Committee of Seventy has renewed sense of mission

Vice President Biden comes to Philadelphia on Monday.

What for? you might ask. A symposium at the National Constitution Center? An address before the World Affairs Council? A policy conference at the University of Pennsylvania?

Nope. The Committee of Seventy's postelection fund-raising breakfast.

That's right, the Committee of Seventy, that well-meaning nonprofit civic group better known for staffing polling places than hosting national leaders.

Things have changed, as Biden's visit attests.

Over the last several years, under the guidance of former Philadelphia Daily News editor Zack Stalberg, the committee has reestablished itself as a visible and insistent advocate for change in local government and electoral fairness.

The at-times docile watchdog has rediscovered its bark, offering pointed positions on such politically sensitive subjects as pension perks for elected officials (they should be ended), Mayor Nutter's efforts at change (he's not doing enough), and the offices of sheriff, the city commissioners, and register of wills (they should be abolished).

Much credit for this new vitality falls to Stalberg, who at 62 has seamlessly shifted from unabashedly plainspoken ringleader of the region's premier tabloid to unabashedly plainspoken voice of civic betterment.

"Philadelphia likes to think of itself as a tough town, but it is basically full of wusses," Stalberg said during a recent interview at the committee's Center City offices. "There were a lot of stories I couldn't put in the paper because nobody would say anything critical on the record. The Committee of Seventy should be willing to speak out.

"That is why I'm here. It seemed to me like the town needed an organization with a little backbone."

By providing that spine, Stalberg has won himself and the committee kudos, at least from some quarters.

"Before Zack was at the Committee of Seventy, there wasn't anyone who was really a consistent voice for government reform or aboveboard behavior by politicians," said Chris Satullo, WHYY's executive director of news and civic dialogue and former editorial page editor of The Inquirer.

That voice, however, has not always been universally appreciated.

Last month, while testifying before City Council in favor of a bill abolishing the Board of Revision of Taxes, Stalberg was grilled by Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown about the makeup of the Committee of Seventy's executive committee, which is largely white and male.

The underlying message: Who are you to question how we do business in Philadelphia?

"It is a question of fairness," Brown said in an interview this week. "If you are going to come here and compliment, criticize, or celebrate anything, your group should look like the city of Philadelphia. And they don't."

At the hearing, Stalberg acknowledged that but went on to say the committee was striving for more diversity.

Asked later about the reception he receives from the elected officials he sometimes criticizes, Stalberg acknowledged he has not always made friends.

"There has been some pushback," he said. "They are not crazy about oversight, or even positive suggestions. They have been used to having their own way for a long time. They are not used to sharing the stage."

Certainly not with the Committee of Seventy, anyway.

That wasn't always the case, though.

The committee was established in 1904 to do just what Stalberg has been doing: push, and push hard, for political change, as well as monitor elections. (Its name comes from the Book of Exodus, in which Moses appoints 70 judges to rule on disputes.)

Over time, the committee's pursuit of change took a backseat to its role as election watchdog. By the first part of this decade, it was coming in for criticism for its perceived lack of leadership on issues such as pay-to-play and campaign finance.

"The Committee of Seventy was floundering," said board member Judith M. Von Seldeneck, founder of Diversified Search Odgers Berndtson, which was asked to help find a new leader for the committee. "It needed a real rejuvenation. It needed new skills."

The response was to hire Stalberg in February 2005 as president and chief executive officer, with a mission to become a catalyst for change.

With more aggressive fund-raising, Stalberg almost overnight doubled the nonprofit group's funding, from $450,000 in 2004 to $1.1 million in 2005. (Also doubled was the compensation for his position. Last year, Stalberg was paid $248,000; his predecessor, Frederick Voigt, was paid $118,000.)

The committee also revamped its board. Where it once was heavy with corporate lawyers, today it also has a broad array of corporate and university executives, including representatives from Acme Markets Inc., TD Bank N.A., Cigna Corp., the Phillies, the University of Pennsylvania, and Temple University.

Daniel K. Fitzpatrick, president and chief executive officer of Citizens Bank, is the committee's chairman.

"I am the first CEO and nonlawyer to chair the Committee of Seventy in decades," said Fitzpatrick, who added that, as such, he wanted the committee to broaden its mission to include pressing for ways to make the city and region "a more desirable place to do business."

He also suggested it may be time for the committee to move beyond what he referred to as "commentary," to a greater role in crafting solutions to the city's problems.

"I think the next step is to be more engaging and to be part of the dialogue," Fitzpatrick said. "It is about having true dialogues with members of City Council and with the mayor. . . . We are trying to be an honest broker to bring parties together for the common good."

Stalberg said he was happy to continue to play his role.

"I'm having an awful lot of fun, so I'm happy to keep on doing this," he said. "It really fits me. And there is a ton of additional work that needs to be done and that will keep me busy for a long time."