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Stand up for Progressives and for Philly's Children: Support Tony Payton
Submitted by Dan U-A on Mon, 01/28/2008 - 2:58pm.
As Ray let us know below, the Philly Democratic Party is once again aiming its cross hairs at Rep. Tony Payton. For those who do not remember, last time, despite the fact that he was the only Democrat on the ballot, the party still tried to go after Tony. Tony won.
The important part of the whole thing was not that Tony won, however, but what he did once he got into Harrisburg. He didn't waste time settling scores, or with petty crap. Instead, in his first term in office, Tony introduced Reliable Educational Assistance for College Hopefuls (REACH:)
Payton’s legislation would create Reliable Educational Assistance for College Hopefuls, referred to as REACH, a statewide, merit-based scholarship program for all students in Pennsylvania who maintain at least a 3.0 grade-point average and a 90 percent attendance record. The program would ensure those students would receive a scholarship covering all tuition and fees to any university in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.
Payton said the REACH scholarship would not be a “giveaway” program, but rather an investment in the state’s future. Pennsylvania currently has one of the most expensive state university systems in the United States. He said that has resulted in the troublesome phenomenon commonly referred to as “brain drain,” where students seek higher education and, eventually, employment outside of the Commonwealth.
The scholarship would be available to all qualified high school students, regardless of economic background, gender, race and/or religious affiliation. Every public, private and parochial school student who meets the base criteria would be eligible for a scholarship.
That is the type of program that will transform the lives of children in Philadelphia. That is the type of program that will let kids in our city know that, contrary to so many messages society sends to them, we want and need them to succeed, regardless of the color of their skin, or the neighborhood in which they grew up in.
The petty BS that is coming from Marge Tartaglione, and the City Party structure is just another piece of evidence that pettiness often trumps public policy, and it is more important to have your friend in office than to have real leadership.
So, over the next four months, we as a progressive community are going to have to make a decision. Can we come together and stand up for a young progressive we already have in office? Can we let the party know that the belches that sometimes pass for the process in which they pick a candidate, are simply not good enough? The only way it will happen is if we come together, and help with our time, energy and dollars, to help re-elect Tony.
Tonight, Tony is having a fundraiser, headlined by some guy named Ed Rendell. It is from 6:00-8:00pm, at Sole Food Restaurant at Loews Hotel, 1200 Market Street. If you can go, you should. But, if not, you can help out here. I just made a small donation, and plan to make additional ones over the next couple of months. I hope you will, too.
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I am going!
And giving money and all that.
And then I am going to pick up this bedraggled foster dog
Big night!
Out of REACH
REACH is so far out of REACH!
While I commend the effort to institute change it is "pie in the sky" legislation that grabs great headlines but will never pass. It is meant to spark great conversation but will never really go anywhere. The other side of the aisle will never vote for this legislation that will cost a fortune. Besides, with our public education system in such a crisis and low test scores(nationally compared) we should be revamping our elementary and secondary schools. Most of our city students won't even graduate from high school let alone get into college. I don't think this legislation is progressive at all- it just gets our hopes up with nothing attainable in its place. I live in the 179th and was very hopeful two years ago- but all I have seen is a lot of hype with very little substance.
Laurie
oh really?
Do tell us why you are supporting Guy Lewis then.
Guy Lewis
Well when I first read this blog I was unaware that anyone was running against Payton. Since finding out about Guy Lewis and his intention to run I did a little research to see who I would support. First of all Payton is not from the city or the 179th. He is from the suburbs and moved into the 179th strictly to run for the seat. That has always bothered me but I gave Payton the benefit of the doubt two years ago. In these two years he has been more interested with the "Progressive Spotlight" than being an effective leader. He has been to various events more concerned with rubbing elbows and many of the events were out of the 179th. He was in Vermont (?)Campaigning for Obama like there is nothing better to do in his district. He has stood up community leaders with little or no apology. He has come off to many as arrogant and very condescending. His staff members who attend meetings in his place either come late or leave early or there is no representation at all. He is not representing his district, period. Guy Lewis is from the largest portion of the 179th, has a master's degree and far more life experience that make him the better candidate. It is sad that this blog is so anti "machine" that it can't see that Lewis is the most qualified and experienced man for the job. I do not label myself as "progressive" or "machine" but I can see that Lewis will be a better State Representative for the 179th. Tony had his chance and did very little with it.
Laurie
Summing Up
Guy Lewis is:
* from the suburbs/moved to run for the seat
* is older than Tony Payton
* has a masters' degree
I don't live in the 179th, but I'm older than Tony Payton, and I have an MA. If I moved, would it be a toss-up?
