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Pittsburgh Laurels & Lances
Laurel: To US Airways' pilots. They've given up much in their quest to help keep the nation's seventh-largest airline afloat. And this week, they gave up even more. They voted to allow US Airways to reassign regional jet leases to its express-carrier affiliates. The move is expected to save the airline substantial dollars that could, in the final analysis, mean the difference between continuing operations or going out of business.
Lance: To Ed Rendell. The governor is lukewarm to a pair of state legislative measures designed to add accountability to Pittsburgh's heretofore unaccountable fiscal practices. One would require city controller audits of any agencies -- including authorities -- with board members appointed by the mayor or City Council. The other would ban the practice of "balancing" the budget using revenue streams that do not exist. And Mr. Rendell is noncommittal? Doesn't say much for the gov.
Laurel: To the market. Less than a week after US Airways said it planned to downgrade Pittsburgh from a "hub" city to a "focus" city, Mesa Air says it's considering Pittsburgh International Airport for a hub operation. Mesa is a regional operation based in Arizona. Isn't the marketplace grand?
Lance: To the URA. The Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh now has amassed at least 1,800 properties valued at $72 million. And most of the land in URA hands is tax-exempt. And now we learn that the URA's in the parking lot business. Sounds to us like a government-controlled monopoly that's part of the problem, not the solution.
Laurel: To local bar and restaurant owners. They're pushing the General Assembly to legalize what long has been going on under the table in local watering holes -- video poker that pays off. Local governments already gain licensing fees from the "for amusement only" machines. And it's not as if they don't know what's going on. It's time to end the hypocritical nonsense.
On the "Watch List": Allegheny County government. The county could be in the red by up to $30 million by year's end unless immediate steps are taken to pare costs. It's time for some tough love, including layoffs. Can we trust Executive Dan Onorato and County Council to not do to Allegheny County what Mayor Tom Murphy and City Council did to Pittsburgh -- mask the problem? Early indications are that we can. But stay tuned.
