16 opinions that caught your attention in 2024

At The Inquirer Opinion section, we specialize in arguments, essays, and election season endorsements that matter to Philadelphians. In the waning days of 2024, here are the opinions — written by us and by you — that caught readers’ attention this year, measured by online page views in the Philadelphia metro area.

In selecting cabinet members who buck tradition and norms, “The Trump empire is creating its own reality,” wrote Will Bunch.

Kimberly Burrell, a lifelong Democrat who lives in Delaware, found herself the face of an attack ad for Donald Trump after Restoration PAC plucked a quote of hers from an interview she did with MSNBC about the impact of gun violence.

Kier Gaines took his 6-year-old daughter to Philly during the week between Christmas and New Year’s last year. When it was time for them to catch an Amtrak home to Washington, D.C., his daughter had to use the bathroom. A maintenance worker stepped in to clean a stall for them to use. “Philly may be the poorest big city in the country, but it’s not poor in spirit. This place is full of people like [Jorsh] Delfish who step up to help others,” wrote Jenice Armstrong.

On a trip to Ukraine in June, Trudy Rubin sat down for a rare interview with the country’s head of military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov.

After the disastrous debate between Trump and Joe Biden, The Inquirer Editorial Board called for Trump to withdraw from the race. “If anything, Trump doesn’t deserve to be on the presidential debate stage. Why even give him a platform?”

After the presidential election, three Latino members of The Inquirer’s Opinion staff — Luis F. Carrasco, Helen Ubiñas, and Sabrina Vourvoulias — reacted to Trump’s victory, and what it means for the larger community.

High school English language arts teacher Lydia Kulina-Washburn noted that many teachers are balancing multiple jobs and that people in her profession should be compensated fairly. “The district must get better at managing its internal assets,” Kulina-Washburn wrote.

Brendan McPhillips, a senior adviser to the Harris for President Pennsylvania team, argues that the chairperson of the Philadelphia Democratic Party, Bob Brady, failed as a leader. “Brady should do what is best for his party, and his city, and step aside for a new generation of leadership,” McPhillips wrote.

Vukan R. Vuchic, professor emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania, wrote that Comcast Spectacor’s plan for the South Philadelphia Sports Complex would create one of the biggest parking garages in the country, increasing congestion in Center City. “Rather than striving to accommodate more and more cars, Philadelphia should make transit more accessible,” Vuchic wrote.

Tyler Lian, a medical student who works with unhoused people, made the case that criminalization doesn’t help people struggling with homelessness or substance use. “Instead, we should invest in nonpunitive systems of care, namely resources for substance use, mental health, housing, and other case management services that can ultimately bridge people to lasting support.”

Theo Fountain, who lived on the streets of Kensington from 2019 to 2021, wrote that harm reduction organizations were able to help him more than hospitals, jails, and rehabs. “What harm reduction services know — and Mayor Cherelle L. Parker doesn’t seem to understand — is that it is up to the individual what they do with their life.”

Substance use researchers and street-based harm reduction service providers Emily Seeburger and Shoshana Aronowitz wrote that coerced substance use treatment doesn’t work. Some facets of Philadelphia’s approach to the ongoing opioid crisis in Kensington are not supported by science but are instead a continuation of the failed, decades-old war on drugs. “Instead of the current path of forcing people to choose between treatment or jail, we suggest the city adopts a public health approach that prioritizes harm reduction, expands the amount and quality of treatment spots available in Philadelphia, hires the workforce to support them, and provides low-barrier access to medications for opioid use disorder.”

Leo Walsh sold his car last year and started biking around Philadelphia, which gave him a new perspective on the city. “I guarantee a more lovely Philadelphia is waiting for you outside the driver’s seat,” Walsh wrote.

Jonathan Zisk, a student in the master of city planning program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Weitzman School of Design, wrote: “SEPTA’s pursuit of Bus Revolution shows that the agency aspires to keep up with the most innovative and effective transportation planning strategies in the country. Its efforts should be welcomed with social and political support.”

Taylor Kessinger, a postdoctoral researcher in the University of Pennsylvania’s department of biology, took a close look at a contentious development project in Squirrel Hill. “As demand for housing rises, Philadelphia’s neighborhoods can either remain affordable or remain low-density. They cannot do both,” Kessinger wrote.

After buying and renovating a home in North Philly, Jasmine Schley developed close connections with her neighbors. “More than anything, I’ve been encouraged by the people consistently caring for the community despite the sizable challenges,” she wrote.