Heard in the Hall

Nutter should take Fattah's seat, at the very least. Fattah just rubber stamps legislation, and his ability to deliver appropriations to the area and the city is mixed -- even when he gets spending for the area, he often sees to it that a short list of contributors and get out the vote type nonprofits get first dibs, or all dibs, no questions asked. Any journalist who tries to follow up as to why Universal Companies holds more than it delivers after ten years, or why Odunde as Osun Village LP gets grants and loans to build low income senior housing with no experience or track record in the field, gets pretty much a stone wall and an insinuation that any critic has a problem because of race.

If we want to address homelessness, we have to really address how much money set aside for housing is wasted.

If the groups that get millions to build low income housing are not performing because they are the political darlings of a Fattah-type card player, you end up with less affordable housing than if we had a republican member of Congress.

The money that could go from pets of Fattah to groups based on evidence, performance, and benchmarks would result in 10% to 500% more low income housing ready for move in.

Here's some examples of properties that are in limbo, and that could get sold to other affordable or mixed income housing builders, but are held up in limbo because of "political considerations."

All are property tax (read school tax) scofflaws:

Rank Owner Amount Overdue Number of properties

3 CITY OF PHILA $6,605,774.80 1,009

4 PHILADELPHIA INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT $4,890,094.51 61

5 REDEV AUTH OF PHILA $3,461,065.36 741

6 REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF THE CITY $2,833,729.25 431

Imagine that the city auctions 1009 properties to the highest bidder and uses the money earned above liens for gas, water, etc. and puts it to a housing trust fund that goes to a reputable senior only or disabled housing builder. Everyone from Cambridge House evicted would have a place to go.

Imagine that the RDA auctions noncontiguous properties or any property that has been in limbo for five years or more and uses the money left from the sale to pay to do a partnership with PHA well.

What prevents this from happening? Some generous but ineffective (and the ineffective affordable housing builders have to be generous to pols) has "pull" or "influence" in getting these city agencies to sit on this property.

Far from solving blight, Fattah has been a party to creating it giving his old school style. "Not black enough" means "not quid pro quo enough."

Still need more proof that fat cat congresspeople steer politically vested owners the cherry properties that end up not being finished for the purposes intended?

It's really too bad that the press only covers the press release and never follows up what happens later. The quick answer: stasis -- properties that could be used to either fund that were supposed to be affordable housing do neither.

Rank Owner Back taxes owed # of Properties

11 RHA PHILA NURSING $894,027.58 1

12 [city left owner blank] $881,875.36 136

13 PA COMMONWEALTH OF DOT $693,417.08 8

14 REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF PHILA $683,411.17 242

28 EXELON GERATION CO LLC [sic] $382,170.91 1 [this power plant is owned by an overseas consortium of investors, not Exelon per se. Power generation lobbyists are an integral part of federal obfuscation in Philly].

29 EAST PARKSIDE COMMUNITY REVITALIZAT $360,978.97 59

30 SUFFOLK MANOR APARTMENTS LP $352,207.84 2

31 WYNNEFIELD COMMUNITYRESOURCE CENTE $330,593.44 1

32 GLC BREWERYTOWN DEVELOPMENTS LLC $324,819.11 40

33 PHILA HOUSING DEV CORP $322,565.65 131

34 BCA AND CHILD CARE CTR INC $321,260.42 2

37 FIRST DISTRICT SELFHELP INC $285,860.87 1

38 CH PENNSYLVANIA UNDER-21 $285,595.83 3 [under age clubs are a considerable source of violence in Philly].

39 KENMAR PROP PARTNERS $285,179.46 2

40 1653 MEADOW STREET INC $280,594.12 3

41 UNI PENN HOUSING PARTNERSHIP IV $275,243.65 47 [The partnership of Universal Companies and Pennrose ended up with these properties reverting to ownership by PHA. PHA is suing Kenny Gamble for harassing them via HUD officials to get the property back. Meanwhile, those needing housing have to wait for the NUR-PAC generous Universal to get yet again another chance to mess up].

