Joel Embiid says he did not start playing basketball until age 16. A young Embiid had dreams of being a footballer until the 7-footer grew too tall for that to be in the cards.
Even though he can’t play anymore, he’s still a passionate fan of Real Madrid and, of course, the Cameroonian national team. With the World Cup set to come to Philadelphia in 2026, there might not be anyone more excited than Embiid.
Soccer “is already huge, but having a World Cup here, it’s going to be even bigger,” Embiid said on the Switch the Play podcast with Roger Bennett of Men in Blazers. “I’m excited. I’m going to be all over the place. I’ve never been to a World Cup game before, so I’m going to go to a lot of them, especially to follow some of the best teams. Hopefully Cameroon makes it. Right now it doesn’t look likely.”
Cameroon is in second place in its qualifying group and is tied for fourth in points for a group runner-up spot. The top four runners-up advance to a playoff that gives them a second chance to qualify for the World Cup. If Cameroon can’t make it, Embiid is also intrigued to follow England, but he expects that team to “choke again.”
Embiid said he thinks his experience playing soccer growing up helped improve his footwork for basketball.
“Hakeem [Olajuwon] was another one that started so late and made it into basketball, and he credits his football skills to be able to get better so fast. I think there’s a lot of similarities where — I’ve always been a type of guy to observe, and then you show me one thing, and I’m able to do it after one or two tries, and just pick stuff up so fast. If you’re not coordinated enough, or if you don’t have good footwork, that’s not going to be possible, and that goes back to football, using your feet and having soft feet.”
His experiences growing up playing other sports before getting into basketball have him encouraging his young son to do the same. So Embiid won’t push him to specialize in any one sport — except for soccer, which he plays every Sunday. But Arthur is already enjoying following in his father’s footsteps.
“He seems to be in love with basketball, but that’s where I struggle,” Embiid said. “I started at 16, and maybe I was lucky. It takes a lot of work to be able to make it to the NBA within three years of starting playing basketball, maybe a little bit of luck, but it took a lot of work. That’s where you’re like, if I started at 16, why should any kid start playing basketball at 6 years old? That’s where you’ve got to find that balance.”
We buried my father on a bitterly cold day in Washington, D.C., in 2010. As I followed his casket out of the church, I spotted journalist Michael Days in the crowd of mourners. I didn’t get to speak with him, but I was deeply touched, not to mention honored, that my editor at the Daily News was there.
He didn’t have to do that. But Days, who died suddenly on Saturday at the age of 72, was a deeply empathetic man who genuinely cared about people. As former Daily News columnist Howard Gensler wrote on Facebook recently: “He celebrated the wins and keenly felt the losses in his newsroom. He knew when to step in and when to step back and he could go Philly on you when he had to — and then later ask you how your parents were doing.”
I met the pioneering journalist when he was business editor for the Daily News, and I was applying for a job. During my interview, I got so excited at the prospect of earning twice my salary in D.C. at the time that I didn’t bother to negotiate. But Days kindly arranged for me to have two weeks’ vacation during my first year of employment instead of my having to work an entire year, as stipulated by the terms of the union contract.
That was my first experience with the kind of leader Days was. He was more than just a boss. He was an editor, mentor, and friend who looked out for his staffers, which engendered our intense loyalty. We used to joke that when Days said, “Jump,” our response was, “How high?”
This is how I’ll always remember Michael Days: sitting in his office with a smile on his face, always ready to talk or just listen.
As amazing as he was as a newsroom leader, Days was an even better person outside of work. A fellow Catholic, he was a man of great faith who not only attended Mass regularly but whose life exemplified his deeply held Christian beliefs. He and his wife, Angela Dodson — then an editor at the New York Times — adopted not one child, but four brothers all at the same time.
Once, I had the good fortune of being invited to a holiday party at his home in Trenton — a location picked because it was between his wife’s job in NYC and his own in Philly. Shortly after I arrived, I recall glancing outdoors and spotting four shiny, new bicycles in the backyard. I was in awe. His beautiful home was decorated with a huge tree. I watched as Days’ wife handed each boy a matching Christmas plate. Lunch was a warm, cozy affair with lots of Southern favorites.
Days’ career took off, as he went on to hold a number of leadership positions in the newsroom. The first time he was in line to make history — as the first African American managing editor of the Daily News — I felt for certain he would get the job. Days had grown up in North Philly and graduated from Roman Catholic High School. Not only did he know the city, he understood the paper’s operations inside and out, and was adept at dealing with its motley crew of reporters and photographers.
I was outraged when he was passed over for an outsider. But when I stuck my head in his office to check on him, I was startled when he met my gaze with a smile. Days was unflappable like that. Calm. Steady. No matter what happened, he always kept his cool. That’s not easy in a newsroom full of strong personalities, but Days did it.
Looking back, he had the right idea. Management eventually woke up and named him managing editor, and later executive editor, of the Daily News. Under his leadership, the Daily News excelled journalistically, winning a Pulitzer Prize in 2010 for a series exposing corruption in the Philadelphia Police Department.
The following year, Days was named managing editor of The Inquirer and left the Daily News for a brief time. When then-publisher Bob Hall announced his return, and Days strode back into the newsroom, we all stood and cheered. Some even cried. Time passed, the papers consolidated, and Days went on to hold other management roles at The Inquirer. Even as he became less involved in the day-to-day newsroom operations, we still streamed in and out of his office, seeking advice about stories we were working on or grabbing a piece of chocolate from his candy dish.
After he retired in 2020, we continued to seek him out. He would take our calls as if he were still on the clock.
The author (left) at a WDAS Women of Excellence Luncheon where she was being honored. The late Inquirer Vice President Michael Days is to her immediate right, and former Deputy News Editor Yvette Ousley is next to him.
Two years ago, a group of Black journalists decided to form a new local affiliate branch of the National Association of Black Journalists after the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists broke off from the nationwide group. Days, then 70, graciously agreed to serve as NABJ-Philadelphia’s inaugural president, and helped the new group find its footing.
In September, the group hosted a reception at the Free Library of Philadelphia honoring NBC contributor Trymaine Lee, author of the new book, A Thousand Ways to Die: The True Cost of Violence on Black Life in America. When it was his turn to speak, Days praised Lee, who had been a Daily News intern, and told him, “You are a talent, and nobody is surprised that you have done so well.”
