Get to know our 2019 Board Candidates before our Board Election on Tuesday, 10/22 at 6:30p at Dock Street Beer!
We'll be electing 5 board members this week and wanted to give you a chance to read up on some of the candidates. Make sure you come out and vote (must be a SOSNA Member) on 10/22!
DAN COREY
I would like to serve on the SOSNA Board because…
I believe to be part of a community involves being actively engaged with neighbors to help shape its direction and its growth for the greater good. I'd like to share my 25 years of professional and community service experience to make SOSNA and the neighborhood stronger, more empowered and sustainable for decades to come.
My community service involvement with SOSNA and/or the neighborhood includes...
I have been a member of the SOSNA Economic Development committee for the past three (3) years. I have recently taken over as committee chairperson in October 2019. I have led a street lighted effort and business directory initiative. I have also attended numerous events produced from SOSNA, such as "Dines Out", Blocktober Party, as well as other committee meetings. I look forward to being a member of the Soup Group this fall!
The skills, experience, energy, relationships and/or perspectives I will bring to the Board are…
- Planning Commission - 10 Years - West Whiteland Planning Commission (Chairperson or Vice Chair 6 years)
- Board of Directors Intelligent Transportation Society of PA (ITSPA) a non-profit PA organization - 17 Years - Officer for 6 years, Committee Chair for 17 years.
- Professionally, I lead a 400 person national group that provides strategic planning, design, and operations within the transportation industry. I understand budgets, organizing initiatives/people, determining goals, objectives and tactics, and how to get things done. I look forward to bringing these skills to the SOSNA Board.
Please tell us what SOSNA initiative or neighborhood issue you are most interested in working on. Why is it important to you? What do you think needs to be accomplished? How will you make a difference?
I'm passionate on seeing SOSNA continue to provide services to its residence. As such, I have been a part of the economic development committee. This year, I led the effort to create the SOSNA business directory. A tool that allows SOSNA to manage and track the needs, growth and stability of our businesses. By collecting this information, SOSNA will be more empowered to discuss commercial needs with developers as brownfield construction continues to propagate throughout the neighborhood. But, a website is only as good as those you use it and understand it potential. To this end, reaching out to our commercial businesses is a key factor to their flourishing in the neighborhood. I look forward to that opportunity as a SOSNA board member.
Finally, I believe that neighborhoods succeed with three key items: Safe/Lighted Streets; Clean Streets; Opportunity for Neighbors to Connect with One Another. I again look forward to expanding these concepts as a SOSNA board member.
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NICOLE HENNESSY
I would like to serve on the SOSNA Board because…
I want to be a voice for my neighborhood, to work together to prevent crime, improve the image of our beautiful neighborhood, to stimulate the community and encourage ideas and participation, support local businesses and develop and improve the quality of life for all residents.
My community service involvement with SOSNA and/or the neighborhood includes...
I am a friend of Carpenter Green Park
The skills, experience, energy, relationships and/or perspectives I will bring to the Board are…
I have 9+ years of Accounting and Financial Reporting experience to bring to SOSNA. I am currently the Controller at PIDC, a non-profit economic development corporation driving growth to every corner of Philadelphia. Improving the city of Philadelphia is my passion and I bring that energy to the South of South neighborhood, where I have resided for 6 years.
Please tell us what SOSNA initiative or neighborhood issue you are most interested in working on. Why is it important to you? What do you think needs to be accomplished? How will you make a difference?
Supporting the growth of our commercial corridors and businesses is very important to me, it is what I believe makes a neighborhood unique. Economic development is what drove and attracted me to my current job as well because I find its role so important in uniting communities together, creating more jobs, and bringing value to our neighborhood. I think the development momentum of our area needs to continue - to spur investment and energize growth - and one of the largest opportunities in my opinion is Washington Ave. I can make a difference by being an advocate for potential new businesses and by participating in discussions of potential new developments. Additionally, I can refer businesses to PIDC’s workshops which are designed to help businesses and organizations from every market sector build skills and connections to meet their economic goals.
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KRZYSZTOF LAUDANSKI
I would like to serve on the SOSNA Board because…
it is an important community service and I love my neighborhood.
My community service involvement with SOSNA and/or the neighborhood includes…
meeting during zoning committees
The skills, experience, energy, relationships and/or perspectives I will bring to the Board are…
management and organizing skills, innovative approaches to serve my neighbors and respect to rule of law
Please tell us what SOSNA initiative or neighborhood issue you are most interested in working on. Why is it important to you? What do you think needs to be accomplished? How will you make a difference?
