Archive: November, 2012

Voter registration backlog no more, say City Commissioners

POSTED: Friday, November 2, 2012, 4:20 PM

Filed Under: News

Yesterday, City Paper reported on a backlog of unprocessed voter registration applications over at the City Commissioners. A backlog of moor than 40,000 voter applications had been announced several weeks ago, but so had a deadline for eliminating it (last Sunday) which had quietly passed without, it seemed, the backlog's having been eliminated.

Today, however, City Commissioners announced at their weekly public meeting (it had been moved from Wednesday due to the storm) that the backlog is no more. Voter registration administrator Greg Irving reported to City Commissioners Anthony Clark, Stephanie Singer, and Al Schmidt that "All voter registration applications that were submitted in a timely manner for this election have been processed," and that "all absentee ballots up until the election deadline have been processed except 300 currently being worked on."

It was welcome news to watchdog groups like the Committee of Seventy, which wrote a letter to the commissioners on Thursday asking for an update on the backlog.

But today's announcement answer all of Seventy's concerns. Asked by Seventy's Ellen Kaplan about the procedure for applications that were filled out incorrectly, City Commissioners said today that anyone seeking to correct an application would have to do so by November 3rd — tomorrow, that is, even though the last applications were only processed yesterday and it's not clear that applicants will get notice of the problem registration in time to fix it.

In indirect answer to Kaplan's inquiries, Election Specialist Tim Dowling noted to the commissioners that "We have given the people every opportunity to get this information to us ... it is the responsibility of the voter."

But voters don't always turn in their own registrations — and it's possible people who thought they'd been registered already were in the backlog through no fault of their own, and now faced a closing window to correct any errors.

Kaplan raised the point: "But in light of the fact that the deadline for corrections is tomorrow," she began, but was cut off.

"We're open tomorrow, eight to eight," said Elections Specialist Tim Dowling, not quite answering the question but, in a way, answering it loud and clear.

Posted by Isaiah Thompson @ 4:20 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Legislator alleges fraud in DEP water testing to protect gas drillers

POSTED: Friday, November 2, 2012, 4:05 PM

Claiming water testing results are manipulated to push a pro-Marcellus Shale drilling agenda, a state representative called Thursday for federal authorities to investigate the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

Jesse White (D-Allegheny/Beaver/Washington) bases his allegations in part on testimony by DEP Bureau of Laboratories Technical Director Tara Upadhyay, whose deposition in a Washington County contaminated drinking water lawsuit was released Wednesday and reported in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Within her 336-page deposition, Upadhyay said that when DEP Laboratory tests find certain things in water evaluations — such as cancer-causing heavy metals or compounds indicating the presence of hydraulic fracturing fluids — they're not always reported to property owners.

"This is beyond outrageous," White said in the press release. "Anyone who relied on the DEP for the truth about whether their water has been impacted by drilling activities has apparently been intentionally deprived of critical health and safety information by their own government."

Posted by Darren Ankrom @ 4:05 PM Permalink | Post a comment

PA attack ads: The worst of election 2012

POSTED: Friday, November 2, 2012, 2:43 PM

From the outrageously dishonest to the merely idiotic, this campaign season has brought some of the most jaw-dropping attack ads we've ever witnessed. PACs and interest groups have poured money into smears like calling attorney general candidate Kathleen Kane and soft on rape and tying congressional hopeful Kathy Boockvar to Mumia Abu-Jamal. And the internet has shown us, you don't need a ton of shadow money to make a truly terrible ad. But, of course, it helps.

So, in the name of that democracy we're so proud of, we bring you our top (ie. bottom) attack ads of the season. So far, anyway. (If there's something truly depressing/offensive/false/poorly produced that should be on the list, let us know.)

"My Dog, Bob Brady" Some things, you wish you could unsee. Self-described "quixotic" Repubican challenger for the 1st Congressional District John Featherman, in this bizarre and vaguely offensive web video, has collected a whole bunch of such visuals, perhaps chief among them the image of a topless woman, for no apparent reason kissing a framed photo of our Congressman. After an Eastern European woman (not topless) names her dog "Bobbardy" in the Representative's honor, things start heading downhill pretty fast, probably bottoming out with cigar-puffing lecherous parodies of black Philly Democrats. But, no description does it justice. Best to watch it for yourself.

Posted by Samantha Melamed @ 2:43 PM Permalink | Post a comment

City Commissioners mum on size/existence of registration backlog

POSTED: Thursday, November 1, 2012, 4:56 PM

Filed Under: News

Here's an electoral tidbit for you: tomorrow, Friday, will make it just four whole days from the election and four whole days since the date Philadelphia City Commissioner Stephanie Singer said the commissioners would clear a backlog of unprocessed voter registrations.

And with just days to go, the backlog, as far as this reporter knows, has not been cleared. It wasn't cleared as of yesterday morning, when the City Commissioners didn't convene for their usual Wednesday meeting, which was canceled earlier in the week; and it wasn't cleared as of yesterday evening, when City Commissioner Al Schmidt confirmed to City Paper that the commissioners' staff were alternating between processing absentee ballots and new voter registrations, which were due on Oct. 9.

Schmidt, the only City Commissioner to return City Paper's emails and calls since yesterday, promised that the registrations will be processed before the election.

Posted by Isaiah Thompson @ 4:56 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Is reality TV casting team trying to dupe Fishtowners?

POSTED: Thursday, November 1, 2012, 2:00 PM

Maybe they think all that Arctic Splash has addled Fishtowners' brains. That could explain why Powderhouse Productions is trying a new tactic — perhaps not a totally honest one — to attract neighborhood residents to its casting call for "original FISHTOWN FAMILIES that have heritage, personality and are not afraid to speak their minds! The potential show’s premise is to tell the story of one of the most historic neighborhoods in America and CELEBRATE the traditions and customs that make Fishtown so unique!"

If that sounds like a ludicrous premise for a reality show, well, that may be because it's not exactly the whole story. As Philebrity reported in October, the same production company had posted an ad on Craigslist with a very different tone: "Has your way-of-life changed by 'outsiders' moving in? Is your neighborhood hardly recognizable with all the yuppies, hipsters & scenesters? Are you fed up with fighting to preserve the traditions only known to the locals?"

Posted by Samantha Melamed @ 2:00 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Broad Street Run switches to lottery registration

POSTED: Thursday, November 1, 2012, 12:07 PM

Afer registration mayhem the past year or two for the increasingly popular Broad Street Run, the 10-mile race is going to a registration lottery, following the template of major marathons around the country. For those who don't want to chance it for the May 5, 2013 race —and, along the way, want to do good in the city — charitable registrations are open early, benefiting Back on My Feet Philadelphia, which helps homeless people to become self-sufficient through running. Charity registration opens today. Press release after the jump.

Posted by Samantha Melamed @ 12:07 PM Permalink | Post a comment

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Here at The Naked City, you'll find breaking news, analysis, gossip and surprises about everything from crime and politics to the beating pulse of city life itself. We're good listeners, too:

Daniel Denvir: daniel.denvir@citypaper.net

Ryan Briggs: ryan.briggs@citypaper.net

Samantha Melamed: samantha@citypaper.net

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