COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA PUBLIC HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - - - Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Monday, December 4, 2000 6:05 p.m. - - - BILL NO.'s: 705, 706, 721, 722, 723, 724, 725, 729, 730, 731, 732 733 Related to New Stadiums (Full text of all bills attached hereto.) PRESENT: COUNCIL PRESIDENT ANNA C. VERNA, Chair COUNCILWOMAN JANNIE BLACKWELL, Vice Chair COUNCILWOMAN BLONDELL REYNOLDS BROWN COUNCILMAN DARRELL L. CLARKE COUNCILMAN DAVID COHEN COUNCILMAN FRANK J. DICICCO COUNCILMAN W. WILSON GOODE, JR. COUNCILMAN JAMES F. KENNEY COUNCILMAN W. THACHER LONGSTRETH COUNCILMAN RICHARD T. MARIANO COUNCILWOMAN DONNA REED MILLER COUNCILMAN MICHAEL A. NUTTER COUNCILMAN ANGEL L. ORTIZ COUNCILMAN FRANK RIZZO - - - VINCENT VARALLO ASSOCIATES, INC. Registered Professional Reporters Eleven Penn Center, Suite 600 Philadelphia, PA 19103 (215) 561-2220 2 12/4/2000 - WHOLE - STADIUM HEARINGS I N D E X George Thomas Casey, President. . . . . . . . Local Philadelphia Firefighters 5 University City High School 6 Lurline Jones, Athletic Director, Coach . . . 9 Kevin Robinson, Student Council President . . 13 7 Kosime Griffin-El, School Newspaper Editor. . 15 8 Asian Americans United Paul E. Choy, College Student . . . . . . . . 17 9 Jennie Som, Central High School Student . . . 19 Linda Chung, Central High School Student. . . 20 10 Anh Ha, Northeast High School Student . . . . 22 11 Harry Cattry, Central High School Student . . 24 12 Joe Dannhue, Central High School Student. . . 28 13 Carmella Brown, Central High School Student 30 14 Citywide Youth LaKeesha Jenkins, Student . . . . . . . . . . 35 15 Sharee Kellum, Student. . . . . . . . . . . . 36 James Workston, Student . . . . . . . . . . . 37 16 William Mackie, Director. . . . . . . . . . . 39 17 Tobin Rich, Private Citizen . . . . . . . . . 44 18 Omjasis Kentu, Grassroots Political Network 49 19 Naomi Post-Street, Exec. Dir., Safe and Sound 58 20 Cheryl Oakman, United Way Center for Youth Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 21 Julio Paz Y Mino, Crime Prevention Association 66 22 Shelly Yanoff, PCCY . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Jihad Ali, United Minority Enterprise Assoc. 73 Teri Simon, Vice Chair, Southeastern Pennsylvania Americans for Democratic Action . . . . . . . 77 3 12/4/2000 - WHOLE - STADIUM HEARINGS (Index, cont'd.) Page The Greens of Philadelphia Kevin Murphy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Gene Miller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Scott Maits, Philadelphia Trolley Coalition 97 Megan Hand, William Penn High Student . . . . 105 Frannie Breen, William Penn High Teacher. . . 105 Saul Haas, Retired Philadelphia School Teacher 117 Evelyn Haas, Spouse of Saul Haas. . . . . . . 121 Michael McGettigan, Private Citizen. . . . . . 122 Jean Allen, Temple University Professor. . . . 127 J. Hogan, Philadelphia Democratic Socialists 128 Tina Nelsen, CEPA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 Saul Berger, Private Citizen . . . . . . . . . 137 J. Shields, Organizing Dir., SEIU Local 36 . . 139 R. Ash, Stop Giveaways to Sports Team Owners 143 Forrest Wright, Consumers Education and Protection Association . . . . . . . . . . . . 148 Mary Blazik, CEPA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 4 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 P R O C E E D I N G S
Good evening, everyone and welcome. This is the continued public hearing of the Committee of the Whole regarding Bill No.'s 705, 706, 721, 722, 723, 724, 725, 725, 729, 730, 731, 732, and 733. Our first witness will be. . . ?
Good evening, Mr. Casey. Please identify yourself for the record and proceed with your testimony.
My name is George Thomas Casey, President of Local Philadelphia 16 Firefighters. 17 (Audience members cheer.) 18
Thank you, Lady Chair. 21 These are the members of the Local 22 22 of the Philadelphia Fire Department to protect the City hours a day, 7 days a week. We believe 24 that this contract that we won, binding arbitration, that the City should abide by it. 5 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 They're breaking the law right now because they're trying to hit us with the PICA agreement and with a $300 million budget. I can't see where they're running out of money. If they're going to spend money on stadiums, if they're going to give PGW $45 million to bail themselves out, how about the hard-working men who protect the people of this city? (Audience members cheer.)
I am wearing the color red because of my brothers who caught hepatitis C from the bloodborne diseases that we catch. We catch cancer -- in the last two months, I had nine firefighters come in with cancer, and Mayor Street still wants to cut our health benefits. I can't believe this administration, I can't believe him. He lied to the AFL-CIO Convention in Philadelphia when I was there. When I was standing in the audience, he said that he wanted us to have a fair contract. Well, we got a fair contract by binding arbitration, and he's ignoring it, and I think it's a complete disgrace. (Audience members cheer and applaud.)
I just would like to thank 6 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 City Council for standing behind us 100 percent. I know you people have a hard time with Mayor Street and everything, but we -- the Philadelphia Fire Department wants to thank you for your 100 percent cooperation in this matter. (Audience members cheer and applaud.)
Are there any comments or questions? The Chair recognizes Councilman Kenney.
Madam President, thank you very much. We are planning now and preparing an amicus brief for the court to accompany the firefighters and Local 22's lawsuit against the City to force -- to ask a judge to force the City to impose that contract. I've circulated a memorandum to each Councilmember and laid it on their desk today to ask them to become part of this brief, this amicus brief, to support the firefighters in court. Tomorrow, I believe, they're filing their action, and we're asking every member of Council to sign on as a friend of the court in support of our firefighters and their fair 7 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 contract. Thank you. (Audience members cheer.)
Let's put it this way: Let's be gentlemen, we're all gentlemen, we're Philadelphia firefighters, let's show some class. We don't want to be like the other groups that come into this hall.
Mr. Casey -- The Chair recognizes Councilman Cohen.
I think what Councilman Kenney has said will happen is an excellent idea. I think at every stage of every case involving the firefighters, City Council ought to be in. And on Thursday, I'm going to be introducing a resolution calling upon City Council to employ counsel in order to appear in court whenever the City takes action against the firefighters so that City Council will always be on record in support fully of the firefighters. 8 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 We think what the Mayor is doing is dead-wrong. (Audience members cheer.)
Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm in total agreement with the comments of my colleagues. And I have already told Councilman Kenney that my name will go on the lawsuit, and I expect that -- and I do suggest that all of my colleagues, so that we can make it as unanimous, as a unanimous body, join in this lawsuit on behalf of the firefighters. (Applause.)
Lurline Jones, University City High School. (Witnesses come forward.)
We have a very extensive list of witnesses, and I would like 9 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 to limit you each to three minutes so that we could hear everybody who came in tonight to testify. So kindly identify yourself for the record and proceed with your testimony.
My name is Lurline Jones. I am the athletic director, coach, and department chairperson at University City High School. I am here this evening, I'm representing University City High School, William Penn High School, Overbrook High School, because we feel very strongly that if we know that the stadiums are going to get built, and they're going to get built on the backs of the taxpayers in Philadelphia. However, if you're going to do that, then we suggest that you talk to all of these teams, or you add a rider onto the bill that will allow for the children of Philadelphia to have their after-school programs in a safe place and that the athletics teams of these three schools will have a place to play, not just the stadiums. I can't understand why we spend so much money for a stadium that's going to be used only eight times a year. 10 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 I sincerely hope -- and I have a letter here that outlines everything that you need to do in terms of these stadiums. But it seems to me that Mayor Street, when he became the mayor of Philadelphia, he said this is "The Year of the Child". I have yet to see what he has done for the children of Philadelphia. (Applause.)
The young men and women who play sports are not just playing in many cases just for the sake of sports, but it gives them --
I'm sorry. Many of our visitors are leaving and it's difficult hearing you. Why don't we give them a few seconds to leave quietly then you can continue on with your testimony. - - -
For the most part, the average wage-earner in Philadelphia would be unable to attend an Eagles game with the high cost of tickets, food, and parking. The stadiums are being built with luxury and sky boxes that are out 11 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 of the reach of the general population. For one adult, it's close to $125 at a stadium now. Give them 85 (unintelligible) and let them go and see what you have. It is time for the City Council and the Mayor to concentrate on the Philadelphians that elected you. The majority of season ticket- holders come from the States of New Jersey, Delaware, and the five counties surrounding Philadelphia. I would like to offer a small solution that would make this bill more attractive. In Philadelphia, there are high schools with rich sports traditions but that have no access to stadiums, to fields or to tracks. These schools are University City, Overbrook, and William Penn. As a stakeholder in Philadelphia, because I believe that -- as I tell a lot of people, I'm Philadelphia-born, I'm Philadelphia-bred, and when I die, I'll be Philadelphia-dead, and I want to see Philadelphia to do the right thing. (Applause.)
I feel that the students and athletes in Philadelphia would be able to look 12 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 forward in playing in these facilities, and I strongly feel that the professional sports organizations should give back to the community in which they play and earn a lucrative salary. (Applause.)
