Somerton: Rizzo aids police
in having motorbikes repaired

By William Kenny
Times Staff Writer

Politicians always try to make a big splash when they attend community events. City Councilman Frank Rizzo was a rousing success at it last week during the Somerton Civic Association’s monthly meeting.
Rizzo, an at-large Republican, one-upped a series of elected officials and hopefuls on hand for the April 10 meeting, including state House Speaker Dennis O’Brien, and all it took was a simple telephone call.
When a police officer mentioned that the 7th district’s two motorbikes had been out of service and in the shop for weeks, Rizzo vowed to get them back on the street within days.
"I can’t imagine that we have two bikes down that are like lawnmowers to get fixed and we can’t find the money (for repairs) in a billion-dollar (city) budget," Rizzo said. "We’ll get (patrol officers) back on the bikes by next week."
Within minutes, Rizzo was on his cell phone, making arrangements to have the motorcycles moved to the top of the repair priority list.
The 7th district’s community relations officer, Rich Simon, only mentioned the motorbikes in passing as part of a discussion about illegal ATVs that are becoming a neighborhood problem.
City ordinances prohibit ATVs on public streets and property, but people ride them there, anyway.
Police have received many complaints from neighbors of the former Byberry hospital site, Simon said. If police catch the scofflaws, they can confiscate their ATVs, but catching the highly maneuverable vehicles is difficult.
Motorbikes are the best thing that police have to combat the problem, as the bikes can match the maneuverability of ATVs and manage the same variety of terrain, including grass, dirt and wooded areas and steep hills.
"They’re the kind of issues that really aggravate me," Rizzo said. "To have that equipment down that the taxpayers paid for … you can’t chase an ATV with a Crown Victoria."
Simon also reported that his commander, Capt. Al Martin, worked his last day in the 7th district on April 6. Martin is retiring from the police force. He spent five years commanding the 7th district.
Martin was the architect of the police department’s Roosevelt Boulevard Initiative, a targeted enforcement of speeding, red light-running and other traffic violations along the busy 12-lane state highway in an effort to reduce accident-related fatalities and injuries.
O’Brien, a Republican from the Far Northeast, told residents that he had two major priorities at the moment in his first term as speaker. He wants to build more state prisons to reduce crime and wants to force health insurance companies to support more care for autistic people.
O’Brien has an autistic nephew. In conjunction with the national Autism Awareness Month, O’Brien has been traveling throughout Pennsylvania in April promoting awareness of the condition.
He claims he has support from 105 of the 203 members of the state House of Representatives on his autism insurance bill that he announced last week.
On the crime front, O’Brien is endorsing legislation that would force jurisdictions throughout the state to send felons to state prison if sentenced to more than two years behind bars.
Currently, Philadelphia has more than 2,500 felons serving time in the city’s prison system, O’Brien said. That contributes to overcrowding and results in many accused criminals returning to the streets while awaiting trial, he believes.
It’s no coincidence that violent crime continues to rise in the city, O’Brien added.
"Fundamentally, we’re going to have to build two new prisons in this commonwealth, maybe three, if we’re going to address violence in Philadelphia," he said.
"We have a fundamental sense of urgency in Philadelphia. We have to get those 2,500 felons out of the (city prisons)."
With the primary elections looming on May 15, several candidates used the SCA meeting to campaign for office. Sean McAleer is unchallenged for the Democratic nomination for the 10th Councilmanic District seat. He hopes to unseat longtime Republican incumbent Brian O’Neill in the November general election.
Michael Untermeyer is running against incumbent John Green for the Democratic nomination for sheriff. The nominee is expected to win easily in November because of the overwhelming Democratic majority in voter registration citywide.
Judicial candidates Alice Beck Dubow (Common Pleas Court) and Diane Thompson (Municipal Court) are each running on both party ballots.
In zoning matters, the SCA unanimously approved a new sign for the JCC Klein Branch at Red Lion Road and Jamison Avenue. The proposed sign, at 12 feet high and 10 feet wide, includes an illuminated electronic message board.
SCA assistant zoning chairman Dominic Ragucci reported that plans by CVS and Wawa to reconfigure a commercial block along Bustleton Avenue, between Kelvin Avenue and Tomlinson Road, are moving forward.
The new CVS will be built at Tomlinson, next to the existing CVS. After the new pharmacy is complete, the old one will be knocked down and replaced with a Wawa.
Some neighbors argued that the Wawa was suitable for Tomlinson, because of better vehicle access on that corner. But CVS won’t do that because it wants to keep the old store open during construction on the new store.
Ragucci also reported that the city’s Zoning Board of Adjustment had improved a new development of 42 upscale single homes on a former industrial site on the 1700 block of Tomlinson Road. The civic group did not oppose the project.
SCA president Mary Jane Hazell appealed to residents for help organizing the annual Somerton Memorial Day Parade. Only a handful of people are working on it now and they need more.
The parade is about five weeks away. It will start at George Washington High School and march north along Bustleton Avenue to Trevose Road. For information, call Hazell at 215-464-1260.
Also, Hazell encouraged neighbors to turn out en masse on parade day for the sake of the performers and for veterans.
"Make it a day with your family," Hazell said. "We’ve got all kinds of goodies to give out and music. This parade costs this organization eleven or twelve thousand dollars."
The next Somerton Civic Association meeting will be on Tuesday, May 8, at 7:15 p.m., at Walker Lodge 306, 1290 Southampton Road. ••
Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com