Team Thomas Times - 2022

Dear Philly

As 2022 comes to a close, I wanted to send our office newsletter with updates and resources. I’ve spent my first term on Philadelphia City Council visiting every neighborhood, working to best serve and represent the city of Philadelphia. Philadelphia has many struggles; With the hard work of my team, I strive to lead with solutions and bring people together. In addition to sharing what my office has been working on, this newsletter serves to provide direct contact to me and my team. We believe that government must be accessible and transparent - we can only represent you if we understand your needs and work together to make Philly a kinder and better place for us all.

Councilmember Isaiah Thomas

Chair of Education Committee

I came to City Council with a service leadership mentality and always look for ways to give back to the community. I’ve organized back-to-school drives in the late Summer, turkey giveaways for Thanksgiving, and will be organizing a coat drive this Winter. With over 25% of Philadelphians living in poverty, we need to help people right now with donations and help people long-term with investments. As a Councilmember At-Large, I research policies and analyze the budget to find more ways to lift residents out of poverty in a deep and systemic way. I also work to organize regular giveaways to help people right now. I enjoy helping others but also taking the chance to meet new people and hear their stories.

In The Community

I came to City Council with a service lead ership mentality and always look for ways to give back to the community. I’ve organized back-to-school drives in the late Summer, turkey giveaways for Thanksgiv ing, and will be organizing a coat drive this Winter. With over 25% of Philadelphians living in poverty, we need to help people right now with donations and help people long-term with investments. As a Coun cilmember At-Large, I research policies and analyze the budget to find more ways to lift residents out of poverty in a deep and systemic way. I also work to organize regular giveaways to help people right now. I enjoy helping others but also taking the chance to meet new people and hear their stories.

youth employment, internships & more

Follow us on instagram @councilmanthomas_jobsresources

Invest in Young People

One of the main responsibilities of City Council is passing our city’s budget. I believe that budgets are a reflection of our values and we must be doing more, from the dollars and cents, for our young people. Following the pandemic and through a surge in gun violence, our young people are not being cared for at the level which we need. As I sit on the Appropriations Committee and Chair the Education Committee, I am constantly finding creative and collaborative ways to

Student Athlete Protections Student Athlete Protections

This session, I introduced the Philly NIL Youth Protection Act to provide financial literacy and consumer protection for youth athletes with prospective NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals. These deals are already at the college level and are already on their way to high school athletes. With this bill, Philadelphia will lead the nation with this first-in-the-na tion set of protections with a proactive approach. The Philly NIL Youth Protection Act would provide educational materials on NIL deals to students and their families including information on the likelihood of acquiring a NIL, the benefits as well as risks of a contract, and guidance on the various types of NIL deals. The bill would also establish the creation of a fund that would equip families of students with prospective NIL deals with a city-vetted lawyer and/or accountant, to assist in navigating and negotiating these deals.

Your Vote is Your Voice

Young people need to vote. Young people registered, organized and voted in massive numbers in 2008 when Obama was first on the ballot. 66% of young Americans voted for Barack Obama making the gap between voters under 30 and over 30 larger than in any presidential elec tion. And ever since, both parties have recognized the importance of the youth vote. The people choose who represents us at every level of government. Go to any candidate’s website and you’ll see their stance on the issues that matter. Please reach out if you have questions about the voting process in Philadephia. None of us can change the conversation if we don’t speak up.

Citizen Watchdog

This session, I introduced a bill that will create The Citizen Watchdog Fund as a way to reward Philadelphians who help government address quality of life issues. Philadelphia’s quality of life issues, such as illegal dumping, have taken over our neighborhoods and residents are looking for solutions. In addition to making residential areas and business corridors less pleasant, these quality-of-life issues fuel a perception of lawlessness and apathy. The Citizen Watchdog Fund will reward Phila delphians with a minimum of $500 for closed cases that a resident has a part in closing. These quality-of-life issues, rele vant to Citizen Watchdogs, include street dumping, illegal alcohol sales, excessive

Gun Court Report

My team and I attended ‘gun court’ this past summer to better understand what was happening, what was not happening, and what could happen to address gun violence intervention and make our communities safer. We all need to come together and collaborate if we want to see real and meaningful change. It sounds like a cliche so, in this document, I work to better define what that collaborative framework could look like. I fought for and won, over $8 Million in gun violence prevention and intervention. I am also proudly working with my colleagues to proactively pass bills that will make our neighborhoods safer and more unified.

(215)686-9881; (215)686-9862 or DAComplaints_PNTF@phila.gov

Dom

Dom.Miller@Phila.gov

Dan

Daniel.Lodise@Phila.gov

Dave Maynard, Policy Advisor David.Maynard@Phila.gov

Max Weisman, Communications Director Max.Weisman@phila.gov

Carmella Green, Community,

Carmella.Green@Phila.gov

Jackie

James Jefferson, Special Projects Director James.Jefferson@phila.gov

Azzie Anderson, Constituent Services Representative Azzie.Anderson@phila.gov

O ce of Councilmember Isaiah Thomas

City Hall, Room 330 Philadelphia, PA 19107-3290