Every morning, I wake up to the sound of WHYY radio. Today, the first words I heard as I opened my eyes were those of the City's new Managing Director, Camille Barnett. She was talking about making Philadelphia a model for efficiencey in the delivery of city services. She was talking about the highly effective marriage of a 311 non-emergencey telephone system to CitiStat, the computer program used by places like San Francisco and Baltimore to manage the way by which we handle service requests.

Below is my piece in today's Inky. I really hope those of us who attend the Praxis event tomorrow night ALSO go back to their communities and spread the word, share information and begin to rally around the idea of taking the riverfront back from the people who have hurt it for generations. The plan will be available online by tomorrow night. We should use the net to inform and empower on this critical matter.

Of course, anyone who owns a home, is building a future, raises children, or dreams of doing any one of these things some day anywhere near the riverfront has a stake in this. But I don't like to balkanize this city. We ALL have a stake in what happens on the waterfront.

Let's take it back. Let's organize. Let's turn it up!
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Taking Back The Riverfront
It's time for the public to rally against the special interests.

By Vern Anastasio

Well, Philadelphia finally has a mayor worthy of itself. It's been a while. I want to take up this space and opportunity to congratulate and praise Mayor Michael Nutter.

I briefly met our new mayor in 1994, when I was an aide to 1st District Councilman Joe Vignola. If I remember correctly, the 4th District office was sandwiched between the 1st and Blackwell's district. But it wasn't until some time later, when I was attending a 21st Ward Community Council dinner, that I started to like Michael Nutter. I was invited to speak before the 21st Ward.

I was 25 and nervous as hell and I think it showed that night. When I was finished, Michael was kind enough to shoot me a complement and make a joke that helped ease my anxiety. Over the course of my years with the Human Relations Commission, I'd work with his office often in Roxborough, Manayunk and East Falls.

Word today that a Baltimore jury awarded 10.9 million dollars to the parents of the late Matthew Snyder, an Iraqi War soldier whose funeral was protested by none other then Fred Phelps and members of his family, all of whom lead the Westboro Baptist "church". The jury held Phelps & family liable of defamation, invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

In fact, the “church” regularly protests the funerals of fallen soldiers claiming that the mounting death toll in Iraq is God’s way of making the USA pay for liberal policies that embrace homosexuality.

I first heard of Phelps and his crew when they protested another Matthew’s funeral many years ago. Matthew Sheppard’s funeral services were polluted by Phelps and his family as they hoisted signs of hate while Sheppard’s family mourned the devastating loss and violent end to their son’s life.

Friends, I want to congratulate the hundreds of volunteers, staff members, contributors, friends and supporters that made up our campaign for honest change in the First District.

This was our first campaign. Our first time on a ballot. It was the first time we had a chance to look voters in the eye and share our vision of growth, hope and prosperity.

We were out-spent 8 to 1. We were out-manned 3 to 1. We had a grassroots organization that stood against one of the strongest Democratic political machines in the country. And we did it without any institutional help on Election Day.

We were an army of dedicated volunteers armed with a burning passion for the city, lots of water bottles and cool t-shirts. And with all the votes counted, we earned nearly 8,000 votes in a district that hasn’t seen more than 10,001 total primary votes cast in a dozen years.

Here's one of Vern's commercials currently airing on several cable stations across the district. In it, Anastasio stresses the importance of change this election.

Changing the tax structure to protect the most vulnerable. Changing the education system so it finally prepares our youth for the future. Changing the ethics laws in government. Changing the way we tackle crime. Changing the way in which our government delivers city services.

We post the commercial here because, if you're committed to change, you're too busy to watch TV this weekend! If you'd like to help us on election day, please contact GOTV coordinator Keith Campbell at 215.238.0235

Four days before The Philadelphia Weekly printed its expose` on Philadelphia's 10 worst drug corners, Vern Anastasio, Democratic Candidate for First District City Council, and his team of volunteers - dubbed the A-Team - cleaned streets and a children's playground one-block from the City's number one drug hot-spot at Kensington and Somerset.

"The plan is to help these people take back their neighborhood," Anastasio said. "We cleaned up the needles, crack pipes, broken bottles and loose trash. Now we're going back to board up and tear down drug houses that are havens for dealers and users."

