OUR OPINION: Just Vote NO! To Ballot Question 2

There is a movement to disenfranchise Philadelphia and its visitors. Sometimes it is weak and fails. This time it is strong and very doable. This one is on the ballot. And voters always in the majority vote “yes” regardless of the Question.

Ballot Question two will disenfranchise again. It greatly aggravates us who cover the political and legislative world of this state and city. Ballot 2 abolishes Traffic Court, but only in Philadelphia. Every other county will have its traffic court in the form of District Judges.

A yes vote would change the State of Pennsylvania Constitution. This change would take away the legal rights of Philadelphians as citizens to have a Community Court in Philadelphia.

We cannot allow this vital process to be taken away from us! State Rep. W. Curtis Thomas reminds us the State of Pennsylvania’s Constitution allows for a Community Court in Philadelphia. This allows an individual, who has been or becomes versed in traffic laws, and is elected from the community and empowered to make a decision about your traffic situation, to hear your case in Traffic Court.

If Ballot Question 2 is approved, everyone would have to go through Municipal Court and be represented by a member of the Pennsylvania Bar. Attorneys cost money. In Traffic Court, you could use your constitutional right to defend yourself.

If more vote No than Yes, we would have the opportunity to repair a Philadelphia County issue. Rep. Thomas’ solution to resolve the issue is amending Title 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statues.

‘’Traffic Court’’ would function under the oversight of the President Judge of the Philadelphia Municipal Court. The title of that area will then be known as the ‘’Traffic Division’’. While the member of the Municipal Court in the General Division must be an attorney at law, a judge in the newly devised Traffic Division must either be an attorney or a person who has completed a course of training and instruction in the duties of the office and pass an examination.

They will also have been selected as per the Pennsylvania Election Code.

An annual reporting requirement with the General Assembly will include how funding was allotted; the number of cases that came before the Traffic Division; how the cases were resolved by the Traffic Division.

This assures both residents and visitors of Philadelphia the due rights and protection under the Pennsylvania Constitution of a Community Court. It also establishes a greater accountability for an essential entity and part of the State’s Constitution and our civic rights in Philadelphia!

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