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“Mr. Acklin has failed to connect the dots,” Mr. Ravenstahl said. “He knows it.” (P-G, Rich Lord)

12 days left. Or actually, there’s no time limit…

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Just call it a hunch.

The Pittsburgh Parking Authority yesterday invited around 20 firms to send in proposals to serve as advisors on the planned lease of public garages and metered spaces in the city.

The winning firm would guide the authority through selection of, and negotiation with, a firm that would pay a lump sum in return for a decades-long lease and control of parking revenues. (P-G, Rich Lord)

Hmm.

Interested firms have until Nov. 4 to respond. (ibid)

Hmmmm.

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl hopes that a lease would net at least $200 million, which would be used to stabilize the city’s ailing pension fund. (ibid)

My understanding is that there is little out there to support that conjecture and quite a bit to refute it.

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The Busman pulled additional information and audio:

KA: “What business interest does John Verbanac have before your administration or with any of these city authorities?”

LR: “”First of all, he has none…” (Busman’s Holiday)

No business interests? Summa Development, Forest City Enterprises and the IdeaMill for starters represent no business interests that affect the City?

(Yes, the IdeaMill in Lawrenceville — I discovered that linkage on several websites, including a 2007 County press release for a new Transportation Action Team, listing John Verbanac of the IdeaMill as the City of Pittsburgh appointee.)

Let’s make one thing clear — John Verbanac is all about business interests before governments. That’s what. He does. For a living.

Ravenstahl can conceivably argue that he turns a blind eye to all the pro bono political consulting work* that Verbanac performs for him, while as Mayor he makes rulings that affect Verbanac’s bottom line — but to claim that Verbanac has no business before the City is laughable. Laughable! And indicative of the fact that Ravenstahl knows, deep down inside, something’s wrong and something needs to be denied.

The state Gaming Control Board is expected to decide, by year’s end, who gets to build Pittsburgh’s lone slots casino.

In January, Mr. Ravenstahl endorsed the Isle of Capri’s bid to build the casino and new arena on the edge of Downtown. In May, Mr. O’Connor’s Planning Department released a report favorable to Forest City’s competing plan for a Station Square complex.

The pressure is on Mr. Ravenstahl to weigh in as mayor.

The Penguins, who are working with Isle of Capri, said they hope for a repeat endorsement from Mr. Ravenstahl. “I think all of the elected officials have a role in voicing their support for the plan they believe is best for Pittsburgh,” and the mayor’s voice wasn’t likely to be ignored by the gaming board, said Penguins consultant David Morehouse.

Don Barden, who wants to build a casino on the North Shore, said he plans to call Mr. Ravenstahl this week and talk up his proposal. Forest City’s spokesman had no comment.

“I don’t foresee myself doing anything further at this point,” Mr. Ravenstahl said. “I think [Planning] Director [Pat] Ford is a very capable man, who completed [the city’s] report, and I see no reason for me to do anything or change anything.

“I endorsed the Isle of Capri plan. … Now we have a Plan B there,” he said, referring to a blueprint for building an arena with slots funding and private money.

“I think the main thing and the important thing is that we keep the Penguins in Pittsburgh. The Isle of Capri plan does just that. Plan B, in a different way, does that.” (P-G, Rich Lord, 9/10/06)

By the reckoning Ravenstahl provided, once he became Mayor — and by logical extension, John Verbanac’s new best friend — his only concern was keeping the Penguins in town. Now with “Plan B”, either Forest City or PITG Gaming could just as easily accomplish that, he argued — before it was fashionable to do so. (Indeed, Plan B would turn out to be far more costly.)

Ravenstahl then publicly declined even “under pressure” to express any further support for Isle of Capri. The report that Ford (also we now know an inner-circle friend of Verbanac) had just issued favoring the Forest City casino bid was allowed to stand in Harrisburg at the Gaming Control Board as the City’s position.

Which conforms to everything all of us remember.

If John Verbanac’s partners at Forest City didn’t get the business in this instance, it’s because former Mayor Tom Murphy shined a laser on the political connections early on by making public that “the fix is in”, turning the bid too hot to handle. An exception rather than the rule.

Was the fix in? Any answer would be a matter of degrees. Did Luke Ravenstahl’s enthusiasm for Isle of Capri diminish drastically upon inheriting John Verbanac?

LR: “I wasn’t even the Mayor when the Gaming License was awarded.” (WTAE)

Again, why even attempt to deny something like that in this context? It even sounded as though his enthusiasm for saying it dried up halfway through the utterance — but he resignedly soldiered through with the lie anyway.