Afterward, former Daily News reporter Mister Mann Frisby posted on social media: “The way he spoke about Trymaine at his book signing, I have also heard him speak of me the same way. Always encouraging. That makes me know that he was CONSISTENT for decades in regards to how he supported and mentored journalists.”
When I woke up early Sunday and discovered numerous “call me” texts, I knew something really bad had happened. Days’ death sent a seismic jolt through journalism circles nationwide.
“He was kind and gentle,” recalled Inquirer columnist Elizabeth Wellington. “I lost my own father earlier this year. And this feels as if I’ve lost a second.”
I feel the same way. Before Days, I’d never met any man I considered anywhere close to being in the same league as my dad,who was a giant among men.
Inquirer reporter Melanie Burney, who will finish out Days’ term as president of NABJ-Philadelphia, told me she has found herself in the days after his death asking, “What would Michael do?”
That’s a question I’ve asked myself a few times recently, as well. Days had been just a quick phone call away. Going forward, we will have to rely on the many lessons he has already taught us.
Pinwheel Provisions opened in a new, larger space next to the Bryn Mawr Film Institute this week.
We may only be a month into fall, but the area’s culinary scene has been booming this season. Two new eateries opened in the last few weeks, with a third debuting today, and more on the horizon.
Heads up for drivers: Work on the North Narberth Avenue bridge between Elmwood and Haverford Avenues is set to begin next week, starting with vegetation clearing on Monday and Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Work will then transition to night hours, taking place from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. next Wednesday and Thursday.
Reminder for registered voters: Tuesday is the last day to request a mail-in ballot for the Nov. 4 election. You can apply for a mail-in or absentee ballot here.
Friends and family gathered outside Adath Israel in Merion Station last week to celebrate the release of Israeli hostage Alon Ohel from Hamas captivity following a ceasefire agreement earlier this month. Among those was Ohel’s cousin, Lower Merion resident Benjamin Mittman. A number of local residents have held vigils and rallies to support the families of hostages like Ohel. (6abc)
Rev. Carolyn Cavaness, who previously led the Bethel A.M.E. Church of Ardmore for 10 years, where she served as its first female pastor, recently reflected on her first full year as head of the historic Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church in Philadelphia, where she is also the first female pastor. The Inquirer’s Nate File spoke with her about what it’s like leading the oldest church property in the U.S. to be owned continuously by Black people.
A more than 9,000-square-foot Gladwyne mansion has hit the market with an asking price of $8.5 million. The six-bedroom, 11-bathroom home has a terrace, pool, sauna, and a media room. It sits on 12.75 acres and has the potential to be subdivided into three parcels. (Philadelphia Business Journal)
Lower Merion Township is hosting an open house on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. where residents can tour the police and fire stations, get a close-up look at emergency vehicles, and enjoy balloon animals, music, and food.
Bryn Mawr College this month released new guidelines for students protesting on campus, including the use of bullhorns and which campus spaces students can occupy. The school is also encouraging students to schedule demonstrations through its facilities platform, something that’s left both professors and students concerned. (The Bi-College News)
🏫 Schools Briefing
LMSD is hosting one of four community events regarding its new strategic plan next Wednesday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The event will be held in the Lower Merion High School cafeteria, where residents can hear ideas and offer input on the five-year plan running from 2026 to 2031.
Mark your calendars: The district’s book fairs continue today and tomorrow. There will be a trunk-or-treat event at Penn Valley Elementary on Saturday from 2:30 to 4 p.m., with another planned at Merion Elementary next Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Saturday is also Lower Merion High School’s homecoming dance and next week is LMHS spirit week. See all the district’s events here.
Carlino’s Market is expanding, now selling its products at 10 Wegmans stores in southeastern Pennsylvania. The popular Ardmore market expects to triple its sales and production as a result. Its signature sauces will roll out to other Wegmans locations in Delaware, New Jersey, and New York in the coming months. (Philadelphia Business Journal)
🎳 Things to Do
👻 Halloween Funky Brunch & Market: This family-friendly event includes craft vendors, live music, and trick-or-treating for kids. ⏰ Saturday, Oct. 25, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Ardmore Music Hall
🎶 Wicked Singalong: In anticipation of the release of Wicked: For Good, watch the first movie and sing along to the hits. Registration is required. ⏰ Saturday, Oct. 25, noon-3 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Penn Wynne Library
🧙♀️ The Witches of Narberth: Kids can scour the borough in search of witches and treats ahead of next week’s Halloween parade. The hunt runs from 1 to 4 p.m. ⏰ Saturday, Oct. 25, 1-4 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Narberth
🎃 Halloween Party: Now in its fifth year, the Sean King Fund for Inclusive Practices event includes games, face painting, music, and dancing. Costumes are welcome. ⏰ Saturday, Oct. 25, 2-4 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Linwood Park
🍎 Heirloom Apple Tasting & Baking Contest: Get a taste of apples you won’t find in the grocery store and buy ones to take home. There will also be a baking competition. ⏰ Saturday, Oct. 25, 2-4 p.m. 💵 $7.18-$12.51 📍 Harriton House
🎭 The Phantom of the Opera: The original film, starring Lon Chaney and Mary Philbin, turns 100 this year. To mark the occasion, Bryn Mawr Film Institute will host two screenings of the silent horror flick, accompanied by a live performance from students at the School of Rock Main Line. ⏰ Saturday, Oct. 25 and Sunday, Oct. 26, 11:30 a.m. 💵 $11.75-$16.25 📍 Bryn Mawr Film Institute
🍫 Halloween Crafting: Kids can make four spooky, but edible Halloween-themed crafts while dressed in costumes. ⏰ Sunday, Oct. 26, 4-5 p.m. 💵 $21.20 📍 The Candy Lab
The home spans nearly 4,000 square feet and has a pool and outdoor kitchen.
This four-bedroom Penn Valley home has a sleek interior, with living and family rooms, a dining room, and an eat-in kitchen with an island on the first floor. Upstairs, the primary suite has a fireplace with a sitting area, two walk-in closets, access to a balcony, and a bathroom with a soaking tub and dual vanities. It also has a finished basement with another living room, a bar, media room, and a wine cellar, while outside there’s a patio with a built-in kitchen and a pool. There are open houses today from 4:30 to 6 p.m., and from noon to 2 p.m. tomorrow, Saturday, and Sunday.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.
