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Tuesday, August 06, 2002

By Mark Belko, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

City Controller Tom Flaherty has spent a large part of his career tweaking the noses of the likes of Jim Roddey, Tom Murphy and Sophie Masloff.

Yesterday, Flaherty, in his new role as Allegheny County Democratic Party chairman, needled a president -- George W. Bush, who came to Pittsburgh to do some fund-raising.

An hour after Bush departed, Flaherty took to the podium to criticize the president and what he saw as his lack of leadership, particularly on the economy, and Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Fisher for inviting him.

Flaherty said his response was part of his strategy as chairman to prevent Republican presidents, or vice presidents, from coming to town without being challenged by the local opposition. While he conceded it may not have much impact on Bush, he insisted it could locally.

Bush was in town to meet with the nine miners rescued from the Quecreek Mine and to raise $1 million for Fisher's gubernatorial bid.

While Flaherty took care to avoid any criticism of Bush's visit with the miners, he showed no such restraint when it came to the Fisher luncheon at the Pittsburgh Hilton and Towers.

"I found it very interesting that President Bush is being embraced by the Republican gubernatorial candidate who seems to think that the president's national lack of leadership will be good for the dire straits that Pennsylvania is in," Flaherty said, citing statistics showing the state is 48th in the country in population growth and 44th in job growth.

He claimed the questions that have arisen over Bush's and Vice President Dick Cheney's own corporate dealings have eroded public confidence in the stock market and contributed to an economic downturn.

"The days of presidents, especially, coming to this town when this economy is so wracked, thinking they're just going to come in for a nice photo-op, we believe are over, especially on the advent of a very crucial, crucial gubernatorial race. Pennsylvania can no longer stand the status quo of corporate control over this economy as it has had in the last 10 years, primarily from Republicans," he said.

Mike DeVanney, executive director of the Allegheny County Republican Committee, had this response:

"The Republican Committee of Allegheny County was honored to have President George W. Bush and gubernatorial candidate Mike Fisher visit to acknowledge the courage of the nine miners who were miraculously rescued at Quecreek.

"While the president and Mike Fisher were emphasizing the best America has to offer, Tom Flaherty could only be himself by exhibiting the worst of human nature: making silly accusations that demonstrate why he has no credibility with thinking people in Allegheny County."