GreatExpectations2007 - Klein Center / Northeast REPORT ON CITIZENS FORUM

Date: Jan. 16, 2007

Location: Klein Jewish Community Center

Citizens attending: 45, from various parts of North Philadelphia

Inquirer observer: Tom Ferrick Jr., Inquirer columnist

Check out reports from the dialogues:

Group One: Led by moderators Louise Giugliano and Jean di Sabatino.

Group Two: Led by moderator Chris Satullo.

Participants in each group were first asked to describe one hope or one fear as the city enters its election year. Then each group did an exercise that asked participants to imagine they were giving a good friend’s family advice on whether to move to Philadelphia.

What would be the pros and cons of that move?
What forces and factors underlie those pros and cons?
What steps could the city and region take to strengthen those pros or weaken those cons?

For a full description of the exercise, see http://go.philly.com/friendsdilemma

Observer's Notes:

Tom Ferrick Jr.

Editorial Board

The yin and yang of modern Philadelphia was on display once again among the 25 participants in a Citizens Forum held at the Klein JCC on Tuesday, Jan. 16.

As we discovered at other forums, these citizens are in love with the Philadelphia that offers so much in the way of arts and culture, in sports and history, restaurants in vibrant, diverse neighborhoods. Why is the city so rich in these assets? As one participant put it: "Because we are old. We’ve had hundreds of years to build this stuff up."

That’s the yang, the bright side.

What’s the yin, the shadowy side? For these citizens of the Northeast, it is the political culture with its "cronyism and pay-to-play, graft and corruption." It holds the city back.

Safety is also an issue, especially in the area’s public high schools. Crime is getting worse in their neighborhoods, they said, mostly because of the influence of drugs.

Finally, a question rooted in my belief that residents of the Northeast are isolated from the rest of the city and rarely venture to other neighborhoods. Not true, at least when it comes to Center City.

When asked if they had visited the downtown any time recently, most raised their hands. When asked if they had traveled there within the last month, many held their hands up again.