The City Controller race is beginning to heat up. Last week, Democratic challenger Brett Mandel earned the support of the Liberty City Democrats and Mandel and Butkovitz have been trading shots since (and, well before, actually). There are four candidates in the race, including one Republican, and they’ll debate this week. Other than that, you should follow Philadelphia Weekly senior writer Tara Murtha as she live-blogs and tweets from a Columbia University symposium today and there are multiple neighborhood association meetings throughout the week. Hit me up at civics@philadelphiaweekly.com to get your civic event listed.

Monday, April 22

Live Blogging. Philadelphia Weekly senior writer Tara Murtha will be live-tweeting and blogging from Columbia University today. An Ochberg Fellow at the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma at Columbia University, she is at a symposium called Sandy Hook and Beyond: Breaking News, Trauma and Aftermath.
Check out the liveblog here. Follow her on Twitter: @TaraMurtha

City Council. The Council will be in session all day discussing the 2014 Capital Budget.
10am. City Hall, Room 400, 1 South Penn Square. phila.gov

Public Safety Committee Meeting. The Queen Village Neighborhood Association has re-scheduled its public safety committee meeting to tonight.
8pm. Weccacoe Playground Building, 400 Catherine St. qvna.org

Zoning Committee Meeting. The Northern Liberties Neighborhood Association will hold a zoning committee meeting.
6:30pm. NLNA Community Center, 3rd and Fairmount. nlna.org

Tuesday, April 23

City Council. Council will be in session all day, covering a number of ordinances, mostly dealing with real estate taxes and property assessment.
10am. City Hall, Room 400, 1 South Penn Square. phila.gov

Good Neighbors Launch. Community groups around the Philadelphia will begin putting pressure on city government to get money-making nonprofits, such as Penn and Jefferson, to begin paying more taxes. “Together, we’ll call on Mayor Nutter to enforce the Good Neighbors Policy, which would require mega-nonprofits like Penn and Jefferson to pay their fair share and raise tens of millions of dollars for our city’s schools and public services.”
4pm. City Hall, outside Mayor Nutter’s office. 1 S. Penn Square.

Zoning Committee Meeting. The Queen Village Neighbors Association will hold a zoning committee meeting to discuss both construction and new businesses in that neighborhood.
7:30pm. Weccacoe Playground Building. 400 Catherine St. qvna.org

Civic Association Meeting. The Millbrook Civic Association will hold a general meeting.
7:30pm. Calvary Athletic Association, 4330 Deerpath Lane.

Wednesday, April 24

City Controller Debate. The candidates for City Controller—Alan Butkovitz, Brett Mandel, Mark Zecca and Terry Tracy—will hold a debate in Rittenhouse.
7pm. Frieri Charter School, 2027 Chestnut St.

Board of Directors Meeting. The South of South Neighbors Association will hold a board meeting, which is open to the public.
7pm. SOSNA Office, 1901 Christian St. southofsouth.org

Police Meeting. The 8th District PSA will hold a meeting led by Lt. Joseph Mullin to discuss problems in this area of Northeast Philadelphia.
7pm. Torresdale Library, 3079 Holme Ave.

Civic Association Meeting. The Holme Circle Civic Association will welcome Dr. Marilyn Carr, principal of Robert Patrick Elementary School to discuss impeding Philadelphia School district changes.
7pm. Jerome School Hall, Colfax and Stamford Streets.

Civic League Meeting. The Greater Bustleton Civic League will hold a general meeting.
7:30pm. American Heritage Credit Union, 2060 Red Lion Road.

Brian Sims’ ‘Welcome Wednesdays.’ State Rep. Brian Sims will host his weekly “Welcome Wednesdays.” The topic this week will be “Getting Young People Involved” in the civic process.
8pm. Rep. Brian Sims’ Office. 21 S. 12th Street, Suite 182.

Thursday, April 25

City Council. Philadelphia City Council will discuss a number of zoning ordinances around the city.
10am. City Hall, Room 400, 1 South Penn Square. phila.gov

General Meeting. The Northern Liberties Neighborhood Association will hold a general meeting, open to the public.
7pm. NLNA Community Center, 3rd and Fairmount. nlna.org

Police District Meeting. The 17th Police District PSA 1 will hold a meeting to discuss safety in the neighborhood covering Federal Street to Washington Ave, Broad to the Schuylkill.
6pm. 1901 Christian St.

Public Zoning Meeting. The Newbold Neighbors Association will hold a planning and zoning meeting to gather feedback about neighborhood applications.
6:30pm. Reed Street Apartments, 16th and Reed. Newboldneighbors.org

Neighborhood Planning Meeting. The East Kensington Neighborhood Association will hold its monthly planning meeting.
7pm. Circle of Hope, 2007 Frankford Ave. ekna.org

Civic Association Meeting. The Morrell Park Civic Association will hold a general meeting.
7:30pm. Christ the King Church, 3252 Chesterfield Ave.

Friday, April 26

Farm to Families. This weekly service in the Hunting Park area of the city brings fresh produce to people in that neighborhood.
Contact Rob Whitmire: 215-302-3150 X334