Now, there’s another element to all of this.

Kevin Ackin’s “sheaf” of e-mails and news articles was topped with a few pages worth of exposition. The information presented in the fourth paragraph of the cover page has yet to make its way into any news reports:

In addition, several former high ranking officials from the Ravenstahl administration have approached the campaign about their being interviewed by federal investigators in relation to the unethical conduct of the Mayor’s office. These interviews took place between October 2008 and April 2009. The individuals who cooperated with federal authorities have given us permission to release their contact information to the press so they can confirm the existence of a federal investigation.

No comment.

Why has there been no mention of that portion of the explosive allegations? Could it be that the memory of these conversations left an impression?

The evening before, City Solicitor George Specter made a series of phone calls to top media company executives around town, expressing concern about potential news coverage of rumors about the Ravenstahl administration. (Busman’s Holiday, 9/4/2008)

It’s curious that according to the Acklin report, the interviews began to take place about a month after previous rumors of forthcoming indictments spilled wide open.

LR: I would just advise Mr. Acklin to be very, very careful.

KA: Is that a threat? (WTAE)

Yes. That sounded like a threat. For sure. Anyone else getting threatened?

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*- I received an anonymous tip this morning identifying John Verbanac as the “official/unofficial Campaign Chairman” for Mayor Ravenstahl. I don’t know what that would mean literally, but considering the extent of Verbanac’s pro bono political consulting for Ravenstahl, it seems like a very apt description.

Kevin Acklin presented 19 pages worth of e-mails today seeking to illustrate that John Verbanac, CEO of Summa Development, has played an integral role in the Ravenstahl administration since its inception.

The e-mails were circulated among very small groups of individuals, usually comprising only Luke Ravenstahl, Yarone Zober, Pat Ford, Ed Grattan and Verbanac himself. It should be noted however that their authenticity has not yet been verified! What will follow are only excerpts from some of them.

If genuine, they are enough to establish that 1) Ravenstahl was effectively lying on Saturday when he flatly denied that Verbanac has a role in his administration; that role appears to be one including senior communications director and city staffing sergeant, and 2) That Verbanac plays this role is troubling considering the way his business interests, at least in regards to Forest City Enterprises, intertwine with that of the City.

And if genuine, the mayor was certainly lying again tonight when he claimed Kevin’s more specific allegations about Verbanac “putting words in his mouth” and influencing decisions regarding “strategic planning” and “firing staff” were wrong.

Let’s start with the recollection that Ravenstahl supported the Isle of Capri casino bid for the Hill District as a Council person, later to move his support as Mayor to the Forest City / Harrah’s bid in Station Square:

From John Verbanac, 12/16/06, Subject: Your Attention Please
To: Luke Ravenstahl, Yarone Zober, Ed Grattan and Charlie Zappala

Question: With all the buyers and the certainty of the two arena plans, why are the Pens saying the future is now uncertain and only the IOC answers the question?

Answer: Because IOC is the one plan that makes the most money for Ron Burkle. Ron Burkle is willing play Russian Roullete with the francises’s future to make the most money. It’s a gun to the head of Pittsburgh strategy that benefits few, hurts many and inproperly politicizes the gaming decision in an effort for Ron Burkle to simply make more money.

Verbanac was a lobbyist for Forest City / Harrah’s. Charlie Zapalla was to be an investor in the Forest city casino. He was and is Verbanac’s significant business partner. After Mayor Ravenstahl switched his support to Forest City, and former mayor Tom Murphy opined that “the fix was in”, the casino license was awarded to Don Barden of PITG gaming.

The relationship continued into 2007:

From Verbnac, 4/11/07, Subject: Team
To: Luke Ravenstahl and Yarone Zober

When we confront the real issues, we’ll need a strong team. A loyal team. A team that reflects the heart and minds of the RAVENSTAHL Administration.

When new leaders come in, the ranks are always turned over. A few make it through, but only a few. It’s not because they are ill motivated and political. It’s because they need their own team around them. That is the message around the moves you make. Ravenstahl is building his own team. Not trying to win over someone elses.

Tom Murphy left office with a 17 percent approval rating. Bob O’Connor left office before his numbers fell as the real performance of his administration became visible. I have 2009 and beyond on my mind guys. The future. Yours, mine and ours.

We need a team and we need it now. Not after May 15th. Not after the next crisis or artificial date we come up with that holds us back. Not waiting for the day that Rich Lord might give us a pass and take it easy on us. We’re at war now. We need our troops.

