Philly Mayor Curbs Political Fund-Raising (no more luxury stadium boxes for campaign $$$)

ABC NEWS ^ | 3/23/05 | Copyright 2005 The Associated Press.

[Liz]

Janice Renee Knight enters Federal court in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2005. Knight is a co-defendent charged with conspiracy in the fraud trail of Philadelphia's former treasurer Corey Kemp. Prosecutors say Knight was the mistress of the late Ron White, a lawyer, political fund-raiser and friend of Mayor John Street, who died in November. Prosecutors said White gave money and gifts to Kemp in an attempt to influence which financial services companies the city hired. Knight owned a printing company that investigators said received a series of contracts at White's direction. (AP Photo/Joseph Kaczmarek)

PHILADELPHIA Feb 23, 2005 — Mayor John F. Street has banned the use of the city's stadium luxury boxes for raising campaign contributions, a week after he and a fund-raiser were heard on tape discussing how to "sell" the seats for up to $20,000 apiece.

Street's spokesman, Dan Fee, said in a statement Tuesday that while there was "nothing wrong" with the activity, "we believe that, given the public consternation over it, that it's just as easy to not do it."

Street has repeatedly denied using the city box at Lincoln Financial Field to raise campaign cash. However, in a telephone conversation secretly taped by the FBI in 2003, Street and chief fund-raiser Ronald White allegedly talked about using the seats to raise money.

According to a transcript released last week by prosecutors investigating an influence-peddling scandal at City Hall, White said, "We need all of our tickets to sell, right?"

He continued: "We plan on raising a lot of money in this, you know? Maybe about, you know, 300, 400 thousand dollars."

Street does not object to the plan on the tape.

A document also released by prosecutors shows that White used the luxury box seats in 2003 to elicit $388,000 in pledges for Street's re-election campaign.

An FBI investigation into corruption at City Hall has led to more than a dozen indictments against city officials, people close to the mayor and employees of financial-services firms.

The city's former treasurer, Corey Kemp, went on trial in federal court Tuesday for allegedly accepting a new deck for his house, free vacations, Super Bowl tickets and $10,000 in exchange for helping businesses win city contracts.

The FBI secretly recorded hundreds of phone conversations in which Kemp can be heard accepting instructions from White about which firms should get city work and which should be shut out.

The probe became public when city police discovered an FBI bug in the mayor's City Hall office in 2003.

Street has not been charged. White died in November.

At Kemp's trial Wednesday, a telephone call secretly recorded by the FBI in 2003 was played. On it, a former city official warns Kemp he had a serious image problem people seemed to think he was a "puppet" of White, Folasade Olanipekun is hearing saying.

Olanipekun, who had once been Kemp's boss but had since left city government, told Kemp that White was "a lawsuit waiting to happen."

"People know that he flew you out for the Super Bowl. That's the type of … you don't want getting out there, Corey," Olanipekun said. "You definitely got to, to, to disabuse people of the notion that you're Ron's boy."

Kemp's attorney, Lloyd George Parry, told jurors Tuesday that Kemp was only following orders when he helped White's business interests. The trial is scheduled to continue Thursday.

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

[Liz]

....Kemp, went on trial .....for allegedly accepting a new deck for his house, free vacations, Super Bowl tickets and $10,000 in exchange for helping businesses win city contracts. The FBI secretly recorded hundreds of phone conversations in which Kemp can be heard accepting instructions from White about which firms should get city work and which should be shut out.....city police discovered an FBI bug in the mayor's City Hall office in 2003.

Dumbocrats? Selling their public offices for personal gain? I'm shocked, shocked (/end Claude Rains impersonation).

[RangerVetNam]

I just bumped into Mayor Street on the way back from lunch a few minutes ago, he is looking mighty grumpy these days. As well he should be!

[philsfan24]

nothing will happen of this. the morons of philadelphia would vote him in agian if they could. once 2007 rolls around, another moron will be elected mayor, most likely based on the color of his/her skin and not the content of their character.

[Liz]

Many thanks for the inside realtime glimpse at the sorry state of Philly pols.

I would think Mayor Street is grumpy pondering his options. I mean how are the pols gonna maintain their lifestyle if they can't get bribes?


So how will the corrupt pols raise the cash needed to live the lives of luxury to which they've become accustomed?

Maybe Mayor Street and the boys can get jobs at McDonalds as ketchup pumpers........then again, I doubt that they are qualified for such specialized positions.

Oh well, they can always ride the early morning garbage trucks, tossing trash cans at $15 per hour.