Vol. I No. 157
Keeping You Posted With The Politics Of Philadelphia
February 8, 2011
Philadelphia
Daily Record
Endorsed
CONTINUING to rack up top-level support his reelection bid is Mayor Michael Nutter, who received endorsement yesterday of Black Clergy of Philadelphia & Vicinity at 1st Dist. Plaza in University City.
Sen. Hughes Introduces Sweeping Package After Abortion Scandal
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State Sen. Vincent J. Hughes (DW. Phila.) said yesterday he is introducing a comprehensive package of legislation in response to the Philadelphia investigative grand jury’s report concerning the now-infamous physician who operated a medical clinic in Hughes’ District. Dr. Kermit Gosnell was arrested last month after being indicted for numerous crimes, including murder and violations of the Abortion Control Act. Among the charges, Gosnell is accused of causing the death of one of his female patients and killing viable babies born alive in the sixth, seventh and eighth months of pregnancy. The grand jury uncovered not only numerous deficiencies in State law, but also failures by individuals representing all levels of government to implement and carry out their oversight responsibilities under current law. “The package of legislation is based upon a comprehensive review of the grand jury report and implements a number of recommendations made as a result of the grand jury’s investigation,” Hughes said. Specifically, Hughes’ legislation would increase the statute of limiTHE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD
tations for infanticide and abortions performed after 24 weeks gestational age; it would require annual inspections of medical facilities that provide abortion services and simplify the process for filing a complaint against these facilities with the Dept. of Health and the Dept. of State. Hughes wants a guarantee that investigations and inspections are conducted after a medical facility reports a “serious event” and clarify the Dept. of Health is authorized to share the results of such an investigation with Dept. of State or law enforcement. His bill would also increase penalties for unauthorized practice of medicine. Hughes said he hopes legislators will examine his proposals in the context of trying to strengthen the law without expanding the scope of the response to include limiting choice for women and additionally hopes these bills will have broad, bipartisan support. “While I encourage the District Attorney to prosecute those involved to the fullest extent, I also ask my colleagues in the General Assembly be deliberate and work together to address the deficiencies in current law, without restricting access to quality, reproductive health services for women.” Hughes said the health-care system and government oversight of the system failed in this case. 8 JANUARY, 2011
“This is unacceptable. We must fix holes in the system that allowed this type of activity to occur, and we must ensure this never happens again,” Hughes said. “This proposed legislation is the first step.”
W. Oak Lane Charter School Breaks Ground On $16 Million Expansion Ogontz Avenue Revitalization Corp., Philadelphia’s leading community-development corporation, along with state, city and Cheltenham Township officials held a groundbreaking ceremony yesterday at the West Oak Lane Charter School. OARC President and CEO Jack Kitchen was joined by Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, State Reps. Dwight Evans and Cherelle Parker, Philadelphia City Councilwoman Marian Tasco and dozens of community leaders to celebrate the $16 million project which includes OARC’s acquisition of the West Oak Lane shopping center announced in late 2010. “For 26 years, it has been OARC’s mission to develop and revitalize Northwest Philadelphia,” said Kitchen. “We are proud to help the successful West Oak Lane Charter School to expand and improve its facilities in order to continue to provide educational opportunities to more children.” The construction project is expected to generate 216 temporary jobs and 15 permanent jobs. The expansion, which is being financed by Fulton Bank, features a 64,000-square-foot addition to the school and is expected to be completed in the fall of 2011. A joint venture between Shoemaker and Perryman Construction companies shall serve as the general contractor. “We are very excited this day is finally here,” said Dr. Debbera Peoples-Lee, CEO of the charter school. “The additional classroom space will allow our school to enroll more students and better deliver on our educational model.” 8 FEBRUARY, 2011
OARC established the West Oak Lane Charter School in 1998 as a K-4 public charter school. Since then, the school has expanded to include 8th grade. As part of the groundbreaking ceremony, students from each class of the charter school participated in a time-capsule dedication and burial. Located at 7115 Stenton Avenue, West Oak Lane Charter School provides a safe, structured, nurturing and academically challenging environment for all students to develop morally, intellectually, culturally and socially to their fullest potential. It has been providing high-quality education, support and choice to children in grades K-8 and families in the West Oak Lane community for 13 years. The school currently enrolls 747 students and employs 85 teachers and staff.
