The ADB's Tribute to Bob O'Connor

For those of you that still aren't nostalgic for the O'Connor Administration, the staff at The Angry Drunk Bureaucrat delves into the archives and takes a look back at some of their posts about Bob:

February 17, 2005 - Bob O'Connor
February 28, 2005 - Victim #2
March 15, 2005 - Activate the Way-Back Machine
April 28, 2005 - An O'Connor Apologist?
November 8, 2005 - Final Thoughts on the 2005 Pittsburgh General Election
November 13, 2005 - Memo to Bob O'Connor
January 3, 2006 - It's Morning in Pittsburgh
March 14, 2006 - Reddin' Up this Post
April 27, 2006 - Bobby O's First 114 Days in Office
June 21, 2006 - Bobby O' on the World Wide "Redd"
July 17, 2006 - Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
July 27, 2006 - Thursday Morning Massacre at City Hall
August 28, 2006 - Mayor O'Connor: Great Mayor or Greatest Ever?
September 2, 2006 - A Bureaucrat's Eulogy for Bob

If we could put it to a snarky but shmaltzy music video, we probably would.

Labor Day Parade Observations

I'm not really big on parades, but for some reason I found myself standing on the Boulevard of the Allies at 10:30 AM this morning. So, some observations:

1. The best place to sit during the Labor Day parade if you want candy is up on Sixth Avenue. By the time that the parade gets to the Boulevard, everyone's out.
   
2. The parade was headed by a large black banner "In memory of Mayor Bob O'Connor"; banner holders of note included Judy O'Connor, Bishop Bradley, Ed Rendell, Luke Ravenstahl, and Bob Casey. Conspicuously absent was Jim Ferlo, who followed a bit behind in his own car.
   
3. Jim Motznik walked with the Boilermakers; Bill Peduto walked on his own.
   
4. Michael Lamb walked, unsurprisingly, alone. I always feel bad for him when I see him alone. We need to get him an intern just so he doesn't look so lonely in public.
   
5. The respectful pauses and silence in front of the City County Building where the late Mayor was lying in state was appropriate, although the few marching bands that were in the parade were robbed of some of the best accoustics on the route.
6. The SEIU seemed to be the only union that was enjoying itself.
   
7. I don't know what it means when there are more people IN the parade than WATCHING the parade. It's either that the strength of the unions in the City of Pittsburgh is so great that there's no one left to watch, or no one cares.
   
8. I seem to oddly drawn to the bagpipers in parades, but keep in mind I am also drawn towards sticking my tongue into fans.
   
9. I noticed that you couldn't turn around without not seeing a Santorum sign. Can't imagine why that might be...

And the fall campaign season is off to a roaring start! This should be fun.

A Bureaucrat's Eulogy for Bob

Let me start off by saying that I didn't know Bob O'Connor personally. When you work in a large bureaucratic structure, the help doesn't get a lot of face time with the Lord of the Manor. In my years during the previous administration, I believe that I had exactly two contacts with Tom Murphy and I can't say that I made much of an impression on him either time. We bureaucrats are supposed to sit in the back and make these people look good, or at least like less of the idiots that they can be.

I believe that I actually was in the same room with him a handful of times. The one that sticks with me most is a seemingly random encounter at Coffee Tree Roasters, where he walks in and starts shootin' the breeze with a couple tables of patrons, and working the room. Even though this was back when he was employed by the Governor, there was a real recognition from those sipping their coffee that this was a Big Man of Pittsburgh.

And yet, he was really, really short; I almost literally ran into him coming out of the Steel Building, and couldn't believe how tiny this man with great hair was. I suppose he exuded more than his stature.

I didn't really have much of a chance to make Bob look good as part of my duties. This hits at the nub of the tragedy of Bob's death: three tries at Mayor, ten years campaigning, and only 8 months as Mayor. Poor guy didn't even have a chance to enjoy it.

Still, Bob won't be remembered as a great mayor of Pittsburgh, but he will be remembered as a great guy. His real gift, as many have been remarking, was his touch with Pittsburghers. I'll remember the thousands that poured into the City County building to partake in the yinzer food and possibly line up for a handshake with the Mayor. I'll remember the Redd-up drive, not for it's spine chilling use of Pittsburghese, but for the passion that he brought to it. And, of course, everyone will remember the Cookie Cruise, even if, like me, you never got to go. He was one of us; a true Son of Pittsburgh.

John Donne's Devotions upon Emergent Occasions, no. 17 reminds us:

If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory
were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or
of thine own were: any man's death diminishes
me, because I am involved in mankind...

And Pittsburgh is diminished for having lost Bob.

Thanks Boss.

