I am writing in response to Councilwoman Bass’s opinion piece, “Community is more important than profits,” published on Nov. 6. My disappointment in Bass for blocking the redevelopment of the Ada Lewis School five years ago came from a place of deep frustration, not insensitivity. Along with many others in our community, I attended the vigil for Kada Scott at the Ada Lewis School and donated to help her family. I am deeply saddened and angry over this tragedy. A young woman’s life was cut short, and nothing matters more than that.

I agree with Councilwoman Bass that we must tackle neglected and unsafe buildings, invest in people as well as properties, focus on equity in development, and build responsibly. People and community should always come before profit. Those are my personal and professional values so I’m glad Bass agrees.

But commitments without action will not improve our community. For the past 38 years, I’ve worked every day to make our neighborhoods a better place to live, work and enjoy. With community input, I renovated more than 300 formerly vacant and deteriorated properties throughout the 8th District and around the City, providing jobs, services and housing while preserving historic buildings.

I share Bass’s belief in investing in people, but again, actions speak louder than words. I founded Jumpstart Germantown 10 years ago, to train, mentor, network and provide funding to local residents who want to reinvest in their own neighborhoods. To date, more than 1,800 Jumpstarters have completed our Training Program. Jumpstart provided more than $65 million to fund rehab projects. More than 85% of our graduates are people of color and more than 60% are women. And the quickly growing Jumpstart Program has now been replicated in 25 communities around the country.

I welcome the opportunity to work with Councilwoman Bass to actively address our problems and improve our community. But promoting responsible development and creating safer, stronger communities requires time and effort, not just empty promises and demands.

Ken Weinstein is president of Philly Office Retail and founder of Jumpstart Germantown.