Leach’s Bill Would Ease Corporations From Pressure For Profit State Sen. Daylin Leach (D-Montgomery) held a press conference yesterday unveiling landmark new legislation that would change the structure of business in Pennsylvania by creating a new class of corporation. That new class would provide for the recognition of Benefit Corporations (“B Corps”) – businesses that have the ability to more positively impact their communities and create a new incentive to encourage corporate activism. The Benefit Corporation class would reclassify the fiduciary duties of corporation directors, allowing them to take non-financial interests into consideration when making decisions for the corporation. “Simply put, this legislation would allow businesses to use their power and influence to solve social and environmental problems without needing to muddle through red tape and the current corporate legal environment,” Leach said. “Under this new model of business management, corporations will have unsurpassed
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freedom and accountability in their decision-making process so that they may ultimately make decisions that are good for society, rather than just for their shareholders.” Under SB 433, companies that see value in making a positive social and environmental impact on their communities would be able to make those “for-benefit” operations part of their corporate mission. Other corporation classes do not currently allow directors to take not-for-profit benefits into account. Under the new corporate classification model, Benefit Corporations could not be held liable for lost monetary value as a result of socially-conscious decisions made.
Sens. Leach and White were joined by Jay Coen Gilbert, co-founder of B Lab, and Jacob Gray, Managing Partner at Murex Investments and Founder of Good Company Ventures in support of the bill. Leach noted the process of becoming a Benefit Corporation is entirely voluntary and based on shareholder desire. If a business chooses to become a Benefit Corporation, it must designate a benefit director and provide yearly disclosures to shareholders of the public benefit efforts the company has undertaken.
Jay Coen Gilbert summed up the positive impact the new corporate classification could make upon communities by saying, “Current Sen. Mary Jo White (R-Venango), corporate law makes it difficult for the bill’s prime co-sponsor, added: businesses to take employee, com“Benefit Corporations are an inmunity, and environmental intertriguing concept that I believe is ests into consideration when worth exploring, and I look formaking decisions, and a lack of ward to hearing from Pennsylvania transparency makes it difficult to businesses as this legislation moves tell the difference between a ‘good forward. With their input, Pennsyl- company’ and just good marketing. vania can establish a new voluntary B Corporations’ performance stanclass of corporation that would be dards enable consumers to support appealing to those investors lookbusinesses that align with their valing for information that goes beues, investors to drive capital to yond the traditional bottom line to higher-impact investments, and include a host of community inter- governments and multinational ests. Additionally, in times of gov- corporations to implement sustainernment belt-tightening, this could able procurement policies. That’s be a tool for the private sector to the change we seek.” provide assistance to local communities.” As of August 2010, there are over 4|
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Feb. 8-Denny O’Brien kicks off race for City Council at Rosewood Caterers, 8888 Frankford Ave., 7 p.m. Feb. 10Germantown Republican Club hosts Lincoln Day Dinner at Union League, 140 S. Broad St., 6 p.m. Honoree and speaker Lt. Gov. James Cawley. Tickets $65. For info Jack Morley (215) 389-1768. Feb. 11Fundraiser Reception for Council candidate Lawrence Clark at Rose Tattoo Café, 19th & Callowhill Sts., 6-8 p.m. For info (215) 224-0727. Feb. 11Manayunk on Ice winter festival featuring Ice Carving Competition. Free 3-day festival runs through Sunday. Fire & Ice Kickoff featuring an ice bonfire, 5 p.m. Feb. 15Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell launches campaign at 1st Dist. Plaza, 3801 Market St., 1 p.m. Feb. 185th Ward Democrat Leader Mike Boyle hosts dinner fundraiser for 5th Ward committeepersons at Bella Cena, 1506 Spruce St., 7 p.m. Candidates invited, $50 fee. Feb. 19Benefit for Mayfair Memorial Playground sponsored by AOH Division #4 on grounds of Lincoln HS, Wellington & Hegerman Sts., (2 doors down from Jack’s Place), 7-11 p.m., $30 per person. Draft beer, sodas, wine, $1 domestic beers. Food. For info Shawn Murphy (215) 338-0413. Political candidates invited. 8 FEBRUARY, 2011
320 certified B Corporations from over 60 industries. Similar legislation has been enacted in Maryland and Vermont, is being considered in California, New York, North Carolina, Oregon and Colorado. The legislation is supported by the Pennsylvania Bar Association.
