Yo, Mike: Clean City and the Environment

Lorraine Allen
Philadelphia

I suggest we find a way to CLEAN UP Philly. Give the kids who are out of school a job. Start a campaign for everyone to sweep and clean their block every week. People need to have PRIDE in their cleanup.
I called two months ago for the city to pick up an abandon van which has been parked for 5 months. It is still there. I do not feel like cleaning my front because I can not get around the van.

Helen Gorman

The one thing I really need you to do is address the quality of life issues, which eventually lead to more serious problems. I'd like to see people held accountable for keeping their property clean and maintained (expand the C.L.I.P. and Anti-Graffiti programs). I'd like to have some kind of ordinance regarding the abuse of cell phones, i.e., talking while driving, talking loudly in public places, holding up customer lines in stores, banks, etc. I'd like to see the police issue tickets to drivers who "block the box", park on sidewalks, and have the volume turned up so loud in their vehicles that the windows vibrate . There is enough stress and anxiety in our normal everyday lives. By eliminating the above problems you can create a happier and healthier citizen, instead of someone who may be looking to leave the City.

 

Yo’ Mike the one thing I would really love you to work on when you are Mayor is cleaning up the City – not just the government ethics, but the City streets themselves. I moved here from Chicago four years ago and while I love Philadelphia and the people, I really miss the cleanliness of Chicago. Beneath the shattered sidewalks and trash lies a beautiful city. We need a Beautify Philly program so people can show their civic pride and make this city the crown jewel of this country that it deserves to be. Regular street cleaning, more trees and parks, and a weekly recycling program will help. We also need to crack down on dog owners who won’t take responsibility for their dog’s waste. I have nothing against pets, but pet owners needs to be made accountable and responsible for their pets waste. It not only dirties our parks and streets but it creates a health hazard.

I was an avid supporter of yours in the primary, will continue to support you when you arrive in City Hall and will volunteer to work on the Beautify Philly program when you get it established.

You give this City hope and I expect great things from you!

 

Andy
Center City

Yo mike, congrats on the primary victory…

Although its not a top priority like crime and corruption, I think its important take at least some time to focus on how dirty parts of can be (Im not Ray Nagin in disguise)…….and I’m even willing to help out by volunteering for Philadelphia Green!…

 

Ed Tomezsko
Chancellor Emeritus
Penn State Delaware County

Yo, Mike: born and raised in North Philly, I'd like to see you put Philadelphia in the lead and leap into the future. Let's make Philly the 'green city' before Mayor Daley in Chicago get's his plan off the ground. I know the reason why the nay-sayers will raise - too expensive, too something or other, They always have a reason.

We have parks and streets which could use more trees and more flowers, We have roof tops which could be roof top gardens or locations for solar panels generating heat and electricity. Let's be 'outrageous' or 'courageous', and be daring as we make Philly "green'. You present a new vision of the future and in the long haul, we will save money and Philadelphia, under your leadership, will be that "greene towne" again,

 

Liz Robinson
Executive Director
Energy Coordinating Agency
Philadelphia

Yo, Mike! The one thing I really need you to do is to commit to making Philly an energy efficient and sustainable city by creating a plan to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2050. The world’s scientists estimate this is the level necessary to stabilize the climate. If you develop such a plan within your first 100 days, you’ll give us the head start we really need on this issue. By harnessing Philadelphia’s two largest clean energy resources, energy efficiency and solar energy, Philadelphia can create thousands of skilled “green collar jobs” and dozens of clean energy technology and service companies, while saving hundreds of millions of dollars annually on energy costs. Philadelphia could truly become one of the world’s most sustainable cities. We have the technology and the management know-how. All we need is your leadership.

R. Thomas
Educator

Yo, Mike! The one thing I really need you to do is...while you ensure the new school district superintendent breaks up the school district into smaller districts with separate central offices, personnel and superintendents to ease the burden of the overcrowded and overburdened current model (check out LA Unified while under Roy Romer); I would like to see you rid the city of the management companies that are not educating our youth. Keep the schools and staff them with experienced administrators and counselors. Some new counselors, assistant principals and teachers who are completing their certification and fieldwork and those who are at the begining of their careers can work in these schools. As they gain experience and seasoned educators at comprehensive schools retire, those at the alternative schools can transfer with a solid educator foundation. By making the alternative schools training centers for future school administrators and "master" teachers, the district saves money because it does not pay companies extra money (which it does have) to educate children. Also, teachers have a smaller school environment in which to get suitible training to begin their careers. School district employees run their alternative schools and new teachers, counselors and administrators can be trained under seasoned veterans!!!!

 

"Yo, Mike! The one thing I realy need you to do....." is make parents accountable for their children's health and education.

The standards by which DHS are based are below human conditions. The ability of parents to not participate in their child's care has become a parenting style because "they can". It is a cycle of destruction. Parenting is hard work and enforcing quality parenting is even harder, but what ,as a community, are our choices?

As the pending "parent" of the city, please raise the standards of living by setting limits, providing consequences and teaching life skills. Starting with the agencies that are responsible.

Thanks in advance for a great job!
P.S. The School District is not and should not be the parent.

 

Yo, Mike! The one thing I really need you to do is clean up the sidewalks and streets of Philadelphia. I would like you to implement an aggressive campaign directed at the residents and businesses in Philadelphia asking, shaming, demanding all people who live or own businesses in the city that they take a broom, dust pan and paper bag and clean the litter from their own front doors.
For whatever the reason, people feel that they can litter, people feel that someone else will clean up after them, people do not realize how a dirty city reflects so poorly on all of us. Litter leads to more litter and decay.
Mike, I have been waiting for you. I think you can make a difference. My mother often said to me, "you can be poor (and we were) but you do not have to be dirty. When the time comes put me on a list of volunteers who want to help clean up the city. The very best of luck to you and your family,

 

We need you to enforce the trash pick-up law adopted by Council and ignored by Mayor Street. Condominium owners pay the same taxes as other property owners, but we do not get trash pick-up services.