Thanks Boss

Bob O'Connor 1944-2006

[More here from me, and here from others.]

Mayor O'Connor: Great Mayor or Greatest Ever?

I got to thinking this morning during my Sunday morning bus ride (somebody has to keep PAT in business during the weekends), and it occurred to me that Bob O'Connor could be the greatest, most politically savvy mayor of the City of Pittsburgh, ever... and yes, I'm including David Lawrence, William MaGee, AND Ebenezer Denny in that list. Bob's a heavy hitter here.

Consider the following: in the recent past, Americans have found themselves bound together through crisis and adversity. The recent example of this are the events of September 11, 2001, which, for one brief shining moment, all differences in the country were blurred away. The President used this incident to push the country into one war, and then another; a successful political ploy.

Now, Pittsburghers, as a more concentrated community would feel this sense of "oneness" more acutely. Indeed, anyone who partied in the Southside, Lawrenceville, Bloomfield, Oakland, Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, etc. etc. the night of the XL Superbowl will testify to this. On that day, we were all Steeler fans... unless you were a Seattle fan, in which case we spit on you.

OK, now consider the following: the City Firefighters sold out of all the Bob O'Connor wristbands in a matter of hours, two banners are full of get well wishes to Bob, and the day that Bob was admitted to the hospital, the local network news covered it intensely. Truly, the outpouring of support was and has been immense.

BUT! Other than the "Redd Up" Campaign, I can't think of a single Bob policy that... actually, I can't think of ANY policies. I can't think of anything that has significantly changed for the better since January. What's more, I can't think of ANY bad news that has come out of City Hall (aside the 9th Council District fiasco) recently. In fact, the Bob O'Connor illness has actually cajoled a "get well wish" from the Trib.

If that had been Tom Murphy, the Scaife rag would have pushed assisted suicide.

Anyway, this is why I think that O'Connor may be the most brilliant Mayor the City of Pittsburgh has ever had: O'Connor's illness has distracted the citizenry from the crap that is whirling around our heads. Such strategic distraction is something I would have expected from a Karl Rove, but never from a local politician. What's more, the electorate is 100% behind Bob, but I doubt they could tell you what Bob has actually done for them. The result: re-election. Bob is clearly a mastermind of local Democratic machine politics!



Alternatively, Bob is still really, really sick and deserves our best wishes and hopes that he gets well soon.

This, of Course, Surprises No One

BREAKING NEWS FROM THE POST GAZETTE:

Mayor Bob O'Connor appointed Yarone S. Zober, the city's policy director and recent appointee as general services director, to serve as deputy mayor today.

I'm not sure what the opposite of "coming out of left-field" is, but this is it.

Makes you wonder, however, what would happen if O'Connor should, God forbid, take a turn for the worst. The obvious answer is that the President of Council would take over... interestingly enough, the only one in City Government younger than Mr. Zober, Luke Ravenstahl.

The Home Rule Charter, however, is unclear as to who would take over should the Mayor be only marginally capable and unwilling to resign from office, who would be in control? How do you determine if the Mayor is, in fact, incapable of fulfilling his duties?

I've purused the Charter and can't find the City of Pittsburgh's version of the 25th Amendment. Anyone willing to venture a guess?

More On City Purges

File this post under blatant rumor mongering if you want, but today's firings brought a couple of recent and soon-to-be-recent local bureaucratic departures into sharper focus. I don't want to cause undue panic or alarm, but I kinda feel like I'm in an Oliver Stone film, only with more paperwork and uglier, uglier people. What we're looking at is a conspiracy that goes up to the highest levels, including the Mayor, his Executive Director for Intergovernmental Relations, City Council, the Act 47 Board, the heads of the Five Families, the Russians, the CIA, the Masons, the Priory of Sion, the Catholic Church, Dick Cheney, and Ming the Merciless.

OK, maybe not.

Anyway, a while back, the Executive Director of the Housing Authority, Keith Kinard, left to go to Jersey to become ED there. No big story there; he got a better job and more money.

Less reported, however, is that recently the Chief Financial Officer (and Interim Executive Director) and a few other high level managers & Directors also submitted their resignations, seemingly for independent reasons, and all within a fairly compact timeframe. Word is that there were also other people lower down on the pole that decided to "seek other opportunities"... with possibly more to come.

The common thread in all of this? Dennis Regan. Yes, this Dennis Regan, chairman of the Housing Authority Board and new head of staff for Bob O'Connor.

Coincidence? Writing on the wall? Paranoia? Did the Chairman "encourage" certain Directors to find other lines of work? Is this a conspiracy involving the NSA and the Reverse Vampires? Or maybe it's an attempt to further consolidate power into the hands of a narrow constituency? Dunno.

