Philadelphia 2035 (expiration, fire departments, relationship)

[Hannah5555]

Originally Posted by Pine to Vine

This might be true in a small city, but I’m sure Philadelphia has enough citizens who qualify to be firefighters if others aren’t interested in living here. The residency requirement might enable more qualified citizens to secure blue collar jobs that would otherwise be taken by people outside the city. The dollars city residents earn would in turn create more “churn” in the city’s economy rather than in collar communities.

What about the quality of life factor? From the Police mag article:

"More than 1,000 Philadelphia police officers have abandoned city living since the department’s residency rules were softened five years ago — many lured to the suburbs by the prospect of better schools, cleaner streets, and safer neighborhoods."

Are they supposed to stick it out in Philly (and their families along with them) just because the people they serve do? Are there any financial incentives to help them stay in a safe, clean neighborhood they can afford in the city? The issue in Northern California is that teachers, firefighters and police, can't AFFORD to live where they work, so they have to commute up to 2 hours a day each way.

I'm not a huge fan of the PPD based on my short tenure (clusters on bikes in front of Children's Place on Chestnut while teenagers on bikes run amok ), but I don't think I agree with the residency requirement. Like I said, if they required SF cops to live in SF, there wouldn't be any.

[thedirtypirate]

^agreed. I have a cousin who is an officer and he moved his family out of the NE a year or two ago. I don’t blame him one bit. I couldn’t imagine having a job that required you to live in a juristication.

[DavePa]

I still see no problem requiring city workers to live in the city. SF is a extreme. Most Big city police, fire and trash collectors are very decently paid to afford better areas. Some Major cities have whole neighborhoods known for large numbers of these residents. Most on the farther reaches of the city and nice single homes to more suburban.

Philly certainly has suburban areas aplenty in its northwestern neighborhoods and others. But guess every city is different. Philly gave up requiring these city workers to reside in the city as other cities maintained theirs. Yet Philly keeps its business head tax as other cities halted theirs. I thing the opposite would still be better. Philly is big enough to offer satisfactory kinds of neighborhoods for anyone. As usual ... just opinion from other cities examples I know of.

[Pine to Vine]

Originally Posted by Hannah5555

Are they supposed to stick it out in Philly (and their families along with them) just because the people they serve do? Are there any financial incentives to help them stay in a safe, clean neighborhood they can afford in the city? The issue in Northern California is that teachers, firefighters and police, can't AFFORD to live where they work, so they have to commute up to 2 hours a day each way.

In response to your bolded statement, my answer is “yes.” As long as there are about 800,000 adults between the ages of 20 - 60 living in the city, I think the jobs should go to individuals from that cohort rather than to people who take wages from the city and spend them elsewhere.

[Flyers Girl]

Originally Posted by chessimprov

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/04/t...francisco.html
In San Francisco, they have a commune. I've heard of a few communes in Philly, but I'm not sure if there are any kind of requirements to live in them.

They look like Winston's living arrangement in Orwell's 1984. No thanks.

[gwillyfromphilly]

Originally Posted by Hannah5555

What about the quality of life factor? From the Police mag article:

"More than 1,000 Philadelphia police officers have abandoned city living since the department’s residency rules were softened five years ago — many lured to the suburbs by the prospect of better schools, cleaner streets, and safer neighborhoods."

Are they supposed to stick it out in Philly (and their families along with them) just because the people they serve do? Are there any financial incentives to help them stay in a safe, clean neighborhood they can afford in the city? The issue in Northern California is that teachers, firefighters and police, can't AFFORD to live where they work, so they have to commute up to 2 hours a day each way.

I'm not a huge fan of the PPD based on my short tenure (clusters on bikes in front of Children's Place on Chestnut while teenagers on bikes run amok ), but I don't think I agree with the residency requirement. Like I said, if they required SF cops to live in SF, there wouldn't be any.

It's really not that big of a deal if a major city doesn't require their police force to live in the city they serve. Only 58% of the NYPD live in New York City.

https://www.villagevoice.com/2016/10...officers-live/

[Hannah5555]

Originally Posted by gwillyfromphilly

It's really not that big of a deal if a major city doesn't require their police force to live in the city they serve. Only 58% of the NYPD live in New York City.

https://www.villagevoice.com/2016/10...officers-live/

Preaching to the choir.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by Hannah5555

What about the quality of life factor? From the Police mag article:

"More than 1,000 Philadelphia police officers have abandoned city living since the department’s residency rules were softened five years ago — many lured to the suburbs by the prospect of better schools, cleaner streets, and safer neighborhoods."

Are they supposed to stick it out in Philly (and their families along with them) just because the people they serve do? Are there any financial incentives to help them stay in a safe, clean neighborhood they can afford in the city? The issue in Northern California is that teachers, firefighters and police, can't AFFORD to live where they work, so they have to commute up to 2 hours a day each way.

I'm not a huge fan of the PPD based on my short tenure (clusters on bikes in front of Children's Place on Chestnut while teenagers on bikes run amok ), but I don't think I agree with the residency requirement. Like I said, if they required SF cops to live in SF, there wouldn't be any.

Afaik, a lot of Philly cops lived, or still do, in the far NE part of the city in the safest and cleanest parts. So, I suppose some of their reasoning about leaving was about schools.

The current PPD commissioner is world's away from the one we had during the Nutter admin. So imo it shows wrt how they act and how they are deployed.

[2e1m5a]

Originally Posted by Pine to Vine

In response to your bolded statement, my answer is “yes.” As long as there are about 800,000 adults between the ages of 20 - 60 living in the city, I think the jobs should go to individuals from that cohort rather than to people who take wages from the city and spend them elsewhere.

Amen--and we're talking about Police and Fire Fighters--professions which traditionally require a local familiarity and relationship with the citizens they are sworn to serve and protect. The War on "Drugs" has eroded police trust and relations in many city neighborhoods specifically because it is fought by Cops with no connection or familiarity to the people there.



I don't want Cops or Firefighters working for Philadelphia that have no stake in the future of the city--let them volunteer at the underfunded Fire Departments or overly funded and low personnel Police Departments where they live. Suburbanites have been feeding off city amenities and services for too long while contributing nothing.

[2e1m5a]

Originally Posted by kyb01

Afaik, a lot of Philly cops lived, or still do, in the far NE part of the city in the safest and cleanest parts. So, I suppose some of their reasoning about leaving was about schools.

The current PPD commissioner is world's away from the one we had during the Nutter admin. So imo it shows wrt how they act and how they are deployed.

Roxborough/Andorra and The Northeast have long been filled with Cops/Fire Fighters.


I actually have both a Cop and Fire Fighter neighbor on my block in Germantown.