Vol. I No. 153
Keeping You Posted With The Politics Of Philadelphia
February 2, 2011
Philadelphia
Daily Record
Tasting Freedom
VETERAN Inquirer reporters Dan Biddle, right, and Murray Dubin presented their dramatic new history of Octavius Catto and the “first civil-rights movement�, which was centered in Philadelphia in the 1860s. Their book, Tasting Freedom, was discussed by panel of experts including Councilman Jim Kenney, left, and NAACP head Jerry Mondesire at Reading Terminal Market last evening.
Casey Bill Would Help Recover Missing, Exploited Children
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US Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) today introduced the Recovering Missing Children Act with Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), bipartisan legislation to provide law enforcement with additional tools to help locate missing children. This legislation would permit limited sharing of taxpayer information from the Internal Revenue Service with law enforcement to locate missing children and suspected child abductors. “There has been much focus in recent years on sharing information across different agencies to catch terrorists,” said Casey. “We should have a similar initiative to catch those who abduct or exploit children. The Recovering Missing Children Act is an important step in addressing the many complicated issues surrounding child abduction.” “This bill is a first step in the fight to save the 200,000 children abducted every year. This bill maintains taxpayer privacy while also ensuring that the appropriate tools are available to connect missing and exploited children with their families,” said Enzi.
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Every year in the United States, an estimated 800,000 children are reTHE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD
ported missing. A quarter of them, 200,000 children, are victims of family abduction, in which a parent or other relative abducts the child. Among family abductions, about 12,000 cases per year involve abductions that last longer than six months. Family abduction is a violation of both State and federal law, despite the fact that the abductor is the child’s parent. The IRS has information that could aid law enforcement in locating a child who was abducted by a family member, such as a home address reported by a tax filer. A 2007 study from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration shows that an examination of 1,700 Social Security Numbers for missing children and their alleged abductors from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children database found in more than a third of the cases the IRS had new addresses on file. However, TIGTA could not give law enforcement the new addresses because current tax law prevents disclosure of such information unless specifically authorized as an exception to non-disclosure. The legislation introduced today by Casey and Enzi will aid in the recovery of missing children by providing a new tool to help law-enforcement officials locate missing children and their alleged abductors. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to explicitly 1 JANUARY, 2011
permit the disclosure of relevant tax-return information for the purpose of aiding criminal investigations into missing or exploited children. Under current law, the Attorney General or other United States attorney can apply to a Federal district court judge or magistrate judge for an order to obtain IRS data in criminal investigations. The Recovering Missing Children Act will clarify the law to specifically identify cases of missing and exploited children in the tax-code provisions providing for disclosure of tax return information for use in criminal investigations. The provision ensures that select taxpayer information will only be released to law-enforcement officials as a part of a legitimate investigation or judicial proceeding under the orders of a federal judge. The Recovering Missing Children Act also amends the law to allow for federal law enforcement to share information on a limited basis with State and local law enforcement that are part of a team directly involved in investigating and prosecuting such cases. The majority of investigations into missing and exploited children are conducted at the State and local level. Casey has a long record of strengthening laws aimed at criminals who target children. While Pennsylvania Auditor General, he led the fight to reform Megan’s Law to better protect Pennsylvania communities and children from sex offenders.