Vivian Lubin

As an administrator of an organization much less complex than the City of Philadelphia, I appreciate that addressing the most important challenges in a comprehensive way is a long-term process. My suggestion focuses on a fairly simple solution to a problem less complex than reducing crime or improving education: making our city cleaner. As a native New Yorker who moved to a relatively clean area of Philadelphia recently, I was struck with HOW DIRTY this city is!
Adding personnel and equipment, renegotiating union contracts, etc.
are long-term and/or cost prohibitive, so my proposal is a low-cost, quick fix: put one trash can at every intersection in the city. I frequently carry trash for blocks looking for a receptacle, often bringing the trash home with me. While some will still litter if trash cans are available, many won't. More trash cans mean more to be emptied by sanitation crews – but at present, if you find an intersection with one trash can, it's likely to have a second one right across the street. So, redistribute existing cans, increase modestly, make our city a whole lot cleaner.

Anonymous
Mike, this is what I need you to do; I am tired of the local "lip service and BS" that surrounds the sidewalk and "lot" trash.
I need you to "PICK IT UP or SUFFER A FINE". I know there are misdemeanor laws that cover this subject but the police are not interested in enforcing "quality of life misconduct:" but think about our visitors when they come and go in Philly for whatever reason and they take away with them a "CLEAN" (and all the other adjectives wil follow; beautiful, wholesome etc.) memory not a dingy, gray dungeon that is NOW.

Bill Rose

Yo Mike! The one thing I need you to do is consider the "long range" while addressing immediate needs. You will have this opportunity to accomplish much AND create the foundation we need to graduate this city to its just greatness. That foundation should begin with city-wide cleanliness. Start a program that will grow and strengthen-one that will instill individual pride. First, have someone in your administration-answerable directly to you-whose sole responsibility is to be on the street and working with authorities in the various city services to investigate and have corrected cleanliness problems. Second, have stiffer fines for violators, stronger enforcement of litter laws and community service for repeaters in the form of physical participation in clean-ups.Rich,poor or in-between there is no excuse for irresponsible trashing or lack of basic cleanliness.

 

The one thing I really need you to do is......clean up city hall and the streets.
City Hall is a disgrace to this great city. The trash, the bad odors from trash and human waste, and the preusmably homeless people that hang out there (esp after dark) make that area extremely undesirable and frightening to both local people and tourists.
The trash on the streets in my neighborhood (Bella Vista) seems to never get picked up, and the streets themselves are rarely cleaned. The 9th street market area attracts both local and tourists, and the streets are filthy. The city did a great job cleaning the area after the Italian Festival recently, but that happens once a year- the place looked great, but only temporarily. Also, I walk along Washington Ave from 11th to Broad St every day - trash and litter everywhere.
Solutions: One - Create incentives for people and businesses to clean up in front of their properties by instituting fines for littering or not keeping their properties clean. Two - Increase public awareness of litering arding littering etc. Three- Launch volunteer programs for the neighborhoods to clean up. Four - Hire the homeless to walk the streets with a broom and trash can. They can earn some money and some self-respect. Perhaps they can be sponsored by local businesses who can advertise their business on the sides of the trash cans.
If I could, I would like to be able to pick up every piece of trash I see as I walk along the streets of my city, but if I did, I would never get to where I was going.
I've had friends visit from Dallas (where they have an incredibly clean city thanks to public awareness and hefty fines for littering) and they couldn't believe how dirty the city is. I was embarrassed by this as I would like to be proud of my city of Phila, for all it's greatness.
I know there are many issues this city has, but part of the big picture here is that a cleaner city will increase the vitality of the city by increasing tourism, home ownership, business opportunities, all leading to increased tax revenue for the city, and ultimately a better quality of life for the citizens of Philadelphia.

Trees!

Please be the mayor that makes Philadelphia back into the "green country town" that Ben Franklin dreamed of! So many of our trees are dying off and you only need to stand in the shade of a big tree on a hot summer day to know how badly we need more trees!

Though there may be more pressing fiscal and societal needs, here is something that is very 'do-able.'

For the global warming, for the environment for our children, for Philadelphia, for every reason - please find a way to help us plant more trees in our city.

 

"Yo, Mike, the one thing I really need you to do is clean-up the urban section of the city. We have not had new streets or sidewalks in years. If the neighbors see that you are doing something then they will pitch in to help as well. We have 10 abandon houses that need to be cleaned out and sold or rented. These houses are eye sores and brings down property value. You should know about our neighborhood since you were our Councilman when you were in City Council. I live on the 5400 Block of Spring Street. We can't even get paint to paint the curbs. At least with the paint it does make the streets look better for a while. A lot of our neighbors voted for you now you will have to prove that their vote was worth it. We will compliment you when you're doing good and complain when you're not. Just wanted you to know.

If Mayor Mike Nutter was sitting across my kitchen table I would tell him to please clean up North Philly streets. They are discussing. When I drive around North Philly I feel a sense of depression taking over my spirit to see how dirty our streets are. I also feel embarrassed because I know it is our people's responsibilities to keep these streets clean, however, there is a deep sense of not caring there, so I would absolutely love it if you, Mike, would clean our streets and fine those who dirty it.
Thank you very much for this opportunity in letting me express myself.

