The Triadvocate

Penn Vet Working Dogs Center: Detection Dog Development

The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine's Working Dog Center (WDC) is a unique national research and development center for detection dogs. With a mission to prepare for the future demands of these dogs, WDC integrates a training program with scientific analysis of the genetic and behavioral traits that will lead to the most successful and healthy working dogs possible in the future.

In addition to search and rescue and explosives detection, the WDC is actively engaged in other forms of detection. The Center recently announced participation in an initiative to train dogs to identify the presence of ovarian cancer, an ailment particularly difficult for doctors to diagnose.  

Check out this video to learn how the WDC is training the next generation of working dogs.

 

The Triadvocate is a publication of Triad Strategies, LLC, a bipartisan lobbying, public affairs, strategic communications, grassroots advocacy, issue management consulting firm located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with offices in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh

Fleck and Goodman Unveil Legislation to Prohibit the Privatization of Mental Health Services at Pennsylvania State Prisons

HARRISBURG – Citing a serious concern that communities and state prison employees would be at risk, state Reps. Mike Fleck (R-Huntingdon/Blair/Mifflin) and Neal Goodman (D-Schuylkill) have sponsored legislation that would prohibit the privatization of mental health services at any Pennsylvania state correctional institution (SCI) or other state corrections facility. Fleck and Goodman were joined by other lawmakers, psychologists and union officials today at a Capitol news conference to discuss their bill.

“I have a hard time understanding why the Department of Corrections (DOC) would seek to disrupt a system of employee selection, training and implementation that functions so well,” said Fleck, who has two state prisons located in his district. “I can understand the need to spend tax dollars in the most frugal and efficient manner, but this is a core function of state government that should stay within the public realm.”

Team Surra chalks up its 2nd Win at Hummingbird Speedway.

Team Surra took its second win of the season at Hummingbird Speedway last Saturday night.  Though Doug did not take the checkered flag, he ended up in victory lane after the winning car was disqualified for being 38lbs underweight.

It was a great run with the #3 starting in 3^rd position and working its way up to 2^nd.  Doug showed the #73, driven by Devin Lewis, his bumper many times, but unfortunately could not make the pass.  While they are not racing for points, Team Surra’s strong consistent finishes have them a top the Pure Stock point standings.  In the 6 main events, they have collected 2 wins, 4 second place finishes, and numerous qualifying heat victories.

The Surra team pulled together with Dominic Surra playing the role of crew chief, while father Dan Surra was in the hospital recovering from back surgery.  We send our wishes for a fast and quick recovery for the team leader of the Surra racing machine.

The Triadvocate is a publication of Triad Strategies, LLC, a bipartisan lobbying, public affairs, strategic communications, grassroots advocacy, issue management consulting firm located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with offices in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh

Penn Vet: Fighting CWD

The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine is playing a critical role in fighting the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Pennsylvania. CWD is an incurable ailment affecting the brains of deer, elk and moose across the nation. In this video, Dr. Perry Habecker of Penn Vet's New Bolton Center describes the disease, its impact and the role of Penn Vet in testing for CWD  as a service provider for the Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory System (PADLS). 

 

Friday Happy Hour: Happy Feet Edition

The big news that EVERYONE has been waiting for was the introduction of the House Republican-sponsored 2013-14 fiscal year budget. Nah, not really. Everybody, including bill sponsor/Appropriations Chairman Bill Adolph, pretty much distanced themselves from it, acknowledging that it’s little more than a conversation starter. It’s about $100 mil lighter than Governor Corbett’s $28.4 billion proposal offered up in February. 

The real drama in coming weeks will be the horse trading between the budget, liquor privatization, transportation funding and – for those of you keeping score at home – pension reform. Then there’s a host of lower-profile issues that may or may not be part of the mix. Ah, nothing like June in the ‘Burg. 

Speaking of transportation funding, a national transportation research group tromped through the state to let people know how much money they’re currently wasting, due to poor road conditions, on maintenance expenses, crashes and congestion. According to a report compiled by a group known as TRIP, the annual costs range from $1,320 for residents of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to $1,798 for those in Philly.

Friday Happy Hour: Foot-In-Mouth Edition

We begin this week’s missive with mayoral events across the Commonwealth. The big news involved Democrats, who in the Tuesday primary election nominated new mayoral candidates in Pittsburgh, Harrisburg and Scranton. All three – Bill Peduto, Eric Papenfuse and Bill Courtright, respectively – are favorites in November. Embattled Harrisburg Mayor Linda Thompson finished third in unofficial results, while incumbent York Mayor Kim Bracey staved off a fellow Democratic candidate and will likely win another term, as she lacks a Republican challenger.

But our favorite mayoral story of the week comes to us from The Daily Show’s John Stewart, who noted that mayors often find themselves embroiled in controversy, and he featured some pretty serious gaffes from a couple of them. East Haven, CT, Mayor Joseph Maturo, for example, when asked what he was doing for the Latino community that day, replied, “I might have tacos when I go home.” Then there was Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, who offered his own discourse on “Oriental people” and who was videotaped either smoking crack or playing a Waterford Crystal kazoo.

And speaking of gaffes, we tip the ol’ golf cap this week to Tiger Woods, who somehow managed to recapture the hearts and minds of many golf fans, not just by winning another golf tournament, but by doing so alongside whining magpie Sergio Garcia. It’s not easy to make Tiger look like a class act, but that’s exactly what Garcia has done with a steady stream of snark, climaxed by an ill-advised, racially insensitive comment, in the wake of an incident that occurred two weeks back at a tournament in Florida. Here’s a bit of free crisis comm. advice for Garcia from Triad’s Rick Kelly: Hey, dumb-ass, shut your pie hole.

We know you’re getting tired of hearing this, but America’s transportation infrastructure is in bad shape. On Thursday night, the Skagit River Bridge on Interstate 5 in Washington State collapsed into the aforementioned river, apparently due to an oversized truck. There were no fatalities. According to the Seattle Times, the bridge was rated “structurally deficient” in 1992 and needed $8.3 million in repairs. Now it’ll be a little more expensive to fix.

Closer to home, the I-81/Route 322/Route 22 interchange, torched earlier this month in a tanker truck accident, won’t be fully repaired until around Thanksgiving, according to PennDOT.

Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa told the PA Press Club that linking liquor privatization and transportation funding is a distortion of legislative priorities, and he blamed the House Republicans. He said the House leadership will refuse to address transportation unless the Senate delivers on liquor privatization.

Governor Corbett tapped the brakes on the state’s Common Core standards, asking state education officials for clarification on the achievement measures before they go to a state regulations body for final approval. However, Corbett affirmed that he still wants the standards to take effect before the 2013-14 school year.