Correction
Tony Payton moved from the burbs to run for the seat. Guy was born, raised, and lives in the 179th.
Laurie
those internets
Hey Laurie,
Given that you spent a thread on Phillyblog extolling the virtues of one Danny Savage, I do not believe you are being honest in any way. I mean, you seem like a pretty involved person, and Guy Lewis seems to be from the same neighborhood as you, yet you didn't know anything about him? How curious.
But, you are right, Tony should not have volunteered for Obama on his vacation. What a jerk! And, gosh, he shouldn't put progressive ideas on the map either. How terrible!
Better he take the Danny Savage leadership course, eh? That would fit your style, right?
Genius
You can really search the internet. I stand by any posts I have made here or on any other blog. Councilman Savage did a wonderful job as Councilman. You question my support of his work as if there is something wrong with it? I live in the 7th and the 179th and have more to say about MY elected officials than anyone here who doesn't. You know there are people who supported Councilman Savage who may not be connected with the "machine". So, it is true that I don't know Guy Lewis personally but from what I already know about him I am impressed.
By the way Tony was with Obama when there were a few events he should have attended in his district. Progressive ideas are great if they directly effect the people he represents. He has not done that.
Laurie
so here is the deal Laurie
I know you are a regular over at PhillyBlog, but things work a bit differently here.
First and foremost, when it comes to candidates for office, we ask all commenters and posters to disclose any formal involvement they have with candidates as either staff or volunteers. If people don't do this, and we find out, they can be booted.
However, even more importantly, this is a community of sorts, and we strive for honesty so that every one can know where others are coming from. Reading your other posts online, I find it very hard to believe that you did not know who Guy Lewis was before he got the party nod. And that really diminishes your credibility. There's nothing wrong with you telling the whole truth you know.
back to the issues
A well-thought out analysis of Tony's record over the past two years is fair. Saying he has done nothing without that analysis, especially without establishing what expectations of a first-term legislator are, is not.
I wonder if anyone can offer that perspective, rather than repeating rhetoric.
Rules
Do the rules include bashing anyone who goes against the "progressive norm" and those YPP endorse, not very progressive to me. I do not know Guy Lewis personally and as of now am not a volunteer but that is a good idea. I know of him in the community as I know of many people in the community and may not know them personally. I have been around here in FKD for a while, so I guess I am in your "young at heart" description of YPP. I know of Guy Lewis and some of the groups he has been involved with. He is from the district and knows the district. Tony has proven he does not. I live here, you do not. He does not know his constituents as you all may believe. You see him at functions outside of the 179th for "progressive" causes. I am here in my community and I see what goes on.
Laurie
Thick Skin
Bashing anyone and everyone, I think, is the progressive norm, at least in the Wild West of political blogging. This is a contact sport, because passions run high and disagreements are strong, even between (especially between) progressives. If you look through any thread, you will find people getting attacked pretty fiercely for their positions -- often by people who strongly agree on other issues.
And it is a legitimate question to ask what relationship a poster has to a candidate (or business, or office, or interest group, etc.), especially when their posts advocate for that candidate. (Ben Waxman just clarified his relationship to the Trolley Car Diner, for goodness's sake.)
If any of these things bother you, then this is not the forum for you.
thick skin and details
let's make it even simpler for Laurie. I asked above if she could detail for us what her expectation of what a state rep are, especially one in his first term (as anyone elected in the 179th would have been post Bill Rieger's "retirement"), and how well Tony Payton did in meeting them.
Simple request right?
Here's the answer Laurie gave:
Come on Laurie, you are a civic leader--you can do better than that!
Tony Payton in his words!!
Laurie-
I thought it was necessary to reply to your statements personally because I think it is the best way to get all the facts straight. I am from Philadelphia. I was born in West Oak Lane on January 27th, 1981. I moved to Hatboro in 1993 with my mother because she saw it as the most viable option for me to be adequately educated. I moved back to Philadelphia when I was 19 years old. My address was 116 Thornwood Place Philadelphia, PA 19154, just in case you wanted to verify. I purchased a home in Frankford at the age of 22 in October of 2003, a year prior to having any political involvement whatsoever. Simply put, I bought the house because I liked the neighborhood and the price was in my range.