I would like to make the following proposal: that all high schools in Philadelphia -- Catholic, parochial, all public -- without fields or tracks have such a facility provided and funded through the stadium bill; that funds be set aside for the maintenance of these fields; that all high school championships should be allowed to use the stadiums without cost. It's the rationale that would create jobs for minorities, opportunities for students athletes to compete in the new stadiums. If I could be of further assistance so that you can understand exactly what I would like for you to do, I will be available to speak to any member of Council. Then I would like to yield to the President of University City High School student government and to the school's newspaper editor.
Thank you. 13 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 Before you start -- (Applause.)
Excuse me. Would the young people standing in the back, there are seats available to my right. Kindly identify yourself for the record and proceed with your testimony.
Yes, my name is Kevin Robinson. I'm the School President as well as the Senior President, and I'm involved in a lot of activities. I would like to support my coach, 'cause I run track as well. I believe the theme of this issue will be building a better community for students of Philadelphia. The children of Philadelphia deserve the best of what the nation has to offer. University City High School was built in 1971, without a stadium. Our school has tried our best to convince Philadelphia that our students need a field. Funds for our education is insufficient. University City High School has 2,390 students. Our students like personal attention. There is only four counselors in 14 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 University. Each has the responsibility of 500 students. Our last superintendent Mr. Hornbeck believed strongly in community involvement and school pride. The majority of the students of Philadelphia public schools come from families of low income. My family has never attended a sporting event at the old stadium because tickets range from $65 and higher. My family and I could never really benefit from the stadium. Building a field will help our school economically as well as help us raise funds for different sorts of events, like games. This field will also help build community involvement. Many of our parents cannot even come to even pick up our report cards because they work in the evening, so this will give them a chance to come and see where we're excelling at school on the weekends, at an event or game that's going on. Our parents' community involvement will encourage us to achieve more in sports along with academics. We could also hold college (unintelligible) on our football field, guest speakers to come and motivate our community to 15 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 help parents encourage students to excel at everything. This is one thing to improve the schools, this is another venue to get students to excel.
Hello. My name is Kosime Griffin-El, and I'm a senior at University High School as well as the school newspaper (sic), and I would like to just piggyback on what Miss Lurline Jones said. When Mayor Street was elected to office, one of the things that he said was that this is "The Year of the Child," yet the only thing I hear him talk about is the stadiums. It seems more like "The Year of the Stadium." This is another case of politicians giving us, the voters, empty promises. Mayor Street must keep his promises to us, the children. We live in a age where athletes are paid millions of dollars from their owners. If the owners could spend millions of dollars on these athletes, then let them spends millions of dollars in building their own stadium. 16 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 (Audience members cheer.)
We, the children of Philadelphia, need more resources. I ask you, who needs $54 million the most -- the filthy rich or the children of Philadelphia? Thank you.
Thank you, Madam President. I would like to thank the students and certainly Lurline Jones. Many of you recognize her. Every year she comes to testify on the budget. She's been committed with the students from University City and around the City for as long as I've know her, since I was teaching in those days. And, certainly, we thank you for your commitment and thank the students. (Applause.)
Thank you very much. Our next witness? 17 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2
I just wanted to add a word to the students. It's great to see young speaking up for their rights, speaking up for the schools, speaking up for the sports. But the schools need much more than the sports teams need. Thank you very much for being here tonight. (Applause.)
The next witness is Lei Har Chung, with additional members from the Asian Americans United. (Witnesses come forward.)
Good evening. Would you kindly identify yourself for the record and proceed with your testimony.
Yes. My name is Paul E. Choy, and I'm a resident of South Philly, and we're all here today the speak about, like, the priorities of the City and where this money is 18 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 being put. It's, like, the schools that we go to now, you know, I mean, I'm not in high school no 5 more, I'm in college. But being from like jumping from high school to college, I saw how, like, under-funded and how, like, unprepared I was, you know? A lot of people in the suburban schools, they have the money to, like, do whatever. But the City ain't putting their priorities right. They're putting all of this money into the stadium. I mean, it's great now it's not in Chinatown, but the stadium is still there, you know, the issue, or whatever. And all of this money and all of this resources is being put in there but not in the schools. I mean, little John can't, like, write his own name, and you want to, like tell him it's okay to swing a baseball. I mean, can he, like -- can he, like, live through life just with that, you know, with, like, the priorities of education ain't worth nothing. It's -- it's really, like -- it really, like, upsets me because I have, like, brothers and sisters in the school system too, and the schools 19 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 are, like, falling apart. I mean, teachers, good teachers, are leaving the City, and it's just so -- so, like, messed up. And the words I really want to express, I can't suppress because -- I mean, they're so, like, deep. Yeah.
Is there anyone else in your group that wants to testify.
City Council of Philadelphia, I am a 12-grade student at Central High School --
Excuse me. Please identify yourself for the record.
My name is Jennie Som. I'm a 12th grade student at Central High School. I supported Chinatown in the fight to stop the stadium from being built at 11th and Vine. We won the battle, but the war isn't over. All this money that you are using to fund the new stadiums should be used otherwise. This money should be invested in making the schools a better place for us, the children, the future, not 20 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 stadiums. Money for new stadiums should come from the professional teams, not from the pocket of the taxpayers. (Audience members cheer.)
As taxpayers, we have a right to proper use of our money. Stadium funding is not proper use of our money; education is. So how do you fund education? Updated textbooks, computers, desks, increased teachers' salaries, school renovations, scholarships, and extracurricular activities. So, City Council of Philadelphia, please, in creating your budget, ask yourself this question: What is more important to you, maximizing our students' education, our future, yours and mine, or funding professional sports? (Applause.)
Thank you. Please identify yourself for the record and proceed with your testimony.
My name is Linda Chung, and I'm a senior at Central High School. I've been in the Philadelphia public school system ever since I began school. And during these years, I've seen 21 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 valuable programs get cut, students having to purchase their own textbooks and provide their own paper for tests. It seems like schools are lacking more and more money every year. Schools are being neglected. Um. . . uh. . .
Oh, okay. The City wants to build stadiums, when the school, they need more money because every year, there's more students in the school system with increased population. And like -- but instead of getting more money so we could hire more teachers for us, classes are getting bigger and bigger and students can't learn, and, um, um. . . And students don't want to teach (sic) because they're not getting enough money. And, um. . . and, um, yeah. . . and. . . (Applause.)
And so. . . And so, you know, schools really need money, and we're not, like, getting enough so, you know, that's all.
Thank you. Thank you very much. (Applause.) 22 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2
Good evening, City Council members. My name is Anh Ha, and I am a senior at Northeast High School, and I'm here tonight to express my strong opposition of the building of the new stadiums. I'm a senior now and have attended Philadelphia public schools for all my years of education. And throughout my years of education, have lacked the proper materials needed to ensure a quality education. And though I will be out of the school system by the end of this year, this school year, as I am the oldest child of three and I have a younger brother and sister who still have quite many years to go within the school system, and they too are lacking the materials they need such as a sufficient amount of books and papers that are necessary for them to learn. And I'm sure that this situation that they are in, many hundreds and thousands of students within the school system are in as well. I was a part of the coalition against the stadium in Chinatown and I was very pleased with the 23 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 decisions Council has made to not have the stadium on 12th and Vine, but one of my main objections, though, there was many to the stadium being built, was the amount of funding that the stadiums would receive and the lack of funding that the school system has received. (Applause.)
Are stadiums more important than the financing of our children's education? The priorities of the City should -- hold on, I'm sorry, I'm just kind of nervous. Okay.
Okay, I'm here tonight just to say that all of the money that you guys are willing to spend for the stadiums should be spent on schools. Why should the school students have to suffer. Lack of books and lack of papers to learn? These are not luxuries; these are necessities. And for you to spend over $1 billion to support stadiums and stuff like, you should be putting it into schools and everything. If you can come up with money for stadiums, then you can come up with money for schools. Over $1 billion? 24 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 And then -- (Applause.)
Over $1 billion. I understand that school is not -- the school system is funded through property tax, but I'm saying if you could come up with over $1 billion for stadiums, then you should have more than enough money to get the School District out of their debt, and --
Good evening. Please identify yourself for the record and proceed with your testimony.
My name is Harry Cattry (ph.), I'm (ph.). I'm a freshman at Central High School. I've been a part of the Philadelphia School District for the past nine years. I've lived here all of my life. I've been through -- I went to the Gilbert Spruance Elementary School. I've had many great teachers, I've had a lot of great experiences in the Philadelphia School District. But I've experienced, been a part of, 25 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 and went through a lot of these different classrooms. We have kids in closets. We have ten to twelve kids put into closets that were made for keeping in mops and brooms. We have kids with not even enough textbooks sharing, we have kids sharing textbooks, we have kids with textbooks which are from the 1960s. The information that is in these textbooks is not even sufficient to fill the needs and to give the knowledge to the kids which they need. We are the future -- me, him, this kid standing next to me, him. We're all the future of the City of Philadelphia. What's more important is the future of this City rather than a stadium. That is going to entertain us, but these schools, the money that you're going to be putting into these schools are going to educate us kids and are going to help us get through our lives and give something back to the City of Philadelphia. People are moving out of the City because they're afraid that their kids aren't getting the proper education inside the City of Philadelphia. (Applause.)
What we need is to fund /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 the schools with the amount of money they need so that all of the students can go home on a -- go home feeling happy about themselves, go home that, yeah, they have a future. Yes, they will be able to play the games that they need to play in order to relieve the mental stress that they are put through every day. The kids in schools, they need different sports teams, different sports activities, they need to have fun. Kids are kids. They need to know what they're going to need to know to get through their lives. They're going to need the relieve stress that they're put through these days in the City of Philadelphia. This stadium is going to be funded for all of the sports players, but they already have money. They have enough money to send their kids to school, to have all of the fun in the world. Us kids are just standing up for what we believe is right. We believe that we need the money to ensure our future -- (Applause.)
