The Philadelphia Daily Record

PhiladelphiaDaily Record

Vol. II No. 10 (170) Keeping You Posted With The Politics Of Philadelphia February 25, 2011

LATEST POLL indicates Sen. Bob Casey is in good shape for reelection next

year. See page 2.

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More Good News for

Casey in Latest Pollby Keegan Gibson, PoliticsPA

Bob Casey continues to enjoy relatively strong favorability, according to

a poll obtained by PoliticsPA from the firm Municipoll. Forty-six percent

of likely voters have a favorable opinion of Casey, compared with only

30% of voters with an unfavorable opinion.

The survey of 670 likely voters was conducted via IVR Feb. 21-23.

These results closely resemble those in last week’s Quinnipiac poll, which

showed Casey with a net favorable job approval rating of 44% to 24%.

“Maybe Bob Casey isn’t unbeatable, but he’s looking pretty darn good for

a Democrat in a swing state that Senate Republicans are supposedly talk-

ing about targeting next year,” said Ed Haggerty, President of Municipoll.

There is no front runner for the GOP nomination to challenge Casey, but

the Senator performs well against several of the names that have been

mentioned so far. Former US Senator Rick Santorum presents the stiffest

challenge but Casey bests him 50 to 38 percent. Casey also beats Con-

gressman Charlie Dent, 51%-32% and Congressman Jim Gerlach, 48%-

34%.

The down side for Casey? After four years in office, 24% of likely voters

still don’t know enough about him to form an opinion.

The poll also found President Obama’s favorability at 51% in the state

(versus 44% unfavorable), again echoing last week’s Quinnipiac poll.

Newly elected Republicans Gov. Tom Corbett and Sen. Pat Toomey enjoy

net favorable ratings, with Corbett at 48% to 31%, and Toomey at 42% to

35%. However, by a 50%-31% margin, voter expect Corbett to break his

no taxes, no fees pledge.

Voters favor a tax on Marcellus shale gas-drilling companies and the sale

of the State liquor stores, “to help close the budget deficit,” (57%-28%

for the gas tax, 57%-30% for selling State liquor stores).

And finally, former Sen. Rick Santorum suffers a net unfavorable rating

in Pennsylvania, with 39% favorable and 44% unfavorable.

2 | THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD 25 JANUARY, 2011

25 FEBRUARY, 2011 THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD | 3

Philly Labor Backs Wisconsin BrothersTHESE AFSCME DC

33 members were part

of large crowd of union

workers and retirees

who turned out in front

of City Hall yesterday

to protest effort in Wis-

consin to strip public

employees of their right

to collective bargain-

ing. Photo by AdamTaxin

Democratic Committee Studies Privatizing

State Stores, With A Sour EyeA MASSIVE

TURNOUT of 20

Democrat legisla-

tors for a hearing

on selling off

liquor stores

showed this Party

is prepared to

work as a bloc to

oppose it.

IN HIS TESTIMONY, UFCW

leader Wendell Young IV lam-

basted research presented by

Commonwealth Foundation, a

corporate lobbying group:

“Every time we have this debate

in Pennsylvania, the privateers

cook the books and bake up

phony numbers. Any independ-

ent, rational look at the numbers

shows a sale of the system makes

zero financial sense.”

Feb. 25- State Sen. Shirley

Kitchen hosts free blood-pres-

sure screenings at her District of-

fice, 1701 W. Lehigh Ave., 2-4

p.m.

Feb. 25-26- Free clothing and

other items giveaway at Mt. He-

bron Baptist Ch., 1415 Wharton

St. For info Pastor Richard J.

Walter, Jr. (215) 336-8163.

Feb. 25- Donna Aument’s 33rd

Ward Fundraiser Beef & Beer at

Juniata G.C. For info Donna

(215) 427-1645.

Feb. 28- Tea Party Patriots-

South Meeting at Champs, 2100

S. Columbus Blvd. (near IKEA),

7 p.m. All welcome. Joe McCol-

gan speaker.

Mar. 2-

Petition party for Mayor Michael

Nutter at W. Phila. YMCA, 5120

Chestnut St., 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Mar. 3-

Reception for Council candidate

Verna Tyner and Councilman

Bill Greenlee at Ceisler Media,

1525 Locust St., 6th fl., 5:30-

7:30. For info (610) 271-5365.

Mar. 10-

South Philadelphia Business As-

sociation annual Scholarship

gala, Galdo’s, from 6 to 10 a.m.

