Issues
I have made detailed policy proposals on many of the issues people care about in the city. I will be adding my thoughts on other issues such as the environment, LGBT equality, parks, and public access TV. If you want to know my ideas on issues not discussed here, check out my blog or contact me.
Political Reform
We cannot make real progress on all our goals if we do not reform our political system. It is severely broken and needs to be fixed. Council members must work more closely with issue and community activists and especially those who want to see politics transformed in Philadelphia. Council members, hearings, and meetings should be more accessible to the public. We must take money out of politics by creating a system of public financing of political campaigns and by reducing the cost of campaign advertisements.
Crime
Crime is the problem most in the minds of voters today. And well it should be, because our extraordinarily high rate of criminal violence not only harms the victims of crime but undermines our efforts to overcome the high poverty and unemployment rates in many of our neighborhoods. Crime discourages economic activity thereby reducing jobs. And it undermines education as well. Exposure to chronic violence undermines the hope in the eh future that children need if they are going to take education seriously.
Economic Development
We must create new businesses and jobs for everyone, those with college degrees and those with only a high school or associate degree. To bring new, leading edge businesses into the city we must train our young people to hold jobs in those businesses and reform our tax system. To provide jobs for people with a high school education or less we must invest in commercial corridors and provide support to new start-up businesses.
Taxes
We very much need tax reform in this city. While I believe that other steps are even more important in promoting the economic development of the city, I do think that the Business Privilege Tax (BPT) and our wage tax, especially the wage tax on commuters, undermines the growth of business in the city. However, while selective tax reforms might eventually create new revenues in the city, we cannot reduce taxes in the expectation that economic development—or new efficiencies in government—would occur overnight. And reducing revenues might force us to cut services that are as vital to economic growth as tax reductions. So what we need is revenue-neutral tax reform, not tax cutting. We need to eliminate those taxes that most undermine economic growth while replacing them with other sources of revenue, at least until we generate sustained economic development and job creation.
Education
My twenty five yeas as an educator has taught me that the key to improving education is recruiting, training, supporting, and retaining good teachers. Everything else is secondary.
We can't improve the quality of our teachers without more funding from both the city and the state.
Neighborhoods, Development, and Zoning
We must do more to strengthen our wonderfully diverse and strong neighborhoods by encouraging the right kind of development. We have to revise our zoning code to stimulate development while enabling neighborhoods to protect themselves against inappropriate projects. We have to repeal Act 193 so that neighborhoods can appeal decisions of the Zoning Board.
Affordable Housing, Property Taxes, Gentrification, and Poverty
We must ensure that everyone has a decent place to live and that gentrification, which can improve neighborhoods for everyone, does not force people out of their homes and communities. We can provide more affordable housing and more money for housing rehabilitation through an Inclusionary Housing program and by devoting more city resources to housing.
continue reading "Affordable Housing, Property Taxes, Gentrification, and Poverty"
Transit
Issue discussion
Public transportation is critical to our regional economy and the 70% of our workers who use SEPTA to get to work. It is vital to our children as SEPTA because SEPTA is our public school transportation system. It enables seniors to shop, run errands, work, and visit their families. It is a lifeline for the disabled. It saves energy and discourages suburban sprawl. We must secure the dedicated funding we need to block drastic fare increases and service reductions. And then we must build a 21st-century transit system in our region.
Casinos
I have opposed, and will continue to oppose, the proposed sites for casinos. But though I do not approve of gambling and do not think that gambling would be a major contributor to economic development in Philadelphia, I would not oppose all casinos. But I have been a vociferous opponent of the five proposed sites for gambling.
LGBT Issues
Judging by our laws, Philadelphia is one of the most friendly to the LGBT community cities, with one glaring exception: same-sex marriage is not legal here. But to judge by the implementation of our laws and the practices of many city agencies, we have a long way to go.