The one thing I really need mayor elect Michael Nutter to do is clean up Philadelphia. I'm talking about trash, not City Hall. (Although a good sweep through wouldn't hurt there either). I relocated to Philadelphia from New York approximately two years ago. A reason I often cited for leaving New York was that it was a dirty city. Well, little did I know I would be jumping out of the frying pan into the fire. Because I have fallen in love with this city of Brother Love (and Sisterly Affection) there is no turning back. But the amount of trash and garbage shrewn about its streets turns my stomach. I tell people I feel at times that I am walking though a land fill. The first thing Mike can do is get some trash receptacles onto the streets. The next thing is to start a publicity campaign to encourage Philadelphia residents to CLEAN UP THIS TOWN! Surely, it has to be embarrassing to have a mayor from another city, make snide remarks about how dirty Philadelphia is. Connected to this issue of trash is recycling. It took New York a while, but by the time I departed, they had recycling down to a science. People recycled because IT WAS THE LAW! Philadelphia needs to get with the program. Help us out mayor-elect Nutter.

 

Yo Mike! Climate change. A great city cannot be obtuse on global warming. We need shade. Trees benefit us from streetscape to heat escape. And that public sharing in the benefit makes “plant a tree” a more complex endeavor in the city from the standpoint of responsibility. Some want city government to plant 23,000 trees. (Yes, with only about 12% of the recommended 40% tree cover, we need a lot of trees.) Some beseech private citizens to do so. We know it is some kind of combination and strategic coordination is sorely needed. As an example, last summer on my block 4 new trees (less than the need) suddenly appeared – from the PA Treevitalize program or some “tree wait list” - and within 3 months, 2 were dead (50%). The lesser quality of the trees and insufficient watering were too much for the too young trees to bear. Also, no one participated in the selection so that the best type of tree – e.g. size, growth pattern, hardiness, shade quality – was planted in each location. Elsewhere, some tree freebies have been planted by neighborhood associations and they are not street-worthy, shade trees. Planting curbside decorations on skinny trunks is a waste of resources and does not contribute to increasing beneficial tree canopy in our city. We need a coordinated plan of action that attacks all aspects of urban tree life: removal, pruning, selection, planting, and care, and a lot of government and private citizen action around getting it done and paid for. P.S. I am working with 4 neighbors – as private citizens - to plant 7 gorgeous trees on Fitzwater Street this June. Please call and come see!

Anonymous
Clean and sweep the streets and sidewalks on a daily basis. Start enforcing laws against littering and illegal dumping! Restructure the lackluster and unresponsive Streets Department.

Michael Carrier 
Clean up this city!

One of the quickest, most visible, and cheapest proposals that would fundamentally change the city would be to address the hideous trash problem. Following the five-pronged approach below would reverse the vicious cycle by which pedestrians and landowners litter with reckless abandon.

1. Institute alternate side of the street parking, which has worked in New York for years.
2. Send street sweepers to clean up behind the garbage trucks.
3. Increase the number of trash cans with removable tops on street corners.
4. Issue fines to owners who do not dispose of trash on their properties.
5. Start a campaign for residents to have pride in Philly and take responsibility to “Clean up this city!”

Cleanliness and sanitation must be a top priority of your administration. The Streets Department needs to be reformed and restructured because it is lackluster, ineffective, and unresponsive.

We need:

1. Weekly city-wide street sweeping by the Streets Department, including the mandatory moving or towing of cars for curb to curb cleaning.

2. Aggressive enforcement of sanitation laws, including addressing the serious problems of littering and illegal dumping.

3. Provide trash cans with lids in commercial areas to reduce litter. Make sure these public trash cans are emptied at least once a day.

4. Require residents and business to sweep around their property at least once a week.

5. Implement mandatory weekly city-wide single stream curbside recycling.

 

I don't know about the "single most important" single thing, but I think something Mr. Nutter should consider is implementing a better recycling program almost as soon as he takes office. So far the only thing keeping us from (a) weekly pickup citywide and (b) an improved system, possibly with incentives, is a lack of leadership to make it happen.

1) There's already a community of experts and activists who have thought through the logistics and possibilities, and he could meet with them over the summer and have this ready to go within the first two weeks of his term.
2) This isn't just an issue for Center City liberals and the like (heck, we already get good service); I've heard grumbling and desire for more action in neighborhoods as diverse as Southwest Philly and the far Northeast. This would be a real quality-of-life improvement everywhere.
3) Progressives would feel confirmed in their support for a "reformer" by getting action on a pet issue, and "pot-hole" voters around the city would see a concrete piece of evidence of the changing times.
4) This is a rarity in that it could be implemented quickly with splash, and thus generate some quick good will to help tide the Nutter administration through the necessarily slower processes of addressing the city's more substantial problems, like violence or improving the schools.

Give it some thought, Mike, among all the other things on your plate!

 

Michael Nutter, a very important thing for you
to do as Mayor would be to have an environmental
impact study done prior to agreeing that Philadel;hia should be a wireless city. You
need to know that at least 15% of the population at large is sensitive to chemicals
and electromagnetic radiation.
You have to know that already many people in the city have been affected adversely by
cellular phone towers - the effects can only increase as more of these are installed.

Diane Thomas

Congratulations on your win. I have lived in the Juniata Park section of the city for 26 years. It is a totally integrated neighborhood--white, black, hispanic and a little bit of everything else. I think that the neighborhoods need to be worked on regarding taking pride in their neighborhoods. I constantly find trash all over the place and just a general lack of pride in the way most of the neighbors keep their properties. Lawns aren't kept properly. Weeds are growing out of control, junk cars in the driveways. We have a beautiful new charter school which is almost completed and already it is littered with graffiti.

Thanks for reading.

 

Jamie Wyper
Roxborough

I would like you to help us envision what Philadelphia will be like in a post petroleum economy and start work now on making it the best possible City under that eventuality: strong local economy, full use and development of our human capital (so necessarily a new educational model) great parks, great public transportation system; regional planning and alliances. Sustainable in every way. No small agenda, but you have what it takes. And I really want to help.

