Philadelphia Daily Record

Vol. III No. 97 (463)

Keeping You Posted With The Politics Of Philadelphia

June 7, 2012

Philadelphia Daily Record

Seth On Top

D.A. SETH WILLIAMS enjoyed a sky-high view with his supporters at fundraiser last evening in 57th-floor penthouse at Residences at Liberty 2. More pictures inside.

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Jun. 9 State Sen. Vincent Hughes invites all to West Park Arts Fest on grounds and inside School of the Future, 40th & Parkside Ave., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. 15 music acts, dance pavilion. Free trolley tours.

Jun. 9Republican state senatorial candidate Mike Tomlinson fundraiser at Chickie’s & Pete’s, 11000 Roosevelt Blvd., starts 6 p.m. Tickets at door $40, two for $75. For info Kathy Lombardi (215) 519-7553 or kimb157@comcast.net.

$5 at the door. For info John Katrina (215) 252-6918.

Jun. 15State Rep. John Myers hosts his final Senior Health Fair at Center in the Park, 5818 Germantown Ave., 10 a.m.-2 p.m. For info (215) 849-6896.

Jun. 15Celebrating 60th anniversary of SS United States celebration and stack lighting at Independence Seaport Museum, 211 S. Columbus Blvd., 6:30-9 p.m. Tickets $30.

For more information, call William Hanna

Jun. 10St. Edmond’s Parish Centennial Dinner at Penn’s Landing Caterers, 1301 S. Columbus Blvd., 2-6 p.m.

Ticket $65 with a cash bar. For info (215) 334-3755.

267-808-0287

Jun. 13Republican City Committee schedules meeting for ward leaders at United Republican Club, 3156 Allegheny Ave., 7 p.m.

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Jun. 14Fundraiser for Councilwoman Cindy Bass at Tavern 17, Radisson Warwick Hotel, 220 S. 17th St., 5-7 p.m.

Ticket levels $50 to $1,000.

RSVP by Jun. 7 to Fran Fattah at RSVP@CindyBass.com or (215) 370-9883.

Jun. 14Creative Class Fundraiser for Councilman David Oh at the Walnut Room, 1709 Walnut St., 5-8 p.m. Tickets $50 up. Special for Artists,

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Jun. 15-16-7- Annual St. Maron Church Lebanese Festival on Ellsworth St. between 10th and 11th. Friday from 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m.

Admission free. All welcome.

Authentic Middle East cuisine and entertainment.

Jun. 15-17- Remembering Juneteenth (Freedom Day, Jun. 19), three-day celebration hosted by Berean Baptist Ch., 2425-33 W. Indiana Ave. Rev. James Henry Buck, Jr., pastor.

For info (215) 229-8048.

Jun. 16Pre-Father’s Day Brunch sponsored by State Rep. W. Curtis Thomas at St. Paul Baptist Ch. Callahan Ha., 10th & Wallace Sts. All in 181st State House Dist. are welcome to come honor men aged 90 and up. For info Rev. Donna Jones (267) 886-3139.

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Smith Takes Stand For Unionized Merit Pay Tom Smith, Republican candidate for United States Senate, has called on his rival Sen. Bob Casey, Jr. (D-Pa.) to support the labor reforms expressed in S 3221, the Rewarding Achievement & Incentivizing Successful Employees (RAISE) Act. “As a former member of the United Mine Workers of America, I support this common sense labor reform that will increase the rights of union workers, and I hope Sen. Casey will join me,” said Smith.

“As an employer, I know the RAISE Act will empower American employees to earn compensation they deserve, something that has been thwarted by the board of unelected bureaucrats at the National Labor Relations Board to date, and some labor

leaders favoring partisan politics over job creation.

Every American worker deserves an equal opportunity to be rewarded for their hard work and success.”

The RAISE Act would amend NLRB rules that allow unions to prohibit merit‐based raises. “Sen. Marco Rubio (R-

Fla.) ... proposed legislation on Thursday that would amend rules issued by the NLRB that put limits on merit pay for union members,” noted Smith. NLRB rules prohibit merit‐based raises as “direct dealing.”

The RAISE Act is not anti‐union legislation, Smith insisted.

House Passes UCB Reform, Predicts Solvency Protecting jobs and workers, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed yesterday, by a bipartisan vote of 129-67, legislation to reform the State’s unemployment-compensation system, House Majority Leader Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny) said.

SB 1310, which provides long-term solvency to the state’s Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund, now heads to the Governor for his signature.

That’s a given, since the Governor has already expressed his delight with the measure: “I thank the General Assembly for acting quickly on this issue.

This debt created an escalating per-employee tax

and was threatening Pennsylvania jobs.”

