STATEMENT FROM COUNCILWOMAN BASS ON VOTER ID RULING

PHILADELPHIA—Today, Cindy Bass, Councilwoman for the 8th District released the following statement regarding the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court ruling issuing an injunction that will allow those without photo identification to vote this November.

“Today’s decision on the so-called voter ID law is momentous for the voters of Pennsylvania; those who are eligible to vote in the November 6th election can do so without showing photo identification.

“I am both relieved and excited that this decision has come down on the side of democracy and the fundamental right of voters.

“Voting is the most important right of citizenship and now every voter in Pennsylvania will be free to exercise that right.

“I encourage voters who have questions about voting to call the toll free Voter Hotline at 855-834-VOTE (8683) and to register by next Tuesday’s deadline, October 9. Regardless of party affiliation, I support ensuring any voter eligible to cast a ballot has the right to do so.”

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It’s the morning after Donna Reed Miller appeared at her last City Council meeting. Her successor, Cindy Bass, has arrived at Wired Beans – the Germantown Avenue coffee shop that served as her ad hoc campaign headquarters – to talk about the future of the Eighth District.

She’s not feeling 100 percent in a way that those with youngsters who sometimes bring the sniffles home from day care would understand.

A day earlier, Reed Miller said she had no idea what Bass’s plans were for the district, potentially an effect of not paying attention to the campaign itself. Bass, who notes Reed Miller’s “history and legacy as an advocate on behalf of the voiceless,” would spend an hour doing exactly that.

The conversation starts with Bass talking about a recent trip to the state prison at Graterford. Her takeaway: Poverty, subpar educational opportunities and lack of jobs combine to grease too many city residents’ path to becoming a prison lifer.

“They’re intermingled,” she says of the problems that crop up throughout the district. They’re also big-picture societal woes for which one of 17 people serving on Philadelphia City Council can’t craft an re-election accomplishments “one-sheet.”

While Bass says she’ll come out of the gate with bills and legislative proposals, she won’t get specific about them quite yet. What she’ll talk about before her Jan. 2 swearing-in ceremony is a willingness to look city- and nationwide for models that could address local woes and “bring people to the table.”

Accessibility right off the bat
A common complaint about her predecessor – and about politics in general these days – is that people feel disconnected and not part of the process. It comes up often when talking about the Eighth District, and Bass says she has specific ideas about changing the perception that residents are left out.

“There is a long, long history of organizations, groups who have been frustrated for a very long time,” she said. “What happens next is we’re going to do everything we can to change that. You hear that throughout the district, but you hear it throughout every district. Everybody feels neglected, that they’re not a priority. We hear them. We listen to them. And we understand them.”

How will that manifest itself? Community forums. Focus groups. Meetings with people financially and civically invested in the business corridors. An interactive website on which Bass could do live chats and field questions from constituents (which would be a first for a Council member). And, a Council field office (which she thinks would be a second).

“We want to hear what people have to say,” she explains. “We want to reach out to folks that haven’t felt included. The district needs to be unified. Nicetown. Germantown. Chestnut Hill. We’re all in this together.”

On the issues
Getting back to the Graterford trip, she speaks about problems with crime in the district by saying it “used to be a ‘safer’ part of Philadelphia, and it’s not what it used to be.” She cited the Philly Rising model as having shown crime-stat reductions “very quickly” as a possible approach. That comes into play when the discussion turns to attracting younger and middle-class residents.

As for education, the incoming councilwoman acknowledges there are problems at some district schools. After all, this was just hours after the story broke of a boy being trapped in a stairwell at Roosevelt Middle School, and Bass was quick to note that Roosevelt was a school with inflated test-score issues.

“I’d like to think of the Eighth District as a mini-school district,” Bass said, noting that she intends to start a regular meeting among principals and parents’ councils of all schools in the Eighth with collaboration a goal. “We have a gap between the wealthy and a poor that’s ever-growing. How do we remedy that?

Finally, when it comes to the kerfuffle over the current grates-down-at-dark vibe on Germantown Avenue, Bass knows she can’t change legislation just passed – read: the large dollar-store zoning amendment – but she has some juice.

“You have to be a good neighbor,” she says of businesses, “and if you’re not a good neighbor, you’ll hear from me and you’ll hear from me until we get things right.”

Bass will be sworn into office at a 10 a.m. event at the Academy of Music on Jan. 2. From there, she’ll head to her office on the fifth floor of City Hall with friends and family. It’s not Reed Miller’s old digs, though. Because of seniority moving-and-shaking, she ended up with the office space formerly held by outgoing Councilman Jack Kelly.

Read this article on Newsworks

Cindy Bass, who will become the 8th District councilwoman in January, is one of the sponsors behind a gun exchange program happening Dec. 17.

