NJ native, Philly resident. Commercial real estate & good government in Philly. Views=mine, former chief legal 🏳️🌈of Philadelphia.
Philadelphia, PA
Joined August 2010
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Philly can't be a city of no. We cannot be a world class city, fund our schools, and rebuild our communities by obstructing change and fighting investment. We can't yearn to always be America's poorest big city as a sort of cultural statement.
We need to innovate and grow.
Who’s going to police the police who police the police
Hassan Bennett, the chair of the Philadelphia Citizens Police Oversight Commission, was arrested Tuesday and charged with bribery and intimidation, according to paperwork provided by a law enforcement source: trib.al/dqVB4Vq
Poor kids will still die from cancer if billionaires end up paying a 5% wealth tax.
This political rhetoric is exhausting.
Kevin Levy retweeted
wild ruling out of Seattle that @PHLCouncil needs to read. a builder put $39M into 254 low-income apartments locked at 60% AMI for 30 years. from 2015 to 2018 it worked, collecting ~94% of rent.
then Seattle stacked on "tenant protections": banned criminal background checks, banned winter evictions, required 180 days notice for rent hikes + 3 months relocation pay, and forced the owner to let unscreened roommates move in and take over leases.
result: rent collections dropped from 93.9% to 44.1%!!! the building lost nearly $6M through 2023 ($2.7M in 2023 alone) and is now appraised as functionally worthless. the city bankrupted actual affordable housing lol.
the appeals court just ruled the owner can sue Seattle for an unconstitutional taking. when you strip a landlord's right to screen, collect rent or remove non-paying tenants, it's not "regulation" anymore, you took the building…. Philly has half these laws already 🙄 courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/8…
Regulatory takings are back baby.
Very big ruling today from the appeals court on Seattle’s tenant protections. For the first time a court has basically said there is a limit to how far govt can go before it’s a “taking”
courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/8…
1/
Kevin Levy retweeted
On October 27, 2018, 11 Pittsburghers were senselessly killed in an antisemitic attack while worshipping at the Tree of Life building in Squirrel Hill.
We continue to stand with the families, survivors and the Jewish community and are committed to eradicating hate in every form.
You Can See Everything was probably not Best Film, it was good and way too long.
But I would pay oodles of money to watch Amanda Seyfried, Private Investigator, on quite possibly any issue.
Kevin Levy retweeted
Of course the Mayor’s committee on Market Street is going to make the miraculous announcement that there should be residential housing on the vacant lots and the properties that Comcast now owns. Telegraphing the obvious just proves what a waste of time that planning group is.
Kevin Levy retweeted
🚨 The Massachusetts COVID-conscious lesbian bar is closing. RIP Last Ditch, you gave us the best story of the year 😭
Similarly I voted "No" on the ballot question in Philly to amend our city charter to make permanent "an office headed by the Chief Cultural Officer to promote the City’s arts, culture, and creative economy sector".
Council should get serious & govern, not do ~whatever this is~.
The push to ban foie gras is part of a nationwide effort.
A Nov. 3 ballot initiative would ban sales of the French fatty-liver delicacy that opponents call cruel and fans say is delicious. wapo.st/4iH6vFx
Every time I sit with a local elected official I point out that our refusal to build housing is going to directly lead to Pennsylvania losing representation in the house and the first like 4 sentences I get back each time are about gentrification, equity, and displacement.
Kevin Levy retweeted
Lmao. “Here in Brazil” …you reporting on the ground my guy?
bro is gonna be the biggest clown in Congress.
You can't afford bananas because of (((them))) is literally the punch line of this entire ad.
New @RebellionPac ad dropping in Michigan. We have to suffer here at home, so Israel can get all its wars. That’s why they buy politicians like Mike Rogers. He promised to serve Israel “unconditionally,” but never made that promise to you.
If you believe that Disney contributed less than $1.00 in tax revenue to the United States federal government I have a bridge to sell you.
It was mostly the lack of HVAC
This litigation is actually unhinged.
This is actually delusional, and Dems don't need to pretend that they're letting the LGBTQ community down.
Trans voter to @AOC: Trans people in America feel like they've been abandoned by the Democratic Party, that we are a losing issue, that it's not worth defending us. What do you say to that?
AOC:
Kevin Levy retweeted
To note, the TOD law being considered by Council wouldn’t have an effect on single family zoned properties, meaning properties further away from the subway would be the primary beneficiaries. Make it make sense!
The debate over what kind of development we should see on South Broad Steet - atop one of our only two subway lines - will only get more intense if City Council moves to enact transit oriented development zoning overlays down there: inquirer.com/real-estate/hou…
Fundamentally I don’t understand how this “benefits” the GOP. Maybe I’m becoming more conservative than I think, but just…get a drivers license or a non-DL state ID card.
BREAKING: Supreme Court rules student IDs can’t be used to vote in New Hampshire, a win for the GOP in a Senate battleground. nbcnews.com/politics/supreme…
