District Attorney Lynne Abraham says a temporary farewell to Burholme's community groups.

There is nothing more important than a community “involved in its own life,” District Attorney Lynne Abraham said to attendants at last night’s monthly meeting of the Burholme Civic Association and Town Watch groups.

Abraham, a frequent guest of the Burholme groups, came to say farewell, as she is stepping down as District Attorney after 19 years on the job. She will be replaced by Democratic District Attorney-elect Seth Williams. continue reading »

Democratic District Attorney-elect Seth Williams addresses Shallcross Academy students about youth violence.

Camelot Schools held its sixth-annual anti-violence program for the first time ever in the Northeast.

Nearly 200 students at Shallcross Academy on Woodhaven Road gathered Tuesday to hear Democratic District Attorney-elect Seth Williams discuss how to avoid, prevent and overcome violence. Williams made curtailing youth violence a priority in his campaign, citing examples of how his own upbringing inspired his race for office. continue reading »

Election day is tomorrow, and being an off year (no mayoral or presidential candidates), voter turnout in Philadelphia is typically low. But voting is always important – especially for the offices in this election.

Tomorrow at the polls, you’ll have the chance to elect candidates for two citywide offices – District Attorney and City Controller – in addition to six judicial positions.

Some of these candidate have ties to the Northeast, while others have made the rounds at many civic association meetings.

continue reading »

Democratic District Attorney candidate Seth Williams was one of three candidate to address GBCL members last night.

“It’s going to be a brief meeting for tonight’s important game,” Greater Bustleton Civic League President Bernice Hill told antsy residents at last night’s monthly meeting. Though the room was full, the sense of urgency to wrap up the meeting in time for game one of the World Series was palpable.

Not wasting time, GBCL  board members got right down to business following some announcements, and introduced their three guests for the evening: incumbent Democratic candidate for City Controller Alan Butkovitz, Republican candidate for City Controller Al Schmidt and Democratic candidate for District Attorney Seth Williams.

Next Tuesday, Nov. 3 is election day. See where you vote here. continue reading »

Democratic district attorney candidate Seth Williams discusses the city's geographic assignments at the Lawncrest Civic Association meeting.

The Lawncrest Civic Association hosted many guests at its meeting last night, with Democratic District Attorney candidate Seth Williams being the highlight.

“No matter who you are or where you live,” Williams said, “everybody wants the same things: a good job, to go home to your family and be safe.” As the potential new district attorney of Philadelphia, Williams promised the packed meeting he’ll take steps to provide those things for the city. continue reading »

Lynn Abraham discusses her decision not to seek re-election after 19 years as district attorney.

District Attorney Lynn Abraham addressed many issues at last night’s Greater Bustleton Civic League meeting, including her decision not to run for re-election this term.

“It was not that I really wanted to go,” Abraham said, as she corrected those who said she is retiring. The 19-year DA said her decision was based on the health of her husband of 33 years, who became ill around the time Abraham would have been starting a fresh campaign. The decision was an easy one, she said. Her husband has since passed away.

But the longtime public official made it clear she isn’t finished with her career

Continue reading for notes from the rest of the GBCL meeting, and a hot zoning issue. continue reading »

Bill Dolbow leads Tuesday night's Lawncrest Civic Association meeting

The agenda for last night’s Lawncrest Civic Association read like a who’s who of local figureheads – much to the attendees’ delight.

Aside from the usual address from board members Bill Dolbow and Phil Grutzmacher, guests included representatives from the offices of City Council members Marian Tasco, Brian O’Neill, Jack Kelly and Bill Greenlee; Senator Shirley Kitchen; and representatives Dwight Evans, Mark Cohen and Brendan Boyle. Officer Mark Mroz of the 2nd District spoke, in addition to Bill Conaway from the Philadelphia Protestant Home and Debra Mikus with the Lawncrest Library.

The highlighted speakers were Al Schmidt, Republican candidate for City Controller, and Michael Untermeyer, Republican candidate for District Attorney. Needless to say, the meeting’s agenda was packed – and Lawncrest residents came ready with questions.

Below, you can read highlights from each part of last night’s meeting, which are broken down according to topic. continue reading »

Image courtesy of mccafferyforda.com.

By Shannon McDonald

This week we brought you Dan McElhatton, Democratic candidate for District Attorney. He outlined some of his plan for office, gave us an overview of his time as a Council member and shared stories about his connections with Northwood, Rhawnhurst and several other Northeast neighborhoods.

Next week, Dan McCaffery, one of McElhatton’s opponents in the upcoming May 19 Democratic Primary and another NEast resident trying to enhance the city, will chat with NEastPhilly.com. Rumor has it, he’s got old photos from his days at Father Judge.

Courtesy of votemcelhatton.com

By Shannon McDonald

Dan McElhatton’s public office resume is almost as extensive as his ties to the Northeast. The 59-year-old candidate for District Attorney is a City Council alum, graduate of North Catholic, former Assistant District Attorney and Northwood little league coach.He spent two years working at Solly Playground, then represented that district 20 years later as a council member.

In an exclusive interview with NEastPhilly.com, Dan McElhatton talks about his connections with the Northeast and his plans for the next District Attorney.

There aren’t many candidates from the Northeast running for public office. Where abouts are you from?
I was raised in Juniata and moved to Northwood. I went to Holy Innocents as a kid, then onto North Catholic, as did my three brothers, my father and my son. Then I went to Villanova and Temple Law.

How did you spend your time growing up?
My brothers and I were active in the Juniata Park Boys Club. I played varsity baseball and jv basketball at North, then played American Legion baseball in college. I also worked at Solly Playground in Rhawnhurst for two years during the early ’70s.

When did you make the move from Juniata to Northwood?
I got married in 1971, lived in Juniata for three or four years, then moved to Northwood in 1975. My kids went to St. Martin of Tours, where my wife taught. My wife is from Holmesburg; she went to St. Dom’s and St. Hubert’s. My wife’s family still lives in same house on Rowland Avenue.

Continue reading for more on McElhatton’s ties to the Northeast and his objectives as District Attorney. continue reading »

By Shannon McDonald

Next Monday, NEastPhilly.com will have an exclusive interview with Dan McElhatton.

The Juniata-born, Northwood-raised District Attorney has numerous ties to the NEast, dating back to his days at Solly Playground in the early ’70s. He’ll talk about his life in the NEast, his campaign platform and his hopes for the criminal justice system.

We’ll also share a photo of him from his days in the NEast!