Voters will go to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 5 to vote for Mayor (a formality), At-Large City Council seats (not a formality this year) and a controversial ballot measure focused on crime victims’ rights.

The drama for City Council District 3 ended in May with the victory of upstart Jamie Gauthier over longtime incumbent Jannie Blackwell. Gauthier has no opponent in tomorrow’s vote. But several third party candidates are keeping the At-Large races interesting.

Seven At-Large candidates will be elected during Tuesday’s general election (polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.). History shows that the five Democratic At-Large candidates – incumbents Allan Domb, Derek Green, Helen Gym, as well as Katherine Gilmore Richardson and Isaiah Thomas – will all likely win easily. Democrats outnumber Republicans seven to one in the city.  Continue Reading

Residents in the Powelton/Mantua/Belmont neighborhoods had a chance last week to try the City’s new voting machines during a neighborhood advisory committee election (see photo). This and next week, residents in Cedar Park, Cobbs Creek, Spruce Hill and adjacent areas are invited to new voting machine demonstration events.

On Wednesday, Oct. 9, State Sen. Anthony H. Williams and the 60th Ward Executive Committee will hold a new voting system demo event at Global Leadership Academy at 52nd and Pine. This is a non-partisan event and is handicap accessible. The event will take place from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the school auditorium.  Continue Reading

The first heat health emergency of 2019 has been issued in Philadelphia due to extremely high temperatures (maximum heat indexes over 110 are forecasted for the region this week). The Health Emergency began Wednesday, July 17, at noon and is scheduled to end Sunday, July 21, at 11 p.m.

A declaration of a Heat Health Emergency activates the City’s emergency heat programs, including the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging’s Heatline, extended hours at select Free Library locations that have been designated as Cooling Centers, home visits by special field teams, enhanced daytime outreach for the homeless, and a reminder from the City to the public to look in on older friends, relatives, and neighbors.  Continue Reading

Dear West Philly Local editors,

Last week, in a City Council member’s office, I was told they got more calls from West Philadelphia about funding libraries than from any other part of the city! Probably because of you running my library story earlier this year – thank you!

Here’s another announcement:

Join Free Library ‘Friends’ and Staff, before City Council’s Budget Vote Thursday, June 13th. We will gather INSIDE of City Hall on the 4th floor, at 9:30 AM. Please bring your ID to get into the building. All are welcome!
Continue Reading

If you have points saved in the Streets Department and Recyclebank’s program Philacycle, make sure to use of them by the end of the month. The popular recycling rewards program will be discontinued on June 30, according to an announcement by Streets Commissioner Carlton Williams. The Streets Department can no longer afford the rewards program in the current market due to increased recycling costs.

Effective June 30, 2019, Philadelphia residents that participated in the rewards program will no longer be able to earn reward points and access the Philacycle website. Points are redeemable at Philacycle.com. Residents are strongly encouraged to redeem those points as soon as possible as there is a limit on availability of some items.  Continue Reading

Jamie Gauthier

Political newcomer Jamie Gauthier pulled off the biggest upset in Tuesday’s primary election, handily defeating longtime incumbent Jannie Blackwell in the City Council 3rd District race. The win appears to end the 45-year reign of the Blackwell family in the district, which has undergone massive demographic changes in recent years.

Gauthier garnered about 56 percent of the approximately 25,000 votes cast and with no Republican candidate in Tuesday’s primary, the win almost assures her victory in the November general election.  Continue Reading