Members of the Greater Bustleton Civic League will talk about zoning code changes, hear from three City Council candidates and discuss their organization’s bylaws during their meeting at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 26, at Temple Beth Ami on Old Bustleton Avenue.
Eva Goldstein, executive director of the Zoning Code Commission, will update members on the commission’s recommended changes to the city’s zoning code. The revision of the city code, the first in decades, is now in the hands of City Council. The code, which regulates land use within Philadelphia, has been revised, Goldstein told members earlier this year, to make it easier to understand, easier to use and easier to enforce.
Republicans Al Taubenberger and Michael Untermeyer, both at-large candidates, and Democrat Bill Rubin, who is challenging incumbent City Councilman Brian O’Neill (R-10th dist.), will address members.
How the civic league governs itself — its bylaws — will be debated, too. At issue is who is eligible to cast votes on issues before the membership. Right now, a Bustleton resident can join the organization, pay dues and vote the same night. Some other Northeast Philadelphia civic groups put restrictions on how soon a member may vote.
The Frankford Civic Association, for example, won’t allow a member to vote unless he is up-to-date on dues and has attended four of the previous six monthly sessions. Other groups have no voting restrictions and don’t collect dues. ••
