Archive: January, 2013
A 20-foot-tall inflatable rat and a few hundred union protesters made their presence felt on Mayor's Nutter's block in Wynnefield on Thursday evening.
The mayor likely wasn't there, spokesman Mark McDonald said, but District Council 33 got its point across anyway. The union, which represents 11,000 blue-collar municipal workers, has been working without a contract since 2009 and without wage increases, and they aren't happy about it.
"Workers got to stand up. You can't just keep taking this," shouted DC 33 President Pete Matthews. "Labor is the new civil rights issue."
The rat was loaned from the stagehands union currently fighting its own war against the Philadelphia Theater Company. But DC 33 officials say they'll be getting a rabblerousing rodent of their own soon.
(So don't worry. Even if labor rats are going out of style elsewhere - they're here to stay in Philly.)
The stakes are getting higher in the stalemate between Nutter and the union. Wednesday marked the Nutter-imposed deadline for the union to agree on his "final offer," which included pay raises, possible furlough days and reductions in pension costs.
At the moment, sources say City Council has no intention of dropping Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown from her leadership post just several days after a report released by the Ethics Board detailed a series of campaign finance violations.
PhillyClout posed the question earlier this week and still today sources say members are supportive of Reynolds Brown maintaining her leadership post, for now. Reynolds Brown an at-large Democratic Councilwoman was selected by her colleagues to serve in leadership as majority whip, with a salary of $126,366.
“At this point I think its way too premature to discuss anything related to Councilwoman Brown’s tenure as leadership,” said Council president Darrell Clarke. “Councilmember Brown has continued to carry-on her duties as a Council person as a majority whip. I don’t know at what point we need to have that level of discussion, but at this point I don’t think it’s time for that.”
Additionally Clarke said he had “no personal opinion” about Reynolds Brown keeping her leadership post.
Clarke also said he has no “personal opinion” as to whether Council’s Ethics Committee should review Reynolds Brown’s actions. The last time the Ethics Committee took any action was in 1982, according to Council’s Chief Clerk.
“I don’t have a personal opinion at this point,” Clarke said. “I don’t think there is a basis to move ahead with any other investigatory matters at this time based on the particular action taken by the Ethics Board.”
The politically-connected newspaper publisher had three reasons for two calls to the president judge of Philadelphia Traffic Court in the summer of 2011.
Jimmy Tayoun, publisher of the Philadelphia Public Record, wanted an interview with Judge Michael Sullivan about his new leadership post, to take his picture and to seek help for an “associate” who was in danger of losing his license due to a traffic ticket.
Sullivan was one of nine judges indicted Thursday on corruption charges for alleged ticket-fixing.
Tayoun, a former City Councilman who served time in federal prison in the 1990s on corruption charges, says his calls to Sullivan were no big deal.
“The call to a Traffic Court judge is the same in my opinion as me being a character witness in a court case,” said Tayoun, identified in the 79-page indictment only as “Ji.T.”
Judge H. Warren Hogeland dismissed the $152 ticket for driving with an expired vehicle inspection, even though Tayoun’s associate, identified in the indictment as “G.C.” didn’t show up in court. Hogeland was also indicted Thursday.
Tayoun, who has published at least three columns critical of the Traffic Court probe since it became public in late 2011, said charging judges for doing political favors “shows a definite weakness in the efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office to really find something wrong with that court.”
Philadelphia will have a bike race this year and it’ll include the Wall in Manayunk.
The new 2013 race dubbed the Philly Cycling Classic will be organized by a team of sports event professionals with experience hosting cycling races, cycling advocates and local business and community leaders, Congressman Bob Brady announced today.
“The Mayor has called for a premier cycling event and the team we have pulled together intends to deliver nothing less for the City of Philadelphia in 2013,” Brady said in a statement. “As long as there is a Wall in Manayunk there will be a world class cycling event in Philadelphia.”
