Some City Council members could learn a lesson from Richard Lazer’s PPA leadership | Shackamaxon

This week’s column looks at one man, two authorities, returns to the city’s Turn the Key program, questions objections to SEPTA station development, and examines a bait-and-switch effort at the Cecil B. Moore Library.

Four years ago, I drafted an editorial that said proper leadership could turn the Philadelphia Parking Authority from a patronage den into a genuine civic asset. A certain City Council member turned failed mayoral contender responded by accusing me of naivete. Then, Richard Lazer was hired and settled the debate.

Under Lazer, the parking authority has done more than just stop the bad headlines. It expanded its mission from simply generating revenue to taking on quality-of-life and safety projects.

Abandoned cars taking up all the spots on your block? Business districts want new dynamic loading zones for delivery vehicles? The city needs a new bus terminal for intercity travel? Cars parked illegally on the sidewalk or blocking curb cuts or crosswalks? The PPA can help. Speed cameras, bus and trolley cameras, school zone cameras, special parking rates for Chinatown — all PPA initiatives.

That’s not to say the PPA has completely won over the public. Given its primary job remains issuing citations, that’s probably impossible. For some Philadelphians, Lazer’s tenure has no doubt been expensive.

But there’s a reason why Lazer has been profiled by Philadelphia Magazine and The Inquirer, why the city’s cyclists have turned him (and his “lazer eyes”) into a folk hero, and why the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority was so eager to hire him as its next CEO. The longtime civil servant truly exceeded expectations, a remarkable feat in a city that’s used to lowering them.

The PPA’s board has pledged to undertake a national search for its next leader. That’s always the right call. Still, my own impression is that it doesn’t have to look very far. Lazer’s longtime No. 2, Gabe Roberts, is well-positioned to keep up the momentum. Like Lazer, Roberts is a Philadelphian who understands the city. He’s also been a part of every Lazer initiative, knows the authority’s staff, and has relationships with the other public officials he’d need to work with.

Please forgive the nautical pun, but perhaps the PPA shouldn’t rock the boat.

While Councilmember Quetcy Lozada continues to block 30 proposed property sales through the city’s Turn the Key program, she has found an affordable housing proposal she supports.

Norris Square community group Xiente’s Mi Casa program creates rentals aimed at households making around $54,000 to $64,500 a year. Supporters have cast it as a way to buttress the neighborhood against gentrification. The effort is genuinely laudable and will help many needy families access housing.

But the question then is: What makes it so different from the city’s Turn the Key homeownership program, which Lozada has presented as an effort to gentrify the neighborhood?

After all, according to Land Bank data, the households that get homes through Turn the Key are remarkably similar to those that get assistance through Xiente. The median homeowner, according to Land Bank data, makes around $56,000 a year. While households earning up to 100% of the area median income are eligible for the program, in practice, this rarely happens. Statutory restrictions, like the requirement to remain in the home for 15 years, make it less worthwhile for households with more resources to participate.

Lozada is hardly the only district City Council member who wants to steer publicly owned land to her political allies (spoiler alert: see below), but using the specter of gentrification to fight affordable housing is a new low.

When SEPTA’s leadership testified during budget hearings, most of the questions they faced had to do with their (successful) efforts to reduce crime, and the continuing struggle to eliminate anti-social behaviors like smoking. Some Council members wanted answers on operational problems, like the prolonged closure of the Center City trolley tunnel or the impending rollout of the new bus network.

Then there was 8th District Councilmember Cindy Bass.

Her biggest woe? SEPTA’s decision to lease five currently vacant Regional Rail stations to Ken Weinstein, a local developer she’s repeatedly clashed with.

Bass laid out a series of troubling questions. Why did SEPTA get just $1 in exchange for a 99-year lease of five properties? Why didn’t a developer of color win the bid? Given the agency’s fiscal crisis, shouldn’t sweetheart deals be off the table?

The problem, as Bass likely knows well, is that none of this makes sense in context. Far from being lucrative assets, the stations were a drain on SEPTA’s budget. Maintenance and landscaping cost the agency $150,000 a year, while the cost of renovation was estimated at $4 million. When SEPTA issued a request for proposal, Weinstein was the only one who was interested in rehabbing all five stations. Other developers have characterized his choice to bid as being closer to charity than a standard investment.

While Bass presented the information as some sort of recently uncovered secret, it was widely reported at the time (which was nearly 18 months ago). SEPTA issued a release, and WHYY, the Chestnut Hill Local, KYW, Hidden City Philadelphia, and The Inquirer all covered the news. If a member of City Council knows less about what SEPTA is up to in her own backyard than casual newsreaders, she has only herself to blame.

City Council’s quarrelsome contrarian, Jeffery “Jay” Young Jr., appeared to have finally acquiesced to demands to renovate a historic library branch in North Philadelphia.

But not so fast, said the Save Cecil B. Moore Library Coalition, a group that has been organizing in support of the library since before Young was elected. It turns out the Council member had actually offered less than half of half a loaf.

Of the $10 million set aside for renovations, only $2 million will be spent. The HVAC system will be updated, and the bathrooms and other facilities will be adapted to meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards. But the teen space, technology upgrades, aesthetic improvements, and new facilities advocated for will not be included.

As Jeron “Jay” Williams II, a North Philadelphian, told me, “The fact that he doesn’t want to spend the full $10 million on the project and instead wants to barrel ahead with his own plans shows just how little he cares about the community around the library.”