Agnes J. “Chuckie” Tilley
Services are planned for Agnes J. “Chuckie” Tilley, Republican leader of the 35th Ward, who died last week after a battle with melanoma.
A viewing will be held on Wednesday, April 29, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Wackerman Funeral Home, 8060 Verree Road. A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Thursday, April 30, at 10 a.m. at Presentation BVM Catholic Church, 100 Old Soldiers Road in Cheltenham. Burial will be at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.
Tilley, a Washington, D.C. native who lived on Oakley Street in Burholme, was a longtime Republican activist, serving as a friend of the Pennsylvania delegation at the 1964 GOP convention at San Francisco’s Cow Palace, where she backed an effort to draft Gov. Bill Scranton for president.
She volunteered for local Republican legends Sheriff Austin Meehan, Billy Meehan and John Kane. She was a secretary for Kane when he worked for the city revenue department and the state auditor general’s office. She was also secretary for Traffic Court Judge George Twardy.
In 2004, she was a delegate to the convention in New York.
In all, she was a committeewoman in the 35th Ward, 1st Division for more than 50 years.
Recently, City Councilman sponsored a resolution honoring her work.
Tilley is survived by her husband, Louis; children Louis, Glenn, Linda, Ruthanne, Brien and Maureen; and 12 grandchildren. Donations in memory of Sister Serena Branson can be made to Sisters of Charity, 6301 Riverdale Ave., Bronx, NY 10471.
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Democratic mayoral candidates Milton Street and Jim Kenney last week spoke to members of the Greater Northeast Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce during a breakfast meeting at Wesley Enhanced Living Pennypack Park, 8401 Roosevelt Blvd.
Street, who turned 76 on Saturday, described Mayor Michael Nutter’s proposed 9.34-percent property tax increase as “absolutely foolish.”
Street said City Council members are paid well enough that they should not receive a city car.
“They don’t need a car. They don’t do anything. Buy your own car,” he said.
Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey will be looking for a job if Street is elected.
“I would fire Ramsey right away,” he said.
Kenney, 56, who grew up near 3rd Street and Snyder Avenue in South Philadelphia, said he is proud of the support he’s received. He’s been endorsed by groups ranging from the Fraternal Order of Police to the National Organization for Women to the Sierra Club.
In the 1990s, as a member of City Council, he began pushing for gay rights legislation, including health and pension benefits for the partners of gay city employees.
“Cardinal Bevilacqua was not happy with me,” he recalled.
Kenney would be supportive of an effort that would raise tax rates for commercial and industrial property owners while cutting wage and business taxes. The proposal would require an amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution, meaning it would have to be passed in two consecutive terms of the state legislature, followed by approval in a voter referendum. Proponents contend the effort would lead to more jobs.
“It’s something that’s worth pursuing,” Kenney said.
Kenney also said he favors bans on plastic bags and styrofoam for environmental reasons.
As for the cigarette tax intended to provide money for public schools, Kenney predicted the revenue estimates will fall short because smokers who live near the Bucks, Montgomery or Delaware county borders will buy their cigarettes in the suburbs.
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Democratic mayoral candidate Lynne Abraham is not impressed that two of her opponents, Kenney and state Sen. Tony Williams, have expressed support for City Council President Darrell Clarke’s bill addressing campaign finance transparency.
“Now that Jim Kenney and Anthony Williams claim they have finally joined me in opposing the undue influence of dark money in this campaign, I’m calling on them to put their dark money where their mouths are and demand, in no uncertain terms, their allies take down their special interest-fueled ads,” Abraham said. “They had the opportunity to reject dark money when I asked them to sign my ‘People’s Pledge, and both declined. Giving lip service to an issue is easy; it’s actions that define leadership. Philadelphia deserves real leadership, not an absurd ploy to support popular opinion after the fact.”
Williams took a shot at Kenney on the issue.
“Voters have the right to raise questions about financing of candidates in this campaign. If people are concerned that three education philanthropists, who are completely transparent about their interests, support my candidacy, how much more concerned should we be with John Dougherty’s support of Mr. Kenney?” he asked.
