PITTSBURGH -- Republican mayoral candidate Mark DeSantis is raising questions about the resignation letters Democratic Mayor Luke Ravenstahl called for from 10 city officials over the summer.

Ravenstahl said he is still evaluating the job performance of the people he asked to resign but won't say how many people he's interviewed as potential replacements.

In the shakeup 90 days ago, Ravenstahl asked for resignations from 10 city directors. The mayor's office news release at the time said, "All directors not appointed by Mayor Ravenstahl have been asked to serve the city in an acting capacity and are encouraged to reapply for the position in order to prove they are the best person for the job."

DeSantis is calling on Ravenstahl to end the employment limbo that DeSantis said hurts city worker morale.

But Ravenstahl has since told Council the city law's 90-day clock, which is the limit on how long someone can serve as an acting director, isn't even ticking.

"Their resignations were never formally accepted, so they're still in their capacity as directors at this point," Ravenstahl said. "And they are aware that the evaluation process is ongoing."

"I'm completely baffled by what the mayor is doing here," said DeSantis. "He asked people for resignations 90 days ago. Now he's saying that he's not accepting the resignations."

Some on City Council suggest Ravenstahl didn't accept the resignations, because he could not meet the law's deadline.

"Because it would trigger this series of events, so they stepped back from that cliff, if you will, and that's where we're at today," said City Council President Doug Shields.

"I think that is splitting hairs," said City Councilman Bill Peduto. "I would ask the directors or their families if they feel that they're directors. Right now, they don't know if they have a job."

At Ravenstahl's request, Council delayed making changes in the law to put teeth in the 90-day deadline for a fourth time.

"I'm not satisfied for where this city is at right now," Ravenstahl said. "Changes need to be made, and folks have to be held accountable. We need to make sure we're putting the best team on the field."

"First of all, you don't want to keep people in limbo," said DeSantis. "They're either performing, or they're not performing. You don't do them any favors by keeping them guessing about what their status is. That's simply not fair to the employees."

Ravenstahl's office announced on Wednesday that he would hold a news conference Thursday on the status of city government operations.

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