POLS ON THE STREET: Fighting A Rush To Judgement On T.C.

PHILA. legislators testifying before the full House Judiciary Committee on the need to preserve Traffic Court were State Reps. Curtis Thomas, Ron Waters and Mark Cohen.
Photo by Joe Stivala

BY JOE SHAHEELI/ We laud members of the Philadelphia Legislative Caucus who did their best to slow down the rush to judgment created by State Sen. Dominic Pileggi’s (R-Delaware) legislation to downsize the three seats under contention this primary by their testimony before the House Judiciary Committee here in Philadelphia.

This particular bill is one of his two pieces of legislation aimed to destroy the Philadelphia Traffic Court. If it passes the General Assembly, Traffic Court is dead. It is the torpedo and needs to be outmaneuvered by Philadelphia’s legislative caucus in the General Assembly.

This bill would remove the three vacancies now being sought by over a score of candidates who have survived petition challenges and are moving forward in their campaigns to win one of the three seats open in Traffic Court in the Democratic and Republican primaries. This is the Terminator.

The other bill would eliminate Traffic Court. But it needs to win approval of the General Assembly in two successive sessions and then await Commonwealth voters’ decision on the 2015 ballot.

So the line needs to be drawn with Pileggi’s Bill seeking to eliminate the three vacancies. It is deadlier than the other.

Adding fuel to the fire in the effort to eliminate Traffic Court was the fact Warren Bloom got the number-one slot, though he wasn’t there to do the picking. He isn’t in line for consideration by the Democrat City Committee to get an endorsement. Nor does he have the resources to field a convincing campaign, a factor that has hurt his efforts in other campaigns.

The possibility he could win because of his top position on the ballot riled up the main media, which used the opportunity to tear apart Bloom on his inability to make tax payments to the City, among other charges.

The Judiciary Committee may vote out the legislation, since it has become a “motherhood bill” in the media and a Holy Grail to good-government groups, always salivating when they see the possible elimination of this people’s court.

However, look for our legislative representatives to do what they must. They poked holes into the reasons behind the legislation and actually picked up support from non-Philadelphians on the Committee. Take a look at the column “Walking The Beat” in this week’s issue for some of their comments.

AS POSTAL-workers’ union leaders spoke out in defense of six-day delivery, Congressman Bob Brady, holding sign, stood with them in front of Ben Franklin’s original post office in Old City.

State Reps. Curtis Thomas (D-N. Phila.), Ron Waters (D-W. Phila.) and Mark Cohen (D-N. Phila.) spent their time opening the eyes of House Judiciary Committee leaders State Reps. Ron Marsico (R-Dauphin) and Tom Caltigirone (D-Berks) and their members to some of the massive repercussions of the bills proposed by Pileggi to eliminate Traffic Court.

Thomas said, “I saw their eyes open when I told them the City had a 10-year lease on the Court Building and an eight-year contract for the computer network being used in the Traffic Court. If we abolish this unique Court, we put the city on the hook for millions of dollars they need to pay out to fulfill those contract terms.”

Another point he made was the heftier cost for taxpayers, when judges replace the laypersons now in Traffic Court. Those salaries climb to $160,000 from $90,000. He added, “We don’t have enough Municipal Court judges for the overwhelming number of cases they have to handle and already they are plagued with innumerable delays. Imagine adding the thousands of cases now handled by Traffic Court. What is created is chaos in the Municipal Court.”

All three legislators queried: Why single out non-lawyers on Traffic Court as the problem, when all other counties have non-lawyer judges handling criminal and civil matters, while the Philadelphia Traffic Court judges only handle traffic-related infractions? They asked, “Why impose this on Philadelphia Co.?”, warning if the Philadelphia Traffic Court is made to require judges be lawyers, it won’t be long before this same requirement is imposed on all district judges.

Traffic Court can be truly referred to as the people’s court, where we can represent ourselves without having to find lawyers and pay them.

