Free Republic

The struggling U.S. city of Detroit is on track to run out of money in May instead of April after spending changes made by city officials, Michigan Treasurer Andy Dillon said on Tuesday. Dillon addressed media following a two-and-a-half-hour meeting with a team that is looking at Detroit's financial picture and trying to assess whether the city needs an emergency manager to take over operations. It was the first time the 10-member team met since it was appointed last month. He said Detroit's most urgent issue is figuring out how to arrest escalating retiree health care costs, and clean up...

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Is Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl getting caught up in the Internet craze inspired by Denver Broncos’ Quarterback Tim Tebow? No, he’s just making good on a bet. Prior to the Steelers’ season ending overtime loss to the Broncos on Sunday, Ravenstahl made a friendly playoff wager with his counterpart in Denver, Mayor Michael Hancock. As part of the deal, Ravenstahl agreed to don a Broncos jersey and strike the infamous prayerful pose for a picture. Since the Broncos bested the black and gold, Ravenstahl made good on the bet by taking a knee in Roberto Clemente Memorial...

Link only - Occupy Denver disrupts vigil to honor homeless who have died, refuse to allow mayor to speak

New Haven Mayor John DeStefano plans to ask the state Legislature to allow illegal immigrants who live in the city to be able vote in municipal elections. DeStefano said on Tuesday that the proposal would build a more engaged community and follows the lead of other cities, the New Haven Register reports. The Register reports that 10,000 to 12,000 undocumented residents are believed to live in New Haven. Immigrants who are in the U.S. legally or illegally and cannot vote now would still be unable to vote in state or federal elections. DeStefano, a Democrat, said illegal immigrants pay taxes...

Right about now, you're probably starting to receive Christmas cards from friends and family. It's pretty safe to assume that most of them are adorned with candid shots of smiling faces, and some even have a picture of the newest addition to the family: a kid or man's best friend. Well a Christmas card from San Juan's mayor just earned him a spot on the famous blog "AwkwardFamilyPhoto.com."...

Former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, currently mayor of Chicago, says the bond between the United States and Israel is "rock solid." In a televised interview with journalist Dana Weiss on "Meet the Press" at the Saban Forum in Washington D.C. over the weekend, Emanuel was emphatic that President Barack Obama has been "the best president ever for Israel." However, he said, "Regardless of who's president or who's prime minister at any given time, the bond between the United States and Israel is rock solid, and that's what's important to know." That, he added, is the "personal view"...

Their sign warns those who are "Drunks, homosexuals, abortionist, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists, witches, idolators" that "Hell awaits you." Their hearing will be in Houston Municipal Court, which is run by Barbara E. Hartle, who, according to the Dallas Voice, is listed by the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund as "one of only a few out members of the Texas judiciary." She was appointed to the position by Houston Mayor Annise Parker, identified by the Los Angeles Times as "the first lesbian to head a major American city." Allen told WND that no matter what happens, the fact that...

Two veteran street preachers in Houston are facing a bench trial for spreading the biblical message about homosexuality – and other sins – on one of their favorite corners for preaching in Houston. That the message was direct is obvious, from a photo of the situation that developed for David Stokes of BulldogMinistries.com and Dave Allen of HornofSamuelBook.com: Their sign warns those who are "Drunks, homosexuals, abortionist, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists, witches, idolators" that "Hell awaits you." Their hearing will be in Houston Municipal Court, which is run by Barbara E. Hartle, who, according to the Dallas Voice, is...

It was just last week that an #Occupy LA protester was arrested for masturbating on the steps of City Hall. Now the squatters are getting their own private office building. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has decided to award the lawlessness, lewd acts, shoplifting and drug use of the Occupy LA squatters. He just offered the hooligans 10,000 square feet of downtown office space and farmland for $1-a-year. The LA Times reported: Los Angeles officials have offered Occupy L.A. protesters a package of incentives that includes downtown office space and farmland in an attempt to persuade them to abandon their...

The Los Angeles Times just reported: “Los Angeles officials have offered Occupy L.A. protesters a package of incentives that includes downtown office space and farmland in an attempt to persuade them to abandon their camp outside of City Hall, according to several demonstrators who have been in negotiations with the city.” “City officials have offered protesters a $1-a-year lease on a 10,000-square-foot office space near City Hall.” Full Story & Details here: “Occupy L.A. receives offer to decamp; Protesters could get downtown office space and farmland if they leave City Hall.”

