DROP participants will retire and return
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DROP participants will retire and return
Jan Ransom
City Councilwoman Marian Tasco will retire on Friday, collect a six-figure pension payment and then return to work after she is sworn-in on Monday to serve her seventh term.
Francis Bielli, executive director for the city’s Board of Pensions and Retirement, said he was recently notified that Tasco, who is enrolled in the controversial Deferred Retirement Option Plan, will retire on Friday and collect $478,057.
Tasco did not respond to requests for comment.
Tasco was reelected despite her participation in DROP, which drew public ire after elected officials entered the program, ran for re-election and retired for a day to get hefty pension payments, only to return to office.
Retiring Councilman Frank DiCicco, who is also in the program, considered running for re-election, but after controversy erupted over DROP, he decided not to. Retiring Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller, who is also enrolled in DROP made a similar decision. Councilman Frank Rizzo lost reelection due in-part to his participation in DROP. Retiring members Jack Kelly and Council president Anna Verna are also DROP participants.
Some City Hall insiders said DROP was Tasco’s biggest roadblock in her unsuccessful bid for Council president –the second most politically powerful job in the city. Several incoming members said they would not support a DROP participant for president. Councilman Darrell Clarke will be Council’s next president replacing Verna.
Mayor Nutter has tried in vain to eliminate the DROP program. In September, Council voted to override Nutter’s veto of a bill, sponsored by Tasco that would preserve the DROP program, while reducing its cost.
Nutter has vowed to work “tirelessly” to abolish the program.
Another elected official set to return after collecting his DROP payment is Register of Wills Ronald Donatucci, who retired Dec. 23 and will also return on Monday, Bielli said. He collected $366,797.
Drop was created for the working folk like the trashmen, not fo da politicians. Crooks and liars.— Rufus McKnight
Comment removed.- Tasco proves that philly is a joke.— Tyrone Biggums
- C'mon....she's only getting a $400K gift from the city and continuing her $100K+ job.....you'ed think she was getting a free city car or something????— Bigbirch
- In Florida they do not let us drop, collect our money and come back.
If we collect the money we cannot return to that job for 2 years. And when you do return you get zero retirement, and start at the very bottom rung of the ladder again, with pay and everything. Its at least a little more fair than that scumbag in Philly! Wow!— phils4evr - Thats is exactly why I moved . Tasco got nerve .They are all crooks .I say DROP Them all from the Payrolls .The real truth is these career politicians could never make it in the real world!— chackster
- Comment removed.
- She is lower than pond scum. She has to be dirty. Inky reporters should start investigating all these bozos for tax evasion, fraud, whatever. And on the same day they are laying off public school nurses.— joedog
- These people are criminals.— Edward L Norton
- What a joke that my comment wasn't allowed. Once more - dopes in this city were sleeping outside city hall for trivial matters, but would never consider doing something similar in regards to DROP.— ghost722
- The last water department commissioner was in DROP, retired, and returned to the same position at the behest of Mayor Nutter. I propose Tasco have council pass a bill that will give all city employees, including civil service, the right to return too at their own request.— gb
- Just think, two Tascos equals one Akerman.— Boru
- WILL SOMEONE TELL ME WHY WE NEED A 75 MILLION DOLLAR EXPENSE AKA THE CITY COUNCIL? THINK ABOUT THIS...WE HAVE A MAYOR WHO IS ELECTED TO OFFICE...HE OR SHE DECIDES WHAT IS BEST FOR THE CITY...YOUR TELLING ME THAT EVERY MAJOR CITY IN THE U.S.A. HAS A CITY COUNCIL? PAYS THESE PEOPLE, INSURE THESE PEOPLE, GIVES THEM A PENSION, SOMETIMES A CAR? ARE WE NUTS? ARE WE STUPID? THIS WHOLE CONCEPT IS ABSURD? THESE PEOPLE ARE ALLOWED TO ASSEMBLE! HOLD AN AUDIENCE! PASS LEGISLATION! DICTATE TO THE MAYOR!? AGAIN....THIS WHOLE NOTION OF A CITY COUNCIL IS UNFATHABLE! GET RID OF THEM! SERIOUSLY, LOOK AT THE ECONOMIC SAVINGS! IT IS HUGE! THERE WOULD BE NO DEFICIT! NO INCREASE OF TAXES TO SUPPORT THEM! THIS IS AN IDEA THAT IS LONG OVERDUE! LOSE THE CITY COUNCIL! IT IS ONE BIG ALBATROS THAT HAS BEEN CHOKING PHILADELPHIA FAR TOO LONG!— frank castle
- OK, Philly has DROP payments and judges need to spread walking around money to get elected. Can't somebody work up a scheme where the DROP money walks around by itself and empties some trash cans or something productive. Go Mike Nutter, stop the bleeding as best you can.— Jack Hughes
- Why is everyone getting so excited? We've known about this program for years. I remember a number of city council members who did this a few years ago. We're the voters, we're the ones who put these people in office. We are responsible for this. No one else.— palmer1619
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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
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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
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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
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