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| INQUIRER ENDORSEMENT: "Watchdog role suits Schmidt" Philadelphia Inquirer / October 25, 2009. Read story |
| Kevin Ferris: Solidly Democratic Phila. needs an outsider to keep insiders honest. "If we have a Democratic city controller who is pulling his punches when it comes to a Republican agency, how rigorous do you think his audits are of his fellow ward leaders who control other agencies in city government, and on whose support he depends for his reelection?" Read story |
| Party Favor? GOP Challenger: Controller went soft in Parking Authority
Report, and I was told to go soft on him "This is not a financial audit, a performance audit or a desk audit," Schmidt said. "It is not what the governor requested, and, looking at it, I don't see how it saves taxpayers one cent." Read story |
| Stu Bykofsky: Philly politics is Einsteinian insanity: It's time for
2-party rule "Republican controller candidate Al Schmidt, free of political barnacles, will be tougher on waste, corruption and inefficiency. His background as a senior analyst at the nonpartisan U.S. Government Accountability Office makes him credible." Read story |
| Karen Heller: Outsider's eye is needed here Philadelphia Inquirer / September 26, 2009 "In a year when the budget and fiscal woes have dominated, the controller's job is paramount in ferreting out waste. In a city where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans almost 7-1, a watchdog should be indebted to few. He shouldn't be a ward leader, a pooh-bah of local politics, like incumbent Alan Butkovitz, who many believe lacks the sharp incisors for the job." Read story |
| Clout: A reason or 2 why the GOP axed their judicial slate Daily News / September 11, 2009 "If the Republicans really hope to suppress competition and diminish turnout, they'll have a problem with their candidates for district attorney and controller, Michael Untermeyer and Al Schmidt. Both are hard-charging campaigners who will lay down for nobody." Read story |
| This Party Sucks Philadelphia Magazine / October 2009 "Schmidt decided to quit his job and run for office himself — for City Controller, the city’s top auditor — this November. He was more than qualified. From 1999 to 2001, he’d worked on Bill Clinton’s Holocaust commission, helping to track down Nazi cash streams and returning ill-gotten gains to Holocaust survivors. He went on to join the nonpartisan U.S. Government Accountability Office, auditing several federal agencies involved in counterterrorism and intelligence gathering. Schmidt had served his country with distinction." Read story |
| Some pie-in-the-sky promises left city in a big hole Philadelphia Inquirer / September 6, 2009 Schmidt: "The Nutter administration's response to the current budget crisis is making matters worse. Earlier this year, the mayor announced a plan to "save" money by reducing the city's pension obligations - in other words, to underfund the pension fund even further. It's an act of creative financing that would put a smile on Bernie Madoff's face." Read story |
| Mr. Schmidt goes to Harrisburg Philadelphia Inquirer - Heard in the Hall / August 31, 2009 "I was following in his wake, trying to correct the record," Schmidt said. "I wanted to explain that Philadelphia was in dire financial shape not simply because of the national economy, but because of political decisions that this mayor and former mayors and City Council have made." Read story |
| Controller candidate tells another side of Phila's story in Harrisburg Philadelphia Inquirer / August 31, 2009 "It sounds strange, doesn't it? A Philadelphia Republican clashing with a powerful Democrat for actual ideological reasons? And on a matter of serious public importance?" Read story |
| Mayor Nutter: 'We Have No Money" Fox 29 News / August 20, 2009 "The mayor gambled and the mayor lost," believes Republican City Controller Candidate Al Schmidt. "And the assumption was that they were going to ask for these things and the State Senate was going to give them everything they wanted. And there was no chance that was going to happen." Read story |
Pa. senators may be looking at city pension takeover |
| Schmidt: A dose of audits for what ails us Daily News / August 4, 2009 "PHILADELPHIA is the highest-taxed city in the nation. We have more debt than any other city. City government taxes and borrows more than any other, yet we're told we don't have enough revenue to provide core services." Read story |
| Karen Heller: Who'll be the one to boot the PPA? Philadelphia Inquirer / August 1, 2009 "When you're conducting an audit, you don't have to ask, 'Mother, may I?' I didn't learn anything I didn't know last year," said Schmidt. Read Story |
Clout: A bad parking spot. |
| Limited audit finds parking agency needs reform. Philadelphia Inquirer / July 29, 2009 "The city controller put blinders on the reviewers before the audit even began. . . . When you only report what you are told - with no ability to audit - how much can you possibly find?" said Schmidt. Read story |
