Dowd-plank-wakeup

==Dowd calls for end of "pay to play" politics in Mayor's office==
: Source: http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dfjzkfgh_6fw8zm9c3&hl=en
: From March 23, 2009
===Post-Gazette story on Ravenstahl contributors a wake up call for Pittsburghers===
Monday, March 23 – In the wake of yesterday's Post Gazette's story on the connection between political donations and government contracts in the Ravenstahl administration, Democratic Mayoral candidate and City Council Member Patrick Dowd today called the story a “wake up call” to Pittsburghers.
"Especially in this economy, people want their tax dollars watched closely, not given away in sweetheart deals in exchange for campaign contributions." said Dowd. “Every time the Mayor awards a no-bid contract, the taxpayers lose.”
Yesterday’s Post-Gazette story, was only the latest installment in a string of stories about how Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's contributors have frequently been awarded lucrative contracts at taxpayer expense. 
Ravenstahl boasts close to one million dollars ($966,923) in his campaign account, according to filings with the city controller’s office in January. Many of these contributions have been directly tied to donors that do business with the City. 
Numerous examples of Ravenstahl's 'pay to play' politics have recently come to light:
In December 2006, Matthew McTish, president of McTish, Kunkel & Associates, gave $10,000 to Ravenstahl's campaign. Less than a year later, McTish was awarded a $525,000 contract by the Urban Redevelopment Authority despite being the highest of three bidders.
In 2006, Liberty Pacific Media executives gave $25,000 to Ravenstahl’s political committee. One month later, they received an improperly granted permit for a no-bid billboard in downtown's historic district.
A host of other no-bid contracts have recently generated a great deal of unnecessary frustration in the city.
1) Earlier this year, Mayor Ravenstahl did not competitively bid for the City’s now infamous trash receptacles.
2) Just last week, Dowd spoke up against a no-bid contract for a fire ventilation system.
3) Finally, Dowd criticized the $19 million in fees paid to financial firms by the no-bid variable bond swap deal awarded by the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority. Dowd called for an independent audit of the deal.
To date, Dowd has knocked on hundreds of doors in more than a dozen neighborhoods across the city, and the message he hears is often the same: 
"People are sick and tired of their tax dollars being wasted. They want reform - that's why I'm running."
Patrick Dowd was elected to the school board in 2003 where he quickly established himself as a reformer, cutting waste and forcing sweeping changes. Elected to the Council in 2007, he's been a consistent voice for fiscal responsibility and accountability.
 
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http://www.dowdformayor.com