Williams also pointed to a Philadelphia Tribune editorial that said, “Should one man control who is elected mayor, serves on city council and who serves as judge…..voters, especially African-American voters, should be concerned about John Dougherty’s growing influence.”
“Transparency is an asset that builds public trust, citizen engagement and investor confidence in city government. Unfortunately, Mr. Kenney’s campaign fails that test,” Williams said. “Voters deserve to know who is bankrolling his campaign, and what they will gain from it.”
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Latinos United for Political Empowerment has endorsed Kenney.
LUPE includes state Reps. Leslie Acosta and Angel Cruz.
City Councilwoman Maria Quinones Sanchez (D-7th dist.) said she was disappointed that Kenney accepted the endorsement from a group that is backing her primary opponent, Manny Morales.
Morales has been accused of making Facebook posts that would not play well among Democratic voters.
In one post, President Barack Obama is called “inept.” Other posts expressed pro-life views; condemnation of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton; and support for voter identification laws, drug testing for welfare recipients, the verdict in the George Zimmerman case and armed security outside stores in Ferguson, Missouri. Another post wants authorities to, “Round up every illegal immigrant.” Another post calls for making English the official language, ending freebies to non-citizens and closing borders,
“As an organization led by politicians that hand-picked Manny Morales for his City Council candidacy, LUPE has lost all credibility,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez said Cruz, Acosta and ward leaders Carlos Matos and Emilio Vazquez need to be held accountable for their “irresponsible” actions in pushing Morales’ candidacy.
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Kenney last week was endorsed by the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals.
“Jim Kenney stood by us in 2010 when we had to strike at Temple University Hospital in order to protect our right to advocate on behalf of our patients,” said Patty Eakin, registered nurse and president of PASNAP.
The environmental groups Clean Water Action, Conservation Voters of PA, PennEnvironment and the Sierra Club are also backing Kenney.
“Jim Kenney has been at the forefront of supporting and crafting common-sense solutions to some of our most difficult environmental problems,” said Brooks Mountcastle, Eastern PA Director, Clean Water Action. “Meanwhile, state Sen. Anthony Williams voted for Act 13, which empowered the fossil fuel industry and stripped municipalities’ ability to protect their communities from gas drilling.”
The student group Penn Democrats has also endorsed Kenney, citing his support for gay rights and marijuana decriminalization, his opposition to the policy of detaining illegal immigrants for up to 48 hours for transfer to federal custody and his pledge to end “stop-and-frisk” policing.
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The United Ward Leaders of Color endorsed Williams in the Democratic primary for mayor.
Sonny Campbell, chairman of the ward leaders group, said Williams stood for the issues that are on the minds of black voters in their neighborhoods.
“We are selecting Sen. Williams because he has a proven record of providing for the community,” Campbell said. “Philadelphia is going to be depending greatly on the state for education and other needs. Tony has the track record to show he is the best to negotiate for the resources available in Harrisburg and bring back the benefits to the city.”
Williams is a past chairman of the group, which represents neighborhoods in West Philadelphia, North Philadelphia and Germantown.
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Helen Gym, an education advocate and Democratic candidate for an at-large City Council seat, said she is disappointed that Commonwealth Court dismissed a lawsuit brought by parents claiming that the state is not living up to its constitutional obligation to adequately fund schools.
“This funding lawsuit will continue in the PA Supreme Court, where it needs to be heard. I strongly disagree with the Commonwealth Court’s arguments. This funding suit needs to be heard in court because the state legislature has violated the state Constitution in failing to properly fund our schools. Parents and students are the ones who are most hurt by the failures of the state legislature. As a mother of three children in Philadelphia’s public schools and someone who organizes in parent communities, I’ve documented countless instances of serious harm to young people. I’ll be throwing my full weight of support behind the funding lawsuit as it continues,” she said.