 

This may sound trivial to a lot of people, but we really need to clean up the city. I don't mean the political environment (although city goverment in general needs a good fire hose). I'm speaking about the trash in our beautiful city. I would like to see enforcement of our trash laws. I would like to see our streets cleaned once a week or once every two weeks. I would like to see city trash cans on the corners and have them emptied on a regular basis. I would like for the leadership of our city to understand that in order for us to achieve the great things that all politicians preach, we first need to achive small victories in areas that affect us every day. Thank you for giving us a forum for average citizens to express our views.

 

I have lived in Philadelphia for over 50 years and have seen firsthand the amazing ability of this great city to thrive despite lackluster political leadership. Who knows what will happen when a Mayor with both integrity and character is at the helm. I can hardly wait!

Here's my one eminently doable thing. Clean up the City Hall courtyard. Yes, it would be great to do the entire building but I and a lot of your fellow citizens would settle for a complete redo of the courtyard. Get rid of the macadam and redo the concrete walled flower beds. While your at it tear down the chain link fencing. Build it and people will come.

 

I know this city has several major problems, i.e. the murder rate, corruption in city hall, the school system, etc....but in addition to these very troubling issues there's something that I feel needs to be addressed and it is the appearance of our neighborhoods. And by this I mean LITTERING! This city has a major problem with ignorance and I continuosly see people dumping illegally, throwing garbage from the their cars and simply on the ground as they walk. Our streets are the foundation of our city and this ignorance is a learned problem similar to rascism and violence. Lack of respect for others, period. It is also closely related to a lack of education, a respect for where we live, our environment and ourselves. I was recently in London in the UK and their were full size signs everywhere with the STOP LITTERING headline with fines listed. Does the law enforce this problem? If we started taking care of our city in the most basic of ways, we would certainly see positive results in the more complex problems. It's simply a lack of respect for our neighborhoods and the people who live in them. Other cities are much more superior in controlling this issue and definitely have made strong leaps and bounds in the recycling of wastes. Something that this city is extremely lacking. Its a difficult task just to get a blue recycling container! On thrash pick up day the problem is at its worst and our Waste Dept. employees should be punished if they are too lazy to pick up debris that may not make it into their trucks. We need to take back this city and have some pride in our neighborhoods. This is a beautiful city and we need to make it seen.

This is probably one of the easiest tasks for you to tackle while receiving large returned results. Think about it...

 

Please do something, anything, to help clean up the city of Philadelphia. I love this city, and am very proud of it. I was outraged when I heard the comments of New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagan about the cleanliness of our city. And then, I realized he was correct. The trash scattered around Center City, even it's "nicest" areas (ie Rittenhouse)is atrocious. I realize that much of this burden lies with the citizens, who do not seem to think twice about dumping trash on the sidewalks and streets, but the overflowing trash cans, and seeming lack of interest from the city needs to be changed. Hope you can get it done, and good luck

 

We need to have quality of life in this city.
The streets need cleaning and people need to be encouraged to follow our trash laws.

I know that your district's streets are cleaned weekly by street cleaning teams, but I cannot understand why my district has not been cleaned in many years.

Please clean and care for our districts as yours are now cared for.

 

I think the number one thing you should do as mayor is clean up our streets (literally). In Manayunk and Roxborough (both are now established city neighborhoods for young professionals) the streets are filthy. I see trash everywhere except for on Main Street. Almost all residents live around Main Street and not on it which means the trash is sometimes on their property. This is just one example.

Please fix the STREETS Department. I have dealt with them personally to get some excessive dumping picked up on Umbria Street in Roxborough and it took months to even get a response. We could have the lowest property and wage taxes in the world, but no new businesses will come to a dirty city.

Best of luck in November!!!

 

The one thing I really need you to do is simply to recycle plastic. If we desire the greenest city, seems we should start small instead of embarking on a risky and expensive desire to match Chicago.

 

Sarah McEneaney
John Struble
Co-Founders Reading Viaduct Project
Congratulations ! We are thrilled that a true visionary has won the Democratic primary for Mayor of Philadelphia.
We are writing to ask for your support for the Reading Viaduct Project (RVP). RVP is dedicated to the preservation and re-use of the abandonded Reading Viaduct as public, elevated, open green space. You received a packet from us at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's Mayoral Forum on Greening at the Convention Center during the Flower Show. PHS is one of the many groups and individuals we've met with who support us. Others include Councilman Frank DiCicco, DCNR Secretary Michael Di Bernardinis, the Rails to Trails Conservancy and Callowhill Neighhborhood Association. The viaduct with it’s 2 branches is literally a bridge connecting several communities including Callowhill,Chinatown, West Poplar and Brandywine East. Beginning at Vine Street between 11th and 12th Streets the viaduct travels north to Callowhill Street where it branches to the west and northeast. The northeast leg continues to 915 Spring Garden Street (the former Reading Company Building which for twenty years has been a fully occupied artists' studio building) as the viaduct ending in a lrage open lot on the 800 block of Brown St. almost reaching Northern Liberties. The western leg meets street level at Noble and 13th Streets and leads directly to Broad Street, The Avenue of the Arts and the Spring Garden neighborhood. As a reclaimed public space the Reading Viaduct will bring together diverse and growing communities and link our past history with our future development.
We would like to meet with you and your staff to discuss this truly innovative idea for the City of Philadelphia.
Thank you for your time,

I need you to implement a comprehensive recyclnig program for the city, with single stream collection. Just copy San Jose, CA lead; lids on those cans will help the city trash blowing around too!

jb

I just want you to re-institute my beliefe in city government. Right now, I have absolutely no confidence in any of the operating departments n city government, with the exception of the fire department. Is a street cleaner making weekly rounds a la trash pick up asking too much? Also, Fairmount Park is a beautiful piece of jewelry that is severely underfunded. Increase its funding or the manner in which it is being managed to bring it up to standards.

