page 2 The Public Record • July 9, 2009
Untermeyer Would Implement New Programs (Cont. From Page 1) states Untermeyer, who was an assistant DA for four years, and then a Pennsylvania deputy attorney general for 11 years, specializing in prosecuting drug cases. “If these criminals would have been wearing ankle tracking devices, they would have been apprehended before they murdered Officer McDonald and allegedly murdered Latoya Smith, Rimanee Smith, Aaliyah Griffin and Gina Marie Rosario,” said Untermeyer. On Aug. 25, 2008, Daniel Giddings fled from a court-ordered halfway house only to gun down Philadelphia Police Officer McDonald 28 days later. In Feltonville, Donta Cradock was a fugitive after failing to report back to a ju-
venile-detention facility Apr. 15. And Ivan Rodriguez failed to appear in court Jun. 2 on a previous charge, resulting in a bench warrant being issued for his arrest. Cradock and Rodriguez were charged with the murders of three young children and a mother following a horrifying car crash Jun. 10. Look for Untermeyer to wear an ankle bracelet on his leg during the rest of the campaign season. “It demonstrates to voters what I am talking about … keeping an eye on every criminal at every level … and saving money for the taxpayers of this city in the process.” He’s pragmatic and doesn’t deny the stats that are arrayed against him in this campaign.
He knows, too, the African American constituency that makes up 70% of the Democratic Party support looks at the District Attorney’s office as the “Holy Grail”. “This is their real first shot at taking the one office that has eluded them over the years. But that isn’t enough to ensure them a victory,” he believes. He’s also counting on his race remaining on the back burner through to Election Day. He believes a strong Republican turnout, plus enough of the support he had as an independent Democrat, could move him past what the Democratic Party can deliver to its candidate, Seth Williams. He’ll depart from what he says is a “broken DA ma-
chine.” One way, he says, is to use a “vertical” system in his administration. This will assign the same assistant DA to a case from “start to finish”. The system now assigns several assistant DAs to any given case during its travels through the Court. “Holding people accountable is what we should be doing – and that’s not being done now,” Untermeyer insisted. “With nearly 140 Philadelphia homicides this year – seven police officers since 2006 – we have to do something to keep closer supervision of violent criminals.” Untermeyer claims what is lacking is the will to change things – and that change will not happen under his opponent.
“My opponent is talking about ‘Community Courts’ that would have absolutely no impact upon these senseless deaths,” noted Untermeyer. “Things won’t change in the DA’s office if my opponent is elected,” Untermeyer predicted, noting past performance. “His role, for the time he served under the current DA, was, for some time, to oversee repeat offenders. Look at the record. He does not present a new solution. He’s part of the problem.” Untermeyer has a history of mixing brainpower with daredevilry. He was, at 18, the youngest ambulance driver in New York City. He walked away from a crashed single-engine plane in Martha’s Vineyard and the very next morning rented an-
other before "fear would ground me.” He’s now flying jets. He’s made money in real estate, $100,000 of which he spent in an unsuccessful challenge to Sheriff John Green in the Democratic primary four years ago. When others were talking about the “poor Hurricane Katrina victims”, he was down in Mississippi as a volunteer first responder for the American Red Cross. He decided to switch party allegiance when he realized he didn’t have the citywide visibility to field a good primary campaign. Republican Party Chairman Vito Canuso took him in readily, noting, “He has more prosecutorial experience than any of the candidates who ran in the Democratic primary.”
Will Census Cost Us District Seats? Chinese Group Cheers For Local GOP (Cont. From Page 1) nando Armstrong, regional director of the US Census Bureau in Philadelphia. "It is important that the community be informed about this process," Cruz told the group. “The City could easily lose one or more legislative seats if we are not able to count everyone in this city.” He noted the Census is the effort, required by the US Constitution, once every 10 years to count everyone living in the United States. The information gathered helps to determine critical decisions from Congressional represen-
tation to the allocation of more than $300 billion annually in Federal funds. In addition to the allocation of Federal funds, the State House and State Senate must reapportion their respective chambers to conform with the numbers posted by the legislature. Ironically, eight State House seats exist because they can officially count, in their population, State and Federal prisoners housed in the jails within their districts. This was done in 2000 by the General Assembly leadership in contrast to State law, which prohibits using the prison
populations in those districts as proper population. Philadelphia’s average of 8,000 in its City prisons could effectively prove to be a “minus” factor if the Census does not take into consideration their home addresses in the city. The city’s seven Senatorial districts are not in any danger of disappearing, but two have already been diluted by having to switch in part to Delaware Co., in the case of Sen. Anthony Williams’ 8th Dist., and in part to Montgomery Co., for Sen. LeAnna Washington’s 4th Dist.
VISITING Phila.’s Chinatown from Western Penna. were Supreme Court candidate Judge Joan Orie Melvin, 4th from left, and her sister State Sen. Jane Orie, 6th from left.
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SEPTA Alerts Riders Via ‘Twitter’ SEPTA has taken another major step towards enhancing customer service and communications with the launch of transit alerts on Twitter. SEPTA went live last week with its official Twitter account. It can be accessed at twitter.com/septa. SEPTA’s followers on Twitter receive real-time transit alerts for all modes of travel, including Bus, Trolley, the Broad Street Subway, the Market-Frankford El, Regional Rail and the Norristown High-Speedline. The
alerts are posted simultaneously at SEPTA’s Web site, www.septa.org. SEPTA’s launch on Twitter comes a few days after the transit agency announced its partnership with Google Transit. Through the Google Maps Web site at www.maps.google.com, riders can find schedules for Regional Rail lines, the Broad Street Subway, the MarketFrankford El, Trolley routes and the Norristown HighSpeed Line. Google Transit also pro-
vides a link to SEPTA’s Web site, where riders can find real-time scheduling information, customized planning tools and fare information. SEPTA’s bus schedules will be added to Google Transit later this year, at the completion of a massive undertaking to geo-map the system’s 15,000-plus bus stops. Along with the “One Day Independence Pass” and the “Family Independence Pass”, which offer economical and unlimited one-day travel, these initiatives represent
major steps forward in SEPTA’s efforts to provide riders with added convenience in navigating the system. They also allow new riders, tourists and others who may be unfamiliar with SEPTA an easy and accessible way to get all the information they need to travel throughout the Philadelphia region. To start following SEPTA on Twitter, visit twitter.com/septa. For more information on fares and scheduling, visit SEPTA’s Web site, www.septa.org.
MEI REN of Fujian Association greets Republican candidate for Controller Al Schmidt at Loyal Opposition meeting at Joy Tsin Lau in Chinatown.