Curtis has introduced HB 1025, which would keep the court the same and change the title of its officers from judges to Traffic Court Masters, with final decision being approved by a supervisory judge. He admits this may slow up the process, but not clog it up. Also the bill raises educational requirements to include a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college.

Waters called the Pileggi effort “another attack on the electoral process. Why not allow the people elected to be accountable to voters and instead of specially appointed Selection Panels?”

Cohen testified, “In the rush to judgment we are throwing the baby out with the bath water.”

All three supported rigorous background checks, educational requirements, and additional training for judicial candidates to Traffic Court.

If the second of Pileggi’s bills to eliminate the Court in its entirety passes this session, Traffic Court will continue until at least 2017. A constitutional amendment would be needed to eliminate it. In the end, only the State’s voters will have the say, should this legislation make it through two successive sessions.

All three told the committee they believe those running in the primary for the Traffic Court’s three vacancies should be allowed to fill their terms if elected and vehemently oppose the Pileggi bill aimed at immediately wiping out the three vacancies.

Propelling all this is the State Supreme Court. Clearly the State’s top court is in need of an in-house investigation of the activities of some of its justices. Only months ago, the Chief Justice was asked to resign by a bold Inquirer editorial because of his personal involvement in a public building now undergoing construction at 15^th & JFK. Yet he remains.

Trying hard to eliminate Traffic Court candidates via challenges were Democratic Ward Leaders Donna Aument and Ed Thornton. Together they filed challenges against over 20 petitions filed for Traffic Court. They had two good reasons: Ed’s brother is running and so is Donna’s daughter.

The second was to try to eliminate those candidates who really were in it for the lottery, such as was Bloom. He drew the first ballot position and instantly became the focus of a derogatory story in the main media, The facts revealed about his tax debt added fuel to the efforts to eliminate Traffic Court. The number of candidates has now been whittled down .

POLICY COMMITTEE AUGGESTS DEM PRIMARY PICKS

The Democratic City Committee’s Policy Committee met Monday and came up with a list of candidates it suggested for some of the primary ballot openings.

It is expected the ward leaders will make it official when they meet this week. This endorsement is seen as a balanced ticket, including every interest in the party.

The Policy Committee picked a diversified ticket.

Endorsed for Municipal Court are Robert Coleman, Henry Lewandowski and Fran Shields.

Endorsed for Common Pleas Court were Judge Roger Gordon, Timika Lane, Sierra Street, Giovanni Campbell, Dan McCaffery and Dawn Tancredi.

Endorsed for Traffic Court were Omar Sabir, Marnie Aument Loughrey and Donna DeRose.

CELEBRATING State Sen. Anthony Williams’ birthday in Sheraton City Line ballroom were hundreds of admirers. From left, power attorney Marty Weinberg, Williams and Ward Leader John Sabatina, Sr.

WILL PARTY UPEND BALLOT ADVANTAGE?

Back in the early ’80s, a hard-working, well-known State and then City Council employee filed to run in the Democrat primary for City Council, along with about 30 plus others.

The lady’s chance of winning one of the seven at-large seats looked good to those who didn’t understand the power of the Democratic City Committee. She wasn’t among their endorsed candidates for a similar position. But if she drew number one or two or three, her chances would be better.

The reason is the Democrat City Committee, though it has the ability to get out the necessary votes to make its endorsed candidates winners, sometimes falls short of a clean sweep, falling victim to the fact some of its ward leaders stray from the fold.

They do so because some of them have lost sight of their prime mission, which is to ensure all endorsed candidates, regardless of the office or the many challengers for the same positions on the ballot, finish at the top in their wards.

Since money talks, independent candidates have been able to put together a coalition of ward leaders who, together with a favorable ballot position, are able to get them into the winner’s circle.

This straying from the fold has become traditional behavior since the early days in those same ’80s, when State Sen. Henry “Buddy” Cianfrani joined forces with other ward leaders to support the same unendorsed candidates. When Buddy succeeded in getting two non-endorsed ladies into the winners’ circle, he opened the gate for others to try their hand at the game.

