PhiladelphiaDaily Record

Vol. II No. 65 (225) Keeping You Posted With The Politics Of Philadelphia May 17, 2011

N O W !

DO ITMORNING reports indicated

a light turnout overall – but

with patches of higher turnout,

perhaps motivated by several

lively District Council races.

These sections of the city may

wind up with disproportionate

weight in deciding citywide

races, therefore.

PHILADELPHIANS head

for their polling places today

amid intermittent light rain

to cast primary ballots which

will shape the future of the

city in many important offices.

It’s not too late for you

to play your role in

democracy and vote!

2 | THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD 16 MAY, 2011

Casey Opposes Palestinian Efforts to

Seek Unilateral UN RecognitionUS Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa) yesterday joined a biparti-

san group of Senate colleagues in introducing a reso-

lution opposing Palestinian efforts to seek unilateral

recognition at the United Nations and expressing firm

belief that any Palestinian unity government must

publicly and formally forswear terrorism, accept Is-

rael’s right to exist, and reaffirm previous agreements

made with Israel.

The resolution also supports the position taken by

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in April 2009 that

the United States “will not deal with or in any way

fund a Palestinian government that includes Hamas

unless and until Hamas has renounced violence, rec-

ognized Israel and agreed to follow the previous obli-

gations of the Palestinian Authority.”

Casey, along with five colleagues, introduced the res-

olution following the recent announcement the Pales-

tinian Authority and Hamas have reached a unity

agreement. The resolution firmly states the UN is not

the right forum for a declaration of Palestinian state-

hood. Instead, this should be done in direct peace ne-

gotiations between Palestinians and Israelis.

The resolution declares Palestinian efforts to gain

recognition of a state outside direct negotiations

demonstrates absence of a good-faith commitment to

peace negotiations, and will have implications for

continued US aid.

Toomey: Get Serious About Debt,

Cut SpendingAs the United States hit its debt limit yesterday, US

Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) called on the administration

to get serious about cutting spending, reducing our

deficits and putting our country on a fiscally responsi-

ble path.

“Instead of offering ideas for cutting spending and

enacting serious spending reforms,” the Senator said,

“the administration has been engaging in scare tactics

in an attempt to convince Congress to raise the debt

limit without significant conditions attached. But the

most irresponsible thing we can do is simply kick the

can down the road and continue with business in

usual in Washington.

“I have introduced legislation to make sure the United

States will not default on our national debt. If the ad-

ministration was truly concerned about defaulting on

our debt, it would support the Full Faith & Credit Act,

which prioritizes paying the interest on our debt to

avoid default. Now is the time for the administration

and Congress to put aside the hyperbole and have an

adult conversation about putting our country on a sus-

tainable fiscal path.”

Group Moves To

Bag Seniority In

Teacher LayoffsPennsylvania could become the latest state to address

“first in, last out” union layoff policy. LA band of

lawmakers want to allow school districts to keep the

best teachers during tough economic times.

Pennsylvania school districts struggling to keep pace

with rising labor costs may soon be able to better

manage their teaching staffs by retaining educators

based on ability, rather than seniority, during layoffs.

16 MAY, 2011 THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD | 3

State Senators overwhelmingly passed a bill that

would allow administrators to use teacher perform-

ance as a factor in layoffs. The bill is an effort to

maintain the highest level of instruction possible for

Pennsylvania students during the economic downturn.

The measure now heads to the State House.

The country’s economic crisis has forced school dis-

tricts to seek contract concessions from school-em-

ployee unions that could prevent budget cuts from

reaching the classroom. But union leaders have

largely refused to accept the same sacrifices made by

private-sector workers to keep their employers afloat.

The result has put school administrators in a financial

pinch, because school-employee contracts — which

dictate most of a typical district’s labor budget —

cannot be altered without the union’s consent, leaving

school leaders with few options but to lay off educa-

tors or cut student programs to balance their budgets.

Union policies mandate administrators dismiss teach-

ers based on the number of years spent in a class-

room, instead of their ability to inspire student

learning.