We? Our? Mine?

More:

From Verbanac, 4/17/07, subject: High Level Issues!
To: Luke Ravenstahl, Yarone Zober

Issue Three: Strategic Planning I have talked with Yarone about this already as well. I would strongly suggest that you, Yarone, Pat and maybe a chosen “FEW” others hold a bit of a retreat to get together your strategic plan.

We have a great blessing not facing the voters until 2009. That’s a lot of time to do some things. It’s also ample time to fuck up if you don’t have a clear strategy and measurements for what you want to achieve. 4 or 5 hours of unfettered, facilitated time with some of your key decision makers would be well spent.

I offered to facilitate the discussion and to take notes and summarize the plan discussion.

Response from Ravenstahl:

The suggestion for us all to sit down is a great one — I would include no more than me, John, YZ, Ford, and Ed. Don’t see the need for anyone else. We can establish a clear plan and agenda and most importantly a way to implement it. Maybe a whole day-off location would work best.

Response from Verbanac:

Maybe Yarone can have missy schedule a day’s retreat? Maybe we should take a run down to nemacolin…

This e-mail may deserve a post of its own. The other three “High Level Issues!” detailed in this e-mail were State Rep. Jake Wheatley agitating for a CBA for the Penguins development, the Steeelers’ interests regarding the casino master plan (then owned by Don Barden), and yet again “staffing”, with special mention of the URA.

Fasting forward to 2008, and more staffing:

From John Verbanac, 2/25/08, Subject: URA Personnel
To: Yarone Zober, Pat Ford

Guys,

You guys had mentioned, as part of your URA right sizing, ARt Fidel’s kid, Bob. Please be advised, this is Bill Rudolph’s brother in law. I recognize that he is less than an exemplary performer; however, this is Bill’s family and I think I speak of us all when I say he is a friend. Let’s just leave it there.

Thanks.

Robert Fidel is still listed as the “Business Liaison” in the URA’s Business Development dept.

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Debate 2 is on WTAE tonight at 7:00.

Nothing against Sally Wiggin, Andrew Stockey and Wendy Bell, but is this not the channel that usually puts Bob Mayo, Jeremy Boren and Jill King Greenwood into the squared circle as well? The addition of local beat reporters was always a singular distinction.

Watch for the URA to come under heavier fire tonight, and for the community benefits issue to be raised already.

Alhough Carnegie Library Executive Director Barbara Mistick and company may not be participating in Mayor Ravenstahl’s carnival dunking booth community meeting in Lawrenceville this Saturday, she did meet with public officials today:

Along with Rep. [Chelsa] Wagner, other officials participating were:

State Sen. Jay Costa, state Reps. Dom Costa, Paul Costa, Jake Wheatley and Dan Frankel, City Council President Doug Shields and members Patrick Dowd and Bruce Kraus, council members elect Dan Lavelle and Natalia Rudiak, and staffers for state Reps. Dan Deasy and Don Walko and city council member Theresa Smith. (P-G, Team Effort)

They may or may not seek to tap a portion of the state’s forthcoming table game revenue. It’s a good thing we elected to bring these casinos to Pennsylvania about five years ago, or I don’t see how any part of our civilization could have survived. This is how and why weed is going to become fully legal one day — we’ll need the money. I don’t know what we’ll have left after that. Prostitution, maybe? Cockfighting? Dogfighting? Bum fighting?

Today I am thankful for the Ohio U chapter of SDS.

Mackenzie Peoples, 19, a student at Ohio University, said she shouldn’t have been arrested after police ordered a large gathering in Schenley Plaza to disperse on the night of Sept. 25.

“We had every right to be a part of this,” said Ms. Peoples, a member of Students for a Democratic Society.

Ten members of the group came to Pittsburgh from Athens, Ohio, for the summit. Eight were arrested, and all plan to fight the charges. (P-G, Jerome L. Sherman)

I’m not saying they’re necessarily innocent of the charges, I’m saying I’m glad there is an organized block of individuals intent on not taking a deal and challenging their arrests. I wonder whether those who saw their charges get dropped already did so not because of circumstances or evidence, but because of who they are.

I feel bad about not having mentioned the UPMC facility closure in Braddock until now.

Dorundo encouraged residents to consider going to other hospitals in the UPMC system, including those in Oakland and another six miles away in McKeesport.

