Mayoral hopefuls square off on campus

With Election Day just two weeks away, Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell and former state Sen. Joe Rocks, the Republican challenger, went head-to-head yesterday in a debate at the Annenberg Center's Harold Prince Theater. Although the on-campus event was only a "tune up" for Thursday night's citywide debate sponsored by the League of Women Voters, the candidates didn't miss a beat, eagerly lobbing verbal barbs at one another. The debate featured about 30 minutes of questions from a panel of local journalists, then 20 minutes of questions from students in the audience. The candidates responded to each question for one minute. Much of what Rocks and Rendell said sounded similar -- both want to fight crime, improve the schools and spark economic development. But their views diverge markedly when it comes to how to accomplish these goals. Rocks told WWDB-FM's Tommy MacDonald that he believes the city's entire approach to economic development must be reconsidered. But Rendell has already promised to continue cutting taxes to accomplish this goal, and he eagerly cited statistics showing his administration's record on job creation. "Everybody talks about cutting taxes, but we did it," Rendell said. Responding to a question about labor-management relations in the city from Marc Kaufman of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Rendell said municipal workers deserve a salary hike. They took a severe hit during 1992 contract negotiations, a bitter series of talks that Rocks has harped on throughout the campaign. Philadelphia Daily News reporter Cynthia Burton then asked about new sources of revenue the city can tap to pay for slashed federal aid and the tax cuts both candidates would institute. Rocks did not answer directly, saying only that once in control of city government, he would "turn it upside down and shake it out" to eliminate corruption. Rendell reiterated his support for riverboat gambling. The give-and-take continued, whether the subject was the city's utilities -- which both candidates would like to eventually sell to private corporations -- or the state of race relations in the city, which both candidates agreed were good. Still, Rendell criticized Rocks for some of his statistics about utility rates, saying that "Joe as a candidate makes a lot of statements that just aren't true." Rocks fired back when a panelist raised the subject of Philadelphia public schools, which Rendell has begun to fund partially through a "liquor-by-the-drink" tax. "Public education has failed in the city of Philadelphia," Rocks said. He called the tax a "joke," heaped on the backs of small businessmen who happen to own neighborhood taverns. After the candidates addressed panelists' questions about the national politicians they admire and the possibility of a land-value tax in the city, students posed queries of their own. They asked about Ridge's proposal for school choice and what it might mean for magnet schools in the city, as well as the current status and future of Fairmount Park. About 125 students -- half the capacity of the theater -- attended the debate, which was sponsored by College Democrats, College Republicans and the Annenberg Public Policy Center. Despite the small turnout, College Republicans Chairperson Dan Debicella said that overall, he was very happy with the event. "Of course, I would have liked more [people]," the Wharton senior said, attributing the audience shortage to that fact that most University students are not native Philadelphians. College Democrats President Eric Roberson, a College senior, said the debate was "more contentious than I expected," while Daily News reporter Dave Davies characterized the discussion as "spirited, well-informed and articulate."

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