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Friday, February 3, 2012

Is DROP legislation in Harrisburg a prelude to more Corbett budget cuts?

With pension and health care costs rising and debt high, it's likely that Gov. Tom Corbett, in his budget address next week, will be outlining significant cuts to already gutted school budgets, along with more painful cuts to other services and programs that serve Philly residents and particularly Philly's poor. But let's face it, one thing that isn't helping our case any: the massive payouts that the city has been doling out, both to DROP enrollees and to school officials like Arlene Ackerman.

Which is why it seems curious, timing-wise, that we're just now seeing a resolution introduced in Harrisburg urging City Council to take a stand on DROP, and a bill leveraging fines for giving large severance payouts to school administrators. What better way, after all, to make the case for cuts than to point out waste in the funding that's already being administered? (Never mind that a full half of the current budget shortfall is due to shrinking corporate tax collections, or that the state is losing millions on gas drilling taxes.)

Still, politically motivated or not, reform is needed, says Rep. John Lawrence, a Chester County Republican who introduced both pieces of legislation. He says that although DROP is a city matter, he says, "It's a concern for the state legislature on a number of levels. The taxpayers of Pennsylvania commit significant resources toward the city on an annual basis. The pension fund in Philadelphia is funded, I believe, at 47 percent right now. I have to imagine that eventually the city might approach the state and ask for a bailout — and then it would be very much become a concern of the Commonwealth." Interestingly, not a single Philadelphia Representative wanted to dip a toe into the DROP cesspool. Lawrence says he "approached every member of the legislature," so the fact that no local Reps signed on "speaks for itself, unfortunately." (One local Representative, John Taylor, told CP he wasn't familiar with the draft resolution.)

» More Is DROP legislation in Harrisburg a prelude to more Corbett budget cuts?

Posted by Samantha Melamed @ 3:07 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Friday, February 3, 2012

Wing Bowl meets New York Times/Errol Morris

As a vegetarian and a proponent of, you know, common decency, I was hoping to avoid writing anything about Wing Bowl. But The New York Times and documentary filmmaker Errol Morris demand otherwise. That's right: The New York Times. Because apparently local coverage — Philly.com's massive special section on Wing Bowl with nine articles, a live chat, a 283-photo slideshow of Wingettes; Philly Mag's dispatching of Dan McQuade to enjoy a genteel dinner with eating champ Kobayashi —just wasn't sufficient.

Morris' mini-documentary focuses in on El Wingador, who Morris had cast in a KFC ad for which he, incidentally, became "the first non-KFC employee to be given the coveted Breakout Bucket Award." Teaser: Best quotes include, "I just was a guy that liked chicken," and "I started eating my German Shepherd's rawhide bones."

Posted by Samantha Melamed @ 1:29 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Friday, February 3, 2012

The Week in Dot-Comments: When readers attack

Philadelphians have been called a lot of things, but overly polite isn’t one of them. As for the loudest of the loudmouths, when their friends and family can no longer bear to listen, they head to Philadelphia’s website of record and heckle hardworking journos, sources and other commenters. Here, the week in review, as told by the dot-commenters.

» More The Week in Dot-Comments: When readers attack

Posted by Naked City @ 12:03 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Yes, Councilman Bobby Henon introduced a resolution honoring Johnny Doc, the guy who funded his election

In Council today, 6th District Councilman Boby Henon introduced a resolution honoring union boss John "Johnny Doc" Dougherty for his upcoming role as Grand Marshall of the 2012 Philadelphia St. Patrick's Day parade.

Hall Monitor, in fact, tweeted this information earlier and then deleted the tweet, partly because of misplaced glasses and an unfamiliarity with the new voices of City Council, and partly because it all seemed just a tad like one of those strange political dreams HM kept having during the primary.

Dougherty, of course, threw considerable political muscle and money behind Henon's campaign for Council. Henon, of course, worked directly under Doc as the political director of IBEW Local 98, the union of which Doc is business manager and boss.

Having confirmed that it was, in fact, Henon who introduced he bill honoring his boss of a few months back, the tweet has gone back up. We apologize for the confusion.

Follow Hall Monitor Isaiah Thompson on Twitter.

Posted by Isaiah Thompson @ 2:47 PM Permalink | File Under: Hall Monitor | | News | 7 comments

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Hall Monitor: Will Councilman James Kenney withstand a challenge to his Soul Train dancing claims? Will Council create a land bank to dispose of vacant properties? These questions and more answered.

Philadelphia’s City Council met for its second session of the new year today. Here’s what you missed.

Probably the most significant legislation introduced today was a bill sponsored by Councilmembers Maria Quinones-Sanchez and Bill Green that would create a “land bank,” — an entity which would theoretically become the main vehicle for vacant land sales in the city. It’s been about a year and counting since the Nutter administration promised to create its own comprehensive vacant land policy; this measure, as well as an idea put forth by Council President Darrell Clarke to create special “Redevelopment Districts,” with discounts on city-owned property, show Council moving forward with reforms on its own.

The session saw the passage of a number of resolutions, including:

— A resolution introduced by Sanchez and Councilman Curtis Jones, Jr. stating Council’s opposition to HB2029, a bill circulating Harrisburg that would ban “foreign” forms of law — and clearly mimicking similar “anti-Sharia” bills elsewhere in the United States.

— A resolution, introduced by Council members Jones, Kenyatta Johnson, Sanchez, and Blondell Reynolds Brown, urging the state to reconsider the Corbett administration's proposed “asset test” for individuals to receive Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps) aid. Several Council members spoke forcefully against the asset test, including Councilman James Kenney who addressed Harrisburg directly from his desk: “If you don’t want to help us, can you just leave us alone?”