There are three main issues I would like to focus: beautification, mutual engagement of community members and increase usability of SOSNA neighborhood. Making SOSNA with less thrash but more green places is important for us. Living in a place which is taken care for is pleasant and rewarding. Having an opportunity to meet neighbors is important especially in a district where so many gentrification is happening. I would love to see the events where different generations can meet and getting to know each other. Our diverse background should be our strength. Finally, fixing the sidewalks, organizing bike trials and making sure that we have good balance of commercial opportunities *e.g. coffee shop) is critical, especially as we see so much developments on Washington Ave.
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DAMALI MARTIN
I would like to serve on the SOSNA Board because…
Since moving to this area 3 years ago I have thoroughly enjoyed living here. I have found my neighbors to be kind and gracious (I'm a member of the Buy Nothing Group and several other facebook groups) and I have enjoyed seeing the development of the community. My sister recently visited and has expressed to me that she hopes that I am able to move soon. Unfortunately, during her visit there was a triple shooting on my street in the middle of the afternoon which was a traumatizing experience for her having never experienced this before. It is the second time in three years I have looked out my window and seen someone shot in the street. Seeing her trauma helped me to fully realize the fear that my parents (overseas) have when thinking about me in this area. Having interacted with my neighbors and having received so much from living in this community in a variety of ways, I don't think that the answer is to move, but rather help to create a safer neighborhood. This is the impetus for joining SOSNA. By encouraging and supporting civic engagement I believe that crime can be reduced and create a safer, better neighborhood.
My community service involvement with SOSNA and/or the neighborhood includes…
I have not yet had a chance to engage with SOSNA/ the neighborhood in a meaningful way.
The skills, experience, energy, relationships and/or perspectives I will bring to the Board are…
PA barred attorney
2018 board observer at Justice at Work
Served on Temple Student Conduct Code Board
Written and present white papers on Public Policy at various conferences
Computer Science background
Please tell us what SOSNA initiative or neighborhood issue you are most interested in working on. Why is it important to you? What do you think needs to be accomplished? How will you make a difference?
Community Outreach. This initiative is important to me because I believe that when residents feel connected to their neighborhoods it leads to safer communities and the happiness of residents overall. As the neighborhood grows there is a need to create a sense of community as the nature of the expansion does not necessarily lead to the sort of cohesion one sees in traditional communities. As a person who moved not only to this community but this country I have experienced the sadness that is associated with living in a new place where you don't know many people.
Something that I think needs to be accomplished is more community engagement across socio economic lines. I think that there exists a disconnect between new residents and old residents, renters vs. buyers and students vs. working persons. I'm not sure what the best way to fix this is but I am willing to find out, by engaging with residents one on one and finding out what barriers they see to them becoming more a part of the community.
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DHAVAL SHAH
I would like to serve on the SOSNA Board because…
Since we have been living in Philadelphia for the past 3 and a half years, we have witnessed first hand the work done by SOSNA to make our community/neighborhood better. Recently the work to improve the triangles along Grays Ferry has been commendable, and it is so exciting to see our neighbors mingle and enjoy each other’s company at such a triangle. It has also made pedestrian walking safer. Having seen the impact of such improvements, I would like to contribute to SOSNA’s activities in our neighborhood.
My community service involvement with SOSNA and/or the neighborhood includes…
Currently, I serve as a board member of our condo association. Since joining the board in 2017, I have worked with other board members to work on multiple projects in our condo community, such as painting, carpeting, concrete work on sidewalks and inside the community, setting up an appropriate fire alarm system, and gardening. These experiences have strengthened my belief in the possibility of teamwork to achieve a wide range of goals. I believe this experience will help me work with other SOSNA board members, and serve on different committees, if I am elected to the board position of SOSNA.
The skills, experience, energy, relationships and/or perspectives I will bring to the Board are…
I am a physician by profession, and currently serve on various committees at our hospital system. Having this broad experience in teamwork and organization will help me work with other team members on the Board and SOSNA committees. I have also had past and ongoing leadership roles, and currently I am president elect for the Delaware Society of Clinical Oncology. I hope to use these leadership experiences to contribute to SOSNA’s mission.
Please tell us what SOSNA initiative or neighborhood issue you are most interested in working on. Why is it important to you? What do you think needs to be accomplished? How will you make a difference?
I am most interested in working towards the continued economic development of our community/neighborhood. Economic growth will continue to bring more jobs to our community, which in turn will help improve SOSNA’s activities for the neighborhood. I think it will be important to try to provide support to local businesses through this initiative, which in turn could lead to new businesses opening in the future.