A federal judge held a hearing on the Corbett administration’s lawsuit against the NCAA over penalties it imposed on Penn State in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky sexual assault scandal. U.S. District Judge Yvette Kane said she will rule in the next couple of weeks on the NCAA’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

This week’s edition of We Can’t Make This Up hails from Ypsilanti, MI, where City Council considered a resolution to require council members to either vote “yes” or “no” rather than abstaining. The resolution failed, however, as two members voted in favor, two against, and three – you guessed it – abstained. We recall these wise words of Jimmy Buffett: “Indecision may or may not be my problem.”

Holiday weekends, family gatherings and cookouts are great, but we’re reminded that Memorial Day is really about remembering those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. Without them, and those who served with them, we wouldn’t be who and what we are. Words aren’t enough to express our gratitude.

So that’ll do it for now. Check us out on Facebook, Twitter and Triadvocate, and we’ll see you back here again next week.

The Triadvocate is a publication of Triad Strategies, LLC, a bipartisan lobbying, public affairs, strategic communications, grassroots advocacy, issue management consulting firm located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with offices in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh

Surra Racing Team Finishes Second at Hummingbird on Saturday

The action returned to Hummingbird Speedway this past weekend after rain resulted in the cancelation of all racing last week.  Since the Triad Sponsored Monte Carlo took the checkered flag on May 4^th, The Surra Racing team had to start last in the feature.

With Doug Surra behind the wheel, the #3 Surra racing machine had a great run moving up to second with a few laps to go.  The car was running great, and Doug was able to put it anywhere on the track he wanted.  Doug had a chance to win it, but just couldn’t pull off the pass with the few remaining laps left.

The Surra racing team sends its congratulations to Mike Anderson who took the checkered flag on Saturday.

The Triadvocate is a publication of Triad Strategies, LLC, a bipartisan lobbying, public affairs, strategic communications, grassroots advocacy, issue management consulting firm located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with offices in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh

Friday Happy Hour: Butch and Sundance Edition

“Who are those guys?” Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid kept asking, as they were chased from hither to yon by a relentless and well trained posse, following a series of mostly successful train robberies pulled off by Butch and Sundance and the Hole-In-The-Wall Gang. 

The same question arose this week as an organization called Pennsylvanians for Accountability began running TV ads statewide criticizing the Corbett administration for granting corporate tax cuts and cutting education. But who exactly is behind Pennsylvanians for Accountability? As a “social welfare” nonprofit group, and not officially a “political” group, PFA is not required to reveal its officers or funders, and inquiring minds want to know. 

We’re following up on a number of items mentioned recently in this space. Last week we reported that Republican Bruce Castor, a Montgomery County commissioner, was out of Corbett’s hair as a primary opponent next year. This week, Democrat Joe Sestak, former Navy admiral, former congressman and former U.S. Senate candidate, loosened his lips and announced that he will be a future U.S. Senate candidate, seeking to unseat Pat Toomey in 2016.

Military & Business Leaders Support Pennsylvania Common Core Standards to Ensure Future National and Economic Security

New Report Shows Common Standards and Aligned Assessments Are Key to Education Reform and a Strong Military

HARRISBURG, PA (May 14, 2013)  Pennsylvania’s Common Core Standards will help ensure that students are better prepared for success in postsecondary education, the workforce and the military, if they choose to serve, said military and business leaders from Pennsylvania today. They released a new report from the nonpartisan national security organization MISSION: READINESS  at the State Capitol that shows that one in five high school graduates in Pennsylvania who tries to join the military cannot score highly enough on the military’s exam for math, literacy and problem solving to qualify for service.

Speakers at the news conference included Pennsylvania’s Adjutant General Major General Wesley Craig (US Army) and other Administration officials; Rear Admiral Thomas Wilson, III (US Navy, Ret.); decorated veteran State Representative Ryan Aument; and David Patti, President and CEO of the Pennsylvania Business Council along with several members of the Council, including Michael Springer, Director of Human Resources for Pennsylvania American Water company, and Peter Trufahnestock, Director of Government Affairs for Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania.

Surra Racing Team Finishes Second at Americas Motorsports Park

Every track in the North Central PA area canceled because of the cold rainy weather on Saturday evening with the exception of Americas Motorsports Park located in Clearfield, PA. The weather cleared enough for them to get the entire program in. The Surra Racing team made a few changes and made the trip over the mountain, and the weather cleared enough so they were able to get the entire program in.   It was the first time the Surra Racing Team had their car there, and it was Doug’s first time at Americas Motorsports Park.

With no tracks running there was a stout field of cars in the Pure Stock division. The car proved to be pretty fast right off the trailer and ran a strong second in its qualifying heat. The team made a few minor chassis adjustments for the feature event where they found themselves starting inside of row two. Doug powered his way to the front and took the lead on lap three. He maintained the front position until two laps to go when we he was passed by the eventual winner. Doug and the driver of the #4 put on quite a show but the other car was just too strong.    

The Surra Racing Team finished with a respectable 2nd place showing, and was pretty happy with the run. They lost to a much stronger car.... but not by much!! 

 

The Triadvocate is a publication of Triad Strategies, LLC, a bipartisan lobbying, public affairs, strategic communications, grassroots advocacy, issue management consulting firm located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with offices in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh

Friday Happy Hour: Hot Mess Edition

OK, so maybe it’s not a liquor privatization crisis after all. From the May Franklin & Marshall College Poll comes news that Pennsylvania voters are trending toward lukewarm on privatizing the state’s liquor distribution system. The 53 percent who supported privatization in February has slipped to 47 percent, and opposition to it has increased by 7 percentage points, to 31 percent. The bottom line, according to pollster Terry Madonna, is that while many people generally like the idea of privatization, it’s just not that important to them in the scheme of things. In fact, liquor privatization ranked 10^th on a list of 11 priorities among poll participants.

The poll said there is a disconnect between the priorities of the Corbett administration and those of the public, turning the governor’s approval ratings into a hot mess. Only one in four voters rates his performance as either excellent or good. “Debate in the state capital has centered on efforts to privatize the state liquor stores and the state lottery, but these issues rank well below the economy, creating jobs, or improving public schools as important issues voters want state government to address,” the poll said.

Salivating on the periphery is a gaggle of giddy gubernatorial hopefuls, all Dems, five of whom are officially in the race and another who says he’s pretty sure he’ll be in. Then there’s Joe Sestak, former congressman and U.S. Senate candidate, who ain’t sayin’ nuthin’ to nobody. But hey, as any former navy admiral knows, loose lips sink ships.

Privatizing prison psychological services puts us all at risk

By Kathy Jellison, David Gorman, and Sandy Riggers

In 1973 there were 27 mental health hospitals and 6 correctional facilities in Pennsylvania.  Today there are 6 mental health hospitals and 27 correctional facilities in the state.  Consequently, the number of mentally ill inmates has increased significantly in the general population of the Commonwealth’s prisons.  With this increase, the need for well trained and experienced psychological staff has never been greater. 

