PhiladelphiaDaily Record

Vol. II No. 21 (181) Keeping You Posted With The Politics Of Philadelphia March 14, 2011

LABOR AND POLITICS led St. Patrick’s Day Parade down Parkway. Identified in this photo are Reg-

ister of Wills Ron Donatucci, Dan Savage, State Rep. Kenyatta Johnson, Controller Alan Butkovitz,

Councilman Frank Rizzo, State Rep. Kenyatta Johnson, Councilman Bill Green-

lee, Jonathan Saidel, Judge Kevin Dougherty, State Reps. Kevin and Brendan

Boyle, Judge Michael Sullivan and Congressman Bob Brady.

More pictures page 2. Photo by John J. Kline

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2 | THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD 14 MARCH, 2011

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Here Come The Judges

SEEN IN ST. PATRICK’S DAY parade were Judges Pat Dugan, Bob

Mulgrew, Mike Sullivan, Kevin Dougherty, Mike Lowry and Robert

Rebstock. Photos by John J. Kline

OPPOSITES ATTRACT: Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, left, shares a

green moment with Republican Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley.

14 MARCH, 2011 THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD | 3

The Republican Party of Pennsyl-

vania believes it has a winner with

its new Gov. Tom Corbett’s pro-

posed 2011-12 budget, which

closed a $4.1 billion shortfall with-

out raising taxes.

RPP Chairman Rob Gleason issued

a statement saying the Governor’s

budget “symbolizes a significant

victory for Pennsylvania taxpayers

as he fulfills the commitment to

fiscal discipline that Pennsylvania

voters demanded last year.”

“The days where taxpayers are

forced to dig even deeper into their

pockets to pay for increased gov-

ernment spending are over,” he

continued, “as Gov. Corbett has

stood up and forced our govern-

ment to live within its means. Gov.

Corbett’s fiscally responsible

budget empowers Pennsylvania

families to better navigate this

lackluster economy by keeping

more of their hard-earned dollars

in their own wallets, rather than

handing them over to the govern-

ment.

“After eight years of more taxes

and increased government spend-

ing, it’s refreshing to see a leader

like Gov. Corbett putting Pennsyl-

vania’s finances back on the right

track by putting taxpayers first.”

Penna. GOP Is Pleased With Corbett’s Balancing Act

Casey Calls For Ban On ‘Bath Salts’US Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) is sup-

porting legislation to add MDPV

and mephedrone, synthetic chemi-

cals being sold across the country

and marketed as “bath salts” and

“plant food”, to the list of con-

trolled substances. The chemicals

have a similar effect on the body

as cocaine and methamphetamines.

The dangerous ingredients in the

salts, MDPV and mephedrone can

be snorted, smoked and injected to

receive a deadly high.

“There is ample evidence these so-

called bath salts are a dangerous

substance being used like meth or

cocaine,” said the Senator. “Action

needs to be taken to get bath salts

off the shelf and out of our com-

munities.”

There have been numerous reports

of bath salts being linked to violent

behavior and deaths. An individual

in Scranton charged with attacking

a priest was reported to be high on

bath salts at the time of the attack.

The Combating Dangerous Syn-thetic Stimulants Act (S 409), in-

troduced by Sen. Chuck Schumer

(D-N.Y.), would immediately add

the ingredients in bath salts to the

list of controlled substances. While

the US Attorney General and the

Drug Enforcement Administration

have announced they are currently

investigating the effects of the syn-

thetic drugs, this legislation would

immediately add the synthetic drug

to the list of controlled substances

rather than waiting for the lengthy

pharmacological research process.

MDPV (methylenedioxypy-

rovalerone) and mephedrone are

the main ingredients of these so-

called ‘bath salts,’ and are now

being sold online, at convenience

stores and in smoke shops under

names like Tranquility, Zoom,

Ivory Wave, Red Dove and Vanilla

Sky. According to numerous re-

ports, the chemicals found in these

bath salts and plant foods cause ef-

fects similar to those caused by co-

caine and methamphetamines,

including hallucinations, paranoia

and suicidal thoughts.

The harmful impact of these pow-

ders has been recognized around

the world and countries including

the United Kingdom, Australia,

Canada and Israel have acted

quickly to ban these substances.

Similarly, several states, including

North Dakota, Florida and

Louisiana have now banned the

sale of these chemicals within their

jurisdictions.

