Nutter: DNC Attendees Will Eat Out
Salmon, left. Mayor Nutter, right.
Good morning, Philadelphia. Here’s what you need to know this morning:
Preparations for the Democratic National Convention in 2016 begin now. And officials say attendees will probably eat at local restaurants.
Democratic Party officials announced the opening of their Philadelphia office on Thursday, and promised the Summer 2016 event will pump $350 million into the economy. Some of that money will even go to restaurants, which will presumably be able to sell every slice of pecan-crusted salmon they can produce. (Last time we make that joke. Promise.)
“There’s no question, I would anticipate during that week virtually every, any kind of serious restaurant or other business to pretty much be sold out,” Mayor Michael Nutter said. The convention is expected to attract 50,000 people. (CBS3)
The School Reform Commission got an earful from its critics on Thursday night.
Pick your reason: There were families angry about Superintendent William Hite’s decision to convert some failing schools to charters, while others were angry about a private company’s failure to provide substitutes for absentee teachers, and others about a nurse shortage in the city’s schools.
Hite later said big changes are needed at failing schools. “I think it’s really important to ask the questions of why — at the schools that are serving minority children — we haven’t been able to determine or figure out how to teach them to read or do math,”said Hite. “These children were not performing even when we had the resources many of you were describing that we had in our schools.” (NewsWorks)
Center City office buildings have been saved from the scourge of overflowing trash cans; the janitor’s union has agreed to a new contract.
Crisis averted. The union representing the custodial staff at Center City office buildings like the Comcast Center, Liberty Place and the Cira Centre made a deal just before the midnight expiration of the previous contract. The 32BJ SEIU union and Building Owners Labor Relations Inc. had been negotiating since September 3 with the union holding several, very public, rallies.
Days ago, the union voted to authorize a strike, which would have potentially led to overflowing trash cans, messy offices and elevators systems without anyone to fix potential problems. The union gets a wage increase, keeps its free health care and pensions are unchanged. (BizPhilly)
Sen. Pat Toomey raised $2 million in the last quarter for his re-election bid.
And it’s not just big-money donors, the Morning Call reports: Of 10,000 donations during the quarter, 85 percent were for $200 or less. Democratic challenger Katie McGinty has raised $1 million since her August entry into the race; John Fetterman reports raising $170,000 since getting in last month. Joe Sestak has not yet released his quarterly report.
Nerds and jocks are joining forces: The new Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer is rumored to premiere during the Eagles-Giants game on Monday night.
“It certainly makes sense for two reasons,” The 700 Level opines. “First, the Eagles-Giants game will easily be the most watched program on television on Monday before any Star Wars fans might be drawn in. Second, ESPN is airing the game and owned by Disney, which also happens to be producing Force Awakens.” Now we just need somebody to get Chip Kelly’s midichlorian count.
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