Fox Chase native and Frankford resident behind ezLandlord Forms

By Christopher Wink

Assets are only the things that make you money.

Kevin Kiene said that is a mantra he took from Robert Kiyosaki, the author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad.

“Yes, I’m living in a house that’s worth $60,0000, and I probably should be living in a more expensive home,” said Kiene, who grew up in Fox Chase and now lives near the Smedley Franklin School in Frankford. “But the business is so important to me. So, that’s where the money goes.”

The business he’s talking about is ezLandlord Forms, an online provider of property-management legal documents of his own concept and design that will celebrate its third anniversary this August, as reported by Technically Philly.

“When most people think of a lease, they think ‘I’ll just fill in the blanks,’” he said. “Well, it doesn’t work like that.”

An interview with Rhawnhurst graphic novelist Duane Swierczynski

By Christopher Wink

He is a rising star in graphic novels and comics, but like too many people, Duane Swierczynski saw a neighborhood he loved make a change for the worse.

The Frankford-native discovered in 2005 that a pack of heroin dealers had taken over his peaceful childhood home on the 4700-block of Darrah Street, just east of the Margaret Orthodox El stop.

“[Growing up] my daily commute was a stroll down Frankford Avenue, right under the El,” he says. ” Which was an education in itself.”

And Swierczynski, 37, who made stops in Center City, Pennypack, New York City and elsewhere after leaving Frankford and before moving to Rhawnhurst in 2002, has come a long way from those roots playing underneath the El.

Using social media, a wicked pen and a wild imagination, he has developed something of a legend — a proud son of Northeast Philadelphia.

He has written five graphic novels, been anthologized in a half-dozen published collections, and has movie producers nipping at his heels. His latest novel out is the acclaimed Severance Package, and he’s been getting attention for bringing Punisher to Philly, as author of Marvel Comics’ monthly series Cable and The Immortal Iron Fist.

But, his native and bubbling neighborhood that is often at odds with Northwood, Wissinoming and Oxford Circle has been the inspiration of his writing before, and it seems like it will be again.

“Frankford’s going to play a huge role in my next novel, which should be out next year,” the former editor of CityPaper says. “It’s a murder mystery that plays out over 50 years. I don’t want to say more than that, but it’ll definitely be my most Northeast-centric book.”

After the jump, see a childhood photo and read where the Northeast shows up in his novels, when his kids will finally be able to know what daddy does and more.

Trailer for Frankford High School documentary

Some more good Frankford news.

The much celebrated culinary arts program at Frankford High School is getting the star treatment, as the Northeast Times reported last week. It’s the subject of a feature-length documentary called “Pressure Cooker” that was big enough to be entered into the Philadelphia Film Festival in March.

The program, its students and its no-nonsense instructor Wilma Stephenson, have won rave reviews, from as local as the Frankford Gazette to Gourmet magazine, from where the above photo comes.

Now the documentary’s DVD trailer has been released,which you can see at the Gazette’s Web site.

This is the film’s description:

Three seniors at Philadelphia’s Frankford High School find an unlikely champion in the kitchen of Wilma Stephenson. A legend in the school system, Mrs. Stephenson’s hilariously blunt boot-camp method of teaching Culinary Arts is validated by years of scholarship success. Against the backdrop of the row homes of working-class Philadelphia, she has helped countless students reach the top culinary schools in the country. And under her fierce direction, the usual distractions of high school are swept aside as Erica, Dudley and Fatoumata prepare to achieve beyond what anyone else expects from them.

Hat tip to Frankford Gazette.

Frankford manufacturer joins list of nation’s fastest growing ‘inner-city’ companies

One month after highlighting Globe Dye Works, another Frankford company is getting widespread praise.

East Frankford design collaborator and fabrication company Amuneal was ranked 51st in the 11th annual Inner City 100, a competitive ranking of the fastest-growing companies located in the “inner city” of a U.S. metropolis, last week.

There’s no telling what our friends at the Frankford Gazette will say about being labeled the “inner-city.” See what the list constitutes an inner-city here.

The list comes from the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, a national nonprofit organization founded in 1994 by a Harvard Business School professor. The organization’s mission is to promote economic prosperity in U.S. inner cities through private sector engagement leading to job, income and wealth creation for local residents.

Find out more about Amuneal and the list below.

Brett Mandel: Candidate for City Controller from Rhawnhurst

Updated: 5/5/09 10:16 p.m., added education and family details

By Christopher Wink

This Thursday, NEastPhilly.com is co-hosting with WHYY a panel discussion among the three Democratic candidates for city controller — incumbent Alan Butkovitz and challengers John Braxton and Brett Mandel. Butkovitz and Mandel both have ties to the NEast, so we sat down with each. The first came yesterday with Butkovitz, and today read our interview with Mandel.

Brett Mandel wants to be city controller enough that he is running against Alan Butkovitz, a high-profile incumbent in a citywide election that rarely garners citywide attention: city controller, charged with overseeing city government spending.

But the Rhawnhurst native says he has to, because Butkovitz is more about show than substance and the city, his city, is in worse shape because of it.