 

The decision by the PA Department of Corrections to investigate privatizing psychological services in our state prisons, has the potential to put the safety of our correctional officers and other prison staff at risk, and of even greater concern, it could put the health and safety of the public at risk as well.

Surra racing team picks up first victory

The Surra Race Team picked up their first win of the young 2013 season Saturday night at the Hummingbird Speedway in the Triad Strategies sponsored Chevy. The 3/8 mile clay oval was in fine racing shape with multiple fast grooves available for the drivers to utilize.

Driver Doug Surra, a three time NCAA Division II All American, national wrestling champion, was on his game. He finished a strong second in his qualifying heat. This delegated him to start on the outside of the front row for the feature event.

At the drop of the green Doug went right to the lead and set the pace for the entire field for the first 12 laps. Colton Joiner in the 1 Star Machine started to cut into Surra's lead and with three laps to go took over the top spot but not before a fierce wheel to wheel battle. Doug stayed within striking distance and Joiner bobbled coming out of turn four with one lap to go. It was just enough for Doug to power the #3 Monte Carlo by him to retake the lead. Joiner battled back going down the back stretch but Surra beat him to the checkers by half a car length.

Friday Happy Hour: Trading Paint Edition

It appears the odds of winning the PA Lottery may be better than the odds of Attorney General Kathleen Kane approving the Corbett administration’s lottery privatization deal. Kane told the Inquirer this week that the General Assembly would need to approve the deal, as well as change the gaming rules. The administration presented a proposal in February to enable UK-based Camelot Global Services to manage the lottery, but Kane shot it down. The administration says it’s revising the deal to address her concerns, but Kane said seeking legislative approval does not seem to be part of it.

The good news is the state is running a $67 million surplus at the moment. The bad news is it’s projected to disappear by the end of the fiscal year June 30, a casualty of slowing tax collections. That would mean about a half-billion dollar haircut for the proposed $29.2 billion 2013-14 spending plan.

OK, so Republicans lay claim to a whopping 12 percent of Philly registered voters, and yet as many as – count ‘em – nine R’s may be interested in succeeding the term-limited Michael Nutter in the 2015 mayoral race. What, you say? My chances are one in a million? So you’re telling me there’s a chance.

Philadelphia Budget Hearing Update Monday, April 29, 2013

Today, City Council hosted a special all-day Committee of the Whole session featuring only the School District of Philadelphia. While Council members had a great deal of questions, the same answers were being applied to various questions and so here are the broad strokes.  

School Reform Commission chairman, Pedro Ramos started with a broad overview of the District listing some recent accomplishments of the new SRC. It did not go without notice that Ramos, on several occasions, made reference to the "new" SRC. This was to draw a stark contrast from the last group who, many claim, with the help of the late Arlene Ackerman drove the district into its current financial position.  

Among the accomplishments noted by Ramos were:

• Reduction of a deficit of over $700 million to "only" $20 million
• Reduced contracted services spending by $21 million
• Reduced central office staffing
• Negotiated a new partnership agreement with SEIU Local 32 BJ District 1201leading to a greater financial contribution by District employees
• The adoption of a Five-Year Financial Plan to better inform a path to financial stability
• Made the decision to shutter 24 schools 

Last year, according to Ramos, the District added more students with an opportunity to enroll in high-performing District-run schools by adding more than 2,000 seats. They also approved new renaissance charter schools and installed high performing charter manages in chronically low-performing schools.

Surra Race Team starts off with a strong run at Hummingbird Speedway

This is the first in a periodic series of posts highlighting the exploits of the Triad sponsored Chevy Monte Carlo operated by the Surra Racing Team.

The Triad Strategies sponsored Chevy Monte Carlo driven by three time NCAA wrestling All American/National Champion Doug Surra was at the Hummingbird Speedway for opening night last Saturday (April 27). Hummingbird is a 3/8 mile dirt bull ring located in North Central PA's Jefferson County. The track has been in existence since the 1960's and is noted for its tight, action packed, wheel-to-wheel racing action.

Friday Happy Hour: Eye of the Beholder Edition

This week’s public policy roundup brings to mind a scene from the movie, “Annie Hall,” where the Woody Allen and Diane Keaton characters are speaking with their respective therapists. In side-by-side frames, the question arises simultaneously about the frequency of sex.

“Hardly ever, maybe three times a week,” says Woody Allen.

“Constantly, I’d say three times a week,” says Diane Keaton.

Similarly, the outcomes of state government’s activities this week were strictly in the eye of the beholder. It all boils down to whom you ask.

For example, Medicaid expansion either will or won’t generate $435 million for Pennsylvania, depending on whom you ask. The legislative Independent Fiscal Office said it would, but acting Public Welfare Secretary Beverly Mackereth warned that the money the fiscal office is counting on isn’t guaranteed under the Affordable Care Act.

Taking a Bite Out of Cancer

What happens when the constituents, friends, and families of legislators have been impacted by cancer?  In Pennsylvania’s state capitol they come together in a bipartisan fashion to raise money from the political and corporate community in order to fund the research necessary to find a cure for cancer.

On May 6, 2013, State Representative Jeff Pyle will pull together over twenty of his colleagues for an evening of fun to support a serious fundraising cause.  “Take a Bite Out of Harrisburg:  Reps Vs Food” will challenge these legislators to consume two pounds of prime rib and a one pound baked potato in one hour.

 

Any PA State Representative willing to step up to the plate (pun intended), or if you would like to be a sponsor, see Representative Pyle in room 147b, EW, or contact Erica Godsey at 783-5327 or egodsey@pahousegop.com. 

The Triadvocate is a publication of Triad Strategies, LLC, a bipartisan lobbying, public affairs, strategic communications, grassroots advocacy, issue management consulting firm located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with offices in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh

Philadelphia Budget Hearing Update Wednesday, April 24, 2013

This will be the shortest of all budget briefs. The only panel today was the Philadelphia Fire Department and Council made the most of Commissioner Lloyd Ayers' appearance. 

Ayers testified in defense of his Department's request of $219,152,358 which represents a $632,468 increase over last year's budget. Ayers highlighted some successes of his Department over the past year to justify his request. Last year boasted the lowest number of recorded fire fatalities in the City's history at 25. This represents a 22% reduction over the prior year. Of the 25 fatalities, 13 occurred in properties without a properly working smoke alarm. Last year, the Department responded to 231,520 calls for emergency medical services with 75% of those calls leading to transportation to a local hospital. 

The Commissioner also noted an aggressive new public outreach campaign which led to the development of a new fire safety app for smartphones, the dissemination of smoke alarms into 14,280 residences throughout the city, the Community Risk Reduction program and the opening of a new state of the art fire station for Engine 38.

Philadelphia Budget Hearing Update Tuesday, April 23, 2013

In its last full day of first time testimony from departments within the administration, City Council today heard from the Department of Revenue, the Board of Revision of Taxes (BRT) and the Finance Director who discussed all revenue (tax) bills. 