Rampant rumor mongering and tin foil millinery? Most definitely.

Thursday Morning Massacre at City Hall

Wow

Mayor Bob O'Connor's office today announced the firing of three top administrators.

Chief among them was chief of staff B.J. Leber, who will be replaced on an interim basis by Dennis Regan, the mayor's director of intergovernmental affairs.

Also fired was city Solicitor Susan Malie, who will be replaced by law department veteran George Specter, and Finance Director Paul Leger, who will be replaced for now by Budget Director Scott Kunka.

The mayor "has been saddened and disappointed by the actions of some of his staff members in his absence. He had no choice but to terminate them," said the mayor's spokesman, Dick Skrinjar.

Mr. O'Connor informed the three of their terminations in a conference call at 9:15 this morning. He called from UPMC Shadyside Hospital, where he is being treated for brain cancer.

They were told to gather their personal belongings and police then escorted them from the City-County Building.

Even more interesting considering that the PG ran this article this morning. 

 

If I had to guess, I would say that this is an attempt by the inner, inner circle of the O'Connor administration to consolidate their power while the Mayor is recovering.  Leber, Malie, and Leger were not necessarily personally beholden to Bob; this could be an attempt at purging members of the administration that were perceived as less than loyal. 

 

Security, by the way, has not yet come for me...

It's Morning in Pittsburgh

Did go down to see the O'Connor swearing at... er.. in.   Here are some reflections:  

• Prior to getting downstairs, I heard the choir warming up, but because of the echo downtown, it sounded like the "Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite" sequence from 2001.  Very, very strange and eerie.   
• I'm tired of the "bridge" metaphor for Bob O'Connor; even the Bishop used it.  Everything is a damned "bridge" over something, across something, or through something... although I suppose in that last case it would be a "tunnel," but whatever. 
• Dang! Murphy got a cold reception.  I could feel my nipples perk up.  It sounded like O'Connor was Tommy's only friend in the crowd.   
• I appreciate Bob's optimism; I can only hope he has follow through.  He does seem motivated to "get things done," but I wonder how long it will take before he hits a major road block.  
• He seemed to stumble over the math analogy: "suppose you have to manage your household with $100... and $30 of that goes to public safety and firefighting."  I don't know about Bob's personal household budget, but I spend way less than $30 on public safety and firefighting at my house.   
• The new mayor launched into a litany of all the people he was going to work with (Governor, Oversight Board, Act 47 Committee, Onorato, etc.), which may be indicative of some of the problems he's going to face in the coming four years.  
• Bob wants to motivate city employees.  Here's a free hint: pay them better. 
• Bob wants more talent in city government.  Here's another free hint: pay employees better. 
• I fucking hate the expression "redd up" to describe cleaning.  Makes us yinzers sound like morons.     
• Rendell came out swinging like he was at a fundraiser.  When's Eddie running for Governor again...?  Anyone?  Anyone?  Bueller?
• There are advantages to working in and around local government.  Primary among them is that you know where all the shortcuts and secret passages are... specifically when it involves getting to the front of the free food line. 

So... it's Bob's baby now.  He's the big man.  The top gun.  The numero uno. The big cheese.  The head honcho... etc.    

 

Five hours in so far, and not much has changed, but I'm waiting for the pink slip to come in.

 

To be continued... 

Bob O'Connor Gets a B.J. in His Office

I am so infantile.

 

Press release from his website:

PITTSBURGH (DECEMBER 15, 2005) Bob O'Connor today announced that B.J. Leber, Senior Vice President and Station Manager of WQED Multimedia, will become his Chief of Staff when he becomes Mayor of Pittsburgh, January 3, 2006.

"We are fortunate that a person of B.J.'s skills and professional management experience would make the commitment to join my administration to work on our agenda to put Pittsburgh on the right track" O'Connor said.

No idea if this is the much talked about "City Manager" position, or if this is just the first appointment in a series. 

Flotsam and Jetsam

Half-posts, ramblings, and various miscellany that I found underneath my couch. Beware of the dust-bunnies:

---
If you don't shovel your sidewalk after a stowstorm, you are, in fact, and asshole.
If you only shovel the path from your front stairs to your car, you're a bigger asshole.

---
The most useless bus stop in the City of Pittsburgh, is the CMU outbound stop between Morewood and Beeler... ya know, the one that's 50 ft away from the other stop outbound from between Morewood and Beeler.

---
Speaking of bus etiquette and whatnot, it's bad form to flag down and stop the bus mid-block if you don't know where the bus is actually going.

---
I noticed that outside, across the street from Kaufmann's there's a guy trying desperately to unload the free Trib PM in below zero weather.