Honoring DA Seth Williams, and

Row Home Magazine’s Dawn

Rhoades and Dorette Rota

Joackson. For info and tickets

call 215-336-1108.

The House Democratic Policy Committee held a public hearing yesterday

at the Pennsylvanian Convention Center to study privatization of State

liquor stores, chaired by State Rep. Mike Sturla (D-Lancaster).

House Liquor Control Committee Democratic Chairman Dante Santoni

(D-Berks) also was in attendance.

“In our tough economic situation, the State liquor stores are an important

asset for Pennsylvania,” Sturla said. “It would be fiscally irresponsible to

sell off these stores without a true assessment of the devastating impact

this would have on our Commonwealth revenues and the increased price

of wine and spirits for our constituents. Our hearing today was informa-

tive and I look forward to holding more hearings across the state on this

issue.”

Santoni said, “Today’s hearing was productive. No specific plan on priva-

tization has been proposed but it is helpful to talk about all the possibili-

ties – how broad a change are Pennsylvanians willing to accept, how

enforcement should be handled, how much or how little revenue can be

realized, and how the distribution of wine, spirits and beer is determined.”

Those testifying included Joe Conti, chief executive officer, Pennsylvania

Liquor Control Board; Wendell Young, president, United Food & Com-

mercial Workers 1776; Nathan Benefield, director of policy research,

Commonwealth Foundation; Stephen Herzenberg, executive director,

Keystone Research Center; and a panel from Independent State Store

Union: Neil Cashman, Jr., government affairs coordinator; Penny Dessus,

executive board member; and Walter Mason, executive board member.

Auditor General Jack Wagner, Sen. GreenleafAdvocate Prison Reforms


STATE SEN. STEWART

GREENLEAF, right, said he

would reintroduce a package

of legislative reforms to re-

verse Penna.’s ballooning

prison population. Auditor

General Jack Wagner, left,

demonstrated prison costs are

catastrophically out of control

and a major source of Com-

monwealth’s budget deficit.


At a news conference yesterday at Philadelphia City

Hall, Auditor General Jack Wagner (D) and State Sen.

Stewart J. Greenleaf (R-Montgomery) called for ac-

tion to adopt prison reforms in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania’s prison population is five times higher

now than it was 30 years ago, rising from 8,243 in

1980 to 51,487 in 2010. If nothing is done, the Dept.

of Corrections projects the prison population will

swell to 61,146 by 2014 if existing trends continue.

Wagner said Pennsylvania could save $50 million in

fiscal year 2011-12 and $350 million over four years if

the General Assembly better utilize existing alterna-

tive-sentencing programs and implement other re-

forms as a way to curb Pennsylvania’s unsustainable

increases in prison costs.

“Pennsylvania’s State budget has grown at twice the

inflation rate over the past 10 years, from $19 billion

to $28 billion, an increase of 47%,” said Wagner.

“Corrections spending helped fuel the increase, with

the Dept. of Corrections’ General Fund budget over

the last 10 years increasing by $430 million.”

The Commonwealth currently plans to spend $862

million in taxpayer money to construct four new cor-

rectional institutions and four housing units – but the

9,000 additional beds are expected to be occupied as

soon as construction is completed.

Increased utilization of alternative-sentencing pro-

grams would provide more opportunities for rehabili-

tation of non-violent inmates and reduce the cost of

housing prisoners, a cost that has tripled over the past

30 years. Over 19,000, or 39%, of the inmates in

Pennsylvania’s state prison population are non-violent

offenders.

“Our failed corrections policies relating to non-violent

drug offenses have set an unsustainable course,” said

Greenleaf. “We now know that rehabilitative programs

and alternative sentencing for non-violent offenders

have an enormous impact on reducing recidivism, but

they are underutilized. Incarceration without rehabili-

tation is a failure.”

Greenleaf has introduced the Criminal Justice Reform

Act that would allow the Dept. of Corrections to

quickly move offenders with short minimum sentences

to community corrections centers for treatment. Com-

munity based treatment for less serious offenders is

more cost-effective and more successful than incarcer-

ation.

The bill also would make more non-violent offenders

eligible for Pennsylvania’s already existing alternative

sentencing programs. It also establishes county proba-

tion programs that provide for swift and predictable

sanctions on offenders who violate their probation.

Josephs Would Punish ViolatorsOf Sunshine LawState Rep. Babette Josephs (D-S. Phila.) has intro-

duced legislation that would strengthen the State’s

Sunshine Law.