These legislators claim seniority-based layoffs have

also contributed to the decline in the academic per-

formance of American students in comparison to their

counterparts in other developed countries.

“Lawmakers working to incorporate teacher perform-

ance into the layoff equation realize students deserve

to have the best possible teachers and instruction, re-

gardless of seniority status,” said Kyle Olson, founder

and CEO of Education Action Group, a conservative

national lobby. “The only question that remains is if

union leaders in Pennsylvania and elsewhere will

come to the same conclusion, or continue to fight for

policies that put employee interests ahead of student

success.”

Sen. Williams’ Conference Offers Succor

To Grandparents ParentingEstella Hyde understands the stigmas grandparents

and other family members raising younger relatives

sometimes face, intimately. She’s raising her teenaged

granddaughter.

But people like her can find strength – as well as ex-

pertise and advice – in numbers, and it’s why she

joined the aunts, uncles, cousins, older siblings and

fellow grandparents who converged on the University

of the Sciences for the 2011 Helping Hands Intergen-

erational Resource and Information Conference.

And in those numbers, they can also find a voice to

advocate for their cause, said Hyde, president of

AARP Pennsylvania. She led a workshop on the

topic, one of several offerings at the conference pre-

sented by the office of State Sen. Anthony Hardy

Williams (D-W. Phila.), Turning Points for Children

and Grands as Parents.

The event allowed attendees to bolster their knowl-

edge of not just legal, but also educational, financial

and behavioral issues connected to raising a younger

relative, for the child and caregiver.

“Sometimes, they’re afraid to admit that they are in

fact raising a younger relative, because that would

mean that there is some problem in the family,” Hyde

said. “Sometimes they are embarrassed to move for-

ward. But it is difficult if you stay isolated. When

they talk with someone else, they can assist each

other and draw strength from each other, even if it’s

just emotional strength.”

Elmer Smith, a featured columnist and editorial board

member at the Philadelphia Daily News, offered a

moving lunchtime address about the sacrifice and ap-

preciation he had for his aunt, who stepped in to raise

him after his mother died.

“Facing a host of circumstances, these caregivers

willingly step into the breach and do the important

job of raising a new generation,” Williams said. “This

is not just something that happened way back when.

4 | THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD 16 MAY, 2011

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

May 19- Citizens Crime Com-

mission Law Enforce-

ment Appreciation

Day Luncheon, Grand

Ballroom., Park Hyatt

at Bellevue, 200 SD.

Broad St. Gov.

Thomas Corbett to

speak.

May 19- Philadelphia

FIGHT opens its

pulic computing cen-

teper for young adults

at 112 N. Broad

Street, 9th floor at 3

p.m. Councilman

Darrell Clarke will at-

tend.

May 21- Stanley Sanders,

Business Manager,

of Local 57 hosts an-

nual dinner/scholar-

ship Dance honoring

Mike Daniels from 7

to 12 midnight, at

500-506 N. 6th St.

For Information call

215-768-3856

May 21- ACPS Church hosts

Health Fair at 28th &

Girard, 10 a.m.-2

p.m. For info Eileen

Mitchell (302) 438-

5593. Free admission.

May 24- Phoenix Salon & Spa

hosts Women Em-

powering Women

benefit for Project

H.O.M.E., 1600 Arch

St., 6-9 p.m. Tickets

$60 advance, $75 at

door. For info Lauren

Millner (215) 232-

7272, ext. 3045.

May 27- Free Clothing and

Items Giveaway at

Mt. Hebron Baptist

Ch., 1415-19 Whar-

ton St. Bring your

own shopping

bags/carts. Items for

men, kids, babies,

ladies, home. For info

(215) 336-8163. Rev.

R. Johnson Waller,

Jr., Pastor, Sister CP

Love, Missionaries

Director.

Jun. 3- Fundraising Banquet

to purchase Asian

Service Bldg. at

Ocean City Restau-

rant, 234 N. 9th St.,

6:30 p.m. For info

Chairman Mohan

Parmer (215) 317-

8262.

