Fatimah Ali: The good that Pennsylvania Rep. Dwight Evans has done

I T REALLY RUBS me the wrong way when small-minded politicians cut off their noses and end up spiting not only their own faces - but ours, too.

The recent reversal of fortune for state Rep. Dwight Evans of West Oak Lane as chairman of the House Appropriations Committee at the hands of at least two local Democrats is bad for the entire city.

There was a time when I wouldn't set foot - or car - in West Oak Lane. Especially Ogontz Avenue, where pothole-filled streets were hazardous to any set of wheels. If I had business that could be done there, just a short jump from home, I'd try to get it done elsewhere.

I dreaded having to visit the Philadelphia High School for Girls, which my eldest daughter attended, because traveling down Ogontz Avenue was so hazardous to my car - not to mention all the litter strewn everywhere. And that was the situation until Evans started bringing in money to fund projects in the community that he's served with dedication and strength for 30 years.

As I noticed the improvements, I found myself wondering if perhaps I should consider relocating my family to his neighborhood, which is full of beautiful architecture but is much more affordable than where I live.

What I saw was that Ogontz Avenue was coming back to life.

I don't know Evans personally, but only to exchange polite conversation with him when I see him casually, or have over the years interviewed him for a news report. Our exchanges have usually been cordial, professional and brief.

So when I ran into him at the supermarket a few months ago, and he looked a bit like someone had been whipping his tail, I pulled him aside and queried him about his situation in Harrisburg.

He was discreet, as usual, and I tried to buck him up encouraging him to remember his stellar record in the Legislature. He never said he was about to lose his position, but I later believed I'd seen his uncertainty about the future.

And now that it's all public, I say shame on the legislators who voted against him - because Evans has spent the duration of his political tenure making Philly better for everyone.

Yes, he's funded projects in his own neighborhood. But they're ones that improved the quality of life for residents in West Oak Lane, and they've also successfully eliminated blight on the Ogontz Avenue corridor, a major thruway between Cheltenham Township and wealthier neighborhoods like Mount Airy and Chestnut Hill.

Suddenly, there was a bright, new restaurant, a trendy new coffee spot, newly paved streets and a jazz festival. Nice for outsiders like me, and even better for residents, because projects like these translate into jobs, much-needed revenue and appreciation of real-estate values and thus good for the city's tax base.

It also meant that I could go right next door and not have to travel all the way to Penn's Landing to hear good free jazz in the summer.

It was also nice knowing that I didn't have to drive all the way across town to get the basics done, like replacing my stolen driver's license. Instead of the hassles of traveling downtown or to Delaware Avenue, I went to the bright, new Department of Motor Vehicles office on Ogontz Avenue, where friendly workers produced my new ID in a matter of minutes. And when I have a yen for some fine Bynum Brothers dining, I'm heading for their newest venue, Relish, for great food and smooth music, instead of having to tussle with I-95 South to get to that old favorite Warmdaddy's.

State Sen. Vincent Hughes, newly elected chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, says Evans has always been important to projects outside his district and was instrumental in helping him with the Parkside Retail Exchange and the Spectrum Health Center at 52nd and Haverford.

"He has more than 20 years of experience negotiating budgets in all types of situations," he told me.

And the good news is that Evans recently pledged on Jerry Mondesire's WDAS Sunday talk show to use that hard-earned experience by volunteering to help Hughes if he needs it. (And Evans isn't afraid to cross party lines when necessary to secure money for Philadelphia from the state budget.)

Evans' push to make West Oak Lane a better, brighter community has been good for all Philadelphians, even if they aren't residents or patrons of the new attractions. And to the snakes in the grass who voted to send our economic power base westward - I hope you're happy. You may just get even less money from Harrisburg for your pet projects than you got before.

Fatimah Ali is a regular contributor to the Daily News, and blogs about food at healthysoutherncomforts.com.