Fishtown in the WSJ

Yesterday's Wall Street Journal has an article on tough neighborhoods to build in (Housing stalls in urban hot spots," by Laura Kusisto, 7/17/2017).  Fishtown, a Philadelphia neighborhood is third toughest neighborhood in the US, at least according to the article.  What makes a tough neighborhood to build in?

Residents of these older urban neighborhoods generally have resisted newcomers, complaining about congestion and public transit and seeking to preserve architecture, sunlight and views.

There is a nifty chart with the article showing that Philadelphia generally is slight tougher to build in than average.  A sidebar article, not online that I can find, "A Look at Fishtown area in Philadelphia" goes into some detail.

Josephs endorsed by Two Women's PACs

from the inbox:

State Representative Babette Josephs this week accepted the official endorsements of two of the area’s top women’s advocacy organizations. Political Action Committees for Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia chapter of National Organization of Women affirmed their support for a progressive leader who has been fighting for women’s rights and women’s reproductive health since before Roe v. Wade.

            “I want to thank Planned Parenthood and NOW for their support today and I want to thank all the women – and men – who speak up for women’s health and women’s rights,” Rep. Josephs said. “These organizations both have rich histories and enthusiastic members. It gives me the strength to stand up to the bullies in Harrisburg knowing that they are standing behind me.”

            Babette Josephs was a leader in the fight against a 1972 Pennsylvania bill that would have completely banned abortion in the state. After the Roe v. Wade decision of 1973, Ms. Josephs co-founded the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL) and served as its executive director. Having fought for women’s issues throughout her tenure in the House, she is now working to repeal the landmark Abortion Control Act of 1989. Rep. Josephs has taken the lead on women’s reproductive health in Harrisburg and has worked to promote understanding of women’s issues and women’s rights among her colleagues.

Adam Lang for Philly GOP Delegate

One of my favorite Philadelphia Republicans, Adam Lang, is running to be a national delegate.  Why is he one of my favorites?  Adam is trustworthy, kind, thoughtful, steadfast in his beliefs but not dismissive of those who think differently, and has a great sense of humor.  If you are a Republican in his district, I encourage you to give him your consideration.

Details:

Adam Lang has announced he is seeking one of three Delegate positions to the 2012 Republican National Convention in the Pennsylvania 2^nd Congressional District.

“While I predominantly focus on local Philadelphia area issues, we do suffer from ‘trickle –down politics’ at the national level,” says Adam Lang.  “I will go to the Convention to push for policy platform issues that are important to residents in the Philadelphia area as well as other urban areas in the United States.”

Adam Lang believes that the Republican Party needs to focus on market and data based solutions, infrastructure, on strong enforcement of civil liberties, tax reform for simplicity and fairness,  and a role of limited government, but not anti-government.

While Adam Lang has personal policy views he has been developing over the years while being a reform activist in Philadelphia, he also knows government is about serving people.

“Leading up to the Convention, I plan to host several town halls for residents in Philadelphia and Montgomery County  to come and share their beliefs and needs so we can focus on the areas we agree on and what we can and need to tackle.”

Adam Lang lives in North Philadelphia where he has been an active member of his civic association for several years.

For further information, contact Adam Lang directly or through his website at www.adamlang.com.

State House Election Updates

State Rep. Mike O'Brien (D-175) has re-launched his website:  www.repmikeobrien.com

Jordan Harris has announced his candidacy for the 186th state house district.  His website is:  www.electjordanharris.com.  The campaign has a cool logo.

Treatman's Statement on Miller Raid

from the inbox:

8th District City Council candidate Howard Treatman released the following statement in reaction to the apparent raid of Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller’s office by the Philadelphia Board of Ethics.

“The media reported today that the Ethics Board is investigating Councilwoman Miller’s office for using taxpayer funded resources to influence the 8th District Council race. We don’t know all the facts yet, but if the news reports are true, this is yet another example of the kind of back-room politics that I’ve been running against in this campaign. Using a City Council office for political purposes is illegal and unethical, but it’s no surprise to hear that it goes on. Councilwoman Miller should be open and forthright about this misstep and tell the people of the 8th District what happened.”

At 1:37 PM today, the Philadelphia Daily News blog Philly Clout reported that the Board of Ethics raided Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller’s office for evidence that taxpayer owned resources were being used to produce campaign material for City Council candidate Verna Tyner. The blog also reported that Councilwoman Miller’s endorsement of Tyner was sent out Tuesday on City Council stationary.