Evan M. Lopez

Over at It’s Our Money, Ben Waxman identifies a question/comment a lot of people have about Mayor Nutter’s doomsday budget, and answers it. The concern:

I have seen a number of comments on this blog and others accusing the mayor of resorting to scare tactics. Here is the rationale: Mayor Nutter is intentionally laying off cops and firefighters to get people upset and put pressure on the state legislature. He could easily cut other areas– health centers, libraries, and recreation programs– to make up the budget deficit.

The response:

There is just one problem with that logic: it’s completely wrong. Spending on public safety– police, fire, and prisons– dwarfs every other part of city government. About 29% of the city’s $4 billion budget goes to these costs. If the city is forced to cut $700 million from the budget, most of it will have to come from the areas where the money is.

That’s definitely right. The only thing I’d add is this: When I hear people talking about how wasteful the city is, they tend to talk about that waste very abstractly. They have this vision of a lazy city worker sitting somewhere, collecting a paycheck and waiting on a pension, but they have no idea what that worker actually does. The reality is most city workers are doing things society values. Working at rec centers, making the bureacracy function at L&I etc.

Are there lazy workers within those departments? Probably, just like there are lazy workers everywhere. But they’re not so easy for Mayor Nutter to just find and fire.

Now, there are a few items that get identified specifically as wasteful in these conversations. DROP, numerous council aides, the Mayor’s Office of Community Services. And they may be. But, as Ben says, with the size of deficit Philly’s facing, cutting these things is a drop in the bucket — and in some cases, for the Mayor, more procedural trouble than they’re worth.

UPDATE: This, however, from Ray Murphy at YPP, is a good point:

If there is any reason to be critical though it’d be the fact that the revenue agreement the Mayor and Council reached in the first place was predicated upon state action. It’s not like we didn’t know things would be tough in Harrisburg. The alternatives–raising property or wage taxes–came with other political risks that most members of Council and the Mayor weren’t willing to take.

To some extent, I assume (and hope) that the doomsday scenario the mayor spelled out today is a negotiating position. But still, can you imagine this?

Budget actions needed without Harrisburg approval of 1% increase in City sales tax and changes to pension payments

Police
Eliminate 972 positions including 739 sworn officers, 43 civilians, and 190 by attrition.

Fire
Deactivate 6 engine companies, 3 ladder companies, and 5 ALS medic units.
As a result eliminate 36 officer positions, 120 firefighter positions, and 40 paramedics positions.
Engine and ladder deactivations will likely result in the complete closure of fire houses.

Health
Close 2 City Health Centers resulting in a significant negative impact on Philadelphia’s uninsured population.
Eliminate Medical Evaluation Unit.
Eliminate 112 positions.

Streets
Reduce trash pick up to twice a month, eliminating 350 positions.
Reduce citywide cleaning and eliminate all citywide support staff, an additional 50 positions.

Recreation
Close all Recreation Centers and cease all programming.
Eliminating 450 positions.

Free Library
Cease operations at all branch and regional libraries.
Eliminating 490 positions.

Fairmount Park
Cease all operations, eliminating 142 positions.

Commerce Department and Philadelphia City Planning Commission
Cease all operations, eliminating 59 positions in total.

Further eliminated positions
Mayor’s Office – 18 positions
Managing Director’s Office – 21 positions
L&I – 6 positions
Finance Department – 23 positions
Division of Technology – 79 positions
Human Resources – 8 positions
Records – 12 positions
Revenue – 2 positions

APPROXIMATELY 3,000 POSITIONS ELIMINATED

Says the mayor:

“I had hoped this day would never come but the time is now,� said Mayor Nutter.  “Call your state representative or state senator.  Ask friends and family from other parts of the Commonwealth, especially our suburbs, to call their legislators to ask them to help Philadelphia, because it’s important for the rest of Pennsylvania.�

At 2:00 in the City Hall courtyard, Mayor Nutter will be leading a rally to call on Harrisburg to not screw us totally. He’ll also be releasing some of his most detailed plans for what he’ll do if they do screw us totally (800 cops laid off? God damn).

