I'm at Temple University's Center City campus in the Multimedia Urban Reporting Lab for a special web broadcast of a Q&A session with Al Taubenberger. Things are scheduled to get underway at 4pm but the candidate seems to be running a little late.
If you want to watch the proceedings or even pose some questions to Al, you can check it out here. In fact, if you go there now, and click on the link to bring up the video feed, you should see the Temple "T" on the wall.
(edited to add) Click "continue reading" to for the accompanying play by play.
Check back here for some real "meta" blogging of the events.
Taubenberger is running pretty late so the students in the class are doing the right thing - improvising. In fact, you may have just seen me plugging The Next Mayor project.
Stay tuned... hopefully Al will be here soon.
4:29 PM: Al is here. Phew... I was hoping that I wouldn't have to go on again.
4:36 PM: Ok, false alarm. I thought Al was here since they were introducing him. Looks like we're still waiting for him.
4:41 PM: Word is that Al is here and parking the car. Not an easy task around 15th and Market at rush hour time. Then again, nothing about Al's candidacy has been easy for him.
4:53 PM: Ok... NOW Al is here. I can see him with "mine own eyes." Let's see where the questions go.
4:57 PM: First question is about the "one-party" rule here in Philadelphia. Al is making the point that the people would be better served by an occasional change in the power structure.
(my commentary) He seems to be missing the point that a vast, VAST majority of the people in Philadelphia have decided that they want to be members of the Democratic party. If another party were to give them an alternative or engage them properly, then that other party could make inroads. Until, then, without incentive to change, the one-party structure will remain.
5:04 PM: Al is currently answering a question about violence in the city. His solution, one that's been bandied about is to increase the number of patrol units in the neighborhoods.
5:10 PM: An interesting exchange... Al is being question by a student who is originally from North Jersey. He asked her if she wants to stay in Philadelphia after she graduates. She admitted that she'd rather be in New York and that because of the violence in Philadelphia, she wouldn't want to raise her family here. Now that's a good case study. Al's answer... hopefully that will be better soon.
5:16 PM: Hmmm... a question about gay rights and gay marriage. This could be interesting. Al is demonstrating his cred as a "small government" Republican rather than a "moral values" Republican. He seems to be in favor of civil unions and has no problems with gay couples saying that "when people have fidelity to each other, that's a thing we should all celebrate."
5:19 PM: Now Al is trying to distinguish himself from Nutter. He's ticking it off "stop and frisk," "property tax reassessment." According to Al if we have full value assessment, and the millage rate is dropped from its current level "to 1.9 percent, most Philadelphian's property taxes would double."
(my commentary) If the change is supposed to be revenue neutral, how could "most Philadelphian's property taxes double? Wouldn't that mean that more revenue is coming in? If it is to be revenue neutral, that means some people's taxes will go up and some will go down. There will be winners and losers? Therefore, there are now winners and losers.
5:27 PM Looks like the next class is coming in so that's all for now.
Comments (1)
Wow. Absolutely riveting.
Posted by Anonymous | October 19, 2007 8:13 AM