Wynn Is A Winner, In My Book

I was planning to stay at Caesar's Place (convention hotel) or maybe the Mirage (next door) later this year, but this exchange from a Wynn Resorts Ltd. conference call, announcing lower earnings, has changed my mind:

QUESTION: Can you talk about the potential for further cost reductions?

ANSWER (Steve Wynn): "Let's suppose that we can jam another $15 million to $20 million out. ... At this point I don't care about that last money if it means interfering with the employees and their lives, because that's our franchise. That's our future. ... I am not going to take the knife to the last buck when it comes to payroll. ... I think it has to be said: There comes a point in these companies in hard times when you make a decision - is it the money or is it the people? Speaking for Wynn Resorts, and you can hear me loud and clear: It's the people, not the damn money. Next question.

Staying at the Wynn would entail some transit time and taxi fares, but I now intend to direct my business to Steve Wynn, the guy who once poked a hole in his $100 million painting and reacted by saying, "Thank goodness it was me and not someone else."

If I must lose a few bucks in Vegas, that's a guy I wouldn't mind losing to.

Water And Sewer Board Meets Friday Morning

Although the website indicates the meeting occurred on July 24, I have been told the board of the Pittsburgh Water Sewer Authority will meet, beginning at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow, at the PWSA offices along Penn Avenue.

This appears to be the final meeting scheduled before September 11, which bolsters the stories emanating from various corners of city and county government that indicate the mayor wants to ram through a resolution of the Iron City Brewing lien/payback issues. There may be a spanner in the works, however.

In one corner, carrying water for the company that abandoned the city after taking millions in handouts from taxpayers, is the Ravenstahl administration. The boy mayor is said to be pressing hard to clear the liens and let the defaulting, departing, out-of-towners at Iron City off the hook. Why?

In the other corner, pushing for at least $1 million in repayments of water and sewer bills (at least, that's his current position -- I suspect that in the end he is going to push for a bigger recovery) is council member Patrick Dowd. Why? The brewery is in his district, which means the jobs shredded by the liars at Iron City (with indispensable and inexplicable help from from the Ravenstahl administration) were located in his district. Dr. Dowd appears be trying to prevent a massive abuse of taxpayers.

The mayor has several puppets -- Scott Kunka, Dan Deasy, Margaret Lanier -- on the board, but perhaps not enough to overcome the apparent strength of Dowd's position (why, exactly, should city ratepayers give a dime to people who fleeced and abandoned the city??). Don Walko, chair of the board, has made some interesting recent noises that appear to support Dowd's inquiries. Robert Jablonowski, vice-chair, was a close friend of former Mayor Bob O'Connor and has no apparent connection to the boy mayor. Henry Blum is a union liaison with a Mellon Arena background. Who knows? Maybe one or two members are familiar with the term "fiduciary duty"!

If nothing else, I expect Dowd to shine a needed spotlight on some financial dealings that make no apparent sense (and, apparently, some shaky legal issues). The amount at stake for the public approximates $4 million.

My predictions:

> two-paragraph blurb, at most, in the Trib (which outdid itself with the Heather Bresch promotion story that mentioned neither her illusory degree nor the current, stock-roiling FDA scandal), with no mention of the Iron City angle

> six-paragraph summary in the Post-Gazette, a bare-bones recounting of votes and reports with no context

> an extensive report at The Comet

Those willing to forecast the degree to which the public will be abused should check the Propositions Board; new odds posted.

A Few Questions Rob Stephany Won't Answer

Rob Stephany, Executive Director of the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh, is reported to have asked developers to contact the mayor's office, city council members and the media to express objections to a "potential 'living wage' policy."

Several questions for Mr. Stephany:

(1) Have you solicited similar opposition to prevailing wage laws for construction workers, which inflate development costs?

(2) Do you oppose prevailing wage laws for construction workers?

(3) Can you recognize the logical inconsistency in your positions?

(4) Are you man enough to try to explain that logical inconsistency?

The upside is that the more time Mr. Stephany spends solicitoring sob stories from developers for the mayor's office, the less time he can devote to wasting taxpayer funds and wrecking neighborhoods.

Mylan Still Does Not Recognize Quicksand

It appears Mylan has forgotten Rule No. 3.

I have a hunch some regulators, or perhaps prosecutors, may provide an exceedingly expensive refresher course.

