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| (PhiladelphiaForward.org) |
Last night, I had the opportunity to attend a screening of the film Shame
of a City. This film chronicles the
2003 election for the Mayor of Philadelphia. The 2003 election was a divisive contest during which Mayor Street battled Sam Katz for the seat in City Hall.
Though the film won’t be released until March of 2007,
it is already long overdue. The people of Philadelphia should be aware of the
slimy tactics that have been used in and around City Hall, where “pay to play” politics are often the norm.
It’s a tragedy that mayoral campaigns are not subject to stricter campaign
finance laws. If an individual or business donates $50,000 to a
mayoral candidate, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that
something is expected in return.
Last night’s screening was sponsored by Philadelphia Forward, a bipartisan organization that encourages citizens to become more
involved with politics to avoid future scandals in this City
of Brotherly Love.
Perhaps the greatest part of Philadelphia Forward’s efforts were the
guest speakers after the film. As an advertisement for the event put it:
After the film, agent James K. Welch, the supervisor of the FBI’s Philadelphia Corruption Squad will be on hand to tell about how
surveillance of a violent city drug dealer led to the City Hall Corruption investigation.One of the film’s “stars,” former
John Street confidant and Sam Katz campaign co-chair Carl Singley will
be on hand to answer questions about the film and the state of
Philadelphia politics. You say you want a revelation?
I’m not big on believing ads, but tonight, they were right. I was
absolutely blown away by the candor of Welch and Singley. As 2007
mayoral candidates are now stepping out of the woodwork, I hope that
anti-corruption pledges will be at the top of their agendas. More
events such as this one (which drew many political movers and shakers
of all ages from throughout the city) will move Philly in the
right direction.
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