Bashing is good
news for Knox

By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer

In a political race, there is one certainty.
Whenever a candidate is bashed by more than one opponent, it means that he is favored to win the race.
In Philadelphia’s Democratic mayoral primary, the outsider image portrayed by multimillionaire businessman Tom Knox in campaign commercials has helped him take the lead in polls.
One of the other candidates, state Rep. Dwight Evans, has decided to spend the last couple of weeks of the campaign highlighting his record on crime while contending that Knox has no record on the issue.
Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Bob Brady has unveiled a scathing television commercial that ends with the words, "Philadelphia’s problems are real. We can’t afford a fake as mayor."
In addition, a costumed character named "Tommy the Loan Shark" has appeared at campaign events to blast Knox for owning a bank that offered so-called "payday" loans at high interest rates.
Knox seems unfazed by the sharp critiques of his record.
"They have nothing else to talk about," he said of his opponents.
Knox, during a Friday afternoon appearance in front of the Times editorial board, said he’d gladly put up his 40-year record as a businessman against his four main opponents — Evans, Brady, U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah and former City Councilman Michael Nutter.
In a jab at Evans, he wondered why the state legislator is so proud of his crime record at a time when Philadelphia’s murder rate is soaring.
Philadelphians are looking for real and meaningful change, according to Knox, adding that insiders like his opponents are not capable of reforming the city.
Philadelphians are not looking to select "Mr. Personality," he said, brushing aside his reputation as a stiff campaigner.
"So what? I don’t care," he said of the criticism. "They’re hiring me to run the city and make it efficient."
Knox, a married father of two grown sons, spent 18 months as a deputy mayor in the early 1990s under Mayor Ed Rendell. He was in charge of management and productivity, and his duties included re-negotiating office space leases.
The candidate said his business background would enable him to operate a government that provides services such as street cleaning and snow removal. He’d like to increase trash collection to twice a week.
As mayor, he would look forward to working with Rendell, now the governor of Pennsylvania, and even with Evans, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.
If Knox wins the May 15 primary, he will take a 10-day vacation and return to prepare for his administration. The next mayor won’t take office until January 2008, but the Democratic nominee will be heavily favored over Republican Al Taubenberger.
Knox isn’t the baby-kissing, ribbon-cutting type and doesn’t plan to form a transition committee. Instead, he’ll interview potential department heads himself and hire those who outline productivity and management initiatives.
Already, Knox knows whom he’d like to hire as his finance director, but he won’t name him. He also has an idea on how to address what customers tell him are high rates and lousy service from debt-ridden Philadelphia Gas Works, but he is keeping the details to himself.
And while he talks of producing a municipal pension and health plan that would "knock your socks off," he doesn’t want to give specifics. Doing so now would make more enemies for himself.
"I’ve got enough," he said.
Knox is excited about his Learn to Earn proposal, which would require schoolchildren to attend after-school life skills classes in exchange for credits toward family utility bills, rent or summer camp tuition. The program would be funded by charities and wealthy individuals.
As for high school students, a Mayor Knox would greatly increase vocation education in public schools so students can earn good-paying jobs or be better prepared for college. Right now, only 8 percent of students receive such education, and Knox thinks the lack of opportunity leads to high absence and dropout rates and underemployment.
In Knox’s opinion, the people running the School District of Philadelphia seem more focused on the district’s financial situation rather than implementing effective programs that prepare students for careers in a city that has lost almost all of its manufacturing jobs.
In addition, he would give a gift toward an endowment for scholarships at Community College of Philadelphia. He believes the city is shortchanging CCP by providing just 18 percent of the college’s operating budget.
Even city employees would be eligible for subsidized training and education so they can advance their careers, whether in government or the private sector.
Business owners have told Knox that the top reason they don’t move to Philadelphia is not the city’s high tax rates.
"It’s because we don’t have a trained and educated work force," he said.
Knox, former CEO of United Healthcare of Pennsylvania, is equally excited about opening 40 to 50 health centers in city neighborhoods.
The mini-clinics would be staffed by a nurse practitioner and be open 12 hours a day in existing businesses, such as chain pharmacies. They’d be open to people with and without insurance and offer treatments for non-life-threatening maladies.
The advantages of the centers, according to Knox, are that patients won’t have to make appointments, will be examined a lot quicker than if they visited a hospital emergency room and will pay a lot less than a typical visit to a doctor’s office.
The concept is working in other cities.
"Let’s do it in Philadelphia," Knox said. ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com