As primary elections approach, NEast Philly will interview council-at-large candidates so readers can get to know the names they’ll see on the ballot.

Steve Odabashian has lived in a lot of places. Born in Southwest Philadelphia the City Council-at-large candidate has lived in Havertown, Wynwood, Tokyo and New York. But he’s been back in Philadelphia for a decade and now lives in Northern Liberties.

Odabashian has degrees in economics and law from the University of Virginia and Villanova, but you might recognize him as Andy Reid. The piano player and comedian is a Reid impersonator.

Though active in his neighborhood, Odabashian is a newcomer to politics, and it’s a label he doesn’t shy away from. He says voters often say he’s got their vote simply because he’s new and won’t stand for “politics as usual.”

NEast Philly: Why council-at-large and not a specific district? continue reading »

This is the second in a three-part series covering the 6th District Council race. You can read Part 1 here.

UPDATE: On April 18, Mayor Michael Nutter and outgoing 6th District Councilwoman Joan Krajewski endorsed Bednarek.

As the City Council primary elections creep closer and closer, candidates for the Northeast’s 6th District are in full campaign mode.

For the first time in more than 30 years, Joan Krajewski will not be continuing her reign as the voice of the 6th District of Philadelphia, leaving her seat open to a new leader of the district.

Krajewski, who is known as the “Queen of Constituent Service,” flirted with retirement a few years ago. In 2007, she retired for 24 hours after she was re-elected, in order to collect her $297,466 DROP retirement payment. She returned the next day to begin her eighth term.

This time; however, she is serious about retiring.

As Krajewski finishes up her final months in office, three new candidates have been busy walking through neighborhoods, speaking to residents and expressing their ideas of change for the community. The three candidates for the 6th District position are Bobby Henon, Sandy Stewart and Marty Bednarek continue reading »

This is part of ongoing coverage in “District 172: The Politics of Change after State Rep. John Perzel,” a collaborative effort with Philadelphia Neighborhoods funded by J-Lab.

Kevin Boyle has made a conference room out of John Perzel’s closet.

The young freshman state representative from the 172nd district in the Northeast beat out the indicted former state Speaker of the House last fall and is settling in his first year of elected office. It’s just a matter of form that his constituent services are taking place in the same Frankford Avenue storefront that Perzel held dominion for a portion of his 32-year career. (Boyle is a Democrat; Perzel a Republican).

“We just needed another place to get work done,” Boyle told NEast Philly during an interview last month, standing in the small, undecorated, white room with a table and four chairs. Boyle’s chief of staff Seth Kaplan says the conference room was formerly a closet when Perzel had offices there.

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Al Taubenberger, the  President of the Greater Northeast Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce who ran unsuccessfully in 2007 as the Republican mayoral candidate, will run for an at-large City Council this year.

While walking near 16th and Arch streets, Taubenberger told NEast Philly his number one priority: continue reading »

Marc Collazzo is “a civic by nature.”

That’s what the Republican candidate for State Representative in the 17oth District told Burholme residents last night.

Collazzo — a Bustleton native — told the more than 20 residents who attended the monthly Burholme Civic Association and Town Watch meeting “we live in rare times.”

What’s rare about it, he said, is the recent behavior by state and city governments to  support tax increases and “out of control spending.”

Collazzo, who attended Baldi Middle School and George Washington High School, told Burholme residents: “The most important thing you can ever do is help your neighborhood.” continue reading »

Courtest of HaughtonForCongress.com

First a firefighter, then a pub owner, now Brian Haughton will run for Congress.

Haughton, a former Philadelphia firefighter and the owner of SmokeEaters Pub, announced recently that he’s running for a spot in the House of Representatives in the 13th Congressional District. continue reading »

A class-action law suit against property owners who rent their homes in Northwood could be looming in the coming months, warned neighborhood civic association President Barry Howell at last night’s meeting.

“I don’t know how rentals came to Northwood, but they won’t stay,” Howell said to 26 attendees. “If they don’t own it, they can leave.”

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Courtesy of Al Schmidt, Republican candidate for City Controller.

Meet Al Schmidt. He’s running for a low-profile office during increasingly tough times. Schmidt is the Republican candidate for City Controller, running against incumbent Democrat Alan Butkovitz.

The City Controller is responsible for overseeing government spending and auditing the appropriate agencies, something Schmidt says Butkovitz hasn’t done, and something he vows to do himself, if elected.

Note: NEast Philly also conducted interviews with incumbent Alan Butkovitz and one of his opponents in the Democratic primary, Brett Mandel.

Name: Al Schmidt
Raised: North Hills, Pittsburgh
Lives: East Falls
Position: candidate for City Controller, former senior analyst for the Government Accountability Office
Education: Vincentian Catholic High School in Pittsburgh, PA.  Allegheny College undergraduate.  Ph.D. from Brandeis University in Boston, MA.
Family: Wife Erin and 2 1/2-year-old daughter, Maggie

Continue reading for an interview with Schmidt about his goals as potential City Controller, and his relationship with the Northeast. continue reading »

By Shannon McDonald

NEastPhilly.com and WHYY will cohost a debate for the city’s three Democratic candidates for City Controller, two of whom have ties to the NEast.

On Thursday, May 7 at 7 p.m., Chris Satullo of WHYY will moderate the forum between incumbent City Controller Alan Butkovitz and his opponents Brett Mandel and John L. Braxton. The event will be held in the John Perzel Community Center and hosted by the Mayfair CDC.

This event is open to all civic organization leaders, and the public is encouraged to get involved. If you’d like to come, get there early, as seating is limited. If you have questions for the candidates regarding their campaigns for the city controller position and how their plans will affect you and your community, come and get involved.

For those who can’t make it next week, we will post a place for you to ask your questions, which we’ll then compile into a list for the debate night. Minutes from the forum will be inlcuded in a follow-up story on NEastPhilly.com after the debate.

This is a great opportunity to make a bigger name for the NEast within the city. This is the first of two city controller debates in the city, which was spearheaded by our Web Editor, Chris Wink. The Democratic primary election is Tuesday, May 19. To make an informed vote, get the answers you’re looking for straight from the candidates at our debate next Thursday.

Continue reading to see the official press release.

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