There's also a guy inside Kaufmann's selling subscriptions to the Post-Gazette.

---
I noticed that (1) the gaming task force said no arena-slots connection, (2) the URA permitted an arena-slots connection quickly thereafter, and (3) Mario threatened to move the team again right after that. Methinks something is afoot.

Perhaps Bob O'Connor has something up his sleeve.

---
Schadenfreude - n. Pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others. Those Germans have a word for everything.

---
It is, in fact, cold enough for me.

---
Did someone have a private ticker-tape parade at Forbes & Ross today?

---

OK, that's it for now. A good mental colonic really does me good.
The next post will make more sense, I swear. Perhaps I'll use paragraphs.

Memo to Bob O'Connor

The Post-Gazette ran a feature this Sunday: memos from various people, providing advice to Bob O'Connor.

Here's my 300 word nugget of advice:

---
Congratulations, Mr. O’Connor on your recent election to the office of Mayor of the City of Pittsburgh. I wish you much success during your term of office.

I would like to warn you, however, that you have just found yourself elected to what could possibly be one of the most difficult jobs in this country: Mayor of a Declining Urban Area. Pittsburgh fares better than its Mid-West counterparts, in some cases, but in large you have inherited a declining urban area and all the social and economic problems associated therewith.

Don’t expect to solve all these problems; it is impossible.

You will quickly find yourself hamstrung by the State Legislature, the Governor, the City Council, the oversight boards, various community groups, private citizens, the press, special interest groups and, yes, even your own bureaucracy. These actors will not make your job easier and their competing agendas will stymie your own ambitions.

Still, you have an advantage over all of these groups: you are the one who can set the agenda... should you choose to do so.

Should you wish the best and success for this City my advice is simple: first, find out what we are doing well and continue to do it. Second, find out what, if we made some marginal improvements, we would be doing well, and make those marginal improvements.

There will be those that will try to convince you that we can be everything, but they are wrong; stick to what we can do, not what we should do.

Finally, and this is personal, take time to listen to those within the bowels of 414 Grant Street and mine their experience; they are the ones who really know what’s going on, and can help you with what is going right in this city.

Good luck.

Final Thoughts on the 2005 Pittsburgh General Election

It feels a bit presumptuous to have "final thoughts" on a topic on which I've barely had first thoughts.  I, however, have never let presumptuousness stand in my way, so her goes:

 

First, I predict Bob O'Connor to win the mayoral election.  Big shock there.  In order to make it interesting, however, the question should be reframed as "how much will O'Connor win by?" or, if you want to be a stickler for grammar, "by how much will O'Connor win?" 

 

The Trib is predicting that about 60-70% of the electorate will stay home, which could mean that the outcome may be decided by about 40-50,000 people or less.  I'm going to assume that patterns are going to be similar to the 2001 election, in which Murphy trounced James Carmine 39,257 to 12,175 (or roughly a 3:1 ratio).  I'll compare that to the supposed 5:1 advantage Democrats have in the City (although a reputablesource for this elusive statistic has been difficult to find).

 

Anywho, Bob needs to do better than 3:1 over Weinroth in order to be a real "winner"... or at least claim more of a mandate than Murphy's last win.  I'm going to be comparing the actuals throughout the City to the 3:1 and 5:1 benchmarks to see in which wards the Republicans are making in-roads, if at all.  If Bob does worse than 3:1, we may see the Republicans take a closer look at the City of Pittsburgh as a viable target.

 

Second, how many Peduto, Lamb, Ludwig, etc. supporters are going to sit on their hands today?

 

Third, I think you'll see a huge turn out for Bob in Greenfield, Hazelwood, and the neighborhoods with a higher percentage of African-American voters... all of whom have a vested intered in an O'Connor Administration.  Or at least the ward chairs do.    

 

Fourth, the Democratic Party in Pittsburgh has become like a caged bear: slothful, obese, and moribund.  I hate to say it, as my Democratic Ward Chair Grandmother will rise from the grave and strangle me, but without natural competition ( i.e. viable Republican challengers), the Democrats have gotten lazy, and more so in recent years.  I think we've nearly reached a point that people vote Democrat, not because they truly like the party in Pittsburgh, but because (a) the alternative is philosophically worse and (b) the alternative would be fundamentally disruptive to the status quo.      

 

So, here's my bit of advice for the Republicans: run Elsie Hillman. 

 

OK, not necessarily Elsie, but some Republican with high visability and invovlement in the community and who is perceived as "non-threatening".  You need someone who understands the status quo and can move slowly towards change, rather than radical revolution.  You can't advocate upsetting the apple cart when everyone has their apples there; you can, however, advocate offloading the apples.  You may call it selling out; I call it pragmatism.

