DV Journal

(This article first appeared in Broad + Liberty)

State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, also the Democrats’ nominee for auditor general in this November’s election, was sued in January by Drexel University for more than $36,000 in unpaid tuition and late fees, according to court documents.

A university ledger for Kenyatta’s account filed as an exhibit in the case shows the Philly-based politician began accruing a balance with Drexel in the spring of 2014, enrolling in the Graduate College of Arts and Sciences.

Kenyatta made several payments through much of 2014, but by November and December that year, the university began regularly assessing late payment fees against him that continued into 2017. He enrolled for more classes in 2019, but by 2021 the late payment fees began again — this time costing about $300 each month for 15 consecutive months.

“Although demand [for payment] therefore has been made repeatedly, the Defendant has failed to pay the balance due,” the filing says. The filing asks for the balance of $36,139, another $500 for attorney fees incurred thus far, while leaving the door open for more attorney fees plus interest.

A spokesperson for Kenyatta brushed the lawsuit aside, suggesting there was nothing unusual.

“Like millions of Americans, Rep. Kenyatta carries debt from pursuing higher education. This matter is no longer pending and was settled between the parties in 2024,” said spokesperson Mike Mikus.

Mikus provided a screenshot from February demonstrating a settlement between Kenyatta and Drexel. The screenshot is a text from Kenyatta’s attorney, Wade Albert, and shows a settlement amount of $37,585.

As a state legislator, Kenyatta earns a salary of $106,422 per year, plus an allowance of $185 each day for expenses.

Even with the outstanding balance, Drexel featured Kenyatta in an “alumni spotlight” article.

“On the value of his graduate education, Kenyatta remarks, ‘Everything I learned in the program enhanced my skills as a leader and a communicator to constituents. You have to be clear and concise in your message. You have to communicate in an accessible manner. You have to know what you’re talking about,’” the profile said.

The Philly Democrat was ensnared in controversy earlier this year before the primary election. While doing door-to-door campaigning, a woman’s in-home security camera recorded Kenyatta saying one of his Democratic opponents “don’t like Black people.”

“There’s the guy, Mark Pinsley, who I told you don’t like Black people,” Kenyatta said. “He’s still running so we’ll see if he can get on the ballot. I have no idea. He’s from the Lehigh Valley.”

Kenyatta will face off in November against Republican incumbent Tim DeFoor to be Pennsylvania’s “chief fiscal watchdog.”

Pleasurable, carnal, queer…and fine cuisine?

A health inspector hired by Delaware County’s newly-opened health department to drop in on restaurants and other public spaces recently worked at the Urban Sexuality Lab at Drexel University, the Delaware Valley Journal has learned.

The Urban Sexuality Lab, or USL, “studies pleasurable, carnal, + queer cities, places, and spaces,” according to its Twitter page.

In a recent memo, USL director Jay Orne Ph.D. wrote, “Our lab studies carnality, bloody pleasure, heartfelt pain, the nebulous logic of our bodies past and future.”

Other Sexuality Lab research topics include: “Selling pleasure, danger: A typology of sex shops along the sex-positivity spectrum; Social distancing impacts HIV among men who have sex with men; the Philadelphia Gayborhoood; Health effects of police encounters on people of color.”

Zachary Babel

Zachary Babel, a former USL employee, presented a paper at a recent Sociologists for Trans Justice event, a far cry from the duties required for his new county position. That involves going to local small businesses to “conduct routine/required inspections and/or audits to ensure compliance of existing local and state public health and environmental codes, regulations, and policies,” according to the county’s website.

County health inspectors, whose starting salaries are $55,000 a year, visit restaurants and other businesses and certify their cleanliness and ensure they meet safety standards.  The county charges businesses fees for the required inspections.

When reached by phone, Babel confirmed he had worked at the Urban Sexuality Lab while working on his master’s degree in public health but declined to speak further.

Delaware County spokeswoman Adrienne Marofsky had no comment on Babel’s hiring or work for the Sexuality Lab when contacted by DVJournal. All five members of the county council also declined to comment.

The county’s takeover of health inspections from local municipal governments is already a controversial topic. Based on the newly-released rate schedule for inspection services, some Delaware County businesses could see their inspection costs double or triple. And there is no indication the county has nearly the staff it needs to replace the current inspectors.

“Unfortunately, it seems the bigger the department, the bigger the fee,” said Brian Razzi, Borough Manager of Glenolden. “The boroughs tried to keep the fees as low as possible, to avoid putting a financial burden on local businesses.

“But now, for example, the small 3rd Street Deli in Colwyn will go from paying a $50 annual inspection fee to a minimum of $266. The small Mexican grocery on Springfield Road in Clifton Heights will go from a $75 local fee to $266 under the county.”

Delaware County Council Chair Dr. Monica Taylor has argued that transitioning food establishment inspections to the county will improve outcomes and community health goals. “In addition to directly addressing the public health needs of Delaware County residents, inspections will be conducted more uniformly, rather than the varying approaches of the different municipalities,” Taylor wrote in a statement.

Meanwhile, questions about the qualifications of a former Sexuality Lab employee inspecting the heat lamps and food prep surfaces of local Delco restaurants remain.

“The Urban Sexuality Lab is breaking norms in the world of academic research, providing community for queer and ally student researchers, and advancing critical scholarship to support LGBTQ+ communities broadly,” Orne wrote.

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