Eighth District Northwest community residents had the chance to voice their concerns during a voter forum called “Eyes on the Eighth.”
With seven candidates running for the 8th District City Council seat, which include the neighborhoods of Germantown, Logan, Nicetown, Tioga, Ogontz, parts of Hunting Park, Mt. Airy and Chestnut Hill, community members wanted the candidates to know exactly what the Northwest community is looking for.
Held at the First United Methodist Church of Germantown, located on the 6000 block of Germantown Avenue, over 30 community members from the different Northwest neighborhoods came out to express their own opinions.
Pamela Bracey of Germantown said, “The forum is important because we haven’t changed leadership in 15 years and we have a number of persons running. We need to hear what they are saying and to see if they are coming in line with what the community needs because it is so diverse.”
Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller has served as the 8th District councilwoman since January 996.
Community members split up into to two groups and each had the chance to voice different concerns about what they need out of their future representative. Candidates were able to attend the event, however could not speak. The four out of the seven candidates who attended were urged to listen.
Many residents addressed issues dealing with the creation of supermarkets, funding for education, redeveloping the shopping district and community, enhancing transit routes and the creation of economic opportunities.
Attendee Zendora Armstrong said there is one trait that the future representative needs to have with his or her community.
“Communication. They need to communicate with the ward leaders and the community so we can do our jobs as liaisons to see what the community wants.”
There are two more forums Northwest residents can attend to on March 28 at the Chestnut Hill Presbyterian Church and on April 5 at the Commodore Barry Club in Mt. Airy.
The purpose of the forums is to create a set of questions for candidates to answer in-depth at the debate on April 27 held at the First Presbyterian Church of Germantown. The debate will be streaming live online.
I live near the intersection of Mount Airy and Stenton Avenues. This is an area with potential with a mix of commercial and residential neighbors. Unfortunately, the Stenton Avenue corridor is a disgrace with so much litter. it wouldn’t take much to beautify the neighborhood. I’d love to see similar measures taken to those on Germantown, Ogontz and Wadsworth Avenues. One step would be to place solar trash bins on the streets with signs to “Keep Mount Airy Beautiful.’