A forum on Phila.'s environment

There was little conflict last night between the two candidates for mayor of Philadelphia during a forum on environmental issues as they jointly declared war on litter.

Republican Al Taubenberger, disgusted by trash he saw floating in a lake in FDR Park, said he wanted to stiffen fines for littering, praising Chicago's $500 ticket for the offense. "It's high time we put a priority on our penalty for littering," Taubenberger said.

Democrat Michael Nutter said he would lead a "massive citywide cleanup" right after inauguration.

"The most revealing thing I've found while running around this great big city is how dirty Philadelphia is," Nutter said. "It really is a disgrace."

The candidates appeared together at a forum at the Academy of Natural Sciences, notable for the first known use in Philadelphia politics of questions submitted by voters via YouTube. The event was sponsored by the Philadelphia Horticultural Society, Next Great City, and the Urban Sustainability Forum.

The format was based on a CNN/YouTube debate among Democratic candidates for president held July 22 in Charleston, S.C.

That debate made for some unusual television: An animated snowman sent from Minneapolis sang about global warming; a man caressing his assault rifle, calling it his "baby," asked about gun control; and someone asked Illinois Sen. Barack Obama if he was "authentically black."

Philadelphia's YouTube questioners were considerably more earnest, asking, for instance, if the two candidates for mayor would increase funding for parks, reduce the city's emissions of greenhouse gases, and make the city more friendly to bicycles.

The forum also included questions from the audience and moderator Flavia Monteiro Colgan, an MSNBC pundit and member of the Philadelphia Daily News editorial board.

Nutter said that at least $50 million, up from $14 million currently, is needed annually for the operation of the 9,200-acre Fairmount Park system.

"It depends on having the political will," Nutter said, noting that Chicago spends $400 million on its park system. "We're either serious about the parks or we're not."

Taubenberger agreed that it "should not be hard" to find more money for parks out of a nearly $4 billion city budget.

He drew applause when he said Philadelphia could help foster less reliance on oil sold by "people who hate us" in the Middle East.

"I'd like to have the opportunity that we don't need their oil anymore and they can drink it if they want to," Taubenberger said.