soon to be
Philadelphia Parks Alliance
On October 20th,
Friends of Philadelphia Parks held a Mayoral Forum on Parks at the Free Library
at Logan Square. Over 400 people representing more than 65 different park
and neighborhood groups, civic organizations, universities, businesses,
government agencies, and schools came out to hear what mayoral candidates John
Street and Sam Katz will do for Philadelphia's park system if elected
Mayor. The event was widely covered by the media including KYW 3, WPVI
TV 6, NBC 10, Fox News, KYW News Radio, WHYY, The Philadelphia
Inquirer, The Philadelphia Daily News, The Metro, the Associated
Press, and The New Observer. The
candidates appeared at the Forum separately and were asked somewhat different
questions. Below are some of the statements they made:
John Street:
-
Implementation Fairmount Park Strategic Plan: The city will put up
its share to fund the plan. Will sit down with Fairmount Park Commission and
figure out what it will cost to fund the implementation. Will go from the Plan to the Budget, not
the Budget to the Plan. Will circulate the first draft of the plan to City
Planning Commission, City Council, and everyone who gave input. Maybe will have
hearings.
-
Park Funding: Will not commit to increase budget of Fairmount Park
to 1% of city budget. Doesn’t like the idea of putting funds generated in parks
back into parks; every taxpayer should fund parks. Put money into General Fund
and have that fund parks. “The fate of the parks rests with the public. The day
people of the city get their political back up about parks, will fund the
parks.”
-
Park Safety: Will make the parks as safe as he reasonably can.
Will not commit to more police presence in parks. Safety component should be in
strategic plan and should be reviewed by police commissioner and other law
enforcement authorities. Should be
safe zones in park, e.g. should be able to run on Parkway until 700 or 8:00 pm;
can’t police 9,000 acres. Maybe
will decide need more Rangers or Town Watch for parks.
Sam Katz:
-Fairmount
Park Strategic Plan: The plan
should be integrated with other city departments. Has developed a strategy for
appointing Deputy Mayors of parks, cultural affairs, etc., so that one person
can oversee Fairmount Park and The Department of
Recreation.
-Park
Funding: Commits to restoring Fairmount Park budget to 1% of city
budget. Would like parks to have their own internally generated income, e.g.
judicious use of park for concerts, events, food, and beverage with income
retained by park system. In addition to Please Touch Museum, have to find way to
renovate other park buildings. Maximize extent to which dollars spent by city
leverage dollars spent by state and federal government. Will make sure there is
a grant writer for any conceivable grants. Recreation Department is equally in
need of help; integrating it with Fairmount Park would do damage. Will not create a 1% tax on all sporting
tickets for parks. Transit needs funding; doesn’t want to pit parks against
SEPTA.
-Park
Safety: Commits to putting more police in park with understanding that
he needs to examine data from Police Department. Wants to create Park
Watch similar to Citizen Watch; put in cell towers that are not
environmentally disrespectful; and put more police on horseback.
On the day of the Forum, The
Philadelphia Inquirer Commentary Page ran an op-ed piece by Friends of
Philadelphia Parks' Executive Director Lauren Bornfriend:
"If we believe that urban parks are
an essential component of any first-class city -- that they generate economic
vitality, community development, education and self-expression; that they
contribute to the health, fitness, peace and beauty--then we have the
opportunity and obligation to tell it to the candidates for Mayor and City
Council."
The article entitled "Who will
Stand up for Philadelphia's Park System?" can be read in full at www.philaparks.org.
We thank so many of you for
attending the forum and in doing so contributing to the growing parks movement
throughout this city and country. The momentum of our work continues to
build, and we will use it as we prepare for the city's budget
hearings this winter and move into the future.