dq=skybus+pittsburgh&source=bl&ots=GBrwamoBab&sig=if-_Yh4MjbhN8VnUcBtYfya7Quw&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ll2UUevlPKHY0gGt34GoDQ&ved=0CD8Q6AEwAjgK#v=onepage&q=skybus%20pittsburgh&f=false

More on the LRV that won the fight with Skybus:
http://www.angelfire.com/ny/tramstop/history5.html

Here is a video of Skybus running on its test track in Allegheny's County South Park:

http://www.ovguide.com/video/pittsburgh-skybus-1967-922ca39ce10036bafd11c24f8e3e5978

And now a video of what beat it out, the Light Rail Vehicle:
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="

?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="

?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

And what it replaced, the old PCCs

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="

?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="

?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=m2bcSMVSOg4

[Divernan]

7. Peduto, Party of One, master of attack ads from day one.

Last edited Thu May 9, 2013, 01:00 PM - Edit history (2)

There's a complex history on Peduto, his negative attack ads and his fallings out with many key Allegheny County, Democratic politicians over the years. Bottom line - if he can't get along with fellow Democrats, he would be spinning his wheels for four years if elected Mayor.
Start with looking at Peduto's bio.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Peduto

Before City Council

Prior to holding a seat on city council, Peduto served as chief of staff to former City Councilman Dan Cohen. In 1996 Peduto was Cohen's campaign manager in a challenge to former U.S. Representative Bill Coyne in the Democratic primary. Peduto is reported to have urged Cohen to make an issue of Coyne's record.[1] The Cohen campaign's subsequent use of negative advertising backfired and contributed to a landslide defeat.[2]

_____________________________________________________________________________

Next look at the vicious campaign he ran for Dan Cohen, thereby destroying the future of a very promising Democrat. Peduto was campaign manager for Dan Cohen, a city councilman who decided to challenge a well-respected Dem. Congressman, Bill Coyne. Note that the Rich Fitzgerald referred to below is currently Allegheny County Executive (elected position), and the person Peduto would have to work most closely with as Mayor. Fitzgerald initially endorsed Peduto but has been backing off the last few days. Given how closely Fitzgerald needs to work with whomever is elected mayor, and Fitz's blow-ups w/Boy Mayor Luke, you'd think Fitzgerald would have been more neutral. Perhaps he's operating on the knowledge that Wagner is practical enough and mature enough smooth things over if elected, whereas Peduto will hold a grudge for years.

Campaign Up In Flames:
Negative Advertising Backfires and Damages a Young Democrat

Dan Cohen, Pittsburgh City Councilman, challenged 15-year-incumbent Congressman
Bill Coyne in the spring 1996 Democratic primary election. After successfully
fund-raising with a positive campaign based on economic development and a pledge
to be a more aggressive voice for the district, Cohen hired a crew of Washington
consultants who advised him to toss out his positive themes and instead attack
the Congressman in a blistering series of television, radio, and direct mail
advertisements. The negative campaign backfired, Cohen's support dwindled, and
his own campaign treasurer publicly denounced him.
Introduction

The 30-second video tape had just finished rolling when the shouting
erupted. It was loud enough to startle Kathy Fitzgerald who was asleep after
putting the children to bed two floor above it. Kathy's husband Rich, Dan
Cohen, and several members of the Dan Cohen for Congress campaign had gathered
around a television in the basement of the Fitzgeralds' large Pittsburgh home to
watch one of the commercials that a national media consultant had produced for
the spring 1996 primary election, just weeks away. It would air in three days.
"You should be ashamed," Fitzgerald (personal communication, 1996, Nov. 16)
recalls bellowing at Cohen and his campaign manager Bill Peduto that night,
accusing them of racism. He quit as campaign treasurer and communications
director on the spot.

After three weeks of fiery television ads, Cohen's nationally produced
series of direct mail pieces began arriving in constituents' mailboxes during
the week before the election. On the back, they read: "Paid for by Cohen for
Congress, Rich Fitzgerald, Treasurer." No longer simply alienated from the
candidate he had supported, the now furious Fitzgerald called the local news
media just three days before the election, publicly denounced Cohen's tactics,
and threw his support to Cohen's opponent, incumbent Congressman Bill Coyne
(O'Toole, 1996, April 21).

http://list.msu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A3=ind9710b&L=AEJMC&E=7BIT&P=1415017&B=--&T=TEXT%2FPLAIN;%20charset=US-ASCII

Even before then, Dan Cohen's once-promising campaign(MANAGED BY PEDUTO) was going up in
flames. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's editorial board called it "the political
equivalent of a mad scientist's experiment" (Deibler, 1996, April 24). On
Tuesday, April 23, 1996, he lost to Bill Coyne by more than a two-to-one margin.

