Citizens in Charge

A Pittsburgh City Council bill to put a referendum on the November ballot to ban natural gas drilling may wind up being a meaningless political gesture ”” as well as illegal.

Council approved the bill with a veto-proof 6-3 majority on Monday, over the objections of the city’s Law Department. The bill would let residents vote on amending the city charter to ban drilling as part of a “community bill of rights.”

City lawyers have said in a memo that the charter amendment would be “invalid and unenforceable” because it conflicts with state laws that allow gas production and could lead to residents and businesses suing the city for lost royalties if they’re prevented from leasing gas drilling rights on their properties.

The wizard lobby is wading into Maine’s fight over gay marriage. The Harry Potter Alliance, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit that is “dedicated to bringing the themes of Harry Potter into the real world” announced today a grassroots effort to help defeat a Nov. 3 ballot initiative in Maine that seeks to repeal a recent state law legalizing same sex marriage.

Read the story from the Wall Street Journal

We’re happy to report that Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson has dismissed criminal charges against three political activists and finally ended his assault on popular democracy in the Sooner State.