-- and what we're going to do for our kids and our families and for our city, 27 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 Philadelphia. Thank you.
I'm sorry. What school did you say you were from?
I've attended Gilbert Spruance Elementary on Leverick and Horrack Street for nine years, and it's greatly overcrowded. And not just Spruance. I know Carnell's been overcrowded; it's one of the most overcrowded schools in the City. Now we're building a little schoolhouse so all of our younger brothers and sisters get the best education which is available to them. The City of Philadelphia definitely, I think, has some of the best teachers in the world. I've had so many --
They storage room -- no, I'm saying that in the storage rooms -- like teachers aren't even getting enough classrooms. They have to store their stuff and they're going 28 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 from room to room teaching their classes. I think, like, we need more classrooms, we need bigger schools. They need to expand, you know, the schools and give them more. That's what I'm saying, you know?
Thank you, thank you very much. Good evening. Please identify yourself for the record.
My name is Joe Dannahue (ph.), and I'm a freshman at Central High School. As everybody else is saying -- I didn't have a speech prepared or anything, but I thought I'd just sit here and try to just tell everybody to side with me, and trying to say what's on my heart. I've gone -- I started out school in the Philadelphia public school district, and it wasn't anywhere where education should be, it was not up to par, anywhere near that. Then I had a taste of the suburban school district, and I moved out to Cheltenham Township. The schools there are great, they're clean, everybody has an abundance of textbooks. There's plenty of money, nothing is 29 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 needed to be worried about. When I moved back to Philadelphia, the school system there is just in a disarray. Everybody there is sharing textbooks, and we have schools that older than some people in this room. (Laughter.)
We need to learn about stuff that's happening now in our world. We don't need to -- we need to know about our history, but we also need to know about our future, what's coming and what's going on now. We don't need to know most of the stuff that's in these textbooks 'cause we're skipping through half of them and then we have nothing left to do. I mean, I'm going into classrooms where there's 1 teacher for 35 students. How do you expect one teacher to handle all of those kids in 50 minutes a day? That's just one period; that's not the whole day. (Applause.)
Now, I'm only 14, but I have a job and I pay taxes for the City of Philadelphia. And I would rather see my tax dollars that I pay go to pay for my education. 30 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 And everybody else, no matter what their race, background, anybody who's in the Philadelphia school system should get the money that they need for the schools, not for the stadiums. (Applause.)
Okay, our next speaker, please identify yourself for the record.
My name's Carmella Brown, and I'm from Central High School, I'm a freshman. And what I wanted to say was, who really needs the money: athletes that are making millions of dollars a year or the public school which has books that still say that Egypt isn't a part of Africa? I mean, we have -- we have books that we're not even allowed to take home 'cause we have to keep 'em in school 'cause it's not enough for everyone. And we have books that are destroyed, the covers are falling off, pages are missing. How are we supposed to learn when it's not in the textbook? It's in the trash somewhere because it got ripped up. The people who have to build the stadium, I don't think they're really thinking 31 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 about us. We're the future. Who's going to be there to go to the stadium once all the people who are older can't go anymore? We're not going to know -- we're not going to have a job because we're not going to know anything because we didn't learn it in school or we didn't get the proper education to be able to pay for the expense of tickets to go see the game. So -- and what are we supposed to do when we have to go out on our own after college or after high school? We're not going to -- everyone's going to laugh in our face when we go for a job because we didn't know -- we didn't learn that. It's not something we learned because what are we going to use, the excuse, oh, they built a stadium instead of getting us new textbooks to learn this. It's not helping us in any way. We already have a stadium. They have been using it for I don't know how many years. Why can't they keep using that one instead of building a new one? If Street really wanted -- his whole -- his whole thing when he was -- his whole campaign, 32 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 when he was running for mayor, was education, education, education. But ever since he has been mayor, what's happened to education? (Applause.)
Every time I turn on the news, it's stadiums, stadiums, stadiums, stadiums, stadiums, and more stadiums. And I'm sick of it and I'm -- I'd rather hear someone from my school or in someone else's school winning an essay contest or doing something good like getting a scholarship to college. I'm tired of hearing about a stadium. Get off of that and come to schools. That's where the money's needed and that's what we're here for. (Applause.)
Do we have anyone else in your group to testify? (No response.)
Madam Chair, I think if the students stay around, you will be witness to a great civic lesson, a lesson of the power of money, the power of the rich to get their way, to 33 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 get a government to put priorities from the front that should be all the way -- put them all the way to the back. We have libraries in schools that need money. And you are right, if we can find a billion dollars for stadiums, why the hell can't we find a billion dollars for the school system? (Applause.)
And it seems that we're in such a rush. I want you all to go back and see by the legislative system how it works and the aspect of the balance of powers and how information is supposed to flow before you make a decision and how we have asked for information in order to really make a reasonable decision, an intelligent one, as we balance the interests of the citizens of Philadelphia vis-a-vis the interests of the teams. Because that's what we have here: the interest of the citizens vis-a-vis the interest of the teams. And how in every corner that we have turned, the interest of the team have always come first. So you are getting a very good civic lesson because we have not asked the right 34 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 questions, we have not gotten all of the information, and we are rushing to an agreement because the very powerful and the very rich want it right now. They don't want to wait, they don't want us to ask questions, they don't want to us read the facts of what other cities have done, they don't want to us bring in witnesses of other cities that are going through the same situation and for us to learn from them. And when they do come, they are treated rudely and disrespectfully. Stay around and look at your government at work and learn that money runs the government and not the people. I'm sorry to say that, but we are proving it, because it is the very rich, it's the very wealthy, and we're creating playpens for them. But we're not creating state-of-the-art schools, we're not creating a city in which our citizens will stay, 'cause I haven't heard anyone moving into a city because they have good stadiums, but they move into a city because they do have good schools. (Applause.)
So don't leave, don't leave, stay around, and come around when we 35 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 vote so that you can see government at work. Thank you. (Applause.)
Thank you all very much for coming in. Our next witness is. . . ?
William Mackie from Citywide Youth. (Witnesses come forward.)
Welcome, Mr. Mackie. Would you please identify yourself for the record and proceed with your testimony. Who's testifying first?
My name is LaKeesha Jenkins. I attend Dobbins High School. I am from North Philadelphia. I also attend Citywide Agency after-school program. I am here to say that our mayor, John Street, had kept one of his promises. He funded programs, he sent TransPasses and stipends. Even though it wasn't much, it was a start. It didn't make everybody happy but it did make some beautiful, bright children happy. We are the future, we are the present, 36 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 we are what counts. So I leave the Mayor and you all with this: It was good, just not enough. (Applause.)
Hi. My name is Sharee Kellum (ph.), and I am a senior at Samuel S. Fels High School. I came to say something good but not good enough, because we need support in our schools because they are simply not enough. Our textbooks are at least ten years old, our teachers have already given up,, our students have no 12 guidance, and that's why we need more programs like Citywide Youth Agency. Because of Citywide Youth Agency, I know what to do to succeed in life and in my career goals. That's why we need more programs like Citywide Youth Agency. Because our schools are good, but not good enough. Council, could I ask you a question?
How many pro players have children that attend public schools? (Applause.)
I would also like to give recognition to Councilman Darrell Clarke for his 37 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 continuing to support our agency and Mayor John Street. Thank you.
Good evening, Council. My name's James Workston. I attend Bodine High School for International Affairs and I also taped Citywide Youth Agency. While today I would have came to talk to you about how we are about to build -- we're trying to build new stadiums for our sports teams. We're for that and all, but we also want you to look at our youth agencies, which are providing safe places for our youth to attend. I know Citywide Youth Agency provides a place for me to go to that is safe, it provides a educational background about what I want to do for my future. How I'm going to -- what are my future goals and all my career plan goals. With all of this money that you all want to put into stadiums, we should also be looking at the Citywide Youth Agency, how it's providing places for your youth to go, how it's 38 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 providing a safe place for your youth to go, a place that is drug-free, a place that is violence-free, a place that your youth can just go and get help with their homework, a place that your youth can go and talk with their peers, a place they can go and relax a little bit after having a long day at school. Citywide Youth Agency also provides us with -- provides us with a way of showing us how we should achieve our goals and how to achieve our goals, I mean. They give us classes, law classes, showing us what does a practicing lawyer do, what do they do during the whole day, how do they go through appeals and all of this other stuff that they do in such a day? And another thing Citywide has done for me, they have instilled in me their -- they have instilled in me the inspiration that I can achieve something, that I am somebody, that I can always be something. With these stadiums that we are trying to build in our city, we are thinking about, Well, these stadiums can do so much for our sports teams, but what is it doing for us as a youth? 39 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 What is it providing for us? We are still going to be on the streets without agencies such as Citywide. We're still going to be outside doing nothing. Some of us is still going to be outside, some of us committing crimes. But with these stadiums, they're doing nothing for us to stop us from committing these violent crimes, to stop us from -- from doing anything that we aren't supposed to be doing. And with these stadiums, I would like you to think about how do these stadiums benefit us in the future? I mean, us as a youth? How do they benefit us -- I mean, what will they do for us and who? What will they ever do -- what are they presently going to do for us?
All right, my name is William Mackie. And first, I'd like to say thanks to Council for giving us the opportunity to again to come present our youth mission and some of our findings on what we think needs to happen. I also would like to see to our young 40 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 people who had a full day since school, came to Citywide for a lesson, and came to Council tonight, please stand up and give yourself a round of applause. (Applause.)
