PITTSBURGH -- Controversy over the city's approval of an electronic billboard downtown led to the resignation of Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's press secretary and a temporary leave of absence for the Urban Redevelopment Authority's executive director on Wednesday.

URA executive director Pat Ford is a longtime friend of Lamar Advertising executive Jim Vlasach, with whom he worked on a deal that bypassed Pittsburgh's permit process and allowed Lamar to put up an electronic billboard at the Grant Street transportation center.

Ford and his wife, Alecia Sirk, have gotten gifts from that same billboard executive in the past.

Sirk resigned from her position as Ravenstahl's press secretary on Wednesday, and Ford -- a part of the mayor's inner circle who has held a variety of top posts -- requested an immediate, temporary paid leave of absence.

Sirk blogged about the couple's friendship with Vlasach a couple of years ago. In the blog, she called her husband "our hero" and wrote that Vlasach -- whom she called "JV" -- had gifted her with a sound system.

The blog said, "...The best part was that I got a Christmas gift! JV brought me surround sound for my DVD player! It is like knock you over one of the best things evah."

"I can tell you that I wasn't aware of this situation until today, and once I was made aware of it, certainly I became very concerned and I remain concerned," Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said.

When asked if he prompted the resignation, Ravenstahl said he did.

"Hopefully we will let the public know that we're serious about this and this type of action -- although at this point remains to be seen on what the final outcome is -- is something that we're not going to tolerate," he said.

Local political blogs like The Burgh Report and The Pittsburgh Comet got a tip about Sirk's blog, even though the original files are no longer on the Internet.

"We feel that the appearance of an impropriety is clear," said blogger Bram Reichbaum. "There's certainly enough out there for a perception of impropriety. That's not for us to determine."

Reichbaum said Sirk told her that "she didn't regard anything that she had written about in her blog as inappropriate and there was nothing inappropriate about the relationship."

A report by WTAE Channel 4's news exchange partner, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, said Ford has received repeated gifts from his friend, including cigars, ties and other things which he said "are of nominal value."

"I've been in public service long enough now to know what's appropriate and what's inappropriate behavior," Ford told the Trib for a story in Wednesday's morning edition. ".. I also am professional enough and mature enough to know when to separate business with a friendship."

Both Ford and Sirk have said their friendship with Vlasach goes back some time and has nothing to do with the billboard deal.

Ravenstahl's office said the state Ethics Commission will review the situation.

Neither Ford nor Sirk were available for comment to WTAE Channel 4 Action News on Wednesday. Vlasach did not return a call for comment.

Lamar is suing city council members who are challenging the billboard deal.

The council has also put a six-month moratorium on any new roadside advertising billboards, to give lawmakers time to write tighter zoning restrictions for them.

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