RE: [UC] SEPTA Background

[Clinton, J. Scott]

Title: Message

-----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, September 16, 2004 3:24 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [UC] SEPTA Background In a message dated 9/16/2004 1:09:33 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: there had to be a re-examination of the City's representation on the SEPTA board and the formulas used for local funding for SEPTA. Approximately 80% of SEPTA rides are taken on what is called the "City Transit Division" the part of the system that operates with the City of Philadelphia. Philadelphia contributes, $53.5 million dollars, 80% of the local funding. The City of Philadelphia has two representatives out of 15 on SEPTA's governing body, under 14%. The suburban control of the SEPTA board can be seen by how suburban routes are subsidized at much higher levels than the City Division. This is the total obfuscation of previously made backroom deals between the City and its suburban partners, during the conversion from the Philadelphia Transportation Company to SEPTA.       [Clinton, J. Scott] It should be noted that PTC is not the only former private transportation system that is now part of SEPTA.  The Philadelphia Suburban or "Red Arrow" system is also a part of it as well as the commuter branches of the Pennsylvania and Reading Railroads.         Where is SEPTA headquartered? At 1234 Market Street, a very expensive piece of center city real estate. Why does SEPTA need a 700,000 sq ft building? Why does the City BRT under value the building? Why are there multiple below market sweetheart lessees in the building, which are affiliated with the City or friends of City government? What do you think the City gave up to control the real estate? Board seats. [Clinton, J. Scott] I'd like to defend SEPTAs location though I am certainly no SEPTA management appologist.  SEPTA maintains their control center at 1234 Market   This control center allows all the dispatching on the railroad, the El and the subway to be done in one central location rather than at several "towers" spread out through the area.  This is a net savings to the system as they don't have to maintain a bunch of aging infrastructure this way.   All other management is also headquartered in one place.  While some of this work could be done anywhere, it is certainly nice to have everyone in one building, rather than spread out all over the system.   PTC had, at various times in its life, headquarters in Center City, as well as in North Philadelphia and the headquarters was moved back to Center City during the creation of SEPTA.       Finally   It would be far more economical to headquarter SEPTA outside the City on much less expensive ground in a large low rise building that would be much more economical to operate, maintain, etc.       [Clinton, J. Scott] I don't know that this is necessarially true.  Can you document these savings for me? I know almost nothing about the costs of large pieces of real estate.    But I would support the location of SEPTA in center city even if it wound up costing more because Center City is the focus of all of the transit that exists in southeast PA.  Workers can live anywhere and get to CC relatively easily on public transportation; not so the case in most of the rest of the area.  What signal would it send if the provider of public transport located itself in a place that was not very accessable by public transportation?  Don't you think that the purvayors of transportation should use it themselves?       As a non-Philadelphia based corporation many of its employees would have left the City to escape the City's repressive tax package. Look at all the ancillary benefits the 'SEPTA Package' provides the City. This convoluted real estate deal is another reason why the rest of the State hears the sound of their hard earned money being sucked down the drain into the City's cesspool, with no benefit to the rest of the State.   [Clinton, J. Scott] Why would the city agree to subsidize the loss of thousands of jobs to the suburbs?  That makes no sense to me, nor would it to any city administration.  Remember, the city is caughing up more of the operating budget than any suburban county and so I don't see a problem with them recouping some of these costs in the form of wage tax revenue.   Anybody form SEPTA involved in the current mayor's corruption scandal? No, because in today's political climate good politicians, good public servants wont stand for it.   Maybe it is time for the State to tell the City to go it alone. "You want it, you buy it." Ask the mayor where he expects the dedicated tax funding to come from? One possibility is to tell the Governor that his close friends will not run casino gambling in Philadelphia. The City will do it. [Clinton, J. Scott] I'm not sure I'm willing to call the management of SEPTA "good public servants" but in my earlier post, I suggested that maybe it is the time for the city to tell the state that it wants control of the city part of SEPTA.  Interesting that we came to the same conclusions from different directions..   The "dedicated tax funding" that is being proposed is a portion of the state sales tax.  you can learn more at www.savetransit.org   Peace, J. Scott Clinton