Karen Heller: A cash machine known as DRPA
By Karen Heller Inquirer Columnist
Driving over the Ben Franklin Bridge as the sun slipped behind the city, I wondered where my $3 toll contribution would travel. Would $1 be indirectly kicked toward Chester's soccer complex, another $1 to dredging the Delaware, and the last headed for the National Museum of American Jewish History?
Oh, the places my bills could go!
Such thoughts occurred after the first of two public rate-increase hearings held by the Delaware River Port Authority. The crowd was angry and vocal, though "less than I expected," said Jeffrey Nash, DRPA board vice chairman.
That's what happens when you conduct hearings during a July heat wave in Camden and at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, places most commuters don't live.
In the last nine years, DRPA disbursed $375 million in "economic development" to the Kimmel Center, the National Constitution Center, and Lincoln Financial Field. Today, the authority is $1.2 billion in debt. It has proposed raising PATCO fees 10 percent and tolls a buck, the latter a 33 percent increase.
If DRPA were a publicly held company, no one would invest. The head reels studying the intricate nest of political connections. It's a river-based House of Borgia given to absurd expenditures directed toward well-connected pals.
This year, three-quarters of DRPA's $229 million annual revenues will go for debt service, lovely salaries and swell pensions.
So the authority goes trawling for rate increases, income from citizens like AmeriCorps worker Nicole Yarbrough, who spends $150 monthly of her not-so-grand paycheck commuting on public transit.
"I don't want to drive," she said. "But this is costing as much."
"The whole focus of the country is to increase use of mass transit," said Alan Basewitz, a commuter and lawyer. "PATCO ridership is up, and what do they do? Propose raising rates, the one thing to do to decrease use."
Earlier this year, Nash declared that "the days of throwing money into the Delaware River are over."
No, instead DRPA lobbed $10 million to Chester.
That amount is "a fraction of what we need," CEO John Matheussen said. To him, $10 million "wouldn't make a large difference in the amount of a toll increase."
"Ten million dollars is a lot of money," Nash concurred, in what begins to sound like DRPA's mantra, "but it's not going to repave the Walt Whitman Bridge."
Really, it couldn't hurt.
The bridge needs $170 million in redecking. Ten million here, $5 million there, and pretty soon you're talking real money.
This spending is akin to looking at your home's leaking roof and ballooning mortgage and deciding you need to build a pool. For your cousin in Altoona.
Troubled waters
William Love is the kind of taxpayer officials dread. He's a CPA, a former comptroller, a numbers guy. He arrived the other night with charts and a fat binder.
"These are farce meetings. They come with doom and gloom," he said. "They never show the public actual projections of operating expenses and revenues. You can't trust them. They're rife with waste and patronage."
DRPA has $35 million in an economic-development fund that has yet to be allocated. At the hearing, Matheussen and four other officials - cumulative annual income: $657,754 - refused to say what they would do with that money.
"Yes, $35 million is a lot of money, but that would not change what we need even if it was returned to the general fund," Nash said.
Oh, that again.
People don't want to pay for stadiums or a museum when the bridge they're on needs repairs and debt service clots at $271,233 daily.
"They're asking us to pay more because of their incompetence and malfeasance," Basewitz said.
The rate-hike vote is scheduled for next month. If approved, the initial increase goes into effect in September; the second in 2010. If you don't think this is a done deal, well, I've got a bridge to sell you.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Camden Police Chief did an Excellent Job and was a Great Partner with FMS
He did an excellent job, and I am sorry to see him go. He was a great partner of Fairview Main Street roped in by Sue, the previous executive director. Because he was very hands on, FMS was able to demand a better police presence in Fairview than it had previously last year when rotations started. It was also important for the business community, because they received crime information and learned ways to avoid crime.
Inquirer Editorial: Camden's Police Chief
Another step back
Tue, Jul. 22, 2008
After only seven months on the job, Camden Police Chief Edward Hargis has decided to step down and leave the troubled department in limbo once again.
His sudden decision to depart is disappointing and will leave the department facing its sixth leadership change in six years.
This comes amid escalating violence in the impoverished city of 79,000 residents. So far this year, Camden has had 32 homicides, compared with 42 for all of 2007.
Hargis, 44, plans to retire from the force, effective Sept. 1, to take an undisclosed job in the private sector. It is believed to be a better-paying position, but he hasn't said.
This should have been a difficult decision for Hargis, a 21-year veteran and former deputy chief of the Camden force. He says it was in the best interest of his family.
Family should always come first, but this is a bitter pill for a city with one of the highest per-capita murder rates in the country.
