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Dear Governor Rendell:

First of all, I am an Evangelical Christian.

I am against your attempt to raise money through gaming
(and the lottery too.) I would rather have high property taxes
than live among a population of gambling addicts, plus the mix
of Big government and organized crime that goes with State-
mandated gambling. You should rather support Mitch Romney's
idea of having states with gaming revenue share with other
states who provide consumers for gaming, and you should educate
people on the evils of gambling, as is done with tobacco.

Since the Bible acknowledges the right of civil government
to collect taxes, I want to preserve a good avenue for appeal of
zoning decisions (which affect taxes). Therefore, please veto
house bill 1954.

Sincerely,

Tom Muldoon

Dear Governor Rendell:
Please act responsibly and veto 1945! To do otherwise and support this
underhanded action would be an affront to the majority of Philadelphians, who
support clean government and accountability

Dear Governor Rendell:
PLEASE VETO THIS HOUSE BILL. TOO MUCH UNDERHANDED ACTIVITY
IS GOING ON IN REFERANCE TO HB 1954. THIS BILL TAKES THE POWER
FROM THE TAXPAYERS AND TURNS IT OVER TO CITY GOVT. WITHOUT ANY
RECOURSE ON THE TAXPAYERS BEHALF.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME IN THIS MATTER,
DENNIS M. LARKIN

Dear Governor Rendell:

As a citizen and taxpayer of this commonwealth, I greatly value my right to appeal
Zoning Board decisions in the courts. I respect also the right of my fellow citizen
taxpayers to so appeal. I am profoundly disturbed that proposed HR 1954 includes
an amendment that greatly curtails this right, and urge you to veto HR 1954.
Curtailing the right of citizens to appeal Zoning Board decisions in the courts is
likely to give developers, especially larger developers, undue influence in the zoning
process. The City of Philadelphia will lose, if you allow its citizens' rights to appeal
zoning decisions to be taken away by stealthful, middle of the night amendment
embedded in HR 1954. Veto this bad legislationl. Thank you. - Elliot M. Stern

Dear Governor Rendell:

House Bill 1954 is the wrong direction for Philadelphia and I
ask that you as a fellow East Fallser veto it for the good of
this city. Thank you for your consideration to this matter.

Dear Governor Rendell:

I write to urge you to VETO bill 1954, a bill which would
prevent neighbors and neighborhood associations in Philadelphia
from involving themselves in the development of their community.

I am part of the Northern Liberties Neighbors Association, a
group with an extremely active and productive Zoning committee.
Our job is to evaluate and respond to zoning appeals throughout
our neighborhood. We listen to the ideas and opinions of our
neighbors, talk directly to the developers or homeowners who are
filing appeals, discuss the issues among our committee of 15
experienced and involved neighbors, and make recommendations to
the Zoning Board of Adjustments. This process means that
everyone -- neighbors, developers, the ZBA -- gets the best,
most productive and practical response that the neighborhood can
provide.

In a very few cases involving huge projects that impacted the
entire neighborhood, we have needed to appeal beyond the ZBA and
bring the force of the Neighborhood Association, with its time,
resources, and experience to bear in zoning issues. Even those
developers we have appealed against would agree that the
projects created out of that process of appeals are BETTER for
the neighborhood, the city, and the project itself than the
proposals made before our involvement.

Bill 1954 would cripple our ability to help make development in
Philadelphia better. It would destroy nearly all the ability
city residents currently have to influence the growth and
development of their own neighborhood. It would make for worse
projects and, most critically, it would make for a worse
Philadelphia.

Governor Rendell, you know Philadelphia and you know Northern
Liberties. You know that we deserve better than Bill 1954.
Please veto this

Dear Governor Rendell:

veto house bill 1954...discourage middle-of-the-nite subversion
by lawmakers...remember you served this city well for many
years ...give me my right to try to preserve the beauty and the
history.

Dear Governor Rendell:


It is very important that Civic Associations have a voice in
zoning decisions. Please veto House Bill 1954.

Ann Matter

House Bill 1954 has no standing!

Pennsylvania Statutes Web Site
CONSTITUTION OF PENNSYLVANIA
http://members.aol.com/StatutesPA/Constitution.html

Article III,

LEGISLATION

A. Procedure

Notice of Local and Special Bills

"Section 7. No local or special bill shall be passed unless
notice of the intention to apply therefor shall have been
published in the locality where the matter or the thing to be
effected may be situated, which notice shall be at least 30 days
prior to the introduction into the General Assembly of such bill
and in the manner to be provided by law; the evidence of such
notice having been published, shall be exhibited in the General
Assembly, before such act shall be passed."
______________________

Bill 1954 is a Local and Special Bill!

Veto House Bill 1954, or “We The People” will Veto the bill for you!


Joseph J. Menkevich
President Elect
Northwood Civic Association

Dear Governor Rendell:

Please veto House Bill 1954. It was introduced and passed
privately and hastily, and takes away some of my basic rights as
a tax-paying Philadelphian. This is not the way a democracy is
supposed to work. It is too late to save our country over the
next four years, but I was hoping for more from my state and
city.
Sincerely,
SC Saltzman

Dear Governor Rendell:

How dare they pass this bill limiting our rights! How dare it
get this far! Who do these "legislators" think they are that
they can sneak something through in the middle of the night -
no public discussion - no notice - just wham and Philly gets
smacked across the face again!

Okay, we've had enough! When is Harrisburg going to start
treating Philadelphia and Philadelphians as the first class
city that it is? Why does our legislature allow ridiculous
laws to be passed that determine that we don't have the
intelligence to decide what we want in our communities?

Ed - it's time that you showed these people that you're from
Philly and you won't be shoved around anymore!

Show them that you're in charge and VETO HB1954!

