Pay Raise Sought For Boards
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The Public Record (USPS PP 109) Weekly Publication Published by:
The Public Record • August 21, 2008
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(Cont. from Page 1) ster members that Matthew Taubenberger is the bestqualified individual for this positon,” says Grace. “He will help this union and all unions, not only in that district, but throughout Pennsylvania.” He noted, “Matt is the only union member in this race, belonging to AFSCME. He understands the issues facing union members and their families. His family and friends are present and former union members. “In addition, Matt has shown he has the experience in dealing with the issues in that District and his involvement in many community groups there will stand him well on Election Day.”
(Cont. from Page 1) what has become a crisis.” The City Commissioners, led by Chairwoman Margaret Tartaglione, have made the case before City Council for additional money to almost double the present pay rates. The City Commissioners, led by Chairwoman Margaret Tartaglione, have made the case before City Council for additional money to almost double the present pay rates. According to Tartaglione, “It is hard to get even the most civic-minded citizens to work the polls from early in the morning to late in the evening, especially when
State Rep.
S TATE R EP.
T HOMAS W. B LACKWELL D ISTRICT 190 101 NO 52 ND S TREET P HILA PA 19137 215-748-7808
R EP. A NGEL C RUZ
Frank Oliver 195th District 2839 W. Girard Ave. Phila. PA 19130
215-684-3738 STATE SENATOR
LEANNA M. WASHINGTON
DISTRICT OFFICE 2749 N. 5th St. • 215-291-5643
DISTRICT OFFICE
1555-D Wadsworth Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19150 (215) 242-0472 Fax: (215) 753-4538
Staffed by
Joe Evangelista • Debbie Toro Ready to Serve you
Councilman Wm.
Greenlee
Room 580 City Hall P. 215-686-3446/7 F. 215-686-1927
WEB SITE www.senatorwashington.com
State Rep.
ROBERT C. DONATUCCI 185th District 1809 Oregon Ave, Phila., PA 19145
215-468-1515
State Sen. Shirley M.
Kitchen
JOHN SABATINA JR. 174th District State Representative 8100 Castor Ave Phila, PA 19152 Hours: 9am to 5pm Telephone: 215-342-6204
3rd Sen. District 1701 W. Lehigh Ave.Ste 104 Philadelphia, PA 19132 215-227-6161 www.senatorkitchen.com
State Rep.
Senator Tina
Dennis O’Brien
Tartaglione
169th District 9811 Academy Rd Phila. PA 19114
2nd District 1059-61-63 Bridge St
215-632-5150
215-533-0440 127 W. Susquehanna Ave.
215-291-4653 State Rep.
State Representative
William Keller 184th District
RONALD G. WATERS 191st Leg. District
1531 S. 2nd Street
6027 Ludlow Street, Unit A
215-271-9190
215-748-6712
some of them are asked to leave their jobs which pay more than they would be getting as Commission Election Day workers.” Present rates call for a Judge of Elections to receive $100, other Election Board members $95, and translators $75. Presently another $25 is awarded to those who attend instruction classes. Bob Lee, Voter Registration Administrator, said, “The State empowers counties to spend up to $200 per person working the polls for the Commissioners. It is a long day, averaging around
14 to 15 hours. What we now pay them is below minimum wage payments.” That is why the three City Commissioners, two Democrats and one Republican, have gone on record to campaign for City Council’s increase in their budget to a $1.5 million. Lee said, “We will be able to go up to $180 for most Election Board workers and double the pay for those attending school, insuring we get a majority of them to attend.” He indicated presently there is no mandatory requirement for training
lessons. The empowering legislation was introduced by State Sen. Christine Tartaglione over five years ago. Yet the City administration has failed to fund the Commissioners’ office for the money that will enable it to compete on the rental market for polling places and to attract citizens to work the polls. Cibik said, “If Council acts in time, the Commissioners will be able to give the needed pay increases. Otherwise some of us will be waiting in long lines on Election Day to vote.”
City Home Sales Netting Higher (Cont. from Page 1) formly distributed across the city’s neighborhoods, with only one exception. From lowest to highest, the price increases by neighborhood were: Upper Northeast Philadelphia (+0.6%), Lower Northeast Philadelphia and Northwest Philadelphia (+0.7%), Center City/Fairmount (+3.0%), West Philadelphia (+7.1%), Kensington/Frankford (+8.5%), South Philadelphia (+10.0%) and University City (+20.5%). The only neighborhood to experience continued price declines this quarter
was North Philadelphia (4.9%). Philadelphia’s movements in house prices continue to stand in stark contrast to trends in other major U.S. cities. According to CaseShiller MacroMarkets’ composite house price index, house prices have fallen by an average of 18% in the 10 largest US cities, compared to only 6.6% in Philadelphia. Although Philadelphia’s house prices may be resisting their continued declines, home sales continued their downward plunge this spring. Even though spring is nor-
Please join me on Friday, October 3 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the 2008 Senior Expo. The Senior Expo will take place at the PA Army National Guard Armory located at 2700 Southampton Road (corner of Roosevelt Boulevard and Southampton Road), Philadelphia, PA. Representatives from many state agencies and community organizations will be present to provide you with information. The organizations include SEPTA, the PA Lottery, City Agencies, Hospitals, and many other health and housing organizations. Refreshments will be provided. Parkwood Shopping Center 12361 Academy Road, Phila., PA 19154, 215-281-2539 8016 Bustleton Avenue Philadelphia PA 19152 215-695-1020 2644 LeFevre St. • Phila., PA 19137 215-744-5361 Open Mon. - Fri. 9:00 AM - 5 PM
Sen.Mike Stack
mally the busiest time of year for housing transactions, only 4,546 dwellings changed hands under arms-length conditions this past quarter. This is a 25% drop from spring 2007, and a 42% drop from the housing boom’s peak in the summer of 2005. The low volume of sales, combined with only modest price declines to date, typically indicate a significant disparity between sellers’ hopes and buyers’ expectations about what the future holds. As sellers resist dropping their prices, buyers remain reluctant to commit to purchasing. The nationwide credit crunch exacerbates this disparity, as even willing buyers find it more difficult to qualify for a mortgage in the current environment. The gap between what sellers expect to obtain and what buyers are willing to pay can be measured by the difference between list prices and transaction prices. The median list price in Philadelphia this spring was just under $190,000, while the median transaction price was $107,500. This nearly 77% gap represents a significant difference between what sellers want and what buyers will (and can) actually spend. When a balance between buyers and sellers will return to the local housing market may be indicated by trends in (Cont. Page 23)