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Against repealing contribution limits

  By Campaign Finance Reform, My 2007 Campaign

I oppose any legislation that would have the effect of eliminating campaign contribution limits in the current Mayoral race. The goal of campaign finance reform is to preserve our democracy. Democracy is undermined when money becomes so important in politics that those who contribute to campaigns play a dramatically greater role in determining who holds office—and thus what our office holders do—than our citizens. So I am concerned about both limiting the influence of those who contribute to the campaigns of others and those who contribute to their own campaigns. In order to attain both goals, I proposed last week a compromise that would lift campaign contribution limits gradually if a candidate for Mayor increased his contributions to his own campaign. Rather than being a serious compromise, the new bill goes so far in lifting contribution limits as to make them meaningless. It is a fig leaf that doesn’t cover… Continue reading

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A Possible Compromise? / Let's Be Fair to Jim Kenney

  By Campaign Finance Reform, My 2007 Campaign, Philadelphia, Progressive Politics, Ward politics

I have more reason than most people to want Jim Kenney put in a bad light, as I’m running for a position he holds, Council at Large. And I strongly disagree with the legislation he proposed, to eliminate all spending limitations in the Mayoral election when one candidate spends a large amount from his own resources. But I think we ought to be fair to Councilman Kenney in two respects. Continue reading

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Towards a Beautiful Politics: The Next Great City Initiative

  By Philadelphia, Progressive Politics, Urbanism

Neighborhood Networks, the organization I helped found, was one of the early supporters of the Next Great City initiative. So I was there last week when its ten point program to provide “renewed energy and strength to our neighborhoods and city” was unveiled. I was also one of the folks who, from time to time, criticized the initiative for not being bold enough. Sure, we need to improve transit stops as the Next Great City suggests. But we need much more dramatic improvements in our transit system. Yes we need to adopt modern zoning. But, even more we need a bottom up process by which neighborhoods can adapt a reformed zoning code to their own circumstances. Of course we need public access to our waterfronts. But, to do that, we need to stop the casinos and develop a plan that finds space along the waterfront for everything that belongs there—parks,… Continue reading

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Don't break it again. Fix it!

  By Campaign Finance Reform, My 2007 Campaign, Philadelphia

Campaign finance reform is only one, limited way, of fixing our broken politics. But it is one we have to save. If, however, we look at all the goals of campaign finance reform, we will see that the folks concerned about Tom Knox’s ability to spend much more out of his own pocket than other candidates can raise and spend is a serious problem. But there are ways of fixing that problem now that would improve our campaign financing system rather than taking us back to the dark ages. Campaign finance reform has a number of goals. One goal of campaign finance reform is to limit pay to play—the practice of big campaign contributors getting benefits from the city in return for their contributions. That is the prime reason that Jim Kenny’s proposal to eliminate all limits on campaign contributions in the Mayoral race is a really terrible idea. (And… Continue reading

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Finally, people are noticing the bank closings in Philadelphia

  By Banking and Finance, Philadelphia

Last month Wachovia silently closed one its North Philadelphia bank at Front and Alleghany.  It was a bank closing, like many of this city’s bank closings, that went unnoticed by much of Philadelphia and came unexpectedly to the citizens around it.  It marks a trend: the rapid closing of banks in low income neighborhoods. To add insult to injury, across the street from the vacant Wachovia bank a check cashing place opened up.  Such places are notorious for overcharging people to get their checks chased.  “Grand Reopening – Current 1 Check Cashing” read the sign. Continue reading

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The Politics of Hope

  By A political memoir, About me, My 2007 Campaign

By AC Missias from A Smoke Filled Room January 19, 2007 As long as we’re coming clean with early picks, let me say I strongly support Marc Stier for City Council At Large. It’s not just because I’ve enjoyed his lengthy chewy blog posts, but because I’ve been able to see him in action on the Neighborhood Networks Steering Committee (and on several critical early subcommittees), and he’s one of the most impressive folks working in the political and activist realms right now, and extremely dedicated to the principles he propounds. He seems to work 36 hours in a day, and yet still bring a sense of humor to difficult discussions, and all of those things mean that causes in which he is involved simply make progress faster than they would without him. Marc seems always to be incredibly well informed on every issue facing the city (he picks the brains of the experts… Continue reading

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A Regional Tax swap?

  By Economic Development, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Taxation

One of the major problems with politics in Philadelphia is that it is focused just on Philadelphia. However many of the most important problems we face are regional in nature. Our public transit system is clearly a regional problem. So is economic development and job growth. It is not just Philadelphia but the whole region that has been growing slowly. And many environmental problems, especially the loss of open land, are regional as well. Continue reading

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It’s Best Done With Scissors: Miles, Groucho, and the Art of Composition with Tape

  By Music

RIP James Brown James Brown was one of the three or four most important popular musicians in my life. Most of the popular music to which I listened—and more importantly to which I danced—was either by James Brown or influenced by him. And Brown’s reach went far beyond popular music. I wrote this essay, It’s Best Done With Scissors: Miles, Groucho, and the Art of Composition with Tape, for a group of on-line friends a few years ago. I’ve never published or posted it before. But it occurred to me that today might be a good day to do so, in honor of the life of James Brown. Most of it is not about James Brown at all, but about the most important musician in my life, Miles Davis. But in the middle of this essay, I detail a number of ways in which Miles’ electronic music of the 1960s… Continue reading