Swarthmore has tabled a proposal to implement an earned income tax after Swarthmore College stepped up to help fill a budget hole.
Swarthmore residents aren’t facing an earned income tax, at least for the time being.
The borough last week agreed to table an unpopular proposal to implement an EIT after Swarthmore College agreed to contribute $638,000 to cover a funding gap left by the closure of Crozer-Chester Medical Center earlier this year, The Inquirer’s Denali Sagner reports.
The borough is, however, considering implementing an emergency services tax. It will continue budget discussions at Monday’s finance committee meeting.
Task wrapped up on Sunday, delivering a bittersweet conclusion to the seven-episode show starring Mark Ruffalo. While the Delco-set HBO mini-series was undoubtedly a cops and robbers-heavy story, it also provided “a brooding, layered examination of fatherhood in various forms,” The Inquirer’s Rosa Cartagena reports. Its ending is exactly what show creator and Berwyn native Brad Ingelsby wanted. Read more about the finale here. (Warning: Spoilers!)
With the conclusion of Task, we’ve also put together a final map of the show’s local filming locations, including the Delaware County Courthouse and Government Center in Media, which was featured in the finale. We also gathered video of some of the cast’s favorite Delco phrases, which you can watch here. Those who watched were treated to some of the region’s wooded scenery, so much so that it prompted The New York Times to refer to the region as “rural America.” The Inquirer’s Jason Nark took issue with that characterization and with another journalist calling the region “downtrodden,” noting “Delco’s not much different from Philadelphia’s other ring counties.”
The Promenade at Granite Run continues to evolve, and come spring, will be home to an IKEA “plan and order point with pick-up” store. Unlike traditional stores, which are shoppable, the smaller format allows customers to meet with IKEA team members to plan out home spaces and then arrange delivery or pick up of their goods. The new store, part of a pad site near Middletown Road, will span about 3,755 square feet.
Despite Democrats holding power in Delaware County Council for the past few years, Republicans see an opening to regain representation after a double-digit property tax increase last year. Voters will elect two members to the five-person board on Nov. 4, and Republicans are hoping to build up traction.
Speaking of the election, Tuesday is the last day for registered voters to request a mail-in ballot for next month’s election. You can apply for a mail-in or absentee ballot here.
Ahead of the holidays, the Media Food Bank is seeking donations for an array of goods, including shelf-stable foods, personal care items, pet food, household goods, and items for babies. Find a list of needed supplies here.
Artist Susan O’Reilly is relocating her eponymous studio from Aston to 415 Dartmouth Ave. in Swarthmore next month, taking over the space formerly home to barbershop Cutz to Cutz. She will offer fine art classes and workshops, as well as individual sessions, with plans to add children’s programming later. The same block will also be home to secondhand store Heart and Soul’d come the new year, which is relocating to 407 Dartmouth Ave. It will maintain its current space at 14 Park Ave. until then, using its new space to show larger pieces like furniture by request. (The Swarthmorean)
Swarthmore is hosting a flu vaccine clinic on Wednesday from 4 to 6 p.m. at the borough council room. Those interested must register in advance.
🏫 Schools Briefing
Media Elementary School is hosting a trunk-or-treat event Friday, and fall theater performances kick off Saturday and run through Tuesday. There’s also a boys basketball tournament this weekend and a community blood drive on Tuesday. See the district’s full calendar here.
Tomorrow ispicture day makeups for Wallingford-Swarthmore students, and on Saturday, Wallingford Elementary is hosting its pancake breakfast and Halloween carnival from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. See the district’s full calendar here. WSSD is also hosting community conversation sessions on Tuesday with superintendent Russell D. Johnston. The morning session will be held from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.and an evening session will be from 6 to 7 p.m., both at Strath Haven Middle School.
Martinique Deux, the new live entertainment venue and bar in the basement space of the Phoenix building in Media, is hosting its grand opening tonight. The evening’s live music lineup starts at 7 p.m. with Mike Malloy, followed by Cordelia Blue at 8 p.m., and The Shevlins at 10 p.m.
🎳 Things to Do
🎭 Young Frankenstein: It’s your last chance to catch this musical comedy about a doctor who’s inherited his grandfather’s estate in Transylvania. ⏰ Through Sunday, Oct. 26, times vary 💵 $27-$47 📍 TheMedia Theatre
🍫 Creekside’s Halloween Party: Creekside Swim Club’s community party includes a mad scientist’s lab, costumes, face painting, raffles, and, of course, candy. ⏰ Friday, Oct. 24, 5-7 p.m. 💵 $10 📍 Creekside Swim Club, Wallingford
🛍️ Merchant Night Market: Swarthmore stores will stay open later for this special shopping event. ⏰ Friday, Oct. 24, 5-9 p.m. 💵 Pay as you go 📍 Swarthmore
👻Halloween Parade: Media Borough is hosting its annual Halloween parade, complete with performances by Penncrest and Strath Haven’s marching bands. Put on your costume and join the fun along State Street, where there will also be appearances by the Philadelphia Ghostbusters, and Star Wars cosplayers Garrison Carida and Kyber Base. ⏰ Saturday, Oct. 25, 11 a.m. 💵 Free 📍 State Street, Media
🍬 Haunted Trail: Middletown Township’s Halloween-themed event for kids ages 12 and under includes trick-or-treating and games. ⏰ Saturday, Oct. 25, 4-7:30 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Sleighton Park
🧙♀️ Costume Party: This month’s Teen Activity Day at the Rocky Run YMCA is a Halloween-themed party. It’s open to 13- to 18-year-olds. ⏰ Saturday, Oct. 25, 5:30-7 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Rocky Run YMCA, Media
🕺 Delco Dance Night: Put on your costume and dance to tunes at this 21-and-over Halloween-themed event. ⏰ Saturday, Oct. 25, 7-10 p.m. 💵 $15.75 in advance, $20 at the door 📍 Park Avenue Community Center, Swarthmore
🎃 PumpkinPalooza: The Media borough’s event includes a jack-o-lantern stroll and contest, as well as yard games and fall treats. ⏰ Sunday, Oct. 26, 6-7:30 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Media Community Center lawn
🗡️ Jack The Ripper: A Virtual London Walking Tour for Grown-Ups: Take a virtual walking tour following in the footsteps of the notorious 1800s serial killer. Registration is required. ⏰ Tuesday, Oct. 28, 5:30-6:45 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Helen Kate Furness Free Library, Wallingford
The home’s family room has a fireplace and connects to the kitchen and dining room.