Hargis became the city's top cop in January. Since then, he has helped stabilize the force, boost morale and restore public confidence.
Hargis had the right background and experience to garner support from the rank-and-file and union leaders. That helped squash the type of bickering that occurred previously when outsiders were chosen to lead the department.
The Police Department appeared headed in the right direction with Hargis overseeing day-to-day operations, while interim civilian police director John Huertas handled policy and budget matters.
By most accounts, the two worked well together, realigning and reorganizing the 500-member department. They implemented a strategy to deploy more officers to high-crime areas during peak hours.
In May, the department kicked off a summer-long anti-violence campaign, "Caring for Camden," that linked the city's residents with social-service providers, and business and religious leaders.
The crime strategy has yielded mixed results. But Hargis deserves credit for seeking to make a dent in crime with tactics to get more illegal weapons off the streets, enforce a curfew for minors and target neighborhood crime to improve the quality of life for the people of Camden.
The state took over the department after Chief Robert Allenbach was ousted in 2003. The Attorney General's Office put the department under the supervision of the county Prosecutor's Office. Since then, it's been like a revolving door at the top.
Now, the state needs to work closely with Mayor Gwendolyn Faison and other stakeholders to quickly name a permanent chief. The best person, whether from inside the department or not, must be found to effectively fight crime in the city.
Inquirer Editorial: Camden's Police Chief
Another step back
Tue, Jul. 22, 2008
After only seven months on the job, Camden Police Chief Edward Hargis has decided to step down and leave the troubled department in limbo once again.
His sudden decision to depart is disappointing and will leave the department facing its sixth leadership change in six years.
This comes amid escalating violence in the impoverished city of 79,000 residents. So far this year, Camden has had 32 homicides, compared with 42 for all of 2007.
Hargis, 44, plans to retire from the force, effective Sept. 1, to take an undisclosed job in the private sector. It is believed to be a better-paying position, but he hasn't said.
This should have been a difficult decision for Hargis, a 21-year veteran and former deputy chief of the Camden force. He says it was in the best interest of his family.
Family should always come first, but this is a bitter pill for a city with one of the highest per-capita murder rates in the country.
Hargis became the city's top cop in January. Since then, he has helped stabilize the force, boost morale and restore public confidence.
Hargis had the right background and experience to garner support from the rank-and-file and union leaders. That helped squash the type of bickering that occurred previously when outsiders were chosen to lead the department.
The Police Department appeared headed in the right direction with Hargis overseeing day-to-day operations, while interim civilian police director John Huertas handled policy and budget matters.
By most accounts, the two worked well together, realigning and reorganizing the 500-member department. They implemented a strategy to deploy more officers to high-crime areas during peak hours.
In May, the department kicked off a summer-long anti-violence campaign, "Caring for Camden," that linked the city's residents with social-service providers, and business and religious leaders.
The crime strategy has yielded mixed results. But Hargis deserves credit for seeking to make a dent in crime with tactics to get more illegal weapons off the streets, enforce a curfew for minors and target neighborhood crime to improve the quality of life for the people of Camden.
The state took over the department after Chief Robert Allenbach was ousted in 2003. The Attorney General's Office put the department under the supervision of the county Prosecutor's Office. Since then, it's been like a revolving door at the top.
Now, the state needs to work closely with Mayor Gwendolyn Faison and other stakeholders to quickly name a permanent chief. The best person, whether from inside the department or not, must be found to effectively fight crime in the city.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Harrassed in Fairview
I discovered at the latest Board meeting from other members that they have been verbally attacked by one of Fairview's longstanding residents! And it was not the first time over the duration of several weeks. In particular, this resident, BJ, came to a committee meeting I was at with only the Chair, with the purpose of taking the same actions to accost her and then issue a long tirade about why the Chair had not said anything to prevent the layoff of the Executive Director (ED).
more to come...
more to come...
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Can I Change my VISTA Job Description Please?
So I waited for over two months for the Board of Directors to revise my vague job description. When the executive director was laid off, I worried that I would be encumbered with additional responsibilities and tasks because there are no other staff. Instead, I continued working on my projects and actually progressed much faster.
In addition, I revised my job description with hopes that the next VISTA would have better direction than I did. It describes exactly what I did for the ten months I have been placed with Fairview Main Street. I am still waiting for feedback. It will be interesting to hear what they say because I never did receive a traditional evaluation. I also think an evaluation would be beneficial for both the Board and their personnel policies and myself to have a clear understanding of my role and how to accomplish these responsibilities. It would also help me more instead of a simple pat on the pack and telling me how good I am doing.
