Publications

Pennsylvania’s primary election will be held on Tuesday, May 15th, and only registered voters are entitled to vote. 

The deadline to register to vote in the primary is April 16th. In Pennsylvania, you can register in person, by mail, and at various government agencies. Information on how to register is at https://www.philadelphiavotes.com/en/voters/registering-to-vote. 

Primary elections are important because the winners will be the candidates in the general election November 6th.

Parents of college students please remind them that they can register to vote where they attend college, or they can vote in Philadelphia by absentee ballot. Therefore, it is important to register to vote at the location at which they want to vote – at their college location or at their home address.

CCRA is working with the Philadelphia Streets Department to try to resolve problematic Big Belly garbage cans in our neighborhood that frequently are overfilled to capacity.  In the meantime, we ask that you do not add to the problem by putting household or other trash outside of or around an overly full Big Belly! 

This is not only a quality of life issue, but it is also a public health and wellness issue. 

If you see someone adding to the pile, please ask them to stop and think about it and take their garbage home or to another trash can.  You can also use 311 to report issues of concern that are not a crime in progress.

If you are aware of a Big Belly trash can near you that continues to be overfilled, please reach out to CCRA at centercity@centercityresidents.org to let us know.

CCRA’s Streets Committee is planning a general meeting with representatives of the City of Philadelphia Streets Department’s about initiatives that effect our neighborhood. One of the subject’s to be discussed will be the Big Belly program which has been greatly expanded. An abbreviated description of the program is the following:

• In Center City there were 700 wire baskets in July 2009 that were replaced with approximately 400 BigBelly units.

• As a result of a new 10-year contract the City signed with BigBelly and Green Cities there will be 275 new units with foot pedals and recyclers provided by Green Cities and 125 reconditioned units provided by the City. There will be an advertising contract which also includes cleaning and extended warranty services.

• The Sanitation Division of the Streets Department collects the contents of the units approximately three to four times a week. A communications system notifies the Sanitation Division when a unit is full or has mechanical problems.

• The Streets Department has a limited number of additional units available to place in Center City but will consider CCRA’s recommendations for more units.

The BigBelly program and other Streets Department programs will be discussed in greater detail at the public meeting which be announced in future weekly e-newsletters and emails.

A big Valentine’s Day heart to all those who volunteered or donated funds for a Valentine’s Day Party for 40 male residents of our neighborhood who are experiencing homelessness.  We had over 20 volunteers and raised more than sufficient funds to serve a fabulous meal (plus lots of treats and left-overs for the guys) to everyone.  Volunteers and residents shared good conversation and sat down for a meal together.  Thanks to board member Donna Cordner and her team of volunteers, our local St. Marks Church, where the men sleep at night, was decorated with holiday cheer and the men were each given a Valentines “goody bag” thoughtfully created by our volunteers.  We saw big smiles on some struggling faces. 

After enjoying Primo’s hoagies, lots of fixings, and desserts galore, the men and volunteers continued the fun with an Eagles themed game of “Topple the Tower”, which reminded everyone of who we toppled last Sunday!  It was a huge ice breaker – a game of Eagles Jenga on every table. The room vibrated with groans and cheers as pieces were successfully removed, or the tower toppled.  The games were left for the guys to play again, as they enjoyed them so much (and we did, too!).

This event is part of a commitment of CCRA to make our neighborhood a better place to live, work and play, for ALL its residents.  We will continue to work with the Bethesda Project to find community-based solutions to reduce homelessness as well as lessen its impact on our neighborhood.  If you are interested in joining this initiative in some way (donating clothes, food, time, etc.), please contact board member Barbara Halpern at halpernlaw@gmail.com

Today CCRA sent the following letter to Councilman Kenyatta Johnson supporting his bill that seeks to expand the City's LOOP Program:

Dear Councilperson Johnson:

On behalf of the Center City Residents’ Association (CCRA), I write in support of Bill No. 170901 (“the Bill”), which is the latest in a series of amendments expanding the breath and scope of the Tax Exemptions for Longtime Owner-Occupants of Residential Properties Program (otherwise known as “the LOOP Program”).