Situated in the Mills at Rose Valley, this two-story townhome has three bedrooms and three-and-a-half bathrooms. The first floor features a living room, a family room with a fireplace, a dining room, and an eat-in kitchen. The bedrooms are located on the second floor, including a primary suite with a walk-in closet and a bathroom with a soaking tub. The home also has a finished basement that has space for an additional bedroom or a home office, as well as a deck out back.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.
For years, the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia has heard the same arguments: Preservation is a barrier to development. It reduces density. It restricts the housing supply.
“And we knew in our gut that that wasn’t true, but we didn’t have the data to support it,” said Paul Steinke, executive director of the Preservation Alliance, which works to protect historic properties from demolition. “Now, we do.”
In Philadelphia, $4 billion has been invested in historic rehabilitation projects, which have created thousands of jobs each year.
Steinke said the Preservation Alliance commissioned this study now because of current debates about Philadelphia’s growth and affordability, the need to increase the housing supply, and development policy as Mayor Cherelle L. Parker rolls out her Housing Opportunities Made Easy, or H.O.M.E., initiative to build or preserve 30,000 homes.
“We wanted to develop some data to demonstrate preservation’s role in those conversations,” said Steinke, who is on the H.O.M.E. advisory committee. “And the reality is the data show that historic preservation is a powerful engine … for investment, jobs, affordability, and inclusive growth.”
The study was completed by PlaceEconomics, a Washington-based firm that analyzes the economic impacts of historic preservation in cities across the country. The purpose of the analysis in Philadelphia was to understand the economics of the preservation of older properties in general and not only those properties that are historically designated, Steinke said.
Preservation debates
Historic designation is a divisive topic, and preservationists have found themselves clashing not only with developers who want to demolish properties but also with homeowners and pro-housing groups.
Historic designation shields properties from demolition and means owners have some restrictions on what they can do to the outside of their properties. Decisions about doors and windows, for example, are subject to the scrutiny of preservation officials. And owners who fight the designation of their properties argue that regulations can be a burden.
In response to the Preservation Alliance’s study, 5th Square, a Philadelphia-based urbanist political action committee, said it supports efforts to rehabilitate older buildings and that “Philadelphia’s dense, historic neighborhoods are a beloved feature of the city.”
“However, we remain concerned about the proliferation of historical preservation districts across the city,” Brennan Maragh, cochair of the group’s housing committee, said in an emailed statement. “These districts … impose real costs on families, small businesses, and owners attempting to maintain or improve their properties.”
Almost 5% of Philadelphia is historically designated
Almost 5% of the city’s land area is a historic district or is property individually designated as historic outside of historic districts, the study found.
The share of properties historically designated by the city has increased from 2.2% to 4.4% since 2016, when the city started ramping up its historic designations. Philadelphia has caught up with other large cities.
In 2023, about 56,000 residents lived in a local historic district.
Tax credits have created jobs and revenue
Between 2010 and 2024, 295 projects that used state and/or federal historic preservation tax credits were completed in Philadelphia, according to the study. This ranks Philadelphia first in the nation.
Projects that use historic tax credits have created an average of 1,777 direct jobs and 729 indirect jobs each year in Philadelphia over the last 15 years. Each year, they have created an average of about $95 million in direct income and about $47 million in indirect income.
If historic rehabilitation were a single industry, it would be the city’s 25th-largest employer.
Historic tax credit activity also has generated about $8 million in local tax revenue.
Two-thirds of Philadelphia’s residential buildings and half of the city’s housing units were built before 1950, according to the study. This older housing tends to be smaller in size and lower in cost.
So preserving older homes helps preserve housing affordability. The study did not consider the historic designation status of these homes.
“While it is true that Philadelphia’s older housing stock remains affordable compared to new construction,” said Maragh at 5th Square, “historic preservation districts can also have the unintended consequences of excluding low-income residents from large parts of the city, raising lifetime housing costs on owners and creating unnecessary regulations that slow down the process of adaptive reuse.”
The study found that the city’s historic districts have higher shares of high-income households and lower shares of low-income households compared to the rest of the city.
Outsize population growth in historic districts
Donovan Rypkema, principal and CEO at PlaceEconomics, said a “myth” of historic preservation is if “you create those historic districts, you just set neighborhoods in amber and nothing can ever change.”
The firm’s study found that population growth in historic districts outpaced growth in the rest of the city.
In historic districts created before 2010 — so before the recent push for more districts and ones that are more geographically and racially inclusive — the population grew by about 27% between 2010 and 2020. Over the same time, the rest of the city’s population grew by less than 5%.
More than 79% of the homes in historic districts are in buildings with two or more units, compared to 32% in the rest of Philadelphia. Historic districts also offer a wider range of housing types.
The densest areas of the city are in historic districts, according to the study. There are 10,000 more people per square mile in historic districts than in the rest of the city’s residential areas.
These statistics speak to the “inherent attractiveness” of historic districts and also that “they can accommodate that growth,” Rypkema said.
Gov. Josh Shapiro is hitting the campaign trail in two key states this weekend.
With less than two weeks left until Election Day, Shapiro will campaign and raise cash for U.S. Reps. Mikie Sherrill (D., N.J.) and Abigail Spanberger, (D., Va.), two Democratic hopefuls in high-stakes gubernatorial races that could preview the national mood ahead of next year’s midterms.
Shapiro will campaign with Sherrill Saturday morning in Monroe Township at an event to mark the start of early in-person voting in the Democratic-leaning state which has grown increasingly red. The pair will then attend a Souls to the Polls event at a church in New Brunswick, Shapiro For Pennsylvania spokesperson Manuel Bonder said.
The governor is also expected to hold a fundraiser for the New Jersey Democratic State Committee to benefit Sherrill’s campaign later in the day.
