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I went to the last forum at the Union Project. My breakdown:
Wudarczyk - Too confrontational, I can't seem him working well with others. Fallon - Seemed like a nice guy but didn't overwhelmingly impress me. His skits with Justin Timberlake are great though. Powell - Are all sysadmins libertarians? Good ideas, no chance of getting any of them enacted. Coeffe - I liked him and it seemed like he'd be able to get things done. Gross - My default candidate going in, I thought she came across as elitist. I got the feeling that she thinks she already has the election in the bag and didn't want to be there. The moderator gave them one sentence to answer a question to finish the forum and Deb Gross rambled on until she was shouted down by the crowd. All of her material made it very clear that she was the only democrat on the ballot, which isn't really honest.
It was an interesting event though it got a little rowdy when someone brought up the funded dog park in Highland Park that has yet to be built.
I'm leaning toward Coeffe at this point. I had assumed I would be voting for Gross because I like Peduto but I really didn't get a great vibe from her.
In the last few weeks we've had a number of people come by our door in Highland Park canvassing for Deb Gross. We were mailed a form letter today from Peduto reiterating his support for Gross. I haven't seen any yard signs other than Gross's in the neighborhood. I'm thinking the other candidates might have conceded Highland Park to her because no other candidate has come by.
If Ceoffe, who is truly a Democrat, upsets Gross tomorrow, then what does this say about the lunacy of having a "nominating committee" for the local Democratic party?
I originally supported Gross, too, but I also see her as being condescending, elitist, and arrogant along the lines of "the (D) after my name means this election is mine to lose, so why should I care about these silly debates?"
I'm voting for Ceoffe. If Gross wins just because of that "D" after her name then by golly I may just switch party affiliations.
"Dean Jackson, 35, of Bloomfield said the race between Deb Gross and Tony Ceoffe Jr. for a place on Pittsburgh City Council brought him to the voting booth."
“I was discouraged that Tony split the Democratic Party by running after losing the nomination,” Jackson said. “I'm happy to see that Deb Gross has the support of Bill Peduto. I want to see City Council work better with the mayor. Without the mayor's support, or without council's support, you can only get so much done.”
^ So, in other words, Mr. Jackson can't think for himself and needs the Democratic Party to endorse someone in order for him to know who to vote for? I feel like Deb Gross is going to win SIMPLY because she's the one with the (D) after her name, and that's not fair since Ceoffe is ALSO a Democrat who was forced to run as an Independent. How could someone just vote straight along partisan lines? I'm a gay liberal who voted for some REPUBLICANS today!
I feel like Deb Gross is going to win SIMPLY because she's the one with the (D) after her name, and that's not fair since Ceoffe is ALSO a Democrat who was forced to run as an Independent. How could someone just vote straight along partisan lines? I'm a gay liberal who voted for some REPUBLICANS today!
What about this quote indicates to you that this person "can't think for himself," or is blindly following the Democratic endorsement? Literally nothing about this individual's quote indicates that he believes a single thing you are reading into it. He says (a) he is annoyed with Ceoffe for reentering the race after losing the Dem nomination because (b) he wants a unified mayor's office and city council (which would likely not happen with Ceoffe in office), so that effective legislation can be introduced and passed in a timely fashion. What a stupid, partisan agenda!
Additionally:
(1) Ceoffe was "forced" to run as an independent? Poor Ceoffe! He's running as an independent because he lost the Democratic nomination. You sound like he was bullied out of the party or something, rather than the reality of the situation: He willingly participated in an established process, and he simply lost, fair and square. Do you think he's some principled independent who wouldn't have taken advantage of that (D) behind his name if the vote had gone the other way? No chance.
(2) There may be some people who are voting for Gross because of the (D), which I agree is a silly reason, by itself. There may even be a good number of people who are voting against Ceoffe because they're sick of his family's hard-nosed dominance of Lawrenceville -- arguably a less silly reason. But the concept that Deb Gross is going to win solely because she has the Dem nod is absurd and deeply insulting to a woman who is a lifelong progressive, who has done fundraising and strategic planning for nonprofits across the city, who understands how to push for good development, who has established relationships with other progressives (perhaps most importantly, Peduto), and who is supported by several unions and environmental groups.
What about this quote indicates to you that this person "can't think for himself," or is blindly following the Democratic endorsement? Literally nothing about this individual's quote indicates that he believes a single thing you are reading into it. He says (a) he is annoyed with Ceoffe for reentering the race after losing the Dem nomination because (b) he wants a unified mayor's office and city council (which would likely not happen with Ceoffe in office), so that effective legislation can be introduced and passed in a timely fashion. What a stupid, partisan agenda!