I am also interested in improving the safety of our neighborhood, and working towards adding pedestrian and bike friendly zones. I hope to work on the SOSNA’s committees for these initiatives, and aim to work with other committee members to address these issues.
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DAVID SHARE
I would like to serve on the SOSNA Board because…
I would like to contribute to making the neighborhood a better place to live. Specifically I think we as an organization need to be more proactive in keeping the city clean. The city and our area has a bad -but improving-trash issue that I think can be fixed, or at least improved.
My community service involvement with SOSNA and/or the neighborhood includes…
I am active in clean and green, and come to neighborhood meetings. I am one of tha block reps for my street/neighborhood and have helped organize many clean ups, and am active in messaging my council office/neighbors/landlords/streets and sanitation in the effort to "keep the place looking nice".
The skills, experience, energy, relationships and/or perspectives I will bring to the Board are…
I have over 25 years in participating in and managing a large medical practice in New Jersey as a physician and partner, and I am and always have been an energized and participatory citizen, both here in the neighborhood and professionally. I want to make things better, as shopworn as that may sound.
Please tell us what SOSNA initiative or neighborhood issue you are most interested in working on. Why is it important to you? What do you think needs to be accomplished? How will you make a difference?
TRASH. I think the argument needs to be reformulated; it is not a nuisance issue, it is a public health issue. I would like to encourage SOSNA to promote beautification signs on various streets, to try to get the city to have more SWEEPS people, to promote neighborhood and civic pride to prevent trash, and most importantly, to streamline the laws/rule and be sure they are enforced. If there is a mess on your stoop or sidewalk, you are responsible to clean it up, if you are an owner or tenant.....if not, the OWNER is responsible for their tenants. This needs to be clear and clearly enforced.....right now there is no downside to littering, or dumping furniture on the street.
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MURRAY SPENCER
I would like to serve on the SOSNA Board because…
I'd like to see the Washington Avenue projects with SOSNA has had significant input on to fruition, among other things.
My community service involvement with SOSNA and/or the neighborhood includes…
more than 10 years on the SOSNA Zoning Committee, 3 years as a board member, delegate to the Crosstown Coalition of RCOs, past member of the Economic Development Committee.
The skills, experience, energy, relationships and/or perspectives I will bring to the Board are…
Past experience on the Zoning Committee and the relationships that I've had with past and present committee members, my background in (residential) architecture, my experiences serving on the Crosstown Coalition and the different perspectives that other communities experience can have some relevance to our neighborhood (where I learned about Community Benefit Agreements, for example)..
Please tell us what SOSNA initiative or neighborhood issue you are most interested in working on. Why is it important to you? What do you think needs to be accomplished? How will you make a difference?
Continue work with my pal Marcus Ferreira on remapping the neighborhood. It's important because other neighborhoods, but not all, have been remapped to bring the zoning up to date with future residential and commercial development activity.
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JOE SUTOW
I would like to serve on the SOSNA Board because…
I am interested in becoming more informed and involved in the decisions that affect our neighborhood. My brother and I are in the real estate industry and I was intrigued when attending my first SOSNA zoning meeting.
My community service involvement with SOSNA and/or the neighborhood includes…
I am a big brother for Big Brothers Big Sisters. My little brother (Mekai) and I enjoy playing basketball and riding bikes around the neighborhood. I also participate in multiple charity runs/events around the city/area. Last year the biggest charity event I attended was Philly Fights Cancer.
The skills, experience, energy, relationships and/or perspectives I will bring to the Board are…
I like to think of myself as a patient, collaborative and thoughtful person and hope to help bridge the gap between different ways of thinking. Being 25 years old, I will likely be close to the youngest board member if elected. I have only lived in this neighborhood for three years but it does not take long to realize the wide range of perspectives we all have.
Please tell us what SOSNA initiative or neighborhood issue you are most interested in working on. Why is it important to you? What do you think needs to be accomplished? How will you make a difference?
I am most interested in working on the economic growth of the neighborhood. Residents of our neighborhood travel to Center City, Fishtown, Manayunk and other neighborhoods for many attractive reasons, however we do not seem to get the same type of reciprocated attention. I believe the Washington Avenue developments will certainly help build up our commercial draw, but there are plenty of other opportunities for small business to thrive in this neighborhood. I would like to dive into those opportunities and be a part of reaching out to new and existing businesses to see if we could add them into our culture to add value to all residents and our community.