In a time when we are increasingly worried about party polarization and the Republican Party’s extreme rightward swing, ADA is pleased to endorse good government candidates from both the Democratic and Republican parties.

The reign of Commissioner Marge Tartaglione is finally coming to a close after many decades. But reform will not be accomplished unless Democrat Stephanie Singer, who beat Tartaglione, replaces her as chairperson. The only way that can happen is if Republican Al Schmidt is elected instead of Republican incumbent, Joseph Duda. Otherwise incumbent Democrat Anthony Clark, a supporter of Tartaglione, will likely become Chair since Duda and Clark will vote for him.  ADA has found Al Schmidt to be intelligent, thoughtful, and dedicated to ensuring that registration and voting in Philadelphia proceed in an accessible, transparent, and accountable manner.  Vote Singer and Schmidt.

For City Council at- Large, we have endorsed the five Democratic candidates and Republican Dennis O’Brien.  Seven At-Large Councilpeople will be elected and we think that O’Brien, who served 16 terms in the State Legislature, recently working with Democrats on legislative reform proposals, will be an excellent addition to City Council.   O’Brien will bring a wealth of legislative experience to City Council, and a passionate concern for the city of Philadelphia and for public education.

We also endorse Mayor Nutter for a second term, both District Council candidates Maria Quinones Sanchez (District 7) and Cindy Bass (District 8), Katherine Boockvar for Commonwealth Court, and Diana Anhalt and Barbara McDermott for Philadelphia Common Pleas Court.

You will be asked to vote to retain sitting judges for another 10 years. All judges at the state level have been recommended by the Bar Association, but three Philadelphia judges have been rated unqualified: James M. Lynn and Robert Rebstock for Common Pleas Court and James DeLeon for Municipal Court.

The growing attacks from the right against abortion rights, gun control, immigrants, and environmental regulations need your vigilant attention and weekly contacts with your elected officials in Congress.

And we urge you to contact your State legislators and the Governor to oppose school vouchers, fracking and cuts in the staffing of state agencies that make it increasingly difficult for people in need to access services such as food stamps and energy assistance. Find your elected officials at: http://guide.seventy.org

ADA supports the Occupy Philadelphia movement across the nation and globe in opposition to growing income inequality, unemployment, foreclosures, and cuts in human services. People of all ages and ethnicities have joined this protest on the west side of City Hall in Philadelphia. Come and show your support.

It is sad to see how relevant these quotes from the FDR Memorial are today—some 80 years later:
“No country, however rich, can afford the waste of its human resources.
Demoralization caused by vast unemployment is our greatest extravagance.
Morally, it is the greatest menace to our social order.”

Please go to the polls on November 8th and demonstrate using the ballot box!

Commonwealth Court                         #102 Kathryn Boockvar

Philadelphia Common Pleas Court          #105 Diana Anhalt,  #111 Christopher Mallios, Jr.,# 112 Barbara McDermott, #123 Drew Aldinger,#138 Sayde Ladov

Mayor                                                         #164 Michael Nutter

City Commissioner                             #169 Stephanie Singer

Sheriff                                                         #173  John Kromer

Council at Large          #179  Blondell Reynolds Brown,  #180 Sherrie Cohen     #187 Andrew Toy

District Council               In two districts we recommend you pick from several candidates.

District 1                                               Vern Anastasio, Joe Grace, or Jeff Hornstein.

District 2                                               Barbara Capozzi

District 7                                               Maria Quinones Sanchez

District 8                                              Cindy Bass or Greg Paulmier

While these offices don’t have the stature of the presidency, they have great influence in our day-to-day lives as well as serious impact on our community wellbeing.  We know our ADA members will get out and vote.   We urge you also to increase voter participation in this important but often overlooked election by sharing these endorsements and recommendations with your friends and neighbors.

Glenavie Norton

Chair

Philadelphia has had many political and community activists over the years. We have had only one Lenora Berson.

Lenora died earlier this month at the age of 83. She was an impassioned advocate who could teach a class, do social work, organize testimony and demonstrations,write speeches, lobby elected officials, initiate candidacies for public office, mastermind election campaigns, write articles and books, take photographs worthy of being shown in art galleries, promote Philadelphia’s hidden gems, and organize events to promote the city that no else had thought of.

She was a woman of many ideas, some of which contradicted each other. But she would work through the contradictions, and arrive at courses of action. She was an activist centrist liberal Democrat, who helped interest both my father and Angel Ortiz in being council members at large, and continuously worked for candidates in tune with her ideas. She helped organize the Center City Reform Democrats, and was a key stratgist and organizer of her husband Norman Berson campaigns for the state house from 1966 through 1980, and Babette Joseph’s campaigns from 1982 onward.