 

Alright, with that: go vote.  Or die.  Preferably vote. 

How do you say, "General Election" in Pittsburghese

Four weeks from Tuesday, the good voting citizenry of Pittsburgh will go to the polls to make an important choice... no, wait, they won't... we did that in May, right?

The November Election is to Pittsburgh Politics what the Supreme Soviet was to the USSR: a rubber stamp validating the choice of the ruling clique. Or, to be less smarmy, it's a pain in the ass to vote twice; we've just shortened the process 'round here.

Honestly, four weeks to go before the general election and I have heard next to nothing with regards to local politics. Zero. Zilch. Nadda. Nothing. And this is from a guy who has his fingers on the pulse of the guy who has his fingers on the pulse of Pittsburgh. You would have thought that I would have heard... ya know... SOMETHING ALREADY.

I've seen a few O'Connor signs up on lawns, true, but they've pretty much been up since February. One guy down the street from me had posted a Weinroth sign, which I believe was eventually stolen... not for malice, but for novelty. The Santorum/Casey race is generating more interest... and that's still a year away... and half of that race isn't even officially nominated yet.

Really, the public visibility has been exceptionally low for the Pittsburgh Mayoral race. I'd heard that Bobby O had agreed to several debates with a cup of coffee, but they were poorly attended by the general public. Joe Weinroth had a compelling engagement with a ham salad sandwich, which ended with a two hour bout of intestinal hemorrhaging, or something. And the other candidates... let's call them "Steve" and "Phil", for I refuse to waste my time finding out if anyone else is actually running... lost their debates with an ATM and the MoviePhone guy, respectively.

Bob's been taking a very laid back approach to this part of the campaign... any more laid back and it might be mistaken for a mural. Part of it, of course, is that he, officially, does not want to seem presumptuous. Pittsburgh does not like presumptuousness (Plaxico, who?). The other part, I feel, is that Bob really isn't quite sure what he wants to be doing when he gets into the mayor's office; better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open ones mouth and lose an election.

This general election may surprise all of us curmudgeons out there, but I doubt it. My money, as well as most of the money out there, is still on O'Connor, and, short of coming out in favor of infanticide or female circumcision, I think Bob has it in the bag.

Shall we start talking about the May 2009 primary yet?

Rumblings

Here at the Angry Drunk Bureaucrat, we rely on reams of data from multiple governmental sources to package together substantial analyses of local government project, programs, and political trends.

When that fails, we rely on rumors and innuendo.

This post is the latter:

With a little more than two months to go, few people doubt that the Silver Fox is going to be elected to the Mayor's office. Despite the appearance that he's working towards a more equitable representation on City Government, many people are quietly jockeying for influence and patronage in the Bob O'Connor Machine. So the big question being asking amongst the Bureaucrats on Grant Street is, "Which Friend of Bob O'Connor is going to make us do what?" There is a strong feeling that these many "interests" out there are looking to run the City through Bobby O's office by influencing decisions from teh top down. Of course, there's a fine line here between legitimate participation in public process through access and, say, what sent Ben Woods to jail back in the day. So, we shall see what goes down.

Whatever happens is probably going to be more concerned with basic city services than the current Big Project system that Murphy has relied on. If rumors are to be believed, an O'Connor administration will focus less on Development of businesses, housing, and commercial and more on street cleaning, filling potholes, and picking up trash. While not necessarily a strategery for fostering active growth, it's probably more in line with the current capacity of the City... and it might make downtown smell less like urine.

Of course, gambling interests are probably looking for some return on their investment. Casino in 2006 in Oak Hill perhaps?

OK, I'm done with the rampant speculation.

Bob O'Connor is Kneeded

The Post Gazette is reporting that presumptive Pittsburgh mayor Bob O'Connor underwent knee replacement surgery yesterday.

Rumor has it that the new artificial knee is made out of the most durable, resilient, and strongest substance known to man:

Bob O'Connor's hair.

My Final Word on the 2005 Pittsburgh Mayoral Primary (Part 1)

Alright, after this, no more posts about the 2005 Pittsburgh Mayoral Primary.

I promise.

Until Part II.

Michael Madison from Pittsblog and Maria from 2politicaljunkies are pushing me to get to my friggin' point. I personally thought my point was to take a look at the pretty colors on the map and see if my image-hosting provider was worth a damn. I feel that I was wildly successful on those accounts, but unfortunately had the audacity to interject my own, apparently incorrect, interpretation of the data.

For shame!

