Letters | It's all about trash - and a whole lot more

ALL THE CANDIDATES running for mayor are saying what they're going to do for the city, but not one has said anything about cleaning up these dirty streets - and, boy, are they dirty.

You can't ride through the city without coming across tires and trash-strewn lots. Buildings that have been vacant for years are strewn with trash, especially around 49th and Paschal, and 25th and Washington - and 33rd and Grays Ferry looks like a garbage dump. And all those trash-strewn empty lots - what are they going to do about that?

And maybe the next mayor can do something about the parking in South Philly, especially around Ritner and Jackson. You can't even get through because of the double-parking that's been there for years. You can't even get a water ice.

Also, maybe the next mayor can fix the debacle in Fairmount Park - I mean the Dell East. That's one of the things that really needs to be addressed - cleaning up the facility and getting it so we who pay our money in the summer to attend these shows can have a decent place to go, just like the Mann has done.

Yes, getting city workers new contracts is also a tough one - and finding money for all these things is going to be hard. But at least try to give salaries for the work, and not just because this person has been on the job for so long or for nepotism.

So before I decide who I'm going to vote for, I need some reasons. Maybe the next mayor will pick a police chief who can do his job and not be afraid to speak on camera. Maybe the next mayor will hire some city workers to clean up the streets . . . maybe.

Harriet B. Brown, Philadelphia