Now sit down. Now, very briefly, I just want to say that when we do the mathematics, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that 1.1, $1.2 billion for stadiums is a lot of money, and maybe it's needed in the City of Philadelphia. That's for Council, our legislative body, the Mayor, and the sports teams to negotiate. However, young people spend a lot of money. They buy boots that's expensive, they buy shoes that's expensive, they buy sneaks that's expensive. And they pay sales tax on that clothing line items that they purchase. And we believe in the City of Philadelphia, it's up in the million dollars what they contribute to the general fund in this city. We asked the Administration for some numbers and we haven't got our numbers. So we came up with a figure that from 41 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 our research, and we think young people contribute around $10 million in the City just on they money they earn after school. Now, I see the finance guy there, he kind of nudge and say -- do you have a number?
Okay. That's what we think. Now, we think there should be a return on that. Everybody always want a return on they dollar. I know Brother Kentu always looks for a return on his dollar. So we know that -- Councilman Goode is always, you know, looking for a way to do something around economic development, and we ask Councilman Goode to take a look and see if it's possible to do a Philadelphia youth reinvestment act. (Applause.)
And that youth reinvestment act should have a minimum of $5 million. And we say that money go to -- maybe the Philadelphia Foundation manage the money, somebody accountable, right? And we -- each Council District, put two people, two young people 42 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 on that youth commission. I'm not talking about advisory commission, I'm talking about a youth commission, where young people say, This is how our money should be spent. And I know you brainiac people that worked this 1.2, $1.3 billion and up and put in there for some clauses for some youth activity. We believe a youth reinvestment act, it's time for that. Let young people have a say. Challenge 'em, let them come to the table. And that's all we say. We proposed this before and now we believe, with this creative mechanism, the way that Council and the Mayor wants to create this funding mechanism to build these stadiums and build these other activities in the City, that this reinvestment act for these young people is the way to happen. Let me end. If you can just imagine not giving no handouts, a young person, two and three young people putting together a business plan and come up with 4 or $5,000 of legal money and they say, Councilman Rick Mariano, we want you to help us get a contract at the stadium. And you say, What kind of contract? 43 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 Can you imagine -- Citywide, stand up. Can you imagine that group having the toilet paper contract at one of them stadiums? Can you imagine that? I challenge this administration and this Council to make one of them groups a millionaire. That's what our Council challenge ought to do. (Applause.)
Give them a contract. But if you can imagine one contract that these young people earn: They put together they own proposal, they put together they own money. And just give them the toilet paper contract, just give 'em that contract and let them go from there, all right? Have a good evening and thank you. (Applause.)
Please approach the witness table. (Witness comes forward.) UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Thank you, Madam 44 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 President.
Excuse me. Before you start testifying, why don't we give the youngsters a minute to get out of the room, they're walking out, so that we can hear you . UNIDENTIFIED MAN: I was hoping they would stay.
I think they're afraid of curfew. Would you please identify yourself for the record and proceed with your testimony.
My name is Tobin Rich. I write for the school newspaper. I'm also called "The Mayor of Girard Avenue." Now, what Mr. Mackie said, I thought, was really good, about taking responsibility and everything, and it was nice bringing these kids down here to testify. I don't want to seem like the bad guy but now I want to say, the kids got to take responsibility too, and I'd like to see them work with the people. I mean, when they talked about the books, yeah, they need new school books, but, like, I mean, when I see them throw the book down 45 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 and, I mean, I'm on Girard Avenue almost every day. And, I mean, it's no joke about the different little negative squabbles that go on and whatnot. And, I mean, the kids know. It's not like anybody want to abandon them, and it's not like the stadiums is something that is going to really focus everybody's opinion not to want to care about the schools. We all care about the schools. And what we would like to see the kids care about themselves too. I mean, if they maybe would help along with the people in the community, I mean, the idea of them working a concession to be able to generate a income and be part of any business venture is very good. But, I mean, to come here and make it seem like the whole community in the City of Philadelphia is about the stadiums to negate the children, that's -- that's not right, and it's not so. And what I would like to see, okay, if they're that concerned about wanting the money to go and wanting to know what goes on in the stadium, then we'll let 'em see exactly what it takes to put this money together, because this 46 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 stadium is going to be able to provide jobs for some of they mothers and fathers and some of they uncles and aunts. I mean, what -- are we just forgetting the fact if they want us as parents to take responsibility for our dear children, we got to make money in order to take care of them. And we can't just forget about the people in labor. And then, by, God, you know, when I was a kid and Connie Mac was open, at times, they had a thing to clean the block. If we as kids, if you cleaned the block up, you would get a chance to go to a baseball game. Maybe that will happen for 'em. Clean the block up, stop some of the fights out there, start helping the community, and maybe you'll get tickets to go to a Sixers game, a football game, and a baseball game. I don't think they should just come here and bash everybody that's an adult thinking that we don't care about no kids -- children. That ain't so. So I think, like, all I'd like to see them do is find a avenue where they could work with everybody instead of trying to be used to put us down. Mr. Cohen? Thank you. 47 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2
Yes. My name is Omjasisa Kentu. With me is our Vice Chair Darius Stovel (ph.) with the organization, the grassroot political network. I would like to first preference (sic) my remarks by saying, we do not sit here under any false illusions. You all already have the votes for the stadiums to be funded. So let's -- at least our organization, that's the premise that we come in here and make our testimony today. In fact, it could be viewed as -- a lot of this testimony could be just for formality's sake, but we still think as an organization that we have to let our position be known on this matter. I also would like to preference (sic) my remarks by saying that some of the things that is contained in our testimony came from data that 48 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 we received from Mr. Jim Roundtree, Jr., of the Minority Business Enterprise Council; from PIDC, the Philadelphia Industrial Development. And here's the documentation here. So I hope that my union colleagues -- I hope that my union colleagues don't be offended by some of the portions of our testimony. But if in fact that it's not true, then you provide us with other data. Honorable President Anna C. Verna and Honorable Councilmembers of this body, good evening to each of you. I am Omjasisa Kentu, Chairman of the Grassroots Political Network, a social change organization that represents 16 member civic associations and community-based organizations. Also, I stand before you, or sit before you, as a taxpayer and a resident of Philadelphia and also of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. I am here before you this evening to give testimony regarding City Council's proposed legislation and proposed City funding for two new sports stadia, which would cost over $1 billion, of which taxpayers will pay $304 million up front, 49 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 plus a 30-year stream of maintenance payments that is projected to cost an additional $90 million. Too often, words and definitions confuse the true meaning one attempts to gain when information about this proposed stadium deal is introduced. Definitions surrounding the true cost of building two new sports stadia in Philadelphia is such a case. When information is provided to the City taxpayers and the general public by the local electronic and print media outlets, the categories of how the media -- the stadium, excuse me, funding will take place creates a false perception by alluding as fact that the State will pay a percentage, the owners a percentage, and the City a percentage. This perception is totally false. The fact is that the way the proposed project should be introduced is that the taxpayers will pay a percentage on the front end, the owners a percentage on the front end, and the taxpayers will pay another percentage on the back end. This is because the State percentage is taxpayers' money and the City percentage is taxpayers' money. This means, then, that the taxpayers of the City 50 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will pay the majority's share for the funding of the proposed stadia. In other words, Governor Ridge don't have any money, the State legislators don't have any money; that's taxpayers' money. (Applause.)
You here in City Council, you all don't have no money. It ain't ya'll money; that's the taxpayers' money. So let's don't have this false illusion about the State going to pay a percentage, the owners going to pay a percentage, and then the City will pay a percentage. The taxpayers is paying two-thirds and the owners one-third. If that scenario speaks to be true, this means, then, that the taxpayers of the City of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will pay the majority share for the funding of the proposed stadium. If you add up the percentages two-thirds, plus one-third, you can see that the only conclusion to be drawn is that the stadia should be owned by the taxpayers. (Applause.) 51 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2
We paying the most for 'em, we should own 'em. Why should taxpayers help pay for building two new sports stadia that wealthy team owners should and could pay for themselves? This has been done by owners in other cities without any public dollars. It has been stated that -- it has been stated and acknowledged that the stadium proposals will be one of the biggest public works project decisions you members of City Council will have to make since the Convention Center was funded in the 1980s. If this is true, then the fundamental and critical question that you members of City Council must answer to the taxpayers of this city is, what are we the taxpayers getting in return? and how will your vote to fund these stadia serve the public interests? Some of the questions that you members of City Council should be equally concerned with are: One, the proposed 2 percent car rental tax. How safe is it for you to base the City's $304 million share of the stadia cost on the tax revenue over which you have no control of? 52 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 The proposal by Mayor Street earmarks $105 million to be generated by a car rental tax. In other words, for all of us in here, if we want to rent a car after this is passed, 2 actual percentage on taxes is attached to that rental car. So here we go again, taxpayers being taxed for the stadium. So now we're being taxed. Our tax dollars from the Commonwealth is into this thing, our taxes from the City is into this thing, and now, as taxpayers who want to rent a car in the City of Philadelphia, you getting us for 2 percent more. With the crisis now facing the nation selecting a president and the negative effect that issue has had already somewhat on the economy, if you watch in a NASDAQ and the stock market, what happens if the economy slows down and/or declines? One reason why this has to be given great capitalism is because capitalism, as a socioeconomic system, is a unplanned economy; meaning, it's doing good today and it will bottom out tomorrow. So what happens if the economy 53 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 declines? This will have a major impact on the traveling, meaning less people will travel, less people will rent cars, and a portion of that projected revenue you will not get. Now, how do you intend to make that up? The second question is to project the $54 million shortfall in funding for the stadia. Where will it come from? Members of the City Council should be troubled by this funding gap. In addition, there would be a $22.7 million hole in the City's current five-year financial plan created by the stadia proposal. How you all going to fill that hole, Councilmembers? The third question is: How will minority participation in this project be handled? This is a very important issue that is clear -- that is dear to our organization and the African-American and minority community. You, City Councilmembers, are not just public servants. You are supposed to be the moral and ethical overseers for public and social interests. Let me say that again: You are not just politicians. When people went to the polls to vote for you, they didn't just pull a lever; 54 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 there was a certain human spirit that they entrusted in you when they pulled that lever to vote for you. And in that, they entrusted you to be moral as well as ethical overseers of their interests. Therefore, the important ethical question begs an answer regarding how African-Americans and other minorities will benefit economically from this billion-dollar public project. The African-American elected officials, thus far from Mayor Street down, have shown a tremendous amount of silence on this important issue. In addition, the ethical character and conduct on a Philadelphia construction industry will forment the next battleground against a form of segregation that willfully discriminates against African-Americans and other minorities. (Some audience members boo.)