I will endeavor never to have an individual thought of my own from here on in and gladly and blindly follow the ways of my betters who think that the egg needs to be broken at the big end, not the small, toast should eaten be butter side up, not down, and that the donut-hotdog stand hats should be blue, not red. Because it matters.

Or not.

Anyway enough of the scorn, back on topic: let’s complicate Primary Election matters further and look at some head-to-head and head-to-head-to-head races within the primary. According to the County Elections Results...

In 207 Districts, Peduto beats Lamb
In 197 Districts, Lamb beats (or ties) Peduto
In 331 Districts, O'Connor beats Peduto
In 73 Districts, Peduto beats (or ties) O'Connor
In 361 Districts, O'Connor beats Lamb
In 43 Districts, Lamb beats (or ties) O'Connor

AND...

In 307 Districts, O'Connor beats Peduto AND Lamb
In 66 Districts Peduto beats Lamb AND O'Connor
In 28 Districts Lamb beats O'Connor AND Peduto
(3 ties)

AND THEREFORE, according to my math...

In 54 Districts, O'Connor beats Lamb, but not Peduto
In 141 Districts Peduto beats Lamb, but not O'Connor
In 15 Districts, Lamb beats O'Connor but not Peduto

So O’Connor trounces Peduto at about 5:1 and Lamb at about 9:1. Peduto and Lamb are roughly neck and neck. But who, pray tell, is siphoning votes away from who? Is Lamb a spoiler for Peduto? Is Peduto for Lamb? Would an O’Connor voter vote for Lamb over Peduto or the other way around? Well, what does this all mean?

I have a couple theories given what I’m seeing from the data:

I see five different undercurrents in the Pittsburgh Democratic structure: the Old Guard, the Revolutionaries, the New-Old Guard, the Black Caucus, and the Leftovers. Let's start last to first:

The Leftovers are the ones that voted for Henderson, Repovz, and Ludwig. These guys had some good spotty showings, but overall were barely a blip on the electoral map. I'm surmising that the people that voted for these candidates were either (1) Democrats disaffected with everything or (2) the candidates' families. As in any political system, there are going to be some fringe elements that draw some of these votes away from the more major candidates.

The Black Caucus represent the ones that voted for Kendrick, and is more indicative of some lingering, but very real, racial issues that the City of Pittsburgh faces. I found it interesting from the very beginning that Kendrick managed to pull out second place showings in several of the Voting Districts, and even a first place showing in one or two. These Districts were almost all (if not all) African American communities. While Bob O'Connor placed first almost always, it seemed interesting to me that Kendrick, who had fewer resources than nearly anyone other candidate, still managed to pull out a 2nd place showing. I believe that this means one of two things: (1) the African-American population of the City of Pittsburgh feels that the official Democratic party machine enfranchises them (which explains their turn out in support of O’Connor) and (2) the other, non slate, major candidates did not sufficiently represent their views. Of course, it could be both.

The New-Old Guard lies within the structure of the Old Guard. They are the ones who are looking to tame the beast that is the Democratic Machine so they can ride it. These are people that have been successful within the old system, but are generally wary of the direction the city is going. They are not necessarily interested in overthrowing the old system, but rather using the old system to their advantage as they make incremental reforms. They talk more about bond repayment and lien collection funds than anything interesting. They are trashed by the Old-Guard as being traitors and by the Revolutionaries as being apparatchiks of the system. They are dull and boring and dull and probably voted for Mr. Bucket-head himself, Michael Lamb.

The Revolutionaries seek to overthrow the system as it currently stands. They aren't looking to tame the beast or ride the beast, but kill the beast...and probably dance upon its grave singing "Hallelujah." They assume the posture of outsiders, although, given where their candidate Mr. Peduto did well, they represent a class of educated Bourgeoise-Bohemians ("BoBos" from now on, as I can't type "Bourgeoisie" over and over) who genuinely see Pittsburgh, or at least parts thereof, as a potential shining city-on-a-hill. While I have heard lofty goals and commendable ideals, the nuts and bolts of policy seem a bit spotty to me and, in the worst instances, elitist.

The Old Guard could have run this election in 1952, and probably did, although with less efficiency. It says a lot about the evolving Pittsburgh electorate when the Democratic Machine can only bring in 48% of the vote for their candidate. More specifically, this is the tell tale proof of my assertion that the hold of the Democratic Party is not as monolithic as it once was or even appears to be. Still, the Old Guard, in this election seems to be subdivided into "The-Powers-That-Be," "Those that Vote for The-Powers-That-Be," and "Those That Still F'ing Hate Tom Murphy." The Old Guard doesn't want change or trouble, and idealizes a city without troubles like the one it so fondly remembers from its childhood. These guys are comfortable with a Mayor who doesn't concern himself with big ideas, but a guy who can schmooze it up with fundraisers. It means stability; it means consistency; it means money. And it probably means they still get their damned early-bird discount.