Shortly after David Chauner, founder of the Philadelphia International Cycling Championship announced there would be no race this year due to rising city costs and loss of sponsors, Brady immediately sprang into action to save this year’s race. Brady held a series of meetings with local elected officials, cycling enthusiasts and corporate leaders.
The new team of organizers for this year’s race does not include Chauner, of Pro Cycling Tour, who owes the city over $300,000 for last year’s race. Chauner’s relationship with the city has soured over the years.
The team includes Alan Morrison, business leader and founder of the Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon in 2005, Richard Adler, head of Philadelphia Triathlon, LLC, Karen Bliss, vice president of Marketing for Advanced Sports International, Ryan Oelkers, co-founder of the Cadence Cycling Fondation, Bob Clowry, a Manayunk-based businessman and certified cycling coach and Jane Lipton, executive director of the Manayunk Development Corporation.
A federal grand jury has charged six Philadelphia Traffic Court judges, the former court director of operations and two businessmen in a ticket-fixing case unsealed Thursday morning. Three more Traffic Court judges were also charged in separate documents. Those indicted are:
- Former administrative Judge Michael Sullivan, who was removed from his leadership post by the state Supreme Court in December 2011 but was still hearing cases.
- Judge Michael Lowry, the son of a ward leader, who admitted to an investigations firm hired by the Supreme Court that ticket fixing happened in Traffic Court.
- Judge Robert Mulgrew, who was suspended by the Supreme Court in September after being indicted on unrelated charges.
- Former President Judge Thomasine Tynes, who retired in July.
- Former Administrative Judge Fortunato Perri Sr., who is retired.
- Bucks County District Judge H. Warren Hogeland, who hears cases in Traffic Court.
- Delaware County District Judge Kenneth Miller, who heard cases in Traffic Court until 2008.
- Chester County District Judge Mark Bruno, who heard cases in Philadelphia's Traffic Court.
- William Hird, the director of operations, who retired in November 2011, two months after FBI and IRS agents raided his home, office and a bar he runs in South Philly.
- Henry "Eddy" Alfano, a tow truck company operator who also operates two strip clubs.
- Robert Moy, a translation company owner who provides services in Traffic Court.
The eight defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud and aiding and abetting a crime. Tynes, Lowry and Mulgrew were also charged with perjury, accused of lying to a grand jury. Singletary and Hird face charges of making false statements to the FBI.
Perri, Miller and Hogeland were charged through "information" documents, which means they waived their rights to have their cases presented to the grand jury, a sign that they are expected to take a plea deal.
Update: Defense attorney William Brennan said he reviewed the indictment against his client, former Traffic Court Judge Willie Singletary, and was struck by the fact that "it does not allege that my client took one thin dime."
"Apprently the allegations set forth the government's perception of a scheme that defrauds the state out of potential fines," Brennan said. "I'll read it again, but it seems to me it's like speculating on pork belly futures."
Brennan said that as he read the 79-page indictment, he "kept waiting to get to the part where money changed hands, but I haven't seen it. My understanding is that my client's conviction rates were fairly high."
Earlier: As the Daily News predicted on the front page of Thursday's newspaper, Philadelphia Traffic Court judges and at least one employee have started surrendering at the federal courthouse in Center City and will appear in court later today once charges are unsealed in a grand jury indictment.
Defense attorney William Brennan and former Traffic Court judge Willie Singletary arrived at the William Green Federal Building about 8:20 Thursday morning. Singletary, wearing a dark overcoat and gray suit, looked solemn and said nothing.
They left the building shortly before 10 a.m. Brennan said Singletary had been allowed by prosecutors to surrender "as a courtesy." The other option, Brennan said, was for federal investigators to "kick your door in and drag you out by your hair, and that's very unpleasant."
Brennan said the federal indictment was still sealed, so it was unclear what Singletary would be charged with. Brennan also said that Singletary would appear in court at 1:30 Thursday afternoon and plead not guilty to "whatever he's charged with."