They can boo, but figures don't lie. Statistics and data don't lie. (Applause.)
I would probably have a better chance in applying for a membership in the 55 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 KKK than in some of these trade unions. (Some audience members boo.)
Nearly 20 years ago, a local federal judge issued a ruling -- AUDIENCE MEMBER: Get a real job. (Laughter.)
Nearly years ago, a 11 local fellow judged issued a ruling -- 12 AUDIENCE MEMBER: Stop pushing a pencil 13 and work. 14
-- at which he described 15 the devastating. . . 16 Data don't lie. 17 Nearly 20 years ago, a local federal 18 judge issued a ruling in which he described the 19 devastating impact of job discrimination by 20 Philadelphia-area unions and construction firms, aggravated by the federal government's failure to enforce its laws barring racism in the workplace. These actions by local unions and construction firms denied African-Americans and other minorities, minority workers, of nearly 56 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 1 million hours of well-paying, unionized jobs. Construction of several hotels such as the Hyatt Hotel on Penn's Landing and the Loews Hotel in Center City produced over 1,000 construction jobs, yet non-white workers held only a handful of these well-paid positions. How did this happen under your watch, Councilmembers? These actions are morally wrong, and there is no 10 justification for this, none whatsoever. This conduct, or misconduct, reflects on each of you who allowed this disgraceful, tasteless, and shameful act to go unanswered. African-Americans and other minorities are taxpayers of this city and the Commonwealth of this State, and are entitled to economic fairness and justice. So with this understanding, not one penny of public dollars should be committed or spent to these stadia until clear and terms regarding this issue is spelled out. If the Council is not ready to do this, then our organization stands ready to mobilize the African-American community and other minority communities to demonstrate on the building sites 57 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 and stop any construction on these stadia, with the sole purpose of correcting a wrong and embarrassing this city throughout the country. This scandalous exclusion of minority business from public projects is unacceptable. In non-white communities in Philadelphia, impoverished conditions are many. Houses are collapsing in Logan and in Feltonville, frightening and dangerous residents (sic) are confronted with sinking homes, and still there exists a future funding problem for the public school system. Other crises are facing this city, and yet we are here today to discuss spending millions of dollars of taxpayers' money to build two new stadia that will, in the final analysis, make rich and wealthy people more rich and wealthy at the taxpayers' expense. (Applause.)
I will call upon each of you to do what's right, what's morally and ethically fair and just. Search your souls and human conscience. Be the moral and ethical overseers of social and public interests the voters entrusted you. There greatness, 58 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 Councilmembers, and struggle for what's right. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Thank you very much. (Some audience members boo, others applaud.)
Naomi Post-Street. The next witness is Naomi Post-Street. (Witness comes forward.) (Applause.)
Good evening and thank you for having us here today. And for those of you who don't know me, I'm Naomi Post, Executive Director of Philadelphia's Safe and Sound, which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the health and safety and well-being of Philadelphia's children. You may or may not know that Safe and Sound has been the lead agency in a collaborative 59 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 that generated our first City report card on child well-being. The City did not receive glowing grades. The problems that our young people face today are daunting. You may have read Jane Eisner's piece in Sunday's paper highlighting a recent survey of the nation's teenagers. It should come as no 9 surprise that kids who do not do well in school, and kids who have too much unstructured, unsupervised time are those who are in trouble. There aren't enough positive choices for them and their parents for after-school programs, recreation opportunities, community services, or other fun and enriching activities that help them succeed as adults and stave off communitywide problems with drugs and alcohol, smoking, poor health, and poor school performance. Parents of young children as well cannot find quality preschool child care, which we know makes a big difference in how well our kids master reading and math or how they get along with their friends and teachers when they enter kindergarten and the 1st grade. The cost of correcting problems is by 60 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 far grater than preventing them, yet a recent analysis of public investment in Philadelphia's children demonstrates that the bulk of our dollars not related to education is dedicated to addressing rather than avoiding risk behaviors. Current public investment is almost always categorical in nature, directed to special needs and circumstances. If we really want to reverse the trends for our kids and their families, we have to find creative ways to generate funds for positive child and youth development. These are areas that generally fall outside of the City's mandate to provide services, and indeed, largely fall outside of most defined public-sector funding streams. In short, investing in children's programs today helps our young people succeed, supports working parents, strengthens our neighborhoods, and assures the economic vitality of our community. We all know what is needed: more investments to boost and build opportunities for our children. The $60 million Children's Fund is a modest but earnest beginning. The Eagles and the Phillies are showing the way, so to speak, by 61 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 providing leadership to others in our community. The agreement can serve as a model for public and private leaders to act together to meet the needs of our children. I applaud the length of commitment of the contributions of the Phillies and Eagles toward the Children's Fund. The 30-year period is a significant one which recognizes that the work of our community in nurturing, protecting, and educating our children is a marathon, not a sprint. Let's think about where we'd be without the proposed stadium deal separate and apart from the terrific opportunity we'd lose to establish the Children's Fund. The teams playing at the Vet now generate annual revenue for the School District. This would be lost if the absence of a new stadium led the teams to move out of town. 5 million annually, starting in 2007. 7 million in School District revenue over the course of the 30-year deal. These are losses we cannot afford as we work to assure competitive education for all of Philadelphia's children. I urge you to support the stadium agreement. I urge that you give special attention to the Children's Fund, which helps us to address the needs of our youngest and most vulnerable Philadelphians, our children, all 400,000 of them who depend on the adults in this community to show them the way. I thank you for the opportunity to be here and speak with you tonight.
And I want to introduce the other members of our panel, and we promise to be brief. Cheryl Oakman, the Director of the Center for Youth Development; Julio Paz y Mino, who is the Director of Child Care Resource Developers; and Shelly Yanoff, the Executive Director for Philadelphia Citizens for Children and Youth. )
Please identify yourself for the record and proceed with your testimony.
Good evening. My name is Cheryl Oakman. I am the Director of the United Way Center for Youth Development, an initiative of the United Way. It gives me a great pleasure to come before you today to discuss the impact that a fund for children included in the stadium proposal could have on after-school and youth development programs for school-aged and teenage youth in Philadelphia. Through my work in the after-school and youth development field, I can attest to a lot of gaps in services. A designated permanent fund to support the need to have more and better after-school and summer programs for Philadelphia's children and youth is long past due. The use of discretionary time for youth, the non-school hours after school on weekends and over the summers is connected to how children do in their lives. Youth development 64 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 activities create positive outcomes for kids such as school success and decrease behaviors such as violence, substance abuse, and early sexual activity. As many as 60 to 80 percent of Philadelphia youth between the ages of to 8 are not using their free time constructively by 9 getting exposure to these highly beneficial 10 experiences. Most are unsupervised and are just 11 hanging out with friends or watching television. 12 Thirteen youth and 300 parents surveyed in 22 13 low-income communities throughout Philadelphia 14 expressed that there were not enough affordable, safe, high-quality programs in their neighborhoods. Unless all neighborhood have programs for youth, we will not be able to reap real savings and benefits. Even in affluent communities, where people can afford to support their own programs and a lot of programs exist, the level of youth participation is often not maximized. We have learned in the youth development field that children and youth do not grow up by themselves. They require a web of 65 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 supportive adults and institutions that socialize and inculturate (sic) them. It is due to a lack of understanding about these issues that we have seen bizarre incidents of youth violence in rural and suburban affluent communities such as Columbine. Not only are good after-school and youth development programs a sure means for preventing juvenile crime, but they also help to build the core competencies and assets that young people need to succeed in life. Regardless of income, regardless of risk environment, and regardless of whether or not individual problem behaviors are being displayed, all young people benefit from youth development supports, opportunities, and services. With increasing numbers of mothers of school-aged and teenage youth being employed and mothers receiving public assistance now being required to work, this issue is becoming even more paramount. The gap between parents' work schedules and students' school schedules can amount to 20 to hours a week. Approximately 25 1200 hours of a youth's life per year are 66 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 unaccounted for. The older a child gets, the more parents assume that it is okay that youth be left to care for themselves during non-school hours until they get home from work. I strongly urge you to support this stadium proposal that will provide approximately $2 million a year for 30 years for a fund for children, and I applaud all of you who support this effort. Thank you. (Applause.)