42 ZION HOUSE OF GOD HOLY CHURCH $272,211.45 3

45 SECRETARY OF HUD $262,580.47 59
[When properties are foreclosed for back taxes, a new owner buys them. The remainder goes to the owner, in this case HUD. Typically, HUD houses are slower to turn over to new owners than other foreclosures, and are a considerable source of equity killing in neighborhoods].

47 PIDC FINANCING CORPORATION $255,884.97 5 [Ostensibly designed to assist business, the PIDC, like other "development" authorities end up slowing it, while they parcel out rewards to political favorites].

I recommend simply auctioning these overdue properties for back taxes to the highest bidder at once, and allowing the zoning process to allow new development.

The owners need the cash more than they need the property. Federal development monies were never meant to shut down the private market where it wants to go. That should be illegal, given that Philly has huge tracts of unused properties.

It's because the affordable housing builders want the best properties where they market wants to go on its own, and doesn't want the outliers. This undermines whole zip codes. Fattah is a huge part of the cause of miles of city blight in the name of "empowerment."

The local Democrats have to stand up to the state and federal Democrats who are trying to impute most favored player status on low performers.

Nutter will have a unique vantage point as mayor, then as House of Rep. member, to see the flaws in federal housing and development funding policy, and how little effective oversight, a fawning lazy press, and no-campaign finance reform state and city let this waste, fraud, and abuse undermine the funding of quality schools, and vibrant, clean, safe communities.

Nutter won't get reelected as mayor if he keeps letting City Council mess him up. Hard ball, big guy. Break them down, and remake them in your image.

Nutter is going to end up with a higher quality City Council if he starts assertively collecting overdue property taxes even if from (read: especially if from) politically connected owners in the districts of recalcitrant city council members. New owners will force a better caliber of local representation.

It's a truism that the thing that helps schools -- assessing correct property taxes and collecting overdue property taxes -- is the thing that creates a better, more flexible, educated, intelligent politician who represents a diverse core of voters, not just a few players.

Nutter has to make the BRT put FMV in place, and get Council to change the millage. The properties that have to pay more because they were incorrectly assessed for so long by "friends of" (aka ward leaders or city ctte people) politicians are going to have pissed owners used to buying access to favors, but they are also going to start to listen to Nutter when he tells them to get off the pot.

It's a new day, a new way.

The degree to which a climate of "friends of" don't have to pay is demonstrated in the mere fact that since Nutter has been elected, overdue property taxes went from $540 million of record (www.hallwatch.org) to slightly less than $500 million.

That just says that once you set a date for the auction, people find the money to pay for good schools and safe streets.

That shows the incredible degree of nonperformance from the whole revenue arm of city government from soup to nuts.

If you can snap your fingers and collect $40 million, how much of this debt just needs be foreclosed for easy money for schools, police, street cleaning, etc.?

From the BRT that under assesses areas that are prone to change in order to keep docile voters in place or to placate friends, to the Dept. of Revenue that won't send property to sheriff sale for collection no matter how many years of debt a property has, no matter the amount, to the Sheriff, who still has very arcane, unaccountable methods of getting this money to the city for schools, police, and clean streets.

This whole continuum could be contracted out to a reputable municipal contractor, where pensions and health care is no longer a city issue, and where staffing flexibility allows for better technology and performance standards.

There is no need to have the entity that serves warrants conduct foreclosure auctions. There is no need to have a closed, unaccountable Dept. of Revenue be the gatekeeper that won't send property to collection after a reasonable amount of time and money.

There is no need to have an elected BRT Board of judges who are so beholden to the pay to play wing of the local Democratic party that Philadelphia Forward and other good government groups have to sue them to get them to follow state uniformity law.

But the Democratic party has to be willing to do things the right way, the best way, and the open, legal, transparent way for the first time in their lives.

If Nutter can fix this, he's not just going to Congress.