Lastly, I have advocated for a job title so the VISTA can have value in the organization and outsiders can have a general idea the VISTA's role. I used to be introduced as an assistant to my executive director or as an intern! It was very frustrating because it appeared that I was there to support the staff and Board. The diminishing line between what I was supposed to be doing was burdening me with administrative tasks. Actually, it hindered my performance of working to accomplish my responsibilities and fulfilling my commitment to the organization. It also degraded their commitment to the VISTA program and me, because I was not there for such work when I was supposed to be learning, developing professionally, and aiding the organization.
Revised job description:
Title: VISTA Worker – Community Development Coordinator
Supervisor: President of the Board of Directors
Description: The VISTA worker would participate in the following activities to further the mission and goals of Fairview Main Street:
Assist FMS in increasing the community’s knowledge and awareness of the Main Street program and other community development initiatives as well as the benefits it provides
• Represent FMS at community meetings and participate at public events
• Create quality printed literature to promote FMS and events
• Write and disseminate press releases and letters
Work to increase the membership of each of the four standing committees
• Develop 30 minute volunteer program to streamline recruitment and tasks for committee events
• Coordinate other volunteer organizations for FMS activities and identify new volunteer organizations
• Maintain volunteer ads posted on volunteer websites
• Update and create volunteer job descriptions for committee events
• Distribute volunteer applications at FMS events and public events
Working with the Board of Directors on grant-writing and fund development research to secure additional funds for the program and committees
• Maintain and update fund development folder, donor and grant research databases, and boilerplate documents
• Assist to identify, research, and cultivate potential funders
• Work in collaboration with partnership organizations
• Develop and write funding proposals for projects and for organization support
• Together with Board and Executive Director, develop strategic plans for pursuing funding opportunities
Program development and project management
• Coordinate the local farmer’s market in conjunction with Area Health Education Centers of Camden
• Develop project ideas with Board and Executive Director by creating project objectives, goals, proposals and work plans with tasks, timelines, and budgets, including background research on project areas
• Work with partners and interns to implement projects
Working always beyond the narrow confines of this job description to advance the goals of Fairview Main Street as an organization
In addition, I revised my job description with hopes that the next VISTA would have better direction than I did. It describes exactly what I did for the ten months I have been placed with Fairview Main Street. I am still waiting for feedback. It will be interesting to hear what they say because I never did receive a traditional evaluation. I also think an evaluation would be beneficial for both the Board and their personnel policies and myself to have a clear understanding of my role and how to accomplish these responsibilities. It would also help me more instead of a simple pat on the pack and telling me how good I am doing.
Lastly, I have advocated for a job title so the VISTA can have value in the organization and outsiders can have a general idea the VISTA's role. I used to be introduced as an assistant to my executive director or as an intern! It was very frustrating because it appeared that I was there to support the staff and Board. The diminishing line between what I was supposed to be doing was burdening me with administrative tasks. Actually, it hindered my performance of working to accomplish my responsibilities and fulfilling my commitment to the organization. It also degraded their commitment to the VISTA program and me, because I was not there for such work when I was supposed to be learning, developing professionally, and aiding the organization.
Revised job description:
Title: VISTA Worker – Community Development Coordinator
Supervisor: President of the Board of Directors
Description: The VISTA worker would participate in the following activities to further the mission and goals of Fairview Main Street:
Assist FMS in increasing the community’s knowledge and awareness of the Main Street program and other community development initiatives as well as the benefits it provides
• Represent FMS at community meetings and participate at public events
• Create quality printed literature to promote FMS and events
• Write and disseminate press releases and letters
Work to increase the membership of each of the four standing committees
• Develop 30 minute volunteer program to streamline recruitment and tasks for committee events
• Coordinate other volunteer organizations for FMS activities and identify new volunteer organizations
• Maintain volunteer ads posted on volunteer websites
• Update and create volunteer job descriptions for committee events
• Distribute volunteer applications at FMS events and public events
Working with the Board of Directors on grant-writing and fund development research to secure additional funds for the program and committees
• Maintain and update fund development folder, donor and grant research databases, and boilerplate documents
• Assist to identify, research, and cultivate potential funders
• Work in collaboration with partnership organizations
• Develop and write funding proposals for projects and for organization support
• Together with Board and Executive Director, develop strategic plans for pursuing funding opportunities
Program development and project management
• Coordinate the local farmer’s market in conjunction with Area Health Education Centers of Camden
• Develop project ideas with Board and Executive Director by creating project objectives, goals, proposals and work plans with tasks, timelines, and budgets, including background research on project areas
• Work with partners and interns to implement projects
Working always beyond the narrow confines of this job description to advance the goals of Fairview Main Street as an organization
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
