XPost: phl.media, phl.announce, pa.politics   
      
   In phl.media Karen Y Byrd  wrote:   
      
   > This is all why we should have paid Timoney *anything* he wanted to keep   
   > him here! Instead we have a bozo, yes-man, Street ass-kisser, no-ability-   
   > to-speak-coherently chucklehead like Johnson!   
      
   Timoney clearly placed things other than money in his decision to leave   
   Philadelphia and if you look at Timoney's career, it seems he doesn't like   
   to stay in any one job all too long. I have a lot of respect for Timoney;   
   he was by far the best Philadelphians have had as Police Chief, but keep   
   in mind that the economy was very strong during a major portion of   
   Timoney's tenure as Philadelphia's Police Commissioner and he had a lot   
   more federal funding to use in putting cops out on the street than is   
   available now to cities.   
      
   Silvester Johnston may not be the brightest bulb in the package, but he   
   has different political and economic challenges facing him than Timoney   
   had. As is well known, economic health is highly correlated with the crime   
   rate. The economy is in the crapper now (its the Bush effect) during   
   Johnston's tenure, but it was very strong during Timoney's tenure so its   
   not a surprise that violent crimes are up now. There's only so much that   
   local politicians and their appointees can do with regard to the effects   
   of national and international economic forces.   
      
   Be that as it may, I think Street needs to go. The only thing Street is   
   doing now that I like is his new advocacy for auto insurance consumers.   
   His point that much has been done to help reduce the number of city   
   residents who drive without insurance at the behest of the auto insurance   
   industry has not resulted in any lower premium rates is valid. Street's   
   support for a Philadelphia insurance advocate to lobby for change in   
   Harrisburg makes a lot of sense.   
      
   As for Art's comment about businesses leaving the city, that may be true   
   for large businesses, but I am impressed how vibrant the down town areas   
   such as Olde City and Rittenhouse Square are becoming with many new small   
   businesses opening up. I have been doing a lot of roaming around in those   
   areas lately. Just last night, I visited the area around 2nd & Market and   
   I was surprised at how vibrant that once delapidated area had become.   
   There are numerous restaurants, all of which looked busy last night,   
   clubs, and even a small grocery store! None of that was there when I lived   
   nearby 15 years ago; it was just mostly abandoned properties, bars, and a   
   couple of seedy strip joints.   
      
   The same is true of the area around Eastern State Pennitentary where there   
   seems to be a hell of a lot of new residential construction going on, more   
   restaurants, and the neighborhood looks a lot cleaner and safer than it   
   did a decade ago, or even a few years ago at the tail end of Rendell's   
   second mayoral term. It sure seems to me that a lot of small locally owned   
   businesses (mostly restaurants, shops, and business service places) are   
   opening up and doing fairly well in the areas surrounding City Hall. I   
   noticed several printing shops that look like they are fairly new and   
   those shops presumably do most of their business by supporting larger   
   businesses. So something good must be happening in Philadelphia.   
      
   As a suburban resident, every time I visit that area, I feel a stronger   
   and stronger desire to move back. I used to live near Independence Hall   
   about 15 years ago and I still feel home sick whenever I visit that area,   
   esp. now with the new National Constitution Center and more restaurants   
   and shops so close at hand.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)