MANAGING DIRECTOR AND DEPUTY MAYOR RICH NEGRIN TO DISCUSS HOLIDAY VILLAGE

WHO: Managing Director and Deputy Mayor Rich Negrin
WHAT: Managing Director and Deputy Mayor Rich Negrin will be available to discuss the Holiday Village.
WHERE: City Hall, outside room 215
WHEN: Tuesday, November 30, 2010 12:45 pm TODAY

SECRETARY CHU APPOINTS MAYOR MICHAEL A. NUTTER TO DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Mayor Nutter to serve on the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Advisory Committee

Philadelphia, November 29, 2010 – Mayor Michael A. Nutter has been appointed to serve on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Advisory Committee (ERAC) by U.S. Secretary of Energy, Dr. Steven Chu. The Committee’s role is to advise the Secretary of Energy on issues related to energy efficiency and renewable energy, and to provide recommendations on long-term planning, priorities, strategy and funding.

“We have a plan to make Philadelphia America’s number one green city and I am proud that we are becoming a leader in the creation of a new green economy,” said Mayor Nutter. “By encouraging clean tech businesses to locate in Philadelphia and supporting the creation of new green technologies we are creating jobs and helping small businesses today, saving homeowners money today, but also investing in the future and keeping America competitive for the next 100 years.”

The City of Philadelphia is fast becoming one of America’s leading clean tech cities. Earlier this year the federal government, including the Department of Energy, awarded a $129 million grant to the Greater Philadelphia Innovation Cluster for Energy Efficient Buildings (GPIC) for the establishment of a national Energy Innovation Hub at the Philadelphia Navy Yard for the creation and commercialization of energy efficiency technologies. In October 2010, Mayor Nutter announced that The Mark Group, a home energy efficiency firm based in the United Kingdom, will establish its U.S. Headquarters at the Philadelphia Navy Yard creating around 250 new jobs in Philadelphia. And earlier this month Mayor Nutter and the Metropolitan Caucus launched EnergyWorks, a program funded with a $25 million grant from the Department of Energy to provide a range of services and financing mechanisms to homeowners and businesses to help them finance improvements and save money on their energy bills.

Mayor Nutter is the only elected official to serve on the Committee and was asked by Secretary Chu to serve as a “representative of local governments engaged in accelerating the incorporation of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies into the existing energy portfolio.” The Committee is expected to meet twice per year with the first meeting taking place on Tuesday November 30, 2010, in Washington, D.C.

A list of the other members of the Committee can be found here: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/eere_advisory_committee/members.html

To read more about the City of Philadelphia’s sustainability initiatives and plans for a green economy visit www.greenworksphila.org.

MAYOR NUTTER AND OTHER U.S. MAYORS TO MEET WITH HUD SECRETARY SHAUN DONOVAN

Mayors to advocate for continued federal support of Community Development Block Grants

WHO: Mayor Michael Nutter, Second Vice-President, U.S. Conference of Mayors
Mayor Elizabeth Kautz, Burnsville, Minnesota, President, USCM
Mayor Setti Warren, Newton, Massachusetts, Chair, USCM Community Development and Housing Committee
Mayor Ralph Becker, Salt Lake City, Utah, Vice-Chair, USCM Community Dept. and Housing Committee
Mayor James Brainard, Carmel, Indiana
Mayor Bill Finch, Bridgeport, Connecticut
Tom Cochran, CEO/Executive Director, USCM
WHAT: This delegation will meet with Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan to discuss impact of the Community Development Block Grant Program and the importance of continued federal support for this program. Federal funding through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program provides communities with resources to address a variety of community development needs, including affordable housing and expanded economic opportunities, particularly for low- and moderate-income residents. Established in 1974, the CDBG program is one of the longest ongoing and successful HUD programs. Mayor Nutter will be available for interviews immediately following the meeting with Secretary Donovan.
WHERE: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street, SW, Washington, D.C. 20410

WHEN: Monday, November 29, 2010 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

MAYOR NUTTER ANNOUNCES DEPARTURE OF CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER ALLAN FRANK

November 24, 2010 – Mayor Nutter announced the departure of Allan Frank, the city’s first Chief Technology Officer who has overseen a major transformation in the city’s information technology infrastructure and personnel.

