Ironically everyone wants to use me as a scapegoat when in reality many elected officials and community stakeholders have watched this problem grow for many years and have done little to nothing to resolve it–although some have benfitted financially from these endeavors. I have been in office for two years and I am expected to fix what has taken two decades of decay to create. Incredible?

I am very pleased with my record in Frankford despite the internal disputes that limit the ability for so-called community leaders to even sit at the same table, let alone work on a common goal. I am committed and will continue to work for Frankford.

I have spents countless hours bringing developers and city department heads to Frankford to try to get public and private investment, despite having many groups/individuals who spend every minute trying to stonewall any progress for fear I might get some credit, with little regard to the thousands of residents who are hurt by our inability to work together. I have refused, which has frustrated many, to engage in useless battles. There is too much work to be done and the time I invest fighting petty politics is time away from my work on behalf of Frankford.

For the record,

I committed and helped to bring a new charter school to Frankford, Sankofa. Hundreds of kids are now provided with a quality education, a vacant church school is now fully utilized and jobs have been created.

I committed and have revitalized or am in the process of repairing ALL the recreational facilities, including the million dollar plus, Gambrell center, complete with spray park, the completion of Deni Playground and now our work at Overington Park and the work at the smaller passive parks.

I committed and have been working with the Philadelphia Housing Authority and the Office of Housing and community development to create a “real” housing strategy that provides for affordable homeownership and reuses for the large housing people in Frankford have left and have been converted to multi family rental and boarding homes.

I committed and am working to bringing resources directly to Frankford businesses for improvements and expansions on the corridor.

I can go on for pages and pages. But I will not. I have confidence that the majority of the folks in Frankford, who live the petty infighting everyday, know that I am working hard for them, despite the pettiness of a few.

As for the Halfway houses I inherited from the previous Councilpersons, I have led the first major city effort to address the zoning issues, bringing interdepartmental cooperation unseen in Frankford, EVER. Are we were we need to be, NO. We can do better, YES and I will continue to do so.

There has been an economic downturn and resources are limited. But my record will show that I have made tremendous investments and have leveraged resources unseen in Frankford.
I understand frustration. But unless it is converted to positive work, its negative and unproductive. And more importantly, it doesn’t move Frankford forward.

mdqs

In fact, I have lost all enthusiasm for the democratic party (I’m registered democrat). People working in this administration think its a good idea to overwhelm our community with the recovery efforts and let us live with all the other problems that come along like boarding and recovery houses, drop in property values, disinterest from home buyers and investors in the community. Barry Howell said, at the last Northwood Civic meeting that he thinks the city looks at our communities as “Love Canal”. I’m not voting for a party that thinks so little of my community. I’m ready to listen to another voice cause everyone in city hall is talking to each other and talking at us, trying to convince us that all we’re worth is recovery programs and store front churches. Like one big “group think”. I think city hall needs some new voices.