Broad Street Brief: Kingsessing Shooting Claims Five Lives; Combatting City Understaffing; Glenside’s Milestone 4th Parade

July 6, 2023

City Hall

Five Ideas to Remedy Philadelphia’s Short-Staffing Problem

One in five city jobs still sits vacant, forcing the city to pay out historic amounts in overtime pay as Philadelphia’s persistent understaffing problem shows no sign of abating. Overcoming this multi-departmental shortage is no small feat, and city officials are already hard at work finding solutions, including making needed improvements to recruitment and hiring practices. Here are five ideas, compiled by the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Anna Orso, that experts believe can help Philadelphia over the formidable staffing hurdle.

Around Town

Pre-July Fourth Mass Shooting Rocks Kingsessing Neighborhood

On Monday, members of the Kingsessing community in Southwest Philadelphia experienced one of the city’s deadliest mass shootings in decades. Five people — ranging in age from 15 to 59 years old — were killed and two more were seriously injured. City officials including Mayor Jim Kenney, District Attorney Larry Krasner, and Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw expressed sympathy and outrage, with many calling for stricter gun regulations to prevent similar incidents in the future. According to the Gun Violence Archive, the incident is one of 11 mass shootings that has occurred in the United States since the beginning of July alone.

Moms for Liberty Met with Resounding Protests During Philadelphia Summit

Last week’s Moms for Liberty national “Joyful Warriors Summit” was met in Philadelphia with a host of political action, including protests and denunciations by local officials and a smattering of support from local chapter members. The summit garnered national attention — including criticism from a few incognito journalists in attendance — and featured several high-profile Republican presidential hopefuls as speakers.

Former Industrial Lot in North Philadelphia Site for Planned Affordable Housing Development

A new affordable-housing development is being planned for a Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority-owned empty lot on North 20th Street in North Philadelphia. The development will offer one-bedroom apartments for elderly residents and include 24,700 square feet of commercial space, potentially including a new grocery store.

Suburban Spotlight

Glenside Celebrates 120th Year of July Fourth Parade

While Philadelphia’s Fourth of July celebrations attracted the likes of Demi Lovato and Ludacris, the Montgomery County township of Glenside celebrated its milestone 120th Independence Day parade — the oldest in the region and second oldest in the nation. Governor Josh Shapiro walked in the parade, as did the Philly Phanatic.

Authors

About Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies

Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies, an affiliate of the international law firm Cozen O’Connor, is a bipartisan government relations practice representing clients before the federal government and in cities and states throughout the country. With offices in Washington D.C., Richmond, Albany, New York City, Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Chicago, and Santa Monica, the firm’s public strategies professionals offer a full complement of government affairs services, including legislative and executive branch advocacy, policy analysis, assistance with government procurement and funding programs, and crisis management. Its client base spans multiple industries, including healthcare, transportation, hospitality, education, construction, energy, real estate, entertainment, financial services, and insurance.

About Cozen O’Connor

Established in 1970, Cozen O’Connor has over 775 attorneys who help clients manage risk and make better business decisions. The firm counsels clients on their most sophisticated legal matters in all areas of the law, including litigation, corporate, and regulatory law. Representing a broad array of leading global corporations and middle-market companies, Cozen O’Connor serves its clients’ needs through 31 offices across two continents.

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