Rebecca Rhynhart talks city budget, DROP, total transparency and more

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WATCH: Chat With City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart

Sentinel: Chat With Urban center Controller Rebecca Rhynhart

In The Citizen and Fitler Society Virtual Town Hall, the city's financial watchdog shared 1 key to our future success: full transparency

May. 08, 2020

Few words in the English language language are as dry as this one: budget.

Yet during a packed virtual event on Thursday night, City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart managed to make the discipline of our city's spending and saving decidedly, well, riveting.

Held in partnership with Fitler Club, the outcome was moderated by Citizen co-founder Larry Platt, who's never been a wallflower when it comes to calling out our leaders for incompetence and other shortcomings. (Really, do you read the guy'south columns? If non: Kickoff now.)

So information technology was refreshing, and particularly meaningful, to see Platt hold the Controller up as an example of no-bullshit progress and change, as he nerded out, for example, over the interactive charts her office puts out; as recently equally this week, her function issued this ane (to make clear to those of us without Rhynhart'due south Masters from Columbia…) about how the mayor's most contempo proposed budget differs, drastically in the example of arts and workforce development for example, from the current one.

"We're in an unprecedented environment. The refuse in tax revenues is severe. This is something we haven't faced before. This is hard. So I but want to brand sure that that's clear," she said, in fairness to the mayor. "But I think that there are means to manage through it that are more thoughtful, […] in that location are ways to manage through it without taxation increases […] and without severe cuts to services." Information technology's not piece of cake, she conceded, but "let's use this crisis as an opportunity to run the city better," she added.

Rhynhart, an Abington native, shared from her living room (complete with a portrait of her hound dog, Banjo) that she spent the early part of her career on Wall Street, working for Bear Stearns (she left before its plummet); what drew her back home was the realization that she could apply her financial know-how to helping others. "I just really started to feel similar […] local governments need people that understand finance, that understand business concern, and that can help governments make better decisions for taxpayers." She served as metropolis treasurer in Michael Nutter'due south administration, and worked for the Urban center for ix years.

"I feel a actually potent connection to the city. I dear this city," she said. And thank God she does, considering if the result made anything clear, it'south that we need more than brains and B.S.-free attitudes similar Rhynhart's if we want to go along moving forward.

"Non everyone wants to change things. To me, change is healthy, information technology feels good when it's positive. Non everyone feels that way. [Simply] I simply keep pushing along."

If y'all missed the event, you can sentry it in a higher place (stick around to hear what her relationship with the mayor is really similar—guests were shocked!).

And exist sure to sign up for The Denizen's events here—they're free, but RSVP is required.

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Source: https://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/rebecca-rhynhart-virtual-event-recap/

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