There was always passsion behind her judgment, and the willingness to put in a great amount of time and effort for a cause that engaged her passions. She was a mainstay of the Americans for Democratic Action’s Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter, and she helped it achieve a powerful second act as a leader of the anti-Rizzo and post-Rizzo reform movements long after its initial heroes Joe Clark (an early Chairman of the group) and Richardson Dilworth had left the scene.

Most important perhaps was her belief in Center City as a neighborhood and residential destination. Her mother had co-founded the Center City Residents Association after World War II, and when she and Norman settled in Center City after getting married, it was a decision that some questioned. Why live in such a dubious neighborhood, friends wanted to know. But she believed in Center City’s potential from the start, and patiently outlasted those who saw it as a future slum. When its success as a neighborhood had been assured, she redoubled her efforts to make sure that the interests of residents did not get lost in the shuffle. She was as tenacious as a zoning advocate as she was tenacious in so much else.

As her restless, fertile mind race from position to position, from action to action, from cause to cause, it is unlikely that anyone agreed with her 100% of the time. Frank Rizzo met her and seemed to want to throttle her, she said. Michael Nutter joked to about 250 people at her memorial service today that until she died, he was always scared of her. Her energy and passion were valuable to any cause she agreed with, and a threat to any cause she opposed. In arenas with strong personalities, hers was one of the strongest.

Benjamin Franklin was likely the first to say that the highest office in the United States is that of citizen. Her life and multiple careers exemplified that. Those who know will miss her goadings to action, her achievements,her analyses, her support. And Philadelphia as a whole will miss a woman who saw possibilities and made them realities decade after decade.

This is an absolutely critical election!  The outcome means control of the US Congress, the PA Governor, the PA House and the re- districting of legislative districts.  If the Republicans gain control in Washington, we can say goodbye to the reforms undertaken by President Obama and hello to the right-wing Tea Party fringe with its promises to undermine Social Security, Medicare, environmental and health care reforms, unemployment benefits, and stimulus spending, and return us to the Bush/Cheney era of no social safety net and no regulation.

At the State level, redistricting controlled by the legislature and the Governor will have a huge impact for the next decade, since districts are drawn after each census. The last time the Republicans controlled redistricting they gave us districts spanning 4 counties and gerrymandered many districts so that no real competition was possible. As we have learned the hard way, safe seats too often guarantee unsafe public policies and a diminished democratic process.

We understand how frustrated and angry people are over continued high unemployment, our hyper-partisan Congress, the buying of elections by wealthy interest groups and individuals, the disastrous Supreme Court ruling on campaign spending, the growing deficit that Obama inherited from Bush/Cheney years, and the persistent notion that we can have an effective and caring society without paying for it or without a functioning government that regulates corporate excesses.

Obama has achieved much in the past two years and without the “just say NO” Republicans, he could have done so much more.  We cannot allow the slim Democratic margin in the US Congress to become undone.

This is not an election to parse candidates on any single issue. We must, as Obama said at a recent rally for Sestak –vote D for drive, not R for reverse!

The Tea Party Republicans will vote come rain or snow.  They have a dangerous agenda and have fielded extreme right-wing candidates. Your vote can help stop them from undoing gains we’ve made in the short period of time since President  Obama was elected. Every Democratic vote counts!

Please do all you can by voting, donating and volunteering for the Democratic candidates in your district and for Joe Sestak for Senate and Dan Onorato for Governor.

Sincerely,

Glenavie Norton

Welcome also to the fall. We have two very important races for governor and for senator. More on these races will be posted shortly.

We look forward also to the spring primaries with races for city council and mayor. These positions have never been more important than now.

There is much to do! And much to discuss. Let’s begin now.

# 2 Would make the commissioner of the Department of Licenses and Inspections an alternate member of the Zoning Board of Adjustment.

#3 Would disband the Board of Revision of Taxes (BRT) and split its duties between two new entities–one for property assessment and one for appeals.

#4 Would allow the city to borrow $65 million for capital expenses.

Global Warming: At the G20 summit in September 2009,the countries present made a commitment to end subsidies for fossil fuel. What will you do to eliminate these subsidies? How will you protect the most vulnerable people from the resulting rise in fuel costs?

I support President Obama’s efforts to transition our economy away from fossil fuels and toward a more renewable and sustainable energy policy including the gradual elimination of fossil fuel subsidies and greater investment in the development and deployment of renewable power. To accomplish such a transition and to do so in a way that minimizes or even eliminates the negative impact on the most vulnerable, I support its inclusion in a comprehensive energy bill, such as the one I voted for that passed the House of Representative last June, the American Clean Energy and Security Act.