On Sunday, Shapiro will head to Virginia to attend events in Portsmouth and Norfolk with Spanberger.
Sherrill has amped up her campaigning in recent weeks, and she’s brought out big Democratic names to help her. In the last three weeks, she’s campaigned with New Jersey Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim, and with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore. Former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg is planning a visit to New Jersey next weekend, and Sherrill’s campaign curtain call the Saturday before Election Day will feature a rally with former President Barack Obama.
This combination photo shows candidates for governor of New Jersey Republican Jack Ciattarelli, left, and Democrat Mikie Sherrill during the final debate in governors race, Oct. 8, 2025, in New Brunswick, N.J. (AP Photos/Heather Khalifa)
Why Shapiro is involved in the New Jersey governor’s race
Shapiro is a big draw on the campaign trail as he continues to build a national profile, and gears up for his own reelection campaign next year. The first-term governor, who is seen as a potential 2028 presidential candidate, announced the 2026 release of a memoir this week.
The poll also found that Shapiro is viewed favorably by some Republicans, an across-the-aisle appeal that appears to extend across the Delaware River.
Shapiro’s been lauded by Sherrill’s Republican opponent in the New Jersey race, Jack Ciattarelli, a trend chronicled recently by Politico.
Ciattarelli commended Shapiro’s willingness to criticize New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s past comments on Israel, and praised his handling of small businesses, energy and property taxes in Pennsylvania, contrastingly saying New Jersey faces a “crisis” in all three.
Sherrill has said frequently that she wants to mimic Pennsylvania’s success in cutting the time it takes business owners to get permits from state government.
This story has been updated to correct the location of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s first stop with U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill on the campaign trail Saturday.
An independent monitor has asked federal officials to ensure consumers don’t get stuck with the bill if the electric grid can’t handle power needs of a massive data center planned for Bucks County.
The monitor, Joseph Bowring, filed comments with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) last week, asking that a Sept. 23 transmission service agreement between Peco and Amazon Data Services be rejected.
The agreement is regarding the 2 million-square-foot “digital infrastructure campus” Amazon plans for the Keystone Trade Center, an 1,800-acre property once owned by U.S. Steel, according to Falls Township. The data center, meant to handle computing needs of the wildly increasing demand for AI, has been heralded by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and the Trump administration.
But Bowring, the independent market monitor for the region’s grid operator PJM, questioned the agreement, which is designed to protect power customers from economic risks associated with the cost of upgrading systems to handle the new load.
In the agreement, Peco sought to ensure, among other things, that consumers don’t get stuck with the bill for grid upgrades if Amazon never builds the data center.
However, Bowring said that the agreement does not “address the key question of whether there is sufficient capacity to serve the identified large new data center load without imposing significant and unacceptable reliability- and capacity-related cost impacts on all PJM customers.”
He’s not alone in concerns about the cost data centers could impose on homeowners and other power customers. Many have already seen utility bills rise rapidly in the past few months.
PJM, Peco, and the grid
Montgomery County-basedPJM manages the electric grid for all or parts of 13 states and the District of Columbia. PJM is responsible for maintaining grid reliability, coordinating electric flow, and assessing capacity. It is the largest regional transmission organization in the U.S.
The data center lies in Peco’s service territory within the PJM grid.
The capacity and reliability of electrical grids across the United States has emerged as a major issue as data centers rush to go online.
David Mills, chair of the PJM Board of Managers, wrote in an August letter to stakeholders that PJM is forecasting peak load growth of 32 gigawatts by 2030. Of that, 30 gigawatts is projected to come from data centers.
Grid operators and power companies like Peco are scrambling to evaluate whether they can provide continuous electricity with the massive new loads without expensive upgrades such asnew transmission lines and substations — costs that advocates fear will be passed onto consumers.
Map produced by the National Resources Defense Council estimates electricity capacity costs to utility companies based on PJM forecasts through 2032.
Protecting consumers
Making sure power consumers don’t get stuck with the cost of upgrades has been a key point of consumer advocates.
Bowring wrote that while the agreement does include some important provisions to protect energy customers from risk, it does not go far enough.
“The Market Monitor recommends that the agreement not be approved unless Peco can demonstrate that the referenced new data center load can be served reliably and economically,” Bowring wrote to FERC.
The company plans to invest at least $20 billion in the construction of data center complexes in Pennsylvania, in what officials called the largest private-sector investment in the state’s history. The second complex would be built alongside a nuclear power plant in Luzerne County.
Both would require enormous amounts of power.
For example, FERC has already rejected one Amazon “behind-the-meter” power connection of 480 megawatts for the Luzerne County data center. That’s more power than is consumed by some small cities.
Bowring addressed the data centers during a summit on PJM at the National Constitution Center in September that was attended by multiple governors, including Shapiro.
“PJM has a problem: Capacity,” Bowring said at the summit. “There’s no extra capacity, and there’s lots of data centers that want to join. … It cannot be handled by the market as it exists.”
PJM has said it does not have the authority to deny the interconnection of new data center loads even if it does not have the capacity. Bowring disagrees but is asking FERC to clarify the matter.
Peco’s ‘extensive planning’
Greg Smore, a Peco spokesperson, said the utility is working with Amazon.
“We have done extensive planning to ensure we can deliver the energy needed to power this data center through our transmission and distribution system,” Smore said. “That data center, like any other large customer, is responsible for procuring electric supply, through an energy supplier or the existing PJM energy market.”
Smore said that knowing there’s “an adequate supply of energy to serve all our customers at a reasonable price is a real concern.”
So Peco, which is owned by Exelon, is working with stakeholders, he said, to add more generation to the grid while ensuring reliability and help address rising energy supply costs.
He said the agreement with Amazon “protects all customers in Southeastern Pennsylvania from bearing greater transmission service costs if the data center does not make the sizable contribution to our system costs that would be expected.”
Advocates fear costs to public
The nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), an environmental advocacy group, estimates Peco could pay $9.1 billion in costs by 2033 related to the need for greater capacity.
“The projected demand from data centers is vastly outstripping the amount of new supply in PJM,” said Claire Lang-Ree, an advocate with NRDC.
“It will cause power bills to rise and stay high for the coming decade, mainly through capacity cost increases,” Lang-Ree said.
