New PAC advances Latino interests

There's a new political action committee in town, and it's one that Councilwoman Maria Quiñones Sánchez is proud to be affiliated with.

It's not her campaign committee, but a new PAC founded in April - three weeks before the May 19 municipal primary - that seeks to strengthen the political voice of Philadelphia's Latino community.

The Latino Empowerment Alliance of the Delaware Valley (LEAD) organized quickly enough to make endorsements, distribute ballots, buy advertisements in Hispanic newspapers, and hire Election Day workers.

Among its 13 founding members, including Sánchez, are Tomas Sánchez, the councilwoman's husband and the PAC's treasurer; Quetcy Lozada, Sánchez's office director; Candido Silva, former leader of the 33d Ward; Natalia Salgado, political director of Local 33BJ of the Service Employees International Union; and Jose Giral, a business owner and the PAC's chairman.

Among LEAD's favored candidates are Seth Williams, now the Democratic nominee for district attorney. He was the PAC's biggest contributor, with a $4,100 donation.

Altogether, according to a campaign-finance report filed July 3, the PAC raised $11,300, including donations from two successful judicial candidates, Common Pleas Court nominee Adam Beloff ($1,500) and Municipal Court nominee Pat Dugan ($1,000). Two who donated but did not win were Common Pleas Court candidate Vince Giusini ($1,000) and Municipal Court candidate Thomas Nocella ($1,500).

The PAC spent all but $1,221 of what it raised.

"In this particular case, we didn't really raise money because we didn't really have time," said the councilwoman, an adviser to the PAC. The long-term goal, she said, is not to rely heavily on candidate contributions as a source of funding, but to raise money through grassroots efforts.

According to city ethics rules, Sánchez as an elected official is permitted to help the PAC raise money as long as she is not a candidate for office.

She acknowledged that LEAD was newly up and running - evidenced also by the fact that Williams, its biggest candidate, lost all four wards the PAC hoped to deliver for him. Those were the Seventh, 18th, 19th, and 33d.

- Marcia Gelbart

And the race for City Council in 2011 is on.

With only about 18 months before the 2011 Council primary season shifts into gear, a United Steelworkers organizer and Democratic committeeman from the Northeast has declared his candidacy against just about everybody on Council.

"Members of City Council are completely out of touch with reality," said Phil Hughes, a lab technician for Merck Inc. in Montgomery County. He is vice president of Local 10-86 of the USW, which covers about 2,000 employees at Merck's West Point plant.

Hughes said he was forming a campaign committee and expected union backing in his bid for an at-large Council seat as a Democrat.

Don't expect him to play nice. He's already blasting Council members over their salaries, city cars, and participation in the DROP pension perk. Hughes says Council has never been willing to confront the problems of the city head-on.

"When is somebody going to stand up and be the leader they're supposed to be, represent the constituents of this city, and utilize the legislative process that you have in place to fix the problem?" Hughes asked.

That's one in. Next?

- Jeff Shields

The White House recently released the salaries of senior aides in the Obama administration. Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is making $172,000. So are senior adviser David Axelrod and national security adviser James L. Jones. Apart from the president (at $400,000 a year), only one staffer in the White House tops $172,000: David E. Marcozzi, a public health adviser.

Compare that to the salaries of some senior Philadelphia officials: Vince Fenerty, who oversees the Parking Authority, was paid nearly $184,000 last year. And that was after taking a pay cut. Carl Greene, chief of the Philadelphia Housing Authority, just got a $42,693 raise, topping off his salary at $285,000. Arlene Ackerman, superintendent of city schools, makes $325,000 and is eligible for big bonuses.

Mayor Nutter's senior aides are payroll pikers compared to Greene and Ackerman, but they fare well in relation to the White House: Chief Information Officer Allan Frank ($201,000), Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey ($187,532), Free Library Director Siobhan Reardon ($185,000), and Managing Director Camille Barnett ($178,155) are among city employees earning more than those in Obama's inner circle.

No doubt each could make more in the private sector. But surely Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod could top $172,000 as well.

- Patrick Kerkstra