For too long, this country has been without a comprehensive energy policy. I voted for ACES because it takes a number of important steps that will wean our country off of foreign oil; create millions of new clean energy jobs, save consumers hundreds of billions of dollars in energy costs, restore this nation’s global leadership role in efforts to reduce emissions and the effects of global warming. This is first and foremost about our national economic security, but it also addresses the moral imperative to reduce climate change for our grandchildren.

During my 31 years in the Navy, I patrolled the strategic pipelines that supply oil to this Nation and I saw firsthand the expense and risk involved. To support this Nation’s energy independence, ACES will cut the use of oil and petroleum products by 1.4 million barrels a day by 2030, while improving energy efficiency by about 5 percent in 2020. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) has calculated that the House-passed bill reduces consumption of oil by 344 million barrels in the year 2030 alone. That is a reduction of more than 12 percent of predicted imports for the same year without the bill.) We must achieve an unprecedented transition to an economy built on alternative, clean, and renewable power.

This bill will have costs, but four separate studies by the EPA, Congressional Budget Office (CBO), Energy Information Administration (EIA), and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have found that the initial cost per household will be less than a postage stamp a day or less than one-quarter of one percent of a household’s annual after-tax income. (EIA estimates a cost of just $83 per year per household – or a dime a day per person). More specifically to the point of this question, the approaches included in ACES were found to actually result in a cost savings for those families in the bottom 20 percentile.

One area that I support additional government assistance is helping to build the infrastructure and demand for natural gas as a substitute for more polluting fossil fuels. Use of natural gas can cut carbon emissions in half and help boost domestic economies through the reasonable development of domestic sources. While this is not a long-term solution, it is a way in the short-term how we can begin to transition away from more tradition and more heavily polluting fuel sources.

Health Care Reform: Do you support the public option? If not, what do you propose to assure health care for all Americans?

I support the public option. I believe we need a health care system that ensures every American has affordable, accessible and quality care through a shared duty between society and government. The best way to do this is with a system in which structured competition and transparency of standards ultimately discipline costs while providing high quality care. I sent a letter to Majority Leader Reid stressing the need for a public option, even if it takes reconciliation to pass it.

Gridlock in Washington: What ideas do you have for ending gridlock in the Senate and getting Republicans to work with Democrats for the good of the country?

I am fortunate to represent the district in which I grew up—a district composed of only 38 percent registered Democrats. As such, I am acutely aware of the importance of working across the aisle, as I represent Democrats, Republican, Independents, and the non-registered as well as those who do not belong to traditional political parties. I believe that divisive rhetoric and stubbornness obstruct the political process and stifle efforts to improve the quality of life of those Americans who elected us to serve in the People’s House.

Therefore, I have been committed to practicing a bipartisan leadership style, wherein myriad views are heard, respected and considered before ultimate decisions are reached. I recognize that we need a hard debate of ideas, but that debate must be fueled by a true desire to work together, coupled with the necessary willingness to change and to compromise to achieve our goals.

While I believe the overall goals for America are often the same for the Democratic and Republican parties, I believe the tactic with which we respectively approach our colleagues on the other side of the aisle must change if we are we are to achieve these goals, together, as one nation. Engaging in a spirit of bipartisanship is the only way to get things done that have an enduring impact.

Our nation faced division in the 1960s over myriad issues but—led by President Lyndon Johnson, a Democrat, and Senator Everett Dirksen, a Republican—compromised to build a coalition and enact the Civil Rights Act of 1964. When speaking out for cloture on that bill, Dirksen reflected on the lessons learned a century earlier in the Civil War, and cited President Lincoln when he noted: “The occasion is piled high with difficulty and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew. We must first disenthrall ourselves and then we shall save the Union.”

I believe this ability to compromise—to “act anew”—is critical with regard to so many defining issues of our generation, from the war in Iraq to healthcare for our nation’s children. Without it, we may make a lot of headlines and provide a rallying cry for the party faithful, but we will do little improve the lives of the men, women and children of this nation.

During my time in Congress I have seen the best examples of bipartisanship as well as the failures when we do not achieve that goal. The House passed a critical economic stimulus package when Democrats and Republicans each gave way a bit, so that we could find a common ground and help the American people in a time of economic uncertainty. Yet our government is squandering an opportunity at bipartisan compromise in failing to pull together to pass comprehensive healthcare reform.

