Northeast Philadelphia residents discuss pesky neighbors, gun laws, postal services and the city’s snow shoveling in this week’s letters to the editor.
Help with nuisance renter
I have lived in Northeast Philadelphia for 37 years in the same town home. I’ve tried to be a good neighbor and citizen. As a retiree, I still participate in Town Watch and community meetings throughout the Northeast.
I now live next door to a rental family, with an owner who lives in New York. In the last three years, I’ve been confronted by noise, stink and abuse due to a day care operation, three chronic barking dogs, blaring music and, now, harassment.
Imagine neighbors going on vacation for a week in steamy August and leaving three dogs alone to bark all day — or blasting a TV set all night long — or having a burst plug in their pool flood your basement. Imagine not being able to open your windows in summer, or not entertaining any more friends in your home. That’s me — and many others like me.
I’ve contacted the police over 100 times, and City Council and many city agencies repeatedly — all for naught. They shrug their shoulders and say, “Nothing we can do.” Really? Then why am I paying taxes to this government?
If this problem existed on your street, Mayor Kenney, or yours, Council President Clarke — I know it would get resolved, and fast.
The leaders of our city have shown little interest in dealing with absentee property owners and landlords. They need to reorder priorities. If this problem is left unchecked, it will ruin the Northeast.
If anybody out there has dealt successfully with this kind of problem, or wishes to help, please contact me: [email protected]
We need to work together to save our communities.
Richard Iaconelli
Rhawnhurst
Shootings will never stop
The year 2017 was a horrific one for shootings. But as in previous years, there is always a mention of our constitutional right to have arms.
Who are our legislators trying to kid, as the Constitution was signed back in 1787? The signers had no idea as to the type of weapons a person could purchase, or the ability to have an arsenal of weapons. As long as this ideologist view is part of our representatives quest, shootings have and will continue to be a way of life.
Marie Patton
Fox Chase
Mailmen are not at fault
In response to Kimberly Elliott’s Letter to the Editor, “Postal Service doesn’t care,” published on Jan. 3:
This letter is in response to Kimberly Elliott, of Morrell Park, who completely misread my rant about the post office. It was management I was referring to, not the carriers who have always been the heart and soul of the Postal Service — warriors, if you will, for the hardships they must endure throughout the year.
I have lived here for 55 years. Our regular carrier retired about two years ago. Since then, our mail has been crazy — different carriers practically every day. Our street is one-half block of about 30 houses. The mail carrier on Medford Road — about 2 feet from our street — delivers in the a.m. every day.
Our carrier is assigned to different streets that are all over the place (Lester Road, Mechanicsville Road, etc.), nowhere near our small street. It just does not make any sense.
I have relatives, friends and neighbors who work for the Postal Service. They have told me it is the fault of the Postal Service. They do the assigning to the carriers. This is my rant, to the post office, not the carriers.
Kimberly, please tell your son we appreciate what he does for a living.
Francis McGuigan
Parkwood
City doesn’t shovel property
I sent this photo to the mayor’s office. I was walking from where I am located at the end of the shopping center on the 7500 block of Castor Ave. on Jan. 6 to get up to the Police and Fire Federal Credit Union.
Lo and behold, the only business that did not have a clear sidewalk in front of their store was the city municipal building that also has L&I attached at 7522 Castor Ave. The snow had fallen two days earlier. I wonder if they wrote themselves a ticket.
Eileen Teti
Castor Gardens
