Page 14 The Public Record • Januray 20, 2011 www.phillyrecord.com
When it was announced the entirety of City Council was eligible to take their DROP (Deferred Retirement Option Program) and run if it wanted, I wondered how many folks would actually do that … and how many would take the money, retire for three days, and run for reelection. Well, so far there have been three folks who have decided, at least according to my sources, to take the DROP money and run – but not for office again. One is Councilwoman Joan Krajewski, Councilman Jack Kelly and Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller, the last of whom announced last week she’s taking her $100,000-plus DROP payment and doing something else with her life. It is the Reed Miller retirement that interests me the most. Reed Miller came into Council as part of a wave of elected officials fostered by the late State Rep. David Richardson. She’s been a community activist and was chair of the Philadelphia Black Elected Officials. She’s been involved in public service for more than 30 years. If you’ve paid attention to Council races over the years, Reed Miller very rarely ran without a challenger in the Democratic Primary. This is because, at least according to the folks that talk to me about such things, nobody liked the job she was doing as a Councilwoman. I had one friend who used to come into my office at Temple and complain to me about her on a regular basis. Yet she kept getting reelected. And she usually got reelected with about 30% of the vote in her District. Part of the reason why she kept getting reelected is because while everyone could agree on the fact they didn’t like her, they couldn’t agree on a candidate to take her down. That’s Political Science 101. If you want to get rid of an incumbent, you don’t split the antiincumbent vote. Doing so ensures that incumbent’s reelection. But while Reed Miller is leaving, the folks that constantly run against her still haven’t learned their lesson. As of this writing, I know of at least four people who are running for the Democratic nomination for her seat. The best known, at least right now, is Cindy Bass, senior domestic-policy adviser for Congressman Chaka Fattah. She’s been having fundraisers, campaigning and working the room to try and get the seat she ran for four years ago. (Cont. Page 15)
SNOOPER’S FRUSTRATION FILE: Yep, all you EAGLES’ FANS know exactly how I feel and I know how you feel too. The game was absolutely “disaster in the making”. NO, they can’t blame the outcome of this game on MICHAEL VICK; in fact, the blame can be spread to every member of that team. How many passes were dropped, how many of them came at the worst time, especially the one dropped close to the 10-yard line? THE PACKERS played this game tough because they wanted it more than THE EAGLES. Yes, anything that could go wrong for them did, and it seemed it just wasn’t going to be. The OFFENSE and the DEFENSE played one of the worst games ever, and they picked the wrong time to do it. I have newfound respect for MICHAEL VICK, really great too. He definitely deserves to be back once again with THE EAGLES. SNOOPER’S SPECIAL: Went to HARRISBURG with a good friend of mine and we got to meet and greet a lot of the new members of THE HOUSE. Spoke to one SENATOR who told me he expects BARBARA DEELEY, The Sheriff, to be replaced by one of their own men, A REPUBLICAN. YES, you can call it POLITICS; however, to the victors go all THE SPOILS! Personally, and it’s my honest opinion, BARBARA DEELEY deserves to be The Sheriff. She knows everything about the Sheriff’s Office; why not leave her there? Makes sense! SNOOPER’S EMAIL SERVICES BUREAU: “First, let me congratulate THE SNOOPER and THE SHADOWBOXER for all your kind words regarding the death of a true Philadelphia Icon, the great BENNIE BRISCOE. Definitely he was one of the most feared MIDDLEWEIGHTS in boxing, and one who no one wanted to fight.” This was stated by one of this City’s great fight promoters, J. RUSSELL PELTZ. ‘Bennie’ worked for this City over 30 some years, and everyone who worked with him will tell you he was quite a gentleman, and one who worked his butt off. Philadelphia lost a great boxer – A Legend! Please keep your EMAILS coming (snooper2@live.com) after all, I do read all of them and on many occasions I will print them. Yes, I will check them out before I do print them. Please, if it’s about boxing, send your Emails to our man THE SHADOWBOXER. SNOOPER SCOOPER: Some HIGH SCHOOLS still have their problems, one in particular being BULLYING. Yes Chief, I have been told it’s still going on and, worse yet, this is starting to spread to other HIGH SCHOOLS. We now know it is rampant at THOMAS EDISON