The bill would increase the penalties for violations and

also would prohibit agencies from paying the fines on

behalf of an individual who violates the law.

“This is one way we, as State legislators, can help

keep government accessible, open and accountable to

the public,” Josephs said. “The increased penalties

would put more teeth into the law and discourage its

violation.”

Josephs’ bill (HB 827) would increase the penalty on a

first offense for intentional violations from $100 to

$1,000 plus the cost of prosecution. A second or sub-

sequent offense would incur a fine of up to $2,000

plus the cost of prosecution. Since agencies would be

prohibited from paying the fine on behalf of or reim-

bursing a member of their agency, the violators would

be held financially responsible rather than the taxpay-

ers, Josephs noted.

The bill also would permit an agency to hold execu-

tive sessions for the review and discussion of informa-


‘Happy Birthday, Jim’ From Sheet Metal Workers

FROM LEFT, Pat Keenan, rep-

resenting Sheet Metal Workers

Local 19, was among crowd at

State Rep. Jim Roebuck’s Birth-

day Bash at Warmdaddy’s last

night. Mayor Dolores Jones But-

ler, of Yeadon, who is a long-

time legislative assistant to

Roebuck, was proud her son

Lawrence Jones, the interna-

tionally known jazz flutist and

saxophonist, had flown in from

his home base of Brighton, Eng-

land, in order to perform at the

event. Jones had just released

his latest CD, “All Too Soon”.Photo by Bonnie Squires

Johnson Digs Into Bullying Before Council

STATE REP. BA-

BETTE JOSEPHS

endorsed her col-

league Kenyatta

Johnson and helped

him reach out to vot-

ers in his campaign

for City Council.

tion related to safety and security, which if disclosed,

would jeopardize the agency’s security.

The Sunshine Law was created to ensure citizens have

notice of and the right to attend all meetings of agen-

cies where public policy is formed and decisions are

made.


State Rep. Kenyatta Johnson (D-S. Phila.) testified in

front of City Council during a hearing on bullying pre-

vention. The hearing, which took place Tuesday, dis-

cussed Resolution 100797, calling on the City Council

Committee on Education to “hold hearings on bullying

and violence in the city’s schools targeting immigrant

students from Asia, Africa and the Caribbean.”

During his testimony, Johnson discussed the social and

emotional causes of bullying and the need to view all

aspects when considering resolutions. “Merely punish-

ing individuals without examining the root cause is

never an effective method,” Johnson stated. “The

throw-away-the-key mentality only breeds young of-

fenders into adult offenders and, today, we all witness

the devastation this has on our communities.” Johnson

also discussed the importance of acting swiftly and

proactively when dealing with the issue of bullying.

Youth violence prevention continues to be one of

Johnson’s priorities. As he begins his new term, John-

son intends to aggressively create legislation in Harris-

burg that protects the safety and security of youth and

address the bullying epidemic taking place in schools

and beyond. In addition, Johnson plans to implement

proactive grassroots initiatives in the community. This

includes designating Mar. 21-25 as Youth Violence

Prevention Week, and an anti-bullying tour to local el-

ementary schools to discuss the negative effects bully-

ing can have on all individuals involved.

Johnson is best known for creating Peace Not Guns,

Inc., which has helped over 1,500 youth find effective

ways to combat youth violence through conflict reso-

lution, anger management and anti-gun education.

AFSCME Presses Hard For Sick-Day Bill

by Kathy Black,

Health & Safety Director, DC 47

With support from a wide range of

legislators, businesses, labor

groups, nonprofit organizations,

and workers, a bill to provide

earned sick days for Philadelphia

workers is set to move forward in

City Council. A hearing on the

earned sick-days bill (PromotingHealthy Families and Workplaces,Bill No. 080474) has been sched-

uled for Tuesday, Mar. 1, in the

Public Health & Human Services

Committee in City Council at

10:00 a.m.

The legislation would grant work-

ers the modest protection of earn-

ing up to 72 hours of sick time at

medium and large businesses, and

40 hours to employees of small

businesses with 10 or fewer work-

ers. Companies with existing paid

time-off and vacation-time policies

in the same amounts and conditions

of use will already satisfy the legis-

lation.

In an already tough economy,

workers without earned sick days

face even tougher choices

Currently in Philadelphia, 2 in 5

workers have no earned sick days,

and a majority of employees with-

out this benefit work in food-ser-

vice and care-giving positions.

When workers without earned sick

time (or their families) become ill,

they must make a choice between

the jobs they need and the families

they love. Workers who choose to

stay home often lose their pay, and

are at risk of losing their jobs.

