Raja for Allegheny County Executive

Last night (11/2) I had the honor of attending a town hall-style campaign meeting of D. Raja ("Raja"), a local Allegheny County entrepreneur and CEO who is the Republican candidate for Allegheny County Executive in next Tuesday's (11/8) election. I wholeheartedly and enthusiastically support Raja's candidacy.

Raja is an immigrant to our great Nation. His success is proof of the American Dream: hard work and perseverance will lead to success. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1989 and from my alma mater, Carnegie Mellon University, with an MBA (with honors) in 2001.

Raja has published policy position papers in eight key areas that our county government must improve. I encourage my readers to check them all out via the link. The eight areas are:

• Jobs
• Taxes, Regulations & Fees
• Port Authority/Mass Transit
• Modernizing Government
• Fostering Innovation
• Pittsburgh International Airport Plan
• Education
• Senior Citizens

Here are my take-aways from Raja's policy positions, and the core of why I support him.

Pittsburgh: We want NO flights!

Just saw this article from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that talks about the increased fees - taxes, that is - that will be imposed on airlines operating out of Pittsburgh International Airport beginning in January.

Southwest Airlines, one of my current favorites, is particularly incensed - as they should be.

Increase in landing fees? 34.8 percent.
Increase in terminal space? 35.9 percent.
Increase in ramp space? 191 percent!

Yes, Allegheny County is sitting on a white elephant - a top of the line hub airport with no hub airline. Yes, there are significant issues surrounding servicing the airport's debt.

Every time I'm at the airport, it is very depressing. The place is an absolute ghost town, even at peak travel times. Clearly though, travel originiating here is strong - the extended parking lot is usually mostly full, anyway.

Here's a suggestion for the powers that be: cut the fees for landing, terminal space, and ramp space, you dolts! Obviously RAISING fees hasn't exactly ATTRACTED airlines here. You want a new airline to take Pittsburgh seriously as a hub location? Make our airport the least expensive for airlines to operate from!

If you lower the fees, more airlines will operate and maybe we'd get a hub back, whether for passengers or cargo. If there are more operations, you'll get more fees. DUH!

Good news for the Pittsburgh region

According to this breaking news story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the long and not so slow contraction of US Airways' operations in Pittsburgh will stop, because the airline's flight operations center will reportedly be located here instead of two other potential cities! The Charlotte Observer is reporting that their city lost out; Phoenix was the other candidate city.

AC Judge Manning: Troubling Story

This article, "Judge Manning facing federal inquiry", troubles me. One of my dilemmas as a voter are those "judge retention" elections, where basically you get to say yea or nay on whether or not a jurist should remain on the bench. I usually don't cast a vote for those, since I don't know enough about the judges in question.

Allegheny County Judge Jeffrey Manning, however, is one that I always pull the lever for his retention. I've read about and followed some of the cases he's presided over, and by all accounts he is fair yet strict in applying the law to the letter as it is written.

I sincerely hope that the referenced investigation turns up nothing and that Judge Manning is vindicated of these allegations of preferential treatment to a defense attorney that he is reportedly friends with.