Scoop’s Views

Philadelphia’s mayor, John Street, who has about eight months left in office, is wasting more money, despite the city being in a financial crisis.

Earlier this month, Street announced he was replacing select street signs around the city.

It seems the lame duck mayor, who has cut jobs, threatened to close fire stations, and called on the police department to trim its personnel budget, has decided the city has money to waste.

In recent years, Street has ordered various departments to cut back. In one sweep of his proverbial pen, he even disbanded the Philadelphia Mounted Police unit, used for patrolling the city’s parks, parades, and other venues, as needed.

A few years ago, apparently in a move to give back to his campaign donors, Street renamed one street — one prominent street along the Schuylkill River — from West River Drive to Martin Luther King Drive.

Sure, many would argue that other cities have "honored" MLK by renaming streets, but another point to be considered is that new street signs have to be made.

Adding frills in a no-frill town

In the 1970s and 1980s, grocery stores sold name brand items, as well as "No Name" or "No Frills" branded items, a "brand name" for generic stuff.

See, when the former mayor, now Pennsylvania governor, Edward G. Rendell, took over as mayor, the city in deep much debt. Eight years later, after serving two terms as mayor, the city had a budget surplus. Wise fiscal management resolved the issue.

John Street took charge of the city, with a budget surplus. That means there was money in the bank. John Street, burned through the surplus like it had to be used now, almost as if having a surplus is a bad thing. John Street did at the city level the same thing George W. Bush ("Dubya") was doing at the federal level, at the very same time.

So, how does "No Frills" compare to Philadelphia? That’s easy. This city has been a "no frills" city — one that has had to economize, cut corners, and save money with every contract, even bid, and every purchase since just months after John Street became mayor.

Now, John Street, as mayor of one of the largest cities in America, has had to bargain with unions, including teachers, transit workers, garbage collectors, and others, asking them to agree to less-than-desired wage increases, sometimes saying they had to face wage cuts, and arguing about city employees, namely SEPTA drivers, paying their fair share of health care costs. Sadly, though, SEPTA’s drivers bullied their way through the negotiations and still do not pay for their own health care, a plan akin to welfare for people pulling in $48,000 a year and more for driving a bus. John Street has threatened to close fire stations. He disbanded the Philadelphia Police Mounted Patrol — our cops on horseback. That was a city tradition going back about 100 years or so. The mounted police patrolled the Fairmount Park system, the world’s largest city park, as well as stood at the ready in parades, conventions, protests, and many other events.

Although there is no money for essential services, John Street finds money for signs for Gayborhood, yet he can’t find money to help with reducing the murder rate in the city. He can’t find money to help put additional cops in schools. He can’t find money to keep 911 dispatchers.

‘Community Unity’ must be for the whole

It’s funny how Mayor John Street can find money for all sorts of things that are non-essential to the city. He can find money for all sorts of things non-essential to the residents — and by residents, I mean the residents of the City of Philadelphia, not merely the residents of one, small section of the downtown area. He can find money for all sorts of things non-essential for anything, for that matter, and, more importantly, all sorts of things non-essential for people to act or come together in unity, as a city.

The sort of "unity" that would be brought about by the "unity flags" on the streets of Philadelphia will serve no one but the gay community, and, dare I ponder, even to the gay community’s possible danger. What better way to identify yourself as a target to some who would violently oppose you — especially in a city with a murder rate that climbs by more than 1.5 murders per day?

Back in 1978 or 1979, Mayor Street and his brother, Milton Street, held a protest at The Gallery, an indoor "mall" with more than 100 shops. They called the protest "Community Unity," and had yellow armbands. John and Milton were worried about uniting only the black community. Milton was a state senator at that time, and many of his constituents were black, so it was logical that he would rally on behalf of the community.

Footing the bill …

When it comes to adding "frills" to signs, a city needs to be fiscally solvent. If the residents want to foot the total cost — including cost of labor and on-going maintenance, then that’s a different story, as well as scenario. That would require some kind of legal agreement between the city and some "body" — such as a corporation, business, or other entity. In Philadelphia, yes, we have "neighborhood" groups that are full-fledged corporations, so it isn’t exactly unheard of to have this kind of agreement. Where the problem would come in, though, is in laying out the agreement. The signs would need to meet the exact standards of all other street signs, in dimensions, reflectivity, positioning for line-of-sight for pedestrians and drivers, and other issues.

Am I against the signs just because they are for "gay" part of Philadelphia — or as locals call it — the Gayborhood? No, not at all.

• I am against those signs just as much as I am against the ones that are customized for "Antique Row."

• I am against those signs just as much as I am against ones that are customized for elected and governmental officials, such as judges.

 

Should no one be ‘honored’ with a sign?

What’s the matter with me? Am I against judges being "honored" for time on the bench? Absolutely not. On the other hand, judges are paid for the services they are elected to perform, and as a civil servant, that and perhaps a thank you should be the extent. Anything above what any other worker receives is too much.

When it comes to the "Antique Row" or the "Gayborhood" signs, I just don’t see why the city should spend extra money for something that is fairly obvious to even the most naive tourist.

Let’s ‘welcome’ everyone!