Dowd Airs Water Authority's Beer-Puked Laundry

If you thought the Indictment Incubator had learned by now that irregular procedures + campaign contributors = special favors is a dangerous formula that produces bad results, this Post-Gazette story -- "Pittsburgh Councilman Seeks Higher Water Payment From Iron City" -- might change your mind.

It appears Michael Kenney (yes, that Michael Kenney) is attempting to arrange inexplicable undercover favors for Iron City Brewing (operated by liars who abandoned the city after taking millions in "economic development" funds) to keep the lid on mistakes by the boy mayor and his chief of staff (I hear both are culpable here, but one gets leniency because he must be tried as a juvenile).

Council member Patrick Dowd, reportedly, is asking questions and agitating for a better deal for taxpayers (echoing a prescient federal judge). The mayor's office (and, I keep hearing, the County Executive's office) apparently is trying to stonewall on information and rush to judgment.

Just a hunch, but my money is on Dowd on this one, particularly if other council members support his efforts to protect taxpayers. Dowd may not recover the entire wad that the mayor squandered, but he seems well-positioned to obtain recovery of more than Mr. Kenney seems inclined to seek, even if it takes a judge to help the Iron City owners find their checkbook (cashier's or certified check only, please).

A Farewell To Tongues and Dog Whistles

I have tried to find some sense in Sarah Palin's words for months, most recently with respect to her "I Love This State So Much, I Quit" farewell speech. As I attempted to chart a logical proof of her soldiers-democracy-reporters riff, or to divine what was so "obvious" about her reasons for bailing that she need not explain, it occurred to me that Sarah Palin engages in a secular form of speaking in tongues. No one can understand what in hell she is trying to say. Her fellow true-believers nod approvingly, entranced. Everyone else politely rolls his eyes in dismissive exasperation.

True believers immerse in delusion, oblivious to their intersection with the reality-based world, so when she says "Some still are choosing not to hear why I made the decision to chart a new course to advance the state," she means it: She believes the problem is that we are choosing to disregard her words, when the truth is her dog-whistle style makes damned near every sound she emits unintelligible to most of her audience.

I hope her resignation directs the spotlight away from her family; raising five children seems enough to consume anyone's attention without having every step scrutinized by the media-audience combination that is about to inflict Octomom on the American television audience. I would not want to live in that fishbowl.

I hope Sarah Palin resurfaces periodically, however, bringing Tina Fey back to Saturday Night Live, where she belongs.

Kirk Burkley, Planning Commissioner And Zoning Board Member: The Premiere Performance

The Comet -- unlike any other source of which I am aware -- has recounted the first public performance of Kirk Burkley, Planning Commissioner.

The early review seems promising. The Comet acknowledged some initial concerns -- lack of planning experience, lack of a public interview -- but ignored a more serious issue with respect to Mr. Burkley's appointment. Plus, anyone chosen by the boy mayor is assigned two strikes before approaching the batter's box.

From a sketchy beginning, however, Mr. Burkley is reported to have acquitted himself smartly -- engaged, sensible, inquisitive -- during the commission meeting. I have found no report of whether the conflict issue regarding Mr. Burkley's vote on a Rooney-Continental development application -- his spouse is employed by the Rooney law firm -- was mentioned, let alone reasoned, publicly. Then again, I still have not found any report, from the P-G or any source, acknowledging that the mayor, after cleaning house because a land giveaway involving the Rooneys and a sign giveaway favoring another campaign contributor were not rubber-stamped, appointed two people whose households depend on the Rooney law firm for funding.

Educated, articulate, energetic, inquisitive . . . it is hard to figure what the city administration liked about Mr. Burkley. Setting aside the submerged tie to a well-connected entity that regularly seeks favors from the city, Mr. Burkley has generated hope that he will be a good addition to the Planning Commission. I therefore feel somewhat bad about the first hit on a Google images search for "Kirk Burkley," so I am temporarily retiring the original photo and using another.

UPDATE: A comment indicates that Mr. Burkley has been a member of the Planning Commission for a year, and that his recent appointment was to the Zoning Board of Adjustment. The city website indicates Mr. Burkley's current membership on both panels. I stand sit corrected.

