Pr 912 p

Vol. XIII No. 29

Issue 912

July 20, 2017

“The good things we do must be made a part of the public record”

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BANDING TOGETHER ON BUDGET

Philadelphia’s state Representatives joined forces to urge House Speaker Mike Turzai to go back into session to finalize the state budget.

Story Pg. 3 Photo by Wendell Douglas

STOP & GO REFORM P. 2

PARKING WARS REDUX P.4

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STOP-AND-GO REFORM EFFORT CONTINUES IN STATE SENATE

BY JASON GOTTESMAN T’S BEEN nearly three weeks since legislation designed to crack down on so-called stopand-go establishments overwhelmingly passed the House and efforts are already underway in the Senate to produce a bill that can get to the governor’s desk.

The legislation, House Bill 1547, prime sponsored by Rep. Jordan Harris (D-Philadelphia), Rep. Donna Bullock (D-Philadelphia) and Rep. Joanna McClinton (D-Philadelphia), passed the House in late June by a vote of 191-6.

While technically operating within the law by holding the appropriate restaurant license to serve alcohol, the establishments are nicknamed “stop-and-go” due to their status as a convenience store or deli that also sells beer and liquor – sometimes in quantities as low as a single shot – that is oftentimes consumed on premises or immediately outside the store.

These businesses are widely known to operate on the fringes of the law or blatantly outside of it and have also been accused of violating areas of state law in terms of tobacco sales and alcohol and tobacco sales to minors.

The provisions of HB1547 seek to take on the issues by creating “saturated nuisance markets,” like areas within the city of Philadelphia, that would have stricter standards on requirements like seating and food sales of stop-andgo establishments, many of which are merely bars masquerading as convenience stores.

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One of the most vocal sponsors of the legislation in trying to move the effort forward in the Senate is Rep. Harris, who said Monday that he has faith that the House-passed legislation will continue to make headway in that chamber.

“I do believe there is a future for this legislation in the Senate, even if it’s not the exact bill we sent over,” he said, noting he’s already had conversations with Senate Law and Justice Committee Chairman Sen. Chuck McIlhinney (R-Bucks) who now has oversight of the legislation.

According to Harris, the need for the legislation comes down to the quality-of-life issues that surround the negative aspects of nuisance stopand-go establishments.

“There’s public intoxication and violence going on in and around these establishments,” he said.

“They’re taking advantage of loopholes in the law, which is why we need to strengthen it and give communities the power to address the issue.”

In order to make these issues readily apparent to McIlhinney, and with an eye toward pushing for Senate action on the bill, Rep. Harris invited him and several other interested members to tour Philadelphia to highlight the pervasiveness of the issue.

Monday, McIlhinney said he would take Harris up on that offer as soon as issues related to the state budget are resolved.

“I know (the stop-andgo issue) has been around for a while and I’d like to address it,” he said.

That being the case, however, he did state he is a little hesitant to move forward with the legislation in its current form.

“I think there’s better ways,” he said, “To start designating nuisance ZIP codes is kind of like designating failing school districts: nobody wants to live in failing school district, nobody wants to live in a nuisance ZIP code.”

Meanwhile, he is looking at a couple of different ways to help beef up enforcement of the current liquor laws that are being skirted by these allegedly nuisance establishments.

“There are other ways to get enforcement in line and to get rid of the bad actors if they are going to ignore current liquor laws and what it took for them to get licenses in the first place,” he said. “It’s an issue – I plan to address it either with steppedup enforcement through the LCB or there could possibly be some future language changes in legislation if we feel like we can’t address it. But it certainly is a problem.”

McIlhinney also did not rule out the possibility of legalizing some more local enforcement of the state liquor laws.

He added while he understands the frustration on behalf of members of the Philadelphia delegation, the desire for any relief from the situation does not necessarily equate to good relief, particularly when the issue exists and has implications outside of Philadelphia.

With the Legislature currently deadlocked in trying to figure out how

to solve current outstanding issues relating to the state budget, the stop-and-go legislation is facing an uncertain timeline.

That being said, McIlhinney stated that as soon as budget-related issues become resolved, he plans to take that trip to Philadelphia and continue to work on a compromise proposal that can run hopefully sometime shortly after the Legislature returns from its summer break in September.

Harris emphasized that he will work with McIlhinney over the summer to hammer out language that is acceptable to both sides of the equation.

“It’s important to crack down on stop-and-go’s in Philadelphia – and on nuisance establishments throughout Pennsylvania,” he said. “There are a number of members who want to see something happen with the legislation.”

Rep. Bullock struck a pragmatically hopeful note on the difficulty of getting the bill moving at the same time as the ongoing budget crisis.

“HB1547 gives residents and local enforcement agencies additional tools to address nuisance stop and go businesses in their communities,” she said via email. “It is the culmination of information we received from enforcement agencies and residents after a series of informational hearings held by the Philadelphia Delegation throughout the city. While I am hopeful that the Senate will understand the challenges our communities face with these businesses and will also move this

legislation forward, Harrisburg is focused on the budget right now, and rightfully so. If the bill isn’t advanced during the budget negotiations, I am optimistic that it will be on the Senate’s agenda in the fall.”

While the legislation is awaiting state action, some at the local government level in Philadelphia are trying to take matters into their own hands.

Earlier this year, Philadelphia City Councilwoman Cindy Bass, along with Council President Darrell Clarke and Councilwoman Maria Quiñones Sánchez, introduced a bill in City Council to amend the city’s Health Code aimed at stop-and-go locations by allowing their continued restaurant license to be contingent upon compliance with city health codes.