In conjunction with Philadelphia Safety Net, State Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams (D-8), Brown Shop Rite of Cedarbrook and several other organizations, two locations will be accepting guns in exchange for a $100 Shop Rite gift card.

The Germantown location is the Lonnie Young Recreation Center at Chelten Avenue and Ardleigh Street.

The other location is Myers Recreation Center at 58th and Kingsessing streets. Both locations will participate in the program between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

According to the press release, Philadelphia Safety Net has collected more than 5,000 guns across Philadelphia in the last three years.

Read this article on Patch

As children scribble away to compile wish lists for Santa during this holiday season, residents of Mt. Airy have been compiling a “wish list” for the 8th District City Councilwoman-elect, Cindy Bass.

The West Mt. Airy Neighbors (WMAN) gave residents an opportunity to meet Bass on Tuesday evening. WMAN Vice President of Finance, Martin Schmieg, and his wife, Ann, graciously opened their home to host the informal event with Bass and approximately 40 other Mt. Airyans. The councilwoman-elect mingled with her future constituents and gave a brief speech about her intentions for the district.

As people gathered on couches and stairs of the West Mt. Airy home, Bass expressed her love for the city and admiration for groups such as WMAN. Growing up in North Philadelphia and attending Temple University, Bass said that she loves this city and wants to give back to the communities who work so hard to improve their neighborhoods.

Q&A with Bass

After she spoke, the floor was opened to discussion—the group was not shy. Lack of transparency and presence in the community were the “buzz” phrases for the evening. Many expressed disappointment in the current city councilwoman, Donna Reed-Miller, and hoped that Bass will prove to be more accessible to the community.
“This is one of the community groups that I use as an example,” Bass said, in reference to WMAN and its work in the community.

Bass admitted that the job ahead would require a lot of work, but she was confident that she would remain a strong presence in the community, saying that she will have an office in the district so that she could be more accessible to her constituents. When asked where that office would be, Bass suggested that Germantown would be a good location, as it is in the center of the 8th Councilmanic District.

Zoning concerns raised

Other than maintaining a presence in the community, residents had concerns over zoning issues. WMAN board member Howard Bilofsky grilled Bass, attempting to illicit a reaction to the recent zoning changes in Chestnut Hill and, more specifically, Chestnut Hill Community Association board member Richard Snowden who is also the co-owner of the development group Bowman Properties, the group currently seeking zoning changes from Council.

To that issue, Bass took a safe step back, saying that there are so many projects in the 8th that it would not be fair to weigh in on one issue over another.

“I am unable to get involved in all of (the projects in the district),” said Bass, but she promised to reach out to constituents who had concerns over particular zoning issues and development projects.

WMAN Executive Director Marilyn Cohen expressed gratitude for Bass’ presence at the meeting and her willingness to greet her constituents and address their concerns in an intimate and informal gathering.

Bass said that she was eager to get to work on January 2 and reiterated her commitment to the district by saying that she will be very present and accessible to her constituents.

“We won’t always agree on everything, but I will always come and talk to whether we agree or disagree,” said Bass.

Read this article on Newsworks

Watch the video clips of Cindy’s interview below:

Incoming 8th District Councilwoman Cindy Bass defeated Brian Rudnick on Tuesday in the race for that City Council slot, winning about 88 percent of the vote.

Bass thanked her supporters in her Election Night speech from Philly’s Platinum Grill in Chestnut Hill before moving on to talk about her future goals as councilwoman. Here’s a transcript of that second portion of her speech.

Thank you for allowing me to do something and be someone that I have always wanted to be, and (to do) something that I have always wanted to do, which is to be a public servant in the truest sense of those words. And so I thank you for giving me that opportunity.

This is a job that just cannot be taken lightly. Lives are on the line, communities are in distress and time is of the essence. We cannot miss a minute. We must take advantage of every opportunity, and we will.

We do great things in this city. We’re a three-state region touching over 5 million people. We’re a region of eds, and meds, and pharmaceuticals. We have over 80 educational institutions in this area. We help feed this nation, moving more than 70 million cases of produce up and down the east coast right here from Philadelphia, from our new terminal. Geographically, we’re located between New York and Washington. We have one of the largest metropolitan economies for all regions in the world. We run an airport on land the size of a postage stamp compared what other airports have to work with, and we’re one of the busiest along the East Coast.

We do good things here in Philadelphia. And we’re going to do even more. I am so excited. And I want you to be excited too. I am so proud to be a Philadelphian. I’m proud to be from North Philadelphia. I’m proud to be a graduate of Philadelphia public schools, and Temple University. I am just so happy for what this city has done for me. And Philadelphia, I believe, is a great city because of the citizens and because of their greatness.