Additionally:
(1) Ceoffe was "forced" to run as an independent? Poor Ceoffe! He's running as an independent because he lost the Democratic nomination. You sound like he was bullied out of the party or something, rather than the reality of the situation: He willingly participated in an established process, and he simply lost, fair and square. Do you think he's some principled independent who wouldn't have taken advantage of that (D) behind his name if the vote had gone the other way? No chance.
(2) There may be some people who are voting for Gross because of the (D), which I agree is a silly reason, by itself. There may even be a good number of people who are voting against Ceoffe because they're sick of his family's hard-nosed dominance of Lawrenceville -- arguably a less silly reason. But the concept that Deb Gross is going to win solely because she has the Dem nod is absurd and deeply insulting to a woman who is a lifelong progressive, who has done fundraising and strategic planning for nonprofits across the city, who understands how to push for good development, who has established relationships with other progressives (perhaps most importantly, Peduto), and who is supported by several unions and environmental groups.
What makes Deb a "progressive"? I never truly understood that term. Is that something that people on the far-left say to pat one another on the back for being pro-choice, pro-same-sex marriage, pro-affirmative action, and being a vegan cyclist who only buys organic cat food from local farms while listening to Enya music on their iPod before yoga? Like wyoh I, too, sense an aura of elitism around Mrs. Gross, which is one of the primary reasons I chose to not vote for her this morning. She may be attuned to the needs of those in the wealthier parts of the district, but she did a terrible job connecting with those of us in the middle-class and working-class neighborhoods who are more concerned about gentrification and our crumbling infrastructure than food carts or feel-good buzz words.
District 7 is potentially one of the most socioeconomically split ones in the city. You have the well-educated upper-middle-class "progressives" of Highland Park, Friendship, and the Strip District along with the working-class peons of Bloomfield, Polish Hill, and Lawrenceville, many of whom "only" have a Bachelor's Degree these days. From reading some literature from Deb's supporters and through researching her web site Deb seems to be out-of-touch with a lot of the District 7 residents who helped to make this city what it is today whereas Tony Ceoffe hasn't been afraid to get his hands dirty as he rolls up his sleeves and tackles issues head-on as a community volunteer. Mr. Ceoffe doesn't laugh at the notion of a "housing affordability crisis" in District 7 the way many of Deb's supporters (including you) on this forum snidely have. Perhaps housing values and median rents have been rising slowly on an annual basis in the progressive haven that is Highland Park, but values have skyrocketed seemingly overnight in Polish Hill, Lawrenceville, and Bloomfield, squeezing the pocketbooks of those of us in the working-class, and there's seemingly no relief in sight on this upward pressure. A colleague of mine was in a bidding war for an apartment in our neighborhood, and homes here sell very rapidly, often for much higher than their assessed value. The last remaining home on the market here is priced well over a half-million dollars. Sure, we could all just "flee" District 7 to a place like Troy Hill or Millvale, but then we'll just spike the cost-of-living in those neighborhoods as well, displacing long-time residents in THOSE areas because while our incomes no longer support a comfortable life in District 7 they're still "posh" by the standards of Millvale or Troy Hill.
Why do we need to have a "Democratic nominating committee", anyways? If Mr. Dowd stepped down at a very inconvenient time, which he did, then why couldn't a special Democratic PRIMARY election be held to let the VOTERS decide between Mr. Ceoffe or Mrs. Gross at the polls, instead of a few dozen connected elites? It's no secret that in such a tight race the candidate with the (D) after his or her name WILL have the edge because so many voters DO blindly vote along partisan lines in this city because they're uneducated politically. If Mrs. Gross was chosen by the PEOPLE as the Democratic nominee in a special primary election for District 7, leaving Mr. Ceoffe to run as an Independent by the will of the people in the general election, then I'd have no complaints. Mrs. Gross's misleading and unfair campaign literature reminding voters that she was the "only Democrat in this race" was an unfair cheap shot at Mr. Ceoffe, who lost the committee's nod by just two votes. If we Democrats aren't electing these committee chairpeople, then why are they choosing candidates on our behalf, knowing full well that "edge" will lead to their election victory? Mrs. Gross has already been acting as if this election is hers to lose.
Also, Mr. Ceoffe has pledged that he IS going to work with Mr. Peduto if elected. Just because he's not close friends with him already the way Deb Gross is doesn't mean he can't befriend him once elected. Mr. Peduto just reached out and took a walk around the West End neighborhoods with long-time adversary Councilwoman Theresa Kail-Smith, a friend of mine, to discuss issues in her district, so apparently Peduto would have no issue with a new councilman he didn't know but who publicly supported him while campaigning.