Bill No. 170429 also updates the city Health Code to allow the city’s Department of Health to develop more stringent regulations concerning on-site food, actual occupancy levels, the sale of alcoholic beverages, and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Failure to abide by these regulations, according to the proposal, could jeopardize the establishment’s continued possession of a restaurant operating license and, simultaneously, impact their ability to sell alcoholic beverages.

That proposal, introduced in May, currently awaits action by City Council’s Committee on Public Health and Human Services.

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special education, $25 million more for Pre-K Counts and $5 million more for Head Start. Now we need Republican leaders to bring back the House so we can make sure those education increases are paid for with sustainable revenue sources.”

Rep. Chris Rabb, D-Phila., also cited education as a reason to finish the budget.

Rabb said continued delay on the budget will affect Pennsylvania’s four state-related universities – Temple, Lincoln, Penn State and Pitt – since their state funding hasn’t been passed yet.

“Withholding funding would mean these institutions would receive between 5 to 7 percent in cuts within their budgets. This could lead to program cuts, higher tuition costs and preventing low-income students from being able to attend these colleges,” Rabb said.

With the state Senate in session this week, legislators are left wondering why they are back home and not in session at this time. As of today, Speaker Turzai has not scheduled any House session days.

Three State Representatives got a moment to chat before they did their due diligence for all Pennsylvanians and those who are struggling without a finalized state budget. L-R: Reps. Maria Donatucci, Donna Bullock and Joanna McClinton. Photos by Wendell Douglas

Reps. Joanna McClinton and Chris Rabb were all smiles after taking part in the Philadelphia Delegation’s demand to return to Harrisburg to get back to work on finalizing a new PA budget.

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want a severance tax comparable to the one every other natural gas-producing state in the nation has already put in place,” said Rep. Donna Bullock, D-Phila.

Closing corporate tax loopholes: “Without closing the so-called Delaware loophole here in Pennsylvania, we lose hundreds of millions in revenues each year by allowing large corporations to avoid state taxes using loopholes not available to small businesses or you and your family,” said Rep. Kevin Boyle, D-Phila./ Montgomery.

Raising Pennsylvania’s minimum wage: “Higher pay earned by workers means more revenues for the state – without the need for a tax increase. And it means less money spent in the state and communities for assistance programs,” said Rep. Joanna McClinton, D-Phila./Delaware.

Rep. Brian Sims, D-Phila., said, “A major reason I and so many of us voted for the spending bill was the increases for education: $100 million more for basic education, $25 million more for

JU LY 20, 2017

BY ELDON GRAHAM embers of the Philadelphia Delegation came together in the Liberty View Ballroom on the second floor of the Independence Visitor Center to urge Speaker of the House Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny, to call the House back to Harrisburg to wrap up the 2017-18 state budget.

State Representatives include Reps. Maria Donatucci, Kevin J. Boyle, Donna Bullock, Joanna McClinton, Chris Rabb, Kevin Boyle, Mike O’Brien, Brian Sims and Jordan Harris, all of whom were there to voice their commitment to finalizing a budget deal.

The legislators outlined three major solutions to Pennsylvania’s revenue gap that should receive votes in the full House: A severance tax on natural gas drilling companies: “Pennsylvania has already given away more than $2 billion in potential revenue by writing the natural gas law to favor the industry and shortchanging Pennsylvania residents. We simply

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DEMS DEMAND BUDGET DEAL

PRELUDE TO PARKING WARS REDUX

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POLS on the STREET

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HE LAST City Council meeting before the summer recess is rarely one to circle on the calendar. Like end-of-session meetings everywhere, this was expected to be heavy on legislative tidying up, light on flashpoint issues. Sure, Rebuild is still in the process of being streamlined and the soda tax fight is still – still! – going on as Representative

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Vanessa Lowery Brown 190th Legislative District

beverage industry-funded groups have appealed the levy all the way to the PA Supreme Court, but those have been known issues for months.

What wasn’t expected – and what is sure to send a chill throughout the real estate development community despite the entire sweltering summer – was a broadside launched by Council President Darrell Clarke against existing parking regulations for new construction.

This was no simple speech; Clarke came prepared with a proposed bill that would double the number of spaces required for a whole host of multi-family categories – instead of the current three spaces per 10 units, developers would be required to provide six spaces – an exponential jump in State Rep.

William Keller 184th District 1531 S. 2nd Street

1435 N. 52nd St. Phila. PA 19131 (215) 879-6615

215-271-9190

Always Hard At Work for You!

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State Senator

Anthony Hardy Williams 8th Senatorial District

2901 ISLAND AVE. STE 100 PHILADELPHIA, PA 19153 (215) 492-2980 FAX: (215) 492-2990 ---419 CHURCH LANE YEADON, PA 19050 (610) 284-7335 FAX: (610) 284-5955 6630 LINDBERGH BLVD.

2103 SNYDER AVENUE PHILADELPHIA, PA 19145 (215) 755-9185 FAX: (215) 952-3375 ---SENATE BOX 203008 HARRISBURG, PA 17120 ROOM: 11 EAST WING (717) 787-5970 FAX: (717) 772-0574

“Paid for with Pennsylvanian taxpayer dollars”

opportunity cost and space usage.

And one that Clarke says is necessary to maintain and improve the quality of life for Philadelphians with cars. As Plan Philly reported, Clarke explained during Council that “Every time I go to a community meeting in certain neighborhoods we get complaints about an inability to park. At the end of the day, there is overbuilding in some areas and that puts a significant burden on street parking and on existing residents.”

No doubt Clarke’s surprise commitment to improving the city’s parking situation in its most densely populated neighborhoods is a development welcomed by residents – and sure to be loathed and lobbied against by developers. No doubt, they will be well-prepared to show what they did on their summer vacation with an ad blitz against the proposal. It’s going to be a long three months waiting to see what happens next.