 

Congratulations on winning the primary. Every neighborhood in the city appears to have an issue with trash and its effect on quality of living in Philadelphia. As such, a focus on beautification would elevate the city on many levels. One could envision a youth jobs program to help enable such an initiative. It may sound trivial compared to the crime problem but the small things seem to count in the effective transformation of other cities and similar efforts here could have a cascading positive effect on other key issues facing our city.

All the best in leading this great city in a new direction.

 

One word (okay three)
Litter, Litter, Litter!!!!
The trash is overwhelming. I clean my street every day, have implemented 2x a month block cleaning and still can't keep up with it. I am embarrassed for myself and for Philadelphia when friends and family from out of town come to visit. It is the first and then last thing they see when they leave. Every city has great restaurants and bars, activities and sights but only Philadelphia can claim fame to being the trash city of the nation! Come on Mike, make this a priority. It is a quality of Life issue for everyone, white, black, old, young, rich, poor. My broom thanks you...

If you make it this far to read my suggestion. I would like to see improvement in removing the trash and litter that plagues many of the neighborhoods outside of center city. Cleaning up the streets of trash, litter and the like can have an impact on civic pride. This is similar to the broken windows theory used in NYC with train graffiti and oddly enough broken windows.
To accomplish this, try to work closely with block captains and perhaps even create a volunteer liason to streamline communications between block captains and the city. Also there are volunteer orgs out there such as SPECC (south philly environment community coalition) that are trying to organize to clean up the city, provide them some support. These are efforts that will only cost $$$ in human not economical resources and then if the money shows up down the road, increase street cleaning to the neighborhoods.

 

One thing I really need you to address is quality of life issues. As you know small things like trash strewn streets and sidewalks, graffiti everywhere, dog poop, etc lead to the more serious type crimes that go along with above. I have been in South Phila for 50 years and am totally disgusted with how the streets are overloaded with trash. While I realize that the city can only do so much and that the streets are littered due to people themselves, the city has to crack down on illegal dumping of trash, fine residents and landlords who put their trash out 6 days before a pickup, and go back to the mandatory moving of cars to sweep streets. The city could make a ton of money by fining car owners who do not move their cars. Also streets dept workers need to be held responsible for carelessness on their part when picking up trash. Most of the time trash bags are heaved from one's pavement to the back of trash trucks as far as 20 feet. Bags who hit the street first are ripped and trash is left on the streets. This is horrible on city workers part. Bottom line here is city sanitation workers do not give a ____ about this.
You want to revitalize city neighborhoods? Then please pay attention to areas like South Phila, North Phila , West Philly and all other areas of the city . Please do not become another Mayor Rendell Or Street? Center City gets enough services already. Concentrate on making our places where we live cleaner, safer and proud to be part of individual neighborhoods.

 

I would like to see my neighbor looking better.

*Need new sidewalk
*plant trees
*trash cans on each corner

Have the fire marshall send out a NO B"Que on the porches, and no trash on the porches. I'm willing to help out and so our my neighbors.
5400 block of Catharine Street.

WE really need a change!
Our gas bills are to high!

 

Since the negativity of the casinos in our historic, vibrant city has already been blogged (I did send you an impact fact sheet on casinos -casinofree.org), lets discuss FILTHADELPHIA, the need to inform residents of our laws. In south philly, it's amazing- residences and businesses do not sweep their sidewalk and gutter of debris or bother to recycle. Recycling is necessary for mother earth and less costly than regular trash to dispose of. The city should inform IN ALL LANGUAGES the laws regarding these issues. If THEY DO NOT COMPLY, then TICKET, TICKET, TICKET TILL THEY DO! Also needing multi lingual attention, adults riding bikes on sidewalks-a pedestrian has to jump out of the way. It is unsafe; especially to our seniors and handicapped- only children are permitted the sidewalk bike riding.
Also amazed at how filthy a busy intersection like Broad and Snyder is and the public trash bins on Broad st south overflowing.

 

Congratulations first off. I have a tough one for you. It is hard to get neighborhood involvement into cleaning up our neighborhoods let alone dealing with a do nothing City Hall. You call about people on your street not shoveling snow, mowing lawns or parked cars that are not moved for months or just plain trash and get no response. You call and a machine or a person if you are lucky takes the info and nothing. Same for playgrounds and schools. Our kids walk on ice in the winter and high grass in the summer. I never saw this as a kid growing up and I looked it up all these things are against the law. It is time to care again so we can be proud of our city again. Mayer Nagan was telling the truth and yes it does hurt. Can city Hall care again so we can care and learn respect again??

 

Ann
South Philadelphia

There are obvious and pressing issues such as violence and crime in the city; education reform (smaller class size, school safety, the return of arts and music); and more opportunities and training for the poor.

But the thing that gets my goat every day is litter. Something that may seem small – a single gum wrapper or cup lying on the ground makes our beautiful city look like crap. There is an overabundance of litter in my neighborhood (South Philadelphia) and, so sadly, in our parks. I am not sure it is because of a lack of trashcans. I’ve seen people throw something on the ground when there is a trashcan but a few feet away. We need a marketing and education campaign.

And on this trash note, I am ashamed of dog owners who do not clean up after their dogs. (I am a dog owner myself, so have nothing against dogs…) I also ask for a more frequent and inclusive recycling program.

These negatives aside, I love this city. We have a wonderful city, let’s make it shine and promote the heck out of it.

 

Did you already walk down my street? Maybe the calls to clip payed off. The lawns got mowed on the 6400 block of Dorcas St. The no parking sign that neighbors asked for since February was placed. The lot on Hellerman is being cleaned up. If only you could get HUD to remove to wood on the windows of 6421 Dorcas and remove the eyesore so neighbors could sell their houses instead of having to rent them. Numerous contacts to HUD have produced no results. Also, can you add this block to the snow plow list for the first time ever. And can you have recycled trash picked up weekly with the regular trash? Thanks for listening Mike.

