Act 72 funding, as it came to be known, was accepted by only one-fifth of Pennsylvania's school districts. Following Act 72, Rendell and the Pennsylvania legislature looked at other proposals to reduce property taxes, a key component of his campaign.
The governor said he was willing to consider legislation that changed Act Legislative proposals were made to force school districts to accept the money. Other proposed legislation would have required the issue to be voted on in each district as a ballot question, rather than decided by school boards.
In , Rendell received criticism from the public and press for signing a pay raise for legislators. Later, he signed the measure's repeal. In , as a residual effect of the potent political power the pay raise issue had in central and western Pennsylvania, Rendell stepped up criticism of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency PHEAA and its executive salaries and expenses, following published newspaper reports, in an effort to leverage PHEAA's profits from federal student loan revenues to help finance the Commonwealth's need-based state grant program for undergraduate post-secondary education both for grants and for the administration of the program.
PHEAA, however, is not a direct state government department, created as a quasi-governmental agency in the s by the Pennsylvania General Assembly and which is governed by a Board comprised primarily of members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and Senate.
Rendell signed an executive order on October 26, , that banned any further leasing of state lands for Marcellus shale drilling. He said concerns over the certification of an environmentally stable forest justified the moratorium.
The House led the way to protect these lands, but the Senate failed to do so. The moratorium did not affect any drilling on state lands already leased, which included approximately , of Pennsylvanian's 2. On December 2, , Gov. The authority announced a 35 percent cut in service in March and a significant fare increases on Jan. The newly redirected federal funding allowed the authority to maintain existing operations through the end of June, Rendell said.
RACP funds require a matching amount from project developers, which are frequently taxpayer-funded bond issues from lower levels of government. Rendell was the first Jewish mayor of Philadelphia. He was first elected in , his second mayoral campaign. In , he ran for the Democratic nomination against the incumbent mayor, W. Wilson Goode—a race in which some of the Philadelphia Black Clergy charged that Rendell reneged on a promise not to run against Goode. The fallout hung over Rendell as he entered the campaign, but he benefited from a multi-candidate primary.
In the Republican primary, the notable former Philadelphia mayor, Frank L. Rizzo, won against Ron Castille, who had resigned his office as District Attorney in order to run for mayor. Rizzo, however, died in the summer of ; in November, Rendell won by more than a margin against Joseph M. Egan, Jr. As mayor, Rendell inherited significant fiscal problems. The state legislature established a fiscal oversight board to monitor the City of Philadelphia's fiscal issues.
Rendell's cost-cutting policies brought him strong opposition from labor unions; however, he was re-elected in , defeating Republican Joe Rocks with 80 percent of the vote. He resigned on December 21, , shortly before the end of his term, to become chair of the Democratic National Committee DNC , and former Philadelphia City Council chairman and mayor-elect John Street became mayor three weeks early.
Rendell's first term as mayor was chronicled in a best-selling book A Prayer for the City by Buzz Bissinger. The author, a former journalist, was given access to the mayor during that term.
The New York Times called Rendell's job as mayor as "the most stunning turnaround in recent urban history. Rendell was elected district attorney of Philadelphia in , defeating the incumbent Democratic DA, F. Emmett Fitzpatrick, in the primary election.
Rendell ran a campaign that emphasized that he was new to the political scene and not tainted by corruption. He served two terms, leaving in to run for Pennsylvania Governor. He was defeated in the Democratic primary for Governor by Robert P. Casey, Sr. Rendell was prevented by term limits from seeking re-election in , although he had already announced during his re-election campaign in , that it would be the last one of his career.
If he changed his mind, Governors in Pennsylvania are restricted to serving two consecutive terms, meaning that Rendell would have had to wait until to run again for the top office. Rendell said that he was "not really" interested in running for either President or Vice President in Nevertheless, he drew considerable attention.
His service as district attorney and mayor demonstrated a law enforcement focus that could be a positive campaign asset, as could his military service. Both Giuliani and Rendell have previously been dubbed "America's Mayor. Rendell also served as Chairman of the Democratic National Committee during the Presidential election. He currently sits on several boards, supports multiple non-profit organizations, and teaches government and politics courses at the University of Pennsylvania.
Skip to main content. Apply now. From to , Rendell served two terms as mayor of Philadelphia. Before serving as mayor, he was elected district attorney of Philadelphia for two terms from through Rendell now serves as a consultant or board member for several green and alternative energy firms, including Own Energy, Element Partners, and Ocean Thermal Energy.
He has also remained heavily involved in the campaign for government efficiency by working with entities such as Government Sourcing Solutions, Public Financial Management and Greenhill Advisors.
0コメント