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Sunday, November 10, 2002

THE BIAS against scalpers is inherent in the name, but the scalps these street entrepreneurs take would just be considered well-earned profit in the more respectable circles of private enterprise. In our view, free-lance ticket sellers provide a public service, but that is not the attitude of Pittsburgh City Council, which last week voted finally to end the licensing of scalpers. Fortunately, city Councilman William Peduto realizes that simply ending the licenses doesn't address some of the complaints leveled against scalpers: that they are too aggressive and sometimes rip off customers by selling bogus tickets. Mr. Peduto suggests setting up "no scalping zones" where scalpers -- or private citizens with a few spare tickets -- could openly resell tickets at face value or less. Council agreed to hold a public hearing on the zones, which Mr. Peduto thinks should be like the one outside the Orioles' ballpark in Baltimore. We would be for lifting restrictions on scalper activity, but, as compromises go, this is just the ticket.

OFFICIALDOM smiles on some street vendors and so does the public. Such a character was Tom Franchi, whose fruit and vegetable stand had been putting the market in Market Square for the last few years. Mr. Franchi, just 47, died of a heart attack while driving last Sunday in Beaver County. His many and varied customers will mourn him.

IN PUBLIC SPACES, buskers -- musicians and other artists who perform for tips -- can add an interesting dash of colorful humanity to the workaday world of the city. Pittsburgh hasn't been particularly hospitable to the centuries-old art of busking, but a new group called Busk Pittsburgh wants to change that. It is a grass-roots effort involving busker-friendly people from various groups such as the Ground Zero Action Network and the Steel Valley Arts Council (the idea to bring busking Downtown began with the Homestead Arts Project last year). Eric Sloss, one of the organizers of Busk Pittsburgh, said the legal status of buskers is uncertain and the new group is pushing for City Council to legitimize the performers with an ordinance, perhaps with a system of free permits. Busk Pittsburgh plans to hold an event this Tuesday at 10 a.m. in Mellon Square Park, Downtown, where buskers will perform (for further information, call Mr. Sloss at 412-661-0676 or e-mail buskpittsburgh@yahoo.com). We hope city officials don't give them the old song and dance.