RESPONDING TO VIOLENCE

Thanks to the tried-andtrue TV news maxim of “If it bleeds, it leads,” the spectre of violence is never far from the top of the to-do list for the stewards of the city.

This past week has certainly been no exception, lowlighted by the transfer of the Philadelphia Police Department’s Homicide Division head, Capt. James Clark, who was removed in the face of rising murder rates and falling clearance rates; and a scary incident in Germantown where hundreds of teens faced down police after a rec center barbecue that thankfully ended without incident.

Mayor Jim Kenney, as is his wont, is trying to shake things up by changing the city’s approach to combatting violence. On Tuesday, he announced the creation of the Office of Violence Protection.

The OVP, which will be responsible for assessing and coordinating the $60 million the city currently has invest-

State Rep. Jason

ed in anti-violence programs across all departments, is being led by Shondell Revell, who was most recently the Executive Director of the Youth Violence Reduction Partnership.

“I believe OVP will serve the people of Philadelphia and our fellow City Departments in three critical ways,” said Revell. “We will ensure violence prevention and reduction is embedded into the outreach all City departments are already doing with our at-risk populations.

We will also proactively engage any youth and high impact or at-risk communities who are not already engaged by the City. And, finally, we will take a longterm approach to violence reduction, one that doesn’t wane with crime waves.”

OVP will also work closely with City Council’s Special Committee on Gun Violence Prevention, which was created by resolution in June by City Council President Darrell L. Clarke, Councilmen Kenyatta Johnson and Curtis Jones.

City Commissioner

Dawkins

Lisa M.

District Office: 4667 Paul St. Philadelphia, PA 19124 (215) 744-7901 M. – Th.: 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

F.: 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Room 132 City Hall

Deeley Philadelphia PA 19107

215-686-3460

State Rep.

Councilman

Mark

Joanna E.

Squilla

McClinton 191st Leg. Dist.

6027 Ludlow St. Unit A Phila., PA 19139

1st District City Hall Room 332

T: (215) 748-6712 F: (215) 748-1687

215-686-3458/59

Room 506 City Hall P. 215-686-3446/7 F. 215-686-1927

Represintative

Angel Cruz

District Office 3503 ‘B’ St. 215-291-5643 Ready to Serve you

Boyle

198th District

310 W. Chelten Ave.

172nd Dist.

7420 Frankford Ave. Phila., PA 19136

Phila PA 19148

P: 215-849-6426

215-331-2600 State Rep.

John

Donna

(R) 177th Dist.

4725 Richmond St. Phila., PA 19137

195th Leg. Dist.

2835 W. Girard Ave Phila, PA 19130

215-744-2600

D-185th District 2901 S. 19th St. Phila PA 19145 P: 215-468-1515 F: 215-952-1164

Greenlee

Kevin J.

Youngblood

Taylor

Donatucci

Councilman Wm.

State Rep.

Rep. Rosita

State Rep.

Rep.Maria P.

“The City of Philadelphia must continue to explore creative and proactive approaches to reducing gun violence, as state and federal regulations severely limit local government’s ability to stop the flow of deadly weapons onto our streets,” said Council President Clarke. “Charging an office to comprehensively review existing anti-violence strategies to improve coordination and efficacy is a strong step forward. With homicide rates tracking higher this year already, City government must adopt an aggressive, comprehensive strategy to attack the root causes of violence, including poverty, and disincentivize the use of deadly weapons to solve personal or perceived problems.

The Special Committee on Gun Violence Prevention looks forward to partnering with the Office of Violence Prevention to make our communities safe for all.”

Councilman Jones added, “I join Mayor Kenney, Council President Clarke and Councilman Kenyatta (Cont. Page 6)

Bullock T: (215) 684-3738 F: (215) 235-4629

City Councilwoman Cherelle L. Parker 9th District City Hall, Room 577, Philadelphia, PA 19107

215-686-3454 or 3455

www.phlcouncil.com/CherelleParker

Facebook: CouncilwomanCherelleLParker Twitter: @CherelleParker9

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POOLING RESOURCES

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NO MORE NOOSES

OPINION PA REP. JORDAN HARRIS AST WEEK in Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love and sisterly affection, a noose was found hanging from a tree near 18th and Lombard streets.

This is the second time in nearly two weeks that this has occurred. As an elected official whose district borders where the noose was found, and as Chairman of the Pennsylvania Legislation Black Caucus, I immediately wanted to make an official statement. However, I couldn’t. I couldn’t because as a black man in Philadelphia, while I wanted to be outraged – while I wanted

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to be upset – I wasn’t. More importantly, I wasn’t even shocked. Instead, I thought: “Here we go again.” Yes, here we go again. Again with domestic terrorists seeking to intimidate, frighten and frankly, terrify people of color – particularly African Americans.

There is no other reason for hanging a noose in 2017, unless your goal is to resurrect feelings of racial terror from the days of Emmitt Till.

Or to incite fear from the days of Goodman, Chaney and Schwerner. There is no other reason. Knowing this, it saddens me, for it has been 53 years since the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was championed.

But then I’m reminded that it is 2017, and a black man with a license to carry a firearm can still lose his life at the hands of law enforcement and nothing is done. We are in an era where we still question if black lives matter.

So while there are those that may look to me for

words of wisdom – while there are those that are looking for kind and calming platitudes – sorry, but I’m all out of those. Truthfully, I’m angry. I’m pissed and just downright annoyed. And frankly, I want you to be angry with me. I want you to be outraged, regardless of your race. It doesn’t matter if you are African American, Asian American or Irish American. As Americans, this is getting old. Moreover, it’s beyond un-American. Or sadly, maybe this is America. However, as Americans it’s up to us to determine if these hateful attitudes and behavior are representative of who we are as a country.

