On Tuesday February 9th and Wednesday February 10th, CSX will hold public meetings to provide residents with information on the National Gateway Project.

Structures in Western Pennsylvania will be affected as CSX works to increase the vertical clearance along rail lines. This meeting will allow those in attendance to see the plans for the affected structures.

An open invitation has been extended to all for these meetings.  The February 9th meeting will be held in Somerset, PA, and the February 10th meeting will be held in Pittsburgh.

Click Here for More Information

No American can have freedom and justice until there is freedom and justice for all.

Last week, Pittsburgh City Council gave preliminary approval to a contract that will allow City Council meetings to be viewed online.

The webcasts will allow City Council meetings to be accessible to all, and will also integrate the new system with City Council’s existing legislative tracking system. Viewers will be able to search videos online and view specific portions that relate to different issues.

“This is the third step I have initiated to bring e-democracy to Pittsburgh, following the launch of iBurgh and the current beta test of MyGov365,” said Councilman Peduto. “This new system will allow Pittsburgh residents to have greater involvement in their government and greater access to information that is important to them.”

The system has come in under budget, and will be ready in time to broadcast the first meeting of Council in 2010.

The Christian Science Monitor recently wrote about five cities that will rise in the new economy. What were the critical factors? Green Innovation, Healthcare and Export Industries, Clean Energy, Education and Technology.

Pittsburgh has the pieces to this puzzle, but are we setting our sails toward a 21st century economy or are we trying to hang on to our 19th century past? The decisions we make today we determine whether we will compete or fail in a 21st century new, global economy.

The article names Boston, Fort Collins, Houston, Huntsville and Seattle as the top 5 cities that will rise in the New Economy.

Read the article to learn more.

Over 600 people joined us at Councilman Peduto’s annual Holiday Fete and over 200 were there for our very special VIP Reception. The VIP hour included music by DJ Zombo, an incredible buffet from a dozen of Pittsburgh’s best restaurants, Boyd and Blair’s Black and Gold Martini Bar, a special spirit tasting table and a live performance by our friends Attack Theatre.

Thank you to our Co-Chairs and Host Committee for making the VIP Reception and the Party such a great event.

Here is how you can show your support for Bill - and build a better Pittsburgh! We need you to help us to make this event even more special.
Please join us and bring your friends.

For more information or to RSVP, please call 412-414-1430 or email Mike Devanney at Mike.Devanney@gmail.com.

Host Committee
Co-Chairs

On Monday, November 16th, the Northstar Commuter Rail trains made their first trip shuttling commuters into downtown Minneapolis.

The rail line was first conceived in 1993, and finished this year $10 million dollars under its original budget. This is the second rail system that Minneapolis has seen in recent years - in 2003 Hiawatha, a light rail system, was introduced there.

Read More About the North Star Debut

Earlier this year, Councilman Bill Peduto presented to Council the findings from a six-month study on the possibility of a commuter rail line in Pittsburgh. This city line would connect Hazelwood on the Monongahela River to Lawrenceville on the Allegheny River. It would pass near The Technology Center, Schenley Park, CMU and Oakland, The Baum-Centre Corridor, Bloomfield and Lawrenceville.

But this line would also be just one link in a multi-county regional system. Not only would it connect to the Mon Valley and Westmoreland County - via Norfolk-Southern -and the Allegheny Valley and Armstrong County - via the AVRR (which are two projects being pushed right now), but the CSX line itself extends North along Route 8 all the way to New Castle in Lawrence County, and South to Washington, PA. This leaves many possibilities open for further expansion in the future. Investment in this rail line for Pittsburgh would be a long-term investment in regional transportation.

In order to better understand the financial situation of the city and the Mayor’s demand of a student tax, it is essential to see the bigger picture. These documents provide the details of what the city can and cannot do - they also shed light on missed opportunities. Councilman Peduto and Controller Lamb have outlined an alternative plan to the Mayor’s proposed student tax - you can read all the documents here - including the Lamb/Peduto alternative.

Mayor Ravenstahl’s 2010 Budget - Understand who is paying and what you are getting.

Pennsylvania Local Tax Enabling Act - Understand the rules of what municipalities can tax and what we cannot.

Act 47 Five Year Recovery Plan - Understand the changes that were approved in July and then look at the Mayor’s proposed budget to see if we are doing it.

PA Act 55 Public Charity Act -Understand the limitations placed on municipalities in PA to receive voluntary payments in lieu of taxes from non-profits and the restrictions to tax non-profits.

Peduto/Lamb Alternative - Another option for our City.