Pew Study: Our City Council Has Little Turnover Compared With Other Cities A new report by The Pew Charitable Trusts’ Philadelphia Research Initiative finds the members of the Philadelphia City Council have served longer, on average, than their counterparts in any of 14 other major cities, including the nation’s 10 largest. 2 FEBRUARY, 2011
With an average tenure of 15.5 years in office as of the end of 2010, the Council is Philadelphia’s longestserving in at least six decades. The Council also had one of the lowest percentages of first-term members of any of the cities studied. The report, City Councils in Philadelphia and Other Major Cities: Who Holds Office, How Long They Serve, and How Much It All Costs, compares the 15 City Councils in a number of ways that can be quantified, including Council budgets, staffing, salaries, certain electoral conditions, tenure and the representation of historically underrepresented groups. “Relative to the other cities, Philadelphia’s Council is well-paid and well-staffed, although it is not the highest-paid or most-staffed,” said Thomas Ginsberg, project manager of PRI and the primary author of the report. “Philadelphia’s council members have more weeks without scheduled sessions than their counterparts elsewhere, are more likely to use city-owned cars and are among the few who must give up their seats to run for other elective office.” The cities included in the report, in addition to Philadelphia, are Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, San Antonio, San Diego, San Jose and Washington. Three other cities – Denver, Nashville and San Francisco – were included in some of the cost comparisons because they, like Philadelphia, have consolidated city/county governments. A PDF of the report and an interactive Web graphic that allows users to compare councils is available at www.pewtrusts.org/philaresearch. This research was conducted on the heels of a recession that has led many cities to cut their municipal budgets. City councils were heavily involved in those decisions, and councils’ own spending levels have come under increased scrutiny. And the cities are about to engage in the once-a-decade Council redistricting process that will define the parameters of local
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political representation for the next 10 years. One reason Philadelphia has the longest-serving Council is the absence of term limits. Eight of the 15 cities in the study, including New York and Los Angeles, have term limits for Council, limiting members to no more than 12 years in office, less in some cases. Philadelphia and all of the other cities studied except Detroit, Houston, New York and San Diego have elections this year at which all or some Council seats will be on the ballot. In Philadelphia, all of the seats are up for election, and four veteran members – including Council President Anna Verna, a 35-year incumbent and longestserving Council Member since at least 1920 – have decided not to seek new terms. The Los Angeles City Council spends the most per seat on itself, about $1.7 million, and Pittsburgh the least, about $226,000. The 15 councils cost local taxpayers a median of about $607,000 per member this past year, the biggest part of which was salaries and benefits for staff and members. The Philadelphia City Council’s 2011 budget for staff salaries, employee benefits and operations is roughly $1.1 million per member, sixth highest among the cities. Philadelphia has one Council employee (including members) for every 7,900 residents, compared with 1 for 4|
13,500 across all the cities. Among six cities with consolidated City/County functions, Philadelphia has the second-highest cost per seat and is the third most-expensive on cost per resident. Detroit’s Council consumes 1.01% of City general-fund spending, the largest share among the cities studied. New York’s 0.10% is the lowest. Across all 15 cities, the median is 0.46%. That share changed little through the recession (fiscal 2008 to 2011) for many of the cities including Philadelphia, which is at 0.50%. After inflation, seven of the Councils reduced their own budgets during the period, led by Phoenix’s 33% cut, while seven recorded increases. Los Angeles has the highest average salaries, $178,789, and San Antonio has the lowest, a maximum of only $1,400 per member. The average Council salary in Philadelphia is $121,107, fourth highest out of 15. As for historically under-represented groups, most of the cities have about the same percentage of Blacks in council as in their general populations; in Philadelphia, Blacks make up 43% of the population and 41% of the Council. Philadelphia has the second-highest proportion of women in Council, at 41%. Dallas has the highest, 47%, while Los Angeles is lowest at 13%. Hispanics and Asians have smaller shares of Council seats THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD
