Letters to the Editor | April 19, 2023

As a retired professional who prepared environmental impact statements of wasteto-energy plants, I took particular interest in the recent piece on the Chester resource recovery facility. Although it’s the largest polluter in the area, the facility does not exceed federal limits on emissions. To reduce harmful effects on nearby residents, new federal regulations should be implemented that further limit concentrations of emitted pollutants. Instead, local activists are seeking to shut down the plant altogether. I found it ironic that another Inquirer article addressed bankrupt Chester’s possible “disincorporation.” As the plant generates millions in annual tax revenues for the cash-starved city, shuttering the plant would merely accelerate that path. Once that happens, Delaware County would assume control of local services. Residents would then face the prospect of taking their problems to unelected bureaucrats in Media. Good luck with that.

Jerome L. Stern, American Institute of Certified Planners, Merion Station

Kudos to Mayor Jim Kenney for planning on evaluating the impact of the Sixers arena on the surrounding communities. I would like to see him go a step further and tell us who benefits financially. I’m sure the owners of the Fashion District would be jumping through hoops if the deal goes through. Will there be tax breaks and abatements like there were for the Fashion District at taxpayer expense? Will there be other sites evaluated, i.e., FDR Park, which has room for parking and no buildings to tear down? How is the arena going to be used when the Sixers are not playing? Is the city going to get a percentage of the ticket sales?

Diane Soifer, Philadelphia

On behalf of all union members in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, I wish to thank Govs. Josh Shapiro and Phil Murphy for forming a new interstate task force to better protect workers and crack down on unscrupulous construction contractors who routinely engage in the misclassification of workers. Every member union of both states’ Building Trades Councils confronts this problem daily. Nonunion contractors illegally misclassify workers as “independent contractors” instead of employees. These false classifications allow greedy contractors to evade payroll taxes and benefits contributions. The workers aren’t the only ones who get shortchanged. Uncollected payroll taxes hurt our local municipalities and place a financial strain on the constituent services they provide, such as police, fire, schools, water, sanitation, and more. We’re also grateful for the more localized crackdowns on the misclassification of workers already begun by District Attorneys Jack Stollsteimer in Delaware County and Matt Weintraub in Bucks County. Their efforts are working. Of course, the easiest way to avoid the misclassification of workers scam is to hire — or work for — a union contractor. We play by the rules.

Mark Lynch Jr., business manager, IBEW Local 98

In response to the article about violent texts targeting specific fifth graders at Bala Cynwyd Middle School, I am appalled. The lackadaisical approach and concern for student (and teacher) safety are more than concerning. If a fifth grader were to mention self-harm or harm to others to their doctor, the physician would be obligated to speak up. All bets are off in instances such as these. Why is this being treated differently? Didn’t we learn anything from seeing a first grader shoot his teacher? In that instance, the teacher and several others complained to leadership that the child was violent and troubled, and nothing was done. The result was that a teacher was shot by her young student. Lives were changed, and teachers and other students were traumatized. Lower Merion School District: Speak up. Do something to address the situation before it escalates to something far worse than a distressingly violent text.

Joanne Gotto, Philadelphia

Pardon me, but do you have any more thoughts and prayers that I could borrow? There have been so many mass shootings lately that I have run out. Maybe I can get some from the NRA? There was another mass shooting on Saturday night. This time it was at a Sweet 16 party in a small town in Alabama. Four people are dead and 28 are wounded. Maybe it would be better if we put an end to all the shootings. Then we could use our thoughts and prayers for something else, like world peace or butterflies.

Sheryl Kalick, Philadelphia

Emotional currency aside, is not the point of “intervention” with the embryonic process and its consequences a private, nongovernmental, nonpolitical matter between the intervenors and their God? Our elastic approaches are demonstratively tentative and illusory and do not comport with scholastic philosophy. We have come to a point at which the ethic is the pawn of geopolitical boundaries resulting in polarization across the entire political spectrum. Both the ethic and the individual are subject to the zero-sum political vagaries of party rhetoric and administration changes. Why not put the decision where it belongs, and everyone else minds their own personal views?

John X. Fenerty Sr., Jenkintown

Hardly a day passes without news of the obscene amounts (and questionable sources) of money being poured into our upcoming mayoral election: the money from PACs, the outside contributions, and most egregious of all, the self-funding by local millionaires. While none of this is illegal, it is most certainly immoral, and just one more step toward the corruption of our already besieged electoral system and democracy. The very idea of a fair and equal playing field has been destroyed by candidates Allan Domb and Jeff Brown, whose use of their personal fortunes has given them a huge advantage. It has forced the remaining candidates to seek money from outside sources and has already driven qualified candidates from the race because they cannot compete financially. Two of the recent dropouts are minority candidates, both experienced Council members. Worst of all, there seems to be little or no interest in changing the rules of campaign finance. But there is a way to eliminate this unfairness, and it lies in the hands of the voters. We have the final say as to who our next mayor will be, and we can exercise our power by refusing to support less qualified candidates who would buy their way into public office. We are not lacking in qualified, savvy, experienced, and competent candidates who have proved their worthiness through hard work prior to the election, and who deserve the job. Anyway, just how many more rich men do we need in public office?

Andrea Preis, Philadelphia

I have pride in my Bucks County roots. Having lived in many places in the U.S. and abroad, whenever I was asked where I was from, my answer often elicited approving recognition. From rural one-room schoolhouses to graduation at Central Bucks High School, my education wasn’t perfect. There were occasional instances of antisemitism from teachers and fellow students, but there were also gifted teachers who infused me with a lifelong appreciation of learning. That legacy is now under attack by those who would block the benefits and wisdom that books can impart to a receptive mind. Many of the titles that censors want to ban deal with matters that confront young people: relationships, teen pregnancy, physical and emotional abuse, racism, and LGBTQ issues. These are not problems that should be hidden from young people who have questions. Instead of denying access to knowledge, we must provide support and empathy.

Douglas R. Shane, Vershire, Vt

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