This is interesting not only because you rarely see someone in a position of authority, like the mayor, leading a protest rally like this, but also because, as Ray Murphy points out,

the Mayor also invited some of the folks who have been organizing against cuts to come as well to help bolster his message. Of course, that could be a bit awkward as some of those same groups opposed the Mayor’s sales tax proposals and many are also standing in solidarity with city workers. Who, you may remember, are working without a contract and still negotiating with the Mayor regarding their contracts.

Strange bedfellows, I guess. We’ll have an on-the-scene report afterward.

As the fight in Washington over health care continues, with the House and Senate negotiating and the President trying to re-tool his message, it’s worth pointing out that people like you and I may not be as far removed from the decision-making as it seems here in Philadelphia. No, let me say that differently. We’re quite far-removed from the decision-making and it could be that our input will ultimately prove useless. But it could be that our elected representatives still have their ears to the ground, trying to determine what the safest political turf is.

Health Care for America Now is trying to convince them that opposing health reform is, for their career prospects (not to mention for millions of Americans) quite dangerous. Yesterday, they did a big phone bank to get people to call their representatives and tell them to vote yes on H.R. 3200.

The focus was on Pennsylvania’s five members of the Blue Dog coalition, Kathy Dahlkemper (D-3), Jason Altmire (D-4), Patrick Murphy (D-8), Chris Carney (D-10), and Tim Holden (D-17) — and if any of these folks represent your district, bother them — although any official can always use a little prodding.

You can e-mail your representative by clicking here.

Rep. Mike O’Brien

It’s been a bit hard to tell what Mayor Nutter expects to happen in Harrisburg with regards to the two budget measures the city is asking the state to take — allowing Philadelphia to raise our sales tax and delay some pension payments. Does the mayor believe, in his heart of hearts, that the state is gonna come through, and let Philly keep the (tough, but bearable) budget the mayor and council agreed on? Or is he just delaying the inevitable draconian cuts that will come when the state doesn’t lend its approval, waiting until he can say “I tried,” and point the finger elsewhere?

It’s hard to tell because Nutter has been careful not characterize his impressions of state legislators’ positions, and some of those legislators have taken a wait-and-see approach.

But this, this morning, is bad news for Nutter, and possibly for all of us. From Philly Clout:

State Rep. Mike O’Brien just left the closed door meeting, saying he wasn’t going to be “lecturedâ€� on the city’s finances. O’Brien said he has asked the city’s lobbyists and the administration why they won’t consider diverting the $87 million the city’s expected to receive in state gaming taxes towards the budget problems. So far, O’Brien said, he’s gotten no answers.

I don’t know anything about whether O’Brien’s gotten answers or even whether the question he’s asking is reasonable, but for the mayor and his plan, the fact that he’s this upset at this deep stage of the game poses a problem. Ready for once-a-month trash pickup?

UPDATE: Nutter came out of the meeting and said the Philadelphia delegation is behind the plan, though it’s not clear what came of the O’Brien spat.

I enjoyed reading this post by Dan Pohlig at It’s Our City about a recent collision he had with a car (he’s OK). It’s very honest and seemed to me to have some elements of a typical car/bike collision:

As I cruised to the intersection of 12th and Dickinson, I looked west and saw a white mid-90s sedan approaching and slowed down to a near stop.

Assuming (my other mistake – assuming) that the car would follow the vehicular code of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and come to a complete stop at the stop sign – yeah, yeah, South Philly, I know – I started pedaling my way through across the cross walk to the north side of Dickinson.

It was about the point when I was between the car’s passenger side headlight and the center of its grill that I realized it wasn’t stopping.  It just rolled right into me.  It all seemed to happen in slow motion, allowing me time to brace myself as the car made contact with my bike, pedal, wheels, etc. and push them out from under me.  WIth the lower part of me going right, my upper part pitched left and I caught myself with my left arm on the hood of the car.

At that point, the driver finally.. you know… saw me, and stopped.

