In and Out '07

Tigre Hill, Jeff Guaracino, Log Cabin Republicans, John Street, Sylvester Johnson... Who's hot and who's not?

by Mary F. Patel

IN

The local filmmaker should be noted for his documentaries on important political and social issues, such as The Shame of a City about the 2003 mayor's race and his upcoming film 13th & Locust where Hill explores what really happened the night police officer Daniel Faulkner was murdered by the radical journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal.

As the communications VP for the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, Guaracino is credited for his successful marketing of the city as a destination for gay tourists — who have a lot of discretionary income — while he helps think up new and innovative ways to promote Philly, such as GPTMC's new Uwishunu blogger campaign.

While Mayor John Street has his issues, his chief of staff is on the ball, handling the day-to-day operations of City Hall. The city must operate and she makes that happen.

The mayor did something right when he endorsed the proposal for WiFi. It's a great concept that will deliver high-speed broadband Internet service at low cost to 600,000 households in the city, across 135 square miles, in one huge hot spot.

An informative Web site operated by phantom journalist "Sy Snyder," PoliticsPA offers up-to-the-minute statewide political news all day and night with links to numerous interesting blogs and news reports.

OUT

The mayor is a conscientious official. He is so worried about ethics that he appointed a five-member ethics board and charged them with enforcing the city's new campaign contribution limits. When Common Pleas Court Judge Allan Tereshko ruled that the city's campaign finance ordinance is not enforceable because regulation of campaigns falls under state, not city, purview, Street ordered the city to file an appeal.

But where was Street on ethics when his brother, Milton Street, had a do-nothing job at the airport, making $2 million through airport contracts? Milton Street was indicted by the federal government on tax evasion charges in November.

Where was Street on ethics when he allowed his longtime friend and WHAT AM radio host Mary Mason and her son Steve Turner to be "consultants" to programming at the Robin Hood Dell, the Fairmount Park concert venue? Sad to say but, according to the city controller's audit, the Dell's acts have been booked so late that there was no time to publicize the events, creating a lack of attendance and falling revenue.

While the Commish is a really nice guy and responsive to the public, it is time for him to go. The 400-plus murders last year are reason enough to bring in new leadership with new vision to combat the crime wave before the city's image becomes more tarnished then it already is.

Overreaching developers Yaron and Shuster can't understand why neighbors don't want looming residential towers in their backyards. For these two, it's all about the money.

Shuster wants to build the 47-story Barnes Tower — way out of line with its Fairmount neighborhood — and she didn't want to hold any public hearings on her permit.

Yaron wants to build a garish glass building that's at least 200 feet above the height limit in Old City, which will tax the area's services and has residents wringing their hands and planning an appeal.

Traynham, the former director of communications for former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, needs a lesson in manners. During the final days of his boss's failing campaign, he exhibited unprofessional and sometimes desperate behavior at press conferences and insisted on handpicking reporters to cover events. Even Santorum and his campaign spokesperson, Virginia Davis, had more finesse.

This operation is pure patronage, paying big salaries to the fat cat well-connected set. Why the state is in the business of selling liquor at all is a mystery. Liquor stores should be privatized, like they are in other states, instead of being another venue for the misuse of tax dollars.

(rcpatel@aol.com)