Category: Philadelphia

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Mark Alan Hughes, The Decoupling Strategy, and The Nutter Administration

  By Economic Development, Philadelphia, Social Justice

I have had really high hopes for Michael Nutter as Mayor since the primary in May 2007. But along with those hopes, I’ve had a nagging worry since October 2007. That’s when Mark Alan Hughes, who once served as a policy advisor to the Nutter campaign and is now the sustainability director, published two deeply disturbing columns about his vision for the future of the city. You can read them here and here. At the time he published those columns Hughes did not work for Michael Nutter. And I had heard Nutter speak enough during the campaign to feel confident that the then future Mayor did not share the ideas found in those columns. But, in the last few weeks, I’ve started to worry that maybe what Hughes wrote reflects the policy of this administration. I’ll explain why in a moment. First I have to present Hughes’s vision for the… Continue reading

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How To Save The City Part II: An Inclusive, Transparent Budget Process?

  By Philadelphia, Philadelphia Budget, Politics

Submitted by Marc Reposted from YPP What would an inclusive, transparent budget process look like? I once took part in such a process and maybe that experience can shed some light on what we might do here in Philadelphia. Continue reading

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Save the branches

  By Libraries, Philadelphia

Mayor Nutter recently announced that eleven branch libraries will be closed, not temporary but permanently, due to the budget crisis. Thirty six branch library staff members will be laid off as will 25 staff members of the central library. The library is taking, as a percentage of its budget, a larger reduction (of about 20%) than any other city agency. I believe this reduction is a serious mistake and am working with the Friends of the Free Library to build opposition to these cutbacks. Why are these library reductions so unconscionable? 1. Library branches are critical to education in Philadelphia. We live in a city in which elementary schools do not have libraries. Indeed, only one high school library, at Central, meets the states minimum requirements. 2. Library branches are one of the most important places our kids go after school. Our kids find not only books and magazines and… Continue reading

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The word on the street: no street money

  By Elections and Voting, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Ward politics

The word on the street is that there is going to be no money on the street from the Obama campaign. No one knows for sure. But ward leaders are worried. This would be an innovation in Pennsylvania politics…and in my view, a really dumb one. Continue reading

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Nutter, transparency, and the Cohen wage tax rebate

  By Philadelphia, Taxation

Evidently transparency only goes so far in the Nutter administration. It was widely reported that the budget plan adopted by Council retained the Cohen Wage Tax Rebate but delays implementation of the program for another year until 2014. Now it is itself is a bit of a farce to delay the beginning of the program until after the next election for Mayor or Council. Michael Nutter wouldn’t claim to be serving the interests of the business community by promising a big BPT cut in 2014 but doing nothing now. But now it seems that this farce is the least of our problems. Stan Shapiro recently sent an email that said It turns out that the Cohen rebate has actually been stunted, not just postponed. Under the law as it is now, the rate for low wage workers would go down to 1.5% no matter what, in yearly half percent increments… Continue reading

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The BPT: the bane of Philadephia

  By Humor, Philadelphia, Taxation

When I worked for SEIU I was limited in what i could blog. So I wrote this under an assumed name for Young Philly Politics. Before citing it, please read the note at the end. You would think that, with the Nutter administration securing a substantial victory on tax policy, talk of the “job-killing business tax” would be on the decline. Continue reading

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Larry Farnese's victory and the progressive movement

  By Philadelphia, Progressive Politics

I think Larry Farnese’s victory is good for progressives. That’s true for three reasons. Continue reading

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Save the Broad Street buildings

  By Philadelphia, Urbanism, Zoning

Yesterday, the State Department of General Services (DGS), which is building the Convention Center Expansion, ignored a ruling by the State Historical Commission, and started demolishing two historic buildings that stand in the path of the new building. This is doubly disappointing. It is important that we save these buildings. And the way in which the DGS, and our political leaders, are acting is truly despicable. Evidently it was too expensive to violate the trust of the people the way we usually do them in this state–which would have meant that the demolition would have started at 2 am. Instead, the state has acted at the next most nefarious time, when the holiday season is upon us and we were celebrating, among other things, a decision that we thought would protect these buildings. The whole story is below. Read it. And then email Governor Rendell and ask him to order… Continue reading

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The labor dispute at the convention center

  By Labor, Philadelphia

The city woke up to some good news in the Inquirer—Governor Rendell is evidently going to try to broke a compromise on the Convention Center labor dispute. So Council is not likely to adopt Frank DiCicco’s proposal to open the expansion of the Convention Center to non-union contractors This is a tough issue for those of us who are both pro-labor and pro-minority. There is no question that many of the building trades have fewer minority and women members than they should, given the demographics of the city and region. And there is no question that racism is a main reason for these low numbers. And yet, while I don’t doubt the good intentions of Frank DiCicco and the other supporters of this proposal, opening work at the Convention Center to non-union contractors is not a good solution, for many reasons. Continue reading

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Inclusionary housing update

  By Housing, Philadelphia

Not long ago, we held an interesting debate here about Inclusionary Housing with some of us (including me) seeking a bill that directs most of the money to those with the lowest incomes in the city and others (including Ray) worried about the difficulties for those in the middle of the income scale. The wonderful world of Philadelphia politics has brought us a compromise to please everyone. The Philadelphia Coalition for Housing Justice has reached an agreement with Councilman Clarke on a an IH bill. We were concerned that Clarke’s bill would mainly serve middle class Philadelphians, rather than providing affordable housing for those who needed it most. But now Clarke has amended his bill require that half of the on-site units would sold or rented to families earning between 0 – 80% of AMI Clarke agreed that 50% of all on-site units should serve people between 0 – 80%… Continue reading