Link only - Occupy Wall Street's Planning A Big Party At Mayor Bloomberg's House On Sunday

The mayor of Richmond, Calif. plans to skip her city’s Veterans Day memorial events to attend an Occupy rally, a choice that’s prompting anger and criticism. Mayor Gayle McLaughlin will miss a Veterans Day salute Friday in favor of an Occupy Richmond “public speak out,” the San Jose Mercury News reported. McLaughlin defended her decision, telling the newspaper that the city is not sponsoring the Veterans Day event, and the rally she will attend will honor Scott Olsen, the Iraq war veteran injured at an Occupy Oakland rally last month. Richmond and Oakland, both in the San Francisco Bay Area,...

TUCSON, Ariz (Reuters) - There is no bank of telephones at Mary DeCamp's campaign headquarters, no volunteers eager to bring her message to the masses. The Green Party candidate for mayor of Tucson, who is days away from losing her home to foreclosure, is flanked by fellow Occupy Tucson activists as she directs her long shot bid for public office from a borrowed tent in a local park. "November 10th is my eviction date," the aptly named candidate said cheerfully on Friday, while unpacking signs after police had pushed Occupy Tucson campers from one park to another a night earlier....

OAKLAND -- After a massive and mostly peaceful demonstration against large corporations Wednesday eroded into late night clashes with police and 80 arrests, people on both sides of the fence were in damage control mode, with Occupy Oakland organizers and city officials trying to figure out what to do next. And in a press briefing Thursday afternoon, it appears that as far as Mayor Jean Quan is concerned the city will maintain its hands-off status quo. She blamed the destruction on a small group and said the larger Occupy group was not the problem. ... She also said that because...

Documentary filmmaker Michael Moore plans to visit Occupy Oakland's re-established tent city today, according to his blog. At the end of an Thursday blog post entitled "Life Among the 1%," Moore writes "P.S. I will go to Oakland tomorrow afternoon to stand with Occupy Oakland against the out-of-control police." Moore is among a growing list of celebrities and organizations critical of the city's actions and Mayor Jean Quan's role in evicting protesters three days ago, when police moved in using tear gas and other devices. Injuries sustained by Iraq veteran Scott Olsen in the melee have sparked criticism from many...

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said Wednesday that the Occupy Los Angeles encampment outside City Hall "cannot continue indefinitely" and has asked city officials to draft restrictions limiting when people are allowed on city property. "I respect the protesters' right to peacefully assemble and express their views," Villaraigosa said. "City officials have been in a continuous and open dialogue with the organizers of Occupy L.A. However, the protesters must respect city laws and regulations, and while they have been allowed to camp on City Hall lawns, that cannot continue indefinitely." A spokeswoman for the mayor said he has also instructed city officials...

As mayor of the city of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel is paid a salary of $216,000 a year. He spent four times that much money just to prove that he was a Chicago resident and therefore entitled to run for office. *snip* he court challenge that Emanuel had to overcome was proving that he was indeed a Chicago resident and had been for at least a year as required by law. Emanuel had held onto his home here in Ravenswood, even though he and his family had moved to Washington where he was President Obama's fiery chief of staff, and the...

Protesters will resist any efforts to remove them from the Lower Manhattan park where they have been camped for nearly a month, despite Mayor Michael Bloomberg's order that they vacate the park at 7 a.m. Friday so it can be cleaned, an organizer said Thursday. "Come tomorrow morning, we will passively resist and make it as difficult a process to remove us as possible," said Occupy Wall Street spokesman Tyler Combelic. "It's not an occupation if you can't occupy the park." His words appeared to be backed up by the sentiment of the crowd of more than 1,000 protesters who...

(CNSNews.com) - During a United Nations General Assembly summit on non-communicable diseases -- a discussion that included diet and eating habits -- New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said “governments at all levels must make healthy solutions the default social option. Speaking on the government's role in diet and health last week, Bloomberg told the UN General Assembly, “There are powers only governments can exercise, policies only governments can mandate and enforce and results only governments can achieve. To halt the worldwide epidemic of non-communicable diseases, governments at all levels must make healthy solutions the default social option. That is...

Mayor Bloomberg warned Friday there would be riots in the streets if Washington doesn't get serious about generating jobs. "We have a lot of kids graduating college, can't find jobs," Bloomberg said on his weekly WOR radio show. "That's what happened in Cairo. That's what happened in Madrid. You don't want those kinds of riots here."

