Ron Panepinto Jewelers
Jim Stevenson
700 Sansom St. 215-923-1980
9371 ROOSEVELT BLVD. PHILADELPHIA, PA 19114 215-698-7000 JStevenson@ChapmanAutoGroup.com
www.PanepintoJewelers.com We Buy Gold & Diamonds
Serving Citywide Political, Labor, Legal and School Communities of Philadelphia
Vol. XI. No. 44 (Issue 509)
“The good things we do must be made a part of the public record”
Value 50¢
October 29, 2009
BRT: Victim Of Its Own Success?
by Joe Shaheeli The Board of Revision of Taxes will soon be no more. In its stead, as a result of legislative action by City Council and the Mayor, its duties will be divided among two, and maybe as many as three, agencies. It is the victim of its own success and the mistakes made by one or more of its board members. That success was made evident at recent meeting of the School Reform Commission,
when it was asked, “How much does the School District pay BRT employees?” The answer was, “about $4.2 million.” When it was learned their efforts earned the School District “about $713 million” from collected property taxes, the obvious next question from a Commission member was, “Did paying $4 million to get $713 million impact adversely on the education of the children?” “Not at all,” was the reply from the finance officer.
Brady Reports Special Pay For ‘Extended Duty’ Vets
Congressman Robert A. Brady announced special payments are now available to over 185,000 service members who have had their enlistments involuntarily extended since Sep. 11, 2001, providing $500 for every month they were held under stop-loss orders. Congress established this payment in the 2009 War Supplemental Appropriations Act enacted this summer. “Our veterans served America with honor and they deserve the best our government can possibly offer,” Another attempt is being made to said the Congressman. “This $500take the City’s International Airport per-month payment will help these away from its control and to give it to service members who have literally a statewide authority. served above and beyond the call of State Rep. Bryan Lentz has reinduty. This special payment is in troduced legislation he says would recognition of the hardship placed on combat the overcrowded conditions these troops and their families by at Philadelphia International Airport being forced to remain on active duty and alleviate the impact of increased longer than planned.” flight traffic on surrounding neighThe Retroactive Stop Loss Special borhoods, by more effectively using Pay is available to service members regional airports. who had their enlistment extended or “Pennsylvania is currently the retirement suspended due to Stop (Cont. Page 2) (Cont. Page 3)
Lentz Eyes Takeover Of Airport
Don’t Forget Our Veterans Honor Them In Our Nov. 5 Issue Call John David: 215-755-2000
But a series of articles by the Philadelphia Inquirer about BRT, the Public Record learned, were guided by information fed to its reporters by at least one board member at BRT. To date, all board members and its chair have refused to comment. By refusing to answer charges, point to gains and improvements, their silence has doomed BRT’s future. The Inquirer will bask in its “exposé” series, in which it mainly pilloried 80 em-
ployees who were paid directly by the School District and were able, as a result, to be active politically. They became a target, because many were committee people for the Democratic Party. The series also uncovered the fact former State Sen. Vincent Fumo’s home was assessed far below the average assessment given on the market value of the property, and pointed the finger at one of the board (Cont. Page 2)
We Are All Phillies In Philadelphia
AT PHILLIES pep rally outside City Hall, Mayor Michael Nutter is joined by, from left, Citizens Bank Park public-address announcer Dan Baker, mascot Phillie Phanatic, Phillies GM Ruben Amaro, Jr., Phillies President David Montgomery, Citizens Bank President and CEO Dan Fitzpatrick.
Unions Volunteer Idle Membership
Butkovitz Seen Easy Winner
by Joe Shaheeli Incumbents have an opportunity to win press coverage unavailable to their challengers. They merit that edge by simply doing their job well, which is the case in Tuesday’s race for City Controller. Incumbent Alan Butkovitz has pressed that advantage well, performing his auditing skills throughout his first tenure, saving the City and its taxpayers millions of dollars in his first term. Each time he releases an audit, it grabs headlines. The latest this week was discovering the Police Advisory Commission’s chief investigator was not only violating residency rules, (Cont. Page 2)
A flurry of refurbishing is going on at local churches and institutions around the city as Building Trade locals, hard hit by a poor economic climate, find their rank and file willing to donate their labor to needed projects. Spurred on by their leadership, John J. Dougherty, Jr., business manager of IBEW Local 98 and Mike TRI-STATE MALL Claymont, Delaware Fera, business manager of Cement Masons Local 592, out-of-work Elec(302) 798-7079 tricians, Masons and others in the 5 Minutes from Comm. Barry Bridge, Naaman’s Rd, Turn Left, Next to K-Mart building trades are responding to the Winston Marlboro Camel Salem call to donate their talents and training. $ .99 $ .99 $ .49 47 50 50 Carton Carton Carton Two local churches in South Kool Newport Monarch $ .49 Philadelphia, Sacred Heart at 3rd & $ .99 $ .49 Carton Reed and St. Maron at 10th & 41 Carton $52.49 50 Carton $50.99 Carton (Prices Subject to Change) • SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: Quitting Smoking Now Greatly Reduces Serious Risks To Your Health (Cont. Page 3)
TOBACCO EXPRESS
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