philadelphia daily record

AFTER A YEAR of epochal disasters, there is a focus at both national and mu-

nicipal levels on emergency-readiness planning. See stories beginning Page 3.

PhiladelphiaDaily Record

Vol. III No. 20 (390) Keeping You Posted With The Politics Of Philadelphia February 2, 2012

Be Prepared

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T h e P h i l a d e l p h i aP u b l i c R e c o r d

C a l e n d a rFeb. 4- State Rep. Vanessa

Lowery Borwn kicks offcampaign at Parkside Ave.Banquet Ha., 4942Parkside Ave., 10 a.m.-2p.m. For info Kim Gilmore(610) 766-2566.

Feb. 4- Green Night Outfeatures Prof. Eileen Appel-baum to discuss “Paid SickLeave & Paid Sick Days” atSingapore Restaurant, 1006Race St., 7 p.m. Space islimited, so RSVP GreenParty at (215) 243-7103.

Feb. 4- Chris Vogler holds“Dash For Delegate”fundraiser at SmokeEater’sPub, 7681 Frankford Ave.,7-10 p.m. Donation $40.Make checks payable toFriends of Chris VoglerPAC. For info Bob Cum-mings (267) 471-9607.

Feb. 8- Judge AngeloFoglietta is sworn in at CityHall Rm. 653, 4:00 p.m.Reception follows at LawLibrary.

Feb. 9- Steve Aldrich ofIBEW Local 269 invites allto reception in honor ofState Rep. Tina Davis atBailey’s Bar & Grille, 6922Bristol Emilie Rd., Levit-town, Pa. Host $1,000, Pa-tron $500, Friend. $250,Supporter, $50. RSVP SethSkversky (215) 550-1186.

Feb. 10- State Rep. CurtisThomas holds Job Fair at

People for People, 800 N.Broad St., 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Feb. 10- Fundraiser for can-cer survivor Vicki Cum-mings at SmokeEaters Pub,7681 Frankford Ave., 7-10p.m. Donation $35. If youcannot make event, dona-tion to “Friends of VickiCummings” c/o The LucasFamily, 3128 CottmanAve., Phila., PA 19149. Forinfo [email protected].

Feb. 10- Arthur Green pres-ents 14th Ward Pre-Valen-tine’s Day Cabaret atBarber’s Ha., Broad & Ox-ford Sts., 9 p.m.-??? Dona-tion $10. For info ArthurGreen (267) 986-7948.

Feb. 10-12- Penna. ProgressiveSummit at Convention Ctr.,Broad & Arch Sts. Varietyof registration fees, $50-$150. For info paprogres-sivesummit.org.

Feb. 13- Fundraiser for StateRep candidate Al Simpsonat Breen’s Pub, HuntingdonPk., 6-9 p.m. Ticket, $35,sold at door.

Feb. 21- Alliance Françaisede Philadelphie Mardi Grascelebration at RestaurantSchool, 4207 Walnut St.,6:30 p.m. Roaring ’20stheme, prize for best cos-tume. Tickets $60. For info(215) 735-5283.

THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD

2 | PHILADELPHIADAILYRECORD.COM •

US Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) is urg-

ing the Obama administration to

robustly fund grant programs that

help Pennsylvania communities

prevent, prepare for, and respond

to disasters.

“In the wake of a string of un-

precedented disasters in Pennsyl-

vania, now is not the time to cut

programs that help our communi-

ties prepare for and respond to a

range of threats,” said the Senator.

“We cannot afford to cut disaster

preparedness and response pro-

grams while many regions are still

recovering from last year’s flood-

ing.”

In letters to the Office of Manage-

ment and Budget and the Dept. of

Homeland Security, Casey pushed

the agencies to request robust

funding for Preparedness Grant

Programs administered by the

Federal Emergency Management

Agency. These programs fund

grants for homeland security,

emergency management and first

responders.

Many of these programs experi-

enced cuts in fiscal years 2011 and

2012, forcing communities to sac-

rifice measures to improve disaster

preparedness. As the federal agen-

cies finalize their 2013 budget re-

quests, Casey is urging them to

request robust funding and

pledged to advocate for appropri-

ate resources throughout the fiscal

year 2013 budget cycle.

