Letters to the Editor | March 8, 2023

Once again, City Council wants to undermine the power of the mayor, this time by amending the city’s Home Rule Charter to establish a public safety director position. The charter specifically set up a strong executive branch so it could be held accountable for how the government runs. Council did this before by getting itself confirmation rights over school board appointees. Rather than making the mayor accountable for the functioning of the board, we have the mayor plus 17 Council members, so no one is accountable. Allowing City Council the right to mandate a cabinet member and approve that person is again an overreach of its authority and undermines how the executive should function. Diluting the charter’s vision of a strong executive is not a viable solution. Unfortunately, voters always say yes to amendments to the Home Rule Charter, no matter the merit. The amendment to establish and control a cabinet post on safety is wrong and should not be approved. Certainly not now, when we look forward to having strong leadership from a new mayor.

Mary Goldman, Philadelphia

As Philadelphia’s mayoral contest gets underway, drugs, gun violence, homelessness, and the revival of Center City have emerged as frontline issues. But there is another enmeshed issue that needs to be part of the discussion: serious mental illness. While people with serious mental illness make up just over 3% of the adult population in Philadelphia, they represent a larger share of the city’s intractable problems. An estimated 40% of the city’s homeless population has a serious mental illness. This is in part because half of people with serious mental illness receive no treatment for their severe psychiatric condition. We call on the 2023 Philadelphia mayoral candidates to share their policies on tackling untreated serious mental illness in the city. We also call on the media and our fellow Philadelphians to ensure these candidates address these issues throughout the mayoral campaign.

Marc Pomper and Elizabeth Sinclair Hancq, Philadelphia, sinclaire@treatmentadvocacycenter.org

Any discussions about how to attack the plague of violence in Philadelphia need not include any justification for this violence based on the high levels of poverty. The overwhelming majority of the city’s poor residents are not criminals and have no interest in victimizing their fellow citizens. It is insulting to mention poverty as some sort of explanation for high levels of violence. No pundit or candidate who connects poverty and violence has explained how the homicide rate was cut significantly under the last mayor in spite of persistent poverty. The fact that Philadelphia struggled with high poverty and still reduced the incidents of gun violence would suggest that other factors are driving this increase. The next mayor needs to appoint people who are capable of delving into what has changed and reversing any policy or procedure that has contributed to the erosion of safety over the last eight years. It’s concerning that some people claim to be serious about making the city safer while also saying they will not consider any tactics or policies of the past, even if those things kept people safer. Such a view is arrogant and foolish. Considering the stakes, we cannot afford either.

Seth Jones, Philadelphia

Philadelphia mayoral candidates all say they value the arts, at least personally. One plays the piano, another can dance, and another suggests installing a “deputy mayor of arts, culture, and fun.” Arts and culture is a $4.1 billion economic engine for our city, generating 55,000 full-time equivalent jobs, $1.3 billion in household income, and $224.3 million in state and local taxes, according to the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. The arts strengthen our communities and keep youth and adults off the streets, engaged in active and creative learning. The arts make our communities safer for everyone and attract new residents to our city, including all-important knowledge workers. If we want to live in a vibrant, safe, and economically robust city with strong local communities, our mayor must support our arts and culture sector through a dedicated funding stream. Strengthen this critical economic and community engine in our city.

Carol S. Fixman, Philadelphia

The Pennsylvania Asian Pacific American Jewish Alliance and the American Jewish Committee will commemorate the two-year anniversary of the murder of Asian workers in the Atlanta-area spas, as well as recent shootings in California during the Lunar New Year. Asian Americans have gone through a lot in recent years. But no community is immune from these tragedies, which have occurred in homes, workplaces, houses of worship, college campuses, and even public streets. It is an important Jewish value to stand with other minorities over issues of common concern. Asians also stand in solidarity with other minorities, especially in times of crisis. These commonalities and shared goals bring these diverse communities together to stand up for each other as friends. The Jewish and Asian communities invite friends from diverse communities to come together at 2 p.m. on March 16 at the Michael A. Nutter Theatre in the Pennsylvania Convention Center to remember the lives cut short and show solidarity. Constantly coming together to offer comfort and consolation can be exhausting. But it is necessary. Please join us.

Stephanie Sun and Alan Hoffman, cochairs, PAPAJA, and Marcia Bronstein, regional director, AJC, Philadelphia, philadelphia@ajc.org

According to a letter writer, the cause of societal decline is single-parent homes without fathers. While it’s true that many children suffer from the noninvolvement of their fathers, the real reason why there is so much violence is trauma. Just seeing shootings can disturb a child, and the constant, terrifying repetition of gun assaults is enough to cause widespread repercussions. Trying to raise a family without enough money is the predicament of millions of parents. Lack of affordable day care, lack of insurance for medical care, and lack of healthy food in neighborhoods create community-wide trauma. This is the backdrop against which both single and married parents struggle. And for minority families, the added tension of racism adds to the trauma. Let’s not pile on single mothers who show extraordinary courage and resilience in the face of impossible barriers to bring up their children. Not all succeed, of course, but why expect perfection from them when we don’t hold others to the same standard?

Sandra Choukroun, Penn Valley

That poor students of color are transferred from an asbestos-contaminated school to another in a neighborhood with high rates of gun violence is a telling commentary on American morality and priorities. As the world’s wealthiest nation, America can easily afford to provide all students, regardless of background, with schools that don’t threaten their health. And as citizens of a supposedly civilized nation, it is within our power to drastically limit gun ownership, as it is limited in most other developed and developing countries. But although we have the means to do so, the will to safeguard the lives of all children is clearly lacking in American culture, despite our national wealth. This is nothing short of criminal.

Carol Stein, Philadelphia, csstein66@gmail.com

As the first vice president for external affairs of what was born as the Regional Performing Arts Center and is now the Kimmel Center, I write to note the passing of Rafael Viñoly. The architectural genius who designed the Philadelphia landmark passed away on March 2. As I searched my files after news of his death, I found Viñoly’s remarks describing his vision for the Kimmel and for Verizon Hall, in particular: “Instead of thinking about this space from an architectural perspective, it occurred to me that what we needed to do was think about it as what it really is: another instrument.” While Viñoly was the creative genius, the late visionary developer Willard Rouse III was the indomitable force who marshaled the civic will to create it, along with then-Mayor Ed Rendell. “It will mean so much to the Greater Philadelphia region and to its ability to grow over the next century. It’s incredible,” Rouse said then. Nov. 12 will mark 25 years since ground was broken for Viñoly’s timeless gift. It is fair to say at this time in Kimmel’s history that the team of Viñoly and Rouse, both now gone, changed our city forever.

Don Haskin, Philadelphia

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