If you listen to the PR flacks, such as Tami Sortman of the Philadelphia Gay Tourism Caucus, the signs are something of a "map" for gay tourists. She says, "If we’re welcoming gays and lesbians, then we need to show them where the gayborhood is."

I wonder if she would agree with a similar argument: "If we’re welcoming the true natives of this country, the Delaware, the Leni Lenape, the Cherokee, the Chippewa, and the rest of the 500+ injun nations, then we need to show them where the injuns are welcome."

To that Sortman’s comments out to the ridiculous, here’s one more example: "If we’re welcoming [enter the race or nationality of your choice], then we need to show the [enter race or nationality of choice] are welcome." Yep, I can see it now: a section of Philly with street signs adorned with an African motif for the black community. Perhaps in one section of Northeast Philadelphia, the street signs would be adorned with the old Russian sickel-and-hammer for the Russian community, and across the street, street signs would be decorated with the Star of David for the now-dwindling yet once prominent Jewish community. Down in Port Richmond and Fishtown, there would be street signs needed for the Polish, Russian, Eastern Orthodox, and German communities. Good lord, Ms. Sortman! Things are going crazy! Instead of having a city of people, we will have a city based on race, belief, sexual orientation, or … who knows!

Wait, that’s what we already have, sadly enough, and things in many parts of the city suck! People cannot get along in a civilized manner. Philadelphia is leading the nation in the number of murders. We have crimes based on sexual orientation, race, drugs, booze, gambling, and hell, we even have a community killing its own.

No, Ms. Sortman, this city doesn’t need to wave flags to "welcome" anyone. Tourists come to this city because they know of landmarks. In fact, we have restaurants that are given the dubious title of "landmark" after but a few years in business, so I get confused by the Hipsters’ use of words. It’s too obvious, at times, that many of them haven’t any command of the English language.

Sortman, the Philadelphia Gay Tourism Caucus, the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, the City of Philadelphia — with City Council Frank DiCicco included, as one who has been in office far too long, among others — all need to consider ways to promote Philadelphia in a positive light for all citizens and tourists, not certain classes of tourists.

When I drive downtown, should I feel unwelcome when I come upon Gayborhood, which officially changed its name during a secret election to Midtown Village, because I am not gay? Am I, as a person, welcome in the neighborhood, especially if I am not

If one spends time looking at works of art featuring Philadelphia Old City area — the area in the immediate vicinity of Independence Mall — you will see that even into the 1800s there were injuns, dressed in their native attire, wandering about the streets of Philadelphia. Something happened around 1840 or so: the injuns all disappeared. Looking at artwork of Philadelphia historic district depicting life after 1840 is akin to watching TV from its early days of broadcast until the 1960s when blacks began having starring roles.

Division is not unity

When any elected official, though, does things for a "segment" — whether based on skin color, religion, sexual preference, or whatever else you want to add to the list — and bangs the drum for that one segment, the rest of the citizens are losing out. Real unity is not achieved in segments of the population. No, unity must encompass the whole of society.

A press release issued about the "dedication" of the new street signs — a dedication?! — noted that the rainbow ribbon will help capture some of the $54 billion gay travel market, bringing more of it to Philadelphia. Economics, huh? Money doesn’t come to a city where the murder rate is climbing at alarming levels. In fact, tourism tapers off.

The press release continued, adding that:

… The rainbow-branded street signs are an internationally-recognized welcome symbol that demonstrates a city’s commitment to diversity and inclusiveness.

Philadelphia’s ‘Gayborhood’ is a place where GLBT visitors and regional residents can patronize a concentration of gay-friendly businesses, bars, nightclubs, coffee shops and restaurants. Two years in the planning, the effort to replace existing street signs with the new gay-friendly ones was championed by the members of the Philadelphia Gay Tourism Caucus with support from the City of Philadelphia, Washington Square Civic Association and Philadelphia City Councilman Frank DiCicco.

Elitism, classism, racism, sexism … what-ism?

It’s interesting to note that the Philadelphia Gay Tourism Caucus is a non-profit organization. It claims nearly 100 members, saying they are all "dedicated to helping Philadelphia get its share of the $54 billion gay travel market." Interesting. A non-profit organization, based on sexual orientation. I always get kicks out of various groups that protest "the majority," i.e., "the whites," "the college-educated," "the corporate leaders," and others. Many scream "discrimination" and file suits because they cannot be part of "the old boys’ club," yet some turn around and establish what could be seen, at least by some, as non-inclusive.

I have known, dealt with, worked with, helped, assisted, befriended, and been befriended by many gays in my life. I have nothing against gays, nor do I have anything against people based on skin color, religion, or anything else. My biases against people are at an individual level: one-on-one I dislike people.

Philadelphia now joins what the organizations involved in this gay community unity signage claim to be a "short-list" — as if it is elitism at its best. The other cities that have erected "permanent" rainbow installations in gay-friendly districts including San Francisco, Chicago, Montreal, and Toronto. Since street signs are not permanent, I had a laugh at the expense of the PR flacks’ expense, which, I’m sure, wasn’t cheap.

Instead of putting up 36 rainbow signs for a feel-good approach to things, at a cost of somewhere between an estimate $30 to $60 per sign, do something that matters, such as create real community unity among the citizens of Philadelphia. Build it and they will come is the mentality, right? Thirty-six flaps of metal will not help bring together a city.

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