Philadelphians & Delcoians Are Thankful For Councilpersons Blackwell and Jones by Van Stone vspfoundation@yahoo.com (610) 931-8810

Philadelphians & Delcoians Are Thankful For Councilpersons Blackwell and Jones by Van Stone vspfoundation@yahoo.com (610) 931-8810



Above: Lewis Harris Jr., former staff member of Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell. Harris Jr. was the power political agent behind the success of State Rep. Vanessa Brown's campaign early in the Democratic candidate challenge 2008. Resigning from Rep Brown's campaign for State Rep. before the 2008 general election, Harris Jr. is known for walking away from political campaigns that appear to have no experience of presenting Philadelphians and/or Delcoians with options available to help their potential annual savings.

West Philadelphia, Southwest Philadelphia, Eastern Delaware County, and Southeast Delaware County Residents are all dealing with one of the worst economic times in Pennsylvania history during the Thanksgiving season of the year 2008. Both West and Southwest Philly folks are mentally trying to prepare themselves for coping with their Mayor Nutter's crushing budget cuts. Meanwhile, the folks who live just right outside of Philly, taking say, West Chester Pike on to Lancaster Ave., Baltimore Pike on to Lancaster Ave, or McDade Blvd on to Main, where Main becomes Lancaster Avenue, that is, are also trying to cope with their city governance financial nightmares.

Residents from these two counties are relatively close associates than all the other Pennsylvania counties. I mean, their kids play together, their parents shop together and their spiritual leader minister together in township and city areas that share borderline territory. Even their State House Lawmakers and county lawmakers share the same laws that control what businesses and courts can and cannot do effecting the community environment in these border line territories. County leaders and State House Lawmakers altogether make money for cities, boroughs, or townships they are suppose to represent. Of course in the end the residents of these areas don't get any of the money. And when their county leaders and State House leaders ignore loosing money altogether this usually means more economic hardships for both county residents. Of course in the end the residents of the cities, boroughs, or townships don¢t get any of the services that they are suppose to get. And so, this should amount to being ever so thankful for the Philadelphia County and Delaware County city council representatives that you might now have.

City Council regardless if it¢s of Philly or Delco have done so much for the welfare and safety of their citizens that if it wasn¢t for them the hardships that people are facing today would be so great that thousands of children would be orphans and crime would be unbearable. And the city would face so much deficits that nearly 90% of its citizens would be imprisoned due to tax evasion. So, you see, when Philadelphians and Delcoians needed someone to bail them out from city government that only thought about how to keep its clout it was certain hard fighting city council persons who did something to stop the unnecessary sufferings. They worked with those who had ideas about how to fix local problems and they raised money for constituents they were suppose to represent.

One such long time city council person that comes to mind is Philadelphia Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell. Whatever happens in West Philadelphia for the better does not stay just in Philly. Councilwoman Blackwell has made things so much better in Philly that many of the policies in neighboring Delco are so similar you can hardly tell the difference between the two. No fee for city residents that want to fill out applications for a city job, no raised taxes for city businesses that want to continue business in West Philly and no court that want to jail the homeless because the homeless sleeps in business districts. And then there is one such short time city council person that comes to mind when it comes to attempting to keeping citizens from being victims of arrogant city government. That would be freshly elected Councilman Curtis Jones Jr.

Councilman Curtis Jones Jr. has yet to have the chance to make things so much better in Philly, making certain sections of Delco seem like Philly, because his list of things for reducing a city budget cut crisis was so thorough that they all seemed to be ignored. But Jones style should remind many families of another long time fighter who also keep pushing environmental fairness in the face of Philly county leaders. That person would be Lewis Harris Jr. Harris Jr. knows that county leaders like State Reps. usually blast branches of federal government for city troubles while they are the officials that can do more to help slow up city troubles but don¢t. And so since West Philly voters just re-elected a State Rep Roebuck and newly-elected a State Rep V. Brown this is all the more reason why watchful Delco residents should be thankful for councilpersons Blackwell and Jones. Darryl T. Nuttter Sr. contributed to this article.