Contact: Sonya Toler 412.726.6829 sonya@billpeduto.

com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE
PAC AD FALSE, WHOLLY MISLEADING
May 13, 2013, Pittsburgh, PA The latest ad by the PAC chaired by Mayor Luke Ravenstahl is false and wholly misleading. A review of the ads cited sources reveals information completely different from the ads claims and, at times, indicates the opposite. These blatant distortions reflect how desperate the Wagner campaign is getting as voters learn the truth about his siding with Republicans on budget cuts that pension 50 percent.
Claim Peduto, supported giving tax breaks to wealthy developers Fact o introduced legislation to create construction jobs. Peduto said he proposed the legislation after hearing from developers that tax abatements make it easier to finance projects. He said developers are holding back on construction because of difficulties borrowing money in the economic climate. [Pittsburgh Tribune Review, 12/9/11] The legislation charged additional taxes on owners who received the tax incentive. The tax breaks would apply only to projects exceeding $1 million and expire after 10 years. Owners would pay taxes on twice the assessed value of the property before any improvements are made. Peduto said that means the city would receive double the tax revenue on a property before any abatement takes effect. [Pittsburgh Tribune Review, 12/9/11] The article referenced does not indicate any legislation for which Peduto voted. The article referring to Peduto cited by the ad does not indicate what, if any, legislation Peduto supported that affected police pensions. [Pittsburgh Post-

but cutting the pensions for police.

Peduto supported higher parking rates for us..

... but special lower parking rates for himself.

And Peduto supported raising seniors property taxes.

Gazette, 4/25/05] Peduto voted to cut his pay to fund other city departments. Peduto voted for Resolution 2003- 2224. The bill authorized and directed the Director of the Department of Personnel and Civil Service and the Controller of the City of Pittsburgh to establish a program in which city employees could voluntarily cause a 2% percent reduction in their salaries for the remaining pay periods for the remainder of 2003. [9/2/03, R 2003-2224, Passed 7- 1] Peduto supported the bill after a conversation with a narcotics detective. Peduto said during the debate on the resolution: It was actually brought to my attention by a detective from the Narcotics Bureau when we were trying to come up with a way to save the 102 he said to me I would take a 10% decrease in my pay and I know a lot of my other officers would do the same and he asked me if I would look to see how much that would do and actually I met with Councilman Ricciardi about this about two weeks ago. I know that there are people out there in the different units, not maybe the leadership of the units but the actual rank and file who are willing to do this to help their fellow employees. [Debate Transcript, 8/26/03] Peduto supported LOWER parking rates. In the article cited by the ad, Peduto offered an amendment to set the citys parking tax at 40 percent. The overall ordinance set the tax at 50 percent. [Associated Press, 1/14/04] The cited article does not state that Peduto supported lower Council parking rates. From the cited article: City councilmen such as Peduto and O'Connor, who left council in early 2003, get reimbursements for cell phone usage and cut-rate parking Downtown. [Pittsburgh Post Gazette, 4/30/05] The cited legislation did not increase taxes. From the cited article: A court decision required the school district to lower its excess real estate revenues by $8.5 million, forcing the district to lower its tax rate by 0.7 mills in its preliminary $529.5 million budget, which was unveiled Nov. 12. But school officials last night adjusted that tax reduction to 0.61 mills after learning from city

officials yesterday that about 800 city property assessments still have not been fully processed. By raising city government taxes, the city can capture its own $8.5 million to help fill the $42 million hole in Mayor Tom Murphy's 2004 budget proposal. "This is a swap, where council fills the vacuum," Udin said. "It's a swap. It's not raising city taxes," agreed councilman William Peduto. [Pittsburgh Post Gazette, 12/18/03] but using other peoples money, including tax dollars, to take exotic trips. The vast majority of Pedutos trip was not reimbursed by taxpayers. From the cited article: [Peduto] said the city will pay about $600 for airfare and one night in a hotel -- the only part of his travel plans he expects taxpayers to cover. Shortly after that, he'll take an 11-day trip to Turkey, courtesy of the Pittsburgh Dialogue Foundation, which fosters communication between cultures. That trip, which will take him from urban Istanbul to the cave warrens of Cappadocia, is about tolerance and understanding, he said. We'll be studying the cultural interaction between Christians, Muslims and Jews in five cities. [Pittsburgh Post Gazette, 6/5/08]

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