“When I explained to him that a longer school day should not be used for warehousing or babysitting our youth he exploded, used profanity, pointed his finger in my face and yelled. At that point the conversation was over — soon thereafter we found ourselves subject to a full-scale propaganda war over a moot point.”

The mayor of Quartzsite, Ariz., the town seething in vitriol since police forcibly removed a woman from speaking at a public meeting despite the mayor's objections lost in a recall election last night, but claims the "corrupt" town council fixed the results to force him out. "They found a whole bunch of early ballots they could stuff the box with," said Mayor Ed Foster, telling WND the election was "absolutely" stolen. Foster says at the polling place, he was winning by a 2-to-1 margin over former Town Councilman and Quartzsite Fire Department Capt. Jose Lizarraga. But there had been 328...

Wausau Mayor Jim Tipple: "The banning of a political party from participation at any event co-sponsored by the City is against public policy and not in the best interest of all the citizens of the City of Wausau. And therefore, we encourage the event organizer to invite all interested parties, or reimburse the city for other costs."

Greg Stanton • Opposes SB1070 • Endorsed by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union – who helped lead the Arizona boycott • Endorsed by Maricopa Area Labor Federation – Affiliated with AFL-CIO which condemned SB1070 • Would have voted for pay increases Claude Mattox • Supported by the largest public employee union in the City of Phoenix • Voted for the food tax increase • Supported this year’s budget and pay increases (Arizona Republic, June 8, 2011) Lobbyist Wes Gullett • Worked for Service Employees International Union (SEIU) to organize medical workers to unionize at Maricopa County Hospital •...

The mayor of Kandahar, the biggest city in southern Afghanistan that was the birthplace of the Taliban, was killed in a suicide bombing on Wednesday, police said. Ghulam Haidar Hameedi died when a suicide bomber set off explosives hidden in his turban when the mayor was addressing citizens in the courtyard of the city hall, police General Abdul Raziq told AFP.

The state of Arizona is now investigating allegations of massive corruption among government officials in Quartzsite, Ariz., the town that's the focus of worldwide attention after police forcibly removed a woman from speaking at a town-hall meeting, and where the mayor today says he's not being paid and most local police officers are wrongly being fired and have been ordered not to leave their homes. "I'm no longer getting paid as mayor," said Ed Foster, the elected head of Quartzsite. "That's not a big deal, but it's in the town code that I get a stipend of $400. If they...

CHICAGO (Reuters) - With Chicago still facing a lingering deficit in its current budget, Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Friday unveiled steps that will lead to up to 625 layoffs. They include privatization of custodial services at city libraries and airports, benefits services and the water billing call center. Also about 126 seasonal workers in Chicago's transportation department would be discharged, resulting in a drop in curb, gutter and sidewalk improvements this year. "Today, I'm taking steps because I cannot wish away this budget shortfall," the mayor told reporters. Earlier this month, Emanuel said he would eliminate $20 million of the...

Former Bridgeport Mayor Joseph Ganim, released a year ago after serving nearly seven years in prison for corruption, has expressed some interest in running again to lead Connecticut's largest city. The city's powerful Democratic boss says Ganim would like to run, but he's backing Mayor Bill Finch and discouraged Ganim from running. "He has some aspiration for running," Mario Testa, chairman of the Bridgeport Democratic Town Committee who has met with Ganim, told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "Right now I don't think it's the right time for him to jump into the rink." Testa said he does not believe...

WASHINGTON, July 6 (UPI) -- Youngstown, Ohio, Mayor Jay Williams will lead the Obama administration's efforts to help communities dependent on the auto industry recover, officials said. Beginning Aug. 8, Williams will be executive director of the Labor Department's Office of Recovery for Auto Communities and Workers, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis said Wednesday in a release.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is back on the air with another political ad, and this time his focus is guns.Just a few weeks after an operative from Al Qaeda released a video urging Islamic militants to take advantage of America as a country “absolutely awash with easily obtainable firearms,” Mr. Bloomberg and his national anti-illegal gun coalition, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, released a commercial on Tuesday urging Congress to close what they say is a loophole in gun laws. That loophole is gun shows, the mayors say, where all kinds of people — even terrorists — can purchase firearms.The ad...

