ELEPHANT CORNER: The New Order Gets Party In Order

Last Thursday, Philadelphia Republican City Committee held a meeting at the United Republican Club in Harrowgate. New RCC Chairman and STATE REP. JOHN TAYLOR ran the meeting with assistance of the new RCC EXECUTIVE DIR. JOE DEFELICE. One of the purposes of the meeting was to hand out tickets for the annual Billy Meehan Clambake to be held on Aug. 25 at Cannstatter. The meeting was apparently well attended. Taylor discussed asked for volunteers for three new committees he was forming – finance, policy and registration. Many of the RCC members after the meeting strolled a few blocks to the club, Salsa on the Square, to attend a fundraiser for DAN ALVAREZ, the Republican candidate for Philadelphia District Attorney.

Rumor has it the founder and former owner of Philadelphia Style magazine, DANA SPAIN, is making the rounds meeting with influential Republicans to test the waters for a run for Philadelphia Mayor in 2015. She is new to the Republican Party but appears to share our belief that the City’s out-of-control and inefficient spending, as well as its cumbersome tax structure, have damaged it.

While she has her handicaps of limited name recognition and marginal political experience, she is a more-attractive candidate than the Republicans have had for a while. She is the first candidate we have had since Sam Katz who has the ability to raise any real money. She is herself is wealthy. She also is the President of the board of the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society, indicating that she is no stranger to fundraising.

“FACE TO FACE, Eye To Eye” is what GOP candidate Danny Alvarez’ campaign treasurer Brian Caputo believes is key to victory as Republicans gathered at Salsa on Square in Kensington to support candidate. With Alvarez at right are Annie Havey, Antori Miranda and Ella Butcher. Photo by Jade Nicole Perry

Last Thursday, MAYOR MICHAEL NUTTER unveiled his Shared Prosperity Philadelphia plan designed to reduce poverty in Philadelphia. Almost 30% of Philadelphians live in poverty – the highest poverty rate of a major city in the US. While I applaud the Mayor’s sentiments, the SPP looks like a compilation of retread programs that will not meaningfully affect the city’s poverty rate.

SPP outlined five areas of programing that are designed to relieve poverty: 1) jobs and training, 2) access to benefits, 3) early learning, 4) housing security and 5) economic security.

SPP’s jobs and training programs will train poor people for the workplace. This is laudable, but the problem in the city is that we do not have enough jobs. Since 1970, Philadelphia has lost one in four jobs. For these people to work, we need to encourage employers to come back from the suburbs, and this means lowering overall taxes, which I do not believe this Mayor has the courage to do. He plans to offer tax incentives to some types of employers especially those using low-skilled workers. Selective tax breaks are problematic on many levels. The government should not be picking and choosing what businesses succeed. Also, company owners are not dumb – they know tax credits have limited lives and plan accordingly.

SPP early-learning initiatives will be designed to increase preschool and daycare options. This year, we have a $120 million deficit in our school budget, indicating we cannot manage our existing educational needs. Maybe the School District should get its house in order for K-12 before we add new programs.

Through SPP, the Mayor plans to make it easier for the poor to access benefits. That means more people on welfare, food stamps and Medicaid. SPP’s housing-security initiative will not be looking to make you safer in your home (and I do believe a core responsibility of municipal government is public safety). Rather, its intent is to put more people in subsidized housing and to reduce foreclosures.

Finally, through SPP’s economic-security program the Mayor wants to train people to better manage their money. How is the City going to pay for these programs? The Mayor’s usual answer: more taxes? Our high taxes are what chased businesses out of the city.

I predict most of the jobs created by SPP will be those for the bureaucrats running these programs.

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