But let's move away from the analysis of who I think the major factions are and do a little thought experiment:

WARNING: COUNTERFACTUALS AHEAD THAT INCLUDE THE LIBERAL USE OF A FICHUS TREE. THOSE WHO SEE REALITY AS BLACK/WHITE, GOOD/EVIL, WITH US/HATE AMERICA, SHOULD BEWARE.

Let us suppose that on the eve of the Allegheny County Democratic Committee meeting for endorsements, someone kidnaps Bob O'Connor's beloved fichus tree. The ransom note demands that Bob immediately drop out of the race, withdraw his name from consideration, ensure that no other Democrats enter the race, and keep his mouth shut about the race until November. Only then will his beloved fichus tree be returned safely. We are now left with six candidates to chose from.

So the question is: who wins the mayoral primary?

Given the factional structure above, I believe that Lamb would have gotten the blessing and endorsement of the ACDC as he is the "safe" choice. He lacks Bob's charisma and he's probably too close to the current administration, but he minimizes the risk of a complete undermining of their power.

Now, does this matter? Peduto's own victory in Council District 8 shows that you don't necessarily need the endorsement to win. I think we can agree, however, that the endorsement doesn't hurt you.

What about the money? Bob had a ton of it and won. Bill had less than Mike and came in second. Kendrick had nothing and still eked out a fourth place showing. Does money matter in this case? If Bob is out of the picture, where does this money flow to, if it flows at all? Does the ACDC endorsement affect any of that flow, or is Bob supporting certain policy positions that lend themselves to contributions by certain donors. Are Mike or Bill willing to whore themselves out to highway contractors for the chance of large contributions? What about the Soffer Organization? The Firefighters Union?

My reaction is that the big amounts of money are going to flow towards the "safe" choice, i.e., someone who has the least chance of rocking the boat and furthers policies in the interests of the contributors. The less safe candidate still has a chance, however, in that not all of the money will flow; the chances to tap into this money are much better than against the Bob O'Connor powerhouse.

But will the money make a difference? The runner-up candidates all suffer from a similar problem: they are very strong in their base, but weak across the city. Additional money would allow these candidates to spread their message a bit further outside of their base. But will a Revolutionary message resonate in Brookline? A Traditionalist message in the Southside? A Black message in Point Breeze? Can money help get people to like you and your message, or just get your name out there?

I'm pretty sure that there are some messages that aren't going to play well across factions. Zero-line budgeting probably infuriates those of the Old Guard that are dependant on their consistent budget line item. Similarly, a property lien back-back program means absolutely nothing to people that are more concerned about police or safety. But messages can be broadened and money can drive those messages home.

So we can run whatever scenarios we want: without the Old Guard in the race, do the Revolutionaries take on Old Guard votes and money or do the New-Old Guard? Are the Old Guard more likely to vote for The Revolutionaries or the New Old Guard? Who does the Black Caucus lean towards? What will the Old Guard voters do?

Those are just some things to think about and clog up my inbox about. I have no answers as I open the egg from the little end, eat my toast butter-side-down, and wear the red donut-hotdog hats.

Even More Follow-Up... even for the Bureaucrat Haters

First, to get some stuff off my chest: I apparently pissed off a very ardent Anonymous supporter of Bill Peduto, as I am apparently a "Lamb partisan" and should "get over it." Sorry, I meant "GET OVER IT."

Whatever.

Dude (or Dudette if that is the case), if I supported Lamb and you supported Peduto, we share one same quality: we both lost. Bob O'Connor made us our bitches. He beat us like we were his whores and we are supposed to like it. Frankly, if Peduto won or Lamb won, we would be having a different discussion, but from my prospective we're both losers.

So it goes.

I don't want to skip ahead, but as I said in the comments, there are some questions I'd like to see answered: (1)how to either get the money to the message or the message to the money [or the alternative question, "what would the race have looked like if money was no object?"], (2) what would a race without O'Connor have looked like, and, more esoteric, (3) what would a race without Tom Murphy have looked like.

But I'm not there yet. I'd like to build up some element of suspense, so I have some other maps that I'd like to show. I'll try to save you my personal opinions... at least for now.

Bob:


So where did Bob do well in terms of percentage vote by ward? The Hill, Homewood, Greenfield, Larimer, Hazelwood... and a bunch of other places. Well done Silver Fox. Bob didn't do well at all in Point Breeze, Shadyside, parts of Oakland, Highland Park, and Mt. Washington. Again, the City is his bitch.