Our response, and more importantly our silence, shall provide that answer.

State Rep. Jordan Harris, D-Phila. (www.pahouse.com/ Harris), represents the 186th Legislative District and serves as Chairman of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus.

MARK your CALENDAR Jul. 20 - AALDEF and SEAMAAC hosts 2016 Exit Poll Results Presentation 6pm at 1711 S. Broad Street Philadelphia, PA 19148 RSVP at 212966-5932 x206 or votingrights@aaldef.org Jul. 21- Sheryl Lee RalphHughes hosts the annual Women for Hughes event from 12-2 p.m. at the Kimmel Center. RSVP by July 18 to Greta at greta@ rittenhousepolitical.com or 215-251-0585 Jul. 25- Rep. Jason Daw-

kins will host a free criminal record expungement and sealing clinic at St. Mark’s Church, 4442 Frankford Ave., Phila.

From 3-5 p.m. For more info, contact Dawkins’ office at 215-744-7901 Jul. 31- Town Watch Integrated Services hosts Nat’l Night Out S. Phila.

Kickoff Rally at Marconi Pk., 1300 Oregon Ave., 4-8 p.m.

Aug. 11- Councilman Mark Squilla hosts Summer Soirée at Keenan’s Pub,113 Olde New Jersey Ave., N. Wildwood, N.J., 7-10 p.m. Yachts $5,000, Sailboats $2,500, Paddleboats $1,000, General

Admission $250. Payable to “Squilla for Council,” P.O. Box 37332, Phila., PA 19148. RSVP: Brittany@lperrygroup.conm or (215) 893-4281.

Aug. 17- State Rep. Emilio Vázquez hosts “Meet, Greet, Obtain Constituent Services” at Susquehanna Village, 1421 W. Susquehanna Ave, 3-4 p.m.

Sep. 9- Sheet Metal Workers Local 19 hosts Members’ Picnic at Clementon Park, Berlin, N.J. Sep. 14- State Rep. Emilio Vázquez hosts “Meet, Greet, Obtain Constituent Services” at Susquehanna Village, 1421 W. Susquehanna Ave, 3-4 p.m.

Editorial Warning!!

Letters from an unidentified informant without any contact information cannot be considered for publication, no matter how valid their contents.

JU LY 20, 2017

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HEN IT’S time for us to sing the praises of our fair city, we’re always quick to single out one of its relatively unsung civic treasures: public pools.

At any one of the city’s 70 public pools – the most per capita in the entire United States, according to the city’s Parks & Recreation Commissioner, Kathryn Ott Lovell – you can find citizens from across the spectra of class, culture, nationality and race enjoying the

yet, but we suspect and hope that one is in the offing, either through a graduated and staggered maintenance plan that will tackle those pools most in need of upgrades, and/or concerted fundraising efforts by communities and nonprofit organizations. After all, it’s this type of civic mainstay that inspired the William Penn Foundation to donate $100 million to Rebuild in the first place.

Kudos to Commissioner Ott Lovell for bringing this issue to the forefront just when the pool culture is at its most visible. For the nearly 1 million people who will be enjoying this civic benefit this year, and for the millions more who hope to do so in the future, we must begin planning now so that we can all be in the swim later.

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OPINION

pristine blue waters, free of charge. It is one of the finest examples anywhere of what a color-blind, class-blind society looks like when it comes together.

But in the wake of disturbing news coming out of Parks & Rec, we are seeing other primary colors as well – specifically, red and green.

That’s because Lovell told the Inquirer last week that a funding deficit prevented a pool in Fishtown from opening this summer – and that $100 million is needed to bring all of the pools up to snuff.

That is no small sum, and one that will only be fractionally covered by the city’s $500 million Rebuild program. So, what can be done to address this burgeoning crisis – not a crisis of necessity, but of quality of life?

We don’t have an answer

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POLS on the STREET

(Cont. From Page 4) Johnson to create a coordinated approach to anti-violence efforts in Philadelphia. There are many programs with this stated mission; however, with funding cuts of resources from State and Federal Gov-

ernment, local efforts must ban together to create cost effective options to provide real help for real people.”

Councilman Johnson added, “I introduced the enabling legislation for the Special Committee – with co-sponsorship by Council President Clarke and Councilman Jones and a unanimous vote by Council

– because Philadelphia has never systematically coordinated and planned its efforts to prevent gun violence. The Special Committee will focus specifically on gun violence, which is on the rise. Through July 16th, 2017, there have been over 1,200 aggravated assaults with a gun, which is 5% more than this time last year. We appreciate that May-

or Kenney is taking the issue seriously and look forward to working closely with him to make the city a national model.”

Here’s hoping that Revell is being given a long timeline and plenty of leeway; it’s going to take plenty of time and effort to enact any kind of real change on any kind of lasting and mean-

ingful scale. Kudos to the mayor for pushing the initiative – here’s hoping that’s $60 million and more paperwork well spent.

REPEAL, REPLACE, REJECTED

Proving that it is easier and safer to be the minority party sometimes, the US Senate GOP’s colossal failure to make good on scratching its seven-year itch by swatting away all things Obamacare leaves the 44th president’s signature legislation intact – which is welcome news for the commonwealth and its “eds and meds” capital of Philadelphia.

As laid out in stark detail by Gov. Tom Wolf and senior US Sen. Bob Casey, depending on which version of Trumpcare was implemented, the state could have lost as much as $12.7 billion annually in federal funding by 2030.

It wasn’t just the budget numbers that spelled doom for Trumpcare’s incarnations. It was the sheer masses of vulnerable Pennsylvanians

who, like their counterparts across the country, would have been terribly impacted by proposed Medicaid cuts.

