Ed Rendell

Ed Rendell
45th Governor of Pennsylvania
In office January 21, 2003 – present
Preceded by	Mark S. Schweiker
Personal details
Born	January 5 1944 New York City, New York
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Marjorie Rendell
Profession	Attorney, Politician

Edward Gene Rendell (born January 5 1944) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party. He was elected Governor of Pennsylvania in 2002, and his term of office began January 21, 2003. He is currently Finance Chairman of the Democratic Governors Association.

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 in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard.

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 his newness to the political scene and not being 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 the Democratic nomination for Pennsylvania Governor. 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 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 primary campaign against the sitting Philadelphia District Attorney, Ron Castille. There were rumours that Rizzo would play political hardball with Rendell [Rizzo was, in fact, the source of a sarcastic, 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 had 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 the Philadelphia's neighborhoods. Rendell's cost-cutting policies brought him strong opposition from labor unions; however, he was re-elected in 1995 with 80 percent of the vote.

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 Democratic National Committee during the 2000 presidential election.

Governor of Pennsylvania

In the 2002 election, 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 got a prescription drug plan passed that covered older Pennsylvanians.

Rendell was heavily criticized for his stubborness 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 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 were horse racing and the state-run lottery. Rendell has taken criticism from 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. 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 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.

Rendell was also a key advocate in the decision by the current Pennsylvania state treasurer, Robert P. Casey, Jr., who had run against him for the Democratic nomination for Governor in 2002, to run for the United States Senate in 2006.

2004 Presidential politics

Rendell was a potential candidate to serve as 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 has announced his intention to run for re-election in 2006. He has been actively raising money.[4]. The presumptive Republican Party candidate is Lynn Swann (Republican), a former professional football player for the Pittsburgh Steelers [5] The Republican and Democratic nominees for governor will be officially determined in the primary election in May 2006.

Opinion polls have shown Rendell leading Swann by anywhere from 2 to 20 percent. [6]. There are also declared candidates from the Constitution Party and the Green Party.

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 [7]. 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 privitization, 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.

Rendell's chances in a presidential race may also be hindered by Pennsylvania's Lieutenant Governor, Catherine Baker Knoll. Knoll has been criticized by both Democrats and Republicans within the Pennsylvania political community for her supposedly odd behavior. If Rendell is elected President and Knoll is still Lieutenant Governor, Knoll will become Governor in early 2009. Some have speculated that this possibility may be enough to dissuade much of Rendell's base in the Pennsylvania Democratic Party from supporting him, which could hurt his chances in the Democratic Primary.

Governor Rendell is a close friend of Bill and Hillary Clinton, leading some to speculate that he may not run if Senator Clinton is in the race for President. Rendell is also unlikely to run for President in 2008 if he fails in his 2006 re-election bid. 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.

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 appears on a post-game television show to provide commentary each Sunday. 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 in supporting the Pittsburgh Steelers in their question 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 as games at the Palestra.

Family

His wife, Marjorie Rendell, is a federal judge. They married July 10, 1971. They have one son, Jesse, a 2002 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, who is a bassist for a southern New Jersey band.

Miscellaneous

• Rendell is a Freemason and a Scottish Rite Mason.
• Rendell became the second 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). The last governor to have both teams in back-to-back Super Bowls was former governor Dick Thornburgh, who first term saw a Steelers win in 1980 and the Eagles lost in 1981.
• 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. [8]
• Many feel that fictional Pennsylvania Governor Eric Baker, a recurring character on The West Wing, is loosely based on Ed Rendell.

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
• PA-Wiki Governor Rendell Entry
• 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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