The conversation wasn't sounding good for Kensington residents on June 20. The Philadelphia neighborhood is a critical center of the nation's opioid crisis, and the city had decided to spend $7.5 million in opioid settlement money to improve the quality of life there.
But on that day, a Pennsylvania oversight board was about to vote on whether to reject the city's decision. It was a thorny issue with major implications — both for Kensington residents and people across the state, as the decision could set a precedent for what kind of spending the board would allow for years to come. But a lot of people were shut out of the discussion.
Pennsylvania’s board doesn’t allow members of the public to speak at its meetings, a rule that sets it apart from about two dozen similar opioid councils nationwide. "It's another moment where folks not connected to this community are making decisions for this community, and I think that’s inappropriate," said Bill McKinney, a Kensington resident whose nonprofit is involved in some of the city's settlement-funded initiatives. "Those that are sort of most affected are not at the table.
" It's one example of how the public, including people who have lost loved ones to the opioid crisis or are dealing with it daily, are routinely shut out of having a meaningful say in how this windfall can be best used to address the damage. They are eager to suggest solutions for dollars that many of them consider blood money. But a first-of-its-kind survey .