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Q
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Furness
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Philadelphia
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4/19/99 1:14:00 PM
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Several students have voice concerns about the
lack of equipment at neighborhood Rec. Centers.
Are you aware of this problem? How can you
address it?
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A
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sam katz
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4/23/99 5:31:44 PM
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Poor maintenance by previous administrations that
caused the recreation centers to suffer has only
recently started to be reversed under the
leadership of the current administration. I will
continue the Rendell Administration's efforts to
preventatively maintain recreation centers,
saving millions in emergency repairs. This
strategy has created improvements such as the
longest pool seasons in history, and I believe
that if we continue this trend more resources
will be available to adequately equip all our
centers.
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Q
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Don
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Phila.,P.A.
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4/19/99 1:24:02 PM
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What are you doing to get ahead in the mayoral
campaigne?
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A
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Sam Katz
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4/22/99 5:05:17 PM
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Since December I have appeared in dozens of candidate forums and speaking appearances all across Philadelphia. I have been in every neighborhood talking about my plans to improve education, increase public safety, and attract economic development. I believe that by talking directly to the voters about these important issues I will win this mayoral campaign.
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Q
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Joel Aponte
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Bok
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4/19/99 2:17:08 PM
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What programs would you implement to help
alleviate the problems of the homeless?
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A
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sam katz
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4/23/99 5:45:04 PM
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My administration will work to end homelessness
by continuing to emphasize transitional and
supportive housing over shelters, and providing
mental health and substance abuse services to
those who need them. The current administration
has worked hard to obtain Federal money for these
programs through our McKinney application, and my
administration will work just as tirelessly.
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Q
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Rosie & Natassia
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Philadelphia
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4/19/99 2:25:58 PM
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What are your goals in helping out the
Philadelphia School Board with funding for
more books and insure and improve the quitly
of teachers?
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A
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Sam Katz
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4/22/99 6:05:59 PM
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The School District must adopt better management practices so that it can efficiently get books distributed to every student. Principals and teachers should be reporting book shortages to the administration; it should not have to be the responsibility of parents or students to call a "hot line" number. I believe there is already money in the budget to provide books in every classroom - it is a matter of keeping our priorities straight. To improve the quality of teachers we must find ways to expand recruitment including considering the relaxation of residency requirements. We must also make on-going training available to our teachers.
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Q
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Olney High School
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4/19/99 2:36:38 PM
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What programs would you develop to decrease
the number of truancies that we have today?
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A
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sam katz
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4/23/99 5:49:37 PM
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In Boston, a new program joined police officers
with probation officers to target youths who were
violating their probation. This program reduced
youth related crime, homicides, and truancies
dramatically. Realizing that these youth issues
are all related, Boston made big strides to solve
their problem. I will encourage the police
department to work with the school system and
others on equally progressive programs here.
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Q
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Masterman
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Philadelphia
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4/19/99 3:35:18 PM
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What are your administration's plans for your
maritime based economic system?
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A
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Sam Katz
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4/22/99 6:05:59 PM
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The Port of Philadelphia is a tremendous asset that can be more effectively used in a number of areas. We must make sure that a replacement is found at the shipyard for the Kvaerner company and we must market the site to spinoff supplier companies as well. We must continue to strongly market the port and our rail lines as a warehousing and distribution hub. And we must build on recent successes in expanding the cruise ship industry at our new terminal.
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Q
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Yolonda B.
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Phila.
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4/20/99 5:53:42 AM
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How can we increase the number of people who
vote in Philadelphia elections?
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A
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Sam Katz
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4/22/99 6:05:59 PM
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The best way to increase voter participation is through voter education. That process starts in our schools through projects such as this one and must continue through complete and interesting reporting on issues by the news media. The more interest voters take in elections, the better the candidates will be and that will hopefully cause yet more interest by voters and increase voter turnout.
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Q
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Shonda S.
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Phila.
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4/20/99 6:02:24 AM
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When did you decide that you wanted to become
a politican?
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A
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Sam Katz
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4/23/99 3:44:48 PM
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When I was seven years old I met Mayor Dilworth and decided that he had a great job and that I wanted to be Mayor one day. After college I became active in politics and worked in staff positions in mayoral and U.S. Senate campaigns and managed Bill Gray's first campaign for Congress. The past eight years have heightened my interest in serving as Mayor because Ed Rendell has demonstrated that one person can truly make a difference.
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Q
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Pat. S.
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Phila.
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4/20/99 6:15:31 AM
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How will you develop and keep a positive
working relationship with City Council?
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A
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Sam Katz
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4/23/99 3:44:48 PM
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I already have a long friendship and positive relationship with many City Council members. The way to keep that relationship is by working with them to build consensus and by not forgetting that they too must run for office and be responsive to the voters.
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Q
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Swenson Arts & Technology Camp
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Philadelphia
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4/20/99 8:43:31 AM
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The streets in residential areas are in poor
condition, What is your plan to fix them ?