Good evening. My name is Julio Paz y Mino, from the Crime Prevention Association. I direct the Child Care Resource Developers Program for Southeastern Pennsylvania. We provide funds to help child-care providers improve their program quality and their capacity. Thank you for the opportunity to testify regarding the needs of Philadelphia children. We encourage the City to invest in its future by establishing a children's fund. We suggest help for children who are otherwise unserved and help the child-chare providers. 67 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 An estimated 60,000 young children in Philadelphia -- I'm sorry. An estimated 60 percent of young children -- that would be closer to 40,000 -- in Philadelphia have working parents. Enrollment surveys of licensed child-chare providers suggest that less than half of those children are in licensed care. The City could address part of its fund directly to unserved children based upon their needs. Although thousands of working parent receive help to pay for child care, a considerable number in Philadelphia do not. Many single parent and couples with several children and others with moderate incomes receive no help. A child whose grandparent guardian is not working due to disability, Social Security income, or for many other reasons, cannot afford to pay for preschool or after-school child care. Their children remain unserved. These children need to achieve readiness for school to succeed in the early years. Research shows that such success dramatically reduces reliance on public programs later. A children's fund could make it possible 68 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 for child-chare providers to serve these children. Licensed child-chare providers have identified three major needs in order to improve and expand their services: equipment needs, physical space improvements, and staffing. Rearranging a room or securing a particular piece of equipment makes a significant difference in the quality and appropriateness of activities. The impact of such projects on children and families is very extensive and has a multiplying impact as more children and families are served by the better-trained and equipped provider. In order to expand the supply of licensed and quality care, the Children's Fund could help more unregulated providers to become licensed or registered. It could also help to improve quality by becoming accredited. Within our diverse neighborhoods and ethnic communities, we need to develop culturally sensitive child care that helps children to excel and grow proudly within their heritage. The strategies I've described can help accomplish this. Finally, there is a great need to make 69 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 child care work for children with special needs; and most notably, to help providers work with children with challenges behaviors. The adult who can take time to learn how to reach that child with challenging behaviors is the unsung hero who prevents a wasted life. You can make that possible through a children's fund. The fund could assure that well-trained teachers are available to respond to the behavioral and physical difficulties of our children. Thank you, and I hope the Children's Fund will be used to support continuing investment and quality child care and after-school programs.
I'm sorry, the noise level is really much too high. We're having difficulty hearing the witnesses. So please refrain from speaking in here. If you want to have a conversation, feel free to do so in the corridor. Good evening.
Good evening. I am Shelly 70 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 Yanoff and I'm here today also to speak about the proposed Children's Fund. PCCY has advocated for years that the City needs to find different ways to support children and families. As you are all well aware, we've advocated that whenever the City provides economic development benefits, we must seek and find ways that children and families in the neighborhoods are provided direct benefits. We believe that the Children's Fund of $2 million annually, which is a part of the stadium proposal, is one way among others to grow the funding for children. PCCY has consistently urged that if the City were to invest in stadiums, children should directly benefit. For the fund to improve the condition of children, families, and Philadelphians, it must be supplemental to the continued growth of children and family funding within the budgets of the City, the School District, or philanthropic community. It must have a clear mandate to support those services that are community- and family-strengthening, that are developmental and preventive in nature, programs like child care and 71 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 after school, programs like art and music and sports that have been lost to so many of our school children in recent years. The funds must be separate from the City government's general operating budget, and its resources must not be on the table when the City looks for ways to finance programs that it would be expected to fund. We believe the Children's Fund should be capable of leveraging other funds for children, should stimulate a comprehensive approach to responding to children's needs, and should report annually concerning the utilization of the funds to the people of the City. Other cities have recognized the need to fund these kinds of programs creatively and developed funds dedicated to them. They have done this because they believe that making their city a better place for children and families is good for children, families, and the city's future. We join them in believing that less crime, less teen pregnancy, more school achievement, and school readiness are well worth the investment. That's what a well-fund children's fund can promise. 72 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 That's what linking economic development with youth development can do. PCCY strongly supports the Children's Fund inclusion in the package before you, but we take no position on the stadium proposal itself, except to say that it must not take away from other vital services to the children and families of this city. Thus, health care and child welfare, recreation in our schools must not be placed in jeopardy because of any stadium. We want to commend the Administration's inclusion of this fund in the proposal and the work of many of you on this Council to support the concept, reality, and growth of a real children's fund. Thank you.
Councilman Cohen, your light is on. Do you want to be recognized?
Thank you. Thank you all very much. Our next witness is. . . ?
Jihad Ali. 73 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 (Witness comes forward.)
Good evening. Kindly identify yourself for the record.
I am Jihad Ali. I'm here on behalf of the United Minority Enterprise Association.
To President Verna, ladies and gentlemen and Council, I appreciate the opportunity to appear before you this evening on behalf of the United Minority Enterprise Association. Our organization has actively advocated for minority-owned construction companies for the past years. We have 17 testified before this Council on every major 18 construction in this city requiring Council 19 approval. 20 I have been involved in the construction industry for over 27 years. As many of you know, I am Jihad Ali, a union carpenter, having owned two construction companies, providing union carpenters for the past 14 years. Our company has performed commercial and residential 74 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 building projects. I'm also the Chairman of the General Building Contractors Association Mentor Protege Program of Philadelphia. The United Minority Enterprises Association strongly supports legislation to build new stadiums in South Philadelphia and urges Council to examine in detail all aspects of the project to ensure full participation of all qualified construction businesses. Each citizen who chooses to participate in the opportunities afforded by this multi-million dollar project must be given equal access and opportunity to participate in the building of the stadiums. While I know that this Council has like concerns regarding the quality of participation, too often, the intentions of Council have not been recognized on major projects of this nature. Therefore, we highly recommend creation of an advisory body to oversee and monitor hearings to all affirmative action and affirmative access requirements legislated and mandated for the stadium project. In addition, we suggest that such an advisory should include all elements of the minority community such as Hispanics and 75 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 African-American. In the past, we've testified before Council to inform Council on the blatant disregard of minority participation on the Kvaerner project. Today, we use this opportunity again to request Council to implement an effective MBE/WBE EEO affirmative action program for the Kvaerner project, and highly beseech Council to safeguard the stadium project by implementing an affirmative action program at its onset. Our organization would be happy to work with Council to develop such a program. We also request that you have a member of the United Minority Enterprise Association in addition to the Hispanic Contractors Association to serve on the advisory body, if established, as recommended, for the stadium project. Again, thank you for the opportunity to testify before Council on a project that will mean more to the economic stability and growth of our fair city than any other project to date.
Thank you. Thank you very much. (Applause.) 76 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2
Oh, I'm sorry, excuse me. Councilman Cohen wants to either ask a question or make a comment. Councilman Cohen?
While we have different views with respect to a stadium project so dependent on public financing, I think it's urgent in every project in which the City participates that there be total equality of opportunity. And your suggestions, I think, are excellent, and I want you to know that there are a number of members of City Council working in that direction to try to find for the first time, it will be if we find it, an effective mechanism to ensure fair minority participation. And we welcome very much your role in bringing that about. 77 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2
Good evening, Madam President. My name is Teri Simon, and I am Vice Chair of Southeastern Pennsylvania Americans for Democratic Action, ADA. Thank you for the opportunity to testify before City Council on the important issue of public funding for the two new proposed sports stadiums. Let me first state that ADA generally supports idea of new stadiums for the City. Baseball and football are an important part of our national heritage, they are a part of our culture, and in the best of situations, they inspire a kind of civic pride and civic loyalty that has become all too rare in these days of undecided presidential elections. Many people have fond memories of peanuts, Crackerjacks, and staying up late on warm 78 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 July nights when there was no school tomorrow, watching the boys of summer spin their special magic. The Phillies and the Eagles, their fans, and Philadelphia deserve state-of-the-art playing facilities. In this "Me Too" era, Philadelphia ought to be able to compete with other world-class cities in the quality of its stadiums. But not at any cost to the City and to its taxpayers. No amount of sentimentality or a corporate spin can mask the fact that the deal proposed by Mayor Street, the Phillies and the Eagles is not in the best financial interests of the City of Philadelphia. (Applause.)
As with most other major urban centers that have lost population and tax base over the last three decades, Philadelphia is continually beset with concerns about where to find the money to provide even the most basic of City services. Common sense dictates that teams that give their players multi-year contracts worth tens of millions of dollars ought to be able to shoulder a larger, not smaller, share of the cost to build the facilities that are essentially their 79 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 headquarters. (Applause.)
While ADA believes that some public investment in these stadiums is warranted and deserved, it is the size of the public contribution that is of great concern. The City is already committed to spending $80 million to renovate the Vet and $23 million to buy the Eagles practice facility if no stadium deal is made. ADA believes that the City's contribution to the stadium deal ought to be limited to the amount of money already committed and that the rest of the money, excluding the State's contribution, should come from the teams themselves. And analysis by the Pennsylvania intergovernmental Cooperation Authority -- (Applause.)
-- also known as PICA, an independent neutral agency, responsible in part for Philadelphia's economic renewal of the last ten years, estimates that the deal for the new Phillies and Eagles stadiums will cost the City treasure $296 million over the next 30 years. The 80 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 Pennsylvania Public Interest Research Group, PENNPIRG, evaluated the numbers and concluded the same thing. Isn't the analysis provided by these organizations more reliable than that of the Mayor, his administration, and the teams that have concluded the deal will eventually pay for itself? (Applause.)
PICA and PENNPIRG are only two of the many independent voices that have raised red flags about the cost of this deal to the taxpayers of Philadelphia. City Council should listen to these voices; they are acting in the best interests of the City and not acting as brokers for some very wealthy people who want to increase their own wealth at the expense of the City's taxpayers. With all due respect don't listen to the suburban union members' boos from the balcony; listen to the voices of the City residents who will shoulder the burden of paying for these facilities. Require that the Phillies explain why it cannot follow the model set by San Francisco 81 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 Giants when they financed the majority of funding for their new PacBell Stadium. Remember that in San Francisco, when the voters were asked whether they wanted to finance the building of the stadium, they repeatedly said no. Their voices forced the Giants to devise a creative financing plan to find a plan to fund the project. Read the cogent explanation provided by City Controller Jonathan Saidel, set forth in his very informative Web page about why City financing for the stadiums should be kept to an absolute minimum. ADA agrees with the statements made by Mr. Saidel that "when it comes to public money for new stadia, we must not use scarce tax dollars to enrich team owners. (Applause.)