Our nation faces a rising debt, and we must invest in changed priorities to ensure the health, education, defense, economic and energy security of the United States. What is urgently needed to address these and other important issues is a bipartisan approach that values investment in an accountable manner.

These examples of what I have seen in my time in Congress, both good and bad, serve as lessons learned on bi-partisanship and provide us with excellent examples for moving forward. What I see ahead are the opportunities we have— from issues ranging from education opportunities for our nation’s youth to energy independence—to work together in a bipartisan manner to truly raise the quality of life in this country, thus ensuring our own best national security. At the end of the day, however, after trying to do our best on this issue, good policy—if we truly have tried bipartisanship—should not be sacrificed at the altar of bipartisanship.

Guantanamo: Where do you stand on the closing of Guantanamo? What should happen to the people currently imprisoned there?

I believe that it is time to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay. It has proven ineffective in bringing our enemies to justice, incited those who would do us harm, diminished our standing in the world and weakened our national security.

We need to try these people in criminal court. I was stationed at the Pentagon when 9/11 happened. How can we even think about letting terrorists force us to abandon our principles? Keeping them in a black hole away from the rule of law? I defended this nation because I honestly believed it was “a national of laws, and not of men.” What better way to show the resolve of this nation than to bring them into the court system, to show them the strength of America, that the rule of law will show them they were wrong and throw away the keys once they’ve been brought to justice, it’s the right thing to do. In 2007 I introduced legislation to restore habeas corpus review to Guantanamo detainees.

Economy: What do you believe are the most effective means of job creation?

As Vice-chairman of the House Small Business Committee, I strongly believe that to ensure a lasting and sustainable economic expansion that provides security to all Americans, we must focus on job creation through small business development. This must now be our nation’s highest immediate economic priority.

To return our employment rate to healthy levels we need to create almost 11 million jobs by the end of 2011 — nearly 600,000 jobs every month. It can be done, as it was under President Truman in the 1950s, but it is going to take a committed and concerted effort. We have to act quickly.

The economic stimulus passed last February has helped, but we missed an opportunity to stimulate real job growth when Congress allowed a few Senators, led by Sen. Arlen Specter, to highjack the bill, cutting billions for state aid and job-creating infrastructure projects. As I pointed out at the time, independent economic modeling clearly showed that those additional funds would have created millions of needed jobs. That money should have been included in the original package, and now we must move quickly to repair the mistake with a targeted “economic stimulus” that guarantees affordable and accessible loans for small business entrepreneurs.

We know from past periods of economic expansion that the most effective way to create jobs is through small business. Over the past decade, small businesses created as much as 80 percent of new jobs. During the last period of economic expansion, firms with fewer than 20 employees, which account for only a quarter of overall employment, created 40 percent of new jobs.

If we’re serious about restoring the job market we have to get serious about supporting small and start-up businesses. The stock market may be trading above 10,000, but none of America’s job-creating small businesses are represented in the Dow Jones.

That is why, as Vice Chairman of the House Small Business Committee, I have introduced the JOBS Act to provide a 15 percent tax credit to small businesses that hire new workers over the next two years. This investment, according to the Economic Policy Institute, will create millions of new jobs and will help boost our GDP, resulting in increased revenues we can then put toward paying down the federal debt, securing the economy for future generations.

And we must do more.

To get credit flowing again to small businesses we need a four-tiered plan that enhances lending programs at the Small Business Administration (SBA), expands upon successful state “work-share programs,” extends relief to state budgets, and protects working families.

First, expanding SBA lending is essential to alleviating the credit crunch small firms still face. We should increase the maximum SBA loan size to $5 million and raise the cap on SBA microloans to at least $50,000. To attract lenders, we should also increase the interest-rate cap and guarantee level for these loans.

Second, state work-share programs are proven methods to save jobs. Instead of laying off workers, employers reduce their weekly hours and pay and then states make up the difference with unemployment benefits. Seventeen states operate some form of a work-share program, keeping Americans in their jobs and saving employers the cost of rehiring and training new employees.

Third, we must invest in state and local governments to close the $160 billion gap in state budgets. Economists estimate that state cutbacks will severely reduce economic growth and cost the nation approximately 700,000 jobs. This must be avoided by extending federal Medicaid assistance and expanding funding for infrastructure projects, especially school repair and maintenance.

Finally, relief for workers who lose their jobs through 2010 will protect working families who are struggling and is critical to ensure consumer spending and confidence. Beyond extending unemployment insurance benefits, we should also expand COBRA health care coverage subsidies for workers. Legislation that I have introduced would temporarily extend subsidized coverage from nine to 15 months and provide an extra six months of undiscounted coverage.

