Immigration: Councilwoman Helen Gym Calls For Reform, Reflects On City’s Progress
As the daughter of immigrants, Councilwoman Helen Gym has dedicated much of her time in public service as an at-large member of Philadelphia City Council to advocating for the city’s immigrant and refugee communities. Gym is a former teacher and organizer, notably having worked at Asian-Americans United. She is also the first Asian-American woman to […]
Immigration: Councilman Mark Squilla Helps Serve Immigrant Communities
Councilman Mark Squilla is the councilman for the First District in Philadelphia City Council. Squilla is the representative for several Philadelphia neighborhoods such as Chinatown, Kensington, Bella Vista, Northern Liberties, Fishtown and Port Richmond. A native of South Philadelphia, Squilla has been engaged in public service for close to 30 years, serving on the Philadelphia Democratic […]
Education: Councilwoman Helen Gym, “I need a big vision for the school district that people believe in.”
Helen Gym (D) is an at-large Philadelphia City Council member and vocal education advocate. Her goal in public office has been to to tackle widespread poverty through creating a quality public education system – the same system she taught in and put her children through. Philadelphia Neighborhoods spoke with Councilwoman Gym on the phone to discuss the […]
Point Breeze: This Week In The News – Feibush Sues Johnson, Affordable Housing Project Approved
In case you missed it, we found a few places where people were talking about things happening in Point Breeze: 33 affordable housing homes approved for Point Breeze: On the heals of Philadelphia’s Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) approval, two plots of land in Point Breeze will be turned into 33 affordable apartments and townhouses […]
Politics: Councilwoman Brown Shows Service and Activism in the Community
It was shortly after 11 o’clock on a brisk Friday morning in North Philadelphia. Folks at the Martin Luther King Jr. Senior Center at the corner of 21st Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue were carefully listening to safety tips from city officials at the center’s annual Senior Citizen Expo. Front-and-center stood Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown, […]
Politics: Criminal Justice Reform Committee Focuses On Psychology
The Special Committee on Criminal Justice Reform met last month in the City Council chambers. Co-chairs Curtis Jones Jr. of City Council, retired Deputy Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel and the head of the Defender Association of Philadelphia, Kier Bradford-Grey all presided over the hearing that focused on the psychology of criminals and potential criminals, and […]
Immigration: After Sanctuary City Status Returns, City Council Members Look Forward On Immigration Reform
Councilwoman Maria Quiñones-Sánchez (above, in red) was the first Latina elected to a district seat in City Council and has continued to advocate for Philadelphia’s diverse communities since. Working directly with Mayor Jim Kenney, she proposed a municipal ID law on Feb. 25 that would provide all city residents with access to government-issued photo IDs that do […]
Queens Village: Run215 Founder Jon Lyons More Than Just a Runner
Jon Lyons was not always a runner. In fact, after running track in middle school, he hated the sport for much of his life. He invested time in music, even touring with a rock band. Then his life changed. He fathered a child. Things became complicated. He began to abuse substances and he knew he was headed down a […]
Politics: Republican City Councilman At-Large Al Taubenberger’s Focus is Jobs
If at first you don’t succeed, try five more times. At least that’s what Al Taubenberger did. Taubenberger failed in his five previous runs for office — twice for U.S. representative, once for mayor, once for state representative, and once for city council at-large, losing his last election by a mere 163 votes. But in […]
Mantua: “My Parents and Grandparents Trained Me to Survive.”
Nine years ago, De’Wayne Drummond nearly lost it all. A lifelong resident of the Mantua section of West Philadelphia, Drummond had unknowingly fallen asleep in nearly six pints of his own blood at his home on Haverford Avenue near 34th Street, only to be awoken by his infant daughter, Jadyn, who was desperately pleading for […]