4 | THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD 14 MARCH, 2011

Mar. 12-

Nat’l Italian American PAC hosts

Carnevale at Loews Hotel, 1200

Market St., 6 p.m-12 a.m. Honor-

ing Risa Vetri Ferman, Marc Vetri,

State Sen. Christine Tartaglione,

and Richard Kryzanowski. Event

co-chairs Donna M. Fluehr, Bar-

bara Augustine, and Anthony

DiSandro, Sr., Hon. Amato Be-

rardi, PAC Chairman.

Mar. 16-

Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds

Brown hosts Rising Stars VIP Re-

ception at 5 p.m. in Mayor’s Re-

ception Rm. & Conversation Hall,

City Hall, 5 p.m. Honorees in-

clude Cynthia Figueroa, Rebecca

Foley, Kat Houston, Cyrstal Ja-

cobs, Nikki Johnson-Houston,

Esq., Yian Liu, Florcy Morisset,

Desiree Peterkin Bell, Rebecca

Quinn-Wolf, Roslynn Sample-

Greene, Fon S. Wang, and Tia

Watson. For info Katherine

Gilmore (215) 686-3438.

Mar. 17-

Judge Jimmy Lynn’s Salute to St.

Patrick’s Day Breakfast at Plough

& Stars, 2nd & Chestnut, 7:30-11

a.m. Tickets at door $25.

Mar. 17-

Public Record invites all to join as

it marks its 12th year in existence

and its selection of Samuel Staten,

Jr., as “Public Servant of the Year

2011” at Galdo’s Catering, 20th &

Moyamensing Ave., 6-9 p.m. Ex-

pect a merry good time! Open bar,

international buffet. For info John

David (215) 755-2000 or (267)

259-6654.

Sen. Toomey Tours U.C. Science Center

This morning, Senator Pat Toomey

(R-Pa.) toured the University City

Science Center’s business incuba-

tor, accompanied by Science Cen-

ter Chief Executive Officer

Stephen Tang.

The University City Science Cen-

ter is the largest and oldest urban

research park in the country, sup-

porting technology economic de-

velopment in the Philadelphia re-

gion. The business incubator pro-

vides space and support for

entrepreneurs and helps them

launch and grow their companies.

Ninety-three companies have grad-

uated from the incubator and re-

main in the Greater Philadelphia

area, employing 15,000 people at

an average salary of $89,000.

State Rep. Kenyatta Johnson (D-

W. Phila.) said he has signed onto

co-sponsor legislation (HB 150)

that would put a three-year mora-

torium on additional State forest-

land being leased for Marcellus

Shale natural-gas drilling.

Johnson said that although Gov.

Corbett did not propose leasing ad-

ditional State forestland for gas

drilling during his budget address

this week, there is still cause for

concern.

“As we take the next steps forward

in crafting a State budget, there

will be more pressure to lease ad-

ditional State Forests,” Johnson

said. “I will stand with the 75 other

sponsors of this bill to see that this

moratorium on drilling leases for

State lands is enacted.”

The State has already leased about

half of the 1.5 million acres of

State Forest that lie above the Mar-

cellus Shale formation to gas

drillers. This legislation would not

stop drilling on land the State has

already leased, or on privately

owned land.

A version of the bill passed the

House last legislative session on a

157-33 vote, but it died in the Sen-

ate. Former Gov. Ed Rendell in

October signed an executive order

that put a moratorium on addi-

tional gas leases in State Forests,

but Corbett can rescind it at any

time.

Sen. Williams To TalkEducation On Anti-Defamation LeaguePanelState Sen. Anthony H. Williams

(D-W. Phila.) will participate as a

panelist Wednesday in discussion

Johnson Backs Bill To Halt

State Forest Drilling Leases

14 MARCH, 2011 THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD | 5

on education hosted by the Anti-

Defamation League and moderated

by Chris Satullo of WHYY.

The panel, “Our Schools at a

Crossroads: Where Does the Fu-

ture Lie?”, will take place on

Wednesday, Mar. 16 at noon at the

offices of Mellon Wealth Manage-

ment, 1735 Market Street, 8th

floor, for members and guests of

the ADL.

Williams will join an array of pan-

elists who work in the field of edu-

cation to discuss issues ranging

from diversity and bullying, to

non-traditional educational ap-

proaches. He will share his experi-

ences advocating for school-choice

legislation.

