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Honor the contract,
Mr. Mayor!
On Aug. 13, 2004, Philadelphia police were awarded a contract through Pennsylvania Act 111, binding arbitration. Part of this award gave relief to Philadelphia police officers injured and disabled in the line of duty.
Most officers who become disabled are not totally disabled. They can no longer work as police officers but can seek other employment to supplement their fixed pension and continue to support their families. When new employment is obtained, for every three dollars the disabled officer earns the city takes back one dollar from our pension. Example: If you earn $30,000, $10,000 is taken off the top of our pension.
The new contract directs the city to allow officers to earn up to $25,000 before the 3 for 1 offset begins. This would go a long way in helping disabled officers to support their families.
Unfortunately, Mayor Street refuses to honor this part of the binding contract. At the time of the award, the mayor had 30 days in which to appeal the arbitrator’s decision. He chose not to.
City Councilman James Kenney (D-at large) took up the fight by introducing a bill in February to eliminate the offset. This bill received unanimous approval by the full Council. Mayor Street immediately vetoed this bill, at which time the full Council overrode his veto. The mayor continues to ignore this bill.
As we approach one full year since this contract was awarded, it’s time for the mayor to stop disrespecting the service and sacrifices of our disabled police officers.
Mr. Mayor, you are not above the law. There is a legally binding contract in place. Honor this contract now.
Garry A. Bell
Parkwood
Note: Mr. Bell is a retired police officer on disability. He was Officer Daniel Faulkner’s partner.
It’s not too late
to save mini-City Hall
Everywhere you look in Philadelphia and see a house or business of any size or description, you see someone responsible for dealing with city rules, regulations and services.
Residents need to be in touch with the city to pay a tax bill, get a permit, or file for a license of any kind. Response to mail from the city to return licenses or information is slow or often unreliable. To go into the Center City Municipal Services Building on JFK Boulevard means an agonizingly long wait, frustration and a waste of time for private citizens, trades people and contractors.
The city has operated mini-City Halls in North Philadelphia at 2761 N. 22nd St. and in Northeast Philadelphia at 9127 Roosevelt Blvd. for many years. In these smaller neighborhood facilities there are fewer people waiting, and business can be conducted quickly and efficiently to pay taxes or water bills, or get rental licenses or letters of administration.
The city has announced plans to close the mini-City Halls. The end of the mini-City Halls in North and Northeast Philadelphia would be a hardship on residents in many ways.
To go into Center City by public transportation is difficult for the elderly and handicapped, who would also have to deal with the heat and the cold. For drivers, it means a $14-per-hour parking fee, and one hour is a short time to be spent in a waiting room in order to conduct business. Asking citizens to pay by e-mail doesn’t take into account those who have no computers or computer skills.
Why close the mini-City Halls? The city would save money. But, the only money saved would be what is paid to rent the two facilities. The number of employees would remain the same, only located more inconveniently for residents.
The Homeowners Association of Philadelphia, HAPCO, has served more than 3,000 members located throughout the city. They urge Mayor Street and City Council to keep the mini-City Halls open.
The citizens will be better served, the city will receive revenue more quickly, and a great need will be served for the good people of Philadelphia.
Naomi Zaslow
Public relations director, Homeowners Association of Philadelphia
• • •
Dear Mayor Street:
Well, let me congratulate you for another job mishap. You wanted to close the Northeast mini-City Hall and you might get your way.
Well, let me tell you what a big mistake you are making, among many others. I mailed in a check to the Department of Licenses and Inspections for a renewal of my rental license. This should be a fairly easy process.
Well, on Feb. 24 the form was mailed with the check, and it took until May 28 for them to respond back to me. They returned my check with a new application that needs to be filed
I am being honest by paying this fee, although many others do not. You have made this process more complicated than it should be.
I will tell you, I am not gong to JFK Boulevard to renew my rental license. I do not live near there and the parking is unbearable. So, Mr. Mayor, what is your next great idea?
Rita Wenderwicz
Torresdale
Improve the screening
process for renters
In response to Christopher Artur’s letter to the editor in the June 2 edition (The facts of life in real estate), if Chris Artur Realty did a better job of screening people he rents property to and stopped littering Mayfair with his big, ugly For Rent signs and his rent-to-anybody-with-a-buck attitude, maybe he wouldn’t have to worry about deadbeats, and we in Mayfair would have a better neighborhood.
Mike Lowry
Mayfair
Meehan shines brightly
on a clear night
On a cool spring night in Northeast Philadelphia, something magical was happening inside a local school.
The folks at Austin Meehan Middle School opened their doors and hearts to anyone who wished to come inside. They were pulling out all the stops and putting on their bells and whistles for all who entered into their world for two nights.
