You’re not alone if you don’t know who to vote for in the upcoming primary election for Philadelphia’s City Council At-Large race on May 21. There are 34 Democratic At-Large candidates competing for five of the seven seats (two seats are guaranteed to non-majority party candidates). As communications professionals, we realized that with such a… Continue reading
Posts in "Pennsylvania"
Before Krasner There Was Dilworth: A Brief History of Reform in Philly’s District Attorney’s Office
After a hard fought election the outsider with radical ideas won easily. He was a trial lawyer with a reputation for fighting for justice in and out of the courtroom, winning cases, and sticking to his principles even when it made him unpopular. For years he was a thorn in the side of corrupt politicians…. Continue reading
Voter Registration Trends in Southeastern Pennsylvania
The 2018 midterm elections are nearly a week away, and like many of you I have been refreshing the latest polls from FiveThirtyEight, eagerly waiting for the site to tell me who will win in November (it won’t). My interest in the upcoming election made me want to dive a little deeper into the local… Continue reading
Philadelphia’s First Public Housing Project: The Carl Mackley Houses
In 1934, with Philadelphia amidst the Great Depression, a survey of the city’s households found an astonishing number of homes lacked electricity, water, and heat. An estimated 152,022 Philadelphians had no bathing facility, 39,239 people were living without a bathroom, and 28,000 families were sharing single-family dwellings with another family. Two thirds of the city’s… Continue reading
A Brief History of Philadelphia’s Syringe Exchange
Philadelphia in the 1980s was a city desperate for, yet stubbornly resistant to, change. The election of W. Wilson Goode, Philadelphia’s first African American mayor, had failed to bring the kind of sweeping reforms in which many in the city had hoped. By 1991, Philadelphia had struggled with two decades of job loss, population decline,… Continue reading
Third Party and Independent Candidates Should Target Philadelphia City Council Seats
Philadelphia’s City Council is one of the best opportunities for independent political candidates to win a seat in an important office. The 1951 City Charter established a 17-member Council consisting of 10 District and seven At-Large Council Members. Democrats could easily win all seven At-Large seats, but parties are only allowed to nominate five candidates…. Continue reading
Death Investigation in Pennsylvania
When someone dies unexpectedly in Pennsylvania, authorities launch a death investigation. A quality investigation is important; it can be an effective tool to protect public safety and health. In Pennsylvania, the person in charge of determining the cause of death and issuing a death certificate is either the county coroner or medical examiner. A 2003… Continue reading
Good News: Philadelphia HPV Immunization Rates are High
This graph shows that Philadelphia’s 2014 teen rates for ≥1 dose of HPV vaccine are higher than the state and national averages. Last week the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published the National Immunization Survey (NIS) for adolescents in 2014. Since it was licensed in 2006, HPV vaccine rates have been far… Continue reading
The Fight for LGBT Rights in Philadelphia (1965-85)
On June 14, more than 25,000 people attended the Philly Pride Parade and Festival; among them were Mayor Michael Nutter, Governor Tom Wolf, and many others. This year marks 50 years since the first public gay rights demonstration in Philadelphia, and 2015’s event was far different from 1965. This 50 year history is the story… Continue reading