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Where’s the fire
in the 15th?
Has this city closed some of its firehouses, or is all hell breaking loose in the 15th Police District?
I’ve worked on Longshore Avenue in Tacony for more than 20 years and can’t remember when I’ve seen so many ambulances and fire trucks speeding up this mostly residential street, sirens blaring. The average is about one every 90 minutes.
My bleary eyed neighbors tell it’s worse on weekends.
Answers, anyone?
Joseph M. Duffy III
Bustleton
Kudos, Nancy!
Kudos to the 15th PDAC’s volunteer of the year, Nancy Doerr, volunteer extraordinaire!
You are an asset to the city of Philadelphia, a devoted leader and all-around wonderful person.
Your dedication to the residents of Northeast Philly is commendable and should be an inspiration to all.
I am truly honored to consider you a friend.
Susan Waldron
Lawndale
Honor thy flag
Let’s start a campaign to get American flags flying for July 4. Come on, people, take down Winnie the Pooh, flowers, birds, etc., and give Old Glory her due!
How many people know June 14 was Flag Day and an opportunity to show respect for our flag and what it represents? Let’s be loyal to our precious land, even with its many flaws. By the way, a little research on the flag’s history would prove to be asset for all.
Virginia Murphy
Holmesburg
No hail for Northeast’s
graduation snafu
For a school that has been in business for 167 years, I am appalled at the way the organization conducted graduation last Wednesday evening.
For starters, the administration sat back and witnessed hundreds of graduates assemble on a football field while parents, friends, siblings and interested parties sat on steel football field benches.
The issue? The entire time a storm was brewing and lightning could clearly be seen in the distance — kids in a field, adults on metal, a bad mix.
The storm begins, the microphone cuts out (maybe an omen?), confusion runs rampant. Will the graduation be delayed? Postponed? No one knew for sure. The reason? Apparently, no backup plan was in place. Even if a plan was in place, the sound system cut out and couldn’t be heard. Northeast reps leave phone messages on parents’ phones indicating that at Thursday at 10 a.m., the grads can come in and pick up diplomas. Problem? No room for parents.
Thursday morning around 9 a.m., another phone call. This one is to inform the grads and parents that the festivities will indeed take place — Friday morning.
So, half the class has headed out for vacation and the rest are headed to the school to pick up diplomas that they will now not receive until Friday.
No backup plan....why reschedule for Friday? Why not Saturday? School board might not pay overtime, perhaps?
So, thanks Northeast administration, for taking the joy from what should have been one of the happiest days in the lives of these youngsters. Thank you, Northeast, for taking the joy of parents and siblings seeing their loved one graduate with their class. Next year, Northeast plans on having tents or some sort of covering. A little late now, wouldn’t you say?
Thanks, Northeast, for giving the class of 2008 a really "memorable" night.
Kevin Neibauer
Tacony
Speak up to save
the student passes
It has come to my attention that the School Reform Commission is trying to do away with the SEPTA passes for those students that live 1.5 miles from school. They want to increase the mileage to two miles, eliminating 7,000 passes and saving $4 million at the expense of our children.
The School Reform Commission delayed a vote on this since they have not heard any comments from parents. How can we let this happen? They are trying to push this through without anyone noticing it. We need to have our voices heard.
Mark Pucker
Rhawnhurst
It’s high time for a
Far Northeast High School
I read the Northeast Times on a regular basis. I especially liked your article Three Schools of Thought from your Living in the Past series. Perhaps the reason the School District of Philadelphia doesn’t name schools after neighborhoods anymore is that it would be too obvious which neighborhoods don’t have one. For example, where is the school they would have called "Far Northeast High School?" Sixty years later there still isn’t one. Don’t we deserve a safe, local, public high school?
Kristine Owens
Normandy
Philly needs more
police detectives
When Mayor Nutter was running for mayor he clearly stated that the Police Department was top heavy. So far, the only promotions made by his administration has been top-heavy ones.
Numerous captains and inspectors have been promoted to deputy commissioners while the detective division, which is struggling to keep up with the steady influx of investigations, can’t get any help.
The current detective list expires Aug. 31 and to date, they have only promoted 47 detectives from that list. The detectives who are forced to work long hours due to long and grueling investigations and then having to testify in court are really overwhelmed by the workload and need help.
Every homicide, shooting, robbery, home invasion, rape and other violent crime is handled by detectives.
I hope this administration will do the right thing and promote detectives. I’m sure that they could really use the help.
Michael Jones
Lawndale
State Senate underdog
says it’s time for a change
In your editorial two weeks ago entitled The Fear Factor, the editors lamented the withdrawal of the Republican challenger from the 2nd Congressional District race as "sad but stark evidence that the term urban Republican is an oxymoron."
Nevertheless, you opined unequivocally, "politicians running for re-election should never — we repeat, NEVER — get free rides in their quest to hold on to power."
I couldn’t agree more. And that, my friends, is exactly why I’m running for state Senate in the 3rd Senatorial District. That’s why I’m staying in the race ’til the end. That’s why I’m not worried about party registration ratios, long shots, or "cold hard political reality."
As a Republican of Hispanic descent running in a district that is 81 percent registered Democrat, I’m truly a minority in a minority party. To me, that simply means I have nowhere to go but up!
But it isn’t really even about Republicans and Democrats anymore, is it? — although some people would like you to continue thinking that. No, it’s more about much-needed change versus a sorry status quo.