On June 1 and 2, Austin Meehan showcased their young talent for all to witness. The school, along with dozens of their performing arts students, put on two memorable performances of the play Fiddler on the Roof Junior. There were also two wonderful nights of musical performances by the school’s music students before each play.
If you didn’t know it was the Northeast you would’ve thought you were in Broadway. The amount of time and dedication that went into these shows really paid off. One look into the audience members’ eyes and it was clear that you were witnessing something special. The whole experience left you wanting more from these students.
We can only hope to see more great and creative things from Austin Meehan and its talented students in the future. If you were there, they thank you. If you missed them, they look forward to entertaining you in the future.
Please spread the word around to everyone that our schools and our children need these programs to continue.
Without the proper funding, one day our stages may become empty and our instruments silent. Thank you.
John J. Ruppert
Holmesburg
More mixed views
on the teen driver tragedy:
Who are you to
judge the Millers?
I’d like to respond to the letters written about the McGinley case in last week’s issue. At only 18, some may say I’m too young to be able to truly understand this situation, let alone have a valid opinion on it. I beg to differ.
What happened on April 17 is truly a tragedy, and I can’t imagine the pain that the McGinley family is feeling. What happened on April 17 is against the law, and I won’t argue that. What I will argue with are the letters written by Sheldon Finberg and Sharon Hoensch.
In his letter, Mr. Finberg goes on about how Mr. Miller should have reacted quicker, turned off the ignition, hit the brake, and so on.
Mr. Finberg, were you there that day to see how he reacted? Do you think he sat back and took a snooze while his car was out of control? Do you think he didn’t try to stop the car? I don’t think you are in any place to criticize his actions that day, considering you weren’t there, and have never been in such a position.
The loss of your loved ones in an accident is truly tragic, but the fact that the person responsible for that accident is not suffering has absolutely nothing to do with the Millers or how they are dealing with what happened.
You also state that "their only concern is not doing jail time, or as little as possible." I’d like to know who provided you with this information. Do you know the Millers personally? Have you ever spoken to Mr. Miller to know this information? The answer to the above is no, and therefore I find your judgments immature and unfair.
In the next letter, Ms. Hoensch states that she wouldn’t want Mr. Miller to be an influence on her children. Well, Ms. Hoensch, the response to your statement is simple: your children are missing out. Like Mr. Finberg, you do not know Mr. Miller. How then, do you find it appropriate to place such judgment on him?
Since I was a little girl, Mr. Miller has been the most influential adult in my life aside from my parents. He has played an intricate role in my growing up, and I am the person I am today largely because of the effect he has had on me.
Since I was 10 years old, he has been my basketball coach. But the title of coach is the ultimate understatement. In the past eight years, Mr. Miller has been not only a coach, but a mentor, a confidant and a true role model for me.
His genuine care, support, and willingness to listen or help in any way needed are just a few of the countless reasons I look up to him.
He has always encouraged me to be myself. He has taught me that by being honest and doing my best, I can do anything I set my mind to.
As a teenager, it’s not easy to like yourself, but Mr. Miller has helped me to feel good about who I am. His guidance has helped me immensely in getting to where I am today.
He has not only made me a better basketball player, but a better person as well.
A year ago, I finished my last basketball season on his team. But the things he has taught me will stay with me for the rest of my life. I look up to him so much. He is one of the most respectable, caring, honest people you will ever come across.
Need a second opinion? Just ask any of the hundreds of kids he’s coached. Ask any of the hundreds of parents who have watched their children grow under his guidance. Ask any of his kids’ friends. Ask anyone who knows him and they’ll agree.
Notice the phrase "knows him." Mr. Finberg, Ms. Hoensch, and anyone else who has passed judgment on Mr. Miller, let me say this.
We all know that what happened was against the law, and that it has to be dealt with. If you’d like to frown upon what he did, that’s your decision. But to judge his morals, respectability and standing as a good person and citizen, well, that’s just unreasonable and wrong.
Parents teach their kids a lot of things. One of the most common is "Never judge a person until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes."
Well, Mr. Finberg, Ms. Hoesnch, and anyone else who does not know Mr. Miller yet feels they can judge him as a parent, or be sure that he is an inadequate role model, that is just what you have done.
And Mr. Miller is the one who’s not a role model? I don’t think so.
Erin McShea
Mayfair
. . . but the rules
must be obeyed
I am writing regarding the tragedy resulting from the driving lesson in Lincoln High School’s parking lot.
