Morning Headlines: Jim Kenney Has a Rental Idea to Help Philly Schools

Photo of Mayor Nutter in Citizen’s Bank skybox by Bradley Maule

Everyone has some kind of novel or desperate idea to get money for the schools; at this point, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn Mayor Nutter had been to Lourdes. The latest pitch comes from Councilman Jim Kenney, whose own novel idea involves city rentals — at the stadiums.

After the mayor asked for donations so students could get school supplies (I can’t believe I just wrote that sentence), Kenney suggested the city rent out the skyboxes it controls at the Linc, Citizen’s Bank Park and Wells Fargo Center. As it stands now, the tickets for those boxes go to schools, non-profits, staffers and friends of elected officials,” according to CBS 3. Ah, “friends of elected officials.”

CBS 3 quoted Kenney as saying: “I think that smaller companies, medium-sized companies, which can’t afford a full-year lease on a box, would be likely to entertain their clients or employees, while helping the school system. That’ll be an incentive for them to do that.”

The mayor has rebuffed the idea:

The mayor’s spokesman Mark McDonald said Nutter doesn’t support Kenney’s idea because “we have a very good program” to distribute those tickets.

Patronage before paper and pencil, I always say.

Moving right along…
• Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust, which owns the Gallery, is divesting itself of other malls to reduce its debt. It just sold the Christiana Mall in Delaware, the Business Journal reports.
• Speaking of Delaware, Big Pharma giant AstraZeneca is selling off more property in that state — specifically, its South Campus. Natalie Kostelni writes: “The buildings, constructed in 2002, have a dining facility, hair salon, fitness center, conference and training center as part of their amenities.” Get in on it now.
• New York Daily News headline that will make you feel better about your life: “The smallest apartment in New York — barely bigger than a prison cell for $1,275 a month”
• Not only does no one put the Northeast in a corner, but PlanPhilly reports that progress is being made on the Central Northeast District-level Comprehensive Plan, which “will focus on improving three key areas: Foxchase Town Center, Five Points, and the area around Cottman Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard.”