Anderson@Large

Corruption is What Makes Philly

In the run-up to the Democratic convention, the 2016 Democratic National Convention Host Committee launched #WhatMakesPhilly, “a social media campaign to energize Philadelphians about the Convention coming to town and highlighting what makes the city the unique.”

What makes Philly unique? It continues to live down to its reputation as “corrupt and contented.” One of the longest serving congressmen, Chaka Fattah, is now serving time in federal prison. City Council Majority Leader Bobby Henon is under FBI investigation.

District Attorney Seth Williams, who no longer has a law license, is under indictment. One of the candidates running in the May 16 primary election to succeed him is in debt up to his eyeballs.

And we now know the real winner of the host committee’s #WhatMakesPhilly social media campaign was the committee’s executive director, Kevin Washo. Last week, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Washo paid himself a $310,000 bonus:

On Nov. 25, all 12 of the host committee staff received bonuses. In addition to Washo’s $310,000 check, rewards ranged from $13,357 for the office manager, who was paid $3,000 monthly, to $220,000 for the chief financial officer, who was paid about $8,000 monthly.

In the host committee’s report to the Federal Election Commission, Washo's bonus is described as “Consulting Services-Political.” On Dec. 23, 2016 -- five months after the convention ended -- he collected $13,805.96 in “salary.” By then, Washo had already been hired by powerhouse law firm Cozen O'Connor “to assist clients with government relations across Pennsylvania as well as in Washington, D.C., and New York.”

Washo may soon need a lawyer.

Philadelphia Magazine detailed the other bonuses.

The nearly $1 million in bonuses were authorized by Host Committee Chairman Ed Rendell. Philly’s culture of corruption is so embedded that Rendell, a former mayor and governor, brazenly said:

No donor did this out of the kindness of their heart. They all wanted access. They got exactly what they donated for. No donor should feel cheated.

Why should donors “feel cheated?” After all, they received “access” and a tax deduction. Millions of dollars in donations to the host committee were funneled through the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau Foundation. The financial scheme appears to violate the absolute prohibition on political campaign intervention by a Section 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. The bonuses also facially violate IRS rules against self-dealing.

Speaking of self-dealing, the host committee donated $75,000 of Other People's Money to, ahem, the Rendell Center for Civics and Civic Engagement.

On Mother’s Day, I decided to file a complaint about these greedy mothers (half the word) with the IRS and the FEC. When I visited the host committee’s website to find out who was on the board of directors, I discovered the site has been partially wiped clean (perhaps “with a cloth or something”), including its home page, sponsors and area partners.

Also on Sunday, Gov. Tom Wolf issued a statement denouncing Rendell and Washo for not returning the $4 million surplus to the state:

I am disappointed that when the host committee discovered there was a surplus, the first call was not to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to discuss returning the money to the taxpayers. The commonwealth supports large events that have an economic benefit to Pennsylvania and the region, but when there is leftover funding, that money should be returned to taxpayers. I am disappointed that the surplus was instead spent on bonuses and grants.

Wolf requested that Auditor General Eugene DePasquale review the host committee’s audit report.

UPDATE: Three Republicans -- Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Pat Browne -- have called for an audit. In a letter to Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, they wrote:

The revelations over the past several days are particularly troubling. It is undisputed that the DNC had no less than $4 million I unencumbered funds upon completion of the event. A small group of individuals including former Governor Rendell chose to allocate the excess on targeted special interest initiatives and exorbitant bonuses, one greater than $300,000. We were not contacted at any point by the officials at the DNC, the Governor’s Office, or DCED (who administered the grant) about the surplus. No efforts were made to return any portion of the surplus to the Commonwealth.

Kevin Washo and the other host committee staff will have to use their taxpayer-funded windfall to pay for lawyers.

Stay tuned.

Why the Arts Matter

Being an arts advocate, it should come as no surprise that events at Philadelphia’s iconic museums were among the highlights of my Democratic National Convention schedule. The Philadelphia Citizen held a panel discussion on innovation and local government and watch party at the Barnes Foundation.

I’m a policy wonk and civic app developer so the discussion was in my wheelhouse. But the real attraction was the opportunity to view the Barnes collection without the usual crowds. Although I’ve visited the museum several times, I somehow missed that Horace Pippin’s paintings, including "Supper Time," are in the collection.

The painting immediately brought to mind Irving Berlin’s "Supper Time" from the 1933 Broadway musical As Thousands Cheer. Written for Ethel Waters, the song is about a wife’s reaction to the news of her husband’s lynching. The almost daily occurrence of state-sanctioned racial terror fueled the Great Migration.

Americans for the Arts Action Fund held an ARTSSPEAK@DNC panel at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The speakers included Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, and musicians Ben Vereen and Ben Folds.

The panelists discussed the economic and transformative impact of the arts. I dutifully nodded my head when Vereen acknowledged the panelists were singing to the choir, i.e., “warriors for the arts.” But when he broke out in song, I had to fight back the tears.

To be sure, the Tony Award winner can sang, but it wasn’t just any song. Vereen sang the song that inspired me to believe that I would be able to rise above my station in life. I grew up in deep poverty in Brooklyn. While walking the streets of Bed-Stuy, I would sing “The Impossible Dream” from the 1964 Broadway musical Man of La Mancha.

