Group aims to put city charter issue on November ballot

A TEA-PARTY and clergy-led group is seeking voter approval on the Nov. 8 general-election ballot for a rewrite of the 60-year-old city charter.

The "We the People of Philadelphia Committee" sent the Philadelphia City Commission a letter Thursday saying it has gathered one-third of the 20,000 signatures from registered voters needed to put a question on the ballot.

The group wants voters to approve the creation of a "government study commission," the first step in a charter rewrite.

The group also sued the state in Commonwealth Court last week, claiming a state law that allows the mayor and City Council president to pick charter commission members is unconstitutional.

The group, which cites issues such as rising property taxes, failing public schools and the controversial Deferred Retirement Option Plan as reasons to rewrite the charter, wants the commission members to be elected.

The commission would draft a new charter, which would also have to be approved by voters.

Peter Wirs, a Republican committeeman acting as treasurer of the group, says he has raised "peanuts, pocket change" so far, but has reached out to conservative groups for funding.

The group aims to have 30,000 signatures by the Aug. 9 deadline to get on the ballot. Local tea-party activists are canvassing with petitions. The Pentecostal Clergy Political Action Committee plans to push the effort from the pulpit and has committed to collecting 10,000 signatures.

Ed Rendell tried as mayor to rewrite the charter in 1993 and 1994 with a commission headed by then-Council President John Street. The effort was rebuffed by a coalition of unions, community activists and environmentalists. It failed on the ballot by a vote margin of six-to-one.