Local elected officials and the Greater Northeast Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce presented the second annual Northeast Government Open House on Aug. 14 at Cannstatter’s.
Guests were able to ask questions of elected officials and meet representatives of city, state and federal agencies. In all, there were more than 30 tables.
The event was organized by city elections commissioner Lisa Deeley and City Controller Christy Brady.
Others in attendance included Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel; Auditor General Tim DeFoor; Register of Wills John Sabatina; Sheriff Rochelle Bilal; City Councilman Mike Driscoll; Councilwoman Nina Ahmad; state Sen. Joe Picozzi; state Reps. Ed Neilson, Joe Hohenstein, Sean Dougherty, Pat Gallagher, Jared Solomon and Anthony Bellmon; district attorney candidate Pat Dugan; and former state House Speaker Denny O’Brien.
Some in the crowd booed Picozzi due to a lack of a deal to fund SEPTA. The Senate, with Picozzi’s support, passed a measure to fund transit, but the House rejected the plan. Picozzi spent much of the night listening to concerns about SEPTA and met with another group opposed to a plan to reduce a portion of Castor Avenue from four lanes to three.
There were light refreshments, including pretzels, water and Tastykakes. ••