“This is a bill to promote private-sector job creation,” Turzai said. “This legislation will eliminate our $4 billion debt to the federal government and provide important reforms to keep the unemployment compensation fund solvent for the future to ensure dollars are available for workers in need.”

According to Turzai, Pennsylvania employers are paying the federal debt through an interest surcharge; under this legislation, the Commonwealth would borrow $4.5 billion to ultimately pay down (Cont. Page 5) • PHILADELPHIADAILYRECORD.COM

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THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD (Cont. From Page 3) the debt with employer contributions paying for the newly borrowed money – saving employers approximately $175 million to $200 million because the interest on the bonds would be less expensive than the interest on the federal debt. The new debt, under this legislation, should be paid off in 2019.

Turzai said that no unemployment benefits for current recipients will be reduced. Beginning next year, the measure would freeze the maximum weekly benefit of $573 through 2019. Workers who made 50.5% of their annual income or more in one quarter would no longer be eligible for benefits, a change from the current 63% limit; this change would affect less than 10% of those unemployed and save the system an annual savings of $276 million.

Myers Reiterates Stance On Selling State Stores Responding to numerous constituent inquiries, State Rep. John Myers (D-Northwest) reiterated his stance against privatizing the state liquor-store system.

want to permit the enrichment of private licensees at the expense of revenue to the Commonwealth, firm control of preventing liquor sales to minors, and good-paying jobs.

Myers said his district office has been peppered with calls from those wanting to know where he stands on this issue, with nearly all of those callers urging him to maintain the status quo.

“There are no compelling reasons to abolish the state liquor stores, other than to open the floodgates to private entities that would be hard-pressed to do as good a job, at as good of a price,” said Myers.

“These concerned citizens should be relieved to know that I do not favor any privatization measures,” said Myers. “The state liquor-store system is working fine. It makes no sense to tinker with something that does not need fixing.”

Myers said he will vote against HB 11, which seeks to abolish state liquor stores and franchise and license the sale of wine and spirits, or any other bill that seeks to materially change the current setup.

Myers said the forces pushing for privatization • PHILADELPHIADAILYRECORD.COM

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Sen. Williams Flies With Eagles At Playground SENATOR and Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie chat during Eagles Playground Build sponsored by the Eagles and the Eagles Youth Partnership.

Williams said Eagles’ ongoing commitment to Phila. is admirable.

STATE SEN. ANTHONY H. WILLIAMS and Phila. Eagles mascot Swoop give their rendition of “Fly Eagles Fly” fight song during Eagles Playground Build, sponsored by Eagles and Eagles Youth Partnership. Players, coaches and volunteers joined the community to spend May 30 beautifying Comegys ES at 51st Street & Greenway Avenue.

Williams was pleased a deserving school in his senatorial district was chosen for playground build.

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Mayor Sweet-Talks Sugary-Drink Conference This morning, Mayor Michael Nutter was in Washington, D.C. at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. He delivered the keynote address for CSPI’s National Sugary Drink Summit.

CSPI is a nonprofit public-health watchdog group which has long led the fight for stricter control of

dangerous foods and drinks such as alcohol, trans fats and sweetened beverages. The Summit aims to which will bring together core advocates, public health officials, and organizations to motivate concerted and coordinated policy initiatives to reduce sugary-drink consumption.

City Sells Revenue Bonds To Green Its Core Bldgs.

On May 31, the City of Philadelphia, through the Philadelphia Municipal Authority, completed the sale of its City Agreement Revenue Bonds, Series 2012A and Series 2012B (Federally Taxable Qualified Energy Conservation Bonds) totaling approximately $12.6 million.

Proceeds from the bonds will fund implementation of energy efficiency upgrades at Philadelphia’s City Hall, Justice Juanita Kidd Stout Center for Criminal Justice, Municipal Service Building and One Parkway. The project is a major step toward achieving the goal of reducing City government energy consumption by 30% by 2015 as outlined in Greenworks Philadelphia, the City’s comprehensive sustainability plan.

“The City of Philadelphia is committed to a sustainable future, and important projects like this show that the City is leading by example,” said Mayor Michael A. Nutter. “This project reduces our long-term energy consumption, creates new opportunities for businesses, improves City facilities, and saves money which we can use in other

areas of need.”

The project uses $6.25 million of the City’s allotment of Qualified Energy Conservation Bonds, tax credit bonds that qualify for an interest rate subsidy from the federal government. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act allocated $15 million of QECBs to the City of Philadelphia for funding qualified conservation projects. The 2012 bonds benefited from improving market reception of the City’s credit, and received favorable interest rates, resulting in a true interest cost (net of Federal subsidy) of 2.31% for the 15-year bonds.

The project is being completed under the auspices of the Pennsylvania Guaranteed Energy Savings Act program. The act allows municipalities to contract with energy-service companies (ESCOs) that guarantee energy-efficiency upgrade project savings and commit to pay the difference if actual energy savings fall short of expected savings. The City of Philadelphia contracted with NORESCO, an ESCO, to perform energy audits on targeted buildings and install energy conservation meas• PHILADELPHIADAILYRECORD.COM

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THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD ures. The energy savings achieved will more than pay for the energy efficiency improvements, with the energy savings expected to exceed net bond debt service by more than $10.2 million over the life of the transaction.

The City plans to install ECMs, including lighting replacements, control system upgrades, and water

conservation improvements, among others. The upgrades will reduce energy usage in the four buildings by approximately 20%, increase human comfort, reduce the immediate capital needs of the facilities, and make the facilities easier to operate.

The project’s Economic Opportunity Plan contains aggressive minority-, women- and disabled-owned business participation rates.

Seth’s Troops Turn Out For Highrise Soirée SETH WILLIAMS was glad to welcome his loyal friends Sandy & Jeff Brown of Brown’s Family ShopRites to his campaign fundraiser at Residences at 2 Liberty Place last night.

BELOW EVENING drew a swanky set. Enjoying convivial occasion were, from left, John Barrett, Morris Gocial, Sean Kilkenny, Alyson McDowell and Bennette Harrison.

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FROM LEFT, Clement Newport, Darryl Irrizarry, Joseph Callahan and Gar Giles made plain which candidate they’ll support!

Rendell’s Book Talk Will Air On Cable Former Gov. Ed Rendell will sit down with the Pennsylvania Cable Network to discuss his newly-released book, A Nation of Wusses, during a special edition of “PA Books”. The program featuring the former Governor is slated to air statewide on Tuesday, Jun. 12 beginning at 8:00 p.m. Following the conclusion of this program, viewers will be given the chance to share their comments and questions with the former Governor and author during a special LIVE PCN call-in program at 9:00 p.m.

A Nation of Wusses is now a new memoir penned

by Rendell, but the phrase itself made national news after Rendell coined it when expressing his feelings after the NFL postponement of an Eagles game based on the threat of a snowstorm. Today Rendell uses “a nation of wusses” to describe how the nation’s leaders have lost their guts and the ability to face serious issues head-on.

The hour-long call-in program which will follow the “PA Books” special will give viewers an opportunity to talk directly to Rendell by dialing tollfree at 1 (877) PA6-5001. Comments and questions can also be directed to PCN’s Twitter account, @pcntv.

“PA Books” airs Sundays at 9:00 p.m. with weekday airings at 8:00 a.m. The interactive, LIVE • PHILADELPHIADAILYRECORD.COM

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THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD PCN call-in program is seen Monday through Thursday at 7:00 p.m.

PCN is a nonprofit, noncommercial news organization created and supported by cable television

companies. PCN receives no state or federal funding. For more information about PCN as well as network channel designations, visit www.pcntv.com.

Mayor Drums Up Summer Beat At City Hall Mayor Michael A. Nutter kicked off the summer 2012 portion of City Hall Presents yesterday by attending a performance by three different percussion ensembles from across the city: Timbalona y su Bomba, KyoDaiko, and Troupe Da-Da. City Hall Presents is a new series of free concerts and events at City Hall showcasing Philadelphia’s world-class performing arts organizations. The program, hosted by Philadelphia’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, is made possible thanks to support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, as part of its Knight Arts Challenge, and from the William Penn Foundation.

“Philadelphia is known for its great artistic and cultural attractions,” said the Mayor. “This summer concert and event series is an exciting addition to the robust arts and culture scene in our city, and I can’t think of a better place to host it than right here at City Hall – the people’s Hall. This will truly give everyone an opportunity to enjoy a free performance or activity in the coming months.”

City Hall Presents is producing 24 events throughout the year, featuring theater, dance, spoken word, performance art, and music of every genre. The eight summer shows will be held outdoors in the

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City Hall Courtyard, while spring events, which ran for seven Wednesdays between March and May, were staged in various indoor spaces in City Hall. Fall shows and a December holiday-themed show will also take place indoors.

“The significance of hosting these events in City Hall goes far beyond the central location or the grand backdrop of the space itself,” Philadelphia’s Chief Cultural Officer Gary Steuer said. “It’s a way of reinforcing the critical role the arts play as a part of civic life.”

Jeremy Nowak, president of the William Penn Foundation, said, “Great cities are fertile ground for great art, and Philadelphia has much to be proud of in its incredibly vibrant cultural sector. It is terrific to see the city supporting and elevating the work of Philadelphia’s artists and performers, providing them with exposure and new opportunities to connect with audiences.”

The John S. & James L. Knight Foundation’s Knight Arts Challenge is a $9 million initiative supporting innovative projects that inspire and enrich Philadelphia’s communities.