At the Northwood Civic meeting on Tuesday, April 20, president Barry Howell noted that both the Northwood Civic Association and the Juniata Civic Association have signed off on the community agreement with the Bridge. That agreement will be submitted to the zoning board and become part of the public record. Frankford Civic will make a decision at its meeting on May5th.
Northwood Academy Charter school has obtained zoning approval for construction of a new additional building on the existing property on Castor Avenue.
Tony Payton announced that there has been some progress in finding a new use for the Frankford Y building and further news will be released when the deal has been finalized.
Joanne Ryles, representing the Concerned Citizens of Northwood addressed the group with an appeal for support. They meet the second Thursday of each month at Simpson Playground. Barry said that Northwood will take a more active role in working with the group because of the proximity to Northwood. Problems spill over.
The VOA house issue is being re-evaluated based on its current use as a residence. The end strategy is to bring the use of the property into compliance with the deed restriction.
Next month’s meeting will be moved to May 10th due to election day. Darrell Clarke will be at the meeting.
Tonight at 7:00 pm. Dan Savage debates Maria Quinones Sanchez
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/city/20110421_In_7th_District__Sanchez_seeks_2nd_term__challenger_Dan_Savage__who_once_held_the_seat__has_ward-leaders__backing.html
This debate is really not on a level playing field as it will be in her backyard
Location:
Urban Hope Training Center & Community Church, 210 E. Tioga St. ( Located at “B” Street and Tioga)
I wonder when a debate will come to Frankford?
Key issues: Savage sticks to a message about too much crime and blight and too few jobs in a district known for all three characteristics.
I wonder if someone will bring up Drug Rehabs?
J.M.
What a beating Danny took last night….
Dan Savage debates Maria Quinones Sanchez
In a debate of mudslinging – Hispanic Ethnicity vs Non Hispanic was made an issue at this debate.
In front of a largely Hispanic audience apparently Maria Sanchez wanted to play the “Race Card” by implying Dan Savage was not qualified to represent the Hispanic Community because he is not Hispanic.
The issue of being able (or not being able) to view Sanchez’ tax returns (because her husband has a contract with the City) was brought up – and she fired back that she would show them when Dan Savage showed his “easy pass usage” which will prove that he lives in New Jersey with his girlfriend.
This brought loud applause, and I thought that “easy pass usage” would only prove that Danny is a Stud!
When the audience was finally polled for questions (and I had my hand raised) the only one that got to speak was one Carlos Matos – who directed his diatribe toward Dan Savage as he implied that Savage was a non-hispanic and would not or could not represent the Hispanic community fairly.
No more questions were taken from the floor as the began to pass out index cards for questions – upon this I left.
This was being recorded, by I believe: http://www.whyy.org/tv12/ or some other Public TV network – I didn’t not pay too much attention to any of the cameras.
For those of you who do not know – here is how the Hispanic Community has been represented Mr. Matos:
Marge Madness: Tartaglione defies criticism
March 21, 2011
CITY COMMISSIONER Margaret Tartaglione is 78 years old; she’s recovering from a recent heart bypass; she took a $288,000 payment from the hated DROP program; her daughter, who is her closest aide, was just forced to resign for illegal politicking; now she’s running for re-election. You got a problem with that? …
… Tartaglione’s one-day “retirement” in 2008, permitting her to collect $288,000 under the city’s deferred-retirement program, has drawn criticism – and prompted a lawsuit to try and force her off the ballot.
Tartaglione’s own daughter, Renee, was forced to resign from her staff in November after the city’s Board of Ethics documented blatant violations of the City Charter’s ban on politicking by employees.
Renee was running the Democratic organization in Kensington’s 19th ward while her husband, ward leader Carlos Matos, was in federal prison for bribery. Among other offenses, Renee printed sample ballots intended to mislead voters about a Matos rival.
http://articles.philly.com/2011-03-21/news/29171523_1_marge-tartaglione-carlos-matos-ward-leader
Convicted Briber Gets Job With Dems
PHILADELPHIA – A former political big-wig with a criminal past is back at work and now collects a check from the Democratic Party in Philadelphia.
Fox 29 Investigates has learned former city ward leader and ex-con Carlos Matos is working in the offices of Philadelphia’s Democratic City Committee.
City Democratic Leader Congressman Bob Brady confirmed Thursday he has hired Matos at $10-an-hour, working an eight-hour day to do petitions.
He said Matos started work last week and will stay with the Democratic City Committee for two months.
Matos is the former leader of the 19th Ward in Philadelphia, mostly in the Kensington neighborhood. He was convicted and sent to federal prison in 2007 for bribing several Atlantic City council members.
http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpp/news/investigative/012810_Official_Convicted_Of_Bribery_Working_For_Philadelphia_Democratic_Committee
I thought Mr. Savage did VERY well considering it was an “obvious” set up once things got started, besides being in Sanchez’s backyard. Why not pick a “neutral” place so more people from the 7th could easily attend? Why there??? Danny Savage stood his ground. I’ll tell ya, he has brass ones. Maria NEVER would have attended a debate like that if the shoe was on the other foot. I’m surprised at the Committee of Seventy. I expected much better and especially from Gar Joseph. It was so staged and phony that when Carlos Matos of all people got picked to asked a question, which of course he aimed at Savage, I wanted to puke how phony the whole set-up was. It’s a shame that people can’t play fair politics. Is there such a thing anyway? I bet not. Gar Joseph should have called out Sanchez and made her explain “her explanation” of her position on DROP. She avoided giving any definite answer unlike Dan Savage who basically said no way to elected officials in DROP and wouldn’t support any council member in DROP especially for President. What we got out of it was she is going to support Tasco and for Council President. Joseph should have asked her about her involvement with Carlos Matos as to why she changed her tune after all these years of blasting him and the Tartagliones.
In this “debate,” all the words that she used as to her qualifications – like: “First Latina ever elected to serve on the Philadelphia City Council” came right off the Web page of The Committee of Seventy: http://www.seventy.org/Elections_Maria_QuionesSnchez.aspx
Now that she has opened that door – is Maria Quinones Sanchez too biased to represent the non-hispanic segment of the Councilmatic District? Has she failed to represent the non-hispanic segment of her district?
This “race baiting” being employed by Maria Quinones Sanchez & sanctioned by the Committee of Seventy should backfire.
It diminishes the legitimate qualifications of every member of City Council by placing RACE as the most important qualification.
What Maria Shanchez has implied is that a non-Hispanic or non-Latino cannot possible understand the needs of the Hispanic Community.
By the very same standards – how is it that Darrell L. Clarke manages to represent his constituency, many who are Latino, White, Black, & Asian ect.?
How is it Mayor Nutter manages to represent a whole City? Her position (based solely on race) diminishes the qualifications of all elected officials regardless …
It also diminished her credibility – because she could not produce any record of what she has accomplished to elevate the neighborhood to which she was preaching.
Have any of the following Council members: Marian B. Tasco, Jannie L. Blackwell, Curtis Jones, Jr., Donna Miller, Blondell Reynolds Brown, & W. Wilson Goode, Jr. run their election campaign upon the bassis of race?
Her allegations of Dan Savage living in Jersey (easy-pass will prove it) is about as dumb as Donald Trump fishing for Barrack Obama’s birth certificate.
If Maria Quinones Sanchez has done some positive things – I would like to see the itemized list placed out front and on the table.