Philadelphia 2035 (Chester, Coatesville, Clark: pensions, living in, rail)

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by cpomp

https://www.philly.com/real-estate/c...-20190307.html


Developer Durst closes Delaware River marina to advance waterfront development plans

I'd wager that most of those boats are abandoned, just sit there and have never gone out in the river anyhow. Floating garbage.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by cpomp

What to know about Mayor Kenney’s $5 billion budget proposal

https://philly.curbed.com/2019/3/7/1...an-year-fiscal

Thoughts?? I will share mine tomorrow.

Much of it is fine, imo. But he's campaigning for re-election and it has to get through council.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by MB1562

Finally money for street sweeping. The horrendous amount of trash strewn all over the streets is one of the things I hate about living in South Philly.

What is wrong with the people there?! They want to act like S. Philly is a place that matters when the residents themselves don't seem to care about their surroundings. Show some effing pride!

Spring Garden, Fairmount and, pretty much, Francisville do not have this problem. The SG civic street crew was out yesterday cleaning up rouge leaves, trampled down from wet weather, in gutters. So what is the problem with people in effing South Philadelphia!

Of course I'm for city wide street cleaning but you should not be sitting around on your a$$ waiting for someone else to do it for you.

[KansastoSouthphilly]

Originally Posted by kyb01

Much of it is fine, imo. But he's campaigning for re-election and it has to get through council.

The upcoming Mayoral primary will be a dilemma for me. On one hand I think Kenney has been an awful Mayor. On the other hand there isn't anyone running or hinting at running that I would prefer to vote for. Butkovitz is terrible and is one of the most unpleasant people I have ever had the misfortune of meeting. I can't see myself voting for Anthony Hardy Williams after the embarrassingly poor campaign he ran last time. Not sure if Domb is going to run but I am also one of the few young "urbanist" types that is not a fan.

[cpomp]

Originally Posted by KansastoSouthphilly

The upcoming Mayoral primary will be a dilemma for me. On one hand I think Kenney has been an awful Mayor. On the other hand there isn't anyone running or hinting at running that I would prefer to vote for. Butkovitz is terrible and is one of the most unpleasant people I have ever had the misfortune of meeting. I can't see myself voting for Anthony Hardy Williams after the embarrassingly poor campaign he ran last time. Not sure if Domb is going to run but I am also one of the few young "urbanist" types that is not a fan.

Kenney will easily win reelection, I think picking off the trolls on council will have a bigger impact. Kenney is like a child and will do what he is told, he isn't really toxic, hes just there.

[cpomp]

Originally Posted by kyb01

Much of it is fine, imo. But he's campaigning for re-election and it has to get through council.

The investment in schools is vital and crucial. That is really the only attempt to break the cycle. I would also advocate for more outreach programs, including access to community centers, librarys, learning centers, sports centers, etc. Many of the children and teenagers do not have stable parents or households, the poverty rate will never lower without investment at a very early age.

If it were my budget I would also implement several task forces in order to address, improve and market Philadelphia as THE city to do business in. The city desperately needs more business, industry, corporations, corporate investment, etc.

That task force would also create initiatives for start-ups and growth in the citys booming science/biomed/tech scene. So many amazing companies and patents are started/ formed here, yet they pack up and leave for NYC or LA after their incubation period, that needs to stop.

I would also invest in some sort of retail marketing team in order to attract more retail into all neighborhoods of Philadelphia and to promote mixed use dense development.

There needs to be a business / lets get things done mindset in Philadelphia, this whole social justice/worker / lets commiserate about our problems needs to stop, its old news.

I am happy about more police, hopefully they can perform their jobs too.

Lastly, this obsession with affordable housing still confuses me... providing subsidized housing to a city with a 25% poverty rate does nothing to address or alleviate the real issue, which goes back to everything I stated above. Kind of like banning cashless stores, so now people without bank accounts can eat anywhere, yet they don't have money to eat...

[Pennsport]

Originally Posted by kyb01

I'd wager that most of those boats are abandoned, just sit there and have never gone out in the river anyhow. Floating garbage.

No, most of those boats are in use in some capacity (either recreational or actually living on them). I see them launch all the time in the summer when I'm enjoying a beer on Morgan's Pier deck. Regardless, great news for continued Delaware River development. I have a feeling this is going to boom quicker than originally expected. I can't wait for the Del waterfront come to life once again.

[Pennsport]

Originally Posted by cpomp

The investment in schools is vital and crucial. That is really the only attempt to break the cycle. I would also advocate for more outreach programs, including access to community centers, librarys, learning centers, sports centers, etc. Many of the children and teenagers do not have stable parents or households, the poverty rate will never lower without investment at a very early age.

If it were my budget I would also implement several task forces in order to address, improve and market Philadelphia as THE city to do business in. The city desperately needs more business, industry, corporations, corporate investment, etc.

That task force would also create initiatives for start-ups and growth in the citys booming science/biomed/tech scene. So many amazing companies and patents are started/ formed here, yet they pack up and leave for NYC or LA after their incubation period, that needs to stop.