The NRDC estimates cumulative costs could result in a $70 monthly rise in average electric bills in coming years across the PJM grid.
In addition, she said it would lead to a decline in reliability and an increased risk of blackouts for the general public. And, she said, the power demand could undermine states’ clean energy and air quality goals.
“It’s really hard to overstate what’s at stake here,” Lang-Ree said.
Clara Summers of Consumers for a Better Grid, a nonprofit watchdog, said states should impose tariffs to be paid by data centers to support the large power loads they require and ensure that costs of new utility infrastructure doesn’t fall unfairly on consumers. And data centers should provide their own electric supply.
Summers likened not taking action to allowing the wealthiest acquaintances at a restaurant gathering to order the most expensive food, then, “dining and dashing.”
“Unless something is done, everyday people will be left holding the check for some of the wealthiest companies in the world, and that’s unacceptable,” Summers said.
This story has been updated to reflect comments from Peco.
While the Phillies are poised for some roster changes in 2026, at the moment it doesn’t seem like those will occur in the infield.
The Phillies’ outfield has been a revolving door for the last few seasons, but the infield continues to run it back. And according to Dave Dombrowski, that seems to be the plan again. At least, for now.
“The infield is pretty well solidified,” the Phillies’ president of baseball operations said at his end-of-season news conference on Oct. 16.
And indeed, Trea Turner and Bryce Harper are under contract into the 2030s, while Bryson Stott, Edmundo Sosa, and Alec Bohm are arbitration eligible. Barring a trade, there isn’t much room for movement or change.
Here’s an overview of the Phillies’ infield outlook next season and beyond.
Trea Turner had his best overall season as a Phillie in 2025, winning the NL batting title with a .304 average and stealing 36 bases.
Turner’s improvement
This time last year, there were questions raised about Turner’s long-term future at shortstop after another below-average defensive season. But those questions have been all but put to rest after Turner made significant strides in 2025. His 17 outs above average were the highest of his career and tied for third among shortstops.
On the offensive side, Turner bought into the Phillies’ plan for him as their new leadoff hitter. Manager Rob Thomson wanted him to focus on using his athleticism and getting on base, rather than hitting homers. Turner did just that, stealing 36 bases and posting a .355 on-base percentage, his best since arriving in Philadelphia. With a .304 batting average, Turner also became the first Phillie to win the batting title since Richie Ashburn in 1958 and was named a Silver Slugger finalist.
He may have sacrificed some power to do it, hitting just 15 home runs compared to 21 last season. But overall, Turner did exactly what the Phillies wanted out of him in the regular season, both offensively and defensively.
“He’s tough on himself,” Dombrowski said. “He’s like one of these guys, if he doesn’t hit 40 home runs and 40 doubles and 40 stolen bases, and lead the league in hitting, he’s probably going to think that he needs to do more.
“That’s how he is, which is great. That’s a great quality and attribute, but he doesn’t have to hit with any more power for us. He really did a fine job.”
The Phillies plan to keep Bryce Harper, a Gold Glove finalist for a second straight season, at first base.
Harper to the outfield?
Don’t expect Harper to change positions, either, despite the first baseman expressing some willingness last offseason and ahead of the trade deadline to return to the outfield.
Harper, who earned his second straight Gold Glove nomination at first base this season, has said he would be open to making a position switch if needed for an offensive upgrade. But it doesn’t sound as if the Phillies will consider moving him back to the outfield to add, say, Pete Alonso, who plans to opt out of his contract with the Mets after a 38-homer season.
“I think Bryce is a first baseman at this time,” Dombrowski said. “I mean, that’s where we look at him as, and he has asked to go out into the outfield. He would be willing to do so, but I think it would be more for the short term if we had done something at the trading deadline, but it’s been a while since he’s been out [there].
“I’m sure he’d be fine, but he’s a really good first baseman, and I think for us, that’s the position we look at him playing for us.”
Harper finished the season with an OPS of .844. Though that still ranked 11th in the National League, it was his lowest since 2016 (.814).
Dombrowski seemed to lay down a challenge to Harper at his year-end news conference.
“He’s still an All-Star-caliber player. He didn’t have an elite season like he has had in the past. And I guess we only find out if he becomes elite or he continues to be good,” Dombrowski said. “… He’s the one that will dictate that more than anything else, and that’s what it comes down to.”
Bryson Stott hit .310 with an .880 OPS from Aug. 1 through the end of the regular season, but still struggled against lefties.
Second and third base
Stott continued to be elite defensively at second base, but had a roller-coaster offensive season. He struggled over the first half, but a midyear adjustment to his hand placement led to improved at-bats overall. Stott went from hitting .194 with a .637 OPS in July to a .307 batting average and .864 OPS in August.
However, Stott’s .575 OPS against lefties kept him in a platoon with Sosa. When called upon, the Phillies’ utility man provided a spark of energy and clutch hits, plus an .895 OPS against left-handers.
“I view Stott as an everyday player, but Sosa’s numbers are so good against left-handed pitching that you’ve got to fit him someplace, whether it’s at third base when Bohm was hurt or mixed in for Stott against the lefties,” Thomson said. “So I view Stott as an everyday hitter. I think if he played every single day against left-handed pitching, he’d get better and put up pretty good numbers.”
On the other hand, Bohm spent last offseason amid a tornado of trade rumors. He will reach free agency in 2027, and his name will likely be floating around this winter, too, as one of the few ways the Phillies can change up their infield. The third baseman was afflicted by injuries — a rib fracture in July and shoulder inflammation in August — and slashed .287/.331/.409.
While Bohm and Harper were on the injured list at different points this season, Otto Kemp was a key fill-in. He hit .234 with 28 RBIs in his first 62 major-league games, most of which he played through knee and shoulder injuries that he will address with offseason surgery.
Kemp, 26, saw the bulk of his playing time at third but also appeared at first and second and in left field.
The Phillies believe Aidan Miller can stick at shortstop, but that’s blocked by Trea Turner for now.
Down on the farm
The Phillies’ top infield prospect, Aidan Miller, is rising quickly. The 21-year-old posted an .825 OPS this year and stole 59 bases between double-A Reading and triple-A Lehigh Valley. But the question remains as to where he will play in the majors.