A few lessons to note here: 1) Cutting corners on a bike with things like helmet-wearing, sidewalk riding, and riding against traffic for a short distance seem like small potatoes right up until the moment something goes wrong.

2) Even slow-moving cars are much much stronger than bikes (or pedestrians).

3) “Well, you ride bikes in South Philly long enough and something like the picture above … happens.” This resonated with me. I ride from Fairmount to Old City and back every day, and while I’ve had countless near-accidents, I haven’t had a meaningful one since coming to this city. There’s a part of me that thinks it’s really just a matter of time, that it’s an odds game and the odds are building against me. Is that how odds work?

Anyway, take ‘er easy out there everyone, huh?

To Neil Cavuto’s “credit,” he gives his guest a hard time about the assertion that Obama’s Surgeon General appointee, Dr. Regina Benjamin, is “too fat” for the job. On the other hand, he has on a guest to discuss whether Surgeon General appointee Dr. Regina Benjamin is too fat for the job, and that guest is an asshole in a “No Chubbies” t-shirt. What a gentleman.

I suppose a lot of the S.G.’s job is to communicate about public health, and so the general question of whether the S.G. should herself be in excellent health is not totally outlandish. But 1) the appointee does not strike my inexpert eyes as having a weight-related health problem, and 2) If you wanted to explore this, wouldn’t you want to discuss it with someone with an expertise in public health communications, not a guy who runs a gym with cage dancers?

It is worth bearing in mind as you read this that the publisher and editor of the Public Record is former Councilman Jim Tayoun, who served time for corruption:

Though Fumo will spend a total of 55 months in prison, there is no doubt he will return to Philadelphia a folk hero, much like some of the other political leaders in the past who served their time, but came back with their constituencies relatively well intact. In fact, if it were not for a Pennsylvania law prohibiting felons from holding office, many of them would have easily been reelected to the offices they had held.

Here’s the actual honest-to-god clipping:

Due to the state budget impasse, cash is really running low. Full press release from the Mayor’s office is below; essentially, the city had expected state payments it hasn’t received because Harrisburg hasn’t passed a budget. The city is also hoping for the state to allow it to raise the sales tax by 1%. That is very much not a guarantee and we may see big cuts instead — but these payments will get made regardless, is my understanding.

Philadelphia, July 17, 2009 – The City of Philadelphia has informed Harrisburg lawmakers that, due to the State budget impasse, the City is forced to delay spending on anything other than employee compensation, debt service, and emergencies.  This means that all payments to vendors and suppliers will be delayed until the passage of the State budget and passage of legislation authorizing an increase in the City’s sales tax and changes to its pension payments.  This step comes as the City faces a growing cash crisis which must be addressed immediately.

“I have made repeated trips to Harrisburg over the last several weeks and I know that lawmakers are working hard to pass a fair and balanced budget,� said Mayor Nutter.  “That said, the delay in the State budget process is severely impacting the City’s cash flow and we have no option but to take these difficult steps.�

The budget crisis in Harrisburg has had a more damaging impact on the City this year because Philadelphia is asking for critical items to balance the City budget – the authorization of the temporary sales tax increase and pension reforms.  These two items will generate $250 million in new revenues and savings in our current FY 10 budget, and provide $700 million over the course of the Five-Year Plan.  Without legislative action very soon, the City will be unable to complete a routine cash flow borrowing at an affordable rate as it normally does each year.

In addition, until a State budget is approved, the City will not receive any of the normal state reimbursements for services like child welfare services and juvenile detention.  In total, those reimbursements are about $100 million that are traditionally received at the end of August.

The City also announced that all new capital projects will be under stringent review. Over the next few days the City will review every capital project and will determine which can proceed in the absence of the passage of the State budget and the passage of legislation authorizing the City to raise the sales tax by 1% and make changes to its pension payments.

If the State budget is resolved and the legislation authorizing the sales tax and pension reforms (HB 1828) is approved in the very near future, the City will be able to avoid this cash crisis.