A non-elected committee of a few dozen people didn't decide between Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama to have a (D) after their name in a general election. WE did. Why, then, did a committee of a few dozen people decide between Ceoffe and Gross FOR us?
Also, how did Mrs. Gross acquire her fortune? "Raising money to help non-profits" doesn't sound like a legitimate job to me, much less a lucrative one. So many candidates are "consultants", but then they waver when pressed more. If her husband is the breadwinner, then I can't say I have much respect for a quasi-housewife who volunteers and uses that for political gain. If I wasn't working 70 hours each week to afford the rising cost-of-living that Ceoffe is aware of and Gross is NOT aware of, then I, too, would be VOLUNTEERING 70 hours per week. You shouldn't be given a pat on the back for helping others if you are able to do so. That should be EXPECTED of you as a human being.
What makes Deb a "progressive"? I never truly understood that term. Is that something that people on the far-left say to pat one another on the back for being pro-choice, pro-same-sex marriage, pro-affirmative action, and being a vegan cyclist who only buys organic cat food from local farms while listening to Enya music on their iPod before yoga?
I agree that the term "progressive" is overused and borders on meaningless in some cases. That said, here is the definition of the noun: "a person advocating or implementing social reform or new, liberal ideas." If you disagree that this describes Deb Gross, you are just willfully ignoring the facts.
Quote:
...she did a terrible job connecting with those of us in the middle-class and working-class neighborhoods who are more concerned about gentrification and our crumbling infrastructure than food carts or feel-good buzz words.
I also agree that things like food trucks are weirdly over-prioritized by many of the city's "progressives." I don't get the impression that mandatory Enya-listening and zero-footprint yoga trucks are staples of Gross' agenda -- that, again, sounds like something you are inventing to fit a preconceived notion. I am more under the impression that things like fixing the infrastructure are her priorities.
Additionally: the idea that you are not (maybe unwittingly?) advocating / praying for gentrification is ridiculous. You have repeatedly, ad nauseum, endlessly criticized the people of your neighborhood, and native Pittsburghers generally, as lazy, sloppy, rude, uneducated "yinzers" who should somehow be eliminated. But when it's convenient to your argument (i.e., now), you suddenly have an interest in your fellow working man.
Quote:
Mr. Ceoffe doesn't laugh at the notion of a "housing affordability crisis" in District 7 the way many of Deb's supporters (including you) on this forum snidely have.
Don't mischaracterize what I've said. I think that hand-wringing about the affordability of housing in Pittsburgh generally is absurd and, ironically for someone as much a Friend of the Working Man as you, narrowly East End-centric. I could rattle off 40 neighborhoods that are more affordable than Polish Hill at this point.
I agree that District 7 is increasingly unaffordable. I can genuinely understand the anger and resentment of those who are being displaced after a lifetime in their homes. I have less sympathy for people who moved here a few years ago and act as if (a) they are somehow not part of the equation that led to higher prices in the first place; and (b) they have no acceptable recourse -- like, say, moving to one of those other 40 neighborhoods.
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Why do we need to have a "Democratic nominating committee", anyways?
I have no idea. I'm not debating the wisdom of the Democratic committee structure.
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If we Democrats aren't electing these committee chairpeople, then why are they choosing candidates on our behalf, knowing full well that "edge" will lead to their election victory?
Are you under the impression that committee members are not elected by the general public? They are. It's essentially a representative democracy.
Quote:
A non-elected committee of a few dozen people didn't decide between Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama to have a (D) after their name in a general election. WE did. Why, then, did a committee of a few dozen people decide between Ceoffe and Gross FOR us?
Yeah, again, take it up with the Democratic committee. This has never been a part of my argument.
Also, how did Mrs. Gross acquire her fortune? "Raising money to help non-profits" doesn't sound like a legitimate job to me, much less a lucrative one. So many candidates are "consultants", but then they waver when pressed more. If her husband is the breadwinner, then I can't say I have much respect for a quasi-housewife who volunteers and uses that for political gain. If I wasn't working 70 hours each week to afford the rising cost-of-living that Ceoffe is aware of and Gross is NOT aware of, then I, too, would be VOLUNTEERING 70 hours per week. You shouldn't be given a pat on the back for helping others if you are able to do so. That should be EXPECTED of you as a human being.
...Aaaaaaand this is just baseless, mean-spirited speculation. As easy as it would be to join you in that mud puddle, re: Ceoffe... it's not worth it.
If her husband is the breadwinner, then I can't say I have much respect for a quasi-housewife who volunteers and uses that for political gain.
What on earth is wrong with a marriage where division of labor is such that one member of the couple focuses on earning money while the other does something else? That's most marriages at one point of another. And what's wrong with using volunteering as a way to get your start in politics? That's how nearly everybody gets started.
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