Feb. 2Realtors for Alan Kurtz for Sheriff fundraiser at Sampan, 124 S. 13th St., 5-7 p.m. Write checks to Friends of Alan Kurtz, 220 S. 16th St., Suite 201, Phila., PA 19102. Feb. 23rd Dist. Appreciation Night sponsored by Friends of Jannie Blackwell at 1st Dist. Plaza, 3801 Market St., 6-9 p.m. Free for committeepersons and ward leaders of 3rd Council Dist. Feb. 3Councilman Frank DiCicco fundraiser at Cuba Libre, 10 S. 2nd St., 5:30-7:30 p.m. Contributions Host $250, Guest $50. Feb. 3PRO-ACT hosts 3 consecutive free weekly sessions at 444 N. 3rd St., 6:30-8:30 p.m. to help individuals and families cope with addiction. Feb. 5Phila. Branch NAACP celebrates 100th anniversary at luncheon at HERO Ctr., 3439 N. 17th St., 12-4 p.m. Tickets $40. For info Renee (215) 4390988 or Lynne (267) 481-5857. Feb. 8- Denny O’Brien kicks off race for City Council at Rosewood Caterers, 8888 Frankford Ave., 7 p.m. Feb. 10Germantown Republican Club hosts Lincoln Day Dinner at Union League, 140 S. Broad St., 6 p.m. Honoree and speaker Lt. Gov. James Cawley. Tickets $65. For info Jack Morley (215) 389-1768. Feb. 11Fundraiser Reception for Council candidate Lawrence Clark at Rose Tattoo Café, 19th & Callowhill Sts., 6-8 p.m. For info (215) 224-0727. 2 FEBRUARY, 2011
compared to populations in most of the cities. Philadelphia City Council has the most weeks during which no hearings or sessions appear on its official calendar – 12 weeks during a typical summer-although many members continue to work during that period. In contrast, Houston, officially a part-time panel, schedules some type of Council business every week of the year, although often only partial days. City Councils in Philadelphia and Other Major Cities was written by Thomas Ginsberg, project manager of PRI, with the assistance of senior associate Claire Shubik-Richards and staff at the Pew Center on the States. The report is limited to the parameters described above, as well as other measurable factors. It does not, for instance, look at such items as voting records of Council members, nor does it attempt to measure the political effectiveness of individual members or any of the Councils as a whole.
New Fox Radio Station Features Laura Ingraham, Michael Savage A new local Fox News radio affiliate, WFYL News Talk 1180, will debut on Monday, Feb. 7 starting at 7 a.m. with a Daily Double of radio hosts starting out with the #1 female host Laura Ingraham at 9 a.m., followed by #3 talker, Michael Savage at noon. The Laura Ingraham Show is now ranked the 6thlargest syndicated show with over 6 million weekly listeners according to Talkers Magazine, and she has been missed in the Philadelphia area since late 2008. Located on the grounds of the Jeffersonville Golf Club, WFYL’s signal covers West Chester to Willow Grove, and Pottstown to Philadelphia. In addition, the station can be streamed live at www.1180wfyl.com. Ingraham and Savage will bring their unique brand of pluck, political savvy, and punditry to the airwaves. And for those in Montgomery County and surrounding counties, this new Fox affiliate will also update listeners on local news, weather, sports, as well as 2 FEBRUARY, 2011
happenings from around the area including the Main Line, the suburbs, and the greater Philadelphia region. Local radio host, Barry Papiernik has his “Live & Local Program daily” from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. where he is joined by local politicos, current members of the media, reporters, business leaders and others who are “in the know and on the go.” WFYL is an affiliate of Fox News, the top-rated cable news network in the USA and the radio news network of record in national and international politics.
Open To All Visual Artists: CFEVA’S NewCourtland Artist Fellowship The Center for Emerging Visual Artists, in partnership with NewCourtland, is pleased to offer Philadelphiaarea artists the opportunity to participate in an exciting, community-based fellowship. Through the NewCourtland Artist Fellowship, visual artists will be selected to bring innovative and engaging art-making to seniors in sites throughout Philadelphia. In order to apply, artists are asked to develop an intergenerational project that brings members of the New Courtland Network together with school-age children/teens to create a meaningful experience and a high quality artistic project. Work created by seniors and their school-aged partners during the 2011 Fellowship Program will be exhibited with the work of the artist fellows in a large, well publicized exhibition entitled Art is Ageless. Accepted artists will receive a fellowship award of $2,500. Once artists receive this award, they will be responsible for conducting ten 1.5-hour workshops, attending several preliminary and post-workshop meetings, attending one sensitivity training session, and participating in the Art is Ageless exhibition in spring 2011. Artists will also be separately compensated for purchasing all necessary art supplies
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and professionally presenting the artwork created in their program for the final exhibition. To apply to the 2011 NewCourtland Fellowship,
please visit https://cfeva.slideroom.com/ and follow the application instructions. For more details, please contact Genevieve Coutroubis at (215) 5467775 x11 or Genevieve@cfeva.org.