As for standing up community leaders in my district, again, I think you need to check your sources. I thoroughly enjoy the positive relationships I have established with many of the civic leaders in the 179th district. I have tried to work with all of the ward leaders in the district. Tom Logan, Elaine Tomlin and Shirley Gregory, ward leaders of the 43rd, 42nd and 49th respectively, have endorsed my candidacy. As for Marge Tartaglione and Dan Savage, petty personal differences have lingered since 2006. I have reach out to them, only to be rebuffed. As for all my staff and I not attending meetings or leaving early, I ask you to please provide specific dates and times of these allegations, so there no discrepancies.
As for the REACH scholarship being out of REACH, once again, you have provided inaccurate information. Over 68 representatives have co-sponsored House Bill 1722, 22 of which are Republicans. To say that this is a “pie in the sky” idea, is to say that it could never happen. With this type of attitude, many of the monumental political changes that have occurred over the past century would have never taken place. Moreover, to say that it is a “pie in the sky idea” is to say that it never did happen. Yet, Georgia enacted a very similar bill in the early 90’s. Since then, Georgia has seen tremendous economic and educational growth. I agree that we do need to focus on primary and secondary education, which is why I am working with a group of legislators and education advocates to put an equitable funding formula in place for the K-12 students of PA. My question is: Why can’t we focus on both higher education and K-12 education at the same time? For Pennsylvania to claim a stake in the global economy, we need to.
I am proud to say that campaigned for Obama. However, I campaigned for Obama in New Hampshire, not Vermont. I did so because he has an urban agenda that can actually help 179th district and Philadelphia as a whole. With the evaporation of federal funds to urban areas, it is important to have a President with an urban agenda. I think you would agree with that notion. His sincere message of change is what leads me to be such an ardent supporter.
Inevitability, quarrelling about where I used to live gets us nowhere. If you want to have any questions about my policy stances, what issues I stand for, or what I have done, I encourage you to give me a call. 215-744-7901.
ps I think being named one of 76 people top watch in 2008 by Philadelphia Magazine is a testament to the hard work I have put in since 2006!!
Tony Payton Jr.
215-941-7289
www.reppayton.com
Response to Payton
Representative Payton,
Thank you for your response. While I am not a “civic leader” I am a civic participant. For me to disclose which organizations you and your staff offended would not be mannerly. You indeed know who they are. It was only a few years ago that Frankford came to be in the 179th. FKD was previously represented by Marie Lederer or John Taylor. For two years you have had a tremendous opportunity to serve and have indeed fallen short. You were not elected to rub elbows as a “progressive”. You were elected to lead and serve. You obviously cannot do both, which capable elected officials can balance. The bottom line Representative Payton is that you are not from here, the 179th, and it is very obvious. I did not have the luxury to be scooped away to the suburbs for a “better” education. I stuck it out here in the City. I went to Philadelphia Public Schools and went on to higher education. I still live in the neighborhood I grew up in. I gave you a chance but I cannot support someone who is so disconnected to my community. Again, thank you for your response. However it is too little, too late for me.
Laurie
I hate repeating myself Laurie
For the 3rd time:
What are your specific expectations of a state rep(especially one in his first term? What metrics do you use to analyze Tony's performance?
Ray, read slowly to get maximum comprehension
Wow, I thought this was a place for progressive intelligent people to exchange ideas. I guess I need to break it down elementary school style-
I actually thought that my replies stated what I do expect of my elected officials. I expect them to be accessible to the communities in which they serve, keep appointments and commitments, and deliver simple services. As a resident of the 179th, Rep. Payton has failed to do that. I expect legislation that is attainable and has a direct impact on the Representative's district in which she/he serves. Besides REACH (which has too many holes) what legislatively has he personally introduced, not co-sponsored, that directly effects the 179th?
Laurie
So nice
This was a lovely event with a lot of people and Ed Rendell said some nice things about Tony and some critical things about the parts of the party that are working against him and 'only care for their own power'.
Hopefully Tony did well with donations and they keep coming in.
Also that dog is totally as skinny as the picture I posted and so sweet. And so far he hasn't eaten my cats but please keep your fingers crossed.
Feed that dog some spaghetti
Feed that dog some spaghetti and meatballs! Bring him over for some Sunday macaroni.
Seriously, if last night's event is any indication, Tony is going to have a well-deserved, committed army helping him in April. I spoke to some locals from his district who are very committed to making sure he is returned to the State House.
Best dressed of the night: A deadheat between Ray (with that great tie) and Ben (looking mighty urbane in that red shirt). Had I seen you, Jenn, you may have changed the results. Also, great crab cakes!
****I support Joe Vignola, Independent Democrat for Pennsylvania State Senate in the first district and I am proud to work to make it happen*******
I bought him a sweater!
So he won't freeze. But we would both totally take you up on some pasta.
I can't believe I didn't see you last night...!