Mr. Frank will return to the IT industry where over the course of a 35-year career he became a respected regional and national leader. His last day in City government will be on Feb. 1, 2011.

Mayor Nutter also announced that Mr. Frank is not completely severing his public service ties to the City of Philadelphia. Mr. Frank has agreed to serve as chair of a new advisory body, the Mayor’s Advisory Board on Technology.

“Allan has played a vital role in restructuring the City’s IT assets, which in turn will enable the city to reform, streamline and lower the costs of its activities for the benefit of all city residents,” Mayor Nutter said. “Allan has been an outstanding public servant who brought a wealth of insight from the private sector. I’m very pleased that he’s agreed to serve as chair of our new Advisory Board.”

Tommy Jones, the first Deputy CIO, will serve as interim CTO upon Mr. Frank’s departure. The City will begin a nationwide search for Mr. Frank’s successor.

“Working for Mayor Nutter and having the opportunity to advance this Administration’s goals, particularly in government efficiency and public programs in the technology space, has been the most rewarding experience of my career,” said Mr. Frank. “As a private citizen, I want to continue my efforts to help cultivate the technology industry in the City and region as well as to increase digital inclusion and literacy.”

During his tenure as the City’s first CTO, Mr. Frank led an IT reform strategy to consolidate all information technology assets, people, operations and financial resources under the Division of Technology. Previously, IT was spread across 33 operating City agencies. As a result, the City is now better positioned to leverage technology to enable operating departments improve efficiency and effectiveness through investments in technology.

Under Mr. Frank’s leadership, Philadelphia was selected as one of five cities nationwide for Code for America, a nationally recognized fellowship program, focusing on providing private sector technology expertise to cities. Philadelphia will host a group of highly skilled technologists to help design and develop a unique citizen engagement application to better connect, communicate, and collaborate between the City and residents.

Mr. Frank also played a key role for the City and a variety of nonprofits in winning $18 million of Federal broadband stimulus funding to support computer centers, training programs and jobs that serve areas of the City with low levels of broadband subscription.

In his new position as chairman of the Mayor’s Advisory Board on Technology, Mr. Frank will lead the board as it builds a visible and engaged stakeholder group of business, educational and community institutions to drive a technology vision for the future.

The Board will also strive to develop a technology strategy in the five-county Philadelphia region, assist the City in developing new initiatives and best practices and market the City’s tech efforts, including the acquisition of funding for new technology projects.

Mayor Nutter Announces the Appointment of Mark Edwards as President and CEO of the Philadelphia Workforce Development Corporation

Philadelphia, November 22, 2010 – Today, Mayor Michael A. Nutter announced the appointment of Mark Edwards as President and CEO of the Philadelphia Workforce Development Corporation (PWDC).

Mr. Edwards will direct 170 employees and oversee an annual budget in excess of $100 million for workforce development activities in Philadelphia. PWDC is the fiscal agent for the City for federal and state employment and training funds and it is the largest single entity in the City’s workforce development system.

“Over the past 12 years, Ernie Jones has demonstrated his tremendous commitment to Philadelphia and public service through his leadership at PWDC,” said Mayor Nutter. “During his tenure, Ernie worked diligently to connect Philadelphians to work while overseeing the organization through tremendous periods of change. I want to congratulate Ernie on his years of service and wish him well. I also want to welcome Mark Edwards to this position. Mark will lead this organization at a critical point in its history and a vital time in Philadelphia’s economy.”

“I am pleased with Mayor Nutter’s decision to appoint Mark into this role,” said Ernest E. Jones who last week retired from his post as President and CEO of PWDC. “There will be significant changes to the City’s workforce development system in the months to come. I am confident that Mark will ensure positive investments in job training and employment activities that will lead to a larger goal of restoring our regional economy.”