Revenue Department

Getting us started was newly minted Revenue Commissioner, Clarena Tolson. You might remember Tolson from a few weeks ago when she testified as the Streets Commissioner. In her new role, Tolson received praise from Council members who all expressed optimism that Tolson and her counterpart, the new Chief Collections Officer Tom Knudson, would begin to aggressively seek out payment of the hundreds of millions of dollars owed to the City. 

In requesting $20,560,621, this year's appropriation represents an increase of $1,163,843 over the FY 13 estimated obligation. Tolson claims to require these additional funds to adequately pay for an additional 18 positions and accompanying equipment and supplies to support the Delinquent Tax Collection Strategy.  The Department's mission is to increase collections by "leverage advance technology, increase enforcement, promote education and outreach and more fully utilize private collection agencies and to continue to build partnerships with sister agencies" (Tolson 4/23/13).

Philadelphia Budget Hearing Update Monday, April 22, 2013

Well, today is the day we've all been waiting for. Fireworks in City Council. The day started off typically tame (read, boring) but after lunch it took a turn for the interesting. Keep reading to find out why!

First Judicial District 

The day began with the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania.  Judge John Heron, court administrator Kevin Cross, Common Pleas President Judge Pamela Dembe, Municipal Court President Judge Marsha Neifield and Family Court administrative judge Kevin Dougherty all took their turns justifying their $109,321,420 request during the two (2) hour long testimony. It is worth noting that the Mayor's proposed budget only allocates $104,973,196 for the FJD. 

The court system consists of three courts: The Court of Common Pleas, the general jurisdiction court, and two limited jurisdiction courts: Municipal and Traffic Courts. Combined, there are 125 elected and appointed judges, 13 senior judges, six Arraignment Court Magistrates and 2,500 full and part-time eployees. The system adjudicates more than 400,000 cases annually and supervises approximately 48,000 adult and juvenile offenders. Cases range from traffic citations to mass torts to capital homicides.

In years past, the Civil division was rated the number 1 judicial hell hole in the United States but as a result of numerous reforms, they have fallen numerous slots.  They've reduced the tort backlog, instituted zone courts to address public safety through closer prosecutor cooperation with neighborhoods, and they have saved over half a million dollars monthly through the implementation of the Court Innovation Technology Program which provides for videoconferencing and decreases the need to transport criminals from prison to the Criminal Justice Center.

Friday Happy Hour: First Responder Edition

Let’s face it: for most Americans, this week stunk. We’ll dispense with much of the usual levity and begin with contrasting profiles in courage. 

The first comes from Boston, where a couple of steeped-in-evil nut jobs killed three people and maimed hundreds more with home-made bombs they planted near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. The reaction, of first responders in particular and Bostonians in general, was nothing short of remarkable. Somehow, Stephen Colbert managed to strike a tasteful balance between comedy and tragedy in his tribute to the people of Boston. 

A fertilizer plant explosion in Texas killed at least 12 people, injured dozens more, and leveled a farm town near Waco. Volunteer fire fighters were among the dead, and other first responders have set about the grim task of searching smashed homes for survivors and for those not so fortunate.

Sometimes All Politics Aren't Local

By John Pippy, CEO of the PA Coal Alliance
www.pacoalalliance.com

As the Chief Executive Officer of the Pennsylvania Coal Alliance and a former Pennsylvania State Senator, I have witnessed firsthand the unintended consequences of shortsighted government policies.  Nowhere has this been more evident than in the area of energy policy.

The Obama Administration, through the efforts of the EPA, has mercilessly attacked the coal industry by imposing regulations that are forcing the electric generating industry to shut down coal fired capacity.  In turn, by reducing the domestic demand for coal, coal mines have been forced to shut down or reduce production.  This has had a devastating impact on our communities who have been dependent on the coal industry.

Rafferty launches transportation funding plan

It was bipartisan and bicameral, featuring representatives of business and organized labor, trucking companies and railroads, motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians and AARP. More than five dozen advocates joined Sen. John Rafferty at a news conference yesterday, kicking off the introduction of legislation that would provide a comprehensive funding solution for Pennsylvania’s transportation needs.

Rafferty, majority chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, was joined by PennDOT Secretary Barry Schoch and his three fellow transportation chairs in launching Senate Bill 1, which would increase Pennsylvania’s transportation investment by $2.5 billion per year.

Rafferty said his plan would improve safety, relieve congestion and create tens of thousands of jobs. He said he crafted the legislation using a combination of Governor Corbett’s earlier funding proposal and the recommendations of Corbett’s Transportation Funding Advisory Commission. 

Schoch said the cost to a typical motorist, based on the analysis that accompanied the TFAC report, would be in the neighborhood of between $2.50 and $2.60 per week. Rafferty predicted that the Senate would send the measure to the House within the next few weeks.

 

The Triadvocate is a publication of Triad Strategies, LLC, a bipartisan lobbying, public affairs, strategic communications, grassroots advocacy, issue management consulting firm located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with offices in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh

Philadelphia Budget Hearing Update Tuesday, April 16, 2013

The City Controller

City Controller Alan Butkovitz, in the midst of a re-election primary, started the day. The job of the City Controller is that of chief auditor of the City of Philadelphia. This year, Butkovitz is asking for $7,696,397 which represents a $31,000 increase over last year. 

In the past year, the office audited 43 departments through their Annual Auditor's Report, six (6) performance/special audits, a grant audit and an issued an opinion on the 5-Year plan. In those reports, the office made 345 new recommendations to safeguard assets, enhance financial management, strengthen internal accounting controls and improving operating economies and efficiencies. It is estimated that these audits have identified reporting errors, compliance deficiencies, cost reductions and increased revenues totaling more than $1,728,666,587. 

The Controller's goal for the current year is to continue to collect overdue payments owed to the City.  His office issued a Guide to Generating Revenues and Savings which he shared with the new Chief Collections Officers.

Philly Budget Hearing Update - Monday April 15, 2013

It was an extremely light day in Philly Council's budget hearings. Hearings ran on time and because of a rather sparse set of questions from members, ended hours early. Just three departments came before the Committee of the Whole today. Those departments, Community College of Philadelphia, the Free Library of Philadelphia and the Office of Human Resources made it out generally unscathed. In a Council first, the morning session actually ran early. 

Community College of Philadelphia president, Stephen Curtis and Board of Trustees chair, Matthew Bergheiser began the day with their pitch. CCP made the case that an investment in the College goes well beyond classrooms and school organizations but has a very real and substantive impact on the City as a whole. Graduates are working right here in Philadelphia in hospitals and community-based healthcare clinics as well as patrolling the streets of Philadelphia as police officers. These officers apply CCP gained knowledge in anthropology, sociology and community-based policing.

