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Thursday 4 December 2008

In a city that has run out of cash, it’s wiser to call a neighbour than an ambulance

Natalie Pompilo takes in Philadelphia

Philadelphia got a new mayor in January and most residents couldn’t be happier. After being sworn in, Michael Nutter gave a rousing speech about all the great things he planned for the city: less crime, better schools, more jobs. ‘People who have confidence in the future make big plans,’ Nutter declared. ‘This is the new Philadelphia.’

It makes you wonder if the poor man knows what he’s getting into. Or, as one headline put it: ‘Michael Nutter Is, Um, Totally Screwed.’ Don’t get me wrong: if you’re coming to town to see the Liberty Bell or grab an artery-clogging cheese steak, that’s great. You’ll have a good time. We’ve got off-Broadway shows, fabulous museums and more Ben Franklin impersonators per capita than any other city in the world. Our archaic alcohol-control system means an abundance of cheap but gourmet BYOB eateries.

But for those of us who live here, things aren’t so rosy. With 392 slayings last year, our murder rate exceeds those of New York and Chicago: the nickname ‘Killadelphia’ is starting to stick. About a quarter of the city’s 1.4 million residents live in poverty, and the number is rising. Almost half the city’s high school students drop out before graduation.

Businesses here need help. The city has a wage tax, a ‘business privilege’ tax and so many other taxes that a 2006 study showed it to be more costly to do business in Philadelphia than in six other major cities, including Boston, Los Angeles and Washington, DC. And even if businesses did move here, would they be able to find employees among the uneducated populace? Would incoming employees want to send their children to the city’s sub-par schools?

There is also an unseen, but very real, threat that one local writer referred to as ‘the boa constrictor strangling the city budget’. The city’s expenses far outweigh its revenues, particularly when it comes to pensions and health insurance for city employees. The new mayor faces contract negotiations with the four largest unions, including those representing police and firefighters. The city faces shutdown, and possible bankruptcy. Not to be too doomy and gloomy about it, Philly could suffer complete financial collapse in the coming year — and it already struggles to provide many basic services. I haven’t seen a snowplough in my neighbourhood in five years. The streets are so pockmarked with holes that driving is like a video game.

More articles from: Natalie Pompilo | this section

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