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Thursday, January 8, 2009

Nutter: Obama Team Promised City Aid Before Speech

Mayor Nutter says Philly shouldn't panic because President-elect Obama didn't specificially speak about aid for cities during his economic adress. During a pre-speech briefing, a member of Obama's transition team pledged direct support to cities, Nutter said.

Nutter has pushed hard for direct financial support to cities in Obama's multi-billion stimulus package. He said he'd "continue to make the case that with such an overwhelming number of Americans living in cities and metro areas," the best way to create new jobs is "primarily by investing in cities."

Nutter also said he appreciated Obama's push for speedy action by congress on the stimulus package.

"The President-elect clearly laid out a case for a sense of urgency," Nutter said. "This is a dire circumstance and is going to get worse."

Posted by Catherine Lucey @ 1:50 PM Permalink | 4 comments

Comments

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 2:03 PM, 01/08/2009

But it's not going to be like the old days of blank checks from HUD. Nutter is still going to have to collect the $522 million in overdue property taxes and fix property tax assessments. If Nutter doesn't think he needs to get this money online now, he doesn't know how to do the simple math of the huge debt Obama inherits, and what Obama has to do to pay it off to jump start the economy. Then there is the Congressional battle. It could be four years before Obama gets this money to cities. Here's the money the city needs now: http://www.hallwatch.org/proptax/about/redelinq/stats/summary

— CleanupPhilly

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 2:10 PM, 01/08/2009

The Obama people are not stupid. They are not going to just forget to ask why the city holds so much property that could be paying property taxes, why does the RDA hold so much property for years at a time when it was given all of this HUD money to "redevelop." They're going to wonder why the Phila. Authority for Industrial Development is a top ten property tax delinquent, when it gets all this money to turn properties around. In other words, the Obama people are going to expect the city to grow a property tax base again, moving away from the thing that creates government funded blight, which is just Democrats giving Democrats money, with no follow up, no audit, no questions asked. Obama is not going to let PHA keep not paying property taxes (#18 on the top 100 Philly property tax deadbeat list is PHA). That's because it hurts the school's tax base. It's unsustainable. It's the dirty little secret of local Philly politics. Someday, I'm confident that local writers will have the courage to call it out and say this is not right because it defunds schools and libraries for cheap votes and friendly intraparty relations. Here's the money the city needs now, and Obama's folks know the score, because they are from a city that was just like that and changed: http://www.hallwatch.org/proptax/about/redelinq/stats/topdelinquents/mailingaddress

— CleanupPhilly

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 2:13 PM, 01/08/2009

Nutter has to do a better job with the assets at the city's disposal, and stop waiting for the magic money from heaven in a devastated federal economy. Do what Rendell did and sell the debt to a private collector, or better yet, fix the broken sheriff sale system to work at peak efficiency and go after the $522 million in uncollected property taxes: http://www.hallwatch.org/proptax/about/redelinq/stats/summary

— CleanupPhilly

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 2:17 PM, 01/08/2009

The press has to do a better job also, because the press is giving false credence to Nutter's claim that there just is no money to be had and we have to pray to the new golden Obama god. Here's the money. It's called property taxes. Say it with me, ppppprrrrr, prrrrrr. $522 million is owed the city, and it's real money that is paid in full every time a property is sold, and the city can sheriff this property. Wise up and deal. We have to be adults and do what every tiny county and school district does and start foreclosure proceedings on 130,000 properties that owe the city money. http://www.hallwatch.org/proptax/about/redelinq/stats/summary

— CleanupPhilly

4 comments

About The Philly Clout Team

Chris Brennan, a native Philadelphian and graduate of Temple University, joined the Daily News in 1999. He has written about SEPTA, the Philadelphia School District, the legalization of casino gambling, state government, the mayor, the governor, City Council and political campaigns.

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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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Catherine Lucey joined the Daily News in 2002 and has written about murderous drug gangs, political protesters and Harry Potter. After covering the 2007 mayoral election, she moved over to the City Hall bureau where she has been reporting on the Nutter administration.

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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.

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