Of particular hypocritical and ironic note, is that from his first campaign rumoring and trashing Democratic CongressmanCoyne for his personal life, the real Peduto has revealed himself for the snake in the grass he is. As campaign manager Peduto pushed Cohen into not only negative campaigning, push-polling against a long time liberal Democrat, but implied that the never married Dem. Congressman was gay. This from a man, Peduto, who has been life-long single, never publicly acknowledging any ongoing relationship/partnership/wedding to anyone, male or female.

[Divernan]

8. Peduto's sleazy campaign alienated Jewish community from supporting a Jewish candidate!

Cohen's media blitz, under the oversight of his campaign manager, Peduto, hit hard and hit negatively, beginning February 1 with an ad in the Jewish Chronicle headlined: "Coyne Votes Against Israel Aid" (Dan Cohen for Congress, 1996).

The counter attack by Bill Coyne's supporters might have been predicted. The Congressman's record as a long-time supporter of Israel was widely known in the Jewish community. Two weeks later, the Chronicle carried letters, including two from stalwart, mainline Democrats, County Coroner Cyril H. Wecht (1996) and former Pittsburgh Mayor Sophie Masloff (1996), wagging fingers of "shame" and "outrage" at Cohen. Cohen was already on the outs with this faction because he had supported independent Democrat Mike Dawida for County Commissioner over the incumbents and long-time party favorites, Tom
Forester and Pete Flaherty, in the previous spring's primary.
Liane Ellison Norman, who had held two coffee socials at her Squirrel Hill
home for Cohen, heard about the ad and told Cohen she would withdraw her support
if he continued his negative campaigning. Two months later, Norman (1996)
wrote again. "Now there is a whole blizzard of ads I find pretty disgusting,"
she told Cohen. "They are unworthy and degrade the electoral process." She
called her friends who had attended the coffees and urged them to vote for Bill
Coyne (Norman, personal communication, 1997, Jan. 5).
Apparently Pittsburghers were agreeing with Norman, not Cohen's spin
doctors. But the campaign pressed on. TV ads punched at Coyne. They accused
him of missing out on federal funding for jobs programs, of voting 14 times for
his own payraises, of favoring lower sentences for drug users, and giving
college loans to convicts.
Harder-hitting direct mail portrayed Coyne as a man on a "spree of
unprecedented proportions. A rampage of killer dimensions. One look at Bill
Coyne and you know for sure...you're looking in the face of a Natural Born
Spender" (Ewing/Baughman, 1996, Natural born spender). Arriving just before
election day, one direct mail ad (Ewing/Baughman, 1996, Welcome to Puerto Rico)
said: "Bill Coyne gave special tax breaks to mega-corporations that send
Pittsburgh jobs to Puerto Rico."
http://list.msu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A3=ind9710b&L=AEJMC&E=7BIT&P=1415017&B=--&T=TEXT%2FPLAIN;%20charset=US-ASCII

"It was a sleazy campaign, very sleazy," Congressman Bill Coyne (personal
communication, 1997, Jan. 30) says, still angry a year later. "Every candidate
should be guided by moral principles and for my part that means rejecting
anything sleazy." Coyne took the high ground, resisting any response to the
jibes in Cohen's ads. Conveniently, this is exactly the right posture
strategically for an incumbent, local consultants agree (Casey, 1997; Delano,
1997; Stroh, 1997). But Coyne goes further: "There is no place in politicsDin a
race for City Council or CongressDfor the kind of demeaning tactics used in that
campaign by my opponent."

After Cohen lost in a landslide, and the dust settled, Cohen publicly apologized for the negative attack ads/mailing. However Peduto continued to defend and rationalize them.

