CITY HALL SAM: Tax Winners, Tax Losers

What will MAYOR MICHAEL NUTTER do now that his attempt to get a cigarette-tax increase to fund the schools has been shelved? Now the Mayor has to figure out another plan. He still has a $120 million deficit. STATE REP. CHERELLE PARKER sponsored several pieces of legislation to collect delinquent taxes, but for some reason the Republicans refused to consider them. Whether the legislation is considered in the fall or not is irrelevant for now. The delinquent tax money needs to be collected and used to fund the schools now.

STATE SEN. ANTHONY WILLIAMS is one of the big sponsors and proponents of the cigarette tax. Does the failure to get the city cigarette tax passed in Harrisburg drop his stock as a leading mayoral candidate in 2015? TOM KNOX, the businessman billionaire, has already announced he is running and there has been renewed speculation COUNCIL PRESIDENT DARRELL CLARKE is considering a run. But Clarke, who has tried to lead an effort to fund the schools, was also essentially unsuccessful in crafting a plan.

July will be an active time for Philadelphia politicians in North Wildwood. COUNCILMAN BOBBY HENON has a fundraiser scheduled for Seabreeze Court next weekend in the Anglesea neighborhood. CONGRESSMAN BOB BRADY’S Beach Bash is also scheduled and commands a significant and impressive crowd of Philadelphia politicos. That same day, STATE REP. JOHN TAYLOR’S annual shore fundraiser at the Coconut Grove is scheduled; many people undoubtedly will make both events.

On Sunday after Brady’s Bash, former City COUNCILMAN DAN SAVAGE is the guest of honor at a breakfast fundraiser at Westy’s Irish Pub. The invitation says Savage is a candidate for the State Senate’s 2^nd Dist. The current Senator is fellow Democrat TINA TARTAGLIONE. Savage seems to have the support of a wide variety of political movers and shakers. The most relevant is speculated to be powerful labor leader JOHN DOUGHERTY.

STATE REP. MIKE MCGEEHAN tried to craft a bipartisan solution to the transportation and infrastructure funding problem. Some Democrats were agitated McGeehan attempted to work with Republicans for a solution to this important public-safety issue. Nonetheless, GOV. TOM CORBETT and House Republicans managed to screw up infrastructure funding and continue to leave the state in jeopardy for a major catastrophe. Pennsylvania still has over 5,000 structurally deficient bridges. This is another way of saying dangerous.

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