Miller, who finished the season in triple A after a September promotion, has played shortstop throughout his minor-league career. Similar to the situation with top outfield prospect Justin Crawford, the Phillies believe that when Miller reaches the major leagues, he will need to be an everyday player.
A Miller breakthrough next season would require some changes to the current infield configuration. And Turner, who is under contract through 2033, doesn’t appear to be on the move from shortstop anytime soon. Dombrowski said the Phillies are still having conversations about Miller’s long-term position.
“When I talked to people in our organization, they feel he can play shortstop. Of course, we have an All-Star shortstop at this point,” he said. “… [Miller has] played some second, he’s played some third, but he’s primarily been a shortstop, so we’d have to make sure that we properly prepare him to do that, and that’s still a discussion that we’ll have to have.”
Miller initially planned to participate in the Arizona Fall League, but the Phillies decided to prioritize rest instead.
Further down the pike, second baseman Aroon Escobar is the Phillies’ No. 5 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. Escobar, 20, ascended three levels in 2025 to finish the season at double A. He hit 15 homers and had 62 RBIs in 120 games.
Also in double A to end the year is Phillies No. 13 prospect Carson DeMartini. In his first full professional season after being drafted in 2024 out of Virginia Tech, the third baseman posted a .707 OPS and stole 45 bases.
Kazuma Okamoto has slashed .277/.361/.521 with 248 homers over 11 seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan.
Free agency
The Phillies don’t have a pressing free-agent need to fill in the infield, though that could change if a trade is made. (The battery will be covered later in this series.)
Currently, one of the top available names on the market is righty third baseman Alex Bregman, who is set to opt out of his contract with the Red Sox after an All-Star season in which he slashed .273/.360/.462 with 18 homers.
Third baseman Eugenio Suárez was one of the most coveted offensive trade deadline acquisitions this year and was linked to the Phillies before ending up with the Mariners. Suárez saw a dip in production in the second half, but he still had some big postseason moments for Seattle, such as a game-winning grand slam in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series.
Gleyber Torres, 28, had an overall bounce-back year with the Tigers after the Yankees let him walk in 2024. The right-handed-hitting second baseman was named an All-Star for the first time since 2019. Torres saw diminished production later in the season, with a .812 first-half OPS compared to .659 in the second half, but revealed that he had been playing through a sports hernia late in the year.
There are also international options. In recent years, the Phillies have attempted to expand their outreach in Japan in the hopes of attracting top stars there, but have yet to break through.
The Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball have announced that they will be posting corner infielder Kazuma Okamoto. The right-handed 29-year-old has hit .277/.361/.521 with 248 homers over 11 seasons in NPB.
According to an MLB.com report, Munetaka Murakami is also expected to be posted this winter. Murakami, 25, is a left-handed-hitting corner infielder with a career .951 OPS across eight seasons in NPB. He was named Most Valuable Player of the Central League in 2021 and 2022.
“Quite honestly, nobody really expected us to put up a performance like this,” Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart said afterward.
Maybe we should have.
One of the more shocking upsets in recent Eagles history happened at MetLife Stadium on Oct. 9, when the 1-4 Giants got their second win over the 4-1 Eagles, who were defending Super Bowl champions and the winners of the last seven truly meaningful games against their closest NFC East rivals.
Should it have been so shocking?
After all, the Giants’ losses came at the Commanders, who had the services of since-injured quarterback Jayden Daniels; at the Cowboys, who have the No. 1 offense; at home against the Chiefs, a current dynasty; and at the Saints, where Dart, in his second start, committed three of the Giants’ five turnovers.
Further, the Eagles played without two Pro Bowl players, defensive tackle Jalen Carter and guard Landon Dickerson, and they lost top cornerback Quinyon Mitchell in the second quarter.
So, maybe the Giants weren’t so bad, and, clearly, the Eagles weren’t as deep as they needed to be.
A lot has changed in two weeks. That should make all the difference come Sunday afternoon.
1. Dickerson is healthy
Dickerson was the seventh-best guard in the league last season, according to Pro Football Focus, when he was named to his third straight Pro Bowl and played in his second Super Bowl in three seasons. He has dealt with knee surgery that cost him most of training camp, a back injury that limited him in September, and an ankle injury that cost him the Giants game. He’s still ranked in the middle of the pack.
Eagles guard Landon Dickerson celebrates with wide receiver Devonta Smith after Smith’s touchdown in Minnesota on Sunday.
Dickerson was his healthiest this season last Sunday in Minneapolis, and the resulting grade showed it. Even with fifth-year backup Brett Toth playing at center for the first time next to him, Dickerson dominated.
Toth was Dickerson’s replacement in the loss to the Giants. Things did not go well.
2. Carter is healthy
The Eagles built their defense around Carter, who has succeeded Fletcher Cox as the franchise’s core defensive player. Carter’s injured heel cost him the game against the Giants, but the 10 days between the Giants game and the trip to Minnesota not only gave the heel time to heal (heh heh), it also allowed his sprained right shoulder to strengthen.
The shoulder cost him time in training camp and, intermittently, during the regular season. It also made him a horrific tackler: the worst, in fact, among all NFL defenders, according to PFF.
Also, he’s finally in good enough shape to be effective for more than half an NFL game. Of course, there’s no viable reason he should not have been in better shape to start the season.
In Minnesota, Hurts and his top three receivers, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert, finally appeared to be in sync. Hurts threw for 326 yards and had a perfect 158.3 passer rating for the first time in his career.
Much had been made about the ineffectiveness of the passing game through the first six games, but, as we warned when the season began, injuries to Brown and Smith kept the passing attack from practicing as a complete unit the entire preseason, which is why the preseason (and preseason games) exist. Hurts is always gun-shy. He’s much more gun-shy when he’s not comfortable. Last Sunday, for the first time, he looked comfortable.
Also, the team changed offensive coordinators for the third consecutive season.
Also, the offensive line has played just one of seven games from start to finish with its starters intact, and that’s why the Eagles won at Kansas City.
New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart scrambles during an Oct. 9 matchup with the Eagles.
4. Familiarity
There’s a little more tape on Dart, whose elusiveness and fearlessness are a formidable combination. Combine that with unpredictability, and you get a kid who will make a lot of plays but will also make a lot of mistakes.
