Katz to Street: Your Days of Cronyism are Over

by Mary F. Patel

Republican mayoral candidate Sam Katz pledged that he would not indulge in the same cronyism that his Democratic opponent, Mayor John Street, has been accused of.

Katz made a campaign stop last Monday night at a private gathering in Old City where he talked candidly about some hot topics.

The audience was mainly Old City Democrats. Katz spoke at Konak, the new Turkish restaurant on Vine Street, which, ironically, is in the former Cecilia's, the pub once owned in part by Electricians Local 98 Business Manager Johnny Dougherty. (Dougherty and the union are supporting Street. After leaving the restaurant, Katz had a run-in with several 98 workers at his rally across from the Waterfall catering hall in South Philly.)

Robin Schatz, former chief of staff to Democratic First District Councilman Frank DiCicco, organized the speakeasy. Schatz is now heading up Democrats for Katz.

"It was very difficult to get anything done with the Street administration," said Schatz to the 50 or so assembled. "You all live in Frank's district and you know what it's like when the mayor who doesn't like Frank doesn't respond to your needs."

Katz arrived with his wife, Connie, and while eying the lavish Mediterranean spread that nonpartisan Konak owner Ayse Atay provided, answered some tricky questions.

Katz said it was time to clean up politics and clean up the corruption. While Street may not be the only mayor to manipulate the political system, "we still have a cronyism system, an insider no-bid contract system," said Katz.

This reporter pointed out that the firm Blank Rome gave him a big campaign contribution. What role would they play in his administration, if he were elected?

"Every time we put out bids for legal business, they will be allowed to bid. I'm not doing this so I can make Blank Rome more successful or anybody else who has supported me. The one imperative that comes out of this investigation, which will become massive and consume the city for the next year, is we have to change the practices of pay-to-play. Blank Rome is a big law firm with a big staff that, I suspect, gets a very small percentage of business from the city. They will have to compete like everybody else."

What about the hemorrhaging of population?

"We can keep people here if we cut the wage tax, gradually eliminating the gross-receipts portion of the business-privilege tax in the next five years by creating a tax climate and a regulatory climate that is business-friendly and job-friendly," said Katz.

Cutting taxes will only go so far, if there are no workers' wages to be taxed. "We have a port here that is largely abandoned," said Katz. "I see dredging the Delaware as a way to resuscitate the port. And there is something called Fast Ship, and Fast Ship crosses the Atlantic at twice the speed of normal waterborne commerce. It would give us a signature project like Memphis has with FedEx, a ship that would make people notice a global port with new technology. We've got this amazing shipyard that we've invested $400 million in. Somebody's got to go out and get it to work."

Many voting Democrats there worried that a Republican mayor will help President George Bush get re-elected.

I'm not running to carry a brief for the Republican National Party, said Katz. I'm pro-gay, pro-civil rights and pro-city and Philadelphia is first and you all will decide who to vote for president.

Katz addressed concerns about the future of Penn's Landing, a topic of keen interest for Old City residents.

If Katz is elected, developers who have submitted proposals to the Commerce Department with elaborate designs for Penn's Landing will have wasted their time because Katz will throw all their plans out.

I have no interest in anything John Street is doing at Penn's Landing, said Katz. What he is doing is totally irrelevant, will lead to nothing and will produce nothing of value.

So what does he propose?

The answer is to bring the city to the foot of the Delaware. To do that, we are going to have to do something to cover I-95, take the streets and bring them to the foot of Delaware Avenue. And that will take a long time because the coverage of I-95 is not the highest priority for the Federal Highway Administration. But unless you eliminate the access problem at Penn's Landing, Penn's Landing is a joke. You go down Race Street, right turn on Delaware Avenue, go past the union hall, make a U-turn, come back -- Come on! No one is going to go there. Katz added he was not in favor of riverboat gambling, although he is in favor of two casinos somewhere in Center City.

Katz and his wife, along with their dog, Jabo, will judge a dog contest this Saturday at 10 a.m. at the 19th and Walnut entrance of Rittenhouse Square. Prizes will be given to the most patriotic dog and the dog that best represents the city, as well as a grand prize to the dog that looks most like Sam Katz.