News Clips

“Citizens should have the right to have input on anyone who has the potential to represent them, regardless of what they’re registered as,” Khalif Ali, the executive director of Common Cause Pennsylvania, told City & State.

"There should be complete transparency. People should always know where your donations come from and exactly what the dollar amount is," Ali said.

Hosted by Pittsburgh United and moderated by Khalif Ali, executive director of Common Cause Pennsylvania, the forum was an opportunity for Mayor Bill Peduto, state Rep. Ed Gainey, retired police officer Tony Moreno and math tutor/ride-share driver Michael Thompson to answer questions and debate issues ranging from policing to city infrastructure.

"Our understanding is there is a significant amount of animosity toward the appellate courts by the Republicans, and it came about in legislation," said Khalif Ali, executive director of Common Cause in Pennsylvania. "It's a direct response to the results of the November election," Ali said. "There's an idea going out that if democracy doesn't give you what you want, it must be broken."

Meanwhile, there are battles in many statehouses over voting with GOP bills limiting ballot access and bills written by Democrats expanding access.

Khalif Ali, executive director of Common Cause Pennsylvania, said it is up to good government groups — and citizens — to remind elected officials of their promises. “You get accustomed to doing things in a certain way with a low or middle level of accountability,” he said of elected officials. “The higher the accountability, the closer the scrutiny, and that makes people uncomfortable.”