Ed Rendell

Ed Rendell
File:Gov Ed Rendell.jpg
45th Governor of Pennsylvania
Incumbent
Assumed office January 21, 2003
Lieutenant	Catherine Baker Knoll
Preceded by	Mark Schweiker
96th Mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
In office 1992 – December 21, 1999
Preceded by	Wilson Goode
Succeeded by	John F. Street
Personal details
Born	January 5, 1944 New York City, New York
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Judge Marjorie O. Rendell
Profession	Attorney

Edward Gene "Ed" Rendell (born January 5 1944) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party. He was elected Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 2002, and his term of office began January 21, 2003. He is currently Finance Chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, and also served as Chairman of the Democratic National Committee during the 2000 presidential election.

Rendell was born in New York City to Jewish American parents (Jesse T. Rendell and Emma Sloat). He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1965 and a Juris Doctor from Villanova Law School in 1968. He served as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1968 to 1974.

Philadelphia District Attorney

Rendell was elected District Attorney of Philadelphia in 1977, defeating the incumbent Democratic DA, F. Emmett Fitzpatrick, in the primary election. Rendell ran a campaign that emphasized that he was new to the political scene and not tainted by corruption, although he had been an assistant district attorney under Fitzpatrick's predecessor, Arlen Specter. He served two terms, leaving in 1986 to run for Governor of Pennsylvania. He was defeated in the Democratic primary for Governor by Robert P. Casey, Sr.

Mayor of Philadelphia

Rendell ran for mayor of Philadelphia in 1991, his second mayoral campaign. In 1987, he ran for the Democratic nomination against the incumbent Mayor, W. Wilson Goode—a race in which some of the Philadelphia Black Clergy charged that Rendell reneged on a promise not to run against Goode. The fallout hung over Rendell as he entered the 1991 campaign, but he benefitted from a multi-candidate primary. In the Republican primary, the notable former Philadelphia Mayor, Frank L. Rizzo, won in a rough campaign against Ron Castille, who had resigned his office as District Attorney in order to run for mayor . There were rumors that Rizzo would play political hardball with Rendell (Rizzo was, in fact, the source of a derisive nickname for Rendell, "Fast Eddie"), the way Rizzo had done with Castille. Rizzo, however, died in the summer of 1991; in November, Rendell won by more than a 2-1 margin against Joseph M. Egan, Jr., Rizzo's replacement on the Republican ticket. [1]

As mayor, Rendell inherited massive fiscal problems. The state legislature established a fiscal oversight board to monitor the City of Philadelphia's fiscal issues. As mayor, Rendell cut a $250 million deficit; balanced Philadelphia's budget and oversaw five consecutive years of budget surpluses; reduced business and wage taxes for four consecutive years; implemented new revenue-generating initiatives, and dramatically improved services to Philadelphia neighborhoods. Rendell's cost-cutting policies brought him strong opposition from labor unions; however, he was re-elected in 1995, defeating Republican Joe Rocks with 80 percent of the vote. He resigned on December 21, 1999, shortly before the end of his term, to take up the chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), and former Philadelphia City Council chairman (and mayor elect) John Street became mayor three weeks early.

Rendell's first term as mayor was chronicled in a best-selling book A Prayer for the City by Buzz Bissinger. The author, a former journalist, was given practically unlimited access to the Mayor during that term. The New York Times called Rendell's job as mayor as "the most stunning turnaround in recent urban history." Rendell was nicknamed "America's Mayor" by Al Gore and chaired the DNC during the 2000 presidential election.

Governor of Pennsylvania

When he announced his intent to run for the Democratic Nomination for Governor of Pennsylvania, he did so without the backing of the state party. The Pennsylvania Democratic Party threw their support behind Robert P. Casey Jr. whom they saw as a more electable candidate against the liberal Rendell. After a bitter primary, Rendell won the nomination by winning only 6 counties out of 67; Philadelphia County, the Philadelphia Suburban counties of Bucks, Berks, Chester, Montgomery and Delaware, and Allegheny County (home of Pittsburgh). In the November 2002 gubernatorial election, Rendell defeated Republican Mike Fisher, 53% to 45%. Rendell won not only Philadelphia County, which is heavily Democratic, but also traditionally Republican suburbs of Philadelphia, largely due to his popularity as mayor of Philadelphia.