Medicaid serves 2.8 million Pennsylvanians, or 22 percent of the commonwealth’s population. This includes nearly 250,000 seniors (65+); 565,000 individuals who receive outpatient mental health services; 215,000 individuals with substance use disorder diagnoses – including 124,000 from the Medicaid expansion population; and 1.2 million Pennsylvania children.

As Wolf put it, “The losses in federal funds to protect health care benefits for Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable are unacceptable and insurmountable.”

Seems like his voice – and similar sentiments raised by most of the nation’s governors, both Republican and Democrat, made an impact. Now it’s time to see if US Sen. Pat Toomey will follow their lead or that of President Donald Trump, who stated that he would “let Obamacare fail” now that the GOP plan is dead in the water.

ITALIAN KNIGHTHOOD

SEPTA Board Chairman Pasquale T. Deon Sr. (L) was honored with “The Knight of Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.” He received the award during a recent event with the Honorable Andrea Canepari (R), Consul General of Italy in Philadelphia.

DEMS IN HARRISBURG

The Democratic State Committee returns to Harrisburg from Sept.

8-9, and Gov. Tom Wolf is expected to be there as part of his reelection bid. Wolf is seen here at the recent State Committee gala with, L-R: Marnie Aument-Loughery, 33rd Ward Democrat Party active, and Jim Harrity, Aide-de-camp to Senator Sharif Street. Photo by Joe

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TAYLOR’S CAPE ESCAPE

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Severe thunderstorms and brutal weekend shore traffic couldn’t stop the crowd that turned out for PA Rep. John Taylor’s annual Friday Night Shore Party, held at the North Cape May home of Peggy and Kevin Pasquay. Guests dined on crabcakes, pulled pork sandwiches and other delicacies as they spent time with Taylor, who was constantly aware of a potential six-hour callback to Harrisburg to work on the budget.

Above: PA Rep. John Taylor, second from right, with , L-R: Brian Preski, Joseph Hebert, John Egan, host Kevin Pasquay and Dennis McGuigan.

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Left: Former longtime Polonia Bank CEO Tony Szuszczewicz is flanked by his daughter, Donna Van Blounk and Teamsters Local 77’s Mark Rove.

Above, left: PA Rep. John Taylor is flanked by Paul Kaiser and Bill Heening Above, right: The evening’s host, Peggy Pasquay, poses with PA Rep. John Taylor.

PA Sen. Sharif Street takes a moment to chat with Donahue Bailey.

JU LY 20, 2017

City Councilman Curtis Jones held his annual White Linen Party at Presidential City’s Sora Pool Deck on City Line Avenue. Among the hundreds of stylishly attired attendees were, above, L-R, PA Rep. Morgan Cephas, City Councilman Derek Green, Emmanuel Bussey and the event’s host.

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PRESIDENTIAL-LEVEL WHITEOUT FOR JONES

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Gisele Jones, Councilman Curtis Jones’ wife, was at the center of the action as a DJ spun on the expansive terrace at the Presidential on City Line Avenue.

“Heart of the City” host Malik Boyd is flanked by Tanyette Devine and Sabrina Scott.

MICHAEL A. CIBIK, AMERICAN BANKRUPTCY BOARD CERTIFIED UESTION: How To Recognize When And Where You Are Exposed Financially? Mistake No.6 ANSWER: Mistake 6: Failing to buy insurance. No one likes to spend money on insurance because you are buying protection against events that may never happen. No one expects to be diagnosed with a debilitating disease or injured in an accident but every year people end up facing the unexpected.

Insurance is another necessity that should come before “wants” like that new TV or cosmetic improvements to your house.

Next Week’s Question: How To Recognize When And Where You Are Exposed Financially? Mistake No.7.

Community organizer extraordinaire Theresa Marley poses with entrepreneur Todd Rose.

understanding BANKRUPTCY

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T IS FUNNY how liberals are on the side of the “children” until their needs conflict with what is in the best interest of public school teachers’ unions.

Scholarships awarded by Pennsylvania’s tax credit programs dropped by more than 8,000 in PA budget fiscal year 2015-2016, to 42,000 scholarships. Many of these scholarships go to underprivileged children in Philadelphia.

The decrease in the scholarship numbers can

EVERYDAY PEOPLE

BY DENISE CLAY HE BOARD of Judges is meeting today to do something that they haven’t had to do in 26 years: pick a new District Attorney of Philadelphia.

Because R. Seth Williams, the former DA, is currently spending 23 hours a day in solitary confinement at his new home in the Federal Correction Center at 7th and Arch streets, we need someone to do the job – because he obviously can’t.

On June 29, Williams pled guilty to one count of accepting a bribe in the second week of

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be directly traced to Gov. Tom Wolf holding back the funds for the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) for six months.

Wolf blamed it on the budget impasse and his need to reserve financial resources.

The only problem with the excuse is that the scholarship funds are not subject to appropriations, but are funded by companies that receive special tax treatment in exchange for the contributions. Wolf held back funds over which he should not have control. Did he do this for financial reasons or was he looking for an excuse to stifle the limited amount of school choice we have in Pennsylvania?

The EITC and OSTC tax credits are awarded to corporations that pay into the state-run scholarship program. The credits are equal to 75 percent of the contribution, or up to a

maximum of $750,000 per taxable year. The credit can be increased to 90 percent of the contribution, if a business agrees to provide the same amount for two consecutive tax years. EITC funds go primarily to scholarship organizations. The OSTC funds go specifically to economically challenged families with children in underperforming schools.

Legislators in Harrisburg are considering allowing an increase in EITC tax credits to the tune of $20 million. Increasing the EITC by any amount is great for Philadelphia, which has a large, economically challenged populace, many of whose children attend wholly inadequate schools.