The current incumbent state senator is a vestige of the old Democratic City Committee machine; her allies are Vince Fumo and John Street. Just as the editorial suggested, when these holdovers keep getting a free pass to hold on to power, the results are obvious.
Today the 3rd Senatorial District has some of the highest poverty rates, highest crime rates, highest high school dropout rates, highest unemployment rates and highest incarceration rates in the state.
What I offer is a viable choice; a chance for change. I’m not a political hack, I’m just a passionate and involved citizen working hard to create a better, safer world for all of our children. I have fresh ideas, lots of integrity and smart leadership ability.
My vision for a better future includes a re-emphasis on a solid educational base as the key to success, a re-commitment to the core values of personal and familial responsibility, and a revitalization of local economic opportunities to meet the challenges of a 21st century global economy.
But as long as people continue to pull the "straight D lever" — out of a lack of information, or because their union tells them to, or out of simple habit — nothing will ever change and we’ll stay stuck with the status quo. We must learn to vote for the right person, the better choice, regardless of their political party.
So, even if you’re inclined to push that button for Obama, I won’t hold it against you. But, if you really want change that you can see at the local level, you’re also going to have to reach over to the other column and push that button for Nix.
Because in 2008, here in the 3rd State Senatorial District, CHANGE is spelled N-I-X.
Robert S. Nix
Fox Chase
Don’t count Matt
Taubenberger out
I was dismayed to read the article about Brendan Boyle in the June 5 edition of your newspaper (Poll: Boyle ahead in 170th).
I say dismayed because I feel as if the piece were a bit of propaganda for Mr. Boyle. Reporting on poll results is factual and possibly newsworthy, but if you are then going to plug his proposed energy policies, you should give equal time to Mr. Taubenberger. Besides, poll results often don’t tell the whole story.
Here’s what a poll can’t tell you: Matt Taubenberger is a hard-working, intelligent man who has lived in our community his entire life. He is always working to improve our area, not just through his position as an aide to the current state representative, but more to the point, on his own time. He cares deeply for Northeast Philadelphia.
He is on the board of the Burholme Civic Association and is a participating Town Watch patroller. He has recently been instrumental in creating the Burholme Business Association. He works really hard and I think our community has begun to see improvement because of him. I think all of Northeast Philadelphia would benefit greatly by having Matt Taubenberger as a state representative.
Matt is committed to us here in the Northeast, because he is one of us and he cares about his community. His focus is on our communities and how to make life better here for all of us. I don’t know if I can say the same thing about any of the other candidates.
Christine Houck
Chairwoman, Burholme Business Association
It’s time to focus
on the real issues
Now that the Democratic primary is over, I hope the candidates begin to discuss the issues with regards to major problems facing Americans. Hopefully the news media begin some real journalism as opposed to writing about pantsuits, lapel pins and people’s ages.
What are the candidates going to do about the economy? How are they going to lower gas prices? How will they create jobs? Where do they stand on foreign policy?
How or will they bring our troops home in a safe, effective manner and keep democracy alive? How will they instill a sense of pride and trust back into the American people with regard to our own government? How will they change America’s image to the rest of the world and restore it to the America of the past and hopefully future?
These are the questions that I pose and want answered by the candidates and reported by the media.
It is time to begin to rebuild America from within; only a country as great as ours has the strength, courage, wisdom and will to do so.
Tommy Conway
Torresdale
Caught between a rock
and a hard place
I really have no idea what the Democrats are trying to do. They have the best opportunity in a while to finally get full control of the country.
Forty years ago I got fed up with the Democrats and the Republicans constantly blaming the other party for not getting anything done. I hoped for one party to have full control. Well, it finally happened. If you are happy about the last eight years then I guess you can handle the prices we are being forced to pay and the lack of health care for poor people. That obviously doesn’t include you. If you are not then I guess you feel as I do.
My problem is the Democrats decide to run a racist against a war hero who probably had no chance before now. We all know if a white person said the things Obama’s minister and his wife have said they would be blackballed. I can’t vote Republican because I won’t last another four years under these people. Why do Democrats make an easy into a difficult?
Rus Slawter
Bustleton
Hillary’s qualifications
have her hooked
Sen. Hillary Clinton should most certainly be the vice presidential running mate of Sen. Barack Obama.
Eighteen million of us wanted Sen. Clinton to be the Democratic presidential nominee. We want our votes to be counted by keeping her in the election process.
I had the privilege of meeting Sen. Clinton in Haverford. We don’t need just a woman candidate, but a qualified woman candidate. She is that person. Together, she and Obama will win in November.
Helen Lutz
Burholme
City controller
is using scare tactics
Regarding Tom Waring’s article, Butkovitz on taxes: Where’s the emergency? (June 12 edition):
As Democratic leader in the 54th Ward, City Controller Alan Butkovitz has an obligation to support the status quo. Using scare tactics and misinformation, he intentionally misleads to avoid controversy over what is the fairest way to straighten out the system. It is not in his or the Democratic Party’s best interest to provide fair and uniform assessments.
Butkovitz has focused the last few years on pointing out financial waste in Philadelphia but yet misses the issue on property assessments because he is part of the problem. His own career as a controller "who expects to seek re-election next year but does not rule out a run for district attorney" would end if he was to focus on full value assessments in conjunction with City Council’s refusal to address millage rates.
Elmer Money
Morrell Park
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