New Parking meter Glitches Getting Fixed

We all hear stories of people digging around, asking for change, whatever it takes to feed the meter. Despite the fact that many people (myself included) simply don’t carry cash and change on them, parking meters have stubbornly remained in the past, relying on the quarters that always seem to be just out of reach under the seat.

Fortunately, the City of Pittsburgh has recently installed some of the new parking meters students may have seen in and around Schenley or other parts of the city. These modern updates allow students to pay for their parking with a credit or debit card.

In this article by the Post-Gazette, two minor glitches with the new system are identified: the digital screen can be difficult to read in the sun, and when someone tries to add more time to the meter, it eliminates any “rollover” time they might have. The city is working to fix both of these.

                                                        

One interesting statistic that the article points out is that 65% of the transactions on the new machines were made with credit cards; clearly these meters are living up to what motorists want.

Another interesting article that wasn’t substantive enough for a full post, considering how much we have discussed the issue, but this article in the Tribune-Review reiterates the point that discussion over how much non-profits contribute to the city isn’t going away.

Election Coverage: State Treasurer Race

 As part of its continuing election coverage, the GRC blog will focus each week on a different state or national race for office.  This week, we focus on the often overlooked but critical position of the state treasurer.  The Treasury Department is responsible for investigating financial loss, theft, and fraud in checking; reviewing real estate leases and contracts; and managing the affairs of several programs that directly financially benefit Pennsylvanians.  The Treasurer himself oversees this department, with the specific duties of chairing the Board of Finance and Revenue, through which he chooses which banks will hold the state’s money; setting the interest rate for commonwealth deposits; managing money invested in the state college system, including at the University of Pittsburgh; and deciding state tax appeals.  If there is a single race that should be watched for its direct impact on the lives of voters, it is this one.

 This year, there are three candidates for Treasurer: incumbent Rob McCord on the Democratic ticket, Diana Irey Vaughan on the Republican ticket, and Patricia M. Fryman running as a Libertarian.

Treasurer Rob McCord (D):

 Robert McCord is a native of Montgomery County.  He attended Harvard University and received a B.A. in economics, graduating with high honors.  He received his MBA from the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania.  Following graduation he worked in venture capitalism, serving as a senior executive of Safeguard Scientifics from 1994 to 2007.  He was the founder of the Eastern Technology Fund, co-founder and Managing Director of Pennsylvania Early Stage Partners, and was leader of the trade association known as the Eastern Technology Council in 2007. In 2007 he was elected PA State Treasurer.

McCord counts among his successes in office the Treasury Department’s history of bringing in revenue for the state during his term.  He claims that the investment strategies he has brought to the department have generated $1.4 billion since January 2009.  He cites the jump in funding for the PA 529 College Savings program from 70% to 98% as a success, as well as its history of strong investment returns (13.6% during the fiscal year of 09-10).  He cites the reduction of the state Government Operations Budget and the reduction of his department’s workforce and automobile fleet as an improvement in efficiency, though this might be an effect of the government cutbacks required by the budget crisis rather than actual streamlining.  He also cites improvement in the efficiency and productivity of the Personal Income Tax auditing process, a 73% reduction in overtime hours (again perhaps due to cutbacks), and the creation of several programs to educate Pennsylvanians on saving for retirement.

McCord is campaigning on the efficiency of the Treasury Department under his lead, pointing out that throughout his tenure the Department has consistently turned a profit for the state and promising more of the same should he be reelected.  He promises to continue his investment strategy in order to create jobs and generate public income while increasing the accountability and transparency of his department.

PA Treasury profile: http://www.patreasury.gov/treasurer.html

Campaign Website: http://www.robmccord.com/homepage/

Centre Daily Times race profile: http://www.centredaily.com/2012/04/14/3160375/treasurer.html

Diana Irey Vaughan, Republican candidate for State Treasurer:

 Diana Irey Vaughan is a graduate of West Virginia Business College, with work in business, accounting and legal studies both at Fairmont State College and California University of Pennsylvania.  She is the Washington County Commissioner and is serving her fifth term (16^th year) in that office, which entails managing 53 departments, nearly a thousand employees, and overseeing all county property including a nursing home, airport, ports and bridges.  She is a member of the Washington County Pension Board and the Washington County Prison Board, and in the latter position has voted down measures such as cable TV for inmates while ensuring that non-violent inmates serve community service hours, which creates unpaid labor for the County.