Realizing that many longtime homeowners of limited economic means – especially seniors on fixed incomes – could be adversely impacted by the City’s Actual Value Initiative (AVI), CCRA has for years been a strong proponent of the LOOP Program, which provides a limited property tax exemption to eligible owner-occupiers on that portion the assessed valuation of their properties which is in excess of three (3) times the previous year’s valuation.  For example, last year we supported Bill No. 160012, which removed a 10-year cap on the duration of the tax exemption under the LOOP Program for qualifying middle and low income residents.

It is our understanding that the Bill seeks to further expand the LOOP Program by removing a provision from the law that currently renders homeowners ineligible from participation if their total household income is greater than or equal to 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI), as established by HUD.  As a result, if the Bill is passed, long-term owner-occupiers of real estate in the City will be able to take advantage of the LOOP Program for an indefinite period of time so long as their total household income is less than or equal to 150% of AMI, until their properties are sold, transferred, or are no longer their principal residences.

CCRA supports the Bill for two important reasons.  First, the Bill furthers the goal of the LOOP Program to help long-term homeowners in Philadelphia on fixed incomes who experience large increases in the assessed value of their properties from one year to the next.  As a result, it will help those residents who may not be in a position to shoulder the economic consequences of gentrification. 

Second, the economic impact of the LOOP Program on the City’s finances is relatively small given that existing legislation already provides an annual cap of $20 million, and further provides that if the cap were to be reached in any year, then the respective exemptions would be allocated among all eligible taxpayers on a pro rata basis so that the total taxes exempted under the LOOP Program would never exceed $20 million in that year.

We do recognize that there are some potential areas of abuse.  For example, there is the possibility that the City may inadvertently allow some taxpayers with household incomes that somewhat exceed 150% of the AMI to participate in the LOOP Program.  In addition, we realize that certain high-income taxpayers who benefit from an informal, unrecorded property transfer may slip through the cracks and improperly be permitted to participate.

However, on balance, CCRA believes that the benefits of the Bill outweigh those potential areas of abuse.  We therefore look forward to City Council acting on this legislation.

Sincerely,

Wade D. Albert

President

******

Read the original letter here.

CCRA’s Government Relations Committee will be hosting a town hall meeting with United States Congressman Dwight E. Evans starting 6:30 P.M., Monday, December 4, 2017 at Plays and Players, 1714 Delancey Place, to tell us what’s happening in Washington. Since November 14, 2016, the Congressman has represented Pennsylvania’s Second District (which includes the CCRA neighborhood) in the US House of Representatives. He is well known in Philadelphia because of his long service (1980 to 2016) in the PA House of Representatives representing West Oak Lane. In the House of Representatives he serves on the Agriculture and the Small Business Committees, and he is Co-Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Economic Development and Wealth Creation Task Force.

During his brief tenure in the House of Representatives Congressman Evans has introduced six bills. They are H.R. 922, the Rehabilitation of Historic Schools Act of 2017; H.R. 1702, the Small Business Development Centers Improvement Act of 2017; H.R. 2655, the Small Business Innovation Protection Act of 2017; H.R. 2780, the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Cyber Training Act; H.R. 3532, the No Conflict of Interest Presidency Act of 2017; and H.R.3660, the No Federal Funding for Confederate Symbols Act. Two of these bills are in response to the recent national events. H.R. 3532 would require the conversion of the Trump Organization’s businesses, which include real estate, golf courses, hotels, resorts and a range of other investments, into cash, with which President Trump would then be required to buy treasury bills and widely diversified mutual funds, that are considered conflict free under federal law. H.R. 3660, which the Congressman introduced with New York Congressman Adriano Espaillat, would prohibit Federal funds from being used for Confederate symbols on Federal public land. Of the 1,503 remaining symbols of the Confederacy in public spaces, more than 700 Confederate monuments and statues are on public property throughout the country.

The town hall meeting will give the audience an opportunity to discuss a myriad of topics on current legislative issues and other matters important to them.