Philadelphia has decaying schools, crumbling buildings, and under-funded libraries. ADA believes that the bulk of public monies derived from tax revenues ought to be spent on public education and the repair of public infrastructure, among other things, and not on the construction of lavish irk palaces for sports royalty. 82 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 Philadelphia's future as a great American city depends on the quality of life the City provides. Great public schools and quality public education will bring families back to Philadelphia faster than great, publicly-financed sport stadiums built to increase the wealth of owners' privately-owned, multi-million dollar sports franchises. Thank you, Madam President, on behalf of American Democratic Action. Thank you very much. (Some audience members boo, others applaud.)
I want to thank you for coming in. Thank you for your testimony.
I'm sorry, it's not indicated. Do you mind coming back? Councilman, your light's not on. 83 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 (Ms. Simon returns to witness table.)
Miss Simon, I have to say your statement, I believe, was very accurate but not all-inclusive. Somehow or other, nobody ever wants to talk about the debt service. For the next 30 years, once this bond issue is issued, the City will have to pay out of its general fund something like $25 million a year of tax funds -- every year for 30 years.
For 31 years. Thank you, Councilman Ortiz, for correcting me. That comes to something well over $600 million additional tax dollars. People speak of 394 million, but to that you've got to add this other figure of over $600 million, and that's a very conservative estimate. So that in the next 30 years, we are draining from the general fund money that could be used for all of the wonderful purposes you spoke about, so essential to having a healthy community, having kids grow up and get educated. We're draining $1 billion from those 84 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 general funds to erect this sports stadiums for, as you indicated, people who are already far too rich. And I want to commend you for coming here and stating the view. Whether the City decides to vote for or against stadiums, one thing is urgent, and that is, all facts have to be played out before the public so that the public knows what we're doing. And I think what's been happening in this city is a deliberate effort to hide these facts from coming out. And statements like yours are extremely helpful.
Thank you. I agree with you. Thank you, Councilman, thank you very much. (Applause.)
The next witness is Kevin Murphy. (Witness comes forward.)
Please introduce yourself for the record and proceed with your testimony.
My name is Kevin Murphy and with me is Gene Miller. " I'm going to add a little bit in the beginning. Watching this hearing has given me a few extra thoughts. I'd like to hear somebody address what is actually the real problem in this situation. Whether or not the stadiums are built, we're still going to be facing the actual problem, which is that the major league sports leagues are monopolies that have undue leverage in negotiating contracts with cities. The leagues intentionally maintain a number of teams which is smaller than the number of cities which want teams, which allows them to, you know, to have leverage and negotiate these unfavorable contracts. So whether the stadiums are built or not, I would like to see the Philadelphia -- the City of Philadelphia take some sort of action in cooperating with the State and with federal authorities in figuring out some kind of solution for this. I also wanted to -- I also wanted to address the labor issue. I know that there are some representatives of the building trades here, and they're in favor of the stadiums, but I just 86 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 wanted to point out that there are other expenditures of public funds which create jobs for labor also. So the Green Party is totally with you guys. If you don't know about the Green Party, there's nobody who's more in favor of labor than us. But we would like -- we would like the public funds to be allocated to expenditures which make sense for everybody. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman. The Greens of Philadelphia are opposed to the current proposal for tax-funded stadiums. The Greens are in favor of public investment, especially that which creates jobs, increases tax revenues, and otherwise benefits the City. However, we believe -- and unbiased economic studies support our claim -- that it would be far wiser to invest in the Philadelphia school system, a small-business initiative project, or any other number of expenditures. For instance, there's been a lot of talk about schools this evening, and I'd like to talk about more than just school books; we're talking about possible major expenditures on expanding the public school buildings. 87 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 Now, I was reading an issue of the Public School District's newsletter a week ago, and I saw Street going on record as saying that the City's classroom sizes should be cut in half. And I just wonder if there has ever been a serious proposal. You know, has anybody -- does anybody have any idea what that would cost? Just off the top of my head, I would say it sounds like you'd have to double the number of teachers and double the number of classrooms. You know, that would involve building new schools and rehabbing the existing schools to increase number of classrooms. And I'm sure that would create a huge number of jobs. And nobody's been talking about that. And can you imagine the awe in which Philadelphia would be held if it actually embarked on a program like that, if it said no to the stadiums and just said, We're going to do what's right for our people, and they seriously set about trying to cut the classroom size in half? The building trades would be happy, far more good jobs for regular people would be created -- in that case, the teachers -- and it would benefit the 88 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 City far more. I'd like to expand upon one of the themes which the previous speaker spoke about and say that study after study by unbiased economists have shown that there is no economic justification for a city to subsidize the construction of sports stadiums. In very real way, a city hurts itself by using money for stadiums that could be better spent for other purposes. As reported in the November 20, 2000 issue of Business Week, which I hope every member of Council has read, the November 20th issue of Business Week, the latest economic cost benefit studies of publicly funded stadiums throw additional cold water on the current stadium proposal for Philadelphia.
, unbiased economists) has been that such 89 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 policies do not raise incomes. The results that were described in this article are even more pessimistic. Subsidies of sports facilities may actually reduce the incomes of the alleged beneficiaries, meaning the citizens of Philadelphia. This study only strengthens the result of a long line of economic analyses. For example, Roger Noll, Professor of Economics at Stanford University, and Andrew Zimbalist, Professor of Economics at Smith College, report in the Brookings Review that "A new sports facility has an extremely small, perhaps even negative, effect on overall economic activity and employment. No recent facility appears to have earned anything approaching a reasonable return on the investment. No recent facility has been self-financing in terms of its impact on net tax revenues. " Noll and Zimbalist further observed that promotional studies paid for by teams and politicians -- paid to get the results that are 90 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 required -- are flawed in nearly every respect, not surprisingly. They say, "Such promotional studies overstate the economic impact of a facility because they confuse gross and net economic effects. Most spending inside a stadium is a substitute for other local recreational spending such as movies and restaurants. Similarly, most tax collections inside a stadium are substitutes. " From the public's point of view, the only possible justification is the intangible public good enjoyed by sports fans in the City, but the projected long-term costs for stadiums, well over a billion dollars, seems a very, very steep price to pay for that kind of civic pride. Far from responsibly representing the people of the City of Philadelphia, City leaders are more interested in self-aggrandizement by catering to the interests of wealthy team owners, developers, and other interested corporate entities such as Comcast. If Philadelphians were allowed to vote 91 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 directly on this proposal, it would likely echo the results of a 1998 referendum in Pittsburgh, which temporarily stymied a similar attempt to saddle the city taxpayers with a raw stadium deal. Poll after poll in Pittsburgh showed overwhelming public opposition to their stadium deal, even while the Mayor of Pittsburgh fought hard to force the deal through. Does that sound familiar? Philadelphians may understandably wonder: Why should the taxpayers pay more than $1 billion over 30 years for new stadiums when schools are in such dire need? And we're talking about the debt servicing. Why should the teams get a hundred percent of all revenues, while the taxpayers would be lucky indeed just to make their money back on the investment? Why should Philadelphians allow the Mayor to escape accountability to the people by reserving the power to increase subsidies to the tams at will over the next 30 years? Why should Philadelphians passively 92 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 submit to being manipulated by the Administration into facing the current unacceptable choice between a costly rehab and new stadiums? On the other side of this deafening silence are deeper questions. Who is going to defend the interests of Philadelphians, if not its own government? Who will listen responsibly to the voice of the people instead of cynically manipulating them with misinformation? Just another part of the broader education which has to be going on around here. For Councilmembers citizens of Philadelphia and everybody who, you know, has an interest in the City, the Greens of Philadelphia demand accountability from our representatives in government. One of the pillars of the Green Party is grassroots democracy, which is poorly served when our representatives insist on catering to large, monied interests. Thank you for giving this issue serious consideration. And we'd like to go on record: The Greens of Philadelphia, the local chapter of the Green Party, as being opposed to this proposal for new stadiums.
93 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 I have 20 copies of my testimony for the City Council members and for the record. And included in that is a bibliography, since I think we should all do our utmost to be educated on the actual issues here, the actual finance, what's really going on. You know, you have to look beyond the studies which the City has paid for to obtain desired results. Thank you very much. )
Hi. Hello, Council. My name is Gene Miller. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to talk. I'll be very brief because I know other people are waiting to speak. My colleague was very articulate, and I won't restate what he just said. I'd like to make two points. Earlier, Councilman Cohen mentioned that the debt service would be over $25 million a year for Philadelphia for the next 30 years. We have a declining population, we have a declining tax base. We could easily see within five to ten years the kind of fiscal crisis that New York City 94 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 encountered in the mid-1970s. At that time, they were overextended on their debt, their capital debt, and New York City had to find funds from its general revenue, its operating revenue. There were good people in New York, among the elected officials of New York City; they didn't want to cut teachers, they didn't want to cut sanitation workers, they didn't want to lay off police, they had no choice. If Philadelphia overextends its borrowing -- and that seems very likely, given the long-term prognosis of our income, our revenue stream. We want to let people on Council know, we'll have to sit in this chamber and say, I'm sorry, we have to lay off 10 percent of our police, we have to lay off 8 percent of our firefighters, we have to lay off percent of our 19 sanitation workers. New York City did that. 20 Of course, Manhattan has come back 25 years later, but in the boroughs, many neighborhoods never came back. And Philadelphia doesn't have nearly the resources that New York City has. That's a lesson from history, and we certainly have a wealth of information from 95 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 economists, independent, non-partial economists to support the notion that the stadiums are not a good development policy. My second point is, very quickly -- I don't want to hold people up -- there are creative alternatives to a development strategy that places so much of our resources in major league stadiums. There is tax incentive financing for actually building apartments in the downtown area that would be revenue generators in the long run; there are creative schemes for that. I think long-term for Philadelphia, cutting taxes for small business would certainly create more jobs and create a better economic environment in this city than throwing everything into a massive investment such as these stadiums. If a retailer -- oh, an auto supply store, a transmission shop employs ten people, let's try to reduce the gross receipts tax. That would be a long-term strategy that would benefit the City greater than these massive capital projects. Another item is -- I feel that Council is on the spot here. The players are putting a lot of pressure on you because I think they -- 96 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 they're reluctant to approach the legislature. The State legislature has the funds, and we do have players, and our State representatives in Philadelphia and our State Senators, who should be able to go back to Harrisburg and bring back money if they want to bring this stadium to be. It shouldn't come out of Philadelphia; we are the least able to afford this. And I would ask the professionals, the political people in this room 11 to talk it up in Harrisburg. One example is, SEPTA wants to build that railroad. That benefits primarily suburban Republican legislators. Mayor Street can hold that up, as he has done, until the State comes up with more money for these stadiums. The State has surplus; Philadelphia has a negligible surplus. That would be the creative solution. Finally, I'll just restate what Kevin has already said. This is an example of corporate welfare at its worst, it's a social injustice. And I ask you to consider our creative alternatives to this plan. And thank you for your time and for opening this up to the public. 97 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2
Thank you very much for coming in to testify. (Applause.)