• PHILADELPHIADAILYRECORD.COM | 3


Casey Pushes Obama Administration

To Prepare For Disasters

The Managing Director’s Office of

Emergency Management invites

the public to learn about the Natu-

ral Hazards Mitigation Plan being

developed for Philadelphia. The

plan will be rolled out on Wednes-

day, Feb. 8, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

at the Free Library of Philadelphia,

main lobby, 1901 Vine Street.

Residents will have an opportunity

to view a series of poster displays

featuring the natural hazards, as

well as provide their feedback and

concerns about natural hazards in

their community.

The Natural Hazard Mitigation

Plan will address a comprehensive

list of natural hazards – droughts,

floods, extreme temperatures,

earthquakes, wind storms and tor-

nadoes, hurricanes and tropical

storms, Nor’easters, and severe

winter storms – that may impact

Philadelphia. In addition, OEM

will provide a risk assessment,

which includes prioritizing the nat-

ural hazards that have the potential

of impacting Philadelphia. The

purpose of the Natural Hazards

Mitigation Plan is to reduce or

eliminate long-term risks to human

life or property from natural disas-

ters through cost-effective and sus-

tained mitigation actions.

OEM will continue to hold a series

of meetings through mid-February

around Philadelphia to rollout the

various components of the plan.

Future components of the plan will

focus on identifying short- and

long-term mitigation strategies for

reducing risks associated with the

natural hazards.

Deputy Managing Director for

Emergency Management Liam

O’Keefe encourages the public to

the attend meetings. “It’s important

for us to hear about Philadelphi-

ans’ concerns about natural haz-

ards that could impact their

neighborhoods, so we welcome

them to attend any of the upcom-

ing meetings,” he stressed.

One additional Natural Hazard

Mitigation Plan public meeting

will be held on Thursday, Feb. 16,

6:00-8:00 p.m. at Salvation Army

Tabernacle Corps, 3150 N.

Mascher Street.

The public is encouraged to visit

www.phila.gov/ready to:

• Find more information about nat-

ural hazards that can affect

Philadelphia;

City Rolls Out Its Hazard Plan Next Week



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• Get a copy of the Natural Haz-

ards Plan Questionnaire;

• Obtain a listing of future public

meetings about the plan;

• Learn how to prepare for natural

hazards; and

• Sign up for emergency text alerts

from ReadyNotifyPA.

The public can submit comments

about the plan through several op-

tions:

• Attending a public meeting and

completing a Natural Hazards Plan

Questionnaire

• Sending an email to

[email protected]

• Calling 3-1-1 to request a copy

of the Natural Hazards Plan Ques-

tionnaire

• Mailing the questionnaire to

Philadelphia Office of Emergency

Management,

• Spring Garden Street, Philadel-

phia, PA 19123, ATTN: Hazards

Mitigation Plan.



Toomey Writes Bill To Exempt Re-

ligious From Health-Care Order

US Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) yes-

terday co-sponsored the Religious

Freedom Restoration Act of 2012

(S 2043) which would provide a

religious exemption from a Patient

Protection and Affordable Care

Act regulation forcing members of

religious entities to violate their

deeply held religious beliefs or po-

tentially pay a heavy financial

penalty.

The rule requires all group and in-

dividual health plans to provide

coverage for prescription contra-

ceptives and female sterilization,

exempting only those religious

employers who primarily serve

and employ individuals who share

their religious tenets. Catholic and

other denominational hospitals,

universities, colleges, nursing

homes and charities would find it

virtually impossible to comply

with this narrow exemption, given

the diverse workforces and popu-

lations that they serve.

The Religious Freedom Restora-

tion Act ensures that employers

have the opportunity to provide

health coverage for their employ-

ees that is consistent with their re-

ligious beliefs and moral

convictions, without fear of being

penalized or discriminated against

under PPACA.