And I want to focus on doing just that—focusing on the citizens, and making sure everyone has the opportunities that I’ve had. Through the Philadelphia public school system. Through opportunities, through jobs, through employment and other opportunities. So I look forward to working with so many folks. I look forward to fighting for the future of our children, our seniors and those in need while strengthening our business community that will partner with us to bring in good paying jobs and opportunities. I intend to be a partner with my colleagues on Council to fight blight and clean up our communities and spread the word to our residents that you don’t have to have things in your community that you don’t want. And I will fight with you to make sure that your neighborhoods are the neighborhoods that you want.

And as the only freshman woman to be elected this year on the Council, I will need you, the residents of the 8th District, to partner with me to get things done. I cannot do it without you. And I’m going to say that again. I cannot do it without you. I need your support and I need your help.

In closing, I just want to take a moment, and I want to send thanks and well-wishes to Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller. I want to thank her for her many years of community service, and community service is not easy. And so, as she moves on with her retirement and her life, I want to send out a special thank you to her for her service to all of us.

And again, in closing, I want to thank all of you who are here to night—and those who are not here—as we start moving in a new direction together. I just couldn’t do it without you. I wouldn’t be here without you. I know it. And I want to take a moment and say hello to everybody here if I haven’t already had an opportunity to say hello and how much I appreciate you. I want to take that opportunity, so don’t leave yet, please.

(Bass then turned the mic over to Councilwoman-at-Large Blondell Reynolds Brown as the crowd cheered.)

From Patch…

A CHANGE has come.

Voters yesterday elected the most new faces to City Council – six – since 1991, when seven new members were elected.

The freshmen are replacing five members who retired – Frank DiCicco, Joan Krajewski, Donna Reed Miller, Jack Kelly and Council president Anna Verna – and one who lost his bid for re-election in the May primary, Councilman Frank Rizzo Jr.

Here’s a look at the new members, who will be sworn-in on Jan. 2.

Council at-large

State Rep. Dennis O’Brien – Finished first among the five Republicans vying for the two minority-party seats on Council. Rose to Speaker of the House out of a Northeast Philly district. O’Brien, 59, hopes to use his new post to tackle issues that he’s pursued over the years, including criminal justice, health care and helping children with disabilities.

“I know a lot of the new members well,” O’Brien said last night. “I believe each and every one of them wants to make a difference . . . this Council can be historic.”

David Oh – Was clinging to a narrow lead for the second GOP seat, despite revelations that he embellished his military record and faced a strong negative campaign launched against him by labor leader John Dougherty, who was backing Joe McColgan. Oh, 51, nearly won an at-large seat in 2007.

Al Taubenberger – Taubenberger, 58, the 2007 GOP nominee for Mayor and head of the Northeast Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, was trailing Oh by 129 votes with 96 percent of the vote counted late last night. He served as chief of staff to retiring Councilman Kelly and was a former member of the Zoning Code Commission.

McColgan, a financial manager, and Michael Untermeyer, a real-estate investor, finished fourth and fifth, well out of the money.

Council districts

Mark Squilla – Retired systems analyst for the state auditor general and former president of the Whitman Council. Succeeds DiCicco in the 1st District, which covers parts of South Philadelphia, Center City, Old City and the river wards. Squilla, 48, survived a four-way primary in May and faced no opponent yesterday.

State Rep. Kenyatta Johnson – Beat one candidate to win the nomination in May and beat Republican challenger Ivan Cohen yesterday to win the 2nd District seat, which covers parts of South Philadelphia, Point Breeze and Center City. Johnson, 38, is a strong ally of state Sen. Anthony Williams, a likely mayoral candidate in 2015. Johnson has focused on youth antiviolence efforts and job creation.

Bobby Henon – Political director of Local 98 of the electricians union, which is headed by Dougherty. Beat one opponent in the May primary and Republican opponent Sandra Stewart yesterday. Henon, 42, replaces Krajewski in Northeast Philly’s 6th District.

Cindy Bass – Longtime aide to U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah lost her bid for Council in a primary four years ago, but she won this May in a seven-candidate field. Yesterday, Bass, 44, bested Green Party candidate Brian Rudnick in Northwest Philly’s 8th District.

As expected, the five at-large incumbent Democrats – Blondell Reynolds Brown, Bill Greenlee, Jim Kenney, Bill Green and Wilson Goode Jr. – were re-elected by wide margins.

Read this article on Philly.com…

Cindy Bass was elected Tuesday as councilwoman, representing the 8th District of Chestnut Hill and Mt. Airy.

According to returns from the city’s election website, Bass has been declared unofficial winner with 97.69 percent of local precincts reporting; her opponent, Green Party candidate Brian Rudnick, accepted defeat and the Bass team celebrated.

