How Kenyatta Johnson won | Morning Newsletter
🏠And Veterans Village offers a home and community
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The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Welcome back after a holiday weekend. Enjoy the clear and sunny skies today. We should have a high of 50.
Our lead story gives a behind-the-scenes look into how Kenyatta Johnson won the race to become City Council’s next leader.
— Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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Last week, 11 current and four future City Council members met a South Philly restaurant to unofficially elect Kenyatta Johnson as their next president.
This was not an official meeting, but a “straw poll,” a Johnson spokesperson said.
Keep in mind: The position is the second-most powerful office in city government. The Council president controls the flow of legislation and can derail a mayor’s agenda.
While the event wasn’t official, it did end any questions on whether Johnson would succeed retiring Council President Darrell L. Clarke. It also showed an incredible turnaround in political fortunes for Johnson, who was acquitted last year on federal corruption charges.
Interviews with more than a dozen people — including members of Council, City Hall staffers, and other political players, who spoke on the condition of anonymity — shed light on the backroom maneuvering. They said Johnson was able to win over colleagues through a combination of his collaborative leadership style, support from labor, and political circumstances that thwarted his competition.
Continue reading to learn how Johnson gained momentum and beat out his competition.
Leon Brantley, a proud member of a military family, has lived in the new apartment complex, Veterans Village Philadelphia, in Frankford since last July.
In his own words: “To me, it’s like living in the barracks,” Brantley, 74, said, chuckling. “I’ve met some comrades and made friends. We’re building a bond as we go along.”
The idea behind Veterans Village Inc., a Philly-based affordable housing nonprofit filling up its first rental community, is to support those who have served the country and encourage them to support each other. The developers hope it will become a national model for veteran housing.
So far, 31 of its 47 units are rented out, from studios to three-bedroom apartments. The rents range from $800 for the smallest units to $1,775 for a three-bedroom. Of the 36 units currently occupied, 25 have their rents subsidized through federal Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing vouchers.
Read more to meet more of the renters.
What you should know today
A Haverford College student was among three Palestinians shot near the University of Vermont campus.
After her 11-year-old daughter died by suicide, a South Jersey mother is fighting to toughen anti-bullying laws in schools.
The average emergency room visit in the Philly area takes almost an hour longer than reported by hospitals nationally. See which emergency departments in the region have the longest and shortest ER visits.
When Moore College of Art & Design, a women’s college, opened its admissions policy to admit nonbinary students, it bumped up enrollment.
Philadelphia artist Barbara Bullock’s lifetime of creating art is on display at the Woodmere Art Museum. The exhibit looks at her nearly 60-year career.
The nonprofit caring for the SS United States is on a search for a new home for the vessel. A recent release of a thorough development plan shows that if it can find a partner, there’s a lot of options of what it could become, like a hotel, a speakeasy, or green space.
Take a look at how these local homeowners repurposed their garages. Some of the impressive conversions include a ceramics studio, a basketball court, and a home office.
🧠Trivia time
Who were the Phillies’ first owners?
A) Al Reach and John Rogers
B) James Potter and Israel Durham
C) Trick question. There was only one and he was James Potter
D) None of the above
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🎄Watching: Several ridiculous but lovable Netflix Christmas movies.
🎧 Listening to: Noname’s Tiny Desk Concert.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: The Nightmare Before Christmas
KNOLLS JACKETING
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Jim Keenan, who correctly guessed Sunday’s answer: Christmas Village.
Photo of the day
I’m starting my morning by shamelessly eating leftover pie for breakfast. Thanks for hanging out this morning, and I’ll be back in your inbox tomorrow. 📧