Philadelphia Daily Record

Vol. III No. 11 (381)

Keeping You Posted With The Politics Of Philadelphia

January 20, 2012

Philadelphia Daily Record

Firefighters Once More!

PHILA. MEDICS are firefighters for negotiating purposes, a Commonwealth Court judge ruled Wednesday. Decision was a setback for Mayor Michael Nutter’s plan to control Fire Dept. costs by splitting medics from firefighters. See story page ?????

THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD

Meat & Deli

The Philadelphia Public Record

Prego Pizzelle Baker $29.99 $39.99 Uno Panini Grill

2024 S. 10th St Philadelphia PA 19148

215-468-5363

When You Want Your Roof To Be Done Right The First Time

215-464-6425

CANDIDATES • POLITICIANS News You Can Use! Boost Your Popularity, Win On Election Day! Tell Your Constituents To Read About All the Work You Do For Them On the

Philadelphiadailyrecord.com Email them a copy of this Publication!

Translation/Interpretation Arabic, Hebrew, English, French For more information, call William Hanna

267-808-0287

2|

Calendar State Rep. Rosita Jan. 20ACE Women’s Jan. 27Youngblood holds Fish or Forum presents ProfesChicken Fry at Lou & sional Women’s RoundChoo’s, 2101 W. Hunting table Political Forum, Pk. Ave., 5-9 p.m. Tickets “From Your House to the $10.

White House”, on political impacts on business, at Green Night Out ACE USA, 436 Walnut St., Feb. 4th features Prof. Eileen Appel5 fl., 8-10 a.m. Continenbaum to discuss “Paid Sick tal breakfast. For info Leave & Paid Sick Days” at Leigh Ann Campbell (267) Singapore Restaurant, 1006 287-8497) or Race St., 7 p.m. Space is leighann@seamlessevlimited, so RSVP Green entsinc.com. Register by Party at (215) 243-7103.

Jan. 17.

Judge Angelo Jan. 20State Rep. John Feb. 8Foglietta is sworn in at City Taylor hosts Happy Hour to Hall Rm. 653, 4:00 p.m.

Save St. Hubert’s at SmoRecpetion follows at Law keEaters Pub, 7681 FrankLibrary. ford Ave., 5-7 p.m. $50 minimum benefits St. HuFeb. 9Steve Aldrich of bert’s Alumnae Ass’n.

IBEW Local 269 invites all to reception in honor of Jan. 20State Rep. John State Rep. Tina Davis at Sabatina, Jr., holds Shrimp Bailey’s Bar & Grille, 6922 Night fundraiser at HarmoBristol Emilie Rd., Levitnia Club, Aramingo Ave. & town, Pa. Host $1,000, PaOrthodox St., Jan. 20, 7-11 tron $500, Friend. $250, p.m. $35 donation includes Supporter, $50. RSVP Seth draft beer and shrimp. For Skversky (215) 550-1186. info Scott (267) 984-7312.

Fundraiser for canJan. 21State Rep. W. Feb. 10cer survivor Vicki CumCurtis Thomas hosts mings at SmokeEaters Pub, Weatherization & Energy 7681 Frankford Ave., 7-10 Workshop at New Patha.m. Donation $35. If you ways for Women, Germancannot make event, donatown Ave. & & tion to “Friends of Vicki Cumberland St., 10 a.m.

Cummings” c/o The Lucas Participating agencies inFamily, 3128 Cottman Ave, clude Energy Coordinating Phila., PA 19149. For info Agency of Phila., Phila.

FriendsofvickicumCorp. for Aging, PGW, mings@yahoo.com.

PECO and Public Utilities Commission.

PHILADELPHIADAILYRECORD.COM •

THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD

Mayor Speaks To Schools’ Budget Woes Mayor Michael A. Nutter issued a statement yesterday regarding the budget challenges faced by the School District of Philadelphia and the appointment of Thomas Knudsen as Chief Recovery Officer: “Today, the new School Reform Commission has taken swift and decisive action to address a very serious fiscal problem. This is not the time for small, incremental change. For the District to move past this mounting crisis, we need new ideas and new people to implement a recovery plan. And that

is what the SRC members have announced today.

“I strongly support this carefully considered plan, and I applaud the naming of Thomas Knudsen as Chief Recovery Officer. Tom has proven to be very effective in helping large public entities recover from fiscal and operational crises. I also want to thank the many School District employees who during these difficult times have consistently put the needs of Philadelphia school children ahead of any other concerns.”

DOE Grants 18 City Schools Secretary of Education Ron Tomalis announced 18 Philadelphia schools and organizations will receive more than $20 million as part of the 21st Century Community Learning Challenge Grant.

funding from the 21st Century Community Learning Challenge provide educational experiences that complement, supplement and fill-in the gaps of the work being done in the classroom.”

ties that they might not receive at school or at home,” Tomalis said.

“Applicants provide academic, cultural or artistic activities for children, as well as services to the families of participating students.”

“The purpose of these grants is to fund the establishment and sustainability of community learning centers that provide educational services to students in highpoverty and low-performing schools,” Tomalis said. “The entities which were selected to receive

The federally-funded grant was established under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

“Throughout Pennsylvania, there are countless students who are trapped in schools that are not meeting their academic, social and emotional needs,” Tomalis said.

“Efforts are being made to transform Pennsylvania’s educational establishment for the benefit of

“The community learning centers which applied for funding were required to provide students with a variety of enrichment opportuni-

• PHILADELPHIADAILYRECORD.COM

|

3

THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD every student – however, change is not occurring fast enough for a generation of students who we are failing. Thankfully, we have organizations and community leaders who willingly continue to support students in their educational endeavors after the school bell rings.”

Organizations receiving grants in Philadelphia were: Allegheny West Foundation $540,000 Catholic Social Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia $1,540,709 Church of St. Andrew & St. Monica - $1,007,946 Congreso de Latinos Unidos, Inc. - $1,499,997 Education Works - $1,497,595 Foundations Inc. - $1,494,000

Freire Charter School - $1,218,765 Franklintown Charter HS $1,494,000 Mastery Charter School-Gratz Campus - $1,463,526 Mastery Charter School-Pickett Campus -$1,466,726 Mastery Charter School-Shoemaker Campus - $1,078,024 Mercy Neighborhood Ministries of Philadelphia - $387,531 Netter Center for Community Partnerships University of Philadelphia - $1,367,999 Pan American Academy Charter School - $461,998 Public Health Management Corp.

- $1,500,001 Scholarship in Progress $1,476,096 The Salvation Army Divisional Headquarters - $468,195 Universal Cos. - $1,440,000

LIVE AUCTIONS EVERY WEDNESDAY AT 5PM (Preview 3PM) LIVE AUCTIONS EVERY SATURDAY AT 11AM (Preview 9AM) LIVE INTERNET AUCTION EVERY SATURDAY AT 4PM AT:

www.capitalautoauctions.com To Register & To Bid 3 BIG SALES WEEKLY

Advocates Rally For Roe v. Wade, Protesting Abortion Blocks Just two days before the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, members of Women’s Way and Raising Women’s Voices of Southeastern Pennsylvania gathered at Broad & Walnut at noon today to join women’s-health advocates, healthcare providers, and patients from across the state in solidarity to show support for unfettered access to abortion services in Pennsylvania.

“This Roe v. Wade anniversary is very poignant, given the onslaught of attacks on reproductive rights throughout the nation and in Pennsylvania in the past year. In 2011, Pennsylvania legislators took 26 votes on abortion alone and several pending bills are aimed at significantly hindering a woman’s ability to access safe abortion services in Pennsylvania,” said Rebbecca Foley, director of public policy for Women’s Way. Founded in 1977, Women’s Way’s mission is to fight for and achieve women’s equality, safety, self-sufficiency and reproductive freedom through women-centered funding, advocacy and education.

4|

PHILADELPHIADAILYRECORD.COM •

THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD Raising Women’s Voices of Southeastern Pennsylvania is a coalition of over 25 organizations which was formed by Women’s Way to

ensure women’s reproductive health concerns were addressed during the health-care reform process. The group now advocates for health-care reform implementa-

tion policies that support the full range of comprehensive reproductive health-care services for women.

Sen. Williams Denounces Asset Test For Food Stamps Citing the Corbett Administration’s policy proposal to place an asset limit on Pennsylvania’s families to determine eligibility for food stamps, State Sen. Anthony H. Williams introduced SB 1387, which would prohibit the implementation of regulations that would penalize Pennsylvanians who participate in the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program.

Currently, Pennsylvanians who earn 160% of the federal poverty level ($22,350 for a family of four) or less are eligible for SNAP benefits. The policy change would deem a recipient under age 60 who has more than $2,000 in savings and assets ineligible.

year, compared to a monthly average of 1.7 million people for FY 2010-2011 according to Dept. of Public Welfare statistics.

“With so many Pennsylvanians suffering long-term unemployment, implementing an asset limit makes their situation doubly cruel,” said Williams. “It is inhumane to invoke fear upon people who are trying to get back on their feet by telling them their safety net will be snatched.”

The $2,000 federal “resource test” had been in place since 1986 and was abolished in 2008. Currently, 35 states have abolished asset caps to help individuals and families fend off the slow destruction of their savings due to prolonged unemployment.

As of December 2011, an average of 1.8 million Pennsylvanians received SNAP benefits in the first six months of the current fiscal

“In an attempt to please a narrow band of zealots, the Corbett Administration has set itself on a path to punish Pennsylvanians,” said

Williams. “Far from some mythical inner city ‘welfare queen,’ SNAP recipients more often than not look like our neighbors, because many of our neighbors are still struggling because of this economy. That’s the profile of actual SNAP recipients – like our neighbors in Fulton Co., which has the highest unemployment rate in the Commonwealth. Or our neighbors in Cameron and Carbon Cos., where double-digit unemployment plagues citizens trying to find work. In fact, 27 of our counties suffer higher unemployment rates than the state average, many of them rural – hardly the demo-

• PHILADELPHIADAILYRECORD.COM

|

5

THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD graphic we usually equate with food stamps,” he added. “Rather than offer a lifeline, this administration would sink the whole boat.”

According to the US Dept. of Agriculture, most SNAP participants are children or seniors.

Nearly half were under age 18 and another 8% were age 60 or older.

Nearly 30% of SNAP households nationwide had earnings in 2010, the primary source of income, and the majority of SNAP households did not receive cash welfare benefits.

Pennsylvania currently has one of the lowest SNAP fraud rates in the nation: less than 1%, according to the USDA. An asset test would strain already understaffed County Assistance Offices by requiring

additional human, financial and technological resources.

“There is no evidence for waste, fraud or abuse to be at the basis of this decision. The number is infinitesimal compared to the benefits to our communities,” said Williams.

“It’s absurd to spend Pennsylvania’s tax dollars to send federal money back to Washington.”

Couple increased operational costs with the loss of economic benefits from SNAP and Pennsylvanians face a lose-lose situation. Every $5 in SNAP benefits generates $9 in economic activity in local supermarkets and small grocery stores, according to the USDA. The US Congress Joint Economic Committee touted SNAP in No-

vember as a critical support to individuals and families during these hard economic times and particularly valuable for the long-term unemployed and their families since the program is one of only a few sources of public support for those who have exhausted their unemployment benefits. More than one in five workers unemployed for over six months received SNAP benefits last year.

“In tight economic times, we work harder to root our fraud, waste and abuse, but in the process, we cannot erase the fabric of our community, fairness for our neighbors who are working to do the right thing,” said Williams. “We should be working to preserve rather than deny dignified survival.”

Councilman Green: Many Ways For Businesses To Pay Fees Given changes to the businessprivilege license structure that take effect this year, City Councilman at Large Bill Green encourages all new businesses to determine their most cost-effective option for paying the fee.

“First, businesses will want to see if they qualify for a total exemption from the BPL fee, which depends primarily on how many full-time employees they have working in the City,” Green explained. “If a business is not eligible for the exemption, it may want to pay the $50 annual BPL fee for the next two years rather than the 6|

PHILADELPHIADAILYRECORD.COM •

$300 lifetime fee, given that the BPL fee will be eliminated acrossthe-board in 2014. While a net savings of $200 may not sound like much, I know every penny counts for new businesses.”

Based on legislation passed by City Council: For 2012 and 2013, qualifying “new businesses” may receive a waiver of the BPL fee by filing an application with the Revenue Dept. (more information about the eligibility criteria for the waiver is available at http://creativephl.org/post/139685 56502/slides-from-our-info-ses-

THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD sion-on-the-new-bpt-legislation);

$300 for a lifetime BPL; and

all other businesses will continue to have the option of paying either $50 to obtain a one-year BPL or

starting in 2014, no businesses will have to pay any fee to acquire a BPL.

The BPL will be renamed the “Commercial Activity License” effective May 1, 2012.

Medics Are Firefighters Again, Court States medics sued the City for overtime pay in 2003. Eventually, the medics prevailed and won their case and back overtime pay. The City used that precedent to seek to separate the medics from the firefighters and make their lives and ability to protect their collectivebargaining rights more difficult.

The Nutter Administration used that decision as a wedge to separate medics from firefighters and from their union.

This decision by the Commonwealth Court restores the Medics to the Local 22 fraternity and reenfranchises their rights under the law.

Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court “Reversed” a September 2011 decision by the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board that Philadelphia Medics aren’t firefighters and could not bargain a new contract under PA Act 111 provisions.

“This is a great decision that restores our brother and sister life savers to the full union where they have been for years,” stated Fire Fighters Union Local 22 President

Bill Gault.

“We work out of the same fire stations. We have the same life-saving goals. We are and always have been a team in every sense of the word,” added Gault.

The Medics were stripped from Local 22 and their Act 111 rights by the Nutter Administration in a move Gault called “vindictive.”

The story began when a handful of

“Maybe this Administration will heed the message from yesterday’s PICA study: Stop fighting and appealing any and every action that benefits medics and firefighters.

Stop morale-sinking pettiness in the name of fairness and doing what’s right,” concluded Gault.

The Judge writing the decision, Dan Pellegrini, concluded the Court’s decision by writing, “Accordingly, I would vacate the order of the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board.”

• PHILADELPHIADAILYRECORD.COM

|

7

THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD

Delaware R. Clinches Key Deal With Baltic Seaport Lithuanian officials and the Port of Philadelphia, led

by Krista Bard, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Lithuania; Holt Logistics Corp. President Leo A. Holt; and PRPA leaders.

Klaipeda is the third-largest city in Lithuania and the principal ice-free port on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea. The deep-water port connects sea, land and railway routes from east to west in that region – the main shipping lines to the ports of Western Europe and Southeast Asia pass through Klaipeda. The port’s annual cargo handling capacity is up to 45 million tons.

The Republic of Lithuania Port of Klaipeda and the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority will sign on Friday an historic Memorandum of Understanding that promises to expand Philadelphia port opportunities to the European and Asian shipping trade via the ice-free port of Klaipeda, the Lithuanian port city on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea. The MOU will pledge increased support for expanded trade between Philadelphia and Klaipeda. It follows months of extensive discussions between

8|

PHILADELPHIADAILYRECORD.COM •

There is a federally mandated partnership between the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Republic of Lithuania, and this event marks another historic step in strengthening these ties.

Commemorating this historic deal will be Leo A. Holt, President, Holt Logistics Corp.; Lithuanian Transport & Communications Minister Eligijus Masiulis; PRPA Chairman Charles Kopp and Executive Director James McDermott; Krista Bard, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Lithuania; Lithuanian Ambassador to the United States Zygimantas Pavilionis; and Klaipeda Seaport Director General Eugenijus Gentvilas.