Philadelphia BRT members sue to keep their jobs
Wednesday, March 10th, 2010
Five board members of a Philadelphia agency that sets property assessments are suing the city — to keep their jobs. This week board members of the city's Board of Revision of Taxes filed suit asking the state Supreme Court to stop voters from deciding whether to get rid of the agency.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Philadelphians who vote in the May primary are scheduled to vote on a ballot question that would abolish the BRT, widely criticized for unfair property assesments, ineffectiveness, and political cronyism. Five board members have sued to block the referendum, charging the city lacks the authority to euthanize the board.
Tax reform advocate Brett Mandel thinks the BRT has to go.
Mandel: "There should be a law in Philadelphia that the letter B and R and T should never be next to each other, ever again…The BRT should go quietly into that good night. They have completely and utterly failed at their work. They should have resigned a long time ago. Forcing them out is just what we need to do and them complaining about it is beyond the pale."
Mayor Nutter recently announced a freeze on property tax assessments.