‘The dinosaur’ stumbles as Philly’s Dem machine loses ground in ward elections | Shackamaxon

Welcome to Shackamaxon, a weekly politics column focused on what’s happening at City Hall and in Harrisburg. It is named for the place where the Lenape chiefs would meet to conduct the people’s business, which is now known as Penn Treaty Park. This week’s column covers ward leader elections, efforts to make community events affordable, and a U-turn on some painful cuts at the Philadelphia School District.

After the primary elections three years ago, Philadelphia Democratic Party Chairman Bob Brady was in a celebratory mood. In an open letter posted on social media, Brady boasted that the “dinosaur roared,” a playful, self-deprecating reference to the party establishment’s wins over progressive and reformist alternatives. During this week’s ward elections, however, establishment candidates had little to brag about. Wards That Work, a coalition of left-leaning groups, announced that candidates they supported had won six of the city’s 69 ward leadership positions. While the party’s old guard still holds a significant lead in the total number of ward leader positions, it is clear where the energy and enthusiasm of the party are headed. The insurgent wards, and the wards they’ve contested but haven’t yet prevailed in, are filled with committeepeople. The machine-dominated wards are filled with vacancies.

In the 22nd Ward, one of the most hotly contested races of the cycle, the incumbents are facing questions about whether they skirted the party’s rules to retain their hold on power.

Fred Dedrick, an elected committeeperson, told me that current ward leader and 8th District Councilmember Cindy Bass had initially told folks to show up by 7:15 p.m. if they wanted to participate in the reorganization vote. After the meeting finally began at 8 p.m., she quickly called for a voice vote, declared herself the winner, ignored requests for a roll-call vote, and sent everyone home.

Under the party’s own rules, Brady told The Inquirer’s Sean Collins Walsh, a roll-call vote must be taken if it is requested.

Bass’ tactics drew widespread condemnation. Even U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, who usually stays out of local governmental issues, said he was “absolutely disgusted” by what he saw in a video of the vote, and made a direct comparison to President Donald Trump’s repeated efforts to “obstruct our democracy.”

The Philadelphia Democratic City Committee, for its part, is planning to host a revote between Bass and her challenger, Octavius Price.

This is far from Bass’ first controversy. Her tenure on City Council has been characterized by high-profile disputes with some community organizers. Bass’ critics cite what they describe as a lack of consistency, particularly on issues of development: When Bass opposes a project, like the proposed reuse of the Ada Lewis Middle School property, she cites a lack of popular support. When she’s behind an effort — like the decision to grant development rights at the former Germantown YWCA — the community’s viewpoint isn’t taken into account.

That kind of vacillation could be part of why Bass won her most recent primary election in 2023 by just over 400 votes, despite her opponent having little in the way of name recognition.

In 2016, then-Councilmember Allan Domb raised concerns about then-Mayor Jim Kenney’s plan to turn the former Inquirer building on North Broad Street into the new police department headquarters. Domb’s objection was basic common sense. If the city is going to spend a quarter of a billion dollars, shouldn’t we at least get an appraisal first? Especially given that a developer had spent just $22.7 million — a fraction of its expected price tag — to acquire it in the first place.

An Inquirer analysis suggested that the city had, in fact, overbid. The city ended up paying around $90 per square foot, which is higher than the $71 per square foot paid for a comparable property, the former GlaxoSmithKline headquarters that sold three years before. Since 2018, the value of commercial real estate in Center City has declined. The sprawling Centre Square complex near City Hall sold for under $60 per square foot.

In fact, in addition to buying the building without an appraisal, the city also agreed to a yearslong leasing agreement, which allowed the owner, developer Bart Blatstein, to utilize historic tax credits.

Now the bill has come due, with city officials forced to either buy the building outright at its inflated price or pay double in rent payments while searching for a new location, which would also likely cost hundreds of millions of dollars to get up to standards.

While buying the building may be the least bad option at this point, the entire situation is a frustrating reminder of how defensive and parochial city government can be. Despite having a bona fide real estate expert in Domb available to assist their decision-making, city officials embarked on the plan without asking for his input ahead of time.

With the World Cup having kicked off and America preparing to celebrate its 250th birthday, you might think the city would be filled with local events, festivals, block parties, and other revelry spreading to all corners of the cradle of liberty. Thanks to the city’s stringent regulations and a stated lack of resources, there will be fewer events than many Philadelphians might have hoped for.

Hosting events in Philadelphia is a slog during the best of times. City Controller Christy Brady issued a report earlier this year that reiterates findings reported in The Inquirer: The high cost of security and convoluted permitting process is shrinking, pushing out, and eliminating many long-standing civic traditions.

This year was supposed to be different, thanks to the Neighborhood Celebrations Grant Fund. But organizers told Inquirer reporters that they are running into unforeseen obstacles, including blackout dates that extend from June 11 to July 18. This means neighborhoods are being restricted at the same time when demand is highest. While security concerns are a legitimate issue, giving people an option to celebrate closer to home could be the key to avoiding the traffic, parking, and crowding concerns that inspire caution in the first place.

After weeks of debate over the proposed rideshare tax and the insistence that a failure to pass it would result in the elimination of 340 positions in the Philadelphia School District, officials have backpedaled. Apparently, there will be no cuts after all.

The district’s revenue needs are what they are, but the way city officials handled the situation fostered confusion and cynicism. Threatening to make cuts without additional revenue, only to cancel the cuts despite failing to secure new money, makes everyone look opportunistic. What was the fight all about in the first place?

The compromise, however, required sacrifices elsewhere. The city had to raid its capital budget and cut some of the Commerce Department’s budget for contracted services, per a statement from City Council President Kenyatta Johnson’s office. More painful cuts could be on the horizon for next year’s budget if a new revenue source isn’t found.