Category: Mon Valley Miscellany, Politics || By

Sweet sainted ghost of Gilbert F. Myer, I never thought I'd see Port Vue on Page 2 of the Washington Post's "Style" section.

And I never, ever thought I'd see North Huntingdon Township on Page 1 of the "Style" section.

And I never, ever, ever thought that the road to one of the biggest divorce cases in Western Pennsylvania history was running right through Our Fair City.

No wonder philanthropist and publisher Richard Mellon Scaife bought the Daily News. He was driving past the building often enough.

. . .

When Mr. Scaife's divorce papers were plastered all over the Post-Gazette a month ago, I decided: I'm not touching those with a 50-foot pole.

First, it was unseemly.

Second, as much as I enjoy a steamin' glass of schadenfreude as much as the next guy, who amongst us has not been unlucky in love?

I could easily see myself in Mr. Scaife's place. We're a lot alike. After all, we're both self-made media moguls. Oh, sure, he inherited a few dollars, but my mom also bought me a bunch of Series E savings bonds when I was a kid, too.

Anyway, live and let live, that's my motto.

But David Segal of the Washington Post decided to wallow through them. Boy, did he ever! Editor & Publisher calls his story an "epic report" of the "tawdry divorce details."

And if anyone has leaped to the top of the Trib's fecal roster, it's Segal. Right now, I suspect Accuracy In Media is pounding out a 400-page "white paper" on how Segal doesn't wash his hands after going to the bathroom.

. . .

McKeesport-Area Lodgings: There's a lot of chortling over the fact that the notorious Doug's Motel on Route 30 in Stewartsville is featured prominently in the Washington Post story. When I covered North Huntingdon, it seemed like some of the patrons at Doug's were frequent fliers on the police blotter.

A quick Google search last night found Doug's (which has changed hands and its name) on a website for "swingers." Somehow I don't think they were talking about people who are fans of the Dodge Dart.

You know, there was a story in a local newspaper a few years ago about a much nicer motel in North Huntingdon ... oh, here it is! It's the Penn-Irwin Motel, near the turnpike.

Anyway, remember, if you have relatives coming in from out of town and they need a place to stay, Tube City Online has a handy guide to McKeesport-area hotels and motels.

The Huntingdon Inn (nee Doug's Motel) didn't make the list, unfortunately, but maybe it should, now that it's world-famous.

. . .

In Other Business: City Councilman Paul Shelly Jr. writes that the lawsuit alleging that the city violated its Home Rule Charter by allowing employees to run for public office "may not be over."

The lawsuit, filed by local political activist and school director Dave Donato, was specifically about the McKeesport Area School Board race. Last week, Allegheny County Judge Eugene Scanlon dismissed the suit.

I'm not a lawyer, but it seems to me that Scanlon is just punting the complaint to Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr., saying (in effect) that if the charter was violated, then it's up to the DA's office to investigate, because it's a criminal matter, not a civil matter.

Though I don't want to make light of this, "it seems to me that we are engaged in a desperate battle for time," as Bob & Ray said in their classic skit, "Public Lawyer."

Council (sans Shelly) is trying to change the city charter and allow employees to seek certain offices. If the charter is changed, then Donato's complaint becomes moot.

But if the charter stands, then I suspect pressure will mount on either Zappala or the state Attorney General's Office to investigate. Tick ... tick ... tick ....