Chair of Kenney super PAC named to city finance board

The chairman of a super PAC that raised $1.4 million to help elect Mayor Kenney last year has been appointed to the board that has oversight of the city's budget and spending plans.

Kevin Vaughan, who headed the Forward Philadelphia super PAC, is the new chairman of the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority (PICA). He was appointed to the board this month by Gov. Wolf on Kenney's recommendation.

At last week's PICA meeting, the board unanimously approved Vaughan as chairman. He replaced Suzanne Biemiller, whom Wolf appointed last year. With a new mayoral administration came a new recommendation for chairman, and Biemiller left the board.

As chair, Vaughan will lead the board's discussion on whether to approve Kenney's first spending plan, which includes a major bond deal and a soda tax, two initiatives that Vaughan says he supports.

Kenney is proposing issuing $300 million in bonds to help pay for revitalization of recreation centers and libraries. Kenney is also proposing a 3-cents-per-ounce tax on sugar-sweetened drinks to bring in $432 million over five years to pay for universal prekindergarten, community schools, and upgrades to parks and recreation centers. The tax revenue would also go toward paying back some of the bond money.

"I'm impressed with what the mayor is doing with the tax on sweetened beverages," Vaughan said Tuesday.

Vaughan, 60, said he had been a fan of the soda tax idea since he worked on the Nutter administration's similar legislation. (Two attempts to pass such a tax failed.) Vaughan retired from the city in 2014 as deputy health commissioner, following a 28-year career in city government.

Vaughan got his start in politics in the 1980s, when he became ward leader in University City's 27th Ward. In 1986, he went to City Hall to work for City Councilman Angel L. Ortiz as legislative director.

During his nearly three decades in City Hall, Vaughan also served as associate director of the Free Library and executive director of the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations.

Since retiring, Vaughan has continued to photograph wildlife, in particular birds. In 2015, he became chairman of Forward Philadelphia, set up to support Kenney's candidacy. Nearly half the $1.4 million it raised came from teachers unions.

Vaughan is still chairman of Forward Philadelphia, which has become a federal PAC, he said.

He said he had expressed interest in remaining involved with the city but did not specify what job he wanted.

"There wasn't a burning desire to go back to the city for a day-to-day [job] . . . but I still wanted to contribute to the city," Vaughan said, adding that he was thankful for Kenney's and Wolf's support in naming him to the fiscal watchdog group.

Under the 1991 state law that created PICA, state funding to the city is dependent on PICA's approval of its five-year plans.

"I was a Council aide when PICA was created. I thought it would be gone by now," Vaughan said.

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