Friday Happy Hour: Going Postal Edition

Remember Old Pat Toomey, that rock-ribbed Republican, former president of the Club for Growth, ideological darling of the Tea Party? Well, check the basement for pods, and meet New Pat Toomey, pragmatist extraordinaire, an increasingly rare and increasingly influential Washington lawmaker with an emerging national reputation for building bipartisan consensus, even on polarizing issues. 

This week, to the dismay of the National Rifle Association and Second Amendment aficionados everywhere, Pennsylvania’s junior U.S.senator reached across the aisle to Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginiato craft a compromise amendment that would expand background checks for firearms buyers. Before that, Toomey’s heroic (albeit ultimately unsuccessful) efforts in late 2011 to strike a compromise agreement on a federal budget drew bipartisan praise. Suddenly Toomey is in the spotlight as The Voice of Reason. Who knew?

Philly Budget Hearing Update - Wednesday April 10, 2013

Yesterdays Council budget hearings consisted of testimony from Aviation, the Water Department, the Streets Department, the Department of Public Property and Fleet Management. 

Airport CEO Mark Gale discussed his department's funding request by noting some major achievements as well as a few goals for the future. The Philadelphia International Airport is the 10th busiest airport in the country with 27 different airlines. In 2012, the airport accommodated 30.3 million passengers including 4.3 million international passengers on 443,000 aircraft takeoffs and landings.  In that same year, PHL grew with the addition of four (4) new carriers. New projects include a 1,500 foot runway extension, redesign and enhancement of Terminal B and C ticketing areas, replacement of current rental car facility service lots and an initial design for a people mover system just to name a few. 

Philly Budget Hearing Update - Tuesday April 9, 2013

This budget brief will be brief because we only have two departments on which to report. Out of respect for the fallen fire Captain Mike Goodwin, the Fire Department has been moved to a subsequent day and City Planning was included in a previous post because Triad obtained an advanced copy of their testimony. 

Most of the morning, actually all of the morning, involved Council's questioning of Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey who testified in support of the Police Department's (PPD) request for $646,305,906. This represents a 4% increase over FY13 as a result of wage increases. Ramsey reported the following, mostly positive, statistics:

Philly Budget Hearing Update - Monday April 8, 2013

Philadelphia City Council kicked off this week's budget hearings with the City Representative, Commerce, Parks & Rec and SEPTA.

Philadelphia's newly minted City Representative, Desiree Peterkin-Bell testified in defense of her department's budget request for $977,917 representing a decrease of over $34,000 from FY13. For those of you who are not aware, the City Representative is essentially Philadelphia's in-house marketing agency. They promote the city through tourism marketing campaigns such as "Love, Philadelphia" or "Philly's More Fun When You Sleep Over" (I still cannot get the image of John Street in pajamas out of my head). They are responsible for the Wawa Welcome America festivities and orchestrated the infamous Made In America Concert.

City Commerce Director Alan Greenberger requested $359,098,501 for the Commerce Department. The job of the department is to promote and coordinate economic development in the City. Some of their successes promoted by Greenberger are Startup PHL - which supports startups and entrepreneurs via two components: 1. Startup PHL makes seed stage investments in Philadelphia companies through a partnership with PIDC and 2. providing funding support to organizations providing services that promote entrepreneurial growth. Additionally, Greenberger touted Philadelphia's 9th place ranking by CIO Magazine as a "Top City for Tech Startups." The City has also partnered with PIDC, Community College, the Chamber of Commerce and others to provide business education from companies further along in their lifecycle. The Office of Economic Opportunity has seen progress in participation levels of minority, women and disabled own enterprises. In spite of all of these positive accomplishments as well as some great news surrounding increased population in the City, the Department of Commerce is concerned with the high unemployment rate and feels as if their funding request will advance programs to promote job growth.

Friday Happy Hour: New World Order Edition

Public Policy Polling surveyed American voters on well-known conspiracy theories and this week published some rather startling results. To wit:

• 37 percent of us believe global warming is a hoax.
• 28 percent believe a secretive power elite is conspiring to eventually rule the world with an authoritarian “New World Order.”
• 21 percent believe the U.S. government covered up a UFO crash in Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947.
• 14 percent believe the CIA was behind the crack cocaine epidemic in the 1980s.
• 14 percent believe in Bigfoot.
• 7 percent believe the moon landing was faked.
• 4 percent believe Lizard People control us by seizing political power. 

This being April Fools week and all, we might have been inclined to laugh off the poll itself as a hoax, were it not for the increasingly manic anonymous reader comments posted on news websites these days. So before proceeding with a few conspiracy theories of our own, we’ll anoint the poll as this week’s We Can’t Make This Up feature. 

Philly Budget Hearing Update - Wednesday April 3, 2013

If you thought yesterday was exciting, buckle up because in today's budget hearings, City Council heard from the Finance Department, the City Treasurer, the Sinking Fund Commission and the Board of Pension and Retirement. Try to contain your excitement just long enough to read this summary.

Finance Director Rob Dubow got things started by outlining his request for $1,322,785,093 representing a $56.9 million increase over FY 2013 estimated obligation levels. This increase is caused by an increase in fringe benefits such as pensions. $300,000 of his budget request will fund the new Chief Collections Office which will support Mayor Michael Nutter's newly aggressive approach to collections. At present each department is charged with their own collections which is proving to be a problem for departments whose main charge is not revenue collection. 

City Treasurer Nancy Winkler testified in support of her department's request for $899,260. She noted some achievements under her watch in the office such as various Bond Rating increases, debt service savings, a $22.6 million deposit to the pension fund and TRAN savings through competitive bond sales. 

Charles C. Jones, executive director of the Sinking Fund is requesting $572.4 million for his department. The Sinking Fund Commission oversees the repayment of bond principal and interest on City-related debt and ensures the timely payment of said debt. The Commission presently oversees payments involving the General Fund, the Water Fund, the Aviation Fund and the Car Rental Fund. 

Wrapping things up was Francis X. Bielli, the Executive Director of the Board of Pensions and Retirement. With a request of $8,776,000 this represents a $42,000 decreased over last year's budget. Bielli noted that there were 945 retirements and 504 withdrawals of contributions from July 1, 2012 to February 28, 2013. This represented an increase over FY2012 of 887 and 661 respectively. During the same period, there were 266 DROP enrollments, down from 922 in FY 2012. 

Questions were tame today with a focus on the school district budget. The initial budget request for the School District of Philadelphia was $60 million less than what the School Reform Commission is now asking for. Council President Clarke asked Rob Dubow where the administration intends to find the additional $60 million. Dubow answered that he wants to work with Council on that issue at which point Clarke noted it was the administration, not Council who is supporting this last minute, and sizable, request. 

Councilman Wilson Goode asked Dubow if the administration intends to amend its initial budget proposal to reflect the new request for the school district. Dubow's answer was a tentative yes. Goode then moved to asking whether or not Center City still needs a 10-year tax abatement and asked if we knew how much revenues were lost because of the current abatement. Dubow indicated a willingness to have conversations with Council on that topic. 