 

The one thing I really need you to do is to make the process for acquiring a nuisance property or a vacant abandon property, or an unattended lot less complicated and more available to interested neighbors or others of interest. Dirty trash strewn grafitti houses serve as hideouts for guns, drug dealers, users, prostitutes; places to relieve themselves and criminal activity. This is an unhealthy situation for all, but especially for our children and youth. Neighbors who maintain their properties, can't get decent insurance, nor can they enjoy beautiful scenery when they sit on their porches. This can be depressing to the human soul. Beautiful clean neighborhoods encourages good citizenship practices and positive attitudes which carry over into our schools and our communities, thereby, making our communities viable, decent places in which to live and raise our children. You have my vote, support, prayers and best wishes as you endeavor to make this great city even greater.

 

Congratulations on your remarkable rise in the ranks. I believe you offer the citizens of Philadelphia great hope and promise. I knew you were a "cut above" when you gathered with the demonstrators on the steps of the Central Branch of the Free Library several years ago to offer your support...that spoke volumes about your character. Proposing no smoking legislation and finance reform were fitting testimonials as well. You deserve to lead this city.

I have a number of concerns but the one that is most feasible is to fix our recycling debacle once and for all. The city must offer WEEKLY recycling pickup on the same day as trash pick-up in every neighborhood of the city. There should be one co-mingled recycling bin collected every week alongside our trash. The current biweekly, color-coded, recycling schedule of selected items is far too complicated. Is it any wander why we are one of the poorest performing recycling cities in the country?

PS: Please recognize and support one of the city's greatest assets: Fairmount Park.

 

Yo Michael! I'm passionate about Philadelphia and I've only lived here 2 years. Why? The city is a manageable size, walkable and affordable.
However, Ray Nagan is right, sad to say, Philadelphia is filthy! Litter is everywhere. Trash collection is inadequate. No trash bins are on the street. The local mind set is toss rather than pick up.
Pride in the city starts with appearance. Citizens need to care and to act responsibly. Participation in a cleaner city HAS TO BE EASY.
One solution is a recycling program that works (perhaps the city should transfer management to an already existing non-profit.)
The standard can be set by YOU and your staff. The rest will follow leadership.
Good luck!

Solar panels on every roof, a windmill on every street corner, solid waste energy programs, and comprehensive recycling. Offer incentives and grants to get on board, tax and punish offenders, and sell and buy carbon credits. Sell the green energy we generate to our neighbors, and reinvest it into environmental industries. Attract engineers and manufacturers to build electric cars here. Invite scientists to use Philadelphia as a test city for environmental initiatives. Sink every resource into leading the new environmental economy. Make the Philadelphia economy of the 21st century as synonymous with the environment as our economy of the 19th century was with textiles.

 

Lise Bauman
First of all, congratulations on your primary win. I'm very happy at the prospect of you becoming our next mayor.
I would love to see Philadelphia become a national leader in the "greening" of America's cities.
There are several programs that I am aware of that could move us in that direction. The first seems to me to be a 'no-brainer': Implement RecycleBank citywide immediately. I know you have been a supporter of this pay-to-recycle program that also supports local businesses and could save the city millions every year.
The Pennsylvania Horticulture Society's new program, Green City Youth, reconnects urban kids to the natural world, helps them make a positive impact on their communities, and has resulted in improved performance in school. This exciting program, along with the Summer Youth Environmental Stewardship Program and the Youth Environmental Health Corps, should be funded to be available to all of our city's young people-the future caretakers of our world.
How about moving us towards a clean and more reliable energy future by encouraging and facilitating home and building-owners who want to put solar panels on their roofs? There must be some creative ways to make this affordable.
These are just a few ideas. There are so many talented and creative people in this city that I'm sure we can make Philadelphia an example for others to follow.
Best of luck to you, and thanks for reading these suggestions.

I've read through all these posts, and I am so psyched! There are so many people in this City who are passionately committed to making it better! And I was gratified to read that I am far from the only city dweller who is fed up with the litter and dirty sidewalks. I know that people shooting each other is a bigger problem, and lowering the murder rate (and getting guns off the street) is #1, and getting more good jobs into the city is probably #2 (along with training people to fill them), but litter & filth have a profound psychic impact, and I believe clean streets will help fight crime. Good luck to you!

 

Want to reduce Philadelphia children's feet lacerations by over 50% at no cost to the city?

Enact a "bottle bill," law in Philadelphia to require a deposit on beverage containers. It also reduces the volume of litter by over 50%, including the most dangerous kind of litter: broken glass. And it will save Philadelphia millions of dollars by reducing the size of Philadelphia's waste stream, since bottle bills in other locations have typically produced recycling rates exceeding 90%.

Is there anybody who is against reduced children's feet lacerations?

 

There is a great deal of talk about improving our students' academic and civic performance and "greening" Philadelphia. To really accomplish improvements to the environment and making a difference in the world, we need to change the culture and marketplace around how we use and conserve energy. This begins with our youngest citizens. To these ends, we have applied for a charter school for the Elementary School for Sustainable Design (ES4SD). This educational institution will have world class educators and Community Partners and will use Project Based Service Learning (the most effective way to effectively reach and teach to ALL students) as its foundational pedagogy. You have always been a great supporter of education, Michael. Via the ES4SD, we can create better students, citizens, and stewards of our environment. For more info, go to: www.es4sd.typepad.com.

