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Letters: Ronnie right on casino, too

COLUMNIST Ronnie Polaneczky once again has her Filadelphia Finger on the pulse of Fishtown, a proud community determined to end years of city politicians ignoring our civic spirit and needs.

COLUMNIST Ronnie Polaneczky once again has her Filadelphia Finger on the pulse of Fishtown, a proud community determined to end years of city politicians ignoring our civic spirit and needs.

Our community's recent meeting with the mayor and his crew at Kensington High School was not only a waste of time, but scary.

Example: Move Fishtown Library resources to the Fishtown rec (or better known as wreck) center - a place without soap, toilet paper, equipment or manpower sufficient to its needs.

Ms. Polaneczky hasn't "written from afar" but has "got down and dirty" with our residents, listening and honoring the hard work of people like Maggie O'Brien, founder of Fishtown Action, which initiated conversations with SugarHouse Casino, mobilized community concerns and involvement and relentlessly works with residents and other civic associations to wring the best deal we could get out of SugarHouse, which WE WANT in Fishtown.

Through all of this, Mayor Nutter is absent, first swept up by the daydreams of PennPraxis (remember them?) and now by the cry of the empty wallet.

The Community Benefits Agreement is done. Period.

Nonparticipating civic associations are welcome to come and share the wealth, responsibility and accountability are needed to manage it. The same goes for the Special Services District that is forming.

Gloom and doom abounds.

But why not let SugarHouse build, create jobs, riverfront access and then use the millions in revenue to let us have our library, pool, fire trucks and other civic necessities?

We got it right, Mr. Mayor.

If you cannot cheer on this success, can you least stand back and respect us enough to honor our community pride, spirit and work?

Joe Varsanyi

Philadelphia