Philadelphia debuts first commercial aimed at gay travelers

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A man in colonial dress waiting by Independence Hall rebuffs an interested female's pass and instead gives his bouquet of flowers to his male lover in the nation's first gay-targeted commercial by a destination.
The 30-second spot, which airs for the first time Tuesday in Philadelphia and will be seen around the country, ends with the tag line: "Come to Philadelphia. Get your history straight and your nightlife gay."

"This is an invitation, that you (gays) are welcome here, because of what Philadelphia is and what Philadelphia has to offer, and because we have a strong gay community," said Meryl Levitz, president and chief executive of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, which is sponsoring the ad campaign.

"And we're not saying it's a gay destination; it's a gay-friendly destination."

The man in the commercial is seen writing a letter by candlelight to his "dearest beloved" and asks to meet at Independence Hall. After an interested woman passes by without even a nod, the man's male partner appears.

As the scene plays out, a narrator says: "Philadelphia and its countryside has a long history of making everyone feel welcome and free." The word Philadelphia is shown in a rainbow of colors.

Philadelphia city council approves budget

PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia City Council passed a new budget and a plan to further cut city wage and business taxes despite a veto threat by Mayor John F. Street.

Council members, meeting Monday for a rare holiday vote before a May 31 deadline, voted to approve the wage tax cuts and gradually eliminate the business-privilege tax.

Street said the measures would curtail services and force cuts in city positions.

"You would be talking about a minimum of 1,000 police officers, several hundred additional firefighters, and the recreation department could be decimated," Street said.

The margin of Monday's votes suggests that the council would not have enough votes to override a mayoral veto.

Council Republican leader Brian O'Neill said the vote came after behind-the-scenes talks on a compromise stalled.

"Not only were we not making any progress, but it was worse than 'Groundhog's Day.' We were going backwards," O'Neill said.

Philadelphia Arts Community Makes a Case to Save Their Funding

PHILADELPHIA(AP) - The Philadelphia Museum of Art and four other nonprofit cultural institutions along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway pump an estimated $183 million a year into the economy, according to a study done by Urban Partners for the Central Philadelphia Development Corp.

The study was released as the institutions try to recoup $4.4 million in city funding cut from Mayor Street's proposed budget. The art museum alone lost $2.25 million.

Cities have a limited number of really special places that can raise their national and international profile, and the Parkway has that potential for Philadelphia," said Paul Levy, executive director of Center City District, which is affiliated with the development group.

The other institutions are the Franklin Institute, the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Please Touch Museum and the Moore College of Art and Design.

The study counted the institutions' spending on salaries and visitors' spending on hotels, restaurants and retail, and said about 75 percent of the spending is within the city.

Philadelphia Budget Update

PHILADELPHIA - Mayor John Street's administration on Thursday unveiled plans to spend $257 million in federal, state and local money to build affordable homes, rehabilitate housing, and spur economic development.

The funds include $124 million from Mayor Street's anti-blight Neighborhood Transformation Initiative. The administration plans to introduce its proposal to City Council on Tuesday.

Since 1997, the city's production of affordable housing - houses whose rents or mortgages do not cost a family more than 30 percent of its annual income - has dropped precipitously, according to city figures.