 

...Green Philadelphia. Let's take the lead on an important initiative for a change. Chicago has already started, but we can surpass them if we work together. Encourage carpooling and bicycles. Offer free Center City parking to carpooling hybrids. Work with your new best friend the Guv to improve and increase public transportation service. All out blitz on recycling, make it mandatory, and include plastics!! Offer incentives - PPA smart cards etc. Solar panels on top of MSB and other CC buildings. Again, the Guv can help by passing legislation that provides tax credits for solar. Do energy surveys in public and school buildings and provide funding to implement recommendations. Just switching T12 lighting to T8 and installing compact fluorescent bulbs could save a lot. Save and preserve the parks. Get people to drive more safely and energy efficiently by enforcing traffic/speeding laws. Engage environmental groups to implement other ideas.

 

The city needs a comprehensive, citywide recycling program. It will take a while to roll this out, so there are two populations that we absolutely must start with:

1) City government! The city currently recycles paper, but not plastic or aluminum. Create a culture of recycling among the 20+ thousand city employees that they can take back to their neighborhoods. The city should lead on this.

2) Out of town visitors. Promote recycling in the key places where out-of-towners come into contact with the city.

a. Independence Mall

b. Reading Terminal Market

By implementing comprehensive recycling in these places we will let the country and the world know that the city is committed to reducing waste and to becoming greener.

Good luck.

 

Yo Mike, congrats on winning the Democratic Nomination. If you do become major would you please consider helping to turn Philadelphia into a more green and environmentally conscience city, so that we can live in a cleaner healthier and more prosperous urban area. We need to become a model for other cities within the US and worldwide by demonstrating that we can come together and be a leader in the fight against pollution and the degredation of our natural environments. Thanks and good luck you have my support!

 

We need to clean up the streets of Philadelphia. My suggestion is to take all of the juvenile offenders and sentence them to clean up the city or plant gardens to beautify Philadelphia. This would keep them out of the youth study center and help to make our city more desirable. They could compensated (based on the length of their sentence) with a small stipend at the completion of their sentence in the form of a gift card.

 

Congratulations! It's truly exciting to know that the future of Philly is in such good hands (& best of luck with keeping City Council on track)!

So I've got a concern that I've been stumped by for awhile now, & this seems a good time to bring it up: what's really going on with the recycling program here??

Why isn't there any info about the disposition of materials collected at curbside, or dropped off at Domino Lane, etc? The website (recyclingpays.phila.gov) explains the importance of recycling, & gives the schedules and how-to's for households, but I'd expect to also see something about the processing of those materials (preferably including pictures)!

As it is, we're all just going through the motions, on faith that something's being followed through on. But for all we know, the final destination of those materials is the general garbage dump!

So please investigate the situation & either publicize what's being accomplished, or take action to clean it up! Thanks ever so much!!

 

Helloooooooooooo Michael Anthony Nutter and welcome!!!

A very excellent idea for a clean and green city??? Converting THE TRESTLE that runs above the City starting at Vine St (near Reading Terminal) and which cuts through the City to the Art Museum, into a jogging path/park.

This would GAIN DIRECT ACCESS FROM CENTER CITY for residents and tourists TO THE SCHUYLKILL RIVER and ultimately FAIRMOUNT PARK, while simultaneously DOING SOMETHING with the trestle, which is currently a rusting eyesoar. It would also help upgrade a portion of Center City (the Loft District) through which the trestle cuts.

C'mon... think about it!!!

 

Yo, Mike, please help improve the air quality and thus the health of Philadelphians. Order the enforcement of city ordinances against idling engines, toughen the laws on emissions, ban the use of leaf blowers, encourage people to turn off the AC in their homes and cars, create no-vehicle zones and impose fees on cars and trucks entering congested areas. Please hurry before we choke to death. Thanks!

 

Please impose "green" building standards on all Philadelphia public buildings and all Philadelphia schools (public and private). No one should have to be exposed to lead, mold, toxic cleaning chemicals, etc. Children will not learn well unless their surroundings are healthy.

 

Air Pollution from idling delivery trucks, service trucks, school buses and tourist buses needs to be controlled.

In an age of high prices of oil and of new awareness of global warming, The Philadelphia Public Health Department's control of emissions from Mobile Sources is insufficient.

Rules regarding idling engines should be strengthened, especially in Center City -- and particularly around the Franklin Institute. This museum may be a big moneymaker for this town but their control of behavior of drivers of the visiting tourist buses and school buses is practically non-existent, whether it be of parking on residential streets or of engines idling by the hour outside the museum and its surrounding streets.

Stronger laws should be brought into play and should be enforced, not only by the police but by responsible behavior by
such traffic generators.

 

Make Philly the first American city to be truly green. Every skyscraper should be retrofitted with an electric generating windmill on its roof. (I assume we have the technology to do this.) I live at 19th and JFK Boulevards and believe me, the wind that blows past this building is constant and strong.

Peco should be asked to place turbines in the Delaware and the Schuykill. (New York is already doing it in the East River so we have no excuses not to be working in the same direction)

We need to have a comprehensive recycling program that actually includes single stream recycling of all recyclable material.

Mass transit needs your immediate and full attention. Bring back the trollies! We have the infrastructure, now all we need is the will to impliment a new commitment to public transit.

Sustainable housing is becoming more and more possible, as Mayor Street has done a good job of building housing for lower income families your job should be to continue that program with emphasis on building new houses sustainably.

Green roofs. There is already the technology and the proof that retrofitting buildings with green roofs (roofs with grass or other planted areas help reduce urban heat pollution in summer and reduce heating bills in winter).

Urban farming. Tracts of land within the city limits that are not being developed should be used to grow produce. We have examples of this land use in Philadelphia. The mayor should promote this practice as one way the next great city, Philadelphia, chooses to become great. This will have to start with the next great Mayor of Philadelphia, Mike.

Encourage people to move into the city or to at least use public transit to get into the city, the same way London is doing. Charge a tax on vehicles that drive into the city from the suburbs. The less efficient the vehicle, the higher the tax. Revenue could support improvements to public transit.