The first piece of legislation Rendell initiated was The Plan for a New Pennsylvania.[2] The Plan proposed using slot machine revenue to reduce taxes by $1.5 billion (an average 30% decrease for homeowners) and included $687 million in increased education funding. The plan was to be paid for with a proposed income tax increase from 2.80% to 3.75% plus increased taxes on utilities and beer. The governor's plan passed but with a smaller tax increase to only 3.07% and increased education funding of $450 million. The final budget deal included additional taxes on cigarettes and utilities.[3]

Later that year, the Rendell administration also passed a prescription drug plan that covered older Pennsylvanians.

Rendell was heavily criticized for his stubbornness in passing his first fiscal year budget. Pennsylvania did operate without a budget for over six months due to difficulties in negotiations with the state legislature.

In his first year, Rendell created the Office of Management and Productivity with the goal of cutting $1 billion in administrative expenses by the end of his first term. One of the most widely touted successes from Rendell's productivity initiative was strategic sourcing in which he overhauled the Commonwealth's antiquated procurement system, leading to $180 million in annual savings and a quadrupling of Pennsylvania's minority and women owned business participation rate.

In 2004, Rendell persuaded the Pennsylvania General Assembly to pass measures to legalize (and tax) slot machine parlors, with the revenues from these measures to be used to reduce property taxes. Prior to this legislation, the only legal forms of gambling in Pennsylvania were horse racing and the state-run lottery. Rendell has been criticized by many opponents of legalized gambling.

In a compromise with the legislature, Rendell accepted a provision requiring that tax reductions only occur in areas where local school boards voted to accept the funding. Act 72 funding, as it came to be known, was accepted by only one fifth of Pennsylvania's school districts and is seen as a failure for the Rendell administration.

Following Act 72, Rendell and the Pennsylvania legislature are looking at other proposals to reduce property taxes, a key component of his 2002 campaign. The governor has said he is willing to consider legislation that changes Act 72. Legislative proposals have been made to force school districts to accept the money. Other proposed legislation would require the issue to be voted on in each district as a ballot question, rather than decided by school boards. Property tax relief and Act 72 are issues of great controversy and have been subject to political gridlock, so it is unclear when changes will be made or what is likely to happen next.

In 2005, Rendell received much criticism from the public and press for signing a controversial pay raise for legislators. He did, however, sign the measure's repeal.

Rendell was also a key initial supporter of 2006 Democratic senatorial candidate Bob Casey, Jr., who ran against him for the Democratic nomination for Governor in 2002.

2004 Presidential politics

Rendell was a potential candidate to serve as Senator John Kerry's running mate in the 2004 Presidential campaign. Rendell's popularity, particularly in the suburban ring of counties around Philadelphia, was a key to Kerry's victory in Pennsylvania, one of the most hotly contested "swing states" in the 2004 presidential election.

2006 re-election campaign

Main article: Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 2006

Rendell won re-election on November 7, 2006.[4]. His Republican opponent in November was Lynn Swann, a former professional football player for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Rendell had 60% of the vote or 2,415,572 votes, to Swann's 1,593,277 or 40% of the vote.

Rendell was sworn into his second term as governor of Pennsylvania on January 16, 2007.

2008 Presidential election

Rendell's political savvy and problem-solving abilities along with an easy-going personality and speaking style put him on the long list of possible future Presidential candidates. However, he recently said that he is "not really" interested in running in 2008 [5]. "I like to be my own boss," said Rendell. [6] Nevertheless, he is drawing considerable attention. His service as district attorney and Mayor demonstrated a law enforcement focus that could be a positive campaign asset, as could his military service.

