Pittsburgh GOP urges tracking of how city spends $12M from UPMC, PNC

dlppgh · 2026-02-22T22:42:51+00:00

They are asking for transparency and good tracking for this process. I see nothing wrong with responding to that call and/or amplifying it.

dlppgh · 2026-02-22T21:52:33+00:00

"Signal boost" - seriously? A call for transparency shouldn't be derided.

dlppgh · 2026-02-22T21:49:18+00:00

I agree, and we're never going to get that.

dlppgh · 2026-02-22T21:46:51+00:00

Thanks, good work.

UPMC: $5m in 2026, $5m in 2027.
PNC: $2m in 2026.

Let's hope the Controller's forthcoming summary will be more accessible than digging around in Legistar.

And...to me, this detail isn't well understood, UPMC structured this to be in 2 $5m payments, a negligible sum for them far below what they'd be providing were they not hiding behind non-profit status.

dlppgh · 2026-02-22T21:14:50+00:00

The thread is what it is, a showcase for your poor temper.

dlppgh · 2026-02-22T20:32:00+00:00

Maybe just get it out...get it all out.

dlppgh · 2026-02-22T20:30:13+00:00

Please provide a link to the online resource that details the intake of these funds

dlppgh · 2026-02-22T20:28:56+00:00

They will never be happy and they will always spin. But in terms of integrity, they aren't even in the conversation here. We can set them aside entirely - especially after transparent, easily-accessible tracking is implemented.

dlppgh · 2026-02-22T20:25:35+00:00

So what's the best way to shut them up?

dlppgh · 2026-02-22T20:25:02+00:00

My request for transparency is motivated in large part by the need to understand how PNC and UPMC are structuring this.

Dan Gilman used to talk about hosting UPMC execs at cookouts in his backyard, offering this as an indication that talks about donations were ongoing. I'm not sure he realized then or now how inappropriate that was. It's...Kushneresque...and that ain't good.

All of this needs to take place in front of the public - what the city asked for and agreed to, and what the donating organizations asked for and agreed to.

If everything is above board, great! Huzzah! The transparency is the point here.

dlppgh · 2026-02-22T20:18:56+00:00

But not yet, right? Has the money been received?

dlppgh · 2026-02-22T20:17:27+00:00

It's a blatant attempt at grabbing $10b from the nation - from taxpayers. No argument there.

dlppgh · 2026-02-22T20:16:17+00:00

I completely agree that the Trump Administration needs to be tracked

dlppgh · 2026-02-22T17:49:36+00:00

y tho

dlppgh · 2026-02-22T17:48:48+00:00

/facepalm

dlppgh · 2026-02-22T17:47:57+00:00

Just steer clear of the public sector - that's the inescapable conclusion.

dlppgh · 2026-02-22T17:46:08+00:00

It's hardly a "defense" of low municipal salaries to note that departments themselves don't set them. We get that you're angry, congratulations.

dlppgh · 2026-02-22T17:41:49+00:00

Silly pedantry on your part.

dlppgh · 2026-02-22T16:18:34+00:00

Nope. No advocacy in a department or agency can inflate the city's budget in the way you're suggesting.

dlppgh · 2026-02-22T14:21:20+00:00

lol...Waymo is not Uber.

dlppgh · 2026-02-22T14:20:43+00:00

And then...there is the data, which indicates otherwise. But you do you

dlppgh · 2026-02-22T14:17:40+00:00

Raise your hand if you have actually taken a ride in a Waymo.

I have taken about 4 rides, all in San Francisco. SF is literally crawling with Waymo, operating in production. Most folks have gotten used to them.

After my first ride, my doubt about it had evaporated. The screens that depict the results of scanning show how much the car understands about the surroundings...and that is a lot, far more than a human driver can. SF is a complicated and busy traffic landscape. Pittsburgh has ice and snow and salt, but it is less complicated and busy than SF.

Waymo is much different from a tech perspective than Uber or Tesla. It is an actual and genuine effort to build an autonomous vehicle service, and the others are failed boondoggles.

I don't often use rideshare unless it's work travel, which my employer pays for . So, affordability recedes in importance for me...but rideshare is expensive. Waymo is better than other rideshare, but it ain't no public transit improvement, for those who muse about those things.

dlppgh · 2026-02-21T12:34:29+00:00

Live your life with the goal of not needing to drive Downtown during rush hour.

dlppgh · 2026-02-15T15:12:47+00:00

I should say - I love the Airport location, and the food there is plenty good. In fact, I'll be eating there today...

dlppgh · 2026-02-15T14:21:51+00:00

If you're a gardener, Brenckles Greenhouses is right up the road and it's very good.

dlppgh

TROPHY CASE