Nutter Sees No Conflict In Anonymous Donations Made To Buy Out Ackerman
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The fact that anonymous, private donations paid for nearly half of Arlene Ackerman's $900,000 buyout is raising questions.
Could the unnamed donors who ponied up $405,000 (see related story) expect favors down the road from the School Reform Commission, which controls millions of dollars' worth of contracts?
Mayor Nutter told KYW's Steve Tawa that if the donors' names aren't known, then they can't exert influence, right?
(Nutter:) "If the person is anonymous, then the SRC would not know and therefore it's impossible to have that kind of influence."
(Tawa:) "So the SRC doesn't know who they were, either?"
(Nutter:) "To the best of my knowledge, they don't."
The private money was collected by the nonprofit Philadelphia's Children First fund, on whose board Arlene Ackerman, SRC chair Robert Archie, and acting superintendent Leroy Nunery sit.
There was no immediate comment from the SRC.
Reported by Mike DeNardo, KYW Newsradio 1060
