Congrats to local librarian
Since 2011, the City of Philadelphia has awarded the Richardson Dilworth Award for Distinguished Public Service. In 2014, two more categories were added, including Excellence in Customer Service.
The first recipient of this award is Ann Hornbach, Branch Manager/Children’s Librarian of the Torresdale Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia.
A Northeast resident, she typifies why the library system consistently rates among the highest in customer service and she superbly represents the quality of Free Library employees.
Ann would justifiably credit her acclaim to the support she receives from her staff and her friends’ group and she is right. In response, her staff and friends’ group membership would affirm that it is Ann who sets the tone and allows staff, friends and those who use Torresdale Branch to experience the best in library services. The Northeast should be as proud of Ann as the Free Library is.
Linda Abby Fein
Holme Circle
Legislature’s seniority rules
The Republicans that control the state legislature want teachers’ union concessions surrounding seniority rules. Seniority is a common courtesy right provided to individuals based for their years of service.
We have heard many reasons from biased individuals as to why stripping teacher seniority would be a good thing. If stripping seniority rules are such a good thing then let’s review the legislature’s seniority rules and maybe they could be improved upon also.
Mayer Krain
Modena Park
Another property tax hike
Emperor Nutter should tell the people what the money he is attempting to extort through another tax hike is really for. The money is to spruce up the city and pay for all the overtime for police, fire, streets, etc. that will be needed when the pope and Democratic convention come here.
Can’t he get some money from homeland security to cover the extra security needed? After all, these are the things his latest tax plea is really for.
Timothy T. Gass
Somerton
Remember, President Obama is strong on gun issues
A letter published on March 11 asked “Where is all the outrage?” regarding the murder of Philadelphia Police Officer Robert Wilson.
Local and national media reported the murder and the resultant, justified outrage. Despite that reality, the letter implied otherwise with, “I’m waiting for ABC, NBC and CBS news to glorify the fallen officer in the same way they elevated street thug Michael Brown to sainthood.”
Hyperbole and inaccuracy aside on that lament, the letter went on: “I’m waiting for President Obama to express his concerns, Attorney General Holder and Reverend Al Sharpton to demand we end the war on police.”
Those concerns were expressed long before the senseless shooting of Officer Wilson and other needless victims.
Recall that the votes on a series of amendments to a broad package of gun laws pushed by President Obama and Democratic leaders in the aftermath of the Newtown school massacre were thwarted by fierce opposition by the NRA coercing conservative Republicans and several Democrats to kill key proposals — even after they had been watered down.
Obama angrily criticized the NRA and senators who voted against expanded background checks, for rejecting a compromise supported by a strong majority of Americans.
As much as I would have liked the president to make a public statement regarding the murder of Officer Robert Wilson, the fact that the president tried for legislation that might have prevented that murder, or, possibly mitigated the frequency of such murders, in my opinion, should have been included in the letter to the Times.
As for the letter’s, “I’m waiting for all those letter writers and community activists to start complaining about ‘citizen brutality’ against the police,” possibly if the Times, under its current management, hadn’t seriously reduced the number of letters it publishes, the wait might have already ended.
Arthur Gurmankin
Bustleton
