Support a Real Democrat: Brett Mandel for City Controller
lost in the hoopla over Senator Specter’s cowardly decision to switch parties to save his skin is that in Philadelphia, a very REAL democrat is running for City Controller. His name is Brett Mandel, and he just got the Inquirer’s endorsement.
Editorial: Mandel for controller
The Democratic primary for city controller may barely register as a blip on Philadelphia voters’ radar screens. But they should pay attention to the May 19 election in which incumbent Alan Butkovitz is taking his next step in seeking a second term.
A history of corruption and misspending makes it imperative for Philadelphia to have an aggressive, independent fiscal watchdog. Butkovitz has been that person at times, but he also has troubling shortcomings.
Offering a better chance for Philadelphia to move further away from the business-as-usual politics that too often leads to cozy deals that cost taxpayers more than they should be paying is BRETT MANDEL. He would bring a fresher perspective to reforming how City Hall spends the public’s cash.
Mandel is the former executive director of Philadelphia Forward, a citizens’ organization that promotes tax, government, and ethics reform. His election would put some additional distance between party politics and the way City Hall operates.
I know Brett personally, and though we disagree on some issues, i think he is the best choice for Philadelphia as well. I’ll turn the rest of this post over to Sean Dorn at YPP, who says exactly what I would say if i wasn’t too lazy to type:
People may have disagreements with some of Brett’s opinions on tax policies and the best way to grow jobs in Philadelphia, but there has never been as dire a need for someone who will bring Brett’s commitment to budget accountability and transparency in government as there is this budget cycle.
As well written as the Inky endorsement is, for folks concerned about tax policy I think a more important issue is whether the Controller understands the role of their office in relation to the rest of city government. The current Controller fails to meet the explicit guidlelines of the City Charter in terms of his professional responsiblities, failing to explicitly required audits stretch back several years. He hides political positions in his office under the auspices of the school district in order to avoid civil service rules. Butkovitz does this to divert limited school district resources away from kids and education and towards protecting his own incumbency and his explanation basically boils down to “yeah some of my guys don’t like it but hey I didn’t start the practice”. I personally have a hard time seeing this misuse of school district funding as meeting any sane Philadelphian’s definition of “progressive” politics.
Brett Mandel, by contrast, has a detailed policy piece about how much of the Controller’s office current budget goes to PR and “community relations” and how he would redivert back some of those resources back to beefing up the Controller’s actual job – fiscal oversight – saving Philadelphia taxpayer’s facing tough, tough budget choices money. If the Controller’s office itself is prone to patronage and fiscal misdirection, how does transparency and smart priorities in the rest of city government stand a chance?
There’s plenty of time to wreak havoc on Specter’s run for senate as a Republican in Democrat’s clothing, but in the race for city controller, the choice is clear as day: Vote for Brett Mandel for City Controller.