As millions of Americans facing unemployment know, the only real measure of an economic recovery is jobs — for themselves, their families, and their communities. Our recovery won’t be measured in GDP or stock market gains. It’s going to be measured in the number of Americans going back to work.

Afghanistan: Do you support the Administration’s approach to the war in Afghanistan? If not, what would you do differently?

I support President Obama’s call for additional troops and funding for the war in Afghanistan on the condition that clear benchmarks are established which trigger an alternative or exit strategy when certain conditions are met or fail to be met. As the first Director of “Deep Blue,” the Navy’s strategic anti-terrorism group formed in response to 9/11, I understand that we must focus our efforts on the fight against Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the real frontline in the war against terrorism. For too long our attention to this mission was diverted by the tragic misadventure in Iraq.

To the Members of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter of American for Democratic Action:

I thank you for the opportunity to respond to your Candidate’s Questionnaire. I won election in 2008 to serve as State Representative of the 190th District. The 190th extends from West Philadelphia to North Philadelphia and includes a variety of communities: Belmont, Carroll Park, Cathedral Park, Mill Creek, Haddington, East Parkside, West Powleton, Strawberry Mansion, Allegheny West and Lehigh West.

In my first year in office I have been working diligently to understand the legislative process to better serve my constituents, who like so many Philadelphians are in dire need of state services to expand excess to healthcare, crime prevention, economic development, quality education and job opportunities. On April 15, I announced the award of $2 million to my district. One $1million was granted to Spectrum Health Services and $1million was provided to Smith Playground & Playhouse. Both these programs are examples of my work to provide improved delivery of healthcare services and provide safe play areas for children and families.

• If elected, what are the top 2 issues you would focus on in the next term and why?

I plan to continue to work for expand community services in my district, and I will prioritize community development, and focus on education, especially parental involvement in education and child rearing.

Few things are more vital to the economic health and stability of a community than the development of its commercial corridors. When neighborhood shopping is safe, convenient and accessible, more people shop in their neighborhoods. I opened my West Philadelphia campaign office at Haddington Plaza, where The Leon H. Sullivan Charitable Trust has partnered with Save-A Lot to open a new supermarket. Neighborhood investment should be encouraged and rewarded, and in my next term I will continue to work to bring businesses and jobs to my district.

• What is your position on the Marcellus Shale?

The Marcellus Shale project – allowing commercial drilling of natural gas on Pennsylvania State Forest Lands – is an issue greatly impacting counties in the western part of the state. I am opposed to drilling of public lands which may put residents at risk. The Marcellus Shale project has received violations from the Department of Environmental Protection. On April 19, 2010 the House Appropriations voted out of Committee Bill 2235 that calls for a moratorium on further leasing of state forest lands for projects similar to Marcellus Shale. I support that legislation and I will vote for it if is put forth to a vote by the General Assembly.

• What is your position on campaign finance reform?

To the extent that money – and the question of whether a candidate can raise vast sums of money – is a corrupting influence on our system of politics, campaign finance reform can be an effective tool in limiting the influence of money in a political race. I would support any common sense reform measure which is proven to work, and which would allow both candidates and incumbents to focus on the issues, rather than fundraising.

•.What is your position on gun control?

I believe the state legislature can work directly with neighbors and local police districts in identifying the community’s illegal gun merchants and putting them out of business.

Weapons offenses should be prosecuted swiftly and consistently, with the goal of keeping guns off our streets. Felons who use a gun in the commission of a crime should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, whether that gun is fired or not.

The state legislature must work to enact simple, common sense gun laws that work for urban, suburban and rural communities. Handgun violence, for example, is a priority for cities, while many rural districts fear government encroachment on the ability to legally own firearms. I intend to work diligently throughout my second term to work for gun control laws which keep guns out of the hands of criminals and off our streets.

• What is your view on how the state should support public education? Should vouchers play a role?

The state’s educational funding formula is deeply flawed. Often schools with the greatest needs are lacking basic educational resources, while others have an abundance. In my next term of office, I will dedicate myself to working on legislation and partnerships which bring improved resources to public schools. Our priority should be to improve our schools, and make them safe for our children. We must expand after school programs, and make education the main priority in our children’s lives. That means more parental involvement. We are going to make programs available for parents, so that when they do reach out, someone is there to help.

While vouchers may or may not play a role in Pennsylvania’s public school future, it is important to allow parents as much choice in their children’s education as possible. I support the current system of charter and alternative schools, although I feel the system should be better monitored and regulated.