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A
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sam katz
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4/23/99 5:52:54 PM
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We will push to emphasize as much preventative
maintenance of our streets as possible, saving
the costs associated with emergency work. This
will free up resources to address the problems of
all the streets, not just the ones in business
areas.
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Q
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Tanisha
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4/20/99 12:29:15 PM
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What are your views on the Protection of
abused children??
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A
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Sam Katz
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4/23/99 6:54:05 PM
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We must do everything possible to protect abused children. Government's first responsibility is the safety of its citizens. The Police Department and District Attorney's office have made progress in the area of victim's services generally and child abuse in particular. My administration will strengthen the coordinative work among the agencies helping abused children, and move to more seamlessly provide the social supports that both the children and the criminal justice system need to protect our youth.
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Q
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Jules E. Mastbaum A.V.T.S.
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Phila, PA
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4/20/99 1:58:38 PM
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Physical and sexual abuse of young children and
teens is a serious problem. Are you willing to
put a program of social workers in schools,
where these children are on a daily basis, and
are you willing to fund such a program with
city mone
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A
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Sam Katz
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4/23/99 4:01:23 PM
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I agree that this is a serious problem but I do not think the city or school district has sufficient resources to hire additional social workers. We must assess the effectiveness of current programs and if they are not working, re-direct funding to programs that will benefit these young people.
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Q
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Rob Jackson
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4/20/99 3:05:33 PM
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Do you think the riverboat gambling will
secure a better future for our public schools?
If not for the
public schools then for what?
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A
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Sam Katz
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4/23/99 10:05:58 AM
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Since the state legislature rejected a referendum on riverboat gambling, an expansion of gambling is uinlikely in the forseeable future. We cannot count on gambling revenues to fund schools or anything else.
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Q
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GAMP High School
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4/20/99 3:38:51 PM
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What issues do you believe are important with
regard to city of Phila. and why?
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A
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Sam Katz
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4/23/99 10:05:58 AM
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Our most important goals must be to stop the outflow of jobs and people from the city and improving the quality of life for people who live here. The way to do both of these things is to improve our schools, make our streets safe and reduce taxes to attract more economic development.
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Q
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Eric
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Philadelphia, PA
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4/20/99 6:01:01 PM
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For every $1 million in taxes the City of
Philadelphia would collect from gambling
revenues, $6.7 million will go out of state to
the operator’s pockets. This is money from
city residents. Would you rather this money be
spent on other lines
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A
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Sam Katz
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4/23/99 6:54:05 PM
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Given the rejection of a statewide referendum by the state legislature, any expansion of gambling in Pennsylvania is very unlikely in the forseeable future.
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Q
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Masterman
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4/21/99 10:35:57 AM
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Most of the voting population of Philadelphia
is Democratic. Do you think that you, as the
one Republican, have an advantage or
disadvantage over the other candidates?
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A
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Sam Katz
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4/23/99 10:05:58 AM
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People will vote for the person who has the best ideas. Mayor Giuliani was elected as a Republican in New York City which has many fewer Republicans by percentage than has Philadelphia. Rather than focusing on Party, I would say mu advantage in this election is my ideas and my experience.
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Q
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Geo.Washington
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4/21/99 10:42:23 AM
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How will you change city government to make it
more effective and efficient?
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A
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Sam Katz
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4/23/99 3:59:02 PM
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City government must be run more like a business. We need more computers and newer technology, improved procurement practices, more flexible personnel policies, more labor-management cooperation initiatives and competitive contracting to ensure the best service at the best price.
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Q
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Simon Gratz
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4/21/99 10:49:23 AM
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Do you feel intimidated because you are the
only Republican running for
Mayor?
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A
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Sam Katz
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4/23/99 10:05:58 AM
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People often say that there is "no Republican or Democratic way to pick of the trash or put police on the street." I agree. This election is not about political parties, it is about who has the best ideas to stop the exodus of people from Philadelphia and to move us forward into the next century.
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Q
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Carver
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4/21/99 11:11:49 AM
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What is your position of school vouchers and
charter schools?
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A
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Sam Katz
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4/23/99 10:05:58 AM
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I support trying everything we can to help every student we can help. I support vouchers and charter schools because they will help some students get a better education. I also support reforms to improve education in the public school system as a whole.
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Q
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Roxborough H. S.
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4/21/99 12:35:37 PM
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Do you think the money from tourism should be
spent on center city and not the neighborhoods
that need help?
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A
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Sam Katz
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4/23/99 6:58:45 PM
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While some of the money from tourism comes to the city through the hotel tax, most of the financial benefit comes from the jobs tourism creates in hotels, restaurants, museums, retail sales and transportation. The people who work in these tourism supported jobs and the businesses that employ them pay taxes on this income. This money which is then used in the general fund budget should be fairly apportioned to help improve neighborhoods and center city (let's not forget that center city is a neighborhood too - home to thousands of Philadelphians). But we also must remember that without a vibrant and healthy center city we will not continue to have the tourism which produces this revenue stream
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