Group 5
Moderators: Beth Perry, Ted Enoch and Cassandra Georges
City representative: John Farrell
Total Points: 81

Group Description:
This diverse group had 20 people, 12 women and 8 men, with an ethnic mix almost evenly spread between blacks and whites, with one Asian participant. More than half of the group was middle-age, but there was one young middle-schooler along with two people in their 20s, and four people older than 60 at the other end of the spectrum.
This group was interactive, cooperative, and ready to grapple with the difficult choices facing the city. Individuals with specific experience (court system, social-service nonprofits, legal work) shared relevant information but did not take over the discussion. The group did proceed through the buckets of “Low Hanging Fruit,” “No Way, No How,” and “Shared Pain.” “Shared Pain” seemed sufficient for working through the work-sheet choices to a score of 81 points by the end of the evening. There seemed to be no need for a semantic shift over to “Gut Wrenchers”: The discussion would not have changed. A protest about lack of discussion during “Low Hanging Fruit” was allayed as discussion naturally developed during “No Way, No How” and “Shared Pain.”
There were no dissenting work sheets submitted.

Low Hanging Fruit
Total points: 12
• #20 Eagles: 4 points
o 75% of the vote
• #17 Amusement: 2 points
o 75% of the vote
o There was a protest that a tax increase would push concerts and plays beyond people’s price range. (Increases for movies and sports events did not cause this person the same amount of distress.)
• # 16 Vehicles: 6 points
o 75% of the vote

These options were considered but did not get the required 75% votes:
• # 3 DROP: 4 points
o 55% of the vote
• #21 Parking: 2 points
o 65% of the vote
• # 1 Administrative: 5 points
o 35% of the vote
• #24 Sales Tax: 6 points
o 60% of the vote
• #14 Recreation: 2 points
o 25% of the vote

All these options, except for Recreation, would end up giving points under “Shared Pain.”

No Way, No How
Total points taken off the table: 130
• # 7 Housing: 7 points
o 80% of the vote
o “We are seeing increasing stress in housing right now.”
• # 8B Human Services: 19 points
o 90% of the vote
• # 8A Human Services: 9 points
o 80% of the vote
• # 13B Public Health: 7 points
o 90% of the vote
o “We need public health services - people have no insurance.”
• # 13A Public Health: 5 points
o 75% of the vote
• # 6B Libraries: 3 points
o 75% of the vote
• # 14C Recreation: 5 points
o 85% of the vote
• # 14B Recreation: 3 points
o 80% of the vote
• # 11B Police: 52 points
o 75% of the vote
• # 5B Fire: 20 points
o 85% of the vote

Options that did not make enough votes for the “No Way No How” list:
• # 6A Libraries: 1 point
o 45% of the vote
• # 4B Fairmount Park: 2 points
o 70% of the vote
o “The Park is part of the character of Philadelphia, and it’s already hurt.”
• # 14A Recreation: 2 points
o 55% of the vote
• # 11A Police: 26 points
o 0% of the vote
• # 5A Fire: 10 points
o 15% of the vote
o “Some engines haven’t fought a fire in 3 months.”
o “But protect the medic units…”

In the end, “Shared Pain” acquired the points from #11A (Police, cut by half for 13 points) and #5A (Fire, cut by half for 5 points), when these options were moved over from “No Way, No How.”

Shared Pain
Total points: 69
• #15A Streets - (Cut in ½): 5 points
o 75% of the vote
• #15B Streets - 2 points
o 70% of the vote
o Streets Discussion:
 #15A full option for 10 points did not make the needed votes. (Only got 45% of the vote.)
 “Flashing red stop lights are not understood - we need a full education effort for them.”
 “Pay As You Throw” option #15C got no votes
 One person did like “Pay as you throw” because it was like recycling in that it put the responsibility on the taxpayer/citizen
 Disagreement: “Pay as you throw” will lead to dirtier streets - people will avoid paying and still throw trash outside.
 Disagreement: “This is and equity and class issue. Lower income neighborhoods already suffer with more trash than richer neighborhoods. “Pay as you throw’ will just add to the problem.”
• #25B Wage/Resident: 12 points
o 85% of the vote
• #26B Wage/Commuter: 5 points
o 85% of the vote
• #21 Parking (Garages): 2 points
o 70% of the vote
o People agreed that the recent parking meter increases were really being felt.
• #5A Fire (cut by ½): 5 points
o 60% of the vote
• # 3 DROP: 4 points
o 70% of the vote
o Several people were very clear that they did not approve of city employees “retiring” for one day (!) and then “returning” the next to a well-paid position.
• #24 Sales: 6 points
o 70% of the vote
• #11A Police (cut by ½): 13 points
o 55% of the vote
o “Philadelphia is a dangerous city, with crime and drug traffic.”
o “If the economy were better, I could go along with these cuts in police coverage…but not now.” (People without money will commit more crimes.)
o A younger black man made the emphatic point that police officers needed more training. He had experienced disrespect, man-handling and harassment from the police in his lower-income neighborhood.
o Federal stimulus package benefits will be a one-shot deal, and we cannot count on them for the ongoing budget needs of the police.
• #12A Prisons: 10 points
o 80% of the vote
o Don’t take food away from people in prisons.
o Dun prisoners’ wages for rent (as is done in Virginia).
o Put prisoners to work.
o Disagreement: Prisoners would be competition for non-prison labor.
o Police and the District Attorney’s Office throw too many charges at offenders so people can’t make bail and fill up the prisons.
o Reduce sentences. Release nonviolent prisoners.
o Too many violent offenders are on the streets.
o Untreated mental illness is a big issue amongst the prison population.
o There are no re-entry services, so offenders recycle back into prison.
• #1A Administrative: 5 points
o 80% of the vote
• #13 Public Health
o No vote
o One person who was adamant about protecting Public Health (#13A. #13B), and did speak out in favor of people providing co-payments.

Big Hairy Ambitious Goals
• First Judicial District: 52 points
o 80% of the vote
o ‘The state will just cut funds for us from another category…’
o ‘But it’s the law! So go for it!’
• “Row Offices” discussed: One person spoke in favor of there being offices independent of the mayor’s control.

Other Ideas
• Provide exemptions in wage-tax hikes for lower-income families. (Cut-off at $30,000 for a family of four.)
• Sales tax on luxury items (SUVs, diamonds) - this got 60% of the votes.
• Put trash collection fee on the water bill - this got 30% of the vote.
• Cut #311
o Wrong time to begin providing this service (and wrong to use library workers).
o Disagreement: Anti-hunger activists have found #311 very useful.
o #311 has been useful for food stamps and for domestic-violence issues.
o This service is new so the full impact has yet to be seen.