Category: Philadelphia

One Comment

Will Mayor Nutter Lead a Movement to Save Our Schools?

  By Education, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

Michael Nutter talked a great deal about education during his reelection campaign. His inaugural speech focused on education. He said he wanted to take on responsibility for the schools. But today the SRC announced that the School District in Philadelphia is going to be drastically downsized. Many schools will be closed. More students will attend charter schools. In a school system that has already suffered devastating cutbacks, even if some of these changes make for a more efficient use of resources, the overall consequences for our kids cannot be good. None of the suggested administrative changes deal with the fundamental problem–we don’t have the resources to provide our kids with the minimal requirements of a decent education. We don’t have money for enough quality teachers, teacher training, school books, and counselors. And the financial problem we face comes from Harrisburg and Governor Corbett’s relentless attack on school funding. That has me… Continue reading

No comments

Cohen and Josephs for State Representative

  By 2012, Philadelphia, Politics, Progressive Politics

There are some difficult State Representative races for progressives in the city this year. In two of them, long time advocates of progressive causes, Babette Josephs in the 182nd  and Mark Cohen in the 202nd, are in races with younger and ambitious challengers, Brian Sims and Numa St. Louis. How do you choose between candidates who have no differences on issues? There are few if any differences on policy between the incumbents and the challengers. Babette and Mark simply have the best voting records in Harrisburg. (When I ran my own race as a challenger and was looking to find questionable votes taken by my opponent, Rosita Youngblood, I quickly compared her votes to those of Cohen and Josephs. There were many differences and, in each case, Cohen and Josephs had taken the progressive view.) So when there are no issue differences, how do you make up your mind in… Continue reading

One Comment

In Philly, We Need Transparency in Criticism As Well As Budgeting

  By Budget, Philadelphia, Philadelphia Budget, Taxation

Some critics of Mayor Michael Nutter are calling him out for hiding a real estate tax in his new budget since the budget proposes that after the new market based system of setting property values is put in place, tax rates will be set so that the city takes in an additional $90 million in real estate tax receipts. There is a just a little bit of truth in the criticism. But most of it is really just hogwash. Continue reading

One Comment

Why I’m With Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz

  By Occupy Philly, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Progressive Politics

Nate Kleinman, a former staffer for Josh Shapiro and activist with Occupy Philly, has decided to challenge Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz in the Democratic primary. I know Nate a little and he seems like a decent, smart guy. But I think he is making a terrible mistake. Normally I would just ignore his challenge, since I don’t think Nate will make much headway against Congresswoman Schwartz. But, as I will point out below, even the small distraction Nate may create is a problem for progressives and Democrats not just here but across the country. And as I will also point out, this is a revealing moment in our politics and a good opportunity for us to think through what progressive Democrats both in and outside of Congress should be doing and saying now. When primary challenges are a good idea I don’t oppose progressives running in primaries against Democrats who consistently… Continue reading

No comments

An Open Letter to Mayor Nutter on Occupy Philadelphia

  By Philadelphia, Progressive Politics

Dear Mayor Nutter, In the last few months, the Occupy Movement, of which Occupy Philadelphia has been an important part, has had a dramatic impact on politics in America. At a time when most Democratic politicians have shied away from raising critical issues of inequality in income, wealth, and power, the movement has moved them to the forefront of our public debates. Democratic legislators in Harrisburg and Washington have recognized that this movement has already made a difference. It promises much more for the future. Thus, while we have been proud of your response to Occupy Philadelphia to this point, we were terribly disappointed to read your recent statement about Occupy Philadelphia. It is disrespectful to the movement and the people who have created it. It raises complaints about Dilworth Plaza with regard to public safety and cleanliness that are exaggerated about that site yet true of too many neighborhoods… Continue reading

No comments

Yes, I Am Asking You To Vote For a Republican: Singer and Schmidt for Commissioner

  By Philadelphia, Progressive Politics, Voting

Are you really asking me to vote for a Republican? That’s the question I get all the time, when I encourage people to give one of their two votes for City Commissioner to Al Schmidt. (The other one, of course, should go to Stephanie Singer.) I’m a liberal / progressive Democrat. I don’t recommend people vote for Republicans often. I’m pretty sure the last time I voted for Republicans it was for my dad for Village Justice in my hometown of Liberty, New York. New York elections have some peculiarities. One allows for cross-party endorsements. My dad was a Democrat but, knowing they could not beat him for reelection, the Republicans endorsed him. And knowing that I might not ever have a chance to vote for a Republican again, I voted for him on the Republican line. We have some electoral peculiarities in Philadelphia as well. One of them mandates… Continue reading

No comments

Not a Scandal

  By Philadelphia, Political Organizing, Progressive Politics

A number of Philadelphia progressives, and some editorial writers and columnists, are hot and bothered because the Democratic Party has asked judges up for a retention vote in the November election to make a substantial contribution in order to be included on the official party ballot. I am one progressive who is utterly unmoved by this supposed scandal. The criticisms of the party, and its chair, Congressman Bob Brady, are based on three false assumptions. The first is that judicial elections should be non-political in nature. Anyone who has followed the decisions of the courts of the United States, including the Supreme Court, in the last century, and especially in the 2000 Presidential election, can see through the myth that the judicial process is somehow non-political. Democrats and Republicans tend to interpret the laws differently and in ways that reflect their different ideals.  Much the same is true in the… Continue reading

No comments

My first vote for Council at Large will go to Sherrie Cohen

  By Philadelphia

Dear Friends, I’m writing to urge you to vote for Sherry Cohen for City Council at Large in Tuesday’s primary. There are a number of good candidates for Council at Large, including the incumbents. But Sherrie could bring something special to the office—a real commitment to building support throughout the city for progressive causes. Sherrie’s done that already, especially as a leader of the Coalition for Essential Services. With the resources of a Council, Sherrie could be even more effective in this role. Why is this so important? Continue reading

No comments

Donna Reed Miller without tears

  By A political memoir, NW Philly, People, Philadelphia, Politics

Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller announced her retirement last week. I though this would be a good time to repost a slightly revised version of this piece, which I originally posted May 22, 2007. I’ve been meaning to write a long piece about Donna Reed Miller’s role in the eighth district for a awhile. It is a fascinating story with all kinds of complications that provides an interesting view from which to explore race and class issues in our city. This is not it. But it is a brief sketch for those who want to know more about the Eighth district. I can sum Councilwoman Miller up with a story. I once met with her to discuss public financing of political campaigns. This was before Councilwomen Tasco and Verna with the encouragement of state representative Dwight Evans, decided to hold hearings on the subject. She was interested enough, but our conversation… Continue reading

No comments

Lies, damn lies, and statistics

  By Philadelphia, Social Justice, Taxation

“There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics” attributed to Benjamin Disraeli by Mark Twain Having made the transition myself, I know well that moving from academia to advocacy often requires some compromise with the standard of the academy. Academic rectitude requires one to point out the possible weaknesses in one’s views, to qualify statements about which one is uncertain and to be cautious before drawing start conclusion. There is little room for uncertainty, for qualification, and for caution in advocacy. But becoming an advocate shouldn’t mean that one gives up standards of intellectual honesty entirely. An advocate, especially one who trades on his standing as an academic, shouldn’t put forward conclusions when he has no good reason to do so. That, however, is what Robert Inman did in his op-ed piece in the Inquirer opposing the BPT proposal put forward by Bill Green and Maria Quinones-Sanchez. Inman… Continue reading