But of course, there are many on the left who want none of this. The staunchest voices against school choice are those who have school choice. They are the well-off liberals in Center (Cont.Page 14)

a trial in which he seemed to be buried deeper and deeper with every witness. Williams resigned and was immediately taken into custody.

Fourteen people have put their names in the hat for the judges to consider as they sit down to meet today, and many of them are pretty interesting.

Joe Khan, one of the people who ran for the Democratic nomination for District Attorney, is on the list.

So is Kathleen Martin, the first Deputy District Attorney whose been running the office since Williams got into trouble and got his law license pulled.

Leon Williams, who has run for the office several times himself, is on the list, as are several judges, which makes one of these names really interesting.

That name: Lynne Abraham. And what makes her interesting is that when the judges met 26 years ago to pick another district attorney after Ron Castille resigned to run for mayor, Abraham,

a judge at the time, was the one they picked.

She’s hoping they’ll pick her again and that she’ll get to go back into the office she left eight years ago. Abraham spent close to 20 years as the City’s DA and the one thing about her that kind of stands out to me is that New York Times Magazine cover proclaiming her as “the deadliest DA,” due to her fondness for all things capital punishment.

Needless to say, not everyone is happy with the possibility of Madame Abraham taking the seat as the city’s lead prosecutor, even if it is for fewer than six months.

On Sunday, the Philadelphia NAACP held a news conference at its Germantown Avenue headquarters to demand that Abraham take her name out of the running.

Calling her a “menace to society,” Minister Rodney Muhammad, the organization’s president, said that any effort toward criminal justice reform would be tossed by the (Cont. Page 15)

WALKING the BEAT

BY JOE SHAY STIVALA ODAY IS THE DAY for the City Board of Judges to select a NEW DA. The real tribute to Philly is that 14 suburban citizens volunteered for the job!

I have mentioned some of them, but never noted the applications of Judges KEOGH, LERNER, MANFREDI and PANEPINTO. KEOGH is an outstanding choice who has had a history of blemish-free service to his country and the judiciary. Quiet competence. LERNER, as a former defender, might offer a pos-

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CITY HALL SAM

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HE REPUBLICAN crowd in Harrisburg is still trying to figure out how to pay for government.

By government, we mean the basic services of life such as schools and police. The Statehouse and State Senate both have large Republican majorities. The Speaker of the House is Mike Turzai, a potential candidate for governor, and the Majority Leader is Dave Reed, whom many people consider to be reasonable. In the Senate, Jake Corman is the Majority Leader and Joe Scarnati is the Senate President Pro Tempore.

sible early start to KRASNER DA-ship. MANFREDI has administrative experience as a jurist. PANEPINTO is a vocal fellow with much energy and is popular with defense and prosecution. Sadly, Teresa Carr DENI did not apply.

THANK YOU ALL applicants! You HONOR YOUR CITY! Councilman Mark SQUILLA showed up to speak to opponents of his waterfront proposal - CDAG. A post asked: “Does CDAG own the waterfront?” Heck NO. They are VOCAL, popular with media and articulate.

Squilla FACED THEM and explained his proposal. He did NOT REFUSE to appear. A lot of ordinary people, who are too busy, and less articulate with media, might favor the plan. The media has not run a poll on their view. So the proof will be Squilla’s reelection.

I read where President TRUMP said that he will be very angry if GOPCARE does

not replace OBAMACARE. Are we – and lawmakers – supposed to tremble at that utterance? Each time that GOPCARE is tweaked to get another GOP vote - it GETS CLOSER TO OBAMACARE. The point of it all is that GOPCARE places MILLIONS of AMERICANS in the nohealth insurance ranks, and enriches multi-trillion dollar INSURANCE COMPANIES. It is mean-spirited legislation. The GOP does no try to cloak it – they are OUT IN THE OPEN. Passage of the bill also gives Democrats a HOT CAMPAIGN ISSUE for years to come.

A news article noted that Senator Pat TOOMEY has praised GOPCARE. What did we expect? The man is a conservative. He should abstain from the vote since he was only elected by 1% and does not speak for all state residents.

A news item noted that Mitch MCCONNELL is the (Cont.Page 13)

Many people also find both of them to be reasonable.

But what people find to be unreasonable is how the Republicans can’t figure out how to work together. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf has made the decision to let them figure it out due to their large majorities in the Senate and House.

So far, they have failed.

The Pennsylvania Constitution requires a balanced budget by June 30. The House and Senate passed a bill approving $32 billion in spending but provided no source of revenue to pay for it. This was unprecedented in Pennsylvania – and some have said it may be unconstitutional. Since the Republicans are very wary of any kind of tax or revenue increase it’s predictable that they have not approved the revenue measures well into July. Sam guesses that they probably will not give final approval until after Labor Day. The big discussion has been expanding gaming. The big proposal has been creating 11 new gambling licenses that

will be smaller than the other licenses. They will go to areas that have not had gambling before. After that is established, the state will borrow whatever money is required essentially from itself to balance the budget. But it’s all just a theoretical argument and no one will know what’s going to happen until the votes are counted.

A better plan would be to raise the personal income tax in Pennsylvania. This is something that is overdue.

The state ranks among the lowest in personal income tax rates in industrialized states.

The conservative Republicans wouldn’t even have to vote for it. They could provide a handful of urban and suburban Republicans and couple that with all the Democrats to pass a budget that solves a lot of the state’s fiscal problems. For perspective: The last income tax increase was in 2003, over 14 years ago.