She is campaigning on the issue of fiscal responsibility.  She states that as commissioner she has balanced seven consecutive budgets without tax increases and has approached pensions with a strict, conservative investment policy.  She takes credit for Washington County being ranked third in the nation for job growth by the U.S. Department of Labor.  She is promising to bring that same minimalist approach to government with her to the position of State Treasurer.

Campaign Website: http://friendswithdiana.com/

Washington County profile: http://www.co.washington.pa.us/generalpage.aspx?menuDept=3&genPageID=47

PA GOP profile: http://www.pagop.org/resources/candidates/diana-irey-vaughan-for-treasurer/

Centre Daily Times race profile: http://www.centredaily.com/2012/04/14/3160375/treasurer.html

Patricia Fryman, Libertarian candidate for Treasurer:

 Patricia Fryman is the third-party candidate for State Treasurer this year.  She was born and raised in Mercer County and a current resident of Venango County, for which she served three terms as the County Auditor.  She previously worked in several positions, including as an office manager, in business, banking, and industry, but is now retired.  She holds a degree in Accounting from Clarion University and a degree in Social Sciences from Penn State University, with additional education at the American Institute of Banking.  She is also the current treasurer of the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania and a previous treasurer for the Pennsylvania State Association of County Auditors.

She is running on the issue of wasteful spending and on her independence as a third party candidate.  “In every election, it’s been a choice between two evils, and I feel it’s time to quit voting for the evils and have a real choice,” she stated in an interview.  She has refused campaign financing on the principle of maintaining her independence, a bold move that also greatly reduces her publicity.  She follows the Libertarian Party’s broad policy of economic freedom which includes “less rules, less regulations,”  though she admits that especially in finance some oversight is necessary.  She states that her top priority is to manage the state budget, which she finds needlessly complicated, poorly overseen, and too heavily invested in the operations of the State Legislature.  She specifically targets the controversial Liquor Control Board as wasteful, citing international trips for product sampling as an example.

She states that as Treasurer, she would bring accountability to the state pension system.  She contends that the increases in tuition for the state college system is due to an oversized and inefficient administration and that this needs to be curbed.  She states that as State Treasurer, she will scrutinize all payments before signing any checks.  She would like to disband the PA Turnpike Commission and turn over its operations to PennDOT, reasoning that the system has already paid for itself and should not be used to garner state funding.  She promotes the idea of a return to small government and low taxes under her term of office.

Smart Voter profile: http://www.smartvoter.org/2012/11/06/pa/state/vote/fryman_p/

Candidate position paper: http://www.smartvoter.org/2012/11/06/pa/state/vote/fryman_p/paper1.html

PCN “On The Issues” Interview Video: http://pcntv.com/blog/2012/10/16/oct-15-patricia-fryman-libertarian-for-pa-treasurer/

Pa. Supreme Court Hears Drilling Law Case

When Pennsylvania legislators passed a new gas and oil law, known as Act 13, last February, the intent was to establish consistent regulations for drilling firms and landowners who want to sell their mineral rights.  However, its mandate allowing drilling in any part of a municipality has sparked controversy across the state in regards to the law’s constitutionality.  When the Commonwealth Court voted 4-3 that Act 13 could violate the rights of municipalities and citizens in July, the decision was appealed by Governor Corbett’s administration, which disputed the ruling’s claim.  Consequently, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court heard arguments over the law on Wednesday.

Opponents of Act 13, including representatives from seven municipalities, environmental groups, and the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania, argued that the new law effectively denies municipalities and individuals the right to control resource drilling through local zoning.  As a result, many fear the unrestricted spread of drilling sites.  This sentiment was also examined by Justice Thomas Saylor, who questioned whether Act 13 "could in effect turn private residential communities into industrial zones."

