Letters to the Editor

by the Readers

Gamble a Safe Bet?

(Re: "Taking A Gamble," Deborah Bolling, March 6, 2003)

I'm glad Kenny Gamble is revitalizing South Philly and still keeping this desirable area affordable for the working class. All of those property owners complaining about their buildings being torn down should have kept up with the taxes and kept them in working order. I live in the area and was always annoyed that so many buildings were falling down or unoccupied. Nobody wanted to sell them, but nobody wanted to repair them either. What do they think, they should have just sat there, rotting forever? Quit complaining and making excuses. You should have sold them when you had the chance. Now my neighborhood will look like a neighborhood again!

Diane Madison
South Philadelphia

Kenny Gamble may be lauded for some of the good he is doing, but a person has to answer for all his actions, not just the good. Universal Companies must answer for their bad actions: demolishing homes that could have been restored; the use of dynamic compaction at 12th and Catharine (a process involving the dropping of a 21-ton block from a great height, several hundred times a day, often just yards from churches and homes). Most of the neighborhoods Universal "develops" are historic. If Universal had been responsible for the redevelopment of Society Hill in the 1960s there would be no 18th-century homes in the area.

The company has forced people from their homes, homes which were in good condition (I am thinking of the 700 block of South Watts Street), and I have watched as vandals defaced the façades, granite steps were stolen, windows fell out, squatters moved in and then the eventual fire. Universal is responsible for degradation in the Hawthorne community, and L&I and Councilman DiCicco are more than willing to look the other way. And I don't see why Mr. DiCicco thinks that just because white people have been seen walking down 12th Street that we are at the dawn of a new day.

Bob Arrington
Philadelphia

Bus-ted

(Re: "Break Up the Car Culture Club," Daniel Brook, Cityspace, March 6, 2003)

I grew up in the city and have used public transit extensively in the region. I still would prefer to ride a bus, trolley or train instead of drive, but with SEPTA's poor service, badly timed connections and delays due to construction projects, I drive much more than should be necessary.

If we are serious about cutting air pollution and imported oil and reducing congestion, it is up to the management of SEPTA and the region's political leaders to agree on a method to fund and improve off-peak service. Money is not the only answer -- better planning, coordination of service and more attention to service disruptions are needed.

John J. Chambers
Lansdowne

Political Aspersions

(Re: Political Notebook, Mary F. Patel, March 6, 2003)

Mary F. Patel was told by Councilman Frank DiCicco that I thanked him for his support on the stadium issue. That is an outright lie. DiCicco, who is only a windup toy for State Sen. Vince Fumo, tried to throw every roadblock possible on the stadiums. DiCicco and his fellow puppet Jim Kenney will do anything to make Mayor John Street look bad. They will spite the whole city just to be against the mayor.

Mike Fera

President/Business Manager
Cement Masons Local 592