The lyrics inform my lifelong activism and commitment to social justice. Indeed, I’m living proof that art changes lives.

2016 Democratic National Convention

As a citizen journalist and freelancer, I have covered the Democratic convention since 2000. This year, I decided not to apply for a media credential even though the Democratic National Convention is a short subway ride from my apartment. Count me among the disaffected.

Since I won’t be there when the convention is gaveled to order by Debbie Wasserman Schultz Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, I attended the Community Open House to get a sneak peek of the convention venue.

I’ll spend the next four days out and about at protests, panel discussions, cocktail receptions, etc. The highlight of my itinerary is the viewing party at the Barnes Foundation. It seems fitting to watch Hillary Clinton accept the Democratic nomination at an institution that is the subject of an award-winning documentary, “Art of the Steal.”

For convention updates, follow me on Twitter or hashtag #DemsInPhilly.

DNC Freedom School

The Democrats are coming! The Democrats are coming! The 2016 Democratic National Convention will be gaveled to order on July 25th.

The City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection will host the DNC, but protesters may not be shown any love. So a coalition of clergy and activists is taking a page from the old-school Freedom Schools and boning up on their rights.

During a press conference, Rev. Robin Hynicka of the Arch Street United Methodist Church said:

We know those coming to the city and those already here, planning to exercise their First Amendment right are going to need some support. They’re going to need love, they’re going to need some place to go. We’re sending that message today.

The DNC Freedom School will be in session from 9am-9pm on Saturday, July 23 at the Arch Street United Methodist Church. Rev. Hynicka noted:

Voter registration, civic engagement, political and social activism were key components of the Summer of Freedom. Revisiting the courage, commitment, conviction and cause at the Summer of Freedom and the Freedom schools, has the potential to shape the current context that we are facing.

The Democrats are coming! Get ready.

#PopeinPhilly

Pope Francis will be in Philadelphia this weekend. Vast areas of Center City already are on lockdown. Schools and colleges will be closed for the papal visit. Given the givens, this is the closest I will get to the People's Pope.

It's maddening that Philly can find money to host large events, e.g., World Meeting of Families and the 2016 Democratic National Convention, or make a down payment on the school to prison pipeline. But there's no money to fund programs that will lift its citizens out of persistent poverty.

Sure, visitors will love Center City, which sparkles day and night. Fact is, Philadelphia is the poorest big city in the nation. According to the 2013 Census Bureau American Community Survey, the city's poverty rate is 26.5 percent; over 400,000 of the city's 1,560,000 residents are living in poverty. More than 190,000 live in deep poverty, meaning their incomes are less than half the federal poverty level.

As of this writing, the city still hasn't signed a contract with the World Meeting of Families. It's safe to assume that taxpayers will be stuck with the bill for the Pope in Philly. Meanwhile, many public schools are without nurses, librarians, guidance counselors, substitute teachers or arts education.

I grew up in the Baptist church but right now, I'm unchurched.That said, I pray that city leaders heed the Papal Mass and “rescue the poor, the weak, and the abandoned from their distress and provide with generosity for their needs.”

Chaka Fattah Indicted

Aug. 6 marks the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act.

Last week, Congressman Chaka Fattah was charged with racketeering, conspiracy, bribery, bank fraud, money laundering and falsification of records. As I read the 29-count indictment, I thought the ancestors must be rolling over in their graves. The struggle for voting rights was about empowering African Americans to vote for candidates who would represent their interests.

Fifty years after Bloody Sunday, we have an entitled political class that is more interested in advancing their personal interests, and that of their family and friends.

In a Fox29 man-on-the-street interview, a constituent said it best:

He’s [Fattah] supposed to be bringing us up, not taking from us.

And that’s precisely what Fattah allegedly did. Co-conspirator Herbert Vederman allegedly sponsored Fattah’s live-in au pair.

A nonprofit run by a Fattah crony received a $1 million grant from NASA to support a STEM program for members of underrepresented groups. The crony, now co-conspirator, allegedly used some of the funds to repay a political loan.

This scheme should take the steam out of those who are quick to holler that black elected officials are harassed. If your hand is not in the cookie jar, you don’t have to worry about unfair scrutiny.

Career politicians are “saddened” by Fattah’s indictment. Sadly, it’s just Philly’s latest political scandal. The Philadelphia Inquirer called on Fattah to resign:

The allegation that he is the legislative equivalent of a capo didn't seem to impress Fattah, who has been under investigation long enough to repeatedly seek and win reelection regardless. While glibly allowing that the indictment is more significant than "Deflategate" - an airy scandal involving footballs - Fattah answered a disturbingly detailed 29-count indictment by reiterating a general denial and vowing to "try not to have it be a distraction."

In fact, the charges are so serious as to render Fattah's service a distraction. Even if he hasn't serially abused his office, as the charges suggest, he will be a busy defendant. As neither is compatible with his continued service, he should step down.

[…]

Such grave allegations, along with the pleas that preceded them, are a blot on what seemed to be a distinguished political career, and the latest in a long line for Philadelphia Democrats. Fattah is entitled to be presumed innocent unless proven otherwise. But he is not entitled to his office.

If Fattah doesn’t resign, his trial may a “distraction” for Democrats when they convene in this notoriously “corrupt and content” city for the 2016 Democratic National Convention.