Clout's Chris Brennan and Dave Gambacorta have the lowdown on indictments expected today againgt officials related to the Traffic Court scandal for today's cover story.
Negotiators from the administration and District Council 33 met until 10:30 p.m. last night - as Nutter's "final offer" deadline approached - but there was no deal.
Councilman Bill Greenlee will introduce a bill that would require a minor to be accompanied by an adult when tanning at a salon.
And Will Bunch wonders whether the current push for privatizing the liquor business will be the one that does the trick.
The day has arrived.
But don't get too excited.
Mayor Nutter two weeks ago gave AFSCME's D.C. 33 a "final offer" to resolve the stalemate over replacing the union's contract that expired in 2009. He said his administration will take some unspecified action if the union, which represents blue-collar municipal workers, doesn't agree to his terms or come to the table in a serious way by today.
Negotiators from both sides met yesterday and agreed to meet again this afternoon, mayoral spokesman Mark McDonald said. No word on whether they are close to a deal. D.C. 33 did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Nutter has been vague about what he will do if there's no deal. Administration officials have said his options could include unilaterally enforcing his terms (a dicey maneuver that would likely put the city in an uphill legal battle), or some other court intervention, or nothing at all.
As of their last public statements, Nutter and D.C. 33 President Pete Matthews were miles apart. The mayor wants to dramatically alter municipal pensions and find savings in healthcare plans and work rules in exchange for marginal raises. Matthews said that the mayor's offer was not a net raise because of the addition of 15 possible furlough days and that he had no intention of making a single concession.
Mayor Nutter fires Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown’s former campaign manager amid ethics dust up.
Another ally of Rep. Bill Keller has been indicted.
Does Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell’s bill hurt city development?
Was former Philadelphia Housing Director Carl Greene’s actions the result of major depression?
Mark Olkowski, longtime business partner of state Rep. Bill Keller, has been indicted on federal charges of filing false personal and business tax returns and wire fraud of allegedly collecting more than $25,000 in improper unemployment claims.
Olkowski and Keller operate K&O Sports, a Pennsport company known for printing up sweatshirts and t-shirts for local unions, political campaigns and taverns. Teams of FBI and IRS agents in August 2010 raided the company's office and Olkowski's home along with Keller's district office and home and other locations.
The grand jury indictment released today by the U.S. Attorney's Office accuses Olkowski of under-reporting his personal income by a total of $237,097 from 2006 to 2009 and under-reporting his company's income by $251,272 during the same period. Olkowski is also accused of collecting $25,484 in unemployment benefits from 2007 to 2009 while he was self-employed at K&O Sports.
Keller is mentioned briefly in the indictment, identified only as "W.K." His attorney in 2010 said federal agents took "general business records" from his office and home and said Keller was uninvolved in and unaware of any criminal activity.
Follow Chris on Twitter
David Gambacorta spent a small eternity writing about cops, drug dealers and serial killers. Now he’s writing about power and politics – which sometimes reminds him of the old crime beat. He joined the Daily News in 2005. And yes, he knows you’re not quite sure how to pronounce his last name. E-mail tips to gambacd@phillynews.com
Follow Dave on Twitter.
Jan Ransom, a native New Yorker, joined the Daily News in 2010 after graduating from Howard University. She has since written about the difficulty of filing police complaints, tax deadbeats and life after violent home invasions. She joined the Daily News City Hall Bureau in 2011 and has plunged headfirst into reporting on administration budget battles and City Council shenanigans. E-mail tips to ransomj@phillynews.com
Follow Jan on Twitter
Sean Collins Walsh is from Bucks County and went to Northwestern University. He joined the Daily News copy desk in 2012 and now covers the Nutter administration. Before that, he interned at papers including The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News and The Seattle Times. E-mail tips to walshSE@phillynews.com
Follow Sean on Twitter