Bill:


As I said before, Bill did his best in Shadyside, Bloomfield, Mexican War Streets, Friendship, and Point Breeze. Worst showings, or indeed, no showings, were in parts of the Hill, Arlington Heights, and Hazelwood.

Mike:


Mike did his best South of the River in Duquesne Heights, Regent Square, Brookline, and Beechview. Generally strong in the South, Lamb tanked in the Hill and in St. Clair. Both Mike and Bill did their worst in primarily African-American neighborhoods.

Hop:


Hop didn't do too well overall, but he did his best in the primarily African-American neighborhoods, especially Lincoln-Lemmington-Belmar.

What does this all mean to those of us (including both me and Anonymous) who did not vote for Bob O'Connor? Who would have won without Bob O'Connor in the race. What does it mean for the future of Pittsburgh Politics? What is the point? Why am I asking all these questions? Will I end this post with a profanity?

The answer to the last question is "No... ya bastard".

More Follow Up on Pittsburgh's Mayoral Election

So, back to the Pittsburgh Mayoral Primary results.

I said a week ago I needed a better look at the data. I took a better look at the data, and this is what I got:


This map shows the Voting District Winners in the primary election 2005 by ward. Ward doesn't mean a whole heck of a lot, you get no electoral votes, that's for damned sure, but it gives you a rough idea as to how different neighborhoods voted, and a better idea as to what segments of the neighborhood voted for who.

All Politics is Local, as Tip O'Neill said. This is how local this race was.

The obvious remarks are that Bob O'Connor won big and broadly across the city neighborhoods, picking up local presinct wins across all segments of the city... except for a big blue blob in Shadyside, Friendship, North Point Breeze, Point Breeze, and Squirrel Hill. That portion of the City, The People's Republic of the 14th Ward, fell to the armed ruffians of Bill Peduto. Similarly, Bill picked up support in segments of Highland Park, Southside, and the Mexican War Streets.

As I said before, Bill's wins were not broad based, but rather reflective of a bourgeoise-bohemian ethic, which is popular in certain segments of the City... namely the ones listed above.

Lamb, by contrast, clung to victories in equally concentrated areas: Duquesne Heights, Mt. Washington, Brookline, and Beechview. I would characterize these neighborhoods as post-war suburban Pittsburgh ethic; upper working & middle class.

Kendrick did pick up some wins at St. Clair and in the Upper Hill, which seems to reflect an inability of any of the other candidates (with the exception of Bob) to successfully court African-American voters. Somehow Henderson picked up a chunk of the Southside Flats. I'm scratching my head over that one.

In any case, take a look at the turnout:
.

A lot of heavy turnout in the Peduto won areas, as well as some very heavy turnout in a few key O'Connor areas. Probably helped. Otherwise, it's generally poor turnout, so I'm not reading too much into this map.

My thesis, however, is this: the Peduto campaign was a narrowly focused campaign that concentrated on a few, key areas. This is not part of a larger movement, but rather a microlocalized political phenomenon which, unless it embraces a larger popular message that appeals to a larger swath of Pittsburgh, is doomed to fester away.

And in the next few posts, I'll show you why I think this and what it means for the future of the progressive cause in Pittsburgh.

OK... Now What?

Chapter 7 of Douglas Adams' book Mostly Harmless (the Fifth book in the incredibly inaccurately named Hitchhiker's Trilogy) has this to say about a small insignificant planet in the unfashionable end of the Western Spiral arm of the Galaxy:

It said that the planet of NowWhat had been named after the opening words of the first settlers to arrive there after struggling across light years of space to reach the furthest unexplored outreaches of the Galaxy. The main town was called OhWell.

People of Pittsburgh, welcome to NowWhat.

The Tribune-Review has an interestingly venomous article about, well, it's entitled "Vote tosses dirt on Murphy's political grave"... I think that gives you some sense of the article. The only more effective title that they could have come up with would have been: "Murphy Anally Buggered by Electorate" or "Murphy on Fire; Voters Refuse to Piss on Him." And so forth.

Now What?

We've had our catharsis, but the problems still remain. The City is still in debt, neighborhoods are declining, pension obligations are crushing us... etc., etc., etc. None of that goes away now that Bob has won this election. Same hole, different digger.

Now What?

Bob's promised to "Build Bridges" and "Put the City on the Right Track" and told us to "Believe in Ourselves"... but that's about it. Once we get into the details, it gets a bit murky. With all the anti-Murphy hate out there (some of it justified), one wonders if really believes that Bob O'Connor can rectify past mistakes, or are they just blindly voting for the Enemy-of-my-Enemy. Are we going to piss on O'Connor's political grave in 2009?

I wait with baited breath for what's to come.