“I am honored to have been entrusted with this leadership role during this difficult time in our economy,” said Mark Edwards. “Workforce development is rapidly changing and I look forward to implementing strategies to align the city’s workforce development system to benefit employers and job seekers alike.”

Jones served as PWDC President and CEO for 12 years. During his tenure, he spearheaded the implementation of the new workforce development system mandated under the Workforce Investment Act. This federal legislation called for drastic changes to the system which resulted in the creation of nine CareerLink Centers in Philadelphia. Jones also led the redesign of the City’s welfare-to-work system, which created neighborhood-based EARN Centers to provide service to more than 25,000 people on public assistance.

Earlier this year, the Nutter Administration began a strategic assessment of the City’s various workforce agencies, a process that will continue into 2011. One of the first steps in this process was the appointment of an interim board at PWDC tasked with conducting a thorough review of PWDC’s operations and its role in the city’s larger workforce system. In his new role, Mr. Edwards will carry out plans set forth by the Board and oversee system reforms by updating the organizational structure, operating processes and fiscal procedures to improve service to job seekers and employers.

Mr. Edwards comes to PWDC after serving five years as the Executive Director of Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Philadelphia. LISC is one of the largest nonprofit, philanthropic and financial investment community development intermediaries in the nation. Mr. Edwards managed $42 million in investments that leveraged more than $600 million in Philadelphia. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Morehouse College and serves on the boards of the Pennsylvania Housing Alliance, Ivy Legacy Foundation, Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corporations and PNC Bank Community Advisory Board.

About the Philadelphia Workforce Development Corporation
The Philadelphia Workforce Development Corporation (PWDC) is a private non-profit organization that has been providing quality employment services to the residents of Philadelphia for over thirty-five years. As the fiscal agent for federal and state employment and training dollars, PWDC invests resources in hundreds of job training providers and employers in the region to provide services to unemployed and underemployed individuals.

Media Contact:

Sonia De Van-Lake, Director of Community Affairs
215-963-2109
sdevan@pwdc.org

MAYOR NUTTER TO HOST FLAG RAISING AND NATURALIZATION CEREMONY

WHO: Mayor Michael A. Nutter

Honorable Eduardo C. Robreno, U.S. District Court of Eastern Pennsylvania
Richard Negrin, Managing Director and Deputy Mayor, City of Philadelphia
WHAT: Mayor Nutter will host a ceremony marking 19 new national flags on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and will participate in the naturalization of 20 new American citizens.
The new flags are from the following countries: Angola, Bangladesh, Belarus, Botswana, Bulgaria, Cambodia, El Salvador, Fiji, Georgia, Indonesia, Kuwait, Nepal, Oman, Qatar, Senegal, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Tanzania, Trinidad & Tobago.

WHERE: Benjamin Franklin Parkway, center lane between 21^st and 20^th Streets

WHEN: Friday, November 19, 2010 11:00 a.m.

MAYOR NUTTER TO HOST FLAG RAISING AND NATURALIZATION CEREMONY

WHO: Mayor Michael A. Nutter

Honorable Eduardo C. Robreno, U.S. District Court of Eastern Pennsylvania
Richard Negrin, Managing Director and Deputy Mayor, City of Philadelphia
WHAT: Mayor Nutter will host a ceremony marking 19 new national flags on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and will participate in the naturalization of 20 new American citizens.
The new flags are from the following countries: Angola, Bangladesh, Belarus, Botswana, Cambodia, El Salvador, Fiji, Georgia, Indonesia, Kuwait, Nepal, Oman, Qatar, Senegal, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Tanzania, Trinidad & Tobago.

WHERE: Benjamin Franklin Parkway, center lane between 21^st and 20^th Streets

WHEN: Friday, November 19, 2010 11:00 a.m.