I would also invest in some sort of retail marketing team in order to attract more retail into all neighborhoods of Philadelphia and to promote mixed use dense development.

There needs to be a business / lets get things done mindset in Philadelphia, this whole social justice/worker / lets commiserate about our problems needs to stop, its old news.

I am happy about more police, hopefully they can perform their jobs too.

Lastly, this obsession with affordable housing still confuses me... providing subsidized housing to a city with a 25% poverty rate does nothing to address or alleviate the real issue, which goes back to everything I stated above. Kind of like banning cashless stores, so now people without bank accounts can eat anywhere, yet they don't have money to eat...

Eh, not to go OT here, but school improvement is just pouring money down the drain IMO until we get the poverty situation moving in the right direction. I would much rather spend those hundreds of millions/billions on providing infrastructure jobs for the unemployable. We could have Yale professors teaching every class with brand new textbooks, but as long as these kids are going home to complete dysfunction and often rampant abuse, they don't really have a chance.

The bottom line that no one really seems to voice, and this is true across the country, is that the wrong people are having most of the kids. If an individual is illiterate and unemployed, why society empowers him/her to have six or seven kids continues to amaze me. These same people wouldn't qualify to foster a dog yet they can pop out kids that they have no intention to raise, or even provide basic care for, like pez candy.

I heard a story on NPR a few months back about minimum wage. They highlighted a single mother who had to work three jobs just to make ends meet. Buried about three minutes deep in the segment was the fact that she had EIGHT kids. Yes, EIGHT children. The interviewer never once asked her why on earth she thought it was a good idea as a waitress at a diner to have EIGHT kids. Just unbelievable.

[cpomp]

Originally Posted by Pennsport

Eh, not to go OT here, but school improvement is just pouring money down the drain IMO until we get the poverty situation moving in the right direction. I would much rather spend those hundreds of millions/billions on providing infrastructure jobs for the unemployable. We could have Yale professors teaching every class with brand new textbooks, but as long as these kids are going home to complete dysfunction and often rampant abuse, they don't really have a chance.

The bottom line that no one really seems to voice, and this is true across the country, is that the wrong people are having most of the kids. If an individual is illiterate and unemployed, why society empowers him/her to have six or seven kids continues to amaze me. These same people wouldn't qualify to foster a dog yet they can pop out kids that they have no intention to raise, or even provide basic care for, like pez candy.

I heard a story on NPR a few months back about minimum wage. They highlighted a single mother who had to work three jobs just to make ends meet. Buried about three minutes deep in the segment was the fact that she had EIGHT kids. Yes, EIGHT children. The interviewer never once asked her why on earth she thought it was a good idea as a waitress at a diner to have EIGHT kids. Just unbelievable.

Excellent points, and I wasn't suggesting throwing money at the schools and hoping the problems go away (that has been a proven failure for many years). I was more getting at outreach and programs that somehow target youth born into unfortunate situations.

And to add to your point about infrastructure, it would benefit the economy and give Philadelphia a much needed boost and face lift.

I would also suggest a portion of funding to replace traffic lights, light posts, trashcans, crosswalks, etc. small changes (yet expensive), but that would do wonders to improve the aesthetics and QOL for people who walk the streets and provide more visual appeal for visitors.

For example, strolling Park Ave or Michigan Ave is truly enjoyable due to how beautiful and well-kept the boulevards are. Walnut, Chestnut, Market and especially Broad look rather drab and slightly rundown in comparison. The improvements I suggested above are well worth it to market and improve Philadelphia as a beautiful American city.

It may seem like a caviar issue, but its really not, and with all things the city wastes its money on, this would at least do something to improve the quality of our streets.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by KansastoSouthphilly

The upcoming Mayoral primary will be a dilemma for me. On one hand I think Kenney has been an awful Mayor. On the other hand there isn't anyone running or hinting at running that I would prefer to vote for. Butkovitz is terrible and is one of the most unpleasant people I have ever had the misfortune of meeting. I can't see myself voting for Anthony Hardy Williams after the embarrassingly poor campaign he ran last time. Not sure if Domb is going to run but I am also one of the few young "urbanist" types that is not a fan.

We were spoiled by Nutter who ended up being an exceptional mayor although it was rough for him during his first term because of the financial crisis and the Great Recession. People have forgotten that he flailed a lot during that time. But he, obviously, learned a lot and acted accordingly.

Trust me, Street was way worse than Kenney because of rampant corruption. The FBI raided his office, for instance. Remember that? Or are you too young or weren't in Philly to have known about it.

Domb is running for re-election to his current at large council seat, afaik. There are tv ads.

AH Williams is nothing like his dad, Hardy Williams. So he's a big "no!" for me.

Once upon a time, when Sam Katz, switched parties, to challenge the expectations of "forever Democrats" running for mayor, it was a fun contest and gen. election. He almost beat Street the first time. He would have been a transformative mayor. Even more so than Nutter, imo.