Rep Kenyatta Johnson: Committee Of Seventy Survey Of Council Candidate By Van Stone vspfoundation@yahoo.com (215) 469-1902

Rep Kenyatta Johnson: Committee Of Seventy Survey Of Council Candidate

By Van Stone vspfoundation@yahoo.com (215) 469-190

State Representative Kenyatta J. Johnson

Big decisions will be made by voters in the May 17 primary election. And this year’s election for city offices is one of the most hotly contested in Philadelphia history. The Committee of Seventy, a political information source for the Philadelphia metropolitan area, kicked off the election season with a series of questionnaires. I will run pieces from the Q & A between State Rep. Kenyatta J. Johnson – for City Council -2^nd District and the Committee of Seventy. Exploring questions of city priorities for the district and long-term investments is vital for voters to know. For more on the questionnaire, visit www.seventy.org.

Question: Political experience?

Rep. Kenyatta Johnson: I currently serve as Deputy Whip of the House Democratic Caucus, Vice Chairman of the House Children and Youth Committee, and Chairman of the Subcommittee on First Class Cities and Counties of the Urban Affairs Committee. In addition, I am a member of the House Human Services Committee and the House State Government Committee.

Q: What would your most urgent legislative priority be in office?

Rep. Johnson: Jobs and economic development are my most urgent priorities. Philadelphia has a vast pool of talented individuals. Now, more than ever, we need to create an atmosphere where Philadelphians can use their skills. I will focus on making Philadelphia more hospitable to small businesses, providing job training to our citizens, and making sure residents know about emerging job opportunities.

Philadelphia’s business taxes are among the highest in the entire country, far exceeding taxes in the suburban areas surrounding the city. Experts have consistently concluded that such a heavy tax burden deters economic growth. We need to make it easier for people to do business. Sensible tax reform will attract new businesses to Philadelphia while encouraging existing businesses to stay in the city and to thrive. Thriving businesses will generate revenue for the local economy and produce much needed employment opportunities in these tough economic times so that Philadelphians can get back to work.

Furthermore, the tax structure must accommodate new start-ups and small businesses. We need to ease the burden on small businesses with modest profits so that we can attract job-creating start-up ventures. I will promote small business mentoring programs that offer low cost counseling to start-up businesses in areas such as job training, market research, advertising, legal advice, technology and government marketing. I will also promote business incubators that provide low cost access to facilities and technical support for start-ups.

Q: What is your position on DROP?

Rep. Johnson: DROP should not be allowed for elected officials, and in fact last year PA state law ended it for all newly elected officials – meaning anyone elected to their first term in Council this year cannot participate in DROP even if they wanted to. I would also support a review and study of the DROP program as it applies to firefighters, police officers and other civil services workers. I want to make sure just because elected officials brought attention and outrage to a loophole in this program that we are not harming city workers who may be using this program legitimately and where it may be serving as an actual employee management tool.