WALKING THE BEAT: Why Not A Bigger Homeowner Exemption For AVI?

BY JOE SHAY STIVALA/ YOUR A.V.I. REAL ESTATE TAX INCREASE: The battle is over for a short while. State Sen. LARRY FARNESE and other lawmakers urge you to complete the Homestead Exemption form. Presently it is only for $15,000, which is PEANUTS. It will be up to YOUR MEMBER OF CITY COUNCIL to fight to increase the exemption amount to a comfortable point – say $60,000, due to the high expected market-value increases for most all of the city…. COUNCILMAN BOBBY HENON’S honoring of the Inquirer on its Pulitzer Prize was a great idea. The long-term relationship between Council and the Inky was never warm. HENON extended the hand of a “Well Done” to them.

COUNCILMAN MARK SQUILLA has been a firebrand in his first 100 days. Defeating AVI for this year was a monumental task. Bravo!… CITY COUNCIL needs a lobbyist. How could someone write against it, when the Mayor, et al., have them, and not a peep from the media about it??

How could a writer zap the top executives of the LIQUOR CONTROL BOARD and as you read you kind of feel ALL the employees are bad and corrupt, and should go away. Sure, put more ordinary people out of work. They just buy the papers, and patronize the businesses who advertise. So frivolous. What works in Jersey does not make it okay here…. COUNCILMAN Curtis JONES’ Public Safety Committee held a hearing on expanding youth courts. Judge KEVIN DOUGHERTY joined many distinguished speakers.

POOR FOLKS IN THE COURTS do not always get good civil legal assistance. The DA’s office, with vast resources, is a steamroller and statistic-driven. I have to agree with the Black Clergy. They worry we are creating a City of UNEMPLOYABLES. GEEZ, who will be left to pay the pensions of retiring ADAs and court personnel?… SHERIFF JEWELL WILLIAMS will hold a seminar on how to buy property on Sheriff Sale. It is set for Jul. 3 in his 5th-floor offices at 100 S. Broad Street. One class is in Spanish. Call (215) 686.3539.

FIRE COMMISSIONER LLOYD AYERS held a successful 44th Fire Safety Seminar. The department education programs has helped people become aware (and correct home issues) of fire safety. The annual heatwave protection tips also went out across the city…. STATE REP. JOHN SABATINA is promoting the Bill of Rights Essay Contest for youth. The winner gets a $3k prize.

The Police Chiefs Golf outing at Northampton Country Club is close. Don’t be late to sign up…. HOW about candidates for school superintendent being from out of town? So they did a good job elsewhere. Where is their LOCAL PERSPECTIVE?? Please look at our gifted LOCAL TALENT!!

AND THE FIGHT GOES ON: Feeding the homeless outdoors in Center City – how terrible to the sensitive eye. MAYOR NUTTER, will you just let it go on? It is easy to decide against it with a full belly. The 1% might be against open feeding…. DAVID KRAIN, leading advocate of helping all people, was inducted as a Freemason. Their mission is to help others and Dave will thus be a big asset.

DIDJA EVER WONDER at a City Parking ticket hearing how no reason you give the officer seems good enough? Or that they always have a good rebuttal. Is there a book of answers? I would like to be a fly on the wall in training class…. REALLY SAD news. Attorney Chris CLEMENTE passed away suddenly at 40, reportedly while on the job. Such a cheerful, smart young man who also represented LOCAL 1776 of WENDELL YOUNG, as his father NICK had before him. He was an ASPIRING judicial candidate who many came to like (it was easy) in his earlier campaign. He leaves many happy memories, and rests in the perfect peace until we meet him again one day before God.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY this WEEK to Judge ANGELO FOGLIETTA. This jurist, though new on the bench, is a great role model for jurists. A very decent fellow with great people skills. LOVELY AND WONDERFUL PR Person Harriet Lessy also marks a year. She is an asset to whomever she promotes. The office of SHERIFF JEWELL WILLIAMS made a good choice picking her for PR.

“IF THAT DON’T BEAT ALL” is a line from a Red Sovine song. How about the I-95 Delaware bridge at Scudders Falls being replaced due to difficulty in accommodating all electronic tolling? What a waste of good money!!…When ROMNEY was surprised by the sandwich order boards in Wawa’s, he sounded like BUSH when he bought socks in a department store. The 1% do not get down with the people often. If you cannot feel the pain, how can you understand to remedy it?

THE GOP is really fishing with the probe into the US Attorney General’s gun issue. The late House Speaker TIP O’NEILL said the GOP and DEMS got along better, and could compromise since they stayed in Washington for long periods, and shared apartments. Now we are known worldwide for rancor and paralysis. The US Supreme Court rules on several issues in the Arizona “Show me your papers” law. On one issue, they said they were not sure. The high court MUST be sure as final arbiter. Is that a first? The ruling was mostly an Obama win.

   Send article as PDF