UPPERDATE: Why Mr. Burkley is so favored by the mayor -- we were informed that the administration received a stack of impressive resumes, yet Mr. Burkley snags one of two open spots at Zoning while keeping his Planning position, and another Rooney-connected lawyer gets the second seat -- strikes me as worthy of exploration. Plus, I am still wondering why Mr. Burkley's wife was spotted by Bob Mayo inexplicably scurrying through service corridors (shepherded by the mayor's Director of Policy) to avoid questions when she was a member of the Ethics Board. Plus plus, so far there is no evidence that anyone acknowledged, let alone resolved, the issue of whether Mr. Burkley should vote on a seven- or eight-figure proposal advanced by a group led by a name partner at the law firm that issues paychecks that fund his household. I want to believe Mr. Burkley is something better than just another warm bulb in the mayor's indictment incubator, and The Comet's report generates hope, but I believe more information is needed to reach a reliable conclusion. I'm not reaching for that puppet picture yet, but I am keeping it within reach. Perhaps one of the Bernstein Law Firm or Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney employees who visit this site could provide insight?

Two Cheers For Sabatini And Boselovic

Sunday's Post-Gazette indicates that Patricia Sabatini and Leonard Boselovic, nemeses of resume-padding corporate executives, dishonest educational institutions and even governors, are at it again. At this point, I suspect their prospects for a PR gig at Mylan are remote.

These two reporters may have become the most formidable tandem in Pittsburgh media since Ed and Wendy King were conducting KDKA's Party Line, radio's first talk show (1951-71).

UPDATE: Signals from the P-G newsroom indicate Boselovic and Sabatini have more to report, and soon, but nothing appears on the P-G website as of late Monday.

Unsolicited Advice Series: Yarone S. Zober

After providing unsolicited advice (and more unsolicited advice) to Kevin Acklin, and wincing through, and then parsing, Yarone Zober's recent oratorical exhibition, I sense that providing unrequested advice to Mr. Zober would be the sporting course.

First, stick to a statement prepared by someone who knows what he is doing (think: outsource). If asked a question, respond only as is essential -- less, if possible. Think of Mario Lemieux, whose nature (and, I suspect, excellent training) leads him to pause and purse his lips after nearly every phrase, giving the impression that uttering another syllable would resemble birthing a jagged-edged bowling ball. Lemieux even nods silently at the end of every sentence or two, as if acknowledging an unseen coach asking him "why say another word?"

Second, eliminate unsolicited, impromptu statements. Unprovoked ramblings along tangents are usually imprudent, particularly if your nature is to be disingenuous and you are discussing matters better (from your perspective, anyway) left unilluminated.

Third, avoid easily refuted statements, such as "developers are abandoning downtown for Millvale" or "the city is growing" or "I will be hiking in solitude with my Lord along the Appalachian trail."

Fourth, eschew readily ridiculed opinions, such as a claim that a handful of protesters, rather than national economic quicksand, is to blame for stalling hotel projects that were unable to get off the ground when the development environment was overheated.

Fifth, devote special attention to steering clear of embarrassing topics and juxtapositions, such as describing job creation as the standard by which your administration's economic development policy should be judged on the day on which 150 years of continuous employment at a manufacturing facility is ending consequent to your administration's economic development activity.

Finally, please feel free to disregard these pointers, and to start singing like a canary sitting on a sackful of seeds, if people identifying themselves as an FBI agent and a prosecutor's investigator pull you aside deftly and quietly indicate they would like to speak with you privately.

Zober On Developers And Protests (Annotated)

The boy mayor's chief of staff, Yarone Zober, provided a 10-minute clinic on public speaking mistakes recently, recorded by and made available at The Comet (or in Infinonyvision, center column to the right).

Zober was fielding questions from reporters, with unprompted riffs on development policy, unions, community organizers, and other subjects included. A clock-keyed annotation:

"The main issue the mayor's concerned about is making sure Pittsburgh continues to grow . . . [after] decades and decades of decline . . . Pittsburgh is on an upswing."(:17)

Pittsburgh can not, by definition, continue to grow until it begins to grow. "The Pittsburgh region had the steepest population decline among cities outside areas hit by Hurricane Katrina from 2000 to 2006, according to Census Bureau estimates released today." Upswing? The city, insolvent, just signed up for another five-year receivership. The Ravensthal-Zober take on the city's bearing evokes two kids in the back of a station wagon, unaware that they are pointed in the wrong direction, furiously turning their toy steering wheels as they look out the back window, excited by how fast they are going.

