Corbett can't visit state's largest city without mass protest
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
Corbett's inability to visit Philadelphia will continue to pose problems for the governor if the Philly schools crisis deepens in the lead up to November's election.
Gov. Tom Corbett can't visit Philadelphia, his state's largest city, without facing mass protest. Recent appearances here have been clouded in secrecy, subject to last-minute change—and infrequent.
This evening, hundreds of students, teachers and parents gathered in front of the Comcast Center to protest Corbett's deep cuts to public education funding as the governor (reportedly) held a fundraiser with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie inside. Demonstrators blocked the street chanting "what do we want? Fair funding!" and "arrest Gov. Corbett!." Police arrested a handful of activists committing civil disobedience without incident.
Protesters included members of Philadelphia Coalition Advocating for Public Schools (PCAPS), Parents United for Public Education, Youth United for Change, Philadelphia Student Union, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers and the Caucus of Working Educators.
Activists initially believed that Corbett and Christie would appear at the Union League, the city's traditional venue for high-end Republican fundraisers. But the Republican Governors Association, which also organized a Christie-Corbett fundraiser in Pittsburgh on Friday, refused to make the location of his Philadelphia fundraiser public. Christie serves as the RGA's chairman.
The event was (according to what activists and Daily News reporter Will Bunch can discern) actually held at the Comcast Center, where Comcast Vice-President David Cohen, a longtime leader in Democratic politics, has become a major financial backer of Corbett's reelection campaign.
But there's more: a Union League employee told NBC 10's Lu Ann Cahn that "they were notified last week the fundraiser was supposed to be here and then they got a call sometime today saying, 'No, this is a decoy location' and...we learned from the Corbett campaign it was all very secretive 'til about a half hour ago that in fact the fundraiser has been moved to the Comcast Center."
"This is not normal political behavior, and I say this with more than 30 years (sigh) of experience with political campaigns," writes Bunch. "Presidents, ward leaders, whatever -- I've seen security to keep people out of fundraisers (which is totally within their rights) but this thing with the "decoy" is a new one. How can you expect to be re-elected when you're afraid to tell your own constituents where you are?"
As Bunch notes, the Corbett Administration has pledged major public subsidies for a planned second Comcast tower. The first already benefits from the city's tax abatement.
Corbett's inability to visit Philadelphia without sparking street protests could pose a growing problem for the governor if the schools crisis continues to deepen in the lead up to the November election. Corbett, an unpopular Republican widely considered to be the country's most vulnerable incumbent governor, faces a tough challenge from Democratic challenger Tom Wolf. In January, Corbett canceled a visit to Central High School at the last minute in the face of protests from students and community members. It would have been his first documented visit to a Philadelphia public school.
Corbett implemented deep cuts to public education and has opposed taxing natural gas extraction to make up for the shortfall. He blames the cuts on his Democratic predecessor, Ed Rendell, who he says misspent federal funds. Polls have shown that education is a top issue for Pennsylvania voters, and few approve of Corbett's policies. Philadelphia schools have struggled mightily this year after suffering deep cuts to staff including teachers, administrators, counselors and nurses.
Updated at 9pm.