[30th Ward]

17. OK I'm sick now

People are always complaining they don't like negative ads. So let's do something about it in this campaign. I live in the 30th Ward. I'm on the committee. I'm white and I am so sick of Politicians only caring about communities like mine when it's time for an election. I am livid! Yesterday in the mail I received a flier from SEIU with a young black girl with her head down holding a back pack, titled She wanted a good education. This sickens me. Bill Peduto has been on City Council for what 3 terms - 12 years? The only time you see Bill Peduto in an African American community is when he needs the vote. His first commercial had him walking through worn torn Homewood - hell he knew that district was in disarray? He was Finance chair for at least 4 years while on city council - WHERE'S the MONEY BILL? Is he not to BLAME? He was on city council long enough to make a change, or at least a dent and he did NOTHING. What he did was spend money in HIS community, to build apartments that people from communities like mine can't afford to rent, because the types of Jobs he created are low paying retail and janitorial jobs. We can work in your neighborhood, but we can't live there. He hasn't cared about Homewood or mine in all that time. (For those that don't know, the 30th Ward is Knoxville). Bill said, "He considered moving to Homewood to make it better (What is he the white knight? Bill Peduto has to reach back 20 years to trash his opponent? Come on Mr. Peduto I ask again, where is the money for our communities? He calls Jack Wagner a Career Politician, 1) he fought in Viet Nam as a MARINE, 2) He worked as an EMS technician, 3) He worked for Duquense Light Company and 4)He was an IBEW UNION MEMBER, 5) He co-owns and helps to manage the family bar and grill in his hometown Beechview neighborhood, and 5) is married and has a family.
Now stand that up to Bill Peduto's lifetime. 1) He has never held a real private sector job in his life, unless being a campaign consultant counts as a private sector job. THAT'S IT. He has been in politics all of his adult life. Please read again the cited articles in this thread about this outright negative liar.

[Divernan]

9. Keep in mind how annual government budgets work.

They are massive documents, whether state or federal, containing thousands of hard-negotiated compromises. At the end of the negotiations, all elected representatives have a straight up-or-down vote. So yes, some slick campaign spin doctor goes in and picks out items to highlight re an opponent, as though the opponent had been the prime sponsor and mover of every item in the budget. Peduto did exactly the same thing in running a disastrous campaign for Dan Cohen, holding a Democratic congressman responsible for various items in the federal budget.

At the end of the day, government is the art of compromise. If a politician cannot work out differences with people in his or her own party, they are in the wrong career. Peduto has documented feuds which have gone on for years with other Democratic members of City Council - I mean not just being cold or unavailable, but not speaking to them. That is unacceptable.

[Pat Riot]

11. Sincere thanks

This is a big ball of actual facts and history I was hoping for.

I have even heard from Peduto supporters about the negative Dan Cohen campaign. the person expressed his hopes that Peduto had learned a lesson from it and would not do this again. I never knew the extent of it til now.
I don't think the present ads are as bad as the Cohen ads. I think Peduto has allies in other Dems like Jay Costa. It's food for thought though. I don't think Wagner had announced he was going to run when Fitzgerald supported Peduto.

Please post more stuff to think about before the 21rst.

[Divernan]

12. Pittsburgh needs and deserves a great mayor.

I hope whomever wins this election steps up to the job and does right by the city. I miss having a likeable mayor whom I could respect, even if I didn't agree 100 percent with their priorities. Dick Caliguiri was a thoroughly decent human being. When he died in office on May 6, 1988, the city charter dictated that the city council president was next in line to assume the office of mayor. Masloff assumed the office, and served out the remainder of Caliguiri's term. She was reelected in November 1989. She was the first woman and the first Jew to hold the post.
(from Wikipedia)
Masloff, who was 70 years old when she took office, was characterized by her short stature and raspy, nasal voice, along with her ability to speak Pittsburghese (the local dialect). These attributes were quickly caricatured by political cartoonists. Her image as a "little Jewish grandmother" made her a well liked figure, even by those who disagreed with her administration. Masloff is best remembered for pop-culture malaprops. She once referred to Bruce Springsteen as "Bruce Bedspring". When the Grateful Dead came to Pittsburgh, she called them the "Dreadful Dead" and their fans "Deadenders". Perhaps most famously, she referred to the rock band The Who as "The How."

I worked closely with a woman who was Mayor Masloff's personal secretary, and heard many wonderful stories about how kind-hearted Sophie was, and what a soft-touch she was for hard luck stories. Sophie often had my friend bring in her personal check book to write out a check to someone in need. What a sad contrast to Boy Mayor Luke-Lap-Dance and his self-indulgences.
After living here since 1969, I know for sure that Pittsburgh really IS someplace special!

[femmocrat]

14. Peduto has a respectable lead in the polls now!

39 to 32 % if I remember correctly. Wheatley 8% and the tattooed guy 1%. 18% still undecided.

I heard it on one of the local TV stations this evening. (5/14)