I would imagine the Millers must feel remorse for what has happened. However, the question is not about remorse or lack thereof. There is a rule to be followed that was not followed in this case: You are not permitted to get behind the wheel of a car without a learner’s permit.
I did not make the driving laws, but I am sure the motivation for this particular law is to ensure responsibility on the part of the aspiring driver. In order to get the permit, you must demonstrate enough responsibility to obtain the driver’s manual, read the manual and go take the test. In order to pass the test you must display some knowledge about the driving laws in the state of Pennsylvania.
It is truly sad when an accident such as this leads to the arrest of non-criminal people who, I am sure, meant to mind their own business, thought they were in a safe place to practice driving, and who did not intend to hurt anybody.
I especially feel for the daughter, who is being charged with an accident involving death while not properly licensed. This does seem somewhat harsh since she was a minor under the supervision, and possible influence, of a trusted adult — a parent.
Absent a parent’s presence, I could better understand the charge, but she did not steal her parent’s car and go joyriding. If there is any wiggle room in this case, I feel this qualifies.
Let us assume all the rules were followed and the Millers still went out to practice driving that day in the parking lot, learner’s permit in hand. The same result could have happened. But we will never know. And that is the primary issue in this case.
Michelle Taormina
Rhawnhurst
• • •
I agree wholeheartedly with readers’ comments in last week’s Letters to the Editor section on the Sarah McGinley case and treatment of animals. I’m glad to see justice done. If you witness anyone mistreating an animal, report them immediately.
Anna Passio
Castor Gardens
Colorful controversy on
Wilson’s mural project
Regarding last week’s Northeast Times Page 1 article and the editorial: Why has no one suggested a simple and sensible compromise for the situation at Woodrow Wilson Middle School concerning the mosaic murals that have already begun?
Since the artists have not objected to slight changes in the original plan (as demonstrated by the changing of the vibrant-colored background to a bland gray), another change of the faces to multi-ethnic/racial hues including Afro-American, Asian-American, Hispanic-American, Caucasian-American, Native-American, and/or other-American students should solve the objections of ALL the possible neighbors unless they truly are bigoted and ignorant (as charged).
"Can’t we all just get along?"
Arlene Mars Kushner
Bustleton
• • •
I don’t agree with your editorial. People who live near Wilson are just concerned that their neighborhood will be construed as a blighted area.
A mural of historical significance would have been much more fitting. I applaud the neighbors for voicing their opinions, and for the ones that maybe had a racist tinge to their argument, too bad for them. I would be more afraid of the people who were opposed and never voiced their opinion, but put a For Sale sign on their house instead.
Mary McCann
Mayfair
• • •
I live in the area, on the Loretto Avenue side of Wilson Middle School. I agree with the 26-2 vote taken at the June 1 meeting in the school.
It does not matter what pictures or stories are painted on the exterior of the building. The mural with its brilliant colors defaces a residential area — in no way does it enhance it. Neighbors in this area work hard to keep their homes nice, then look out the window, and pow! You see a mural where it does not belong!
Why don’t they just power wash the building and spruce it up some and make needed repairs to the grounds.
I am not happy about this situation at all. It is a TOTAL disgrace that the School District of Philadelphia gave money to Wilson to use on this so-called project rather than toward the education of the students attending school. Everything in the article the neighbors voiced their feelings on I agree with. I hope this project fades away. I will contact my councilman and explain how this issue is wrong.
Kim A. McFadden
Castor Gardens
• • •
Why is it, when white people complain about something ANY other ethnic group does, it’s racism, but our own black mayor can outwardly spew rabid racist comments without consequence?
And, how does anyone even know that the people calling on the phone complaining about the murals are white people? They could be people that hate bugle players, or people that have a phobia of being eaten by butterflies. Maybe, just maybe, they are people that cannot stand gauche, obtrusive, 8-foot high pieces of optical pollution in an otherwise quiet, nice, cozy, little neighborhood.
The fact is that there is a mural on the wall, and not one person portrayed on that mural is white. It appears to the Northeast Times that the local residents complaining are racists. But in fact, the people that painted the murals are the racists. They should have painted something that encompasses ALL people of ALL ethnic and religious backgrounds.
That is the stuff we all would have been forced to endure (from losers like Jerry Mondesire and Al Sharpton) if a couple of white kids painted murals on a Gratz High School wall with nothing but white people depicted doing things like dunking a basketball or dancing in rhythm.
To keep it fair, those kids should go back and paint in white people, too, doing things like teaching the black kid how to play the bugle or how to catch butterflies. At least it would be more real that way. The funny thing is, all the lily-white Northeast folks probably indirectly paid for all the supplies they used to paint those murals.
Pat Hill
Pennypack
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