Complicating even the efforts of these ward leaders to circumvent the party-endorsed slate are the huge numbers on the ballots … a sign more and more have become aware elections provide an opportunity to step up to the judiciary and a comfortable seat for a minimum of six to 10 years. No hassle, no running for office every other year or every four.

This year, look for the endorsed slate to come on strong. But maybe one or two of the more-repeat challengers will make it this time.

It’s a strong possibility Anne Marie Coyle, who pulled number one for Common Pleas Court for this primary, though not endorsed, will survive. She’s run twice already and lost, but each time gained more votes and more vote-getter friends. She’s been a gracious loser, earning her more popular support. Her Irish smile earns a smile back from everyone. For sure, the luck of Irish favors her to win this time around.

WILL S.T.E.B. MUDDLE A.V.I. EVEN MORE?

STEB, the State Tax Equalization Board, has been placed under the oversight of the State Dept. of Community & Economic Development. STEB will remain a three-person board, but no longer an independent entity. The shift to the DCED is expected to provide greater support services for STEB staff. State Sen. John Gordner (R-Columbia), said STEB has suffered from a variety of problems in the past.

That means the move will help move standardize reassessment processes throughout the Commonwealth’s 67 Counties. Some of those improvements include the creation of a new property-valuation databases, reassessment manuals, property-valuation training programs and contracting standards that supporters say will streamline the reassessment process and make it fairer and accountable to taxpayers.

Thus, the formula used by Mayor Michael Nutter resulting in the AVI assessment on each property, now creating a furor among property owners, may be ruled out, with the City Administration having to start all over again.

TOP CT. WON’T FILL ORIE MELVIN’S SEAT

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice J. Michael Eakin told a Philadelphia Bar Association Appellate Courts Committee luncheon, though he thinks the high court would have the power to appoint an interim justice to fill the spot of suspended Justice Joan Orie Melvin, he does not think the court will do it as a “separation of powers issue.”

Such a move would preempt Gov. Tom Corbett from appointing a justice with confirmation by the Senate. This happened when the Supreme Court appointed Senior Justice Frank Montemuro, Jr., to replace Justice Rolf Larsen temporarily, bringing up charges of illegality.

Corbett announced on Tuesday he will submit a nominee to the Senate as soon as practical within the time scheduled. The Governor has 90 days from May 1, the date the vacancy occurs, to do so. This nominee, upon confirmation by two-thirds of the Senate, will serve until Jan. 5, 2016.

CITY OFFERS MORE A.V.I. PHONE INFO

For more information about AVI, property owners can call the Office of Property Assessment hotline at (215) 686-9200 or go online towww.phila.gov/opa.

NEIGHBORHOOD NETWORKS HAS CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE

Primary candidates are invited by Neighborhood Networks to fill out a questionnaire if they wish to be considered for the groups’ endorsement, according to its Vice Chair Stan Shapiro. This applies to Traffic Court, Municipal Court and Common Pleas Court, and for City Controller.

Candidates may obtain the questionnaire by going to the following web page: http://www.phillynn.org/elections/default.php?a=candidates or by sending an email request to shapsj@comcast.net. To be considered, the questionnaires must be returned by the end of the day on Monday, Apr. 8.

PA. HALFWAY HOUSES DON’T HELP INMATES

A New York Times article reports a Pennsylvania study has revealed its halfway houses do little for inmates returning to society. It quoted John E. Wetzel, the Pennsylvania Corrections Secretary, who said the state should not be paying operators of halfway houses “to let inmates watch Jerry Springer.”

The report has Gov. Tom Corbett drastically overhauling state contracts with the companies that run the 38 private halfway houses in Pennsylvania at a cost of $110 million annually.

The State now plans to link payments to the companies to their success at rehabilitating the thousands of inmates who go through halfway houses in Pennsylvania annually.

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