"Our job is to create jobs." (:26)

Zober made this statement just as the final kegs were rolling out of Iron City Brewery, a business that withstood 148 years of Prohibition, plagues, World Wars, Industrial Revolution and (more recently) pathetic management -- but could not survive Ravensthal-Zober economic development measures.

"The goal is to create jobs, and to promote economic development so that we can generate taxes . . ." (2:30)

Except, of course, when the city ensures a development doesn't pay taxes.

"Certain hotel developments, for example, [that have been 'contemplated for several years'] are deciding not to come to Pittsburgh because of this type of {protest} activity"(2:35)

Projects that couldn't get off the ground in the go-go years are still going nowhere in a once-in-a-couple-of-generations national economic downturn, and the city administration naturally attributes this to . . . rabble-rousers.

(In response to a request for specific examples:) "You'd really have to talk to the URA about that."(2:40)

Great idea, because surely one might expect some familiarity with that topic from the chair of the URA -- Yarone S. Zober.

(Identifying relevant hotel projects:) "There's one on the South Side [Works] . . . one at the Pittsburgh Technology Center . . ." (3:52)

South Side Works? The project with more than 70% public funding? That's leading with your chin. Pittsburgh Technology Center? The $5 million TIF for a project worth less than $30 million?

"The bottom line is, some people will always want to stop progress." (3:54)

The old Tom Murphy "naysayer" angle. Of course, this point depends on one's definition of progress.

"Is it fair to have the North Side benefit from developments in the North Side?"(5:32)

Seems at least as fair as expecting the North Side to bear the brunt of parking, vandalism, public urination, and similar problems associated with venues developed on the North Side. Perhaps residents recall the manner in which the Heinz Field liquor license was ramrodded to issuance overriding standard Liquor Control Board practices, or the recurring sound issues, or have little faith in the assurances of a family whose appraisal of the situation included an apparently sober claim their fans do not become intoxicated at Steelers games.

(Asked about union objections:) "If you go to some of the people in the building trades -- they have said 'we don't support CBAs . . . because construction and development has to continue . . . you always have that divergence of opinion." (0:56, second video)

And what might explain the mayor's preference for one union agenda over another? If the city administration believes reducing impediments to and cost of development is an unalloyed good, why does it not pursue eradication of prevailing wage requirements? There must be a reason for such an incongruous set of approaches to particular unions' policy preferences. In any event, it would be fascinating to observe how a selfish blowhard such as Rich Stanizzo or a human job-killer such as Jack Shea would react were the Ravenstahl administration to aim its pro-development policy at cost-inflating prevailing wage laws.

"It would be the easiest thing in the world to say, 'OK, whatever you want,' and I'm sure there will be some people who will do that." (1:24)

A sentiment regarding which everyone can agree: Surely no one would advocate 'whatever you want' government decisions, lest we have government officials improperly dispensing no-bid contracts and engaging in legal gymnastics to provide similarly dubious and lucrative favors to campaign contributors and other politically connected characters.

I could continue ripping Mr. Zober a new one with his own words, but my sphincter-ripper is overheating, and I will need it to work on Tim Hickman and the other greedy liars at Iron City Brewery shortly, so I will cut to the core point made by Mr. Zober at the beginning of the second video: "We just don't share the same interest on their specific issue." Memo to Northside United: Forget protests and press releases, which will generate nothing other than chained doors and a cold shoulder. Instead, you should consider some other methods -- time-tested, proven methods -- designed to "align interests." You will marvel at how accommodating the city administration can be when it perceives shared interests.

One Cheer For George W. Bush

A recent exchange of comments included my point that no person is all bad, a point that is easy to forget.

This Time magazine article, which recounts the tension between George W. Bush and Dick Cheney concerning the treatment of Scooter Libby as their administration ended, reflects well on Mr. Bush. Not because the former president declined to issue the complete pardon for which Mr. Cheney pestered him, but because of his depicted disdain for "fixer" pardons, respect for jury verdicts and focus on the issues of whether Mr. Libby had lied and whether Mr. Libby had exhibited remorse.

I am confident that I could identify a redeeming quality of Mr. Cheney if I devoted sufficient time to the task. I probably would need some help with respect to Liz Cheney, though.

Why Pick On The Post-Gazette?