Jun. 16- American Diabetes

Ass’n honors Michael

A. Rashid, president

of AmeriHealth

Mercy Family of

Cos., as 2011 Father

of the Year honoree at

1200 Awards Dinner

at Loews Hotel, cock-

tail reception 5:30

p.m., dinner 6:30 p.m.

Jul. 10- Benefit for Women

Veterans hosted by

Cathy Santos at

Mom’s Kitchen Table

Garden Courtyard,

2317 Ridge Av. from

4 to 9 .m. For info.

call Cathy Santos

215-834-4228.

16 MAY, 2011 THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD | 5

This is a contemporary issue. Even since 2007, there

has been a sharp upward trend in the number of chil-

dren being raised by relatives. We must do a better

job of educating and supporting their caregivers.”

According to census data, about 1 in 5 American

grandparent caregivers live at or below the poverty

line; locally, it’s about 2 in 5. And most of these care-

givers struggle disproportionately to tame housing

costs, with upwards of a third of their income going

to such expenses.

Recognizing this need, Williams helped to organize

the conference and is championing caregivers legisla-

tively. His SB 119, the Intergenerational Family Care

Act, assists families in which children are being

raised by their grandparents or other generation-skip-

ping older relatives. If enacted, it would address criti-

cal needs identified at the conference, such as rental

assistance, day-care assistance for working heads of

households and development and improvement of in-

tergenerational housing. The bill has bipartisan sup-

port and sits in the Public Health & Welfare

committee in the State Senate.

Details can be found on his web site. AARP is a sup-

porter of the bill.

On average, it costs more than $1,100 every month to

care for one child in foster care, according to the

State Dept. of Public Welfare. SB 119 is a cost-effec-

tive, socially corrective remedy, Williams said.

“By investing a little in intergenerational families

now, we stand to save the Commonwealth millions,

while allowing children to grow up in loving and sta-

ble family homes that put them on the path to being

responsible citizens,” said Williams. “And that’s

something we all want.”

A Larger-Than-Life Candidate

TRACEY GORDON, who is embroiled in a lively three-way race for Democrat 2nd Dist. Council nomi-

nation in today’s primary, took quite a shine to a billboard her supporters had erected to boost her

cause.

6 | THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD 16 MAY, 2011

Fox Rothschild’s August Presents

At Tax Law SymposiumJerald David August, partner in the Philadelphia and

West Palm Beach offices of Fox Rothschild LLP and

co-chair of the firm’s Taxation & Wealth Planning

Dept., was the keynote speaker at the Annual Tax

Conference of the Tax Section of the New Jersey Bar

Association on May 13 in Edison, N.J.

August presented “Standards of FederalTax Practice;

Tax and Financial Transparency in the Global Econ-

omy,” which covered the recent developments in

standards of tax practices from around the globe.

The symposium featured presentations on legislative

and administrative changes and issues faced by tax

practitioners and provided attendees with timely tax

planning information and tips.

August is nationally recognized for his taxation expe-

rience in federal tax matters, federal transfer taxation,

tax litigation and tax controversy, corporate and part-

nership taxation, estate planning for owners of

closely- held businesses and international taxation

(inbound and outbound). August has published exten-

sively on federal taxation and lectured at leading tax

institutes.

Prep Brings Home Statewide Gold In RugbyUnbridled joy is the best way to describe the St.

Joseph’s Prep sideline as the final whistle sounded in

the Pennsylvania State Rugby Championship, which

concluded Sunday in Chadds Ford, Pa.

Burrell HS, the defending state champs, jumped out

to an early 5-3 advantage. Prep hung tough, however,

fighting back to earn a 15-10 halftime lead.

The second half can only be described as pandemo-

nium. Burrell had several chances inside the Prep 22,

but each time the defense stopped them. Each side put

up a converted try in the second half, resulting in a

22-17 final score.

St. Joe’s Dillon Phillips notched 5 points, with team-

mate Pat Kardish adding 7.