Clout: Misty memories of bonuses at Penn's Landing

AS ACTING president of the Delaware River Waterfront Corp., Joseph Brooks is responsible for managing the city-owned property along 2.2 miles of the river, from Spring Garden Street to Washington Avenue.

Most of the land is under long-term lease to private businesses, but the agency also runs several parking lots and a skating rink, and hosts a series of concerts and other special events.

Somebody must think Brooks is doing a good job. Last year, when the city-controlled agency was known as the Penn's Landing Corp., it paid Brooks a $25,594 bonus, on top of his $172,200 salary.

Question is, who's that somebody?

Gene Newton, chairman of the Penn's Landing Board of Directors from about 2006 until early this year, said he didn't remember voting on a bonus for Brooks or three other staff members who received them.

"I don't recall anything in 2008 or 2007," Newton said. "I don't recall anything about any bonuses at all."

Alan P. Hoffmann, who led the board's budget committee, said his panel might have approved a bonus for Brooks several years ago, but he didn't remember any subsequent votes or approval of any bonuses for other staff members.

Hoffmann speculated that Brooks probably continued to receive the same bonus that he'd been granted several years ago. The Penn's Landing board wasn't in a position to vote on the bonuses, he said, because it never had a meeting in 2008, and probably not in 2007, either.

"This isn't a Citibank kind of thing," Hoffmann said, referring to bank executives who took millions of dollars in bonuses while their banks lost billions.

Hoffmann, president of Vitetta, an architectural/engineering firm, added, "I don't think Joe has taken a raise in a while, and the bonus is part of the package. . . . I think he did a great job, and still is."

With total compensation of nearly $197,794, Brooks made more money last year than Mayor Nutter or any of his Cabinet members.

Besides Brooks, the others who received salary pops were the vice president of operations, Joseph Forkin, who got $15,075 on top of his $126,784 salary; chief financial officer Nicholas DiFilippo, who got an $8,500 bonus and $6,000 car allowance on top of his $112,458 base; and maintenance/engineering supervisor Zakaria

Rehawi, who received a $4,000 bonus and $4,800 car allowance on top of an $84,924 salary.

Another Penn's Landing executive with a six-figure salary, vice president of marketing Jodie Milkman, did not receive a bonus. But she got the biggest car allowance, $13,200, on top of her $114,644 base.

Clout has been trying to get a look at the Penn's Landing payroll since 2002. Until this year, the agency denied access to the information, claiming it was a private, nonprofit corporation, not covered by any of the state's public-record or public-meeting laws.

Brooks relented this week and provided payroll data - perhaps because of a new, stronger Pennsylvania law on public records or perhaps because he's nervous about his job, since the Nutter administration took over the waterfront and renamed his agency in January.

We followed up with calls and an e-mail asking about the bonuses, but Brooks failed to respond.

Our mischievous governor

Gov. Rendell and U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter had back-to-back news conferences in Harrisburg this week, both dealing with the economy.

One reporter asked whether Rendell had talked Specter into seeking re-election as a Democrat.

"Not yet," Rendell said. "We're working on it."

Our correspondent thinks he noticed a smile.

Rendell's revolving door

Clout has a skeptical eye for public officials who leave government jobs and get private contracts doing the same work for the agency they left. Sometimes, this can run afoul of the state ethics law.

So we called Kate Philips, Gov. Rendell's former press secretary, when we heard her new PR firm landed a contract with the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority. Just last summer, Philips handled the port's press work as a government employee.

Philips' explanation: She was never actually employed by the Port Authority; she was just there helping out, as a special assistant to the governor, who was pushing the Delaware River dredging project.

Philips left the administration in August to join other communication types in forming The Karma Agency. In November, the authority issued a request for proposals from PR firms, anticipating lots of work when the dredging begins.

Eleven firms applied, and Karma won the competition. Authority board chair John Estey, a former chief of staff for Rendell, said nobody should think the $60,000 contract was awarded as a favor to Philips.

"She already has all the background and information on the dredging project, and if anything I think that's a plus for the authority," Estey said.

The mayor strikes again

Mayor Nutter visited the Lucky Strike Lanes on Chestnut Street this week for a Big Brothers/Big Sisters fundraiser.

A 9-year-old girl named Cameron walked up to shake his hand and told him that she wanted to be mayor one day.

"That's great," Nutter said. "We really need more women involved. But please, don't run against me." *

Daily News reporters Bob Warner, Dave Davies and John Baer contributed to this report.