How City Council's Zoning 'Overlay Mania' Could Put Statewide Democrats at Risk
With four members of City Council now having resigned to run for Mayor, there have been several fascinating new developments this past week that could be consequential for the politics of the 2023 election, the legislative math for passing bills in the lame duck City Council, and even the 2022 statewide elections.
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Pew's Property Tax Report and the Politics of Tax Reform
(Image: Pew)
The City’s Office of Property Assessment has started mailing out official property assessments to property owners last week, after releasing initial estimates of the changes on Atlas a few months ago.
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Dispatches from the City Hall Rumor Mill | Part Two: The Emerging Field for Mayor
(Photo credit: Jon Geeting)
Next May, voters will head to the polls to elect a new Mayor, with all of seventeen City Council seats also up for grabs. So for the next few weeks, in partnership with Lauren Vidas of the Broad and Market newsletter, we’ll be previewing those likely candidates for the 2023 Municipal Election.
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Dispatches from the City Hall Rumor Mill | Part One: The Emerging Field for Mayor
(Photo credit: Jon Geeting)
Next May, voters will head to the polls to elect a new Mayor, with all of seventeen City Council seats also up for grabs. So for the next few weeks, in partnership with Lauren Vidas of the Broad and Market newsletter, we’ll be previewing those likely candidates for the 2023 Municipal Election.
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The Next Mayor Should Set a Goal for 2 Million Philadelphians
(Image: What things were probably like when Philadelphia had 2 million people)
The upcoming 2023 municipal elections have the promise of being much more interesting from a voter standpoint than in 2015 or 2019, as an open Mayoral seat is attracting a higher-quality field of candidates than was the case last time that happened in 2015.
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For More Affordable Housing Funding, Bring Back the Fee Option for Small Apartment Projects
(Image: 1201 Wharton | Flow)
With the passage of the Whole-Home Repair bill in Harrisburg, creating a new funding source for Basic Systems Repair funding around the state, it’s a good time for Philadelphia officials to start thinking about how best to leverage this opportunity by raising even more Basic Systems Repair funding locally to add to the pot.
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How the Democratic City Committee's Moves Against 'Outsiders' Weaken the Party Ahead of Critical 2022 Midterms
In a very unfavorable midterm year for Democrats, with historically low approval numbers for President Biden, you might think Democratic Party organizations in Pennsylvania would be welcoming new energy from politically-engaged newcomers, but at the lowest levels the opposite is unfortunately more typically the case.
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The High Cost of a Disengaged Mayor
(Book cover of Mayor: The Best Job in Politics, by Michael Nutter)
Former Mayor Michael Nutter is out with a new op-ed his week making a plea to 2023 voters to consider the leadership qualities of the individuals who may be seeking the office next year, with suggestions for ten traits voters should be looking for.
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PA State Legislators Made Some Big Moves on Housing - Let’s Keep It Going!
(Northern Liberties, under construction | Photo: Jon Geeting)
America is in the grips of a nationwide housing shortage that totals about 3.8 million housing units and the New York Times published an informative analysis last week showing how this problem has moved beyond just the big cost-crisis metros on the coasts, and now impacts virtually every metropolitan area in the country.
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Philly’s City Planning Nullification Crisis Continues
(A former Land Bank lot approved for community garden use grows weeds near the Berks El station | Photo: Jon Geeting)
We’ve been spending some time documenting the nullification crisis that’s confronting city planning politics in Philadelphia, where in a pathbreaking change to the political norms of recent history, District City Councilmembers are increasingly using special zoning overlays to nullify city-wide land use and housing laws within their own districts.
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