A Minor Character in Walnut St.’s The Glass Menagerie Offers Glimpse Into Humble Irish Catholic Dreams
PHILA. ACTOR Michael Delaney, playing Jim O’Connor, pitches muted woo to Laura Wingfield in Walnut Street Theatre’s production of A Glass Menagerie. The smallest of the play’s four roles, Jim O’Connor (the “gentleman caller” to almost pathologically shy Laura, perhaps out of social charity), is played by Jared Michael Delaney, a graduate of La Salle, as well as of Villanova’s graduate program in theater. Delaney appears very briefly at the play’s beginning and then again in Act Two, when he appears in two scenes.
by Adam Taxin The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams’ melancholy and deeply personal play about disappointments in the lives of an aging Southern belle, Amanda Wingfield, and her grown children, Tom and Laura, continues its three-week run at the Walnut Street Theatre’s Independence Studio on 3. Seven more performances are scheduled through the end of the run on this Sunday Delaney is precise about how he night, Feb. 6. wants to convey his character: “Jim O’Connor is a guy who did not live 6|
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up to the promise of high school. He was an all-around star in school, whether it was sports or student politics. It looked like he was going to shoot right to the moon when he graduated, but that didn’t happen. And he found himself in a very average place in life. Jim is someone who struggles with that, but he hasn’t lost his enthusiasm or his idealism for what could be. Jim dreams of financial stability, and he dreams about technical innovations. He wants to be involved in television. Jim acknowledges the reality of his failures, but he does not let that stop him from trying.” As Delaney describes his role: “It’s easy to play Jim as someone who is cocky, obnoxiously optimistic and sort of naïve, but I think it’s more interesting if he’s more human, someone who recognizes his own flaws and the flaws of others around him but is trying to persevere nonetheless. We talked at rehearsal about how Jim speaks like someone who’s out of AA, or some sort of recovery program. You have to keep trying. You’re disappointed, but you’re not discouraged.” According to Delaney, Jim has 2 FEBRUARY, 2011
clearly compromised on some important matters, “getting engaged to a woman [who never appears on stage] because that’s the thing you do. The next thing you do in a reasonable, responsible, successful life is you get married.” In that, Delaney finds something of a summary of his character: “For me, the key phrase, maybe to the entire character of Jim, is when he says ‘in many ways, we get along fine.’ That’s hardly the ringing endorsement of a man who’s deeply in love. He’s saying ‘it’s fine, it is what it is.’” Delaney interprets Jim as seeing a contrast in Laura to the mundane aspects of his life: “In a very real way, he falls for Laura, in these brief mo-
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ments they have together. He’s enchanted by her, and he’s charmed by her, and he recognizes her dreaminess as well. He is able to talk to her in a way that he does not talk to anyone else. He’s aware that this is someone who needs help.”
don’t, but I did go to Catholic school my entire life – you can’t help but have certain ideas be a part of who you are. That doesn’t necessarily mean you have to agree with them all the time, but they’re inside you.” On another note, audience reaction to The Glass Menagerie has been unprecedented for an Independence Studio production. According to Walnut Street Theatre Communications Mgr. Amy D. Rodgers, there have been “record-breaking ticket sales, despite the terrible winter weather.”
Delaney, who helps run a small Philadelphia theater company, Inis Nua, which produces provocative theater from Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England, finds similarities to Jim in his own ethnic and religious background. “Jim is Catholic and Irish, and I’m Catholic and Irish. As a matter of fact, in the play, Jim’s middle name is Delaney Adam Taxin, a Center City attorney, which is my last name. Being can best be contacted via Facebook Catholic and Irish, whether or not or at adamtaxin@gmail.com. you are a lapsed Catholic, and whether or not you go to church – I
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