Drive my car
The lyrics of the Beatles' "Drive My Car" predictably came to mind earlier today when the topic of City Council members using city-paid vehicles came up once again.
Drive my car
David Gambacorta
The lyrics of the Beatles' "Drive My Car" predictably came to mind earlier today when the topic of City Council members using city-paid vehicles came up once again.
Joe McColgan, a Republican running for Council-at-Large, announced in a news release that he wouldn't accept a city car (or a city pension) if he's elected.
“After the DROP fiasco, it is no wonder why Philadelphians have little trust in their government and elected officials,” McColgan said, according to the release.
“I’ve been very clear that in order to fix our great city, we need leaders who place her interests first. This is why I won’t take a pension or city-financed car when I’m elected to City Council.”
McColgan echoed remarks made last night by Bill Rubin, the Democrat who's challenging Republican Minority Leader Brian O'Neill in Northeast Philly's 10th Councilmanic District.
Rubin called the use of city vehicles a "waste of taxpayer money," during a head-to-head debate with O'Neill.
O'Neill said during the debate that he would give up his car if Mayor Nutter did the same first. In the meantime, he said, "I need it more than anybody. My district is the furthest away from City Hall."
Readers, weigh in!
Hey it's cool if we give them cars i have no problem with them having tax funded cars but that is all they get if they take a car they should pay for the insurance and tags and gas not us. so if you want the car take it but if you do you have to pay for all of the above cost.— ms
wow, this is why o'neil needs to go (and i'm a conservative). how entitled does he sound? i guess that's what 30+ yrs on the World's Worst Deliberative Body will do to you. why not get a septa transpass and catch the R7 at torresdale? i'm no fan of rubin, but this arrogant buffoon needs to go— oliver north- The Council members should get plain vanilla City cars, not special sedans that cost so much more.— Getinline
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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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