Along with the headline races for President, Senate, Attorney General, Auditor General, and Treasurer, there will be questions on this year’s ballot in Philadelphia. I recommend that you vote as follows:

Question 1) Yes
Question 2) No
Question 3) Yes
Question 4) Yes

Let me say that none of these are a slam dunk. One can make a decent case for a thumbs up or down on each of them. But I urge this: please make up your mind BEFORE you enter the polling place, especially if you vote during the busy hours in the morning or evening. WE NEED EVERYONE TO VOTE IF OBAMA AND OTHER DEMOCRATS ARE TO WIN. If there are huge lines caused by people reading and analyzing the text of these ballot questions in the booth, the main effect may be to defeat Democrats by causing voters on line to get tired and go home. That would be a tragically unintended consequence of having these issues on this year’s ballot. Council should have delayed all of them.

On to my views. You can get the Committee of Seventy’s here.

Question 1:

Shall The Philadelphia Home Rule Charter be amended to allow for the establishment of an independent rate-making body for fixing and regulating water and sewer rates and charges and to prescribe open and transparent processes and procedures for fixing and regulating said rates and charges?

Yes. Right now water rates are proposed by the Water Commissioner, put through an arduous hearing process before a referee appointed by the Commissioner, and then approved or disapproved by the Commissioner. That’s a mockery of accepted due process standards that require the decision maker to be different than the proposer. This amendment would allow Council to establish a process ensuring that final water rate decisions be made by a neutral arbiter, much like electric rates are decided by the PUC.