Pat Dugan
Nice guys often finish last in politics
Dugan had to motivate another base, traditional Democrat voters. He failed miserably.
Philadelphia Election
3 ballot questions answered, plus Dugan for D.A.
How many watchdogs do we need for the Office of Homeless Services?
Immigration
Inquirer scoreboard: Fails on objectivity, again
As part of my continuing scoreboard on Inquirer corruption of journalist norms, the Thursday edition carried yet another Open Border editorial mildly disguised as a new story. The piece runs 23 paragraphs, it quotes four supporters of illegal immigration, although it never ever uses the word “illegal,” and offers not
Politics
Primary day approaches. Here are my picks and analysis
Wow — look at the calendar (providing you haven’t been blinded by the fakakta eclipse). It’s almost Pennsylvania primary day, Tuesday, April 23, when we begin the process of choosing politicians we hope won’t disappoint us. Starting with President, where our primary choice is between two elderly white
Cherelle Parker
Parker offers a no-nonsense city budget
By tradition, the legacy media waits 100 days to assess the performance of a new president, governor, or mayor. I’ll jump the gun with my assessment of Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker who is (say it all together now) the city’s 100th mayor and first female mayor and Black
Police
Top cop to try something new — enforcement
In what is sure to be unwelcome news to District Attorney Larry “Let ‘em Loose” Krasner, the city of Philadelphia has announced an astonishing New Look — it will enforce drug laws, starting with Kensington, home to the living dead. That might seem an impolite term to some, but when you
Crime
When cockroaches attack: 1 victim’s story
There’s no explaining why some stories hit you where you live even if you're as crusty as me and have “consumed” a million stories in your lifetime. Claudia Silmeas, fearful of showing her face, in front of her ruined store. (Photo: Stu Bykofsky) When I saw Claudia
Culture
Just like Philly: Enforce the rules, get punished
The Philadelphia School District has just pulled a Krasner, excusing the rule-breakers and punishing the enforcers. It is a bad message to send to a society that seems to be unraveling at the seams. Sounds like an old man yelling at clouds. I am old, old enough to know better,
Racism
Maybe Larry Krasner is the racist
District Attorney Larry Krasner, my least favorite elected official, piggybacking on Juneteenth, issued a report saying that Philadelphia’s justice system has a disproportionate impact on Black people, and that impact is negative. The report, “Racial Injustice Report: Disparities in Philadelphia’s Courts from 2015 to 2022,” studied more than
Journalism
Krasner critic is the last angry man
They say inquiring minds want to know, and there are few minds as inquiring as Ralph Cipriano's. Ralph Cipriano is Larry Krasner’s worst nightmare (Photo: Stu Bykofsky) His long journalistic career as a muckraking reporter was capped by two things — pulling back the curtain on corruption in
Politics
Rebecca Rhynhart: Unanswered questions
Well, this is not how I wanted my interview with Rebecca Rhynhart to go. Along with other candidates, I contacted her more than a month ago to sit down for an interview. Rebecca Rhynhart: Missing in action (Photo: NBC10) She agreed and turned it over to staff to arrange. Many
Politics
Green means go and Derek is trying
There’s a truism around City Hall, that Allan Domb was the only member of City Council with experience at running a business. Like many other political truisms, it is false. Well, it was false until Derek Green resigned from Council to run for mayor. Before running for Council, Green