The next witness is Scott Maits, Philadelphia Trolley Coalition. (Witness comes forward.)
Thank you, Council President. I'm here on a point that is very much related to stadiums, although it may not seem so at the get-go. Like many of the people here, we assume that the stadiums are going to go through. I personally don't favor South Philadelphia as much as Center City, but it seems that it's going to be South Philadelphia. And the question is, how can we make it better if we're going to spend this amount of money? I'm just going to read some of the handout that's being given out and I'll skip over other parts of it. Now that the Mayor has unfortunately given up the noble but seemingly difficult dream of a Center City baseball stadium, with all of its urban synergy, and Council has its back against a deadline, it almost seems certain that both 98 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 football and baseball will come to South Philadelphia. This would create probably the world's largest collection of stadia and, hopefully, even spawn a real multi-use entertainment complex. Unfortunately, the vast majority of spectators will continue to drive in and right back out of the City. This only adds marginally to City life and cash streams. As critics point out, the huge cost of building these projects absorbs most, if not all, of revenue generated on the municipal side of the ledger. Stadiums suited to highway and suburban mentalities that is insulated and sees a parking disconnected from neighborhoods and business districts have consistently shown little long-term benefits for their host environments. Philadelphians will suffer the traffic congestion and air pollution without enjoying enough meaningful benefit. The crucial question is thus: How do we capture more benefits for a cash-strapped, redevelopment-desperate Philadelphia? Fortunately, at the gates of the complex, we have 99 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 an excellent means to tie the stadiums into South Philadelphia, Center City, and beyond, thus adding significantly to the life blood of the City. This is, or is about to be, used in over a dozen other North American cities to attract more people, get them to stay longer in their respective downtowns mitigate, and mitigate traffic congestion in the process. This practical, yet festive, option is the trolley, nearly ready to help, and it's only a few blocks from the stadium currently. All over North America, trolleys have already been built specifically to link stadiums with the rest of their host cities. These include, among others: Portland, St. Louis, New Orleans, Toronto, Cleveland, Denver, and Salt Lake City, as well as Boston. And there's some others I'll tell you about on the other side of this. The still-intact No. 23 tracks crosses the entire length of the City and is still in use for special tours. It and over 50 antique street cars await resurrection in a neighborhood-friendly touristy (sic) manner. SEPTA has 50 antique trolleys sitting in dead storage in North 100 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 Philadelphia, just waiting for one of these proposals that is before the City and SEPTA to resurrect them. I'm going to skip down here. As the busiest surface route in the entire SEPTA system reactivation is a light-rail historic street-car line, such as is done in other cities, sometimes with our old trolleys, makes economic sense. A few blocks of new tracks costing less than a small parking garage would enable direct service from all over the City and from Center City. A Route promoted as a Center City 14 tourist line as well as a working South 15 Philadelphia neighborhood icon, with historic 16 street cars would even help fill the stadium 17 entertainment venues when no events are scheduled, 18 making the entertainment complex much more 19 possible. Once at the stadiums, the trolleys on 20 well-designed loop routing could help circulate 21 people from remote lots and the subway to 22 stadiums, as called for in the Daily News the 23 other day.
There is also a low-cost way to even divert the street car through the Italian Market 101 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 and past Geno's and Pat's and past all of the merchants there that could desperately use a better link to Center City and the rest of the City. I may point out that the 23, specifically as a line, continues to have widespread support from -- for its reactivation from City residents, organizations, and even politicians. Over neighborhood groups convened 11 a City Council hearing not too long specifically 12 in support of the line and two others to urge a 13 suburban-dominated SEPTA to act. 14 Councilman DiCicco, you were at the 15 hearing and commented on how well-organized and 16 thoughtful and representative it was, and I thank 17 you for that comment. 18 The trolley line from Center City would 19 go far to stabilize and repopulate a rapidly-aging 20 South Philadelphia as well as the unique, but 21 sometimes struggling, Italian Market, in addition 22 to the complex -- any complex that is built at the 23 stadiums. 24 What we need to do here soon, in 25 conjunction with the stadiums, is to design them 102 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 and their approaches so that a line sooner or later -- it took several years to build the subway -- could physically be added at some point to the complex, with a minimum of disruption, in order to successfully run in the heavy game traffic below Oregon Avenue. Fortunately some of the concepts seemed like they could be conducive to that, but I haven't seen any better drawings yet. And, of course, there are traffic issues that need to be dealt with, but these things do run in West Philadelphia and Delaware County narrow streets also every day. Also the Council -- Councilman Rizzo's video traffic enforcement initiative could be expanded to include SEPTA trolleys and buses and to better regulate street behavior of vehicles. San Francisco has bought many, many of our old streamlined cars, rebuilt them, and is now using them as the basis of its own stadium-passing line, one voted the best transit route in the city. Scranton has taken another collection of old Philadelphia cars for their new line that's eventually going to reach to their Mountainside 103 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 Baseball Park and Ski Resort. Baltimore built both of its stadiums purposely on its light-rail line. Camden and Trenton are now building a connecting New Jersey transit line, which specifically goes past their two stadiums. Wilmington, Delaware, is like most American cities, however, in that it has a serious plan down in Washington that they are trying to build one of these things that would go to its new Blue Rock Stadium. We have what other cities want and we're just letting it rot. I urge City Council to include a provision for a street-car extension to the new stadiums so that many City businesses can prosper and pay taxes for the City's massive investment.
Thank you. 104 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 I wanted to thank Mr. Maits. Scott Maits is from my area and he is consistent; he comes to Council every year to talk about this issue, and he does an excellent job across the City with dealing with trolley cars and certainly how they relate to issues and how we should better utilize them. Thank you, Scott.
Thank you. You've always been a very warm supporter of it. What I'm just trying to do is let people know we're very provincial in this town. I'm just trying to let people know what's happening across this country. Dozens and dozens of these things are being built every few years all over the country, and we're just sitting on it.
Good 105 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 evening. Please identify yourself for the record.
Good evening, City Council. My name is Megan Hand. I am a sophomore at William Penn High School.
Good evening. I'm a teacher at William Penn High School. I'm a teacher 10th-grade biology, and this is one of my students.
My main issue is not so much to take away from the joy of the stadium and everything, but I notice that a Philadelphia school classroom hold 30 to 35 students, whereas in more rural areas, students is the maximum. 15 The result is, more than one-half of these 30 to 16 35 students don't get the proper education, not 17 even to pass the basic skills test that is 18 required to graduate. The majority of our schools 19 haven't been renovated since God knows when. They 20 are not fit to teach rather than to learn. And I think about two hours ago, there stopped being a battle about a stadium; and now this is a battle of justice and capitalism.
$304 million is a lot of money, $304 million for a new stadium. And I want 106 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 to emphasize, and previous speakers have said this, that this is our money; this is not money that belongs to some political entity, this is not money that belongs to the Mayor or to the members of City Council, but this is our money. This is my money, this is the money that belongs to each and every person in this room. If you sit back and you think about the taxpayers and who they are, we're talking about, for example, a man who works at the Navy Depot on Robbins Avenue and then works a second shift as a cashier at a delicatessen in order to make ends meet. We're talking about a woman who works perhaps as a secretary at a bank in Center City in order to support her three kids. You're talking about people who on a day-to-day basis are really struggling to make ends meet. And that every single dollar that is taken out of their paychecks is not a dollar that they kind of don't -- does not affect them. Every single one of these dollars is missed. And I think it's really important to realize when you talk about it, the numbers -- I mean, we could play the numbers game all night, 107 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 but I think it's really important to talk about -- it's important to realize that when we talk about $304 million, we're talking about a lot of money and we're talking about a lot of money from people that can ill-afford to give it up. I sit and I stand in front of 30 kids every day, or 150 kids every day; I didn't expect to be this nervous talking to you tonight.
I guess you guys can't be as scary as some of the kids that I have. (Laughter.)
Look, the bottom line is, the money can be better spent elsewhere. And a lot of the points that I would have liked to have brought up were really said very well by -- what was her name? -- Teri Simon of the ADA. I mean, I really couldn't have said better the fact that, yes, I love the Eagles, I love the Phillies. A football team and a baseball team are really essential for the spirit of a city. But the bottom line is, is that we, the citizens of the City, who are really struggling to 108 /00 - WHOLE - BILL 2 make ends meet, should not be the ones that have to foot the bill. (Applause.)