Earned sick days allow workers to

stay economically secure while

they keep their families healthy.

The fear of job loss when workers

have no access to sick time is very

real. According to a recent poll1,

nearly one in four workers without

paid sick days (23%) has lost a job

or been told they would lose it for

taking time to care for a sick family

member or a personal illness.

There are benefits for both busi-

nesses and workers

Providing earned sick time has

proven to be smart for businesses

as well as for workers. Research

shows that the costs of replacing

workers, including advertising, in-


terviewing and training new em-

ployees, far outweighs the cost of

retaining employees, which is

helped by offering earned sick

time. Additionally, “presenteeism”

– when workers come to work sick

– costs the national economy about

$180 billion a year more in lost

productivity than absenteeism.

A recent independent study found

significant benefits for workers and

minimal impact on businesses from

the nation’s first paid sick days law,

enacted in 2007 in San Francisco.

Despite opposition to the law be-

fore it was enacted, two-thirds of

employers surveyed there now sup-

port the law and six in seven em-

ployers say paid sick days have had

no negative effect on profitability.

People who go to work sick out of

fear of losing a job or a paycheck

remain sick longer, potentially in-

fecting co-workers or customers.

For instance, in the 2009-2010

H1N1 outbreak, about eight million

workers nationally took no time off

despite being infected with H1N1.

As a result, these workers spread

their illness to as many as seven

million of their colleagues. Other

studies, such as those conducted by

the Center for Disease Control,

show illnesses such as the

norovirus (a type of gastroenteritis

or “stomach flu”) are often spread

by sick food handlers.

There is increasing national recog-

nition of the value of paid sick days

and other flexible workplace poli-

cies.

Momentum is building nationally

for this kind of work and family

policy. San Francisco, Milwaukee

and Washington, D.C. passed paid

sick days laws in recent years, and

at least 15 other States have been

actively debating proposals.

Teamsters Pick Oh

DAVID OH, can-

didate for City

Council at Large,

receives Team-

sters’ endorse-

ment from Bill

Hamilton, VP of

Eastern Region

and president of

Penna. Confer-

ence, Joint Coun-

cil 53 and Local

107.


Cindy Bass Opens Campaign Office

CINDY BASS was joined by her strong campaign team as she opened her office in Germantown.

Cindy Bass, candidate for 8th Dist. City Council race,

opened her new office on Germantown Avenue on

Feb. 19. Friends and volunteers came out to show sup-

port for Cindy, pick up petitions and grab a bite to eat.

In her comments to those in attendance, Bass com-

mended Mayor Michael Nutter for preserving basic

services over past two budget cycles.

“I don’t think it’s a secret our city and other cities and

states across the nation are experiencing budget down-

falls in these hard economic times,” stated Bass.

“Some have cut services dramatically. Our neighbor,

Camden, recently laid off half of its police and fire de-

partments. The Mayor has done an excellent job at

maintaining basic services these past few years. We

will be seeing yet another tough budget ahead of us,

but we must fight to make sure our streets are safe and

clean and our children are taken care of. Over the next

few weeks, I will lay out my plan to get new revenue

into our city, to put people back to work and ways we

can cut our budget while maintaining the quality of

life that all Philadelphians want and deserve.”

On the coming election, Bass had this to say: “This is

an exciting time for our city. We will be electing more

new members of City Council than in many decades.

New voices will be heard, with fresh ideas regarding

how we can continue to make Philadelphia a great

place to live and work. I am excited and I know the

voices of the voters will be heard on May 17th.”

Bass lives with her husband Scott Bass and their

daughter in the Northwest section of the city. She is a

senior policy advisor for Congressman Chaka Fattah

and a graduate of Philadelphia public schools and

Temple University.


Berean Hails Inner-City Pastor

BOARD OF TRUSTEES of historic Berean Institute recently honored Pastor Geoff Bradford, of liberti

Fairmount Church, for his selfless commitment to Berean. Pictured from left are board members

Savonne Douk, Board President Rev. Marie DeLaney, Bradford, Greg Paulmier, Berean President Dr.

Loraine Poole-Naranjo and Rev. Karen Dixson. One of two founding pastors of liberti movement, Brad-

ford has served in Philadelphia for the last eight years. It is a group of Presbyterian churches that seek to

live lives of service and love in cities where they are located by pitching in to help with volunteer organi-

zations and mercy ministries. Photo by Jay Barbieri.

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