“I’m grateful the Anti-Defamation

League is hosting this panel be-

cause our schools are facing nu-

merous challenges today,”

Williams said. “I look forward to

sharing my thoughts on the state of

our schools with other education

experts, and I hope we can all gen-

erate a positive discussion that will

ultimately benefit students.”

He is a co-sponsor and a leading

proponent of the Opportunity

Scholarship and Educational Im-

provement Tax Credit Act (SB 1),

which would provide families with

a chance to send their children to a

public, private, parochial or charter

school of their choice, as well as

increase Earned Income Tax Credit

funding by $25 million.

Andy Toy: New Jobs Commission Is Just A Start

City Council At-Large candidate Andy Toy released a

statement on City Council’s vote to create a Jobs

Commission:

“I’m glad City Council is taking the initiative to cre-

ate jobs in Philadelphia. I think it is important to

bring people together and work towards creating solu-

tions to these problems. However, I suspect the com-

mission will tell us many things that we already know

— that our city does not do enough to promote job

growth.

“For the last 25 years I have worked in both City gov-

ernment and in the nonprofit sector to empower resi-

dents to create and improve their businesses. Part of

my campaign is based around the fact I have created

jobs and I have a plan to create even more. My plan

in part includes:

• Eliminating the 3-month summer recess for council

members. Businesses often have to wait for council

to come back into session in order to receive assis-

tance on regulatory and business matters.

• Creating a night court so that small business owners

don’t have to close their stores for an entire day to go

to court and risk losing new customers.

• Making City government more transparent so we

can eliminate the illusion you have to know someone

in City Hall in order to get things done.

• Streamlining the City’s bureaucracy so that new

businesses don’t have to wait for approval on vital

plans for their businesses. Many permits should be

online so entrepreneurs don’t have to travel to City

Hall to receive paperwork for their businesses.

• Revitalizing our commercial corridors by creating

tax rebates for new businesses that open in our com-

mercial corridors and create incentives for storefront

businesses to develop residences in the second and

third floors of their buildings.

• Reduce the City wage tax, gross receipts tax and

business privilege tax. These burdensome taxes push

companies and small businesses away from Philadel-

phia.

“On May 17, I have no doubt voters will approve this

much-needed commission. I am also confident they

will choose to elect me because I am a proven leader

in job creation and neighborhood revitalization.”

6 | THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD 14 MARCH, 2011

Amy’s View Offers Engaging Drama,

Thought-Provoking Dialogue

SARAH LYNN DEWEY as “Amy” brings her subtle character vividly to life on an intimate stage.

by Adam Taxin

Amy’s View, a drama running

through Sunday, Mar. 27 at the

Walnut Street Theatre’s Studio 5,

is an exploration of the challenges

facing three generations of British

women, set over four scenes taking

place in 1979, 1985, 1993 and

1995.

The main plot and conflict of the

Sir David Hare play deals with, as

the printed program’s “Director’s

Notes” section describes, “family,

love and loss.” In the process of

telling its story, the play offers

clever insights into, among other

topics, response to adversity,

British gentility, whether the role

of journalists is parasitic and the

not-exactly-new question of

whether theater is in permanent de-

cline.

“Amy” is played by Sarah Lynn

Dewey, a newcomer to Philadel-

phia productions. Embodying her

character as if resigned to her fate,

Dewey brings to mind “Julie Jor-

dan” of Rodgers and Hammer-

stein’s Carousel. Dewey’s subtle

yet extremely expressive face, very

visible to the entire audience due

to the intimate nature of the small

theater, makes her performance

quite engaging.

“Esme Thomas,” the aging stage

actress mother of the title charac-

ter, is portrayed compellingly by

Renee Weisband, who is also the

producing artistic director at

Moorestown, N.J.’s ISIS Produc-

tions, which put on the production.

The script of Amy’s View is quite

intelligent, and there are numerous

14 MARCH, 2011 THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD | 7

lines delivered in thought-provok-

ing manner at every part of the

play. For example, regarding to the

break-up of a marriage, Esme

sums up her long suspicion with “I

always knew this man would trade

up.” In the context of a longer dis-

cussion of the role of theater, the

journalist character Dominic

Tyghe scolds Esme that “people

love things that you think are vul-

gar.” And I, perhaps more than

other members of the audience, ap-

preciated Dominic’s defense of his

professional work in his statement

that “criticism can be just as cre-

ative as writing a story.”

Adam Taxin, a Center City attor-ney, can best be contacted viaFacebook or atadamtaxin@gmail.com.