“THERE ARE ALWAYS GOING TO BE UNDUE INFLUENCES IN THESE SITUATIONS.”
INCOMING Pittsburgh Party Pedaler allows patrons to work up a thirst (July 24) “Let’s mix bicycling and drinking. The only possibly more foolish notion is: Hey, let’s invest in this! Sorry, but this is not a good idea.” — Web comment from “Vannevar”
$
BILL PEDUTO
1,248,415.49 9
TOTAL AMOUNT OF CONTRIBUTIONS OVER LIMITS M ** $
JACK WAGNER AG
1,199,843.50
“In case you didn’t read the article, it’s about being out with friends and having fun. There is no alcohol served on the bike. It is a party bus, only people-powered. Our tour through the Strip was a BLAST!! We stopped at a couple of establishments and had a good time with our friends. It was a fun way to get about town and enjoy the company of many friends!! Glad it’s in our town!!” — Web comment from “Jack Morgan”
JAKE WHEATLEY
$
74,080.00
1,582.90
TOTAL AMOUNT OF CONTRIBUTIONS*
Local Artist Completes 2,000 Free Painting (July 19, online only)
$
23,000
758
6 69
$
1,073.62
$
901.38
* A.J. Richardson, also a candidate for mayor, reported no contributions collected as of May 10 and has not filed a 30-day post-primary report. * Wheatley’s reported total is incomplete. He has not yet filed all the required documents with Allegheny County Elections Division, which has sent him an incomplete notice. ** Prior to April 3, there were limits on the amount donors could contribute.
SOURCES: PEOPLE FOR PEDUTO: CAMPAIGN FINANCE ANNUAL REPORT 2012, AND SECOND-FRIDAY PRE-PRIMARY AND 30-DAY POST-PRIMARY REPORTS; FRIENDS OF JACK WAGNER: SECOND-FRIDAY PRIMARY AND 30-DAY POST-PRIMARY REPORTS; WHEATLEY 4 MAYOR: SECOND-FRIDAY PRE-PRIMARY REPORT; A.J. RICHARDSON: SECOND-FRIDAY PRIMARY REPORT
The area’s lone import video-game outlet finds it footing (July 24)
— The first tweet from Steelers coach Mike Tomlin (@CoachTomlin) after joining Twitter July 26
253,376
1,385
$
th
“Hello Twitter. Expect no BS from me. Just straight fire!”
$
AVERAGE CONTRIBUTION PER DONOR WHO CONTRIBUTED MORE THAN $50
“Thank goodness the Committee’s votes were cast on paper rather than in electronic machines. Recounting was possible! Mr. Ceoffe should accept the vote as cast, and save his indignity for non-recountable votes cast — such as in our general elections.” — Web comment from “Audrey Glickman”
“I recently spent ten angry minutes (unrelated) parked outside this very establishment and thus can affirm all this as basically true. It was also very humid there, which this article does not mention.” — Web comment from “Donley Sweeney”
260,000
NUMBER OF DONORS CONTRIBUTING $50 OR MORE UT
Deb Gross, Allegheny County Democrats respond to Ceoffe lawsuit (July 25, online only)
“I’ve been on Ali’s wait list for a few months now and wholeheartedly support and appreciate her endeavor and all around good will.” — Web comment from “JK”
$
P
BEYOND LIMITS
HILIP AMERIS, president and business manager for the Laborers’ District Council of Western Pennsylvania, is short and to the point. “We did what we had to do,” he says when asked about the $133,000 the council’s political action committee and a related PAC, WUF, gave to Pittsburgh City Councilor and Democratic mayoral nominee Bill Peduto during his primary campaign. That money accounted for 11 percent of Peduto’s campaign war chest, the largest contribution from any one source. But it isn’t the only eyebrow-raising contribution received by Peduto or his opponents, former state auditor general Jack Wagner and state Rep. Jake Wheatley, according to a review of contributions conducted by City Paper. This year’s mayoral race was financed with more than $ 2.5 million — and more
than $600,000 of that came in contributions of $10,000 or more. There is more than a little irony in those findings. This year’s mayoral race was set to be the highest-profile test of the city’s 2009
Campaign-finance reform was supposed to level the playing field in local elections, but $2.5 million raised in mayor’s race shows it was the same old ballgame {BY AMYJO BROWN} campaign-finance law, which sought to limit the influence of large-dollar contributors. But those limits — $4,000 for individuals and $8,000 for committees — were lifted
April 3 by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Joseph James. Within days of that ruling, money began flooding in. To determine the effect of lifting the limits shortly before the May 21 primary election, CP reviewed the final campaignfinance reports recently filed by the committees People for Peduto, Friends of Jack Wagner and Jake Wheatley 4 Mayor. What we found: Peduto’s cash contributions totaled $1,248,415.49. Wagner’s totaled $1,199,843.50. State Rep. Jake Wheatley, who was third in the race and whose campaignfinance reports are incomplete, raised at least $74,080. A little more than half of that came from two donors: $29,000 from state Rep. Dwight Evans (who serves Philadelphia’s District 203) and $10,000 from Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, who chose CONTINUES ON PG. 08
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 07.31/08.07.2013