However, proponents of the law, including the state government and gas drilling industry, countered that Act 13 does not violate the commonwealth’s constitution, arguing that since municipalities are created in the state’s general assembly, the same entity can override local zoning.  Some companies in the natural gas industry, which sought the statewide regulations, also claim that municipalities, particularly those in southwestern Pennsylvania, are challenging the law’s constitutionality to limit drilling.

One aspect of Act 13 imposed an “impact fee” on drilling firms, of which $204 million will be distributed locally.  However, the governor’s office plans to withhold payments to four of the municipalities opposing Act 13.

Currently, the Supreme Court is comprised of three Democrats and three Republicans; a vote of at least 4-2 is needed to overturn the Commonwealth Court’s ruling.

A Crash Course in Pittsburgh Finances

It’s been a busy couple of weeks for Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and the City of Pittsburgh in regard to its finances. Pittsburgh is currently being considered by the state to have its Act 47 designation revoked. Act 47 is a 25-year-old law that grants the state the right to institute certain review boards to provide oversight over a city. The two notable authorities are the Act 47 Coordinators, who provide oversight of the city’s finances in compliance with the law, and the additional Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority, created by the Pennsylvania state government in 2004, specifically to provide oversight of Pittsburgh’s finances.

Last week, the Post-Gazette reported that the Act 47 Coordinators, believing that substantial progress has been made, wrote to their superiors that Pittsburgh has made enough progress towards solving its financial goals to be released from Act 47. This move would provide the City with more independence, and was met with enthusiasm by the Mayor and some members of Council, while other Council members and administers worry that Pittsburgh still has long-term financial liabilities.

Even if the City were released from Act 47, it would still be regulated by the Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority, which plays a role in the other big development in the City’s financial story this week.

The Post-Gazette reported today that, as part of its duties, the state-instituted Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority gets to approve the City’s budget, proposed by Mayor Ravenstahl. At their meeting this morning, the ICA approved the proposed budget, but only on the condition that the City create a task force to research the relationship between other city governments and their own non-profits, to provide a more sustainable and transparent model for Pittsburgh.

This is something that we frequently discuss; the relationship between the City and local non-profits, including UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh. UPMC pays the City through a system called “payments in lieu of property taxes.” These agreements are currently kept confidential, but the ICA board ordered the City to release these agreements, and to provide more transparency.

Basically, this just brings up the question plaguing the City for months: how much money can they reasonably expect to get from local non-profits, including Pitt, and how can they make it more sustainable. It looks like they now have a timeline to find the answer, and whatever it is, it is likely to have an impact on Pitt students.

So that’s the crash course; the City may soon find itself independent of one regulatory board, but still under the thumb of another. They now have a budget the is projected to collect more than it spends, but it now may have to be a little more transparent, and a lot more deliberate, in its relationship with local non-profits.

Election Coverage: U.S. Senate Race

As part of the continuing election coverage, each week before Election Day we will spotlight the candidates on the ballot in Oakland this fall.  This week will focus on the race for one of Pennsylvania’s two seats in the U.S. Senate between incumbent Bob Casey, Jr. and challenger Tom Smith.

Sen. Bob Casey Jr., (D):

Senator Bob Casey Jr. is a first-term U.S. senator from Pennsylvania and the son of the late Governor Robert Casey Sr.  He was born and raised in Scranton, received his B.A. from the College of the Holy Cross in 1982, and graduated with a law degree from the Catholic University of America in 1988.  He kept a private law practice from 1991-1996 before being elected the State Auditor General  in 1996, a position he held for eight years.  In 2002 he ran unsuccessfully for governor, being defeated in the primaries by Ed Rendell.  His term of office having expired, in 2004 he ran for and was elected State Treasurer.  In 2006 he ran for U.S. Senate, defeating incumbent Rick Santorum.

Senator Casey is chair of the Joint Economic Committee and the Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs, and is a member of eleven other committees and subcommittees on subjects such as agriculture, foreign affairs, and health care.  His most recent bills in Congress are a bill to forbid workplace discrimination against pregnant women, to provide increased humanitarian support for the conflict in Syria, to create a grant for states that promote the use of natural gas as a transportation fuel, to prohibit the sale of drugs containing dextromethorphan (DXM) to minors, and to create a tax credit for the use of alternative fuel vehicles.

