Vol. 1, No. 8
December 2018
eastfallsnow.com • FREE
Advice from a voter who’s 100: ‘Get out and vote!’ by John T. Gillespie
M
arian, or “Bobbi” LeLand, turned 100 years old in April and votes at the Mifflin School. She has some simple advice for young people: “Get out and vote,” she says. “It is one of the most important things you can do in life.” Whether by osmosis or the power of suggestion, young people seem to have gotten her message. They turned out in droves to vote this past Nov. 6. Students from Jefferson University’s Philadelphia campus helped drive the 60 percent plus turnout in the 23rd Division of East Falls’ 21st Ward -Jeanette Brugger, of the Philadelphia Streets Department (center), points to Bobbi’s precinct. plans for the proposed roundabout in discussion with some of the more than 40 Bobbi voted in her first elecEast Falls residents who turned out for the Department’s presentation for the tion for Franklin D. Roosevelt project at Fox St. and Queen Ln. in 1940. She was 22, and she told EF NOW she hasn’t missed an election since. Born in Erie, PA, she spent much of her young life in Oil City, 120 miles south of Pittsburgh. Her father died when she was two. Her mother section. raised her and two older sisby John T. Gillespie Ed McGinn, who lives on ters, now all deceased. Penn St. half a block from the Still erect and alert, Bobbi orking in groups of intersection, was impressed. says she learned the imporeight to 10 residents, “I was 50-50 when I walked tance of voting from her mothEast Fallsers listened in. I came away 80 percent in er. She came to know on Nov. 1 as City Streets favor of moving ahead,” he Philadelphia from grandparDepartment officials laid out said. ents who lived in Germanplans for a proposed traffic Not all were so certain. roundabout at Fox St. and “The presentation was clear, Queen Ln., scheduled for con- but pedestrian safety remains struction sometime in 2019. a concern,” said Phil Hineline, Sponsored by the Traffic a resident of Midvale Ave. Committee of the East Falls An informal show of hands Community Council, the showed a majority in favor of meeting had been requested the concept. by the Streets Department. It A couple from Wissahickon took place at the East Falls Av., on the other hand, said Presbyterian Church. More they were “very against” the by Bill Epstein than 40 people attended. plan because of pedestrian With charts and audio-visu- safety. Drivers, they said, he Philadelphia Gas al aids, official explained how would fail to yield at pedestriWorks has warned that the roundabout would work to an crossways or pedestrians residents should not replace the current four-way stop signs at the busy inter(Continued on page 14) allow utility workers into their home unless they confirm that they are legitimate employees -- in the aftermath of an incident in which criminals posed as employees and broke into a Wissinoming The next general membership meeting of the EFCC will home, robbing its owners on be at 7 pm Monday, Jan. 14, 2019 at the EF Presbyterian Nov. 17. Church, Midvale Ave. and Vaux St. PGW said in a statement that even if a homeowner has The agenda will include: to call 911 to make certain • Presentation of proposed Hebrew that a person is a legitimate Public Charter School. employee, PGW does not con• Update by NewCourtland Senior Services on plans for sider it an inconvenience. its Henry Ave. property. The police have a “direct line” But before that, there’s the EFCC’s Holiday Reception to the utility and will contact at 6 pm Tuesday, Dec. 4 at the Old Academy Playhouse. PGW to verify that a legitiJoin us for dinner and beverages; RSVP mate employee is visiting a at info@eastfallscommunity.org. property.
town, where she later lived on Winona Ave. After a career as a secretary with Jerrold Electronics, the early cable TV company founded by Pennsylvania’s former Gov. Milton Shapp, she worked for the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations in charge of the secretar-
ial pool. Later, she worked for the United Auto Workers as executive secretary to the local district manager. For the past 17 years Bobbi has lived at the Valley Green Apartments on Wissahickon Ave. (Continued on page 11)
City presents plans for ‘mini’ roundabout at Fox & Queen
W
Bobbi LeLand votes at the Mifflin School.
PGW advice: Call 911 to stop criminals from posing as employees
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EFCC General Membership Meeting
The incident is just the latest episode of a scam that has plagued utility agencies across the country for years. “It is a sad fact that dishonest people will turn the very trust people have in their utility providers into a tool for their criminal activities,” PGW said in a statement. “It has happened before, and…it happened again in a high-pro-
H
file robbery where criminals posing as PGW employees lied to gain access to a person’s home. “Unfortunately, not everyone is who they claim to be, and these recent incidents are a reminder that we all need to remain vigilant against imposters. (Continued on page 4)
LEAVES!
ere it comes -- Monday, Dec. 3 – your one-time chance to have someone else pick up your leaves! The City is scheduled to sweep loose leaves from the
streets in East Falls. No bagging! No piles necessary! Just rake loose leaves into the street between now and the morning of Dec. 3, and the Streets Department will do the rest.
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