MAYOR NUTTER NOMINATES WILLIAM BROWN, SANJUANITA GONZÁLEZ TO ETHICS BOARD, RENOMINATES SISTER MARY SCULLION

Philadelphia, November 18, 2010 –Mayor Michael A. Nutter submitted resolutions to City Council that would confirm the appointment of William H. Brown III and Sanjuanita González and reconfirm the appointment of Sister Mary Scullion to the City’s Board of Ethics. Mr. Brown will fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Nolan A. Atkinson, Jr. whose five-year term will expire on November 16, 2014. Ms. González will fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Kenya Mann Faulkner, whose five-year term will end on November 16, 2013. The other members of the five person Board are Reverend Damone B. Jones Sr. and Richard Glazer.

“Transparent government has been a key priority of my Administration since day one. The work of the Ethics Board has always been to promote and work for the best interest of the public,” said Mayor Nutter. “I would like to thank Nolan and Kenya for their dedication to these missions. I am certain that Sister Mary and newly appointed members Sanjuanita and William will continue to advance the board’s and my goal of an ethical government that works for everyone.”

The Board of Ethics is an independent board in charge of providing ethics training for all city employees, enforcing city campaign finance, financial disclosure, and conflict of interest laws, as well as rendering advice, investigating complaints and issuing fines.

The Board consists of five members, appointed by the mayor, who serve fixed and staggered terms of five years. A member may only be removed for cause and needs the support of a majority of City Council to be confirmed. There is no compensation for service on the Board of Ethics.

****
William H. Brown III is senior counsel at Schnader Harrison Seagal & Lewis, LLP. Mr. Brown served as the chairman of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and prior to joining Schnader worked as the Chief of the Fraud Unite and Deputy District Attorney in Philadelphia. Mr. Brown also chaired the Philadelphia Special Investigation Commission that examined the 1985 MOVE tragedy.

Sanjuanita González is currently managing partner at Cohen, Fluhr & Gonzalez and practices law in the areas of immigration and social security disability. Before the formation of Cohen, Fluhr & Gonzalez, Ms. González was a founding partner at the firm Fluhr & González, a bilingual (Spanish/English) firm. Ms. González is the former vice president of the Hispanic Bar Association of Pennsylvania and co-chair of the social security disability committee of the Philadelphia Bar Association.

Sister Mary Scullion is currently the Executive Director and President of Project H.O.M.E. She has been involved in service work and advocacy for homeless and mentally ill persons since 1978. In 1985 she co-founded Woman of Hope, which provides permanent residences and support services for homeless mentally ill women. In 1988 she helped to found the Outreach Coordination Center, an innovative program coordinating private and public agencies doing outreach to chronically homeless persons in Center City Philadelphia. In 1989, Sister Mary Scullion and Joan Dawson McConnon co-founded Project H.O.M.E., a nationally recognized organization that provides supportive housing, employment, education and health care to enable chronically homeless and low-income persons to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty. Under their leadership, Project H.O.M.E has grown from an emergency winter shelter to a multifaceted nonprofit organization with 447 units of housing and three businesses that provide employment to formerly homeless persons. To date, Project H.O.M.E. has leveraged over $50,000,000 in equity towards housing and economic development.

MAYOR NUTTER, GOVERNOR RENDELL CELEBRATE WEATHERIZATION SUCCESS

Recovery Act program has aided more than 15,000 in its first year.
Philadelphia, November 17, 2010 – Mayor Michael A. Nutter joined Governor Ed Rendell today to celebrate the success of the first year of the low-income weatherization program under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). ARRA-funded weatherization began in Pennsylvania in fall 2009. Since that time, 15,027 homes have been weatherized across the state, including 1,850 in Philadelphia. The weatherization program helps low-income individuals save energy and money by installing home improvements like energy efficient boilers and insulation.

“In just its first year, the weatherization program has helped nearly two thousand Philadelphians live more comfortable, more affordable, and more sustainable lives,” said Mayor Nutter. “And at the same time, it has provided real work opportunities for Philadelphia residents and small businesses. That’s exactly the kind of outcome we were looking for when the Recovery Act passed.”

