Arlen Specter, Anthony Williams, and the need for high black turnout

When polls open next Tuesday, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Anthony Williams will no doubt be watching Philadelphia closely, hoping that enough has been done to turnout the high number of black voters he needs to narrow what remains a yawning gap against primary rival Dan Onorato.

But if there’s one person who has even more riding on that turnout, it’s Senator Arlen Specter.

The Republican-turned-Democrat has long commanded strong support from within the city’s black community.…

May 12, 2010 at 11:30 pm | Comments (41)

Petition challenges, the GOP & the decline of Philadelphia

I’ve commented previously on the use of petition challenges to knock would-be contenders off the ballot in Pennsylvania. I think it’s obnoxious in all cases, a textbook example of form over substance that rewards insiders and leaves the public without real competition in many instances.

But the Philadelphia Republican Party has taken things to a degree I never imagined.

A little background here: the Philly GOP doesn’t win many elections and…

April 22, 2010 at 1:51 pm | Comments (4)

LEFTOVERS: Dems hit Fitzpatrick, A Philly ward backs Hoeffel & Saidel

Bucks County Democrats on Wednesday criticized former Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick for claiming he has “no interest in becoming a professional politician,” unveiling a Web video that juxtaposes the comment with 20 years worth of electoral campaigning as both a candidate and a political operative.

“It’s hard to believe, but Congressman Fitzpatrick, a guy who has been running for political office for 20 years, claimed that he has ‘no interest in becoming a professional politician,’” Neil…

February 10, 2010 at 8:30 pm | Comments (10)

Schmidt shows GOP the way in Philly

When I ran for Congress in Philadelphia, I couldn’t get the Inquirer to return my phone calls, much less endorse me. Imagine my surprise at seeing Sunday’s op-ed page state in large letters “Watchdog role suits Schmidt” and endorse Republican Al Schmidt for city controller. It is a sign that Republicans can indeed be taken seriously in Philadelphia if they work at it rather than make the…

October 27, 2009 at 4:24 pm | Comments (0)

A labor battle is brewing: Philadelphia’s mayor freezes payroll increases

Philadelphia is in the midst of a union battle that could be one of the more dramatic tussles that the city has seen with its four major municipal unions in years.

With the Philadelphia budget in shambles and a projected $1-billion dollar deficit over the next five years, Mayor Michael Nutter has proposed payroll changes that city workers are finding tough to swallow.

Nutter will be cutting payroll increases for more than 20,000 city workers,…

July 8, 2009 at 9:26 am | Comments (0)

Specter on seniority: ‘I’m going to get it back’

PHILADELPHIA—Senator Arlen Specter sounded confident Monday that he would eventually regain his seniority in Washington, which was stripped from him by his new party last week.

“I’m going to get it back,” he told pa2010.com with a smile after entering a crowded ballroom here for the Philadelphia Democratic City Committee’s spring dinner.

In between accepting a slew of warm welcomes, including one from Congresman Bob Brady (D-1), who is the head…

May 11, 2009 at 6:17 pm | Comments (5)

New Philly green-jobs center could stoke 2010 energy debate

PHILADELPHIA—This week the local Fox affiliate reported on the opening of Kensington’s new John S. and James L. Knight Green Jobs Training Facility. The new green jobs training facility could serve as a catalyst for debate in the 2010 elections, with joblessness threatening many American families and politicians struggling to find ways to attract new businesses to Pennsylvania. The new green jobs training facility is part of a much larger effort in Philadelphia and the…

April 22, 2009 at 9:15 am | Comments (0)

A hazy view from the nation’s birthplace

Spring was a few days away, and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter was preparing to present his budget to City Council. The city’s financial situation was, and still is, in dire need of restructuring. Officials have recommended courses of action that seem harsh, draconian, entirely ineffable. The city faces hundreds of millions of dollars in budget deficits in the coming years. To cope, Nutter has proposed budget cuts and tax increases that will be painful reminders of the economic state of this city.

Philadelphia is two-faced. One of its faces is the radiant, cheerful visage of a town that attracts New Yorkers seeking shorter, more manageable commutes, cheaper rent, and lower costs of living. They seek a calmer and smaller city filled with lovely parks, a network of quality private schools, a deep and meaningful history, and plenty of fun activities.

On the other half of that clean-cut image lie the grimy streets of Kensington, the heroine markets, the unbelievably high illiteracy rate, joblessness and poverty. Center City’s parks are ghostly doppelgangers of Strawberry Mansion’s dope-filled playgrounds. Illegal gun sales threaten the safety of communities and gang violence establishes itself insidiously in our neighborhoods

We have only one say in all of this. We vote. Then we hand the work over to someone else.

At first, the politicians that we vote for are mysteries. They are vague forms that make promises on television and accuse each other of hypocrisy, greed and corruption. They paint pretty pictures of themselves and urge us to vote for them, saying that they will impose measures that will bring the city out of its problems.

This endless cycle is one that we are each familiar with in our own way. Some of us turn our cheeks and stand on pedestals and preach about the buried corruption that lies unearthed, corruption cases like the $62,000 in tools given to the disgraced former state Senator Vince Fumo, or the FBI wiretapping of former Mayor John Street’s office. Some of us research our political picks, and through careful deliberation come to rational conclusions, forming a foundation of reasons for why we place our votes. Some of us choose to avoid the mess altogether.

But most of us vote, and we research, and we hope that our vote will be the right one, that the person we are voting for will work hard in office for us and for our neighbors and for our neighborhood’s neighbors, because we, as individuals, are single voices in a collective body of people crying out for something other than this. We must be certain and confident that those we send to office, those politicians, are the ones we want fighting our city’s fight.

This is the View From Philly. It is clouded and hazed but holds promise. It looks deep into the 2010 election cycle and analyzes our city’s needs, desires and critical stake in state governance. It asks what politicians intend to do about those urban and metropolitan issues that are so often ignored in national elections. This blog is your blog, written by someone with a stake in this city, someone who has chosen to make this historic and revered birthplace of a nation his permanent home. Safe, clean, clear and steady, this is the View From Philly.

April 19, 2009 at 7:00 pm | Comments (1)

Knox prepared to spend millions on gubernatorial bid

PHILADELPHIA—Tom Knox spent more than $10 million from his own pocket on an unsuccessful run for mayor here in 2007. A couple years later, the wealthy Philadelphia businessman seems willing to spend a whole lot more to win the governor’s mansion.

In a recent interview with pa2010.com, Knox, a Democrat, said a successful gubernatorial run for a candidate of his profile would cost about $30 million; $15 million each for the primary and general elections. While he has high fundraising hopes, Knox said he would spend “whatever it takes” to win.

“I want to make sure that this time I’m a winner,” said Knox, who finished second in Philadelphia’s 2007 Democratic mayoral primary to eventual Mayor Michael Nutter.

April 19, 2009 at 6:19 pm | Comments (3)