Mayor issues policy for neighborhoods

In an effort to improve Philadelphia's neighborhoods, Mayor Ed Rendell signed Executive Order 2-95, dubbed the "Neighborhood Benefit Strategy," last month. The initiative requires any builders using city money to employ about 50 percent of the employees involved with the project from the local neighborhood. Builders would also have to buy equipment and supplies in the area. "We want to develop the city," a spokesperson for the mayor, Kevin Feeley, said. "We think that it is a crucial concept in planning for Philadelphia's future." Feeley said builders who do not make a serious effort to implement the plan can be charged with noncompliance. And this would hurt their chances of securing city contracts in the future. Feeley was also quick to point out that the plan will give teeth to the federal Housing and Urban Development Act, which requires builders to describe goals and provide reports on public projects. Feeley added that the early response from the business community has been positive. "Some builders in town have said this is great," he said. "They've been doing it all along, and it works. "The best builders are already doing it," he explained. "It's not just good policy, it's good business." Adjunct professor and city historian George Thomas believes that the plan is a mix of politics and practicality. "It is hard to say if it's a quota system or an attempt to keep city dollars in the city," he said. Thomas pointed out that the city is losing jobs at a rate of about 10,000 to 15,000 a year.