This year he is running on a platform of promoting jobs in PA through tax cuts for businesses and federal funding for life science research, restricting outsourcing and imports, and increased loans to businesses.  He is a proponent of maintaining Medicare and Social Security and for increasing healthcare for children.  He introduced the Campus SaVE Act (S. 834) to address sexual violence on college campuses by creating prevention programs and assistance for victims.

U.S. Senate Webpage: http://www.casey.senate.gov/

Campaign Website: http://bobcasey.com/

Govtrack page: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/robert_casey/412246

VoteSmart page: http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/2541#.UHg0rsVG-So

Tom Smith, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate

Tom Smith is a native of Armstrong County.  He graduated from high school in 1965, but chose to help his father on the family farm rather than attend college.  Plans were further delayed as he got married, started a family, and went to work in a coal mine.  In 1989, he bought his way into the coal industry, finding financial success there and building several companies, which he sold in 2010.

His campaign focuses on the budget and job creation.  He wants to end the current tiered system of taxation and replace it with a low flat tax rate, eliminating tax loopholes for special interest groups while maintaining the system of tax deductions for low income taxpayers and students.  He wants to curb deficit spending by capping government spending at 20% of the national GDP, eliminating or privatizing inefficient sectors of government, freeze hiring of federal workers in all areas except for defense, and end tax breaks and grants to specific industries.

Smith would also would like to cut regulation of businesses and increase congressional control of what regulations are in place, leave alternative energy investment to private firms rather than government sponsorship, repeal the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare), and create Social Security sustainability by allowing younger workers to personally invest a portion of their Social Security contribution rather than pay into the system while gradually increasing the retirement age.  He is in favor of reforming Medicare to a system where recipients use a government subsidy to purchase their own healthcare coverage, and this subsidy is distributed to give greater support to sick and poor recipients than healthier or wealthier recipients.

Tom Smith’s campaign website: http://tomsmithforsenate.com/

Tom Smith’s political platform: http://restore.tomsmithforsenate.com/

Editorials: Pennsylvania Voter ID Bill



Halting of Voter ID Law is a Risky Move in a Close Election
By: Erin Worbs

While many are celebrating last Tuesday’s controversial ruling on
Pennsylvania’s Voter I.D. Law, P.L. 195, No. 18 (Act 18), this is not a
victory for voters. Although the judge’s ruling did not in fact end this
law, it did prevent it from going into effect until after this year’s
Election Day.  Despite an extreme amount of negative press that has come
out in protest of this law, it is not nearly as extremist or radical as
some people may think.  It simply requires voters to show a valid form of
photo identification when they vote.

To be completely honest, prior to this law getting all of this attention,
I had no idea that identification was not already required to vote
everywhere in the United States. The last two times I went to vote (in
2010 and 2011) I was asked to show my ID which I gladly did, because I
thought I had to. If you are in fact a citizen of the United States there
is no reason for you not to have state issued identification. And, despite
many peoples’ misconceptions, this does not require having a driver’s
license. Pitt students, for example, would not have been affected by this
law at all because our student IDs are valid forms of identification. And
those who are not students and do not have a license can simply go to the
DMV to apply for an identification card. This process is not difficult and
is recommended for all citizens without licenses, regardless of voting
implications.

Pennsylvania’s Voter ID Law is not a form of voter disenfranchisement
because it is simply requiring something that all U.S. citizens have the
ability and right to obtain. Therefore, it does not discriminate against
any group, and I do not believe that it would end up favoring either party
because, like I previously mentioned, all citizens, regardless of
political party, socioeconomic status, age, gender, or race, have the
right to identification, as long as they go through the proper steps to
obtain it.

The judge that issued the ruling agreed with most of my previously
mentioned points, so he did not overturn the law, but simply postponed it
from going into effect until after Election Day. His reasoning was that he
did not believe people had an adequate amount of time to obtain
identification. I do not agree with this, as this law has been discussed
for several months, and there has been a pretty extensive media campaign
by the state of Pennsylvania advising citizens to get ID if they wanted to
vote.  With this being the year of a presidential election, as well as a
race for a few different Pennsylvania seats in Congress, voter fraud is a
very legitimate concern. There is no way of telling how close these
elections will be, and I would prefer not to risk any cases of voter fraud
as it is very possible that (especially with Pennsylvania being a swing
state) this year’s election could be very similar to the 2000 presidential
election in which every single vote cast in Florida made a huge impact and
the entire election could have been changed with just a few hundred votes.
 Without requiring identification, voter fraud is simply made easier for
the few individuals that choose to disregard our electoral process and
commit that crime.

I hope for the sake of this year’s election, and for our government, that
I am wrong and that the postponement of this law will not result in
increased voter fraud, but I am glad that voter identification will be
required in future elections.

Citizens’ Representative Rights Upheld in Voter ID Ruling

By: Kevin Kerr

Tuesday’s ruling on the state’s controversial Voter I.D. Law, P.L. 195,
No. 18 (Act 18), serves to uphold the natural rights of citizens to elect
their representatives.  This is done in a manner that has been used with a
great deal of success for decades in this country.  I applaud the courts
decision that, most importantly, citizens do not have an appropriate
amount of time to obtain such forms of identification in order to be
permitted to vote.

Voter fraud, although statistically a very minor problem, is not something
that we should entirely ignore.  I do agree with the fact that a
discussion should take place on how to prevent such measures from
occurring, but a last minute, admittedly politically motivated decision is
not the way to accomplish that.  Over time, a voter identification law
could serve its purpose with ample clarity and bipartisan support in tying
up the loose ends of the concept.  Advertising the requirement will need
to be far more effective.  Publicizing and clarifying the specifics of
identification requirements will need to be far more effective.  People
will need to know exactly what to do and have the time to do it.

Again, the idea that identification should be required to vote is not a
completely outrageous one; but the idea that it can be implemented in such
a short period of time is.  Methods of informing voters were ineffective
and hasty and identification requirements were unclear for quite some
time, especially in regards to student voters. Last, and most importantly,
the law’s design stood to have a very serious political impact on
citizens’ representation and the outcome of the elections this November. 
As Representative Mike Turzai said, “Voter ID will allow Governor Romney
to win Pennsylvania.”

No thank you, Congressman. I’d rather have the voters make that decision,
and because of this ruling, they still can.

Election Coverage: Meet the Congressional Candidates 

As part of its continuing election coverage, the GRC blog is providing profiles of all the candidates on the ballot this November in Pittsburgh.  This week, we will look at our current congressman in the U.S. House of Representatives and the contender for that position.

Representative Mike Doyle, D-PA 14^th District:

Michael Doyle is a native of Pittsburgh and a current resident of the suburb of Forest Hills.  He comes from a family of steelworkers and worked briefly in the industry while attending Penn State University, where he received a B.S. in Community Development in 1975.  He was a small business owner, insurance agent, a member of a borough council, and a staffer for state Sen. Frank Pecora from 1978-1994.  He was elected to the U.S. House in 1994 and has served there since.

On the current issue of the economy, Doyle favors a system of combined stimulus and tax reform, reducing taxes on the middle and lower class while increasing them for the upper class.  He voted in favor of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009.  He voted against a deficit reduction plan in 2011 which he claimed would hurt payroll growth while leaving tax breaks for companies and the upper class untouched.  He has advocated strongly for alternative fuel source research, citing the nation’s current dependence on oil.  He has also voted against granting permanent normal trade status to China.

On social and domestic issues, Doyle plays a variety of roles.  He serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and on two subcommittees on Energy and Power and on Communications and Technology.  He is co-founder and chair of various caucuses to promote a fuel-efficient model of decentralized power generation, promote development in the field of robotics, promote research and education on autism, and various other caucuses on steel, human rights, and the Internet.  He voted in favor of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as Obamacare.  He is in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage by repealing the Defense of Marriage Act and granting full legal protection to same-sex couples.  He voted in favor of requiring gun show dealers to conduct criminal background checks and in favor of banning partial-birth abortions.

U.S. House profile: http://doyle.house.gov/

Campaign website: http://mikedoyleforcongress.com/

Washington Times profile: http://www.washingtontimes.com/campaign-2012/candidates/michael-mike-f-doyle-255/

Dr. Hans Lessman, Republican challenger for PA 14^th District

Dr. Hans Lessman is a native of Braddock, a suburb of Pittsburgh to the southeast of Swissvale.  He is a current resident of Forest Hills.  He is a graduate of Perdue University and the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, where he received his doctorate.  He is a practicing optometrist, president of the Society for the Education of Physicians and Patients, and the 2003 Pennsylvania Optometrist of the Year.  He also has a passion for rowing, history, and the outdoors.

The staple issue of Lessman’s campaign is that of health care, on which he draws on his years of experience as a medical professional.  He opposes Obamacare on the grounds that it will dramatically increase the number of people getting health care, but won’t create new job positions for physicians to provide that care.  He states that he would prefer to eliminate job-benefit healthcare and instead give out tax breaks so people could create their own plan.  He also would prefer a voucher system for health care that allowed for low-income citizens to more directly control their health care plan.

He would like to end the current tiered system of income taxation and replace it with a flat income tax or even create a national sales tax in its place, which he claims would be more efficient and reduce the size of the IRS.  Other staples of his platform are job creation and energy, though it is unclear exactly how he would advance this.

Lessman’s campaign website: http://lessmannforcongress.org/issues

Wall Street Journal Profile: http://projects.wsj.com/campaign2012/candidates/view/hans-lessmann--PA-H

Washington Times Profile: http://www.washingtontimes.com/campaign-2012/candidates/hans-f-lessmann-61623/

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article on campaign: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/news/politics-local/grass-roots-newcomer-hans-lessmann-takes-on-us-rep-mike-doyle-656528/

Election Coverage:  Meet Your State Senators

As part of the SGB’s ongoing election coverage, we will be presenting you each week with information on your public representatives currently on the ballot and any competitors they may face for their post.  While the following state senators are running unopposed, please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the people who are your voice in the state senate. 

For those living in Sutherland Hall and the two adjacent frat complexes: 

Sen. Wayne D. Fontana, D- 42nd District: Senator Wayne Fontana is a native of Beechview, a suburban neighborhood southwest of Southside.  He is a graduate of the Community College of Allegheny County, where he received an associate’s degree in business.  Most of his career was spent in real estate working for Howard Hanna Real Estate Services and serving on the Allegheny County Council, where he held several committee chair positions and eventually became Council Vice President until he ran for office as a state senator in 2005.  He is the minority chair of the Community, Economic & Recreational Committee, a member of the Appropriations, Law & Justice, and Urban Affairs & Housing committees, and a board member of the PA Higher Education Assistance Agency. 

Fontana is the sponsor of 2,437 Senate bills, of 48 of which he is the prime sponsor.  Among his prime sponsored bills are bills that place harsher penalties on the murder or assault of a child than those for the murder or assault of an adult; that create harsher penalties for those who neglect a care-dependent person; that elaborate on the process for reporting suspected child abuse by school officials (a bill which has found increased support following the Sandusky scandal); that provide financial aid to public library systems; that provide debt assistance andnew loan programs that aim to combat the current debt crisis; and that create a tax credit for the use of mass transit systems, with the intention of bolstering the use of mass transit. 

Official Website: http://www.senatorfontana.com/ 

PA Senate Website Profile:http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/member_information/Senate_bio.cfm?id=1041 2011-2012 

Sponsored Legislation:http://www.legis.state.pa.us/CFDocs/Legis/BS/bs_action.cfm?SessId=20110&Sponsors=S|42|0|Wayne%20D.%20Fontana 

For those living in Forbes Hall, the Litchfield Towers, Lothrop Hall, the Quad,Sutherland Hall, Pennsylvania Hall, the Fraternity Complex, BouquetGardens, Forbes-Craig, Centre Plaza, Oakwood, and Ruskin Hall: 

Sen. Jay Costa, Jr., D- 43nd District: Senator Jay Costa comes from a family with a long history of public service.  His grandfather, an Italian immigrant to Pittsburgh, became a ward leader and worked with the railroad companies to find work for Italian immigrants.  Jay Costa Sr., the current senator’s father, served as Allegheny County treasurer.  Costa’s two brothers also have a history of public service; his brother Paul is a state representative, his brother Guy served as Pittsburgh Public Works director, and his cousin Dom was featured earlier on this blog as a current state representative.  Jay Costa is a graduate of the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC), received a B.A. in criminology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and obtained his degree in law from Duquesne University.  He served as a deputy sheriff for Allegheny County before taking the bar and working for a local law group.  He served in the Allegheny County register of wills from 1992 until 1996, when he ran for state senate.  He is an ex-officio member of the Appropriations Committee and is the current minority chair of the Rules and Executive Nominations Committee. 

In his sixteen years of service, Costa has sponsored 5,592 Senate bills, of 208 of which he is the prime sponsor.  He counts among his legislative accomplishments bills that impose stricter penalties on child pornography and rape, prevent retaliatory firings of employees who file for worker’s compensation, expand coverage and reduce prescription drug cost for seniors, to reduce Pittsburgh and Allegheny County debt via gaming revenue, expanded state funding for mass transit, and supported bills that would expand CHIP to all children in Pennsylvania.  His current priorities are to create new protections for homeowners from home invasion crimes, increase penalties for theft and fraudulent business practices, write new safeguards into the gaming law, expand affordable healthcare, and grant Allegheny County greater authority to create their own campaign finance reform and smoking bans.  

Official Website: http://www.senatorcosta.com/ 

PA Senate Website Profile:http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/member_information/senate_bio.cfm?id=254 2011-2012 

Sponsored Legislation:http://www.legis.state.pa.us/CFDocs/Legis/BS/bs_action.cfm?SessId=20110&Sponsors=S|43|0|Jay%20Costa 

For more on the Costa Family legacy:http://www.iop.pitt.edu/documents/report/Report%2048%20Summer%202011.pdf

Election Coverage:  Meet Your State Representatives

In preparation for the upcoming election, every Friday the GRC blog will feature those who will be on the ticket in the two districts that make up the Oakland campus, starting from local elections and moving on up to the presidential race.  Though the following three representatives in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives are running uncontested, please take a minute to get to know the people who serve as your voice in the state government.

For those living in Upper Campus (Sutherland, Pennsylvania and Panther Halls, and Frat Housing), Forbes Hall and Lothrop Hall:

Rep. Jake Wheatley, D- 19th District:  Representative Wheatley was elected in 2003 and will be running for re-election this year.  Originally from Minnesota, he completed his B.A. in Political Science at North Carolina A&T State University before doing his Master of Public Administration at the University of Pittsburgh.  He is a member of the House Committees on Education, Human Services, Veteran Services & Emergency Preparedness, Local Government, and Rules.

He is the sponsor of 1,048 House Bills, for 34 of them he is the prime sponsor (the legislator who claims the most responsibility for the bill and decides who can co-sponsor it).  Of these 34 bills, the majority focus on inner-city issues such as gun control, building and housing codes, providing limited licenses for first-time DUI or drug offenders as a “second chance,” extending the definition of “hazardous school transportation routes” to include areas deemed unsafe by the police, and a redefinition of small businesses that raised the employee cap to 175 rather than 100.  Also prominent in his bill list are bills concerning contracting between the government and businesses, including a bill that added businesses owned and operated by veterans to the list of “disadvantaged businesses” that receive higher priority from the state in contracting.

Rep. Wheatley’s Website: http://www.pahouse.com/wheatley/

PA House Website Profile:

http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/member_information/house_bio.cfm?id=1026

Sponsored Legislation (2011-2012 only; must filter legislation by year):

http://www.legis.state.pa.us/CFDocs/Legis/BS/bs_action.cfm?SessId=20110&Sponsors=H|19|0|Jake%20Wheatley

For those living in Litchfield Towers, the Quad (Amos Hall, Brackenridge Hall, Bruce Hall, Holland Hall, and McCormick Hall), Bouquet Gardens, Forbes-Craig, Oakwood, Ruskin Hall, and anywhere in South Oakland:

Rep. Dan Frankel, D- 23rd District:  Representative Frankel was elected to the House in 1999 and will be running for re-election this year.  Originally from Pennington, New Jersey, Frankel received his B.S. from Kenyon College before completing the Certificate Program for Senior

Executives in State and Local Government at the prestigious John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.  He is a member of the Rules Committee in the House.

He is the sponsor of 4,181 House bills and the prime sponsor of 177 bills. While his career cannot be adequately summarized in a single blog post, we can at least look at his recent initiatives.  Most of his prime sponsored bills from this past House session focus on transportation, specifically motorcycle laws.  He created special motorcycle license plates to denote drivers who are 20 or younger and created an exception to the protective equipment requirement for those who have comprehensive long-term health insurance.  He has also spearheaded efforts to counteract the current voter ID law by establishing mobile units to distribute photo IDs to disadvantaged voters, by creating an electronic voter registration system, and by waiving the $50 fee to obtain a birth certificate (required to obtain a free photo ID) from the state.  Other initiatives include bills prohibit gender identity and sexual orientation discrimination in housing and employment, applying the 1986 Whistleblower Law to employees of oil and gas companies, and requiring medical students to receive training in how to treat and communicate with terminally-ill patients nearing the end of their life.

Rep. Frankel’s Website: http://www.pahouse.com/frankel/

PA House Website Profile:

http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/member_information/house_bio.cfm?id=84

2011-2012 Sponsored Legislation:

http://www.legis.state.pa.us/CFDocs/Legis/BS/bs_action.cfm?SessId=20110&Sponsors=H|23|0|Dan%20Frankel

For those living in Centre Plaza:

Rep. Dom Costa, D- 21st District: Representative Dom Costa is a native citizen of Pittsburgh, having grown up in the suburban area of Penn Hills a few miles northeast of campus.  His family has a record of public service; his uncle, Jay Costa Sr., was Allegheny County Treasurer, and 

he has four cousins serving in various levels of the state and local government.  Originally a 

plumber and later a police officer, Costa was shot while negotiating an armed standoff.  He 

was briefly retired, but soon thereafter was appointed chief of police.  In 2009, Costa ran for 

public office as a state representative.  He is currently the minority chair of the Tourism & 

Recreational Development Subcommittee on Arts and Entertainment, the minority vice chair of the Insurance Committee, and a member of the committees on Gaming Oversight and the 

Judiciary.

In his two sessions in service, Costa has sponsored 1,438 House bills, and was the prime 

sponsor of 21 of them.  His prime sponsored bills focus mostly on law enforcement, as might 

be expected from his background, though he legislates on a number of other issues as well.  

His bills would extend the definition of “aggravated assault” to include school crossing guards, 

service company employees, and volunteer firemen as potential victims; create a special State Police advisory to track and capture those who murder or attempt murder on law enforcement 

officers; protect the home addresses of public school district employees from the 

Right-to-Know Law; require nonpublic schools to create policies on bullying; double the fines on offenses ranging from misdemeanors of the third degree (those warranting up to a year of jail 

time) to murder and attempted murder; create more stringent penalties for supplying inmates 

with tools to escape; and prohibit the creation, possession, and use of EMP weapons and 

devices.

Rep. Costa’s Website: http://pahouse.com/DCosta/

PA House Website Profile:

http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/member_information/house_bio.cfm?id=1164

2011-2012 Sponsored Legislation:

http://www.legis.state.pa.us/CFDocs/Legis/BS/bs_action.cfm?SessId=20110&Sponsors=H|21|0|Dom%20Costa

For more on the Costa Family legacy:

http://www.iop.pitt.edu/documents/report/Report%2048%20Summer%202011.pdf

Update: The Campaign for Mayor 

Hey Pitt Students! I have a really quick post for this week to update you all on the mayoral race. At the end of last week a political bomb was dropped. City Councilman Bill Peduto filed papers to run for mayor, as many thought he would. The real surprise was that county executive Rich Fitzgerald donated more than the legal max to Peduto’s campaign. While the county executive claims this is not an endorsement, every political insider in the city knows this is a huge sign of support, beyond endorsement level, regardless of what Fitzgerald says. Many believe that it may also be a warning shot to other opposition candidates to stay away from the race.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has the full story here<http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/allegheny-county-executive-backing-peduto-mayoral-run-655255/>.

Don’t forget to check back next Monday for your mayoral election update!