Recent jabs at the Post-Gazette -- the swipe at substandard coverage of North Shore Uglitheater developments, the she-likes-pancakes snideness, the recurring and snarky Google-compatible Intertubes apparatus angle, the exasperation concerning disregard of the obvious hack-a-thon issues -- might cause a reader to conclude that (or, at least, wonder whether) I hold the P-G in especially low esteem, or that I find less fault with the Tribune-Review.

I like the Post-Gazette. I believe it often tries to find and report worthwhile news, including difficult stories. (For example, word wafting from Grant Street is that city officials -- in conjunction, for reasons not readily apparent, with county officials --have been fretting for weeks about a formal records request concerning the financial issues associated with Iron City Brewing, the water authority and squandered public subsidies, and most versions identify the P-G as the requestor).

The P-G often fights for access to public documents and proceedings, vindicates open meeting laws, and challenges the powerful. (Not always, however. It appears to have a few blind spots.)

The P-G has invested and participated in stories it covers. It periodically veers into bizarre territory, for reasons only the publisher (or a brave insider) might explain.

But, in a declining region and a challenging financial environment for journalism, the Post-Gazette provides Pittsburgh with a genuine newspaper. I note the P-G's faults because I believe the P-G might try to improve and might succeed.

Why not devote similar scrutiny to the Tribune-Review? Why do parents respond one way when their straight-A, never-arrested, hard-working, charity-volunteering child brings home an uncharacteristically low grade, and differently when the neighbors' paroled, addicted dropout gets arrested again, this time for a felony? Differing expectations, differing levels of concern.

What's The Story On Tuesday's Planning Votes?

The Post-Gazette reports this morning (after the Tribune-Review reported yesterday afternoon) that the City of Pittsburgh's planning commission has approved the $7 million, er, $12 million , er, publicly subsidized Continental Real Estate-Rooney proposal to build an entertainment complex just east of Heinz Field. The commission also improved a 170-square-foot LED sign for Heinz Field, home of the Rooneys' Steelers.

The Post-Gazette refrained from reporting:

(1) whether the entertainment project and LED sign were approved unanimously, by a single vote, or somewhere between;

(2) whether or how commissioner Kirk Burkley participated in the deliberations or vote concerning either of the Rooney-related issues;

(3) that Mr. Burkey's spouse is a lawyer whose paychecks are drafted on stock that includes the name "Rooney"; and

(4) the content of six conditions imposed on the project.

The coverage of friction between the exquisitely connected developers and neighbors was disappointingly thin, but thin > nonexistent.

I am not prepared to fault the reporter. Perhaps she submitted a competent report, but editors pared it to make room for the front-page news that former P-G president Diana Block likes pancakes.

Do not abandon hope: The Comet may yet illuminate these issues (well, maybe not the pancake angle).

All Work And No Pay = Commonwealth Employee

I believe the laws addressing non-payment of wages are brutal -- penalties, attorneys' fees, personal liablity, multiplied damages -- designed to terrorize employers to a point at which they wouldn't dream of stiffing employees.

In a better competent world, leaders of state government would set aside their ideological differences, partisan divide and personal failings long enough to recognize the indecency of causing state employees to work without paychecks. Those employees and their families are being held hostage because neither political faction knows when or how they could be used for political points. Personal liability for withholding wages, imposed on the leaders of the executive and legislative branches, would be a fitting consequence.

I would call those responsible for abusing the state employees pond scum, but that would unfairly disparage congealed algae.

If You Can't Step Away From The Screen (Vol 2)

If you have not seen Up, the most recent Pixar production, you are fortunate . . . because you can look forward, beginning at this moment, to having your life brightened by a wonderful film. See it today, if possible. If not, tomorrow.

Aiming simultaneously at variously aged audiences -- helping adults endure parental obligation in a way that could never be matched by boy bands, skating shows or rasslin' matches -- has been a worthy advancement in animated films during the past two decades. Up wrinkles this development by offering excellent entertainment for adults that children should be able to enjoy, too. So take a child for cover, unless you do not wish to expose that child to a risk of seeing the elder(s) get a bit misty.

I can't recall whether an animated film has been nominated for Best Picture among the Academy Awards, but Up earns consideration.

"Coming attractions" previews baffle me -- how could anyone with a single kilobyte of functioning memory tolerate them? -- but I recommend arriving promptly for Up because, if you are lucky, a short work entitled Partly Cloudy will precede Up.