March 4–11, 1999

city beat

Russian Roulette

In Northeast Philly's 56th Ward, some voters are speaking a totally different language. Even so, the mayoral candidates should be listening.

by Gwen Shaffer

		Law of the Land: This law office at 1730 Welsh Rd. is one of many Russian businesses in the 56th Ward. photo: Sandor Welsh

The Philadelphia News is published out of a tiny, drab second-floor office. The space—located in an unimposing white frame house on the corner of Grant and Bustleton Avenues in Northeast Philadelphia—is dwarfed by a glut of strip malls, gas stations and fast food restaurants. A steady parade of 18-wheelers and SEPTA buses rumbles down the pavement outside the office, a drone you can't escape even with all the windows shut.

Flipping through a copy of the newspaper, you come across articles on neighborhood crime, local politics and welfare reform.

Well, if you are able to read the newspaper, that is.

The Philadelphia News is one of several Russian newspapers published in the city, where an estimated 50,000 people from the former Soviet Union have emigrated. The vast majority of them have settled in the Northeast section of Philadelphia—including the city's 56th Ward, which sprawls south to north from Cottman to Grant Avenues. It is bordered on the west by Pennsylvania Reading train tracks and, on the east by Roosevelt Boulevard.

It is true that many of the immigrants are not yet American citizens and, therefore, can't vote. And getting a firm grasp on the exact number of Russian immigrants who have earned the right to cast ballots is tricky, but an educated guess figures between 20,000 and 30,000. Since most Russians arrive in the United States on "refugee" status, they are eligible for citizenship within five years.

Regardless of the exact figure, Russian immigrants are a significant enough voting block to have an impact on the upcoming mayoral election. Two Democratic candidates, Dwight Evans and Marty Weinberg, already attended a mayoral forum for members of the Russian community. Russian immigrants tend to possess two characteristics that mayoral contenders should note: They care about politics and have achieved a degree of financial success.

Overall, the 56th Ward is characterized by strong voter turnout, and a higher-than-average block of Republican voters. The community is overwhelmingly white, with perhaps only 10 percent of residents who could be classified as minorities.

Russian immigrants want a say when it comes to choosing the city's next leader. By and large, their issues aren't that different from what all Philadelphians want—safe streets, quality schools and dependable neighborhood services such as trash pick-up and pothole-free streets.

"We are a very politically active group of people because so many of us have higher education," says Alex Shraybman, president of the New World Association of Emigrants from Eastern Europe. "We try to play a significant role in the life of our city."

Shraybman's organization provides job training, legal assistance, translation services and help finding housing to immigrants from the former Soviet Union and other Baltic countries. Currently, 650 students are enrolled in English classes at the association, says Shraybman, who came to Philadelphia 19 years ago.

The Russian immigrants who came to Philadelphia during the first two major waves of immigration—initially between 1979 and 1984, and the second one a decade later—tended to have backgrounds in the sciences. Many of these transplants are now doctors, professors, computer analysts, engineers and researchers.

In recent years, however, the profile of the stereotypical Russian immigrant has shifted. "New Russians" have been exposed to capitalism. When they make it to Philadelphia, they want to be their own bosses and open businesses. The pages of the Philadelphia News, for instance, are covered with advertisements soliciting customers for Russian-owned stores and services—a mini-market, a computer school, a barber shop, a photography studio, a law practice, a furniture store, a dental office and a clothing boutique.

As a result, when immigrants vote, they will be thinking about business and property taxes.

Taxes will be on the minds of all ward residents, points out Democratic Ward leader John Sabatina (who has made headlines recently due to his contentious bid to snatch the 7th District City Council seat from under Rick Mariano). The ward contains the highest concentration of senior citizens in Philadelphia. Even the slightest tax increase can feel like a big chunk when you depend on a fixed-income, he notes.

"Every time there is a graduated assessment, I get phone calls from seniors," says Sabatina, who has served as ward leader for 17 years and lived there his entire life.

Even for "working people" in Northeast Philly, taxes crop up as a big issue in deciding who will get their votes.

"Often people look at the wage tax and our declining schools—that's when they decide to leave the city," Sabatina says.

In contrast to the working-class concerns of many 56th Ward residents, arts and culture are an issue for many Russian immigrants who can vote. Even while toxic chemicals polluted the water and wages went unpaid, the arts remained important to the Russian government and its citizens. That's why many Russian immigrants will bear in mind a politician's commitment to theater, opera and ballet before pulling the lever in the upcoming mayoral election.

"A lot of artists come to the United States," says Malvina Yakobishvili, one of three publishers of the Philadelphia News. "We try to save culture and give the same to our kids."

Among residents of the 56th Ward who are not immigrants, you would be hard-pressed to find people who are more than first-generation American. The Northeast community of Burholme—bounded by Cottman, Oxford, Rhawn and Castor Avenues—illustrates this point.

"Growing up, at least 25 percent of my peers were kids whose parents were born outside of the United States," says Al Taubenberger, president of the Burholme Town Watch and Civic Association, and whose own parents settled in Philadelphia after fleeing Germany.

As a result, Taubenberger says, he and his neighbors have a deep appreciation for democracy and the privilege of participating in the system. "My parents thanked God every day for living in this country," he says, "and they voted in every single election."

How residents are likely to vote in the mayoral election is slightly different from other sections of the city. While Philadelphians across the board report crime as the biggest problem facing their communities, car theft in the 56th Ward is a particular menace.

"Until [Police Commissioner John] Timoney got hired, it was out of control," Taubenberger said. "Now, it is under control but still way higher than it should be."

In Burholme, support for school vouchers is strong—not surprising when you see the masses of students running around in pleated plaid skirts and navy blue chinos, the standard uniform of the area's parochial schools.

If the mayoral election were held tomorrow, Taubenberger—a Republican—predicts that the 56th Ward would carry Sam Katz—the sole Republican contender. More than one-third of its residents vote Republican, fairly significant in a city where nearly 72 percent of registered voters are Democrats. A heavy Jewish population could split the vote between Katz and Weinberg. Just the fact that they are both white men bodes well for these two candidates in the 56th Ward.

When it comes down to it, voters in the ward will be thinking about the next generation when they cast their ballots, says Philadelphia News publisher Yakobishvili.

"Our number-one priority is our kids' future."

 

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56th Ward

In Northeast Philadelphia; roughly bounded to the north and south by Grant and Cottman Avenues; to the west by the Pennsylvania Reading railroad tracks; and to the east by Roosevelt Boulevard.

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1999 registered voters: 21,888

Voter turnout in 1995: 9,134 of 19,225 registered (47.5%); Citywide turnout 38.6%

Voter turnout in 1991: 13,253 of 20,251 registered (66.1%); Citywide turnout 60.8%

All numbers reflect November election.