Somerton earns a stop
on the campaign trail

By William Kenny
Times Staff Writer

Michael Nutter and Al Taubenberger didn’t cool down after their big mayoral candidates’ forum at the Norcom Community Center on Oct. 9. Instead, they both remained hot on the campaign trail.
Nutter, the West Philadelphia Democrat, and Taubenberger, the Republican from the Northeast, both made ensuing stops at Somerton Civic Association’s monthly general membership meeting to offer their views on public safety, property taxes, employment and education.
"I’ve lived in this town all of my life, and when they publish the murder rate on the front page of the (newspapers) instead of the Phillies’ magic number, it’s atrocious," said Taubenberger, a big underdog in the race due to the low percentage of city voters who are registered Republican.
In a general election, however, voters may select a candidate from any party regardless of their own affiliation.
Taubenberger, who is executive director of the Greater Northeast Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and president of the Burholme Civic Association and Town Watch, argues that the police department should fight the ongoing surge in violent crime by putting more uniformed cops on the street in patrol roles, even if it means cutting back in specialty units.
He also favors enacting a so-called "stop-and-frisk" law that would permit police to investigate and search parolees from prison on city streets. The idea is to prevent recently released convicts from committing more crimes while still under court supervision.
Nutter agreed with the need for more police and noted that in his last year as a City Councilman, he worked on a budget that allocated $5 million for 100 new officers. But Mayor John Street never released the money to carry out Council’s intent, Nutter said.
Instead, Street implemented his "Safe Streets" program, which relied on overtime, rather than more cops, to bump up police presence in selected crime areas. Under safe streets, however, the city’s murder rate has continued to rise.
The candidates also agree that the city needs better schools and better jobs.
Only 45 percent of the city’s public school kids graduate high school, and only 18 percent of the work force holds a four-year college degree, according to Nutter.
The Democrat blames the poor performance on a lack of pre-kindergarten programs and unresponsiveness to the interests of older school kids. High schools, he said, don’t maintain kids’ attentions, so they leave. Nutter blames budgetary cuts in areas like music, art and sports.
He thinks that the emphasis on education should follow residents into the working world, with companies offering employees continuing education benefits.
As a longtime business community leader, Taubenberger has spent his career helping local businesses grow. Business growth, he said, leads to jobs growth and more income for the city.
Nutter noted that reworking the city’s "onerous" business tax structure could encourage more companies to stay here and others to come here.
Meanwhile, Taubenberger is focused on the ongoing debate over property tax reform in the city. He opposes the "full-value" project proposed by the Board of Revision of Taxes. He is concerned that many homeowners could see big increases under the new plan.
"They say it’s revenue-neutral, but who’s it revenue-neutral for?" he said.
Taubenberger noted that a fixed property tax bill, based on a home’s purchase price, would encourage long-term home ownership and keep tax bills affordable for people on fixed incomes.
The election is Nov. 6.
City Council candidates including incumbent at-large Republicans Frank Rizzo and Jack Kelly, as well as Democrat Sean McAleer — a challenger to Republican Brian O’Neill in the 10th district — also offered comments at the civic meeting.
McAleer criticized O’Neill’s attendance record at Council committee meetings and general meetings. He vowed to emphasize public safety if elected and plans to maintain a full-time office in the district, in addition to an official City Hall office.
Rizzo and Kelly are among five Republican nominees, of which only two likely will win at-large seats. Both also have strong thoughts on public safety.
Thanks to new patrols by state police on interstate highways in the city, Rizzo said, dozens of Philadelphia cops are now available for other duties, including Roosevelt Boulevard patrols in the Northeast.
Kelly called Street’s "safe streets" program a "flop." He said he’s also challenged the mayor’s office on funding cuts in libraries and on the elimination of the "mini City Hall" in the Northeast. ••
The next Somerton Civic Association meeting will be on Tuesday, Nov. 13, at 7:30 p.m. at Walker Lodge 306, 1290 Southampton Road.