NEastPhilly.com interviewed both Mandel and his opponent Butkovitz and are sharing their interviews.  The incumbent went first – see our Q&A with Butkovitz here. See Mandel’s below.

Alan Butkovitz: Incumbent City Controller from Castor Gardens

City Controller Alan Butkovitz at the Real Estate Taxation Conference held on Feb. 23, 2007 at Temple University. Photo Courtesy of Philadelphia Forward.

By Christopher Wink

This Thursday, NEastPhilly.com is co-hosting with WHYY a panel discussion among the three Democratic candidates for city controller — incumbent Alan Butkovitz and challengers John Braxton and Brett Mandel. Butkovitz and Mandel both have ties to the NEast, so we sat down with each. See the first with Butkovitz today and our interview with Mandel tomorrow.

Alan Butkovitz is likely among the best-known city controllers in the position’s half-century Philadelphia history. That might not be saying much for the usually quiet head of the city’s auditing department, a position created in 1951, but Butkovitz  has taken to action.

When he’s not overseeing the city’s finances, the first-term city controller hangs his hat in Castor Gardens. Indeed, like one of his chief challengers in May’s Democratic primary, Brett Mandel, Butkovitz has deep ties to the Northeast. With two candidates for a citywide office holding ties to the Northeast, that makes it a story for NEastPhilly.com.

NEast Mag interviewed both Butkovitz and his opponent Mandel and will share their interviews here on NEastPhilly.com.  The incumbent is first, as seen below. See our Q&A with Mandel tomorrow.

NEastPhilly.com to cohost City Controller debate

By Shannon McDonald

NEastPhilly.com and WHYY will cohost a debate for the city’s three Democratic candidates for City Controller, two of whom have ties to the NEast.

On Thursday, May 7 at 7 p.m., Chris Satullo of WHYY will moderate the forum between incumbent City Controller Alan Butkovitz and his opponents Brett Mandel and John L. Braxton. The event will be held in the John Perzel Community Center and hosted by the Mayfair CDC.

This event is open to all civic organization leaders, and the public is encouraged to get involved. If you’d like to come, get there early, as seating is limited. If you have questions for the candidates regarding their campaigns for the city controller position and how their plans will affect you and your community, come and get involved.

For those who can’t make it next week, we will post a place for you to ask your questions, which we’ll then compile into a list for the debate night. Minutes from the forum will be inlcuded in a follow-up story on NEastPhilly.com after the debate.

This is a great opportunity to make a bigger name for the NEast within the city. This is the first of two city controller debates in the city, which was spearheaded by our Web Editor, Chris Wink. The Democratic primary election is Tuesday, May 19. To make an informed vote, get the answers you’re looking for straight from the candidates at our debate next Thursday.

Continue reading to see the official press release.

Meet the NEastPhilly.com contributors

What better way to end the beautiful weekend than with the smiling faces of our contributors. Check out NEastPhilly.com’s new Contributors Page – the home of our writers, editors and designers.

This page is just one of many exciting changes and new features coming to NEastPhilly.com, so check in everyday for your daily dose of news and our most recent updates.

Next week at NEastPhilly: exclusive interview with Dan McCaffery

Image courtesy of mccafferyforda.com.

By Shannon McDonald

This week we brought you Dan McElhatton, Democratic candidate for District Attorney. He outlined some of his plan for office, gave us an overview of his time as a Council member and shared stories about his connections with Northwood, Rhawnhurst and several other Northeast neighborhoods.

Next week, Dan McCaffery, one of McElhatton’s opponents in the upcoming May 19 Democratic Primary and another NEast resident trying to enhance the city, will chat with NEastPhilly.com. Rumor has it, he’s got old photos from his days at Father Judge.

Exclusive interview with District Attorney candidate Dan McElhatton

Courtesy of votemcelhatton.com

By Shannon McDonald

Dan McElhatton’s public office resume is almost as extensive as his ties to the Northeast. The 59-year-old candidate for District Attorney is a City Council alum, graduate of North Catholic, former Assistant District Attorney and Northwood little league coach.He spent two years working at Solly Playground, then represented that district 20 years later as a council member.

In an exclusive interview with NEastPhilly.com, Dan McElhatton talks about his connections with the Northeast and his plans for the next District Attorney.

There aren’t many candidates from the Northeast running for public office. Where abouts are you from?
I was raised in Juniata and moved to Northwood. I went to Holy Innocents as a kid, then onto North Catholic, as did my three brothers, my father and my son. Then I went to Villanova and Temple Law.

How did you spend your time growing up?
My brothers and I were active in the Juniata Park Boys Club. I played varsity baseball and jv basketball at North, then played American Legion baseball in college. I also worked at Solly Playground in Rhawnhurst for two years during the early ’70s.

When did you make the move from Juniata to Northwood?
I got married in 1971, lived in Juniata for three or four years, then moved to Northwood in 1975. My kids went to St. Martin of Tours, where my wife taught. My wife is from Holmesburg; she went to St. Dom’s and St. Hubert’s. My wife’s family still lives in same house on Rowland Avenue.

Continue reading for more on McElhatton’s ties to the Northeast and his objectives as District Attorney.