Michael Bloomberg forced Anthony Weiner out of the 2009 mayoral race—before he'd even decided to run—by convincing the Queens congressman the mayor's re-election campaign had more dirt on him than it actually did, Harry Siegel of the Village Voice reports. While the Bloomberg campaign did not have the same sexts and tweets that leaked onto the Internet in recent days -- and which occurred in the past year -- the mayor's team poured resources into gathering dirt. Whatever Bloomberg actually found, Weiner was nervous enough about what the mayor potentially knew that he opted not to run. A New York...

Alec Baldwin is mulling a run for mayor of New York City now that kinky Congressman Anthony Weiner appears to have sexted himself out of the 2013 race. The “30 Rock” star, who has long talked about running for political office, believes Weinergate has shaken up the field of candidates enough that he might have a chance to win, a friend of the actor told The Daily. “Alec said, ‘Hey, maybe this changes the race. The dynamics have shifted,’ ” said Baldwin’s pal. “The Democrats need a high-profile candidate, and Alec can fill that bill.” Baldwin, a die-hard Democrat originally...

Anthony Keeps Surging! September 10, 2005 Category: Campaign Blog From today’s New York Post: A stunning new poll yesterday showed Rep. Anthony Weiner has caught fire and zoomed into a statistical dead heat with Fernando Ferrer…

Representative Anthony Weiner (D-Brooklyn) of New York's 9th congressional district, said banks that received funds from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) are already "effectively nationalized."When asked at a question-and-answer session last night at NYU Law School about whether the Obama administration's contemplation of converting preferred shares of banks obtained as part of the bailout process into common stock would amount to nationalization, Weiner said it would.Further, he reasoned, since the federal government currently exercises leverage over bank actions by dint of holding the option to convert preferred shares in banks to common stock (thereby technically gaining board representation,)...

Cultural center to be named after convicted mayorPublished 06:16 a.m., Thursday, June 2, 2011 UNION CITY, N.J. (AP) — Officials have decided to name a new cultural center after a New Jersey mayor who was convicted of federal racketeering charges. The William V. Musto Cultural Center in Union City will be dedicated on June 11. The center used to be the 15th Street Free Public Library. Musto was a state lawmaker who served as mayor from 1962 to 1970 and 1974 to 1982. That's when he was convicted of helping mobsters and contractors siphon federal funds from an expansion project...

Weiner's mayoral hopes dim as Twit hits the fan By DAVID SEIFMAN, City Hall Bureau Chief Former Mayor Ed Koch said Rep. Anthony Weiner is in a pickle over Weinergate -- and the young mayor wannabe must come clean to save his career. "It's not too late to prevent damage by turning [the Twitter case] over to the Capitol police and let them find the hacker," Koch said yesterday. But Koch, on his NY1 show Tuesday night, went even further. "You do commit a crime if you give false information to the police and report a crime when a crime...

San Diego mayor says July 4 fireworks, even birthday parties, are in doubt after court rulingBy Associated Press Updated: Wednesday, June 1, 3:26 AM SAN DIEGO — The city’s Fourth of July fireworks displays aren’t the only celebrations in doubt after a judge ordered rigorous environmental reviews of large events, Mayor Jerry Sanders says. Birthday parties may be at risk if more than 75 people are invited. Sanders says Friday’s ruling by Superior Court Judge Linda Quinn in a lawsuit over a La Jolla Cove fireworks show applies to the roughly 20,000 park permits that the city issues each year....

I keep seeing articles on this guy, and he is drawing alot of heat, but I can't see his political affiliation anywhere. I thought he may be a republican because it is the south, but usually that would be front and center in the news. Is he an independent ? Does anyone know or have a source ?

Convicted Felon Elected Mayor in OklahomaBut Christopher Linder can't serve Updated: Tuesday, 10 May 2011, 7:29 PM MDT PHOENIX - He is a convicted felon, found guilty here in Arizona for his part in a drive-by shooting and drug charges. **SNIP** Fortunately, Oklahoma law prevents convicted felons from taking office, so Tuesday, he asked for a pardon. Christopher Linder admits he's made poor choices, but says he's a changed man. He would have made history if the pardon was granted...but the board said he's not ready. By a four to one vote, a state board decided not to recommend a...

This is the second in a series that exposes the corrupt and contented relationship betwwen the Democrat machine and lackey GOP establishment in Philly. Vote for Featherman and turn Philadelphia around. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ySYFw8fdes

Recall Group Banned From City HallStory Updated: Mar 14, 2011 MARINETTE, Wis. (AP) -- Marinette's mayor says a group trying to recall state Senator Dave Hansen is not allowed in city hall. Those trying to recall the Democratic senator wanted to circulate petitions at Marinette City Hall as they're doing in Oconto and Green Bay. But, Mayor Bob Harbick says he doesn't want the same kind of disruption that's happened at the Capitol in Madison. Harbick says his decision is logical and non-partisan. The mayor also says he doesn't believe in what the group is trying to do. Harbick tells...

