Take Back Your Neighborhood on Monday night heard from 2nd Police District officials and five Democratic candidates running in the May 16 primary.
Capt. Marc Metellus, commander in the 2nd, and community relations officer Mark Mroz mentioned the recent murder of a 15-year-old boy in the Oxford Village housing project. The boy was a former Fels student who at the time of his death was enrolled at Kensington High.
Also addressing the crowd were City Councilwoman Katherine Gilmore Richardson; Ogbonna Paul Hagins, a candidate for Council at large; Andres Celin, a candidate in the 7th Councilmanic District; Yvette Young, a candidate in the 9th Councilmanic District; and Christy Brady, a candidate for city controller.
Young has worked for the Water Department, city controller’s office, the Department of Public Property, the School District of Philadelphia and Philadelphia Gas Works. She will return to next month’s meeting to talk more and answer questions.
So will Brady, a Fox Chase resident.
Hagins is a retired teacher who is running at large after a previous bid in 2019. He is known to speak at every Council session. He faults Council for failing to act on quality-of-life issues such as potholes and trash dumping. He favors eliminating property tax abatements.
Gilmore Richardson, of Wynnefield, is in her first term as an at-large councilwoman. She’s toured police districts, fought nuisance businesses and helped pass a uniform curfew law, announcing that a curfew center will be coming to an undetermined Northeast location by the summer, with hours daily from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Celin is a Colombia native who lives in Norris Square and is a former aide to ex-Councilwoman Helen Gym. He favors more direct outreach to the homeless and addicts in Kensington and an increase in transitional housing. ••
