Letters: New leadership, even better city

NEARLY 70 percent in a poll describe Philadelphia as a great place to live.

We are a proud city with proud residents. But nearly three out of five feel the city is not on the right track and disapprove of the job City Council has done. It's time we take pride in Council and elect leaders we trust to fix the pressing issues of the 21st century.

In 2010, according to a DN op-ed, corruption cost taxpayers in Philadelphia anywhere from $9 million-$36 million.

The annual operating cost of a public library is $4 million-$8 million. From my own work with the Freedom School Program, I know it costs roughly $1,000 per student for a quality 6- to 8-week summer program. By these estimates, corruption has cost more than 9,000 students summer programs in our city. If we had these millions our elected officials continue to mismanage, many firehouses, libraries and summer programs might still be open today.

Programs like the Deferred Retirement Option Plan perpetuate distrust among citizens and plague our city budget. In 2010, one report claimed the program cost $21 million-$36 million annually, figures not included in that corruption cost.

I'd act quickly to eliminate DROP. These are funds that could go back into our communities, instead of the pockets of our elected officials, to build a stronger Philadelphia.

There are no term limits for Council. Members stay on for 20 or 30 years, collecting six-figure salaries and enjoying a very nice benefit package complete with a city-owned car, 12 weeks of paid vacation (more than in any other major city) and an average term of 15.5 years (far longer than that in other major cities).

Meanwhile, our residents continue to pay the second-highest tax rate of any major city in America and see city services continually being cut.

We need leaders whose interest is to serve the people, not to make lucrative careers on the backs of our residents.

Isaiah Thomas

Democratic candidate

City Council at large