[18] In 2012, Ravenstahl made a cameo appearance in the film The Dark Knight Rises as a member of the fictional football team the Rapid City Monuments.

[19] In April 2003, Ravenstahl ran for the Democratic nomination for the Pittsburgh City Council's District 1 seat against incumbent Barbara Burns.

[2] He credited his win to a combination of grassroots campaigning, a voter registration drive aimed at 18- to 25-year-olds, and a general dissatisfaction with Mayor Murphy.

During his first few weeks on City Council, Ravenstahl's bill to reduce the newly imposed parking tax from 50% to 33% was vetoed by Mayor Tom Murphy, who was unwilling to balance the budget with $3 million from the Urban Redevelopment Authority.

[22] On December 6, 2005, Ravenstahl became the youngest President of the Pittsburgh City Council, when Gene Ricciardi (who had been elected district justice) stepped down from that post in a move seen as paving the way for ally Jim Motznik.

Due to ambiguous language in the city's charter, a controversy developed about how long Ravenstahl could temporarily serve as mayor before an election had to be held.

[26][27][28] The charter refers to holding a new election when someone ascends to mayor through a vacancy but makes no mention of serving out the full term.

[citation needed] Media coverage of Ravenstahl has included a feature story in The New York Times, and an appearance on Late Show with David Letterman on September 14, 2006.

[34][35] Ravenstahl was unopposed on the ballot in the Democratic primary, held on May 17, 2007, to finish the remainder of Bob O'Connor's unfinished term.

[37] DeSantis' candidacy garnered an unusual amount of interest in a city where no Republican had been elected mayor since the Great Depression.

[41][42][43] On May 19, 2009, Ravenstahl beat City Councilman Patrick Dowd and attorney Carmen Robinson to earn the Democratic nomination in the 2009 election.

[50] The Pittsburgh Promise focuses on more than just help students move on to higher education, it also aims to tackle the City's declining public school enrollment and overall population.

Pittsburgh was chosen due to its transformation after the collapse of the Steel Industry with a renewed focus on environmental, economic, and technological innovation.

"[55] Ravenstahl and Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato endorsed Senator Hillary Clinton at a rally on March 14, 2008, at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall.

[58] Pittsburgh began to take on revitalization projects and initiatives including, Redd Up Zones, the North Shore Connector, Allegheny Riverfront Vision, Three PNC Plaza, the August Wilson Center, the Three Rivers Heritage Trail, and Brownfield site redevelopment that includes South Side Works, Washington's Landing, Pittsburgh's Technology Center, and Summerset at Frick Park.

Programs such as ServePgh, Green Up, Taking Care of Business, Love Your Block, and the Civic Leadership Academy aid in the City's Third Renaissance.

Ravenstahl also took on financial problems by sharing City's services and resources through purchasing in bulk with the County and other entities and merging the Housing Authority and the Police Department.

[61] By signing the Declaration of Service, Mayor Ravenstahl committed to develop a coordinated effort to utilize impact volunteerism as a significant municipal strategy to address local challenges.

The City of Pittsburgh's service blueprint, servePGH, seeks to leverage local human capital through impact volunteerism directed towards two of Mayor Ravenstahl's top priorities: neighborhood development and youth.

[63] Further complicating matters was that the mayor held this for weeks until the very last session of the 2007 City Council (2 of the 9 members were outgoing, and one had resigned under indictment).

[64] Over the weekend of August 18, 2007, Ravenstahl used a Homeland Security funded SUV to go to a Toby Keith concert at the Post-Gazette Pavilion.

Due to controversy over a no-bid electronic billboard approved by director of the Urban Redevelopment Authority Pat Ford, there was a moratorium on new downtown signage.

[67] The Penguins and Reebok thought that they could not get new signage put up during this moratorium, and they contacted the mayor's chief of staff, Yarone Zober, to confirm this.

[69] E-mails obtained by WTAE TV of Pittsburgh between City Bureaucrats, Councilmembers, the Penguins and the Mayor's office supported Peduto's claims.

[70] In February 2013, both the FBI and IRS subpoenaed boxes full of documents from police headquarters and the independently run police credit union concerning thousands of deposits and withdrawals of tax payer money from non-authorized accounts, though at least one account dates back to 2004, prior to Mayor Ravenstahl's tenure, and as yet no allegations have been made against Mayor Ravenstahl.