How Much Does Ballot Position Impact Philly Vote Totals?
Everybody knows that a candidate's ballot position has an impact on his or her chances of being elected, but it's always been unclear exactly how large the effect is.
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With Lowest 'For Sale' Inventory in 16 Years, Philly's Housing Boom Isn't Over Yet
While various housing commentators have wanted to call the top of the market for Philly's post-recession housing boom for a couple years now, this chart created by our friend Jake Liefer should pour cold water on that notion.
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Listen to Philadelphia 3.0 on WHYY's Radio Times
Our campaign to recruit people to run for ward elections in 2018 has been picking up steam for the last month, and local media is taking notice. We sold out both of our January workshops, which will train 200 people on the nuts and bolts of winning ward elections, some of the neighborhood teams we've helped organize are already starting to meet already, and sign-ups continue to roll in through our web form.
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A Happy Two-Month Break to Philly's "Full-Time" City Council
If next week were a normal week, on Monday you could expect to read our weekly digest of the most interesting bills introduced in City Council the previous Thursday. But there won't be any new bills introduced this week, because City Council is going on holiday break...for the next two months.
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Rebecca Rhynhart Considering Primary Challenge for Philly Controller
(Rebecca Rhynhart)
One good thing about politics as a hobby is that if one election doesn't go your way, the next one is always just six months away. And luckily for those Philadelphians who have an overabundance of nervous energy to burn after 2016, the two major citywide primaries in 2017, for District Attorney and Controller, are shaping up to be competitive elections where a little volunteer work could go a long way toward changing the course on important issues facing Philly.
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Council Report Card: Week of December 12th
In which Derek Green and Al Taubenberger propose increasing the reward for reporting on short-dumping; Several Councilmembers propose some basic accommodations for pedestrians near construction sites; Mark Squilla proposes a crackdown on SLAPP lawsuits and a rezoning of Queen Village; and Curtis Jones, Helen Gym, and Maria Quiñones-Sánchez request an update on the Police Department's body camera project.
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The Wrangling Over Leslie Acosta's Replacement Shows Why You Should Run for a Ward Seat
We've been following the drama over state representative/convicted felon Leslie Acosta's inevitable replacement the last few months, and now Max Marin shares a juicy update on the wrangling to replace Acosta in the 197th District.
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SEPTA Key Can Transform Mobility in Philly (If We Let It)
(Photo credit: PlanPhilly)
After years of waiting and frustrating delays, SEPTA riders are finally getting a modern card payment system. Not only will we be able to use credit cards to pay for transit rides, and automatically refill our passes online, the payment system will introduce the city to a brand new technology--a technology that could combine with policy changes to drastically increase transit ridership, and meaningfully change the way Philadelphia residents and visitors get around our city.
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Council Report Card: Week of December 5th
In which Blondell Reynolds Brown, Al Taubenberger, and Mark Squilla propose a new fee to fund the Historical Commission; David Oh proposes repaying teachers who spend their own money on classroom supplies; Darrell Clarke and Maria Quiñones-Sánchez put some land in the Land Bank; and several Councilmembers call for a hearing on turning Philadelphia into a "zero waste" city.
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Local Advocates Working to Bring Ranked Choice Voting to Philly
One of the running debates people are having in the wake of the 2016 elections is to what degree third-party candidates played a "spoiler" role to Hillary Clinton by siphoning off the votes of people who almost certainly would've preferred Clinton--not Donald Trump--as a second-best alternative to Green Party candidate Jill Stein.
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