The legislation is sponsored by

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and is

also cosponsored by Sens. John

Bozeman (R-Ark.), Saxby Chamb-

liss (R-Ga.), Dan Coats (R-Ind.),

Susan Collins (R-Maine), John

Cornyn (R-Texas), Mike Crapo

(R-Ida.), Jim DeMint (R-S.C.),

Orrin Hatch (R-Ut.), Dean Heller

(R-Nev.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.),

Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas),

Jon Kyl (Ariz.), Mike Lee (R-Ut.),

John McCain (R-Ariz.), Mitch

McConnell (R-Ky.), Rand Paul (R-

Ky.), James Risch (R-Ida.), Jeff

Sessions (R-Ala.), John Thune (R-

S.D.), David Vitter (R-La.), and

Roger Wicker (R-Miss.). The text

of the legislation is available here.

“I am extremely concerned that

this regulation would force reli-

gious employers to violate their re-

ligious beliefs in order to keep

their doors open,” Toomey said.

“Many Pennsylvania hospitals,

charities and schools have ex-

pressed concerns about the effect

this new regulation would have on

their ability to operate and provide

important community services.

The Religious Freedom Restora-

tion Act alleviates this problem ex-

empting institutions with religious

and moral objections. I hope Presi-

dent Obama will work with Con-

gress and grant a meaningful

exemption to protect the rights of

religious entities.”



SEPTA Creates Wheelchair

Access At Subway Stops

IN SUBURBAN STATION this morning, SEPTA demonstrates new access systems for handicapped

passengers. At special platform locations, wheelchair-bound riders will find plates available to bridge

gap to train, as demonstrated here. Blind riders will also have special access assistance.



Judiciary Should Be Allowed to Make

Budget Presentation, Hughes Says

Pennsylvania Senate Democratic

Appropriations Chair Sen. Vincent

J. Hughes (D-W. Phila.) strongly

suggested Senate Republicans re-

consider their decision to cancel

the budget hearing for State courts

and allow justices to discuss their

financial needs before the full Ap-

propriations Committee.

The judiciary’s hearing was sched-

uled for Feb. 23. Hughes was noti-

fied earlier this week of the abrupt

cancellation. The cancellation was

announced less than a week after

the Supreme Court rejected the

State legislative-redistricting plan.

Hughes’ objection to the cancella-

tion was contained in a Jan. 31 let-

ter sent to the Chairman of the

Senate Appropriations Committee,

State Sen. Jake Corman (R-Cen-

tre).

“The court should be given the op-

portunity to come before the Sen-

ate Appropriations Committee to

discuss its budgetary needs for the

next fiscal year,” Hughes said. “In

these lean times, it is important for

the members of the Appropriations

Committee to hear directly from

courts since they are one of the

three co-equal branches of govern-

ment.

“The failure to learn about the

funding needs of the courts

through the budget hearing process

reduces transparency and account-

ability.”

In his letter to Corman, Hughes

said his concern was there should

never be even the slightest appear-

ance that future actions by this

committee and the General Assem-

bly could be influenced by the

Supreme Court’s redistricting rul-

ings. “As committee chairmen, we

must be particularly sensitive to

this concern for both of our cau-

cuses. Unless your decision re-

sulted from a court-initiated

request seeking more time to pre-

pare for their hearing, your action

appears inappropriate.”

Hughes said in the letter it was im-

portant that separation of powers

among the branches of government

be maintained and that the legisla-

ture “must never take any action to

call our respect for their independ-

ence into question.”

The West Philadelphia lawmaker

asked for an immediate action on

his reconsideration request.

Muslims Grateful

Council Opposes

Anti-Shari’a LawThe Council on American-Islamic

Relations Philadelphia office and

the Philadelphia Arab-American

Community Development Corpo-

ration welcome the introduction of

Philadelphia City Council Resolu-

tion 120031 which urges the Penn-

sylvania General Assembly to

reject HB 2029. The resolution is

expected to pass unanimously

today during the Philadelphia City

Council session.

