Not that a Republican of any stripe (even centerist, "reform") has a chance but folks might also notice this thread with special attention to post #5 and #6.
http://www.phillyblog.com/philly/pol...y-council.html

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A song that says it all.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqITJFGyq4s

Are we talking about the NE corner of Broad and Washington?

I'm not a fan of the developer and his antics, but I honestly thought the only people opposed to developing that corner pretty much in any given form were those idiots at the HEC who have nothing better to do than fight to keep Hawthorne in a perpetual 1982.

There are a lot of people who live in that neighborhood who don't have the time to try and change the opinion of a militant NIMBY who actually want to see their property value go up.

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The idealistic are no longer concerned with influencing public opinion and creating a free world of responsible and ethical social choices, but rather imposing opinion through legislation, mandating these ethics, and outlawing choice in what the loudest sample finds offensive.

Ban the Bans. It's a slippery slope between Idealism and Fascism.

We've gone through this before but its possible have strong misgivings about the reliability of a particualry sketchy developer's ability to stick with the plan or to honor reasonable community concerns (parking, noise, pedestrian access) without "opposing development" on that corner. A big development is not always big step forward - it also can end up being an extra large lump of mediocrity or even sometimes a big step backward.

Also before this goes any further I guess I should underline the post #3 in this thread was sarcasm.

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A song that says it all.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqITJFGyq4s

True, and I'm not sticking up for his sidewalk grab at all, but if it weren't for that shadiness, 13th and South is a really good project. It's sidewalk oriented (obviously), with street-level retail space, it's stylish, and it blends with the surrounding area. Short of the sidewalk shenanigans, it's ideal development.

Again, not a fan of his behavior at all, but what are some of his other projects to date? Has he done this kind of thing before?

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The idealistic are no longer concerned with influencing public opinion and creating a free world of responsible and ethical social choices, but rather imposing opinion through legislation, mandating these ethics, and outlawing choice in what the loudest sample finds offensive.

Ban the Bans. It's a slippery slope between Idealism and Fascism.

Seand, i agree that the sidewalk thing is bad, but I feel that you have blown it out of portion. To say this guy is unacceptable because of this one incident is a little much.

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"I am at this moment writing a lengthy indictment against our century. When my brain begins to reel from my literary labors, I make an occasional cheese dip." — John Kennedy Toole

It isn't just a little incident, however. Benakmoume has shown such blatant disregard for the law, for people, basically for anyone but his own pocket, that everything about him and what he touches, stinks.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0x-fkSYDtUY

"Censorship is free advertising by the government"--Federico Fellini

"Do you mind if I smoke while you eat?"

Again though, and not to play Devil's Advocate here, but other than this one specific thing - the sidewalk grab - what else has he done? Sure, it's some shady business and he hasn't approached his accusations in the most diplomatic of ways, but short of his annoying personality traits, has he touched anything independent of the sidewalk grab at 13th and South that really "stinks"?

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The idealistic are no longer concerned with influencing public opinion and creating a free world of responsible and ethical social choices, but rather imposing opinion through legislation, mandating these ethics, and outlawing choice in what the loudest sample finds offensive.

Ban the Bans. It's a slippery slope between Idealism and Fascism.

Threatening to sue Phillyblog for providing a forum where people could express their opinions regarding it.

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that. -George Carlin

I completely agree - the man's an annoying douche - but still, developmentally, what's he done other than the sidewalk grab that's considered "dirty development"?

The man screwed himself by being so vocal against his neighbors and people's right to free speech. He made himself look like an idiot and I doubt he'll ever be able to confortably do business in Philadelphia again. He was relatively new to the scene, had a project everyone seemed to love, and then towards it's completion, went and ruined himself but spouting off his big mouth.

But still, I'm just curious, does he have a reputation as a dirty developer or just as an annoying twit?

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The idealistic are no longer concerned with influencing public opinion and creating a free world of responsible and ethical social choices, but rather imposing opinion through legislation, mandating these ethics, and outlawing choice in what the loudest sample finds offensive.

Ban the Bans. It's a slippery slope between Idealism and Fascism.

Well, that's the other thing. I believe the site of his infamous sidewalk grab is his only project.

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Cheers,
Jayfar
--
“I am indeed well aware of the history of Conventional (sic) Hall, both globally and locally, and can assure you that we are carefully exploring avenues for its future.” -- Penn President Amy Gutmann 5 days before demolition began.