During his brief tenure in the House of Representatives Congressman Evans has introduced six bills. They are H.R. 922, the Rehabilitation of Historic Schools Act of 2017; H.R. 1702, the Small Business Development Centers Improvement Act of 2017; H.R. 2655, the Small Business Innovation Protection Act of 2017; H.R. 2780, the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Cyber Training Act; H.R. 3532, the No Conflict of Interest Presidency Act of 2017; and H.R.3660, the No Federal Funding for Confederate Symbols Act. Two of these bills are in response to the recent national events. H.R. 3532 would require the conversion of the Trump Organization’s businesses, which include real estate, golf courses, hotels, resorts and a range of other investments, into cash, with which President Trump would then be required to buy treasury bills and widely diversified mutual funds, that are considered conflict free under federal law. H.R. 3660, which the Congressman introduced with New York Congressman Adriano Espaillat, would prohibit Federal funds from being used for Confederate symbols on Federal public land. Of the 1,503 remaining symbols of the Confederacy in public spaces, more than 700 Confederate monuments and statues are on public property throughout the country.

The town hall meeting will give the audience an opportunity to discuss a myriad of topics on current legislative issues and other matters important to them.

Maggie Mund, CCRA Streets Committee Chairperson, recently met with representatives of the city’s Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems (OTIS) on a number of issues involving streets in the CCRA footprint. The results of this meeting were the following:

• South Street’s protected bike lane on the south side of South Street (where the current unprotected bike lane exists) is expected to be in place in the spring of 2018. It should be noted that both the South of South Neighborhood Association (SOSNA) and the South Street West Business Association (SSWBA) approved these plans.
  
• Safety improvements are needed for 27th Street between South and Lombard Streets. Safety posts, repainting and other measures are needed immediately on this block. OTIS will provide CCRA’s executive committee pictures and specific details for their review, comment and approval of these improvements in time for their implementation by the end of 2017.
  
• Major changes are planned for Lombard Street from 22nd to 27th Streets. Traffic patterns are being considered which will utilize stop signs instead of traffic lights. OTIS plans to do a more in depth study on the issue with CCRA’s involvement. Prior to the anticipated implementation date of late 2018, there will be more effective striping on Lombard Street by the end of this year.

Below is a message from our friends at the Albert M. Greenfield School Home and School Association:

Albert M. Greenfield is your neighborhood public school, serving more than 620 students, grades K-8. The cost of a Greenfield education exceeds what the School District of Philadelphia provides. Greenfield has an incredible Home and School Association (HSA) whose goal is improving our students, our school and our city.

Everything Greenfield HSA does depends on our Annual Fund. This centralized fundraising effort covers the yearly budget for all the things we add to the Greenfield student experience:

• teacher grants for classroom and curriculum improvements
• partnerships to bring area arts organizations into the classrooms
• recess supervision, library supplies and student athletics
• drama club, chess club, debate team and MORE.
  

Our goal is to raise $100,000 for the Annual Fund by January 1. We ask you as a neighbor to consider making an invaluable investment in our children. When you give to Greenfield you send a message to our community that quality public school education and enrichment matter. Corporate and individual tax-deductible gifts in any amount are deeply appreciated.

To give online with PayPal: click HERE

To give by check: make payable to “Greenfield Home & School Association," and mail to Albert M. Greenfield School, 2200 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19103.

Questions? Contact Nicole at greenfieldhsa.communications@gmail.com.

The night of October 24, 2017 brought a large crowd to Beth Zion-Beth Israel to hear Beth Grossman, the Republican candidate for DA, and Larry Krasner, the Democratic candidate for DA, debate the serious issues they will face as the #1 Prosecutor for the City of Philadelphia. Moderated by the esteemed Inquirer political writer, Chris Brennan, Chris was adept at allowing the candidates to clearly distinguish themselves from each other about how they would each handle a myriad of crimes, including Mr. Krasner's reputation as a defender of the the accused and non-prosecutorial experience vs. Ms. Grossman's experience as a prosecutor of the accused. Chris included some audience questions as well.   The event was organized by the CCRA Government Relations Committee.

If you missed the debate on Tuesday, October 24, click here to see it in its entirety.