Currently in the Pennsylvania

House Judiciary Committee, the

legislative intent of HB 2029 is ev-

idenced by a memo from its spon-

sor, State Rep. Rosemarie Swanger

(R-Lebanon), who asserted it is de-

signed to protect against the “infil-

tration” of foreign law into the

American legal system, “especially

Shari’a law,” the practices and be-

liefs that comprise Islam, “which

is inherently hostile to our consti-

tutional liberties.” The legislation

is part of anti-shari’a hysteria

sweeping the nation in which shar-

i’a, the religion of Islam and by

extension all Muslim citizens are

depicted as threats to the constitu-

tion.

CAIR-Philadelphia and local inter-

faith leaders held a news confer-

ence in December expressing

opposition to the bill. Since then,

people of all faiths and various or-

ganizations have condemned the

bill as unnecessary fear monger-

ing. Jewish groups have expressed

concern regarding the bill’s impact

on halakha, or Jewish religious

law.

The language from the City Coun-

cil resolution affirms the “City of

Philadelphia welcomes all reli-

gious beliefs, traditions and her-

itages, and has full confidence in



the U.S. Constitution and the laws

of the state of Pennsylvania and

does not entertain any concern that

any foreign or religious law offers

a threat to the law of the land.”

CAIR-Philadelphia and the

PAACDC commend City Council

Members Curtis Jones Jr. and

Maria D. Quiñones Sánchez for in-

troducing the resolution.

CAIR-Philadelphia Civil Rights

Director and staff attorney Amara

S. Chaudhry, has prepared a mem-

orandum in opposition to HB

2029. A hard copy of this memo-

randum will be shipped to each

member of the House Judiciary

Committee early next week. The

memorandum notes every court

that has considered the constitu-

tionality of such legislation has

ruled in favor of CAIR against the

proposed legislation.

“Since the Pennsylvania city with

the largest Muslim population has

not been overrun by shari’a law,

we can be sure the rest of the state

is perfectly safe from halal food

carts and long clothing,” said

CAIR-Philadelphia Executive Di-

rector Moein Khawaja. “HB 2029

is a farce. It is by design impossi-

ble for any foreign system to su-

persede the constitution. By

introducing this bill, the sponsors

imply that the thousands of Mus-

lims in Pennsylvania are a threat. I

am relieved to know the city of

Philadelphia is one place in Penn-

sylvania where Muslims, and the

diverse religious practices of all

people, are welcome.”

The language for HB 2029 was

drafted by anti-Islam activist

David Yerushalmi. Yerushalmi is

head of the anti-Islam hate group

Society of Americans for National

Existence, which on its now pass-

word-protected website offered a

policy proposal that would make

“adherence to Islam” punishable

by 20 years in prison, called for

the immediate deportation of all

non-citizen Muslims and urged

Congress to declare war on the

“Muslim Nation,” which SANE

defined as “all Muslims.”

CAIR is America’s largest Muslim

civil liberties and advocacy organi-

zation. Its mission is to enhance

the understanding of Islam, en-

courage dialogue, protect civil lib-

erties, empower American

Muslims, and build coalitions that

promote justice and mutual under-

standing.

The Philadelphia Arab-American

Community Development Corpo-

ration was incorporated as a non-

profit organization in 1997. The

organization’s mission is to em-

power the Arab American commu-

nity in the Philadelphia

metropolitan area, promote its eco-

nomic development, and combat

racial, ethnic, and religious dis-

crimination

City Tax Revenues $32 Million Below

Initial Projections, Controller ReportsCity Controller Alan Butkovitz re-

leased his December 2011

monthly economic report that

identifies a shortfall of $31.6 mil-

lion in City general fund tax rev-

enues through the first half of

FY12.

The lower-than-expected tax rev-

enue collections were determined

by comparing the City’s FY12 ini-

tial budget projections to the ac-

tual tax collections recorded for

the first six months of the fiscal

year. In almost every major tax

category, the City’s collections are

below initial projections. These

tax shortfalls include the follow-

ing:

Wage/Earn/NPT -$10.3

million

Business Privilege -$7.7 mil-

lion

Real Estate -$7 mil-

lion

Realty Transfer -$4.9 mil-

lion

Combined Other Taxes -$3.3 mil-

lion

The City’s shortfall compared to

budget projections mirror a similar

finding recently reported for the

Pennsylvania State budget.

