Council at-large endorsements
for November 1, 2007 edition:


At-large seats could use
a few new occupants

When Philadelphians have a neighborhood problem, they can seek help from their local member of City Council. The city is evenly divided into 10 district Council seats.
A look at the high re-election rate of district Council members would seem to indicate that they are doing a good job.
But if they or their staffs become unresponsive, citizens have a backup option. They can call one of the seven at-large Council members.
City residents will vote for five at-large candidates among a field of 12 in Tuesday’s election. The top seven finishers win four-year terms, with at least two seats reserved for the minority party, which has been the Republicans for 60 years.
All five Democrats and four of the Republicans make strong cases why they should be elected.
After careful thought, the Times is endorsing incumbent Democrat Jim Kenney, incumbent Republicans Frank Rizzo and Jack Kelly, Democratic challenger Bill Green and Republican challenger David Oh.
The Times also gave serious consideration to Democratic incumbents Wilson Goode Jr., Blondell Reynolds Brown and Bill Greenlee and Republican challenger Patricia Mattern.
Kenney, a South Philadelphian who is seeking his fifth four-year term, has long been concerned with the city’s steady population loss. He champions not only a decrease, but the elimination of the onerous wage tax to attract new businesses, create jobs and boost the economy.
In a new term, he will continue to promote the implementation of a 311 call center so citizens can have greater accessibility to city government. Such a hotline would also make the government more accountable.
The councilman has also been successful passing legislation prohibiting parking garage owners from raising rates for special events. A charter change amendment he sponsored will lead to a more professional City Planning Commission. He’s also a leader in calling for the creation of a rainy day fund in case the city’s finances take a downturn.
Rizzo, a Chestnut Hill resident hoping for a fourth term, is largely responsible for bringing some calming to Roosevelt Boulevard by pushing for the placement of red light cameras at busy intersections.
The son of the late Police Commissioner and Mayor Frank L. Rizzo, he was also the leader in convincing the Pennsylvania State Police to patrol some city highways. That has allowed 75 Philadelphia police officers to fight crime in the city.
Now, he has his sights set on lobbying the state to better fund city courts. He’d use the savings to reduce, then eliminate, the wage tax.
Kelly, a Somerton resident, wants a second at-large term. He previously represented the 7th Councilmanic District from 1988-91.
The only at-large member from the Northeast in the last 32 years, he wants greater wage tax cuts than are presently proposed. He’d like to see the tax drop to 2.4 percent by 2010.
In his first term, he was one of the leaders fighting to restore hours in Free Library of Philadelphia branches. He also galvanized public support to force Mayor John Street to re-open the mini-City Hall near Welsh and the Boulevard. His other battles include ensuring that firefighters and paramedics have adequate hearing protection devices, trying to make Philadelphia a no-kill city for animals and increasing funding for arts and culture.
A note to Northeast Democratic leaders: You should be embarrassed that so few of you run for at-large seats, and the few that do run don’t come close to winning. The only local candidate this year was Milton Street. Identify a candidate now for 2011, raise some money and get the person some recognition.
Green, of Chestnut Hill, would be a great addition to Council. He’s the son of the mayor of the same name. The candidate has not rested since winning the Democratic primary — a victory tantamount to being elected in Philadelphia.
He likes the city’s charter schools and thinks the School District of Philadelphia should adopt some of the practices that have led to higher test scores and a decrease in violence in charters.
He is not hysterically opposed to casinos, like some other elected officials and candidates looking to win favor with residents. Instead, he wants to ensure that the slots parlors provide jobs with good wages and benefits and find solutions to traffic problems.
He has an impressive business background and will be a hawk at budget hearings, watching that city departments don’t waste taxpayer money.
Oh, a lawyer and ward leader from Southwest Philadelphia, is a thoughtful candidate who would make Council a better legislative body. He wants to make Philadelphia a world-class city by creating a 24-hour area that would attract artsy people.
While most of the talk has been about public education, Oh wants to offer tax relief to parents struggling to send their children to private schools. That’s welcome news to thousands of Northeast parents.
The candidate talks constantly about economic growth and development, particularly at the port. He opposes the casinos, not for political gain, but because he believes they will hurt the lower- and middle classes and prevent the city from attracting shipping jobs. ••

Respond to this endorsement . . .


Letters to the Editor . . .