Join

Jill Fink
Former Executive Director, NARAL Pro Choice PA

for a reception honoring

Vern Anastasio
Democrat for City Council

Monday, April 30th
6PM - 8PM

Cucina Forte
768 S. 8th Street
Phila. PA 19147

Donations accepted at the door

www.vernanastasio.com

Vern Anastasio is running for Philadelphia City Council's 1st District. Vern has been endorsed by the National Organization for Women, Philly for Change and Americans for Democratic Action, among others.

Check out the Anastasio campaign's latest episode of THE FIRST, an original Web Series, here:

Vern Anastasio
1st District Council
Nobody's Councilman But Yours!
www.vernanastasio.com

________________________________________________________________________________

Happy Hour with

Vern Anastasio
Democrat for City Council's 1st District

Join State Representative Tony Payton Jr., the young entrepreneurs of
Town Land and Country Realty and a host of other young professionals....

Tonight at 6PM
Barristers
1823 Sansom Street

Donations accepted at the door.

Join

Jill Fink
Former Interim Executive Director
NARAL PRO-CHOICE PENNSYLVANIA

for a
PARTY HONORING

VERN ANASTASIO
Democrat for 1st District Council
**Endorsed by the National Organization for Women**

MONDAY, APRIL 30th
Cucina Forte
768 S. 8th Street

6PM - 8PM

Donations Accepted at the Door

Vern Anastasio is running a grassroots campaign to put people before politics. Join in the effort to take back the 1st District from powerful special interests.
www.vernanastasio.com

RELEASE

State Rep. Tony Payton, Jr. is with Vern!

April 18, 2007
Contact Ryan McKeon: 214.238.0235

State Representative Tony Payton Jr. (D- 179), the youngest State Representative in Pennsylvania government, is supporting Vern Anastasio for Philadelphia City Council.

Payton will host a Young Professionals fundraising event for Anastasio on Wednesday, April 25th at Barrister’s Bar and Grille in Center City Philadelphia. Young professionals from throughout Philadelphia will be in attendance to support Vern’s campaign for honest reform.

Anastasio to DiCicco: Your Lack of Leadership Has Led to This Casino Crisis

April 16, 2007 – Today, long-time anti-casino activist Vern Anastasio expressed his outrage at the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision to issue a temporary injunction that essentially removes the question regarding the placement of Philadelphia’s casinos from the May 15th Ballot. Anastasio, who is seeking the Democratic nomination in City Council’s First District that includes the Delaware Riverfront Neighborhoods most impacted by the proposed casinos, points to reckless state lawmakers and dirty local politics as the reason for this current crisis.

Democratic candidate for City Council's 1st District, Vern Anastasio, unveiled his vision for a strong local economy today. "I know the needs of our local economy first hand," he said. Anastasio grew up in his family's business on the 9th Street Market. His plan provides job growth and ensures prosperity for future generations.

The Anastasio Plan for A Stronger Economy

A Trained Workforce: Bring the building trades into every high school so students will either go on to higher education or learn a trade – with no exceptions.

Property Tax Reform: Protect older homeowners and those of modest means by offering “Longevity Abatements” on property taxes. Lower the tax burden on all homeowners and encourage economic development with a heavier land tax for speculators.

Make Philly Competitive: Eliminate the gross receipts portion of the Business Privilege Tax and scale back the rest of the BPT for small businesses – without sacrificing city services.

Democratic candidate for City Council's 1st District, Vern Anastasio, calls on his opponent, Frank DiCicco, today to detail his personal and professional relationship with Richard Sprague. Sprague is a well-known attorney currently defending DiCicco's political patron, indicted State Senator Vincent Fumo.

It is widely known that Sprague has represented DiCicco in the past.

Anastasio specifically asks DiCicco to fully disclose the instances in which Sprague represented DiCicco; the nature of the work in which Sprague represented DiCicco and the payment arrangements for such work.

Federal prosecutors are asking Richard Sprague to be removed as Fumo's attorney because Sprague has received hundreds of thousands of dollars directly from Citizens Alliance for Better Neighborhoods, the secretive non-profit founded by DiCicco, who ultimately ran the organization for years.

Sprague is also connected to the proposed Sugar House casino slated for the Delaware River Waterfront