Sales tax collections totaling

$122.9 million through the first six

months are the only tax revenue



that has exceeded its initial budget

projection of $121.3, posting a

gain for the City of $1.6 million.

Along with reviewing City tax rev-

enues, the City Controller’s eco-

nomic report shows that the City’s

unemployment rate of 10.1%

marks the fourth consecutive

month of decline. Wholesale and

retail employment in the City in-

creased by 700 jobs, from the pre-

vious reporting month.

The Controller’s economic report

is compiled on a monthly basis and

includes an Economic Snapshot

and Forecast, as well as real estate

information and other local statis-

tics. These reports are circulated

every month to assist key decision

makers in understanding and antic-

ipating local and national eco-

nomic trends. The Controller’s

economic report is a useful tool for

policy makers and analysts in un-

derstanding our regional and local

economy.

To view the Economic Forecast

and Monthly Snapshot, please visit

the City Controller’s website at

www.philadelphiacontroller.org.

Greens Bash Nutter

On Crime PreventionOn Jan. 26, Mayor Michael Nutter

presented his new crime-fighting

measures, which were widely re-

ported. “As if to publicize the

monophonic nature of the new

plan,” said Green Party spokesman

Chris Robinson, “Nutter was ac-

companied by Police Commis-

sioner Charles Ramsey and DA

Seth Williams, both of whom rep-

resent law enforcement.

“The Green Party of Philadelphia

points to the fact Nutter’s new

measures sound much like previ-

ous plans, with an emphasis on

militarization of the anti-crime ef-

fort. The Mayor specifically called

them ‘fighting measures,’ relying

on an increase in new police, addi-

tional overtime for police, stricter

enforcement of gun laws and new

surveillance technology. Nutter

also wants better coordination of

federal, state and local police agen-

cies.”

The Green Party City Committee

says, “Nutter’s tired and one-sided

approach to crime fails to consider

important complementary strate-

gies, such as building community,

protecting human rights, revitaliz-

ing the economy, and providing

citizens with education, jobs and

health care. These types of strate-

gies, which the Green Party sup-

ports, offer alternatives to mass

incarceration and an endless re-

volving door back to prison for of-

fenders.”

Vivek Ananthan, chair of the

GPOP City Committee, said,

“Greens believe community is the

basic unit of politics because that

is where each member of society

can have an impact. Community

involvement should be the founda-

tion of any public policy, including

crime prevention. I did not hear

that in Nutter’s presentation.”

“Oh, this is not right,” said Carol

McLean, the Greens’ membership

secretary, added, “Law enforce-

ment never deals with the socio-

economic causes of the problem.”

Hugh Giordano, at-large member

of the Green City Committee, said,

“Nutter missed his chance to end

the War on Drugs and replace it

with a War on Unemployment.

Drug addiction can be cured

through universal single-payer

health care. What we need now is

full employment with a living

wage for everyone. This will re-

quire the revitalization of Philadel-

phia’s economy through a Green

New Deal.”

“Nutter’s crime-reduction meas-

ures rely on a racially discrimina-

tory increase in the prison

population. Greens believe racially

selective mass incarceration is

wrong,” emphasized Robinson.

“Greens would rather see Nutter

end the school-to-prison pipeline.”

Cade Claims 2k Sigs

In Underdog

Statewide RaceWest Philadelphian Devon Cade is

mounting a Democratic primary

campaign for the office of State

Auditor General. He has an-

nounced the groundwork for a

statewide campaign to get on the

ballot.

“My campaign for Pennsylvania

Auditor General has 2,000 signa-

tures, and counting. With our cam-

paign office in North Philadelphia,

and we are about to open another

office in Pittsburgh,” said Cade.

“My team and I will be in Mont-

gomery Co., Delaware Co.,

Luzerne Co., Northampton Co. and

Northumberland Co. Friday, Satur-

day and Sunday,” he continued.

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