Councilman Jim Kenney, wanted to know where the additional school district request was coming from, going so far as to ask if they will be proposing any new taxes. He was also particularly irked that he learned of this request, not through an official communication from the SRC or the administration but on twitter. 

Councilman Mark Squilla has some pointed questions about the Mayor's new aggressive approach to collections. He wanted to know why the 5-year plan does not represent any new revenues from collections. Specifically, he asked if Council removed from the budget funding for this new collections office, would that impact the 5-year plan. The answer he received from the administration was no. 

As you can see, it was an exciting day in City Council. Budget hearings will be on hold until Monday where we will hear from the City Representative, Commerce & OEO, Parks and Recreation, SEPTA and they will begin with departmental callbacks. City Council meets in open session tomorrow where we may or may not see an attempt to override Mayor Nutter's veto of Councilman Bill Greenlee's paid sick leave bill. 

 

The Triadvocate is a publication of Triad Strategies, LLC, a bipartisan lobbying, public affairs, strategic communications, grassroots advocacy, issue management consulting firm located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with offices in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh

Philly Budget Hearing Update - Tuesday April 2 ,2013

Greetings, City Council aficionados. Yesterday's FY 2014 budget hearings were about as exciting as watching paint dry. The lineup included the Mayor's Office, the Mayor's Executive Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity, the Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development, the Mural Arts Program, the Managing Directors Office, the Procurement Department (contain your excitement) and the Office of Innovation and Technology.  

Mayor Michael Nutter's Chief of Staff, Everett Gillison led off the morning's testimony on behalf of the Executive Office of the Mayor. The Mayor's Office is requesting $5,341,881 which is an increase of $1,437,752 over the FY 2013 estimated obligations. A majority of this budget request falls within Class 100 funds, or salaries. A majority of these employees are being transferred from other City departments which accounts for a large portion of the increase. They are also looking to employ three (3) full-time and one (1) part-time employee as new hires to strengthen the Graduation Coach Campaign. 

Another area expected to see greater financial support in the FY 2014 budget is the new Office of Immigrant and Multicultural Affairs (OIMA) as well as the Mayor's Education Office. OIMA, presently composed of two staffers, is charged with making Philadelphia a welcoming city to all ethnic groups. 

Gillison also boasted about the success of the Mayor's Office of Sustainability. He asked Office Director, Katherine Gajewski to address Council briefly where she informed the members that since 2009, the Greenworks Philadelphia plan has led to the reduction of municipal energy usage by 5% which translated to a whopping $4 million in avoided costs.  

A major theme of the day, outlined in all subsequent testimony and questioned by many members, was the issue of minority, woman, and disabled-owned businesses (M/W/DSBE) participation in contracting. The M/W/DSBE participation rate paid out of the Mayor's Office was 26% for the first half of FY2013. Just for reference, the FY 09 rate was 13%. 

Eva Gladstein was next at bat testifying in her capacity of Executive Director of the Mayor's Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity (formerly the Office of Community Services). They are seeking $8,690,533 Gladstein discussed how CEO helps vulnerable Philadelphians move towards self sufficiency. It's important to note that the funds CEO is seeking come from the Grants Revenue Fund and not the General Fund. Gladstein was able to secure five (5) grants from non-City organizations. In short, CEO's two main functions are to provide strategic support in the development of an anti-poverty plan in the City and to serve as a single point of contact for all of the City's anti-poverty efforts. 

Batting on behalf of the Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development was Housing Director Deborah McColloch. McColloch's office is requesting $163.857 million from four different funds (grants Revenue Find, Community Development Find, the Housing Trust Fund and the General Fund). The office has seen a decrease in funding due primarily to the federal sequester and the loss of one-time stimulus funds. 

Taking the prize for the most energetic witness of the day, Jane Golden, touted the successes of the Mural Arts Program. Requesting $1.15 million, a majority of the program's funding come from outside sources. The MAP's partnership with the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services is an innovative program designed to promote health and wellness in Philadelphia as well as include those with intellectual disabilities in this exciting program. 

Managing Director Rich Negrin, discussed his department's $79,091,792 request. The bulk of his funds ($39,056,067) are being directed towards Legal Services covering the Defender Association of Philadelphia, Support Center for Child Advocates and Community Legal Services. Negrin was pleased to report the success of the Philly311 program which is overseen by his office designed to interact with City residents in ways to find solutions to city problems. Another feather in his cap is the Center for Excellence which was established to train City departments in organizational development, project management and performance management. 

The Procurement Department was represented by Commissioner Hugh Ortman, where he defended his request of $4,712,143 followed by the Office of Information Technology led by the Chief Innovation Officer Adel Ebeid, who requested $84,994,181.

Because of the exciting nature of all of these departments, member's questions were generally focused on general organizational structures. Councilmembers Blackwell, Goode, Jones, Quinones-Sanchez, Reynolds-Brown andTasco all asked questions about M/W/DSBE participation rates among most departments as well as woman and minority hiring procedures. Quinones-Sanchez was particularly irked by the fact that only 7 Latinos are presently serving in the Fire Department.  

Councilwoman Blackwell expressed concern about the lack of inclusion of the African and Caribbean Communities in the Office of Immigrant and Multicultural Affairs. 

Councilman Goode demanded to know why the Mayor's two appointees to the School Reform Commission were not aware of the additional $60 million being requested by the SRC that the school district did not include in their initial budget request. He was perplexed by the fact that the administration was not involved during any part of the school district's budget development.  

Councilmembers Oh and Squilla asked where the additional $60 million in funding requested by the SRC would come from.  

And in the most interesting line of questioning of the day, Councilwoman Tasco continued her questions about why capital projects in her district were held up for so long. When it was clear that she was not going to get the answer she was looking for from Chief of Staff Gillison, the Councilman interjected with "just stop, just stop, just stop, stop. This is bull sh*t" 

Tomorrow, Council's Committee of the Whole will convene budget hearings at 10am with the Finance Department, the City Treasurer, the Sinking Fund and the Board of Pension and Retirement. 

The Triadvocate is a publication of Triad Strategies, LLC, a bipartisan lobbying, public affairs, strategic communications, grassroots advocacy, issue management consulting firm located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with offices in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh

Philadelphia Budget Hearing Update - Revised Schedule

We will be providing an overview of Philadelphia City Council’s budget hearings over the next few weeks.  Reported by Dave Kralle, this series will provide an overview of the prior day’s hearing. We hope you find this information useful.

Philadelphia City Council recently released a revised FY '14 budget hearings schedule. We have posted the schedule below for your use and you can also find it at: http://philadelphiacitycouncil.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/FY-2014-Budget-Hearing-Schedule-Revised-03-22-13.pdf. 

Friday Happy Hour: Scatological Humor Edition

What we jauntily call our weekly “Happy Hour” here at Triad Strategies starts on the serious note of acknowledging one of the holiest periods of the year, with the simultaneous observance of Passover by our Jewish brethren and Good Friday and Easter by Christians. It’s a time of ancient tradition and a time of hope and redemption.