And speaking of Kenney … the At-Large Councilman used his concluding remarks to praise the late Don Cornelius, creator of TV dance show Soul Train, from whom, Kenney said, “I learned how to dance.”

Kenney would soon eat his words: In her motion to adjourn the Council sessions, Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown moved that Council adjourn in a line lead by alleged Soul dancer Kenney. When the latter began to balk, Council President Clarke intervened on Reynolds Brown’s behalf:

“The motion,” he said, “has been moved and seconded.”

Kenney was finally able to wriggle out by pointing out he had no music by which to dance.

Posted by Isaiah Thompson @ 1:12 PM Permalink | File Under: Hall Monitor | | News | Post a comment

Thursday, February 2, 2012

No love for same-sex couples at SJU

St. Joseph's probably didn't envision that a Facebook contest for alumni — a Valentine's stunt entitled "How I Met My Hawk Mate" — would turn into a controversy over gay rights. But they probably should have. As Jezebel notes, Megan Edwards and Katie McTurk complained that their collegiate love story was excluded from the competition purposefully.

In a Facebook post entitled: "Attention all SJU alumni: All alumni are not created equal," the newly engaged couple write that they followed up multiple times on their contest entry. When they finally heard back, it wasn't the answer they were looking for.

» More No love for same-sex couples at SJU

Posted by Samantha Melamed @ 12:56 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Thursday, February 2, 2012

The Bell Curve: CP's Quality-O-Life-O-Meter for Jan. 2

[-2] Two workers are injured in a flash fire at a Delaware County chocolate factory. “Oompa loompa doopity dee. I think these burns are second degree.”

[+2] A UPenn project will use crowdsourcing to map out the locations of the 5,000 automated external defibrillators scattered around the city. If there’s one thing you can count on, it’s Philadelphians in groups.

» More The Bell Curve: CP's Quality-O-Life-O-Meter for Jan. 2

Posted by Samantha Melamed @ 11:10 AM Permalink | Post a comment

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Gov. Corbett backtracks on food stamp crackdown amidst outcry

Gov. Tom Corbett's administration today announced that he will limit the proposed exclusion of people from Pennsylvania's food stamp program after weathering harsh criticism from anti-hunger advocates, business owners, and local and federal officials.

Under new rules, people with assets in excess of $5,500 (and $9,000 for the disabled and elderly) will be excluded from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)―up from the initial proposed asset limit of $2,000 ($3,250 for the elderly). This excludes homes and first cars, but includes most savings.

While fewer recipients will be kicked off food stamps under the new proposal, advocates still question why the Corbett administration is spending the manpower to review nearly one million cases at a time when they have severely cut funding to the Department of Public Welfare (DPW)―and when its caseload has increased by more than 40 percent thanks to the recession.

» More Gov. Corbett backtracks on food stamp crackdown amidst outcry

Posted by Daniel Denvir @ 4:44 PM Permalink | File Under: News | Post a comment

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Hall Monitor’s City Council preview: Land Banks, zero tolerance school policies, neighborhoods keeping taxes for themselves; Harrisburg “anti-Sharia” laws that don’t mention Sharia; and more!

(Feeling Councilmanic? Follow Hall Monitor Isaiah Thompson on Twitter)

Philadelphia City Council’s 2012 session's just gotten rolling, but it’s already looking interesting. Over the next few weeks, Hall Monitor will keep you posted as the issues confronting this year’s Council take shape.

Probably the biggest news for tomorrow is that Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez and Councilman Bill Green plan to introduce a bill, long in the works, that would create a “land bank” — an entity that would hold and be able to distribute vacant land. This bill comes as the city administration’s task force on vacant land distribution still hasn’t produced a proposal for a “front door” system for the private acquisition of vacant land — after about a year and counting since they said they would.

» Click for more.

Posted by Isaiah Thompson @ 4:03 PM Permalink | File Under: Hall Monitor | | News | Post a comment

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

"Noncontroversial" sure has an interesting meaning in Harrisburg these days

First, Pennsylvania's House passed a noncontroversial resolution declaring 2012 "The Year of the Bible," (whatever that means). It was noncontroversial, perhaps, because no one wanted to be the guy who voted against God come re-election season.

Now, we have a new noncontroversial resolution introduced in the House: a declaration of support for and a request for federal funding of the Delaware River Main Channel Deepening — the same dredging project that has elicited lawsuits, Government Accountability Office audits and interstate disputes. Just yesterday, the National Marine Fisheries Service declared the project a direct threat to the Atlantic sturgeon, which was just added to the endangered species list. Also, even if you don't give a crap about sturgeon, a recent economic analysis suggests that the project won't really offer much in the way of economic benefit in our region.

So, noncontroversial seems like … maybe not quite the right word for it.

» More "Noncontroversial" sure has an interesting meaning in Harrisburg these days

Posted by Samantha Melamed @ 3:16 PM Permalink | Post a comment

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About The Naked City Blog

Here at The Naked City, you'll find breaking news, analysis, gossip and surprises about everything from crime and politics to the beating pulse of city life itself. We're good listeners, too:

Daniel Denvir: daniel.denvir@citypaper.net

Isaiah Thompson: isaiah.thompson@citypaper.net

Samantha Melamed: samantha@citypaper.net

The Naked City on Twitter: @CPNakedCity @danieldenvir @isaiah_thompson @samanthamelamed

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