Work with the federal government to bury our urban scars I-95, I-676 and I-76. The land tracts that would be created could be used to increase park space or to build housing (Housing increases the tax base).

 

Please implement curbside recycling pick-up throughout the city as quickly as possible. Thank you.

 

Congratulations on your victory, Michael! Your election brought a great personal sigh of relief.

I think the one thing you can do for the City of Philadelphia is keep it moving in the direction of sustainability. Many other cities across the country will wither and fade in the next 100 years because they are either unsustainable (Phoenix) or lead by officials without a clear future vision.

Energy and climate change will present profound opportunities as well as challenges. Cities that can forge a sustainable path without sacrificing stranded public investments in infrastructure will become the thriving metropolis' of the future.

Good luck, Michael.

 

Congratulations! The best man actually won!

I'd like you to address the environmental problems plaguing the city that have been ignored for too long. First, fix recycling. There is no excuse for us not to be doing what other cities have successfully done for decades. Also, make sure our park system has adequate funding and leadership. Plant more trees. Be an advocate for SEPTA funding and make using the system easier and more enjoyable. Address stormwater, asthma and blight issues that bring down the quality of life in our neighborhoods.

The quality of the environment in our city is not only important for our health and safety, it is also directly linked to our economic health. Please make it a priority.

Albert Eisenberg
Wynnefield
...The environment. While the federal government is slow to catch on, many local governments across the country are doing a lot to clean their environment and lower their carbon emissions. Here are some proven suggestions that work for the environment and for the economy:

1) Fix SEPTA: Although you have little control over the actual system, encouraging our public transportation system is incredibly important.

2) Recycle Smarter: In the Northeast and West Philly the city has combined the plastics and papers and recycling is up significantly. Immidiately expand this program citywide to help our economy.

3) Encourage biking: Philadelphia is one of the best cities for biking in America. One of the good things to come out of the Street administration was a respect for bike lanes. Expand this so that our citizens can get around without guzzling gas! Make an ordinance that every office building in the city must include a bike rack.

4) Plant more trees! They're beautiful, they clean the air, they raise property values, they suck up carbon dioxide, and they reduce the summer heat. Keep up fairmount park and build new gems like Markward Playground.

5) Change Zoning: Look at the law Boston has just passed, which says that new development must include a certain level of green-friendly building methods.

The reason people voted for you is your vision. Make Philadelphia a leader in the future, green world, not a straggler.

Noah
yo mike, the one thing you really need to do is clean up the area around city hall. it is an amazing building and a major transit hub, but it is a mess. the underground septa concourses are especially disgusting. it wouldn't take much too clean and maintain them. the parks and plazas near by could use some work too. i've heard taht you are interested in opening the courtyard up to commerce and would like to see a dining establishment opened on the first floor of city hall. i say go for it.

Robin Luber
Great idea for extra revenue for the city. Why not install cameras at sites that have been reported for illegal dumping? Catch the license of the vehicles and send them a $500 fine and a mandate to remove the dumped article. Start with the lot at Hellerman and Dorcas. This is an eyesore created by Penn-Dot who took it upon themself to block off access to the shopping center and created a dead end now used for dumping. Got it cleaned thru clip then tires got dumped, liquor bottles thrown. This is on going. We need cameras and fines.

Maurice Sampson
Chair
Recycle NOW Philadelphia
On behalf of the Recycle NOW Philadelphia Campaign, congratulations on your successful bid in the recent Primary. We look forward to working with you to fulfill your promise to deliver a credible recycling program by the end of your second year in office.

There is much work to do to make it happen; I have an idea for getting started.

America Recycles Day is November 15th (http://www.americarecyclesday.org/home.html0), less than a week after Election Day. We are considering organizing a one day workshop (perhaps as early as Saturday November 13th ) to hear from people around the country and discussing what might be done in Philadelphia. Would you commit to joining us and sharing your aspirations? It would be an exciting and inspiring day that would give the Nutter Administration a running start even before your inauguration as Mayor.

What do you think?

Jules and Suzanne Abend
As a new residents (four years) and South Philly homeowners my wife and I are very concerned about the rising murder rate, and agree with your position and the action you are planning to take.

On another easier issue, we are disgusted with the filth on the streets of the city (Center City excluded). For example, if you walk west on Passyunk from Broad you'll see garbage that's so compacted it might have been there for 20 years. My wife and I and a few neighbors sweep our street on a regular basis, but it's like pushing a boulder uphill.

By the way, we also have nailed up garbage cans with plastic bag inserts on telephone poles to try and keep the litter under control. What we really need, however, is a regular municipal street cleaning program. That includes having people move their cars, and placing garbage cans on street corners.

And, just as importantly, merchants should be fined if they neglect to clean up around their businesses. We are so tired of apologizing to friends who visit us for the condition of our streets. We usually tell them just "not to look down." That's enough for now, I won't even get into the double parking issue.

Thanks for your help. We voted for you because we believed that you were the most capable person among the candidates.

Robert F. Burns
I was born in philadelphia 70 years ago and have been a Philly boy since. I was raised in the lower Kensington area and later married and moved to the Mayfair area. I was a Philly Firefighter for over 40 years. I worked in differant sections of the city. I was lucky to meet all kinds of people. Many of my friends in the PFD couldn't wait to retire and leave the city. But I love this city and intend to stay no matter what, if you leave you can't change things for the better. I Mike Nutter becomes mayor I hope the one thing he does is try to bring the neighborhoods back to what they were and could be. In the Mayfair section of the city there are nice areas but the trash on the streets if a big problem. I personally go outside every morning and clean up the street. We have a WAWA near us and people just think the street is their trash can. I hope Mike Nutter can do something about this problem. I wish him good luck and I hope he listens to the people of this Great City.
I couldn't be more proud being a Philly Boy.