| Philadelphia Council may return raises - on own terms Philadelphia Inquirer / July 9, 2009 "If the city were not out of money, and if taxpayers were not out of money, I think we could all be a little more cavalier about this," said Schmidt. Read strory |
| Join Al Schmidt for an Open House, July 9th 5 to 6 PM, 507 2nd Street (between Lombard & South) Read story |
Nutter's shadow in Harrisburg |
Controller hopeful: Let's have good government for a change |
| Butkovitz nominated for Philadelphia city controller Philadelphia Inquirer / May 20, 2009 Butkovitz will face Republican Al Schmidt in November, who was unopposed in his party's primary. "The bad news is that the reform Democrats lost," said Schmidt. "The good news is that I am facing the opponent I want to face in November." Read Story |
| Butkovitz bests Mandel, Braxton in controller race Daily News / May 20, 2009 The win puts Butkovitz in a general-election matchup with Republican Al Schmidt, who promises a vigorous campaign. "We're campaigning early, advertising early, and we're going to be relentless," Schmidt said. Read Story |
The 'hot races' are in Phila. Tuesday |
| Campaign '09: Making the right choice for controller Northeast Times / May 13, 2009 "Though unopposed in the primary, he quit his job and has been spending time away from his family to focus on the race. He bought 25 ads on KYW (1060 AM) and the front cover of the Metro on April 15 to highlight the need to end wasteful spending to keep taxes from being raised. Higher wage and sales taxes, he thinks, make Philadelphia less competitive and lead to people leaving the city." Read story. |
| Q&A with Al Schmidt: The Republican candidate
for City Controller WHYY / May 12, 2009 "If we had a City Controller who was serious about conducting audits and identifying government waste we wouldn’t need to raise taxes" said Schmidt. Read story. |
| Butkovitz rivals say he's part of the problem Philadelphia Inquirer / May 12, 2009 "How on Earth can you consider raising taxes when you have all this waste on display every day? . . . The overall question Philadelphians should be asking themselves is, why are we in this situation in the first place?" said Schmidt. Read story. |
| Al Schmidt comments on Senator Specter's decision to switch
parties: I have worked with Senator Specter on many efforts over the past 10 years. I first served as a policy analyst for the Presidential Commission on Holocaust Assets on which he served as a Commissioner. More recently, we've worked together to make the Republican party more inclusive. During that time I've become close with the Senator and his senior staff. We've talked about stem cell research, expanding educational opportunities for low-income children, lessor dependence on foreign oil and global warming, among other issues. I know it was a difficult decision for the Senator to make, and I wish him well. We'll be continuing our conversations, but I'm sorry he felt that he couldn't bring more people in my party to be tolerant of other points of view. |
| He's no sacrificial lamb Daily News / April 17, 2009 "We have a soft spot for underdogs, so we took notice this week when Republican City Controller candidate Al Schmidt kicked off his campaign on tax day, blanketing KYW's airwaves with a radio spot and a running full page ad on the cover of Metro." Read story |
| Radio: WHYY announces Al Schmidt's campaign for controller |
| Radio: Schmidt for City Controller tax day ad on KYW 1060 |
| City Council’s budget expected to increase Philadelphia Inquirer / April 1, 2009 "They have not shown a willingness to give up a little bit, but they're willing to shift the burden to the taxpayers," said Republican Al Schmidt…” Read story |
| What Would You Do? Ideas from the Candidates on How to Fix
Budget Woes Metro / March 22, 2009 "Does anyone seriously believe that these tax increases are going to be temporary?" Schmidt asked. "You have mismanagement, and then taxpayers have to pay the price for that mismanagement when a crisis hits." Read story |
| Friendly Feedback: Philadelphia Controller The Bulletin / March 4, 2009 “Let’s be clear, we are confronted by the current pension crisis because city government persistently and significantly underfunded the pension fund.” Read story |
| Republicans have their candidate for City Controller Northeast Times / February 25, 2009 "It benefits our city to have a city controller from the minority party," Schmidt said. "Running as a Republican is like running as an independent." Read story |
Nutter proposes shifting pension costs to future |
Back Channels: The opportunity for Philly’s economy; Budget
reform and a healthy GOP are possible |
The road ahead: Leaders from inside and outside city government
offer Mayor Nutter their ideas on getting Philadelphia’s finances
on track |
Letters: Why can’t city collect the money it’s owed? |
Letters to the Editor: Budget madness |
Republicans find their voice |
