Letters to the Editor | March 20, 2026

I don’t know where Mayor Cherelle L. Parker lives, but I suspect her neighborhood is very well-maintained, with not a speck of litter to be seen. Not so in other areas of the city. Several weeks ago, I drove down I-95 from Northeast Philly and took one of the Center City exits to Callowhill Street. I looked over at a grassy area sloping up from the roadway and was horrified by what I saw — all manner of litter, from paper and cardboard to glass and plastic bottles.

Even more concerning was the realization that my route into Center City may be the same one being used by visitors coming to Philly for the first time. Imagine tourists pulling off I-95 and being greeted by this eyesore — what a terrible first impression. I called 311 and was directed to a website to register my complaint. I received a confirmation that the above-mentioned areas would be scheduled for cleanup.

It’s been almost three weeks since I called, but the mess is still there. I’m sure that if Mayor Parker saw it, it would have been cleaned up the next day. And it’s not just Center City. I’ve also seen badly littered spots along Roosevelt Boulevard. I wonder if the mayor gets to inspect any other neighborhoods around the city. She needs to, if she wants us to live up to her goal of us being the cleanest, greenest big city in America. Right now, too many neighborhoods still more closely resemble that old disgraceful moniker — Filthadelphia.

Jack Butler, Philadelphia

A few weeks ago, it was announced that PennDot was releasing another $100 million in federal funds designated to build electric car charging stations in Pennsylvania. I think that is great, but the announcement goes on to say that so far, Pennsylvania has 29 federally funded stations either built or under construction at a cost of about $17 million. That’s $586,206 per station. I’m not a math major, but I think someone should look into why it costs the state about the same as a small house to build a single charging station.

Stefan Keller, Huntingdon Valley

I woke up in a cold sweat the other night, wondering why more attention wasn’t being paid to the plight of Transportation Security Administration workers. And then, as if they read my mind, the members of the Inquirer Editorial Board gave voice to my anxiety. Their editorial, which in the newspaper carried the headline “Wrong time to let down our guard,” is an excellent commentary on this frightening situation.

While performing one of the most crucial national security jobs, these agents are not only poorly paid, they are currently not being paid at all, while billions are somehow found to fight an apparently aimless and misguided war in Iran, as noted by director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Joe Kent, in his recent resignation letter.

The Inquirer reported that, over his long golfing weekend, POTUS was asked if Americans should be concerned about terrorist attacks on American soil. “I guess,” he replied. “Some people will die.” Much of Donald Trump’s rationale for his actions has been, he admits, based on “a feeling,” or a “guess.” Months ago I asked myself, how much worse can it get? Now we know.

John Groch, West Chester

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