A lot of the tape on Dart shows Eagles defenders getting roasted.
Don’t expect much more of that sort of tape from Sunday’s game.
5. Return of the Macks
Nobody commanded more respect in the Eagles locker room last season than 15-year veteran defensive end Brandon Graham. His return from retirement Tuesday will resound whether or not he takes a snap on Sunday.
A close second: third-year linebacker Nakobe Dean. Before he injured his pectoral muscle in the playoffs last season, he ranked 10th among all linebackers in overall defense, seventh as a pass rusher, according to PFF, and his impact as a tackler in his return Sunday was dynamic: He had six tackles, three solos, and a tackle for loss … on just 23% of the defensive snaps.
City Controller Christy Brady, seeking her first full term as Philadelphia’s independently elected fiscal watchdog, is being challenged by Republican Ari Patrinos in the Nov. 4 general election.
The controller’s office is charged with auditing the city’s finances and investigating fraud, waste, and abuse.
But despite that critical role, there hasn’t been much drama in this year’s race.
Patrinos, a former stockbroker and Philadelphia public school teacher, acknowledged the odds are against him in heavily Democratic Philadelphia and said he has no particular complaints about Brady’s performance.
Instead, he said, he ran because “it was important that somebody run on the ticket.”
“The truth is nobody wanted to run, and my ward leader asked me if I would run,” said Patrinos, who has not reported raising any money for his campaign. “I didn’t have any specific attacks on Brady. My concern is that the city is too single-party, and I think the city functions better when you have a two-party system.”
Brady, a Democrat who has a $250,000 campaign war chest she likely won’t need to use this year, has the support of much of the local political establishment, including the Democratic City Committee and the building trades unions.
A 30-year veteran of the controller’s office, Brady has struck a notably conciliatory tone during her tenure, striving to work collaboratively with Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s administration rather than butt heads with the executive branch, as many of her predecessors have done.
“Because of my experience when I took office two years ago, I hit the ground running,” she said.
Seeking a full four-year term for the first time, Brady this year ran uncontested in the Democratic primary.
“The biggest question I get [on the campaign trail] is: What does a controller do?” she said. “And so I’m getting out there and spreading the word of what we’re currently working on and what we do in the office.”
The controller earns an annual salary of $171,000 and oversees an office with more than 120 employees and a budget of about $11.8 million.
Patrinos also had no opponent in the May primary. He said he has been spending much of his time on the campaign trail promoting Pat Dugan’s campaign for district attorney.
“I spend like half my time when I campaign advocating for Dugan because I’m very concerned about the crime,” Patrinos said.
From Philly to Harvard and back
Patrinos, who lives in Chestnut Hill, said he was a Democrat until about four years ago, adding that he voted for Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.
His conversion was prompted primarily by his alma mater, Harvard College, which he felt had too enthusiastically embraced a “woke” stance.
“The immediate driving factor was on the cultural front. It was what was going at Harvard,” he said. “I’m a little bit of an anti-woke warrior. … 2020 was peak woke.“
Academia’s leftward trajectory and the Biden administration’s “terrible” handling of the pandemic combined to leave Patrinos with the feeling that he had no place in the Democratic Party, he said.
“These Ivy League liberal types who really don’t have a sense of what’s going on in the lives of average Americans — they seemed to be so indifferent to the negative effects of their policies,” he said.
He became involved in local Republican politics and helped boost President Donald Trump’s Philadelphia campaign in 2024.
“I’m not a MAGA guy, so I didn’t join [the GOP] because of Trump,” he said, “but honestly I’m very happy with the higher education stuff, the hardcore stand he’s taken with Harvard.”
Patrinos, a Central High School graduate who also has a master’s degree in political science from the University of Chicago, was a stockbroker in New York City before moving back to Philly about 15 years ago.
He then became a math and history teacher and worked at West Philadelphia High School and Strawberry Mansion High School. Patrinos said he suffered a seizure several years ago that temporarily limited his employment opportunities, but is now seeking other jobs should he come up short against Brady.
If elected, Patrinos said, he would audit the Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I), examine whether SEPTA could do a better job preventing fare evasion, and push the school district to prepare more students for careers in information technology.
Controller and mayor on the same page
Brady’s approach to the mayor’s administration is the exception when it comes to the recent history of her office.
A decade ago, then-City Controller Alan Butkovitz’s relationship with Mayor Michael A. Nutter became so toxic that Nutter at one point issued a statement calling Butkovitz “a sad and sick person.”
Their successors, Kenney and Rhynhart, started off with widespread expectations that they might have a better working partnership, given that Rhynhart served as a top executive branch official under Nutter and, briefly, Kenney. But the relationship soured in a matter of months after Rhynhart publicly criticized the administration’s bookkeeping, prompting a call from Kenney that reportedly “got personal” and the cancellation of their planned monthly meetings.
Cherelle L. Parker, then a candidate for mayor of Philadelphia, stops to greet a group, including Christy Brady,(center seated), during election day lunch at Famous 4th Street Deli in Philadelphia on Tuesday, May 16, 2023.
That outcome does not appear likely with Brady and Parker.
Brady shares many political allies with Parker, especially the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council, a coalition of unions that spends big on elections and has reason to be pleased with both Brady and Parker’s tenures so far.
Brady, for instance, touts her office’s audit of L&I that revealed inspectors often failed to confirm that construction sites were being run by licensed contractors — providing ammunition to the trades unions, which often rail against “fly-by-night” contractors that do not employ their members. And the mayor last year split the department into two agencies, with one focused largely on enforcing construction regulations.
Brady said her healthy relationship with the Parker administration should not be confused with a reticence to call out fraud and waste.
“I am an independently elected official. I am not afraid to stand up for what’s right,” she said. “I believe in the rules and regulations in city government.”
Her approach to the executive branch, she said, is designed to advance the aim of any auditor: ”getting management to implement your recommendations.”
“In my experience in the controller’s office, when you fight, they’re not going to listen to your recommendation,” said Brady, a certified public accountant who graduated from the Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science, now Jefferson University. “When we issue our reports, the mayor has been thanking me for the recommendations. And I really appreciate that relationship because I believe that we can make change.”
Staff writer Ryan W. Briggs contributed to this article.
