Letters:

IN RESPONSE to an article in Friday's paper titled "Casino bill in play," I currently reside two blocks from the proposed new casino site at 10th Street and Packer Avenue. My neighborhood has two organizations/community groups. One is the sports complex special services district, which is bounded by Oregon Avenue to the north, 7th Street to the east, Interstate 95 to the south and 20th Street to the west. We also have the Veterans Stadium Neighborhood association, a/k/a "VSN." The VSN deals directly with the area closest to the casino site - Broad Street to 13th Street, Packer Avenue to Geary Street. They claim to be 100 percent against the casino going up at 10th Street and Packer Avenue and have claimed to voice their opinions numerous times. What has me sitting here shaking my head is the individual (a neighborhood guy) who claims to be the attorney for the VSN who has done nothing to try to stop or at least delay the zoning bill that was introduced by our councilman, Kenyatta Johnson. This may sound like no big deal, but the VSN attorney who is also an attorney for Elliott Greenleaf and Associates concentrates on zoning and land use, real estate, real-estate litigation and government relations. He is one of the authors of the new Philadelphia Zoning Code, having served on the Philadelphia Zoning Code Commission, which recently completed work on reforming and modernizing the new Philadelphia Zoning Code. I don't blame the councilman for supporting this plan, that's modern-day politics - but before I forget, the VSN attorney publicly supported Johnson with his run for City Council back in 2011 and 2012 and again in 2015. He's the Democratic committeeman in the neighborhood, and I do blame him for being a major factor with this mess and choosing to lay down. I mean really, is your heart for your neighborhood, which you claim to love, or is it with the politics? This is Philly. We all know the politics are corrupted, but now you're telling me so are our community groups and civic associations? Unbelievable.

Andrew J. Dankanich

Philadelphia

Philadelphia public schools Superintendent William Hite earns an "A" for making decisions in the best interest of children. By prioritizing good schools above all else - regardless of model - Hite plans to ensure better options for children and better choices for parents.

Adults arguing about whether traditional public schools, Renaissance schools or turnaround schools are "better" miss the point. Evidence shows that each sector has a range in school quality, but that the existence of long-struggling schools is a chronic symptom of our school district. That's why we recently called for closing or transforming struggling schools and expanding great ones - regardless of sector. As the adults, it is our responsibility to ensure that we no longer inhibit the progress our students so desperately deserve. This basic fact is something upon which all of us should agree and support.

Amy Ruck Kagan

Executive director,

Philadelphia Charters for Excellence