One local problem is that so many of our local elite - media figures, Big Charity, CEOs, etc... - don't actually live in the city. "Philadelphia Magazine" has become much better in its coverage of the city, but for years was a magazine for suburban Main Liners. All of this has changed a bit in recent years, but I'm still occasionally shocked that people I long associated with "Philadelphia" either never really lived in the city or moved "back" quite recently.
The point isn't that one has to be a resident to comment or try to influence what happens here. You don't have to be a resident to be a genuine stakeholder, and plenty of nonresidents pay taxes to the city. The problem is that it's so many powerful and influential people. It's like the urban hellhole version of the "deep state." As a group they're powerful, and to a great degree they don't live here. But they have big microphones and big pocketbooks.
