West Philly City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier yesterday joined a dozen others on the City Council in formal apologizing for the 1985 MOVE bombing and called on the city to declare May 13th an annual day of “reflection, observation, and recommitment to the principle that all people are created equal and endowed with inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Wednesday, May 13th, marked the 35th anniversary of the city-sanctioned police attack on the MOVE home at 6221 Osage Ave. Police fired thousands of rounds into the building in a siege that culminated in the dropping of two bombs on the building. Eleven MOVE members died, including children and dozens of homes were destroyed in an ensuing fire that consumed dozens of nearby homes.  Continue Reading

Councilmember Jamie Gauthier is inviting residents to join her at a 3rd District Virtual Town Hall this Thursday, April 2, at 4:30 p.m.

Participants will receive the latest information on City services and resources available during the COVID-19 crisis. There will also be an opportunity for small-group discussions.

The Town Hall will be accessible both via video chat and by phone. For more information about how to join in, click here. The event is co-hosted by University City Science Center and Venture Cafe Philadelphia.  Continue Reading

UPDATE (Thursday, March 12, 2020): Councilwoman Jamie Gauthier has postponed all upcoming Community Conversation meetings (see below) due to increasing concern over potential spread of COVID-19 at social events. Stay tuned for updates once new dates are confirmed.

Community members in West and Southwest Philadelphia have a chance to meet newly elected City Councilmember (3rd District) Jamie Gauthier. She is organizing a series of community meetings, beginning this Wednesday (March 11) in Cobbs Creek. Residents are invited to share their thoughts on issues that are important to them and to help inform Gauthier’s legislative agenda. Food and childcare will be provided.

The following meetings have been postponed until further notice:  Continue Reading

The City Council on Thursday passed a bill banning “single-use” plastic bags in the city.

The ban means that places like supermarkets, convenience stores, gas stations, take-out restaurants, farmer’s markets and even food trucks will have to either switch to paper bags or offer their customers an option to buy a reusable bag. A similar ban already exists in other cities, like New York.

If signed into law by Mayor Jim Kenney, the ban would go into effect on July 2, 2020.  Continue Reading

Jamie Gauthier

Political newcomer Jamie Gauthier pulled off the biggest upset in Tuesday’s primary election, handily defeating longtime incumbent Jannie Blackwell in the City Council 3rd District race. The win appears to end the 45-year reign of the Blackwell family in the district, which has undergone massive demographic changes in recent years.

Gauthier garnered about 56 percent of the approximately 25,000 votes cast and with no Republican candidate in Tuesday’s primary, the win almost assures her victory in the November general election.  Continue Reading

Don’t forget to vote today. The slate of offices up for grabs include mayor, city council and, perhaps most important and least predictable this time around, seats on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

Check on your voter registration status here and find your polling place here. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Registered voters who are in line at 8 p.m. will be allowed to vote.

All 17 seats on the City Council will be on the ballot. Some 14 candidates are running for at-large seats. Here’s a rundown from the Committee of Seventy. Jannie Blackwell is running unopposed for the 3rd District seat. As usual, the mayor’s race was likely decided in the primary.

The election for three seats on state’s Supreme Court has drawn a lot of interest among criminal justice activists, who see it as a test of the state’s commitment to easing mass incarceration and sentencing reforms. Here’s a rundown of the candidates for Supreme Court from the Committee of Seventy.