>From today's Inquirer. I don't agree with everything Mandel advocates ... details as the race heats up ... but I think he's the kind of person this city needs in elective office. Al Krigman ____________________________________ ____________________________________
Mandel runs for Phila. controller By Patrick Kerkstra Inquirer Staff Writer Brett Mandel, the government-reform advocate who played a critical role in persuading city lawmakers to reduce wage and business taxes, announced yesterday that he would run for city controller against incumbent Alan Butkovitz in the Democratic primary in May. The two will contest for an office that serves as the chief auditor of city government - an important role at any time, and one that seems all the more critical in light of the city's fiscal crisis. Butkovitz, a Democratic ward leader and former state representative, will have all the advantages of incumbency, including the bully pulpit, fund-raising prowess ($170,000 cash on hand as of December), and the support of the party establishment. Mandel will counter with a reputation as one of the city's leading voices for governmental change, a figure often quoted in the media on matters ranging from the city budget to ethics and tax policy. He has never held public office. Since 2004, Mandel has been executive director of Philadelphia Forward, a small but influential tax-reform group financed by individual, institutional and corporate donors. "My challenge is to explain that the city controller is the person who minds our money. I think, in this time of fiscal crisis, there might be more interest in that than there would be in other years," Mandel said, noting that contests for the position are typically low-profile. "This is a time when we need a true fiscal watchdog." Mandel has been sharply critical of Butkovitz in recent months, as he considered entering the race. Yesterday, he said Butkovitz had "pulled his punches," and he suggested that he would take a tougher stand on issues ranging from the mayor's five-year budget to the Eagles disputed $8 million debt to the city. Butkovitz said yesterday that he was proud of what his office had achieved in his three years in office. He said he had shifted resources and attention to performance audits, which have sought to improve efficiency and not merely confirm that the books were being kept correctly. "We have done 40 performance audits over the last three years," Butkovitz said. "We're dealing with the big picture, and we're dealing in depth with the functioning of critical city services." Butkovitz cited a December compilation of earlier audits, which identified $68 million in new annual revenue sources for the city, plus $73.9 million in one-time income. He said the funds could come from a variety of sources, such as higher ambulance reimbursement fees and improved collections of service fees in the Fire Department and the Department of Licenses and Inspections. Before Butkovitz was elected, Mandel served as director of financial and policy analysis under former Controller Jonathan Saidel. **************The year's hottest artists on the red carpet at the Grammy Awards. AOL Music takes you there. (http://music.aol.com/grammys?ncid=emlcntusmusi00000002)