Cohen Leads Democratic Council Hopefuls In Fundraising Sherrie Cohen, an attorney and social activist running for a Democratic at-Large City Council seat, said she had raised more than $40,000 for her election campaign during the recent filing period, leading the pack of Democratic challengers as well as some incumbents. Cohen said she had raised the funds for her campaign from a wide range of sources, reflecting donations from $10 to the legal maximum. A news report on Philly.com indicated Cohen had raised the most money out of any Democratic challenger running for City Council during the filing period. “I am grateful for the wide range of support that my campaign has been receiving from residents across Philadelphia,” Cohen said. “It shows my campaign’s positive vision for improving the quality of life in the city by encouraging the creation of new jobs and ensuring City Council is more responsive to the needs of residents in all of the city’s neighborhoods is resonating with voters.” Cohen’s vision for Philadelphia includes making it easier for entrepreneurs and small-business owners to succeed in the city. She is also committed to continuing her fight to improve the lives of residents in all of Philadelphia’s neighborhoods, including promoting adult-literacy programs and promoting food justice, so that all Philadelphians have access to healthy sources of food. Sherrie Cohen is a candidate for City Council at Large and the daughter of former Councilman David Cohen. As an attorney and social activist, she has fought for 8 FEBRUARY, 2011
essential services critical to Philadelphians, like keeping neighborhood libraries and pools open and fighting for more funding for youth recreational and job opportunities Sherrie lives in the Olney neighborhood.
Sodexo Cafeteria Workers Strike At PCOM Taking a stand for family-sustaining jobs, food-service workers employed by Sodexo at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) went on strike today. The one-day walk-off at the college is in response to Sodexo’s campaign of coercion against employees who are trying to raise their families out of poverty by forming a union. Sodexo workers at the school make as low as $9.25 an hour and most cannot afford family health-care coverage. The workers are organizing with 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union. “I’m a father of four kids, ages 12, 10, 6 and 1. I can’t afford to provide for them. I struggle just to pay my basic bills every week,” said Stephen Duncan, a food service worker at PCOM. All of the Sodexo employees at PCOM participated in the strike. The workers were joined by dozens of students, community leaders and union members as they rallied for better wages, working conditions and against the company’s intimidation. Since workers began organizing at the school, Sodexo management has coercively interrogated and threatened workers because of their support of a union. Workers have called for the National Labor Relations Board to investigate potentially unlawful behavior at the school. In addition to PCOM, Sodexo workers across the US have raised concerns over interrogation, surveillance, and threats when they have sought to join a union. Sodexo’s actions have resulted in several charges of unfair labor practices before the National Labor Relations Board — including one filed today in Allentown.
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“Sodexo’s top executives are raking in millions while workers in our communities can’t provide for their families,” said Wayne MacManiman, 32BJ SEIU MidAtlantic District director, about the multi-national corporation. “The workers who’ve made it successful deserve a fair share of the company’s billion-dollar profits, but Sodexo is using its immense resources to intimidate workers to keep from having good jobs with decent pay.”
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There are approximately 500 Sodexo workers in Philadelphia, and several thousand throughout the state. Based in France, Sodexo is the 21st-largest employer in the world and made over $1 billion in profits in 2010. With more than 120,000 members along the East Coast, including 16,000 in Pennsylvania, 32BJ SEIU is the largest property services union in the country.
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