That said, we also are known for a rather aggressive posture on the separation of church and state. We’ve now addressed church issues. Let’s move on to the secular and talk about government and booze.

The good news is that legislators have left town for a well-timed cooling-off period in the wake of a rancorous debate and passage, along mostly partisan lines, of a House measure that would eventually privatize liquor distribution in Pennsylvania. The smart money is on the Senate sending back something that would streamline and modernize distribution, but leave the liquor control system intact – IF it sends back anything at all.

Philadelphia Budget Hearing Update

We will be providing an overview of Philadelphia City Council’s budget hearings over the next few weeks.  Reported by Dave Kralle, this series will provide an overview of the prior day’s hearing. We hope you find this information useful.

Yesterday, Philadelphia City Council grilled Gary Jastrzab, Executive Director of the City Planning Commission, and Rebecca Rhynhart, the City's Budget Director over the Capital Budget. Two proposals were presented: one, a six-year proposal (10,006,625,000) and the other focusing on FY 2014 ($3,280,435,000).

Testifying for the administration, Gary Jastrzab outlined the priorities of the Nutter Administration. This year's budget places a new emphasis on the City's physical infrastructure with a focus on prevention and maintenance as opposed to complete rehabilitation of physical structures. According to Jastrzab, some of the City's most important projects are:

Friday Happy Hour: Happy Hour Rules Edition

As our loyal Happy Hour readers know, we here at Happy Hour HQ are all about Happy Hour. So what could possibly be more important this week than the news that the PA House approved legislation aimed at making Happy Hour that much happier by streamlining and modernizing Pennsylvania’s alcoholic beverage system.

“Happy,” however, would not be the word to describe the 4,000 state workers who could eventually lose their jobs because of it. Then there’s the scary prospect of more drunks, more drunk drivers and more drunk college students, and general moral decay across the Commonwealth resulting from beer, wine and liquor anarchy. It could turn out to be just like New Jersey. The measure now goes to the Senate, where its fate is uncertain.

Friday Happy Hour: Closer to God Edition

Photo Credit: CNN

The New York Times characterized it as “a powerful message that the future of the church lies in the global south, home to the bulk of the world’s Catholics.” Pope Francis, former Buenos Aires Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio, is described as a humble man who forsook the archdiocese’s mansion for an apartment, cooked for himself and rode the bus to work. He inherits a to-do list that makes Pennsylvania’s pension crisis, transportation funding crisis and liquor privatization crisis seem like a walk in the park.

The selection of a pope is among a handful of events that could have blunted the news of the indictments of eight people in connection with an alleged “pay-to-play” scheme at the PA Turnpike Commission. Attorney General Kathleen Kane announced criminal charges against former Senate Minority Leader Robert Mellow, former Turnpike CEO Joseph Brimmeier, former Turnpike COO George Hatalowich and five others for allegedly rigging bids in exchange for campaign contributions. Current Turnpike CEO Mark Compton, on the job for a mere six weeks, outlined the steps that have been taken to assure that operations are on the up-and-up.

Indicted as well as Mellow, Brimmeier and Hatalowich were former turnpike Chairman Mitchell Rubin of Philadelphia, vendor Dennis Miller of Harrisburg, and Jeffrey Suzenski, of Pottstown, a lobbyist with the Stevens and Lee law firm. Also charged with theft-related crimes were former turnpike employees Melvin Shelton of Philadelphia, and Raymond Zajicek, of Tarpon Springs, Fla.

Friday Happy Hour: Long Strange Trip Edition

Some regard it as political theater’s equivalent of flagpole sitting, in that it gets attention but really doesn’t accomplish much. We’re referring to the ballyhooed filibuster pulled off this week by U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican thought to be interested in a presidential bid.

A filibuster is a parliamentary procedure that dates back to ancient Rome. It enables a member of a legislative body to delay or even prevent a vote on a proposal by speaking for as long as he or she wishes. Actually, we reference women in the previous sentence purely to be technically correct.  There is no record of a woman ever launching a filibuster on the floor of the Senate. Filibusters are rarely seen these days. The U.S. House abandoned the practice in 1842, and Senate rules provide other mechanisms for obstructing legislation and appointments.

Paul’s nearly 13-hour soliloquy – the longest in more than 20 years – came during the floor debate over the nomination of John Brennan to head the CIA. What prompted it was his concern over the Obama administration’s policies regarding the use of drone strikes, and whether they would be used against Americans on American soil.

PA Budget and Policy Center and the Commonwealth Foundation on Transportation Funding

Over the past three weeks, we have had a bipartisan parade of legislators and interest groups who have dropped by our offices to discuss the 2013-14 state budget and the myriad of issues surrounding it.  Two organizations that probably could not be farther apart on most issues confronting policy makers are the Commonwealth Foundation and the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center. 

Sharon Ward, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center and Matt Brouillette, President and CEO of the Commonwealth Foundation, are regular fixtures on PCN and statewide political talk shows.  They have been outspoken on the major issues confronting the Commonwealth; the expansion of Medicaid, liquor store privatization, tax policy, and pension reform to name a few. 

The definition of politics, the state budget, and tax policy

In the 1960s, David Easton (yes you should click on the link and read his biography) defined politics as “the authoritative allocation of scarce resources.”  At Triad, we believe that there is nothing more political in Harrisburg than the annual budget process where the scarce resource of the taxpayer dollar is allocated across the various line items that make up the Commonwealth Budget.  The House and Senate Appropriation Committees hold weeks of hearings, while business and labor groups, Senate and House members, advocacy organizations, and think tanks, both on the right and the left, comment on the Governor’s proposal.  All of this leads to the introduction of budget bills, the days of debate and amendments offered on the floor of each chamber, and ultimately the final passage of the bill and the Governor affixing his signature.

What The World (Particularly Medical Doctors) Can Learn from Veterinarians

By Joan C. Hendricks, V.M.D., Ph.D. Gilbert S. Kahn Dean of Veterinary Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania

Most people think that veterinarians are doctors who treat cats and dogs, provide compassionate, expert care but also charge amply for their services. This narrow view means that a vet's work is underestimated and, often, not respected. In reality their role is substantially broader and yet their leadership potential is generally overlooked.

While many vets are caregivers for our domestic animals -- and it's very important work -- a larger mission is to focus on minimizing the transmission of infectious disease and help tackle world hunger issues.

Vets are trained as rigorously as doctors of human medicine; four years of college, four of vet school and additional internships and residencies if they become specialists. Uniquely trained in comparative biology, veterinarians are the only members of the clinical profession -- including physicians -- who see many different species, and understand medicine fundamentally such that all species benefit.

