Jonathan B. Robison

Jonathan and Mary Robison
154 N. Bellefield Ave. #66, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
412-683-0237 jon@jonrobison.org www.jonrobison.org
April 16, 2009

This is the Robison political newsletter, which is sent in advance of the primary and general elections to about 2,000 people by e-mail and bulk mail. If any friends don’t receive the e-mail edition, it’s probably because we don’t have a correct e-mail address (or have an ‘.edu’ address, which gives us a problem). We will be happy to add any names to the list, preferably with their e-mail address. Some of our friends contribute to help support the newsletter, and we are grateful. If you would like to help with the costs, you are invited to send a check to Robison Political Action Committee, 154 N. Bellefield Ave., #66, Pittsburgh, PA 15213. Please forward or give copies of this to any interested friends. The newsletter also will be up on our website.

Hugh McGough for Judge

One candidate, Hugh Fitzpatrick McGough, is outstanding among many good judicial candidates. He
is running for one of the five seats on the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas.
Hugh received the top rating, “Highly Recommended”, from the Allegheny County Bar Association’s Judiciary Committee. He is an appointed mediator for the U.S. District Court for the western district of Pennsylvania. He crafted Pittsburgh’s anti-discrimination program. He received the Founders’ Award for his pro bono (volunteer) legal work from the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force. He is endorsed by the Gertrude Stein Political Club of Greater Pittsburgh. In 2007 he served as Treasurer for the Allegheny County Democratic Committee Primary Campaign. He also sings in the Renaissance City Choir.
One good sure winner is Judge Joe Williams. He is an African-American, appointed to a court vacancy by Governor Ed Rendell and confirmed by the State Senate.
Arnie Klein is a stalwart, running again with the endorsement of the Allegheny County Democratic Committee. He is a solid supporter of civil rights, reproductive rights, and the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (lgbt) communities.
We also recommend Susan Evashavik DiLucente, well qualified and solid on civil rights, reproductive rights, and rights of the lgbt communities.
Another good candidate is Don Walko. He is now a State Representative from the North Side, with experience writing laws rather than citing them in court.
You can vote for up to five candidates. Other hopefuls worthy of consideration include Michael Marmo, an adjunct professor at the Duquesne Law School, and Carolyn Saldari Bengel, a district magistrate in Springdale.

For the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Jack Panella’s Fight will be in the Fall
Starting back at the top of the voting machine, Jack Panella is unopposed for the Democratic nomination for the state’s top court. But in the fall the winner of the Republican primary will have millions of dollars in campaign funds. Why? Because the Pennsylvania Supreme Court controls reapportionment of the state Legislature after each decennial census. Some districts look like the product of a bad acid trip – look at the 38th State Senate District, which stretches from West Oakland to Armstrong County. Reapportionment could be even worse next time.

Barbara Behrend Ernsberger for Commonwealth Court
To continue with state judge candidates, we strongly support our friend and neighbor, Barbara Behrend Ernsberger, running statewide for one of the two seats open on Commonwealth Court. She is endorsed by the Gertrude Stein Political Club, as is Linda S. Judson. whom we also support.

For Pennsylvania Superior Court, Judges Anne E. Lazarus and John Younge
Anne Lazarus and John Younge are well regarded as Common Pleas judges in Philadelphia and well regarded by the Pennsylvania Bar Association. Both are endorsed by the Gertrude Stein Political Club and the Democratic Party. There are three seats up on Superior Court.

No Primaries for County Sheriff or County Council
After the judges, we have incumbent Allegheny County Sheriff Bill Mullen, who has no opposition filed from any political party.
There are seven seats on the Allegheny County Council up this year, but no primary contests. In District 1, in the North Hills, we agree with the Gertrude Stein Political Club, which endorsed Thomas Michalow as a challenger to incumbent Matt Drozd. Amanda Green is an outstanding new Council member from the 13th District centered around Highland Park. She is the prime sponsor of the proposed Allegheny County anti-discrimination ordinance. She has no apparent opposition from either party.

Mayor of Pittsburgh – Two Alternatives to the Incumbent
Next is Mayor of the City of Pittsburgh, which may be the most important office to be decided this spring. We are not enthusiastic about any of the three alternatives.
We are uncertain about the incumbent, Luke Ravenstahl. His programs are better than his politics. He has been strong on accessibility for persons like me – Jon – who use a power wheelchair to get around. We are told that his Department of City Planning is working creatively with the neighborhoods and neighborhood organizations. City Planning has initiated SNAP – Sector/Neighborhood Action Planning - that is making city data more available to the neighborhoods.
But most publicly assisted development goes through the Urban Redevelopment Authority, the URA (It seems that most development is assisted by public monies.) The URA is still cozy with developers, many of whom are campaign contributors. And why is Ravenstahl backing Dan Onorato’s bizarre proposal to merge the city into Allegheny County? Does he hope Dan Onorato will succeed Ed Rendell as Governor, and he will run the whole city/county government? (One opponent, Pat Dowd, is worse on that issue.)
In politics, Luke Ravenstahl is the nation’s youngest “good old boy.” He supports the old guard. He is anti-choice and negative to campaign finance reform. His enormous political treasury both exemplifies and worsens the problem. Big money is a disease in American politics. You or I might give $50 to a candidate we thought good for the public. That’s a contribution. But when a candidate has a $200-a-plate fundraising dinner, and someone buys a table – that’s an investment.
The alternatives are not exciting.
Pat Dowd has gone from one job to another – School Board, City Council, now mayor. We’ve heard criticism that he doesn’t stick with the issues of the community groups that backed him. He hasn’t demonstrated much connection with the poor or African-American communities in Pittsburgh.
Carmen Robinson is interesting. She had a father who worked at J & L Steel and a mother who worked at H. J. Heinz. She became police sergeant and then a lawyer. Now she’s running for mayor, but more experience on community issues would have laid a better foundation for her candidacy.
However, when the campaign winds down, will the incumbent’s war chest determine the winner?

For Pittsburgh City Council
Robert Vincent Frank in the 2nd District; Natalia Rudiak in the 4th District
Rob Frank is an outstanding candidate in the 2nd District, in the West End area. He is employed by the Multiple Sclerosis Service Society in Greentree. Active on neighborhood issues and organizing independent Democratic activists in his part of the city, he is president of the South End Active Democrats and an elected member of the Democratic State Committee from the 42nd Senatorial District. He is endorsed by the Gertrude Stein Political Club and is a long-time friend of lgbt rights as well as a long-time personal friend. Another good candidate, Georgia Blotzer, ran in the special election to fill that seat but lost to Theresa Smith. We believe that Rob Frank is the best choice.
In the 4th District, in the South Hills wards, fortunately we have Natalia Rudiak. She is as an alternative to the candidates of the two factions in the big 19th Ward, which are based on their allegiance or opposition to 19th Ward Chairman Pete Wagner and his brother, State Auditor General Jack Wagner. Natalia is a independent Democrat, endorsed by the Gertrude Stein Political Club. Her father, the late Joe Rudiak, was an old friend and an old-time progressive over forty years ago when he was just about the only progressive in the city wards south of the Mon River.
The 6th City Council District, centered in the Hill. is a tougher choice. Some friends, including the Gertrude Stein Political Club, are sticking with Tonya Payne, the incumbent whom they backed in her successful challenge four years ago. Others are backing Robert Daniel Lavelle, known as “Daniel,” who seems to work diligently with all the organizations in his neighborhoods. His grandfather, Robert Lavelle, founder of Dwelling House, the Hill’s first and primary financial institution, is a fine gentleman and a personal friend and is conservative on social issues. This makes Daniel’s views on feminist issues more praiseworthy from our perspective. There are two other candidates, including Mark Brentley, notorious as the only Board of Education member to vote against comprehensive sex education.
In our own 8th District, Bill Peduto has no opposition in the Democratic primary. Someone unknown to us, one of the few Republicans on the ballot in the county, filed for the nomination. A number of friends have expressed regret that Bill, with his Council seat up, was not in a position to run for mayor.

Sharene Shealey for Pittsburgh School Board in District 1
There is a hot primary in the 1st School Board district, with the incumbent, Randall Taylor, not running for reelection. Sharene Shealey showed up at the last minute before the Gertrude Stein Political Club, showed a good understanding of the issues, and was endorsed.

Wilkinsburg Choices
Our newsletter doesn’t usually discuss local races outside Pittsburgh, but we have a couple of old friends running for Wilkinsburg Borough Council: Pamela Macklin and Denise Edwards, who is running for her fourth term. Their teammates are Barbara J. Ervin, Dennis Briggs, whom I represented in a successful election law case, and Richard Bradford.

For Pennsylvania’s Next Governor, Lehigh County Executive Don Cunningham
The 2010 race for Governor of the state has already started, with Ed Rendell term-limited. Candidates include Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato and possibly Pennsylvania Auditor General Jack Wagner, both conservative on social issues. We are glad we have an alternative, Lehigh County Executive Don Cunningham. He is a good Democrat on reproductive rights and lgbt rights, as well as on economic issues.

IRAQ
Moving from politics to issues, Iraq is still a nightmare. More and more people die, or are crippled for life, on all sides. We have a word to say – OUT.
People should continue act for peace, with petitions, letters, e-mails, public meetings, and demonstrations. There are now a half-dozen one-hour weekly vigils in this area with signs opposing the war:
I – Jon – vigil almost every Saturday. Sometimes I’m at the noon vigil at Forbes and Braddock in Regent Square. Other Saturdays I’m at the 1 pm vigil at Penn Av. and Highland in East Liberty, organized by Black Voices for Peace. Will this help? Who knows? At least we can tell our grandchildren that we tried. Enough! Bring our troops home.

Health Care Looms as Barack Obama’s Biggest Battle
We think President Barack Obama is off to a good start, dealing with horrendous problems at home and abroad. But we expect that the bitterest fight will be over health care.
The voters who elected Obama expect a national program – first rate, comprehensive healthcare for all. The health insurance companies want to protect their profits. There has been a compromise on the financial fiasco and one is possible on the mortgage foreclosure disaster. Some industries may accept defeat on card-check unionization. But even though many businesses need national healthcare, the insurance companies will use every dirty trick imaginable, and then some.
The issue is being fought in Harrisburg and in Congress. For more information, please contact healthcare4allPA.org.

What is “fair compensation?” – the Hidden Question
Underlying the indignation over the million-dollar bonus paid to executives of failed financial institutions now receiving public funds, there is a hidden question: just what is “fair compensation?” This could be asked in every fight over wages for teachers, steelworkers, or hospital workers. But it’s a difficult and explosive question that our society is afraid to ask explicitly.
There is no consensus on this, in capitalist societies, Marxist societies, or any society. We need to start talking about this, some day. Perhaps I’ll do a longer article on our website.

MS Walk in April26
Let us make a personal appeal. Please participate in the MS Walk, in person or by a contribution.
There will be a Pittsburgh MS Walk Sunday April 26, Sunday, starting 9 a.m. at Point State Park. . There will be a five-kilometer route and a one-kilometer route.
You can also participate with a contribution. Please make a check payable to the National MS Society (not to us). Please send it to us at 154 N. Bellefield Av. #66, Pittsburgh 15213
I, Jon have MS – multiple sclerosis. I can’t walk any distance, so I will go on the walk, on the five kilometer route, in my power wheelchair. I go on the walk to raise money for research on MS. A half million people have MS. It’s now controllable, but still incurable. The National MS Society for years has been funding research. A cure would be nice. That’s why we walk – or roll. More information is available from the National MS Society, www.nationalmssociety.org - or from the Allegheny District Chapter, 412-261-6347, 1501 Reedsdale St. #105, Pittsburgh, PA 15233.

Love and Peace,
Jon and Mary
Jonathan and Mary Robison