PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

Five men in suits piss on PA Sunshine Act
by stephen donahue Wednesday, Feb. 02, 2005 at 9:17 AM

The ICA is like a "good ol boy" network on steroids. Five unelected men, secret meetings the whole nine yards! Forget about democracy, whats that?

The Pittsburgh Fiscal Oversight Board,
a.k.a. Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority (ICA)
is pissing on the Pennsylvania Sunshine Act!

The ICA was established by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to oversee Pittsburgh’s fiscal policy during this present “fiscal crisis.” This body of overseers consists of five unelected members, one executive director and one big shot lawyer and they have unprecedented power regarding Pittsburgh’s fiscal policy. The law which established the ICA, Act 11 of 2004 mandates that the ICA follow the provisions of the Pennsylvania Sunshine Act. This means that when the ICA members discuss policy or consider any decision making that they must do this in an advertised open meeting. The ICA has consistently ignored this.
THE ICA IS PISSING ON THE PENNSYLVANIA SUNSHINE ACT!
They must think that they are above the law.

Call Governor Ed Rendell today and tell him to make these clowns obey the law. His phone # is 1-717-787-2500

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update
by sd Thursday, Feb. 03, 2005 at 9:58 AM

Last March a group of us attended a meeting of this body wearing gags over our mouths so as to drive home the point that the ICA was silencing the voice of certain people in this town. Big shot fat cats have a voice but regukar people don't.

This issue has come to a heard recently when the ICA decided to go to court and have an arbitrated union contract between the city and the police union overturned for being too generous to the union. The DECISION to go to court was made outside fo the context of a public open meeting.

On feb 2 the ICA met again behind closed doors and even got a judge to keep the news media out of the meeting.

The ICA claims that they can meet privatly to discuss legal strategy and indeed they can. BUT the Sunshine Act says that all discussion and votes taken pursuant to that must have been done in an open setting. In other words where are the minutes of the meeting where these five men decided to sue the city? There ain't any because they never met.

This body will be ruling over our ELECTED city council for the next 6 years at least. This blatant disregard for the rights of the peope of this city to observe their meetings must be stopped now.

Anti-global capitalist activists often talk about how this neo-liberal crap destroyes democracy. Are we going to let them do it right under our noses?

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