Normally, Democrat Michael Nutter and Republican Al Taubenberger have such similar positions on the issues that it is impossible to differentiate between them. They've even stood together to denounce the city's business privilege tax.
So it's interesting that today we have an issue that actually separates the two:
Taubenberger is opposed to full valuation. That's the idea that the city reassess all properties for what they are really worth, as opposed to the patchwork system we have today.
That's what he said at an event today. And it's one of Al's strongest statements to date. From the press release:
“They say these new assessments will be revenue neutral,” he said. “Neutral to whom, is what I ask. This will be turned into a backdoor tax increase for those who care for their properties. ...
“It’s the nice homes that contribute to nice neighborhoods, which make a great city,” Taubenberger said. “The people who don’t care for their homes should be the ones paying the penalties.”
Taubenberger also delivered a letter to Michael Nutter asking him to also oppose full valuation.
But Nutter is on the record as supporting a "fair and accurate city-wide property reassessment," as long as there are enough safeguards, including a homestead exemption for current property owners and a "cap and deferral plan" to protect property owners from "unreasonably large and rapid increases."
Which sounds like full valuation, with many safeguards, to us.