An op-ed by the congressman who "represents the 2nd District, including parts of Philadelphia" states his position the City of Philadelphia and the School District of Philadelphia should "Keep Paul Vallas." The 622 words that Fattah uses to stake out this position can best be summed up with this mathematic proof:
Philadelphia Schools in 2002 = Bad
Traditional School District Governance by Mayor/School Board = Bad
Philadelphia Schools in 2002 - Traditional School District Governance = 0
Philadelphia Schools in 2002 + 4 years of Paul Vallas = Better
Better = 0 + Good
Therefore 4 years of Paul Vallas = Good.
Potential candidate Fattah hopes voters get the message that:
Chaka Fattah as Mayor = 4 more years of Paul Vallas
Therefore Chaka Fattah as Mayor = Good
He's also pulling a page out of the 1999 Election when Sam Katz gave his full, unquestioned support to retaining the services of John Timoney as Police Commissioner, "goading" candidate John Street to give his support to Timoney as well. Most of the potential candidates have already lent some degree of support to Vallas, while candidates Nutter and Dougherty were "unavailable for comment." It'll be interesting to see how whether this move prompts a response.
Comments (2)
shame on you Dan - do you only read your partner paper and not the better one? I demand a correction:
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/14951451.htm
But at least four potential mayoral candidates - Evans, Michael A. Nutter, who is resigning from City Council, U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.), and former City Controller Jonathan Saidel - were unequivocal in their support.
"Many people talk about Paul Vallas because they have had contact with Paul Vallas in a way they have not experienced... with previous CEOs or superintendents," Nutter said. "He is out in the community."
Posted by nutterlover | July 13, 2006 11:55 PM
You're right... that quote is pretty unequivocal.
Posted by Dan | July 14, 2006 1:43 PM