But fear dominates. Philadelphia Republicans such as John Taylor and Martina (Cont. Page 14)

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on hold). You either have 48 hours to set up the plan, or 14 days - it was not clear. (If you are in this fix - call for a THIRD OPINION.) I read an interesting piece where the writer slammed a reader. Then it EVOLVED (in the last paragraphs) into a superb piece on where we should be as a people.

UNIQUE journalism.

WIBG Radio (101.3FM) in Cape May County continued their VETERANS’ WELCOME HOME program with an ALL STAR show in Wildwood. It featured US Ambassadors Phil MURPHY (Germany) and Theresa TULL (Guyana & Brunei); Jersey State Sens.

Jeff Van DREW & James BEACH; Vietnam Silver Star recipients Joe WALTERS and Dennis MURPHY; ESPN Correspondent Sal PAOLANTONIO; Vietnam Vets Bill DAVENPORT and Bob CARULLO; and Korea Vets Beau WISEMAN and Larry HOGAN. The STAR GUESTS were Congressman Bob BRADY and World War II vet and former Philly Fire Commissioner Joe RIZZO - as handsome as ever.

JU LY 20, 2017

(Cont. From Page) LEAST POPULAR U.S. Senator.

HATS OFF to Judge James DE LEON, who hosted an OPERATION FRESH START teleconference last Sunday. The program offered up a new blueprint to deal with recidivism concerning 600,000 who are released from prison annually and are unprepared for life after incarceration. Some may not have noticed that JUSTICE is undergoing a course change to mentoring (Mayor Kenney has a program), and diversionary programs that cost society less. The incoming DA will lean that way.

Those who attack a CULTURE OF CORRUPTION also ask where is the outrage. Maybe there is no need for outrage since the culture does not exist. Republicans have not been able to win elections in Philly, so none are hovered over by the FBI. The attackers have NO PLAN for change – nor does the media mention that A DOZEN GOP elected officials have been convicted in the commonwealth(?).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Sal PATTI, a Veep at PNC Bank.

Sal is a great example of Central High School grads! Also, best wishes to Jim JENKINS, energized man-about-town!

And to Judge Dan ANDERS, our most fashionable jurist...

Also to Shane GEESLER from 5th & Porter, who at this moment is serving us in the Western Pacific aboard Navy ship USS Chung-Hoon! God Bless Shane, who sails in harm’s way Sadly, I report the passing of Dr. Alston MOORE, who served well as Consul to Jamaica.

City Council President Darrell CLARKE took some heat over his concern for development without ADEQUATE PARKING. There is a lot of it happening, and it overwhelms neighborhoods. Some say that

we need to instruct older residents to use a bike. Do they smoke GREEN? There was an article about PETS, a Local #98 Charter School in Center City. I need to say that it is a SUCCESSFUL school with top graduates. The salary of the director is near that of many journalists. The Local 98 Business Manager had earlier filed two lawsuits against that paper (not about PETS).

The Building Trades has named Wayne MILLER as Assistant Business Manager: a good choice. Wayne, who grew up in Juniata, has done much for his Local, and charities such as MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS research.

Wayne assists Trades Leader John DOUGHERTY, while John maintains vigil at his wife’s bedside.

The Internal Revenue Service is a piece of work!

If you want to set up a payment plan for a small amount due, it costs $231.

It could take almost an hour on hold waiting to speak to a HUMAN there, only to be told that you have the wrong number (you are transferred to another number and put

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In The Court of Common Pleas Phila. County Civil Action – Law No. 170600657 Notice of Action in Mortgage Foreclosure Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, Plaintiff vs. The Unknown Heirs of Humphrey Miller, Deceased & Gladys Miller, Solely in Her Capacity as Heir of Humphrey Miller, Deceased, Mortgagor and Real Owner, Defendant(s) To: The Unknown Heirs of Humphrey Miller, Deceased, Mortgagor and Real Owner, Defendant(s), whose last known address is 3313 North Mutter Street a/k/a 3313 Mutter Street Philadelphia, PA 19140. This firm is a debt collector and we are attempting to collect a debt owed to our client. Any information obtained from you will be used for the purpose of collecting the debt. You are hereby notified that Plaintiff, Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, has filed a Mortgage Foreclosure Complaint endorsed with a notice to defend against you in the Court of Common Pleas of Phila. County, PA, docketed to No. 170600657, wherein Plaintiff seeks to foreclose on the mortgage secured on your property located, 3313 North Mutter Street a/k/a 3313 Mutter Street, Philadelphia, PA 19140, whereupon your property will be sold by the Sheriff of Phila. County. Notice: You have been sued in court. If you wish to defend against the claims set forth in the following pages, you must take action within twenty (20) days after the Complaint and notice are served, by entering a written appearance personally or by attorney and filing in writing with the court your defenses or objections to the claims set forth against you. You are warned that if you fail to do so the case may proceed without you and a judgment may be entered against you by the Court without further notice for any money claimed in the Complaint for any other claim or relief requested by the Plaintiff. You may lose money or property or other rights important to you. You should take this paper to your lawyer at once. If you do not have a lawyer or cannot afford one, go to or telephone the office set forth below. This office can provide you with information about hiring a lawyer. If you cannot afford to hire a Lawyer, this office may be able to provide you with information about agencies that may offer legal services to eligible persons at a reduced fee or no fee. Community Legal Services, Inc., Law Center North Central, 1410 W. Erie Ave., Phila., PA 19140, 215-227-2400/215-981-3700. Phila. Bar Assn., One Reading Center, Phila., PA 19104, 215-238-6333. Rebeca A. Solarz, Atty. for Plaintiff, KML Law Group, P.C., Ste. 5000, Mellon Independence Center, 701 Market St., Phila., PA 191061532, 215.627.1322.

