Civic Associations Respond to Vern Anastasio's recent Email criticizing Frank DiCicco

Dear Vernon,

We read your email dated 2/8/06 regarding the casinos and we share your interest and concern about what will happen on the riverfront. But we disagree with your allegations regarding Councilman DiCicco.

The Councilman has been proactive and had already implemented the type of strategy you suggested. Meetings with civic association presidents and developers had already been scheduled and public meetings with developers had been scheduled for mid-March.

We want to work together with other civic associations on all issues of common interest, including of course the casino developments. But we do not want any of these issues to be used as political barbs in an election year. We hope our usual substantive and productive civic association discourse will not continue to be used as a forum for negative campaigning.

We look forward to continued cooperation with you and all the other neighborhood folks involved.

Thank you,

Tania Rorke, President, Society Hill Civic Association
David O’Donnell, President, Queen Village Neighbors Association
Rich Horrow, President, Old City Civic Association
Matt Ruben, President, Northern Liberties Neighborhood Association
Judy Applebaum, President, Washington Square West Civic Association

(this email is being sent on behalf of all 5 presidents)


In a message dated 2/8/2006 5:38:36 AM Eastern Standard Time, AnastasioLaw writes:
Okay Friends:
I want to tell you I'm interested in this issue for two reasons.

First, I love this city. My family has called Philadelphia home for about 120 years. We've built homes, families and businesses here. And so it matters to me when I learn that one, and perhaps even two, casinos are coming to the Delaware River.

Second, and I don't think it's is a secret that I hope to be the next councilperson representing Philadelphia's First District and I look forward to earning that seat and advocating for the interests of all 1st District neighborhoods. And therefore, if a quality of life disaster can be avoided in 2006, then by all means I believe we should avoid it so none of us has to deal with too much traffic, litter, organized crime, prostitution and drug trafficking in 2010.

Months after four companies submitted proposals for casinos on the banks of the Delaware, the neighborhoods along the Delaware River -- Fishtown, Port Richmond, New Kensington, Northern Liberties, Society Hill, Queen Village, Pennsport, Whitman and to a lesser extent, Old City -- are still wondering what their plans are, how will it impact their communities and what partnerships are these companies willing to form in order to mitigate any negative impact.

This coming April, at Drexel University, the Pennsylvania Gaming Commission will hold public hearings on casinos in order to give residents an opportunity to speak up and speak out on the specific details in any or all of the applications.

Unfortunately, none of the neighborhoods along the Delaware will be prepared to make such a statement because all the details are being from them.

I believe it is the job of the District Councilperson to help facilitate an environment where these neighborhoods are empowered. It is also my firm belief that the district councilperson should be a vocal advocate for the interests of these neighborhoods. And, finally, I believe the district councilperson should contact each of the casino developers and call upon them to sit down with the specific neighborhood or neighborhoods that will be directly impacted if that developer is selected by the state gaming commission.

In my opinion, this makes perfect sense. District Councilmembers regularly weigh in on matters when an establishment in a particular community wants outdoor seating or a liquor license. It would follow, then, that a councilperson would want to pay close attention and be intimately involved in a development with several liquor licenses that will be open twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.
Sadly, this isn?t happening along the Delaware River. Instead, Councilman Frank DiCicco has attended two meetings -- one in Northern Liberties and one in Fishtown -- urging neighbors NOT to organize into a cohesive coalition and suggesting that they NOT meet with any of the casino developers until after the State Commission has made their selections.

This suggested course of action is a recipe for disaster. It runs counter to any thoughtful approach to responsible community development or urban planning. And, most importantly, it will put those neighborhoods most directly impacted at a severe disadvantage. Instead of negotiating from a position of strength before the developers are awarded their license, these communities will be forced to deal with these companies from a position of weakness.

One only has to look across town to see how this process should work. Democratic ward leader Ralph Wynder, with the support of district councilperson Michael Nutter, has helped facilitate a coalition that has already begun a dialogue with Trump Entertainment, who recently applied for a license in the Allegheny West neighborhood of the City. Through these negotiations, Trump Entertainment has extended a thoughtful offer to help mitigate any potential negative effects of their casino (see the offer here: http://www.hallwatch.org/news/1139321659603/trumpoffer). This is a smart and thoughtful approach to dealing with casinos.

If you examine the proposal of Trump Entertainment, you will see there is an enormous amount of potential growth and investment for neighborhoods like Fishtown, Port Richmond or Pennsport and Northern Liberties. These neighborhoods have been historically neglected by the city for decades.

I envision a Community Investment Fund that gets annual revenue from casino developers and whose board is comprised of civic leaders of those neighborhoods within 1000 feet of the casino. This group would fund community investment projects like sidewalk safety lighting, green space, bike lanes, litter removal teams and other services. In effect, this organization could provide the services that City Hall is unable to fund. This organization would be very much like the Center City special services district or DiCicco's Citizens Alliance for Better Neighborhoods -- only without the taxes of the former or the politics of the later.

An attempt to organize a coalition of Delaware River neighborhoods is struggling to survive because of Councilman DiCicco's early warnings against such a group. I believe Dicicco has let politics cloud his judgment on this issue. I realize his former attorney, Richard Sprague, is connected to one of the casino proposals. And I also know that Mister DiCicco is attempting to build a better relationship with our mayor, who supports the idea of a minority owned business receiving one of the city's licenses. But while Mister Dicicco takes care of his friends, who, I ask, is protecting the interests of those who live along the Delaware from Port Richmond to Pennsport? His lack of leadership on this issue is tantamount to a dereliction of duty.

We are running out of time. The sooner people who live along the neighborhoods of the Delaware speak up and demand a seat at the table with these developers, the better.

If you live in the First District or just care about thi sissue, I urge all of you to contact your Councilman DiCicco at 215.686.3458 and ask that he do exactly what a district councilperson SHOULD do in this instance -- call each casino developer and demand a meeting with them and the community directly impacted by their specific development. Now is the time.

I look forward to working with you in the future so that Philadelphia can achieve its destiny of greatness.

Until then, I remain

Respectfully yours,
Vern Anastasio