First Jim Kenney and now Anthony Williams.
Earlier this week, Philadelphia mayoral candidate Jim Kenney was the beneficiary of his second TV commercial that was financed by outside interest.
Now, Williams will be getting a “substantial” amount of TV advertisements paid for him by the “independent expenditure group” American Cities, according to Dave Davies of Newsworks. Three sources familiar with the ad buy say it costs in excess of $500,000.
The article also notes that $500,000 is more than the campaign had on hand in its last financial filing, on December 31st of last year.
Additionally, three principals from the Susquehanna International Group, a known supporter of charter schools, contributed $250,000 to Williams’s committee last year.
The Williams campaign premiered their first official campaign commercial this week. Both spots emphasize his family lineage, particularly his popular late father, former State Senator Hardy Williams.
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18 Responses
Must be nice living in Montgomery County and not having to face being forced into sending your children to one of these public institutions.
These were closed jails, not schools.
From your own link: “With all the cuts in recent years – more than 5,000 employees in three years – the district lacks the resources to go through all the materials warehoused there.”
Why isn’t someone in jail for this? Good question. Let’s start with Corbett.
That’s the best you’ve got? 2 Californians who were actually convicted. Why isn’t anyone in jail for this: http://articles.philly.com/2015-03-19/news/60254454_1_science-books-many-city-teachers-philadelphia-school-district
Yeah, so so CrAzY, cause this could NEVER happen:
“Last spring, the founders of a high-scoring charter school in California were convicted of misappropriating over $200,000 in public monies. According to the charges filed, the couple spent, for example, “more than $34,000 on meals, entertainment and gifts that they classified as business expenses or gestures of appreciation for teachers.” Also, “Some charges centered on the lease for the main campus on De Soto Avenue in Woodland Hills. In 2004, the couple negotiated a 10-year lease for $18,390 a month. But three years later, they began charging the school $43,870 a month for a sublease. At the same time, Selivanov and Berkovich took on responsibility for a $520,000 bank loan to the school.”
The couple was sentenced this week. The husband will spend nearly five years in state prison, while his wife will be incarcerated for 45 days in the county jail plus probation and community service.
The California Charter Schools Association entered an amicus brief on their behalf maintaining that the couple are not guilty of any criminal offense because charter schools are not subject to the laws governing public schools. CCSA says that charter schools are exempt from criminal laws governing public schools because they are operated by a private corporation.
They say the money received for their nonprofit corporation is not public money, even though it comes from the state and from taxpayers.
CCSA maintains: “Moreover, the prosecution completely ignores the fact that the Legislature has expressly allowed charter schools to be operated by private nonprofit corporations, and that many, if not all, of the complained of actions of the defendants are lawful actions of employees and officers of nonprofit corporations (e.g., ordinary and necessary expenditures on meals, gift cards, flowers, leases with employees and officers of the nonprofit etc.) And, most importantly, the court cases and administrative agency decisions make clear that these private officers and employees of the nonprofit corporation are not subject to Penal Code section 424 – because these nonprofit corporations are private entities, with private employees, expending private moneys (i.e., not “public moneys”).”
“charters are private schools stealing public money.” = CrAzY
So now we’ve reached the point where defending public education sounds crazy? And a Democratic candidate has a Republican shill backing him up. PA bizzaro world politics at their finest.
If that were true, you wouldn’t sound so crazy. We’re at record per pupil spending on Philadelphia public school students. Tell us what amount will make the teachers union happy and guarantee non-failing schools?
Charters also mean less crowding in traditional settings. But, many parents still choose to send their kids to the charters. It’s their tax dollars, give parents a choice of what’s best for their children.
No, charters are private schools stealing public money.
Montco Dem, Charters are public schools. Insulting the parents who choose them won’t get you very far these days.
“Which mayoral candidate will provide the misguided leadership necessary to enable a small, hand-picked selection of children of the city to receive the best education while basically telling the rest of the city’s students to go to hell?”
Fixed that for you. NOW the answer is Anthony Williams.
The question needs to be: Which mayoral candidate will provide the leadership necessary to enable the children of the city to receive the best education to prepare them for the future?
The answer is: Anthony Williams.
Killing public schools is hardly putting children first. The people funding Williams don’t give a damn about kids, they want to kill public schools because they don’t believe in public education.
David: What do you call the money that Jim Kenney is receiving from Labor Groups?
So if you choose to escape a traditional public school for a charter public school you’re libertarian? They don’t vote that way. How many decades of failed “more money” solutions must we endure before we put children first?
Scratch the surface of “American Cities” and you will no doubt find it crawling with radical libertarians who want to kill public education. Williams is their lapdog.
Typo in headline:
“Boost From Outside Group”
Should read: Bribe
Williams in a landslide.