Yo! Here we go again with some cosmic queries that need no answer – the question itself is thought-provoking. Like this: Who needs rhetorical questions? If dolphins are so smart, why did Flipper work for television? If you were to choke a smurf, what color would it turn? Why do they sterilize the needles used for lethal injections? If 7-11 is open 24 hours a day, 365 a year, why are there locks on the door? How can there be self-help groups? What is another word for thesaurus? If it’s the tourist season, why can’t we shoot them? Is it true cannibals don’t eat clowns because they taste funny? When you’re sending someone Styrofoam, what do you pack it in? Speed is relative, right – the top speed attained in the first American auto race in Chicago in 1895 was a blazing 7.5 miles per hour. Why do kamikaze pilots wear helmets? Isn’t it amazing how they get the deer to cross the road at the yellow deer-crossing signs? If women wear a pair of pants and a pair of glasses, why don’t they wear a pair of bras? What would you do if you saw an endangered animal eating an endangered plant? Why do they put Braille dots on the keypad at the ATM drive-up window? Do witches run spell-checks? Twenty-four hours in a day; 24 beers in a case – coincidence? If someone with multiple personalities threatens to kill himself, is it considered a hostage situation? Did you know it takes about 30 minutes for aspirin to find a headache? What would happen if a man took a menopause medication? How many words do you need to write a book? The book Green Eggs and Ham contains only 50 different words – check it out for yourself. The world’s most popular car color is red, of course. Speaking of color, did you know that according to sleep researchers, only about 5% of people dream in color – do you? Did you know it takes about 21 pounds of milk to make one pound of butter? Does this sound like someone you know?: An ostrich’s eyes are bigger than its brains. Here is a teaser – what US state has only one syllable in its name? Maine. And a final teaser – where is the second most-popular place to eat breakfast in the United States? Answer: the car.
Retired from the Self Help Improvement, the founder and former Chairman of the Board DR. JOE RUGGIERO, was host at an intimate dinner at his home for some active members of the Board of Directors and retired members. Well-known trial lawyer SAM STRETTON was among the guests, as was the current PRESIDENT BOB DELLAVELLA, attorney and Democratic leader of the 55th Ward. CONGRESSMAN MIKE FITZPATRICK was also in attendance, as was MIKE STACK and his wife, the HON. FELICE STACK, retired Administrative JUDGE JEROME ZALESKI and his charming wife EILEEN, were also among the guests. There was an improvised banquet table in the living room and dining room and the guests were cheered by a warm fire in the fireplace. There was an impressive ceremony honoring the memory of DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. Former MAYOR WILSON GOODE and present MAYOR MIKE NUTTER were among the speakers. This marked the 50th anniversary of his assassination. Coincidentally, there will be a ceremony in Rome honoring JOHN PAUL II who has been elevated to the status of Blessed on the path to sainthood. These two saintly men qualify for that title for different reasons, but each was a strong proponent for peace. Interestingly enough, John Paul II was the object of a failed assassination attempt. JUDGE EUGENE MAIER and his lovely wife LANA back from a Caribbean cruise, which included San Juan, St. Thomas and St. Maarten. The liner was huge, accommodating 2,500 passengers and a full crew. The Royal Caribbean Line has under construction a monster ship that will accommodate over 6,000 passengers. GENE JACOBS has a theory that there is only one Caribbean Island, and when you sail at night time, a group of longshoremen remove the sign of the island that you are supposed to be leaving and replace it with a sign identifying the island you are supposed to be going to. Affable MARTY BEDNAREK, the retired ward leader of the 64th Ward, is the odds-on favorite to succeed the incumbent, retiring COUNCILWOMAN JOAN KRAJEWSKI. Bednarek was the subject of an anonymous telephone threat. This promises to be a hotly contested primary fight. Maybe the solution is for Joan to run for one more term. The St. Joseph Hospital School of Nursing will hold a meeting of the Board of Directors at the school this week. Former WARD LEADER MARGIE HIPPLE KORAL is a (Cont. Page 15)