Sharon Ward of the PA Budget and Policy Center Discusses the 2013-14 Budget

If you listen to all sides of the debate regarding Pennsylvania tax and fiscal policy, then you certainly have been exposed to the arguments advanced by the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center.  Sharon Ward, the Executive Director of the center, stopped by Triad Strategies yesterday to discuss Governor Corbett’s 2013-14 Executive Budget, as well as the issues of Medicaid expansion, transportation funding, tax policy and pension reform.

In this short video clip, Sharon provides her perspective on the 2013-14 budget and appears to be somewhat optimistic that the Governor will ultimately join the other Republican governors who have opted in to Medicaid Expansion. 

 

The Triadvocate is a publication of Triad Strategies, LLC, a bipartisan lobbying, public affairs, strategic communications, grassroots advocacy, issue management consulting firm located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with offices in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh

Friday Happy Hour: Act Naturally Edition

A palpable sense of tediousness overcame Harrisburg and the nation this week. Was it because everyone feels beaten down by winter? Nope. Resumption of the state budget hearings? Huh-uh. It was the extravaganza known as the 85^th Academy Awards. 

Our limited space does not permit a listing of everyone who either took offense at Seth MacFarlane’s performance as host, or thought it would be politically correct to do so. As Deadspin put it, “You just sat there going, ‘Who is this TV guy making jokes about people who have actually made good movies?’”

By the time Jack Nicholson and Michelle Obama laid the hardware for best picture on Ben Affleck, everyone had had more than enough. The pair took some heat – Jack for having a good buzz going, and Michelle for… we’re not entirely sure why. Here’s Jack in happier times. And here he is in one of his earliest and most famous movie scenes. 

ADDING INSULT TO INJURY: Commonwealth plans to privatize Psychological Services in Prisons

By Kathy Jellison, President of SEIU 668

As if the closures of SCI Greensburg and SCI Cresson are not enough, the Department of Corrections has now put out a bid to privatize the Psychological services in the state prisons. And, once again, this was done without any prior notice to the unions, even after DOC Secretary Wetzel apologized for how our members found out about the closures. The DOC has even gone so far as to call in our members to inform them of the bid to privatize. All this while we are still struggling to get our 39 members affected by the SCI closures into new positions.

The Department of General Services put out the bid February 2, 2013 with a closure date of March 17, 2013. The DOG is requesting bids to privatize mental health services at all correctional institutions, including psychiatric staff for all institutions and all mental health staff for mental health units plus psychological staff for all institutions including specialized housing units.

The Commonwealth Foundation on Lottery Privatization and Pension Reform

Two issues that have found their way onto the Triadvocate in recent weeks have been the privatization of the management of the state lottery and pension reform. 

With the Governor Corbett’s announcement that Camelot has agreed to extend its bid until March 18^th, the Governor has more time to decide whether to challenge Attorney General Kathleen Kane’s ruling that that the lottery deal violated the state constitution.  Though Democrats have been outspoken in their criticism of the privatization plan, Republicans have voiced criticism as well. The divide is more philosophical than it is partisan, with conservative members voicing support for the Governor’s plan.  The Commonwealth Foundation has supported the Governor’s proposal seeing the benefit of privatizing the management of the PA state lottery so that costs would be shifted to the private sector.  Matt Brouillette sees the deal as a win-win for Pennsylvania since it would guarantee increased revenues for the lottery.

Medicaid Expansion: Facts not ideology should drive the decision

By Dauphin County Commissioner George Hartwick, III

What if I told you there was a way to provide medical coverage for as many as 700,000 Pennsylvanians, save millions in state and local tax dollars, strengthen our medical community and even create jobs to boot?

Keep in mind that not caring for these folks is not an option, either morally or legally. While many without coverage end up delaying treatment, if their condition worsens and requires emergency care that higher expense ends up coming back to all of us.

This is exactly the choice Gov. Tom Corbett is now facing. Allow Pennsylvania to opt in to an expansion of Medicaid – estimated to immediately save the commonwealth $400 million a year – or turn his back on working families across the state.

Let me repeat that: Working individuals and families. We’re talking about those working part-time or low-paying jobs who cannot afford insurance, as well as older Pennsylvanians who may have been laid off but cannot yet collect Social Security.

Unfortunately for all of us, so far the governor is choosing to turn his back.

Friday Happy Hour: Whiskey Rebellion Edition

Let’s begin with a nugget of good news: we here at Happy Hour HQ are thrilled to report that our long national nightmare is over – Maker’s Mark has decided NOT to reduce the alcohol content of its bourbon. Instead of another foolish foray into fixing something that ain’t broke, the product will remain as is. By backing down in the face of a new Whiskey Rebellion, the brand’s caretakers scuttled plans for a new trendy cocktail, Maker’s and New Coke, the buzz nobody would want.

And now for the news that induces us to imbibe. First up is The Sequester, or the federal government’s equivalent of death by a thousand cuts. For those whose eyes glaze over every time the subject comes up, here’s a concise explanation of how our lives will slowly become a living hell without action by that herd of cats known as the United States Congress. 

If your hair isn’t already hurting, this was the first of three weeks of budget hearings in Harrisburg. Budget Secretary Charles Zogby said that the $2.8 billion in increased pension costs coming over the next four years would require a 24 percent increase in the personal income tax, and there just aren’t many places left to cut the General Fund budget. 

After Sandusky: Improving PA’s Child Protection Efforts

The child sex abuse scandal that rocked the commonwealth put a renewed focus on how Pennsylvania protects its children and what more can be done to ensure our kids are safe. One result was the creation of a statewide Task Force on Child Protection, which issued a detailed report last November that made several recommendations on how Pennsylvania can better protect its 2.7 million children.

Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, a statewide non-profit children’s advocacy organization, has long been involved in efforts to improve the child welfare system, so it’s hardly surprising to see them playing a role in making the task force’s recommendations a reality. PPC President and CEO Joan Benso testified before the task force, she and her staff provided technical assistance to many of its members, and PPC is now working to ensure critical task force recommendations become law.

Joan Benso of PPC Discusses the 2013-14 Governor's Budget

Joan Benso, President and CEO of Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, made her way up one flight of stairs to talk to us about her views of Governor Corbett’s 2013-14 Executive Budget (PPC and Triad both reside at 116 Pine Street in Harrisburg).

According to Joan, PPC was certainly pleased to see an increase in funding for K-12 education, though they would like to see the General Assembly address the formula by which those funds will be distributed.  In addition Joan touched on the Governor’s proposal to expand outreach for Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), as well as concerns around Medicaid Expansion.

You can catch her comments in this short video.

 

You can learn more about the Governor’s 2013-14 Executive Budget  by visiting Triad Strategies 2013-14 Budget Page, or listen and watch what other lawmakers, advocates, and influencers think about this years’ budget proposals.

The Triadvocate is a publication of Triad Strategies, LLC, a bipartisan lobbying, public affairs, strategic communications, grassroots advocacy, issue management consulting firm located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with offices in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh