Mayoral Candidate Lynne Abraham Urges Another Try at PGW Sale
By Steve Tawa
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Mayoral candidate Lynne Abraham thinks the failed deal to sell the city-owned Philadelphia Gas Works should be resurrected.
Today, Abraham hand-delivered a letter to City Council president Darrell Clarke asking him to reconsider scheduling a hearing and inviting the private utility, UIL, back to the table.
"It is disheartening, to say the least, that this deal has been scuttled because of what appears to be a personality conflict," Abraham said today.
Mayor Nutter pursued the transaction for two years, but was unable to convince a single member of City Council to introduce legislation to sell PGW. Clarke refused to hold a public hearing on the $1.86-billion sale agreement.
"With all due respect, he's not showing leadership in this arena," Abraham said today.
Last week, UIL withdrew its bid.
Clarke said some diplomatic things about Abraham but gave no indication that he was changing his mind.
"She was actually at a fundraiser of mine a couple of weeks ago, and she didn't mention it," Clarke said today.
Abraham says Clarke and Nutter should patch up their differences.
"This is not about them, it's not about me. It's about the City of Philadelphia," she said.
