By Chris Mallard
Every year, Philadelphia County sends over $1.4 billion in state taxes to Harrisburg — by far the largest contribution of any county in the commonwealth. And for good reason. With the biggest workforce in the state (over 725,000 employees in the county), we get the job done.
So when state Sen. Joe Picozzi wrote last week, “we want to fund SEPTA — the question is how,” you’d be excused for letting your jaw hit the floor. Picozzi hides behind a so-called “funding bill” that his Republican colleagues in the state Senate passed, which is nothing more than a poorly disguised hit job on any future transit upgrades or repairs.
Picozzi’s boss in Harrisburg, Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman, didn’t even attempt to hide his contempt for Philly, saying, “Now you know how we felt 15 years ago when Governor Rendell took road money and put it into transit.” These are not serious people.
But when you think about it, Sen. Picozzi’s behavior starts to make sense. This is someone who attended a $20,000-a-year high school — outside of Philadelphia. Then he went to Georgetown, followed by a stint at a think tank in New York City. With that kind of background, do you really think the senator would recognize the 20 even if it drove right past him?
In last week’s Op-Ed, the senator wrote, “This money belongs to us, the people of this state.” And in doing so, he gave away the whole game.
Hey Picozzi, it’s not the state’s money, it’s Philly’s — and we want it now. ••
Chris Mallard lives in Torresdale and works in the healthcare industry.