Residents, however, said transportation is a problem for some in the borough of 2,700. Many are senior citizens and don’t have vehicles. (Trib, Chris Ramirez)

Also:

“Not only are we losing a hospital, we have lost everything,” said Jeanette Stanton, who has lived in Braddock her entire 80 years. She pointed out that the hospital’s closure means the loss of the borough’s only ATM and that the hospital cafeteria is currently the closest thing the community has to a sit-down restaurant. “What are we supposed to do?”

Members of the crowd were particularly agitated by UPMC’s plans to build a facility in Monroeville… (P-G, Moriah Balingit)

This is clearly a done deal, and it was apparently done for compelling business reasons. I’m not sure what Braddock or anyone else can do to compensate, but it’s definitely another illustration of why there’s no reason to treat UPMC like some sort of non-profit or charitable outfit. Braddock doesn’t need this right now, it was pregnant with momentum and this is likely to stifle a fair bit of it.

I don’t think we need to put a lot of energy into dissecting “how the debate went”.

Harris and Acklin were both sincere-sounding, nervous, and lacking for any truly point-scoring hits. Ravenstahl on the other hand delivered a studio-ready and dynamic presentation, but that shouldn’t disguise the fact that it was all bullshit.

That’s what we’re going to explore here — but first I have to critique the ordinarily impressive Ken Rice for one thing: why lead off the program with, “The biggest question in this race — is this really a race?”

If you count Bill Peduto’s partial run, this now marks four straight elections in which our media obsessed, from their very outsets, on the idea that these were all forgone conclusions. And by implication, that any challengers should be described as “losers”. Ordinarily this falls under the aegis of punditry, but for some reason this is forever the lead story. It’s as though nobody is familiar with the term “self-fulfilling prophecy”. Admittedly, this particular contest seems contracted for a variety of reasons, but in general how is this compulsive fixation of odds — which always rears its tiresome head months and months in advance — in any way edifying to the viewing and reading public?

Spend energy communicating and investigating the ideas being exchanged, and leave the spin to the professional hacks already.

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The first mayoral debate will be conducted today and will air tomorrow afternoon on KDKA, that being Saturday at 12:00 NOON, so as to maximize viewership (ha ha).

My only advice: both Independents ought to have snappy counterattacks ready for when the Democratic Republican protests that his opponents are only interested in talking about the past (i.e. his public record) whereas he’d rather talk about Pittsburgh’s future!

Also, we all get to roll our eyes mercilessly at anybody who makes vague references to “headlines” or “cronies” or even “pay-to-play” without detailing exactly what or who those are, and why they’re indicative or important moving forward.

I would advise both challengers to lay off one another and focus on attacking Luke — but that’s essentially what Dowd and Robinson did in the primary, to nil or negative effect. So hey guys, knock yourselves out, or should I say knock each other out. I’m obviously leaning towards Kevin Acklin a little bit at this precise juncture (*-UPDATE: this explained in comment #6 underleaf) — he just has been seeming more together, somehow, even serious — but obviously there’s no point to making up one’s mind until we watch at least one debate. My mind’s still very much open and I think that’s the consensus.

Some news: the ICA just returned the Mayor’s budget with an “Incomplete” and a “What The What?” (P-G, Trib). Zober can say what he wants but I’m pretty sure this is the first time the ICA dissed a budget proposal and asked a Mayor bluntly to fill in some gaping holes.

Extreme sincere congratulations to The City Paper for reporting in print that Mayor Ravenstahl donned police riot gear and told the American Civil Liberties Union and its local lead attorney Vic Walczak “fuck you”, just days after troubling events on Pitt campus in Oakland. I know the annual event is entitled “Off the Record” and I know it’s for charity, but even the White House Correspondent’s Dinner gets criticized for encouraging too-cozy relationships between government and the press — and that’s decidedly not even remotely off the record! So I’m not sure what they think they’re doing that’s so great. Although in the past, the players have conducted themselves with just enough intelligence to get away with their naughtiness, the City Paper made the right call in reporting the egregious lack of class and sense shown by our City’s leader just days after the fact. As I wrote somewhere earlier, he could have joked about the $1,000 garbage cans or anything else — or he could even have joked about G20 security issues without telling the defenders of our civil liberties point-blank what they can go do. Or he could have been funny in some way, a thing which multiple reports confirm did not transpire.

Now if we could only get a picture of him in his flight suit riot gear — or get some challengers who care about this issue. Though I remain impressed that individual officers didn’t lose their cool in a chaotic situation, or dish out any surreptitious punitive discipline that we know of — someone did make the call to pretty much storm through campus and arrest / gas / fire upon anything that moved, for questionable reasons.