Gym, a former teacher, has recently been endorsed by progressive groups Philly for Change, Liberty City Democrats and Clean Water Action.
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Terry Tracy, a Republican candidate for an at-large Council seat, has been endorsed by the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity and the Pentecostal Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity.
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Commonwealth Court ruled last week that Democrat Stephanie Singer, a city elections commissioner, cannot appear on the ballot because she filed an insufficient number of vail nominating petitions.
“Entrenched interests were behind this injustice because they knew they couldn’t beat me fair and square on Election Day. While I am no longer actively campaigning, I will continue to fight for what so many Americans believe in: voters’ rights, transparency and government by the people,” she said.
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State Rep. John Taylor is backing fellow Republican Tim Dailey in the 5th Senatorial District special election on May 9.
Dailey, a teacher at Father Judge High School, faces Democratic state Rep. John Sabatina.
“Tim understands what it is like to be a husband and parent and the struggles of putting children through Catholic school. His commitment to education is unparalleled; serving as a high school English and history teacher for over 20 years,” Taylor said.
Dailey is a graduate of Maternity BVM, Archbishop Ryan and Holy Family University. He has taught for over two decades in the Philadelphia Archdiocese including the last twenty years at Father Judge High School. He and his wife Helene are the parents of two daughters. Karen, 19, is a 2014 graduate of St. Hubert and a freshman, majoring in pre-law, at Philadelphia University. Erin, 15, is a freshman at St. Hubert.
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The Associated Builders and Contractors Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter has endorsed Republican Emil Giordano for Superior Court.
“Giordano has demonstrated his strong commitment to community and free enterprise values. It is evident that he understands the construction industry and the merit philosophy that ABC represents,” said Mary Tebeau, president and CEO of the ABC Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter.
Since 2003, Giordano has been a judge on the Northampton County Court of Common Pleas. He is unopposed in the May 19 primary and will face the winner of the Democratic primary between Alice Beck Dubow and Robert Colville. He has been “recommended” by the Pennsylvania Bar Association.
Prior to being elected, Giordano served as an assistant district attorney, assistant public defender, civil litigator and as lead counsel in his private law practice. He resides in Bethlehem with his wife, Tina, and his two sons, Joseph and Caden.
ABC Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter represents more than 14,000 construction employees who work for nearly 450 member companies. ABC was founded on the belief that construction projects should be awarded on merit to the most qualified and lowest responsible bidder.
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Former congressman Joe Sestak, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, criticized Republican Sen. Pat Toomey for voting against Loretta Lynch’s nomination to be attorney general.
Sestak said the vote shows that Toomey is a partisan obstructionist.
Lynch was confirmed by a vote of 56–43, with 10 Republicans voting for her. Opponents cited her support for President Barack Obama’s actions favoring illegal immigrants.
Toomey said after the vote, “Given Ms. Lynch’s experience and commitment to public service, I wish that I could support her nomination. However, as I announced publicly after meeting with her in late February, I cannot support her and I did not vote for her confirmation today. During our meeting, Ms. Lynch refused to answer fundamental questions about the U.S. Constitution and how it limits the president’s authority.”
Toomey pointed to Lynch’s refusal to review the Obama administration’s November 2014 order unilaterally granting legal status and work permits to more than 4 million illegal immigrants, as requested by Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“Ms. Lynch told me she had not conducted an independent legal analysis of her own. Instead, Ms. Lynch relied on the opinions of administration lawyers to conclude the president has the legal and Constitutional authority to rewrite immigration law,” Toomey said.
“This president has repeatedly exceeded his legal authority. He has unilaterally rewritten Obamacare, made executive appointments the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional, and rewritten immigration law despite having said 22 times that he lacked the authority to do so.”
Toomey said he does not believe that Lynch can carry out the duty of the attorney general to uphold the Constitution.
“The attorney general does not represent the president; she represents the American people,” he said. “The attorney general has the duty to act as an independent legal check on executive overreach. It is clear to me that Ms. Lynch is unwilling to play that role.” ••