This is today’s Daily News cover. I saw a little old lady in the grocery across the street staring at it in shock. Of course, you see racier stuff than this on magazine covers all the time, so … maybe she just walks around in a constant state of shock.

My real reasons for highlighting this, though, are twofold: 1) This is a story about one of the 45 million Americans who lack health insurance. Former Playboy model Laura Grillo has a serious heart condition, and the cost of the care she needs is just ridiculous. Maybe the Blue Dog Dems would like to explain to her why they’re opposing Obama’s health plan?

And 2) This picture that’s running with the story online:

That guy looks almost wistful.

Dave Davies:

I PICTURED federal Judge Ronald Buckwalter tucking himself into bed last night, unbuttoning his robes to reveal a Vince Fumo T-shirt, with the letters “WGSD” emblazoned across the chest.

The letters stand for “we get s— done,” the staff motto that embodied the workaholic, results-oriented, cut-through-red-tape mentality Fumo was so proud of.

Karen Heller:

The former all-powerful senator, the Prince of Other People’s Money, convicted on all 137 counts of conspiracy, fraud, and obstruction of justice and fined $2,395,147.40, could be out in four years, in time for a Labor Day 2013 meal of blackened scallops, crab cakes, and old-fashioned ricotta pie in Margate.

What does this say about the quality of justice?

Mayor Nutter:

“In light of other cases like this, it’s difficult to look at the verdict and fully understand the rationale behind the length of the sentence and designated restitution amounts. Nevertheless, a simple, yet important message was reinforced today – - those who abuse the trust of the public, especially elected officials, will be caught and punished.â€�

Brian Hickey:

I perceive Fumo’s out-in-four vacay as 1) borderline racist and 2) borderline classist.

The prosecution is upset:

U.S. Attorney Michael Levy said that the government was “disappointed” by the sentence and that the feds may appeal it.

Other recent corruption sentences, for comparison.

Radio Times interviews prosecutors.

Well, it certainly doesn’t seem like anyone thinks Fumo got too long of a sentence.

• A fine of $411,000

• Restitution (with Ruth Arnao) to Citizen’s Alliance of $676,000

• 55 months in prison

Fumo must surrender by Aug. 31. After serving his time, he’ll be on supervised release for three years.

The U.S. probation office had put Fumo’s “sentencing guideline range” between 11 and 14 years, and prosecutors had previously argued that over 20 years would be appropriate. But Fumo will be out when he’s about 70.

We’ll have a round-up of reactions and some thoughts on this tomorrow.

I have on occasion wondered what the Mayor’s Office of Community Services does — it’s a city department with a name just a bit too broad to know exactly what’s going on there. Today, It’s Our Money’s Ben Waxman tries to explain things:

MOCS is supposed to be the city’s primary anti-poverty agency.

OK, that helps. But Ben’s done some research and found out that things aren’t so simple:

But, according to an “It’s Our Money” analysis, more than $1 million of the agency’s current budget is being spent on salaries in other departments. And very little data is being collected to ensure that those being served by MOCS-financed programs are actually in poverty.

Where’s the money going? To pay salaries in various departments. Some of it is very possibly being used to serve impoverished people — rec center salaries, for instance. And there’s nothing here that’s a big smoking gun of an example of how the MOCS is not fulfilling its mission. But it certainly seems that, insofar as the city has an office dedicated to fighting poverty, there’s no concerted effort to actually do that. The MOCS is a funnel for the city’s scattershot provision of services.

Via Philly Clout:

Philadelphia Parking Authority Executive Director Vince Fenerty today announced that a planned increase in parking meter rates scheduled to take effect today, July 1st, will not be implemented at this time.

According to Fenerty, “rates that were scheduled to increase to $3 dollars per hour in the core of Center City Philadelphia (4th to 20th, Arch to Locust Streets) will remain at $2 per hour.�

“The most recent parking surveys confirmed that the rate adjustments implemented in January have achieved the goal of creating more parking opportunities. As a result, we do not believe it is necessary to implement the second phase of the approved rate adjustment at this time.”

I don’t know who to trust anymore.