Election Day 2011 left with many predictable results throughout Philadelphia, though one race seems too-close-to-call.

Mayor Michael Nutter was elected to a second term. Similarly, all five Democratic council at-large candidates were confirmed, as it seems is Republican candidate Dennis O’Brien. That leaves Republicans David Oh and Al Taubenberger fighting for the last council seat. With 140 more votes, Oh leads the former mayoral candidate as 96.21 percent have precincts reported. Taubenberger told CBS Philly he doesn’t expect an ultimate result Tuesday. Philly.com reports that the race could be decided days or possibly weeks down the line.

Below are totals from across the city. Unless otherwise noted, the totals are citywide results from 96.03 percent of precincts reporting.

Read this story on Patch for more results…

Cindy Bass has been elected to represent the Eighth District on City Council.

Bass defeated independent candidate Brian Rudnick in a landslide, which many predicted as soon as she won the Democratic primary in May. A senior policy advisor on urban and domestic policy to U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, Bass will replace outgoing City Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller in January.

With 97 percent reporting, Bass garnered 88 percent of the vote (18,093-2,426).

“It feels really great,” said Bass, who hadn’t received a concession call from her opponent as of 11 p.m. “It means that our message had resonated, but we’ve got to keep this going.”

Her spokesman Joe Corrigan added, “I feel relieved. I’m excited. This turns a new page in the Cindy Bass book,” said Joe Corrigan, campaign spokesman. “It’s time to get down to business and get results for the people of the Eighth District. They deserve it.”

Bass was about to address the crowd at her victory party at the Platinum Grill on Crittenden Street around 9:45 p.m.

Read this story on Newsworks.org…

It was clear from all the hooting and hollering at Philly’s Platinum Grill in Chestnut Hill Tuesday night that supporters of 8th District City Council candidate Cindy Bass had gotten the result everyone had wanted.

Those supporters came together for an Election Night party that was a celebration from the time it began at 8 p.m., when polls closed. Bass will become the 8th Councilmanic District’s next representative after defeating independent Brian Rudnick in Tuesday’s election.

The East Mt. Airy resident won a hard fought primary battle in May to get the chance to represent the Democrats in the general election.

In remarks to the crowd, Bass said the result means she will be able to do something she’s always wanted.

“(That’s) to be a public servant in the truest sense of those words,” she said as the crowd cheered.

Supporters packed the entire restaurant, and when Bass arrived, they loudly made their presence felt. Council members Bill Green, Curtis Jones, Blondell Reynolds Brown and Marian Tasco were in attendance at various times during the night.

Former 8th District candidate Bill Durham also made an appearance.

Bass took time to thank her friends and supporters—she said she had forgotten to do so in her speech after winning the primary—before talking a little bit about her goals for the district.

She talked about Philadelphia’s role in the country’s economy and said the city has a major say in the way things happen across the Northeast and elsewhere.

“We do good things here in Philadelphia, and we’re going to do even more,” Bass said. “And I am so excited. And I want you to be excited.”

She said she wants to, first and foremost, focus on jobs and education as councilwoman.

Bass also said she would work with other council members to fight blight and to fight with people to make sure that their neighborhoods “are the neighborhoods that you want.”

“I cannot do it without you,” she said. “I need your support and I need your help.”

Bass will be the only freshman councilwoman on council when it convenes next year.

Brown—another female councilwoman—also spoke during the party. Bass was Brown’s campaign manager in 2003.

The councilwoman-at-large called the election result “a five-star success.” And she left the crowd with a few words of advice.

“Embrace Cindy, and encourage her, because it is not a cakewalk. It is not a cakewalk,” Brown said. “She has the right stuff, as is evidenced by the work that she did before she got here, and as is evidenced by the work she’s completed to arrive at this point. But as I shared with Cindy tonight, now, the real work begins.”

Bass’ husband, Scott, also toasted his wife before the crowd.

The incoming councilwoman will take office Jan. 1. Her campaign finance director, Joseph Corrigan, will likely stay on her staff when she transitions in to her new job.

Corrigan said he finally felt relaxed now that the results were in.

“I feel like I’ve been running for the a year,” he said, referring to the amount of time that he’s known Bass. “So now that we’re at the other end of the year … I’m just excited to have someone who’s young, and smart, and energetic, who’s really looking to get down to City Hall and make some real change and get to work and get results for the people of the 8th District.”

Tuesday night was about celebrations. A consistent line of people streamed toward Bass after she finished speaking to offer their congratulations; she reciprocated with hugs and excitement.

But Bass delivered a message to those in attendance during her speech.

“This is a job that just cannot be taken lightly,” she said.

Read this story on Patch…