Mayor Nutter addressing a $700 million budget shortfall in Mayfair in front of the 2nd and 15th police district headquarters.

By Christopher Wink

Speaking in front of more than two dozen uniformed police officers and nearly as many firefighters and other officials from the city’s emergency services, Mayor Nutter yesterday heightened pressure on state legislators to “give Philadelphia the tools it needs to help itself.”

“If our General Assembly does not approve the two budget measures we’ve asked for — a temporary increase in the city sales tax and a variety of pension reforms — we will be faced with no choice but to implement a series of devastating cuts,” Nutter said outside the 2nd and 15th police district headquarters on Levick Street near Harbison Avenue in West Mayfair. “Cuts that will impact every neighborhood in Philadelphia, including right here in the Northeast.”

In May, City Council approved a balance budget that depended on those two provisions that need legislative approval: bumping up one percent the city’s sales tax for five years and re-amortizing the city’s pension system by pausing payments for two years and redistributing payments over 25 years instead of 20. Without those options, Nutter said they’ll have to revisit trying to close a $700 million budget shortfall.

At yesterday’s rally, Nutter focused on what that would do to Philadelphia generally and the Northeast specifically, a region of the city known for its communities of cops and firefighters.

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More than 400 people showed up for a budget workshop held at St. Dom's in Holmesburg on Feb. 12.

WHYY may have trouble placing St. Dom’s or Holmesburg on a map, but we give them credit for posting video of the budget cutback advice from 50 NEasters, as provided at the budget workshop held at St. Dominic’s in Holmesburg last week.

See your neighbors give their opinion on the city’s new $1 billion shortfall.

Tell us what you think.

Image courtesy.

UPDATE: In yet another It’s Our City post about last week’s budget workshop at St. Dom’s, the school is again listed as being in Frankford. Fourth time’s not the charm.

Outside media don’t care about the Northeast. We have all seen them misuse, misspell and mistake our neighborhoods and our streets, so we at NEast mag wanted to do something about it. When they get it wrong, we set it right in a segment we like to call Right NEast/Wrong NEast.

By Shannon McDonald

This is getting embarrassing.

In yet another article about last Thursday’s budget workshop at St. Dom’s, WHYY writer Alan Tu called us the “North East.” Really, Alan?

It may seem insignificant, but I don’t see anyone referring to Southwest Philly as the South West. I’m not sure what WHYY’s editing protocol is for online stories, but it looks bad to mislabel a section of the the city three times in a blog called “It’s Our City.”

I really enjoy reading the articles, so I hope the WHYY reporters can invest a little more time in NEast research. Maybe fourth time’s the charm?

Outside media don’t care about the Northeast. We have all seen them misuse, misspell and mistake our neighborhoods and our streets, so we at NEast mag wanted to do something about it. When they get it wrong, we set it right in a segment we like to call Right NEast/Wrong NEast.

By Shannon McDonald

Let’s give the New York Times credit: they covered an event in the NEast.

The fancy-pants New Yorkers went to last week’s budget workshop at St. Dom’s in Holmesburg.

But writer Jon Hurdle didn’t do us justice. The Times article says the school is in the “northeast part of the city.” Maybe it’s nitpicking to call a New Yorker out on his geographical slip-up, but even a quick visit to Wikipedia can tell you Northeast Philadelphia is more than just a blip on the city map.

Outside media don’t care about the Northeast. We have all seen them misuse, misspell and mistake our neighborhoods and our streets, so we at NEast mag wanted to do something about it. When they get it wrong, we set it right in a segment we like to call Right NEast/Wrong NEast.

By Shannon McDonald

WHYY might need some new copy editors.

Writer Chris Satullo’s article about Thursday’s budget workshop at St. Dom’s placed the Catholic grade school in Frankford, nowhere near its home in Upper Holmesburg.

To make matters worse, after we pointed out Satullo’s error, a “correction” of sorts was made. St. Dom’s is now qualified as being situated in the lower Northeast, a term the City of Philadelphia reserves for neighborhoods like Fishtown and Kensington, neither of which are NEast.

The third strike? No one even admitted to the mistake. Rather than cross out the initial Frankford reference, someone subtly snuck in and changed the location without noting the correction.

Someone should warn St. Dom’s students that this will make for a longer commute to school.

See other Right NEast/Wrong NEast posts.

WHYY has a great review of last night’s budget workshop held at St. Dom’s.

Except for one thing. Chris Satullo, former editorial page editor of the Inquirer, said St. Dom’s, located at 8510 Frankford Ave. in Holmesburg, was in Frankford.

Gosh, that’s a big difference, no?

But see what WHYY shared below.

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By Christopher Wink

The unofficial mayor of the Northeast has something to say about Philadelphia’s financial crisis that Michael Nutter announced in November.

Al Taubenberger, the Burholme resident and former Republican mayoral challenger and Northeast Chamber of Commerce president, was asked by city hall reporters what he would do if he overcame the city’s wealth of registered Democrats and was leading Philadelphia through this dark night.

Read below.

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Municipal union leaders and some neighborhood groups cast aspersions on citizen budget workshops. Photo courtesy of WHYY.

By Christopher Wink

Labor and union groups are calling foul play two days before Mayor Michael Nutter is coming to Holmesburg to talk budget.

“There’s no way that the large corporations of this city, the Walmarts the Sunoco’s can’t afford to help us out in these times,” Eric Braxton of the Coalition To Save Libraries told Tom MacDonald of WHYY. “That’s the solution to that problem.”

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By Shannon McDonald

On Thursday, Feb. 12, the City will host a community workshop at St. Dom’s to discuss our current budget situation.

The mayor’s office has partnered with UPenn’s Project for Civic Engagement to allow community members to voice their opinions and participate in some decisions.

St. Dominic’s School is at 8510 Frankford Ave. in Holmesburg.

Read more about this and other similar workshops to be held elsewhere in the city here.

Image courtesy of of HopeInk.