In early 2005, Rendell made statements that seemed to support President George W. Bush's Social Security privatization proposal. Rendell addressed this issue in later speeches, saying that he opposes social security privatization, and that his previous comments were meant to show admiration for President Bush for taking on a politically risky subject. Nevertheless, Rendell's initial statements have cost him support among Democrats who are against Social Security privatization.

Governor Rendell is a close friend of former President Bill Clinton and Senator Hillary Clinton, leading some to speculate that he may not run since Senator Clinton is in the race for President. He has also been suggested as a possible Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in a future Democratic administration.

Rendell will be 64 years old in 2008.

Ed Rendell announced that his re-election campaign in 2006 would be the last one of his career.

Sports fan

Rendell's appeal to voters comes from his "everyman" persona — and notably through his love for sports. As Mayor, Rendell engendered loyalty by doing little things appealing to everyday Philadelphians — taking part in the physical cleaning of Philadelphia City Hall shortly after his election, or opening the summer swim season at community recreation pools by diving in and swimming with kids. His love of sports is well-known. Rendell is a Philadelphia Eagles fan today and, in a role that has caused some controversy among those who feel he should be solely concentrating on his gubernatorial duties, Rendell is part of the panel on the Comcast Sportsnet show "Post Game Live", which airs after every Eagles regular and post-season game. He even made a friendly wager on the outcome of Super Bowl XXXIX, promising to wear a New England Patriots jersey and sing the National Anthem at a Philadelphia 76ers/Boston Celtics game if the Eagles lost, which they did. In 2006, he won a bet with the Governor of Washington, Christine Gregoire in supporting the Pittsburgh Steelers in their quest to win Super Bowl XL.

The mass snowballing of former Dallas Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson is often attributed to Rendell. As the story goes, Rendell wagered twenty dollars that the person sitting next to him could not hit Johnson in the head with a snowball at an Eagles-Cowboys football game at Veterans Stadium. The incident 'snowballed' and resulted in many fans hurling snowballs at Johnson.

As a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Rendell frequently supports the Penn basketball team and can be seen at games at the Palestra.

Rendell remains a popular figure in and around the city of Philadelphia. He is the one of the few governors of Pennsylvania to actively champion Philadelphian political issues. Most recently, he helped to end a SEPTA public transportation strike, and he assisted in finding new corporate sponsorship of the 21 year old Philadelphia bicycle race, currently called the Philadelphia International Championship.

Pop culture

The Eric Baker character on television series The West Wing, played by Ed O'Neill, is said to be based on Rendell. Baker is the Governor of Pennsylvania on the show.

Family

His wife, Marjorie Rendell, a Catholic, is a federal judge. They married on July 10 1971, and have one son, Jesse, a 2002 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, who was the bassist for the defunct southern New Jersey punk rock band Don't Look Down.

Miscellaneous

• Rendell is a Scottish Rite Freemason.
• Rendell became the first Pennsylvania governor in which both Pennsylvania-based NFL franchises, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers have gone to a Super Bowl game in back-to-back years (2005 for the Eagles and 2006 for the Steelers). His predecessor, Dick Thornburgh, was governor when both the Steelers and Eagles went to the Super Bowl, but not in back-to-back years.
• The Rendelli, a hoagie sold in Philadelphia, is named after Ed Rendell. This is said to be because, as mayor of the city, he became the first elected official to finish an entire hoagie in one sitting in public. [7]
• Rendell teaches a class on elections--entitled "The Science of Politics: Who Gets Elected and Why"--at the University of Pennsylvania every fall.

External links

• Official page of the Governor of Pennsylvania
• Article praising Rendell's term as mayor
• Article rather more critical of his term as mayor
• ESPN recap of the above Sixers-Celtics game
• Pennsylvania Governor Keynotes Emerging Issues Forum, North Carolina State University press release, January 30, 2004

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