Thank you, Ben for caring and acting. Thanks for telling me about how you've gotten involved (young) in politics.I've quoted you, with your permission, below. The story of how I got involved in politics begins 45 years ago when, as a youngster in the barber's seat getting my hair trimmed I noticed the tattooed numbers on Leon the barber's forearm. I pledged to mysef that I would always remember them, to be able to repeat them. Perhaps the numerals are buried deep within my psyche. Though I cannot now tell you what the numerals are, I can tell you why I was intent on remembering them. Since that time I haven't stopped asking "What?" and "Why?"
FROM BEN DITZLER
"I gave some thought to why and how I (and others I know) got involved with Philly
politics. I got involved because I felt like I had a stake in it, especially
once I bought a house. All too often, young people don't feel like they have
that stake, so don't use their voice and speak.
So, how do you get people to care?
I grew up in the suburbs of another city and didn't realize how much I lacked the sense of neighborhood and community out there. I think whether openly or secretly, every person yearns to be a part of a community. The vacant committeeperson seat last year was my fortuitous opportunity. But Philly has to do a better job of welcoming young (read: new) people into their neighborhood and civic organizations. For someone who doesn't know the system, it's exactly that, the system. That's pretty obvious and has been repeated ad nauseum. But people in the system are often afraid of new people, not so much that they fear being replaced, but they fear being the unknown and giving up what they've worked hard for. So there's a distrust on both sides that's tough to break.
I've proposed a mentoring/apprentice system of committeemen before. Make a vice-committee position that a young person can enter, register people to vote, learn the ropes and grow into the seat when the real committeeperson steps down. Committeepeople would be much more likely to relinquish their seat to someone whom they've mentored and trust, than a random person who is trying to "steal" their seat.
Neighborhood groups need to be more welcoming, too. But young people are eager and often unwilling to wait. That's the balance to strike: give newcomers a say, but respect the efforts the elders have put in. As the article points out, these skirmishes are being fought all over the city, and I don't know that there's an obvious answer for them.
If I were running for council, a major plank of mine would be a combination of tax abatements/transfer fees waivers/mortgage assistance for first time buyers in neighborhoods outside of Center City or the wealthier areas. The new construction tax abatement program should be overhauled to focus new growth in the neighborhoods, not in CC. It's not fair for current homeowners, and we're just throwing money down the drain to attract growth to a place that's already highly desirable.
With that reform and plan for which neighborhoods need assistance, it would be relatively simple to help first time buyers (normally young people or those from outside the city) buy homes in those areas. Most young people are priced out of buying in or near CC, but continue to rent and don't realize there's a bigger Philadelphia out there. Let's use the beauty of the Philly rowhouse - a house the common person can afford to own.
We need these young, energetic people in the neighborhoods. Give them a streamlined process, incentives to do it, and the young people of Philadelphia will go forth into the neighborhoods and prosper.
If you want to keep your finger on the pulse of the young
progressives, Young Philly Politics, is definitely the place. There's a bunch
of other blogs and real meetings, but YPP is the hub for info, in my opinion.
http://www.youngphillypolitics.com/"
Ben Ditzler, email, 2/15/07, "not an endorsement [of Brian Rudnick for City Council, 8th District]"