EL PASO, Texas (Reuters) The mayor and police chief of a small town on the U.S.-Mexico border were among 11 suspects indicted for allegedly trafficking around 200 guns to Mexico, authorities said on Thursday. The U.S. Attorney's office in New Mexico said the mayor of Columbus, Eddie Espinoza, the town's police chief Angelo Vega, and village trustee Blas Gutierrez were among those arrested on an 84-count indictment. "Gutierrez, Espinoza and Vega were duty sworn to protect and safeguard the people of Columbus," U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales said in a statement. "Instead, they increased the risk of harm that the...

Tamarac Mayor Beth Flansbaum-Talabisco turned herself in at the Broward County Main Jail on Wednesday morning on unspecified charges. Flansbaum-Talabisco, 57, is the third Tamarac city official arrested in recent months and the latest in a growing list of Broward County politicians to face charges. She has been under investigation for several months on allegations that, while publicly returning some campaign donations from controversial developers Bruce and Shawn Chait, she secretly received help from them to attack her election opponents and in return, voted in favor of their development project.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker this morning got some rare Democratic support for his high-profile push to eliminate most state workers' collective barganing rights -- from former D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty. Fenty made his comments as a guest on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," making an in-studio appearance in New York with takeover mogul and ex-"car czar" Steven Rattner and former Republican presidential candidate Pat Buchanan. When discussion turned to Walker's anti-union push, Fenty jumped right in. "This is kind of what I faced in four years as mayor," Fenty told hosts Mike Barnicle and Mika Brzezinski. "He's right on the substance,...

(CNN) - Rahm Emanuel, the former chief of staff to President Barack Obama, won the Chicago mayoral election Tuesday, topping the 50% threshold to avoid a run-off vote, CNN projects.

February 8, 2011 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- ABC7's exclusive poll on the Chicago mayor's race provides a snapshot of how the candidates are doing as we head into the final two weeks of the campaign. Rahm Emanuel's 54 percent share in the survey suggests an overwhelming lead, nearly quadrupling second place Gery Chico at 14 percent; Miguel del Valle was third at 8 percent followed by Carol Moseley Braun at 6; others at 3 and undecideds at 15 percent. The ABC7 poll suggests that if the vote had been held during the survey, Emanuel had enough support citywide to win the...

Before Thursday’s dramatic ruling by the Illinois Supreme Court to keep Rahm Emanuel on the mayoral ballot, much of the chatter in local politics centered on one of the court’s seven justices, Anne M. Burke, and the political relationship between her husband and a key opponent of Mr. Emanuel. But she was not the only one in the residency saga with complicated ties. When Chief Justice Thomas L. Kilbride studied the legal briefs in the case, the name of one lawyer involved in the residency dispute should have been familiar: Michael J. Kasper. Mr. Kasper, the election-law specialist for Mr....

Roselle mayor is indicted on charges of insurance fraud, leaving scene of crash Published: Wednesday, January 26, 2011, 6:44 PM Updated: Thursday, January 27, 2011, 6:16 AM Ryan Hutchins/The Star-Ledger By Ryan Hutchins/The Star-Ledger ROSELLE — One day after announcing his candidacy for a third term, the mayor of Roselle was indicted today on charges of insurance fraud and leaving the scene of an accident. Garrett Smith, an outspoken 49-year-old Democrat, is accused of leaving a bar early Christmas Day, crashing into a parked car, then driving home — leaving a trail of automotive fluid that police tracked to his...

Developing.

The Illinois Supreme Court has granted Rahm Emanuel's stay. Which means he's back on the ballot. Earlier today Emanuel's spokesman Ben Labolt said he had plans to turn to the U.S. Supreme Court if Emanuel doesn't receive a favorable ruling from the state. Emanuel's lawyers filed an emergency appeal with the Illinois Supreme Court, asking to have him re-added to ballots. Today, ballots are being printed without Emanuel's name after an Illinois Appellate Court residency decision on Monday booted him. Some believe Emanuel will look at a First Amendment question for the U.S. court to weigh in if a state...