“Weatherization has had a dramatic effect on Pennsylvania. Weatherized homes save the average homeowners $600 per year in energy costs, and who wouldn’t want to have that savings in this economy. Statewide, we have created 1,800 new jobs with 1,026 of those individuals trained by Recovery Act funding. The Commonwealth has invested $22.3 million in local vendors to provide supplies and labor to weatherize 30,000 homes by March 2012,” said Governor Rendell. “Conservation makes sense for Pennsylvania.”

Pennsylvania received more than $225 million dollars for weatherization under ARRA, of which Philadelphia was allocated $30 million. This program is scheduled to last three years and to weatherize about 30,000 homes statewide. Philadelphia’s allocation is split between two agencies, the Energy Coordinating Agency, which received $14 million and has completed 918 homes to date, and the Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation, which received $16 million and has completed 932 homes to date.

The program has had a significant economic impact. More than 1,000 people have worked on weatherization across the state, including more than 200 in Philadelphia. Also, in Philadelphia, more than 30 businesses have received contracts to conduct work on the weatherization program through the Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation, more than 40% of which are minority- or women-owned firms.

Common services provided under the weatherization program include:

• • Blower door guided air sealing to effectively locate and reduce air-leakage throughout the home;
  • Installation of attic, wall, basement and crawlspace insulation and ventilation to reduce energy loss;
  • Heating system modification or replacement to increase the efficiency and/or safety of the heating system;
  • Minor repairs, and/or health and safety measures are provided (when necessary) to allow the safe and effective installation of the weatherization measures;
  • Client education on the proper use and maintenance of the installed Weatherization measures and ways to reduce energy waste every day.

The average expenditure per household is $6,500. Eligible applicants include low-income individuals (at or below 200% of the federal poverty level), with priority given to higher risk residents such as the elderly, disabled individuals, families with children and high energy users.

To learn about eligibility for the weatherization program, Philadelphians should contact the Energy Coordinating Agency at 215-988-0929 or the Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation at 215-448-2160.

City of Philadelphia Receives Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant from Pennsylvania DEP to Add Electric Vehicles to Local Car Share Fleets

Philadelphia, November 16, 2010 – Governor Edward G. Rendell and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection announced today that the City of Philadelphia’s Mayor’s Office of Sustainability will receive a $140,000 Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant (AFIG) to purchase and install chargers for 20 electric vehicles (EV) in Philadelphia. The chargers will serve 18 EVs that PhillyCarShare and Zipcar will add to their fleets and provide two parking spaces with charging services available the public. By displacing 18 traditional car share vehicles, the project is expected to cut CO2 emissions by 61,000 pounds per year.

“Greenworks Philadelphia sets a goal to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions 20% by 2015,” said Mayor Michael A. Nutter. “Adding electric vehicles to Philadelphia’s successful car share programs will give thousands of Philadelphia drivers an affordable opportunity to experience new EV technology and help the City reach our ambitious sustainability goals.”

Electric vehicle technology is well suited for car share use because the average car share trip is between 30 and 40 miles long, well within the range of one battery charge. Using EVs in high-mileage fleet settings such as car share programs also increases the environmental benefit of the vehicles by replacing a large number of traditional fuel vehicle miles driven.

The project is an important first step in strengthening Philadelphia’s EV infrastructure. It will help the City understand and improve EV charger installation permitting, give PECO valuable information about how chargers interact with the existing grid, and provide data on how electric vehicles perform in Philadelphia’s weather and traffic conditions.

“This project starts solving the chicken and egg problem by creating an electric car public charging infrastructure that will then encourage people to purchase and use electric cars,” said DEP Secretary John Hanger. “The project also shows that Philadelphia can be a leader in the electric car revolution that will create enormous health, environmental and economic benefits.”

Further information on the City of Philadelphia’s Greenworks Philadelphia sustainability plan and the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability can be found at www.phila.gov/green.

For more information on PA DEP’s AFIG program, visit: http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/alternative_fuels_incentive_grant-move_to_grants/10492