Quinones-Sanchez busy
at start of Council term

By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer

New City Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez said she’s been busy in her first couple of weeks on the job.
Quinones-Sanchez (D-7th dist.), who took office Jan. 7, has been named chairwoman of the Committee on Licenses and Inspections. By tradition, the 7th Councilmanic District representative has chaired the committee.
The councilwoman, who addressed the Northwood Civic Association last week, is happy that she is beginning her term at the same time as new Mayor Michael Nutter. She said the two share an action agenda and she is happy that the mayor has already named a new Department of Licenses and Inspections commissioner (John Elfrey) and five new members of the Zoning Board of Adjustment.
The new-look ZBA was scheduled to begin hearing cases on Tuesday.
Quinones-Sanchez and her staff are working out of Room 592 in City Hall. She hopes to open a district office on Allegheny Avenue and a satellite office on Castor Avenue.
Already, she has met with new Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey and asked about the aggressive police approach Nutter talked about on the campaign trail.
As for neighborhood development, she plans to work with an ally, state Rep. Tony Payton (D-179th dist.), whose district is largely contained in the 7th Councilmanic District.
In other news from the Jan. 15 meeting:
• Payton, who is gearing up for a probable April 22 primary challenge without local party backing, announced that his staff is available to visit senior citizens to help them complete the application for the state’s Property Tax/Rent Rebate program.
In addition, the staff is trained to help students and parents fill out federal student-aid forms. The freshman lawmaker’s district office is at 4915 Frankford Ave.
On another education matter, Payton is hoping that the House Education Committee will hold a vote in mid-February on his Reliable Educational Assistance for College Hopefuls (REACH) bill. If passed, the measure would provide college scholarships to any of Pennsylvania’s 14 state universities to students who have a 3.0 grade-point average and a 90-percent attendance rate.
• The meeting was the first with Barry Howell as president.
Howell outlined the conditions at Greenwood Cemetery — graffiti, debris and weeds that conceal some tombstones. He said youths loiter inside the 43-acre cemetery, located at 930 Adams Ave. (at Arrott Street), and homeless people start small fires to stay warm.
The buildings, in his opinion, are dilapidated and a safety hazard. He believes they should be fixed or torn down, even though the property is on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places, since Declaration of Independence signer Benjamin Rush once lived on the site.
"The place is a disgrace," he said.
Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court has blocked owners Ron and Carol Hancock from building a crematory on the grounds. Meanwhile, Howell plans to address the issue with Councilman Darrell Clarke (D-5th dist.).
• Howell was among those who clashed with former civic association president Joe Menkevich and ex-board member Len Williams, both of whom resigned last summer.
Menkevich and Williams opposed the opening of a grocery store at 4601 Horrocks St., and Howland Hess, the civic association’s law firm, provided advice and services.
Howell strongly supported the opening of the store, and the board replaced Howland Hess when it took control from Menkevich. Now, it has a $3,000 legal bill from the fight against the store.
"We’re not going to pay this bill for Joseph and Len," Howell insisted.
• The civic association will continue to work with the Department of Licenses and Inspections to monitor on-and-off work being done outside a home on the 1000 block of Haworth St.
Neighbors say the property owner does not have permits to replace the sidewalk and perform other exterior work and that the broken ground has been an eyesore and a safety hazard for six months.
The association will also check into a report that a property owner on the 1300 block of Foulkrod St. is planning to convert a single family home into a triplex.
• The Northwood Civic Association will meet again on Tuesday, Feb. 19, at 7 p.m., at St. James Lutheran Church, Castor Avenue and Pratt Street. ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com