(Photo Credit: Tom Gralish, Philadelphia Inquirer) Mark Dent has a new piece up at Billy Penn looking at the phenomenon of "middle neighborhoods" in Philadelphia--areas marked by neither smoking hot property markets nor deeply entrenched poverty, but who are just trying to hold their ground.  Continue reading

The Democratic field for DA is wide open following Seth Williams's announcement that he won't seek reelection. Everyone assumes the remaining candidates will jockey for the support of the #resistance. Will this race hinge on criminal justice reform? Maybe, but this is still Philadelphia, and these people are still running for DA.   Continue reading

  (Photo: David Swanson, Philadelphia Inquirer) Earlier this week, 36th ward committeepeople voted in 2nd District Councilman Kenyatta Johnson as the new 36th ward leader, replacing Harold James, who said he was stepping down due to health problems.  Continue reading

In which Councilman Kenyatta Johnson greenlights the acquisition 136 acres in Tinicum Township for the PHL International airport expansion along with an interesting energy procurement idea; Councilman Mark Squilla permits some new street vendors in the 1st District; and several Councilmembers call for a hearing on whether the cigarette tax rate might be on the wrong side of the Laffer Curve, and whether something should be done about these drones.  Continue reading

  (Photo: Adam E. Moreira via Wikimedia Commons, used under CC-BY-SA-3.0) Back in 2014, Pennsylvania lawmakers took a tough vote to uncap the state gas tax and fund the Act 89 transportation funding bill. Continue reading

Once upon a time in West Philly, there was a street vendor who would set up shop every day on the same street corner. Continue reading

In which Jannie Blackwell proposes District Councilmembers approve all your plants and benches; Darrell Clarke and Bill Greenlee propose a new way to bring tax delinquents to the table; and David Oh panders to the electric vehicle charging station NIMBYs. Continue reading

If you're thinking about running for a ward seat for the first time in 2018, one question you may be asking is "how much influence do wards really have over who wins elections?" Continue reading

City Council has been on winter break for seven weeks, but they're back and ready for action. Or at least for filing some bills. Our Council Report Card is back too, with a weekly look at the top bills introduced in City Council. You can track the status of prior bills we've written about here. One quick note: this week's Report Card contains bills introduced last Thursday, so they're about a week old. We'll have the latest bills up early next week. Continue reading

Over the past two weeks, Philadelphia 3.0 hosted two sold-out 'Get Mad, Then Get Elected' workshops that helped prepare nearly 200 Philadelphians from over half the citys wards to run for their first political office next year in the 2018 ward elections.  Continue reading