Dear Governor Rendell:

The Ridge Park Civic Association is a community organization
located in the Northwest Section of Philadelphia. Our
boundaries include part of Roxborough and part of Manayunk,
very close to your East Falls home.

Signing HB1954 into law would have would prohibit us and other
concerned community groups from appealing decisions made
concerning changes in zoning.

At least once a week we are approached by developers who want
our "blessing" on a development project that impacts on our
community.

Our last two meetings have been packed, standing room only with
residents upset with proposals. One to demolish three
properties and install an mega auto parts store and the other
to build homes which can only be accessed through a tiny,
single lane, cobblestone, hollow street. It was determined
that neither project added anything to our community and would
only detract from it.

Although we are opposed to those two developments there are
others that we have approved and supported. We have a vision
for our community, and we work on that vision with our
neighbors democratically.

Please take a minute and ask yourself who benefits from HB1954?
Certainly not the citizens and taxpayers of Philadelphia.

Do the right thing and VETO HB1954.

The Executive Board of
The Ridge Park Civic Association

Governor Rendell,

House Bill 1954 has no standing!

CONSTITUTION OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA,

Article III,

LEGISLATION

A. Procedure

Notice of Local and Special Bills

"Section 7. No local or special bill shall be passed unless
notice of the intention to apply therefor shall have been
published in the locality where the matter or the thing to be
effected may be situated, which notice shall be at least 30 days
prior to the introduction into the General Assembly of such bill
and in the manner to be provided by law; the evidence of such
notice having been published, shall be exhibited in the General
Assembly, before such act shall be passed."
______________________

Bill 1954 is a Local and Special Bill!

It was introduced on behalf of the wealthy Billboard Industry,
primarily in Philadelphia and Pittsburg.

Special laws for special people with special interests.

Whom do you think you are fooling or trying to fool?

This is not a game of small, dirty inner city politics.

Governor Rendell,

The country is watching you!

Veto House Bill 1954, or “We The People” will Veto the bill for you!


Joseph J. Menkevich
President Elect
Northwood Civic Association

Dear Governor Rendell:

Please veto House Bill 1954 (HB 1954). From what I understand,
this bill was amended in a late evening legislative session to
include a provision eliminating the ability of Philadelphia
citizens to appeal decisions of the Zoning Board of
Adjustment, thereby denying us our right, to the benefit of
those who may be more powerful and influential and who simply do
not want to play by the rules, to have a voice about the future
progress of our city. Under your admninistration as mayor,
Philadelphia began to regain her self-esteem and prosperity,
and, despite the misdirected and misguided efforts of the
current administration, has become a major tourist destination.
Shall we now regress to the point where outdoor billboards and
incompatible land uses brought about by bad zoning decisions
will be a staple of our cityscape? Are we to regress politically
and socially to the point where disagreement with public policy
is repressed? Veto Bill #1954 now!!

Dear Governor Rendell:

We own multiple properties in Philadelphia. As artists my
husband and I have invested in neighborhoods when others have
not and though I have not agreed with laws that favored property
owners when the environment was at stake this law I can not
support. You must leave some recourse for property owners. We
are not developers but people who have invested in Philadelphia
for the long hall. In spite of the fact that the city continues
to raise our tax rates each year we still rent space at well
below market value to start up businesses that employ the local
populace and would like to continue to do so. Should you take
the power to contest zoning decisions out of our hands we do not
know that we could continue. Should you wish to discuss this
issue further please feel free to e-mail us.
Sincerely,
Smokie Kittner
Harry Anderson

Dear Governor Rendell:
I understand that there could be a
change in zoning law that would prohibit concerned community
groups from appealing decisions made concerning changes in
zoning. I live in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia and we
are constantly being bombarded with developers who want to
change zoning to develop land that will add to our overcrowded
streets and overcrowded neighborhoods. Most recently, we met
with a developer who wants to develop 50 homes with remote
access down a narrow hollow cobblestone street. We have had
enough of having new development that ruins our quality of
living being forced down our throats. We are not anti-
development and we have worked cooperatively with some
developers but we need to have the right to appeal when when a
proposed zoning change damages a neighborhood so please veto
this bill.

Thank you,

Robert Hamm

Dear Governor Rendell:

The more I think about HB1954, the angrier I get. I've already
written to you once, but it has occured to me:

If appeals to the ZBA are to be limited to those living within
500 feet of the property for which a zoning variance is sought,
then there should also be a law that no party should be able to
SEEK a zoning variance on a property -- nor receive remuneration
from ANY activities permitted by the zoning variance -- unless
they also live within 500 feet of the property (and have no other
residences!). And that includes not only owning the billboard
and selling the advertising, but also printing the wrap or owning
any interest in the business being advertised. It's only fair.

After all, as Councilman Dicicco said in his letter SUPPORTING
this same measure when it came before Philadelphia City Council,
"Outside developers, billboard companies, vendors, and others,
who don't live here, don't raise their children here, and don't
have a direct stake in our neighborhoods should not decide how
our neighborhoods and communities grow." Great. I agree. So don't
let them advertise any farther than from 500 feet from the homes
where they live and raise their children, either.

Eileen Carpenter

Dear Governor Rendell:
WHY DON'T THESE DEVELOPERS REALLY DO SOME GOOD & REDEVELOPE THE
NEIGBORHOODS THAT NEED IT.

Dear Governor Rendell:

It is just a sentence, but the one disenfranchising citizens
from pursuing legal action when a project is viewed as
detrimental to the community is vague at best and opens a door
to contentious and litigious interpretation.

Please veto House Bill 1954.

Dear Governor Rendell:

VETO House Bill 1954. It stinks!

Thank you.

Patrick Hauck
7350 Rural Lane
Philadelphia PA 19119

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