(Cont. From Page 12) City, Chestnut Hill and University City who are in the catchments of the better public grade schools. Their children are lucky enough to have highly educated parents who can help guide them into the magnet schools.

These same highly ed-

ucated liberals came out in droves in the primary to vote for Larry Krasner for District Attorney and Rebecca Rhynhart for City Controller.

Krasner has never been a prosecutor and has exhibited disdain and distrust of law enforcement. This came back to bite him when he lost the Fraternal Order of Police’s Lodge 5’s endorsement to his Republican

opponent, Beth Grossman.

He appears at times to be more interested in making policy observations that are not just outside the purview of the DA’s office, but even outside of the control of our local and state legislators.

Rhynhart rode to victory on a clean government agenda to replace Alan Butkovitz, who has been accused by both Republicans and many

NOTICE OF PETITION FOR ADOPTION AND TERMINATION OF RIGHTS TO CHILD PURSUANT TO O.C.G.A § 19-8-12 To: The Unknown Biological Father of Emma Matos

You are hereby advised that a petition seeking to terminate your rights to Emma Matos born to Nicolette Matos on October 14, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and place legal custody of the child with my client for the purpose of adoption, has been filed in the Cherokee County Superior Court in Georgia. You will lose all rights to the child and will neither receive notice nor be entitled to object to the adoption of the child unless, within 30 days of receipt of this notice, you (1) file a petition to legitimate the child pursuant to Georgia Code Section 19-7-22; (2) provide notice of the filing of the petition to legitimate with the Clerk of the Superior Court of Cherokee County, Georgia at 90 North Street, Suite G170, Canton, Georgia 30114; and (3) provide notice of the filing to Rhonda Fishbein, Esq., at One Glenlake Parkway, Suite 700, Atlanta, Georgia 30328.

Adoption Action No. 16AD0075-DC Judge David L. Cannon, Jr.

Democrats as being too much of a political insider to audit departments sometimes run by people aligned with powerful politicians.

Rhynhart’s three key policy issues are really no different than those of her Republican opponent. Her issues are: making city spending more efficient, government more transparent and improving returns of pension assets. Where I get nervous is when I look at her blog. The blog is full of her addressing various ward organizations and liberal political groups. The longest commentaries were on women’s events, sanctuary cities (pro) and President Donald Trump (con).

Rhynhart is qualified for the job, at least on paper. She was Mayor Nutter’s budget director. She does hold an advanced degree in public administration from Columbia University.

Her opponent, Mike Tomlinson, is qualified. He is a Certified Public Accountant with decades of experience in finance and management. This the one job where people in the city should not care about the candidate’s politics. The Controller’s job is to make sure that your tax money is spent efficiently.

Mike will do the job.

CITY HALL SAM

(Cont. From Page 12) White could vote for that kind of tax and suffer very little political fallout. A Suburban Republican like Tom Murt could do the same.

The great majority of Republicans could say that they were anti-tax. The most cynical part would be that even the Republicans who voted against the tax increase would benefit from the increased revenue and spending in the budget. Somebody call Vince Fumo, the former appropriations chair and power broker, and former Philadelphia Republican and Speaker of the House John Perzel to see if they’ll come in to help broker this deal.

(Cont. From Page 12) wayside with her at the helm.

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lieves that she’s the only one that can right the ship for the next DA. “I’m doing this out of a pure sense of duty and obligation to the court, the victims of crime in Philadelphia, and to try to reset the office,” Abraham said.

“There’s a lot of angst in

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that office. People are leaving in droves. It’s a wreck. You need somebody with a strong sense of duty and the capacity to calm things down so we regain our sense of mission and duty and so that people feel safe in their communities.”

“Safe,” to be honest, might be a relative term here. Part of the

reason the NAACP spoke out is the perception that Abraham has it in for Philadelphia’s Black community. Granted, a lot of her supporters in the past have been Black, but for many, she’s a big part of the reason why Larry Krasner is the Democratic nominee in November’s general election for DA.

The 88-member board is going to take as many votes as it requires for one of the 14 nominees to get a majority. Once that’s done, we’ll know who gets to serve the last six months of Williams’s term.

If it turns out to be Abraham, it could be interesting a whole lot of ways…most of them wrong.

the WAFFLE MAN

Tame way.

How do crazy people go through the forest? They take the psycho path.

How do you get holy water? You boil the hell out of it.

What do fish say when they hit a concrete wall? Dam! What do Eskimos get from sitting on the ice too long? Polar-oids.

What do you call a boomerang that doesn’t work? A stick.

What do you call cheese that isn’t yours? Nacho cheese.

What do you call Santa’s helpers?

Subordinate clauses.

What do you call four bullfighters in quicksand? Cuatro sinko.

What do you get from a pampered cow? Spoiled milk.

What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire? Frostbite.

What lies at the bottom of the

ocean and twitches? A nervous wreck.

What’s the difference between roast beef and pea soup? Anyone can roast beef.

Where do you find a dog with no legs? Right where you left him.

Why do gorillas have big nostrils?

Because they have big fingers.

Why don’t blind people like to skydive? Because it scares the dog.

What kind of coffee was served on the Titanic? Sanka.

Why did pilgrims’ pants always fall down? Because they wore their belt buckles on their hats.

How are a Texas tornado and a Tennessee divorce the same?

Somebody’s gonna lose a trailer.

Now, admit it – and tell the truth – was Nancy right? I know at least one of these made you smile, didn’t it?

Y

O! HERE we go again with a short article about silly definitions that were sent to me by Nancy M., a reader. She says you can’t read this and stay in a bad mood! Wanna bet? Read on.

Here we